Long ago and far away I had just retired from my career and had taken up a new career as a training contractor providing basic defensive pistol training to County Probation Departments around the state. I was teaching a 40 hour course that required three range days and 1,218 rounds of ammunition per trainee, and I was of necessity using local ranges.
One of the first hard lessons I learned in my new job was never to trust that the host range would have as many target stands as I had trainees. In fact, on my very first job I made a scouting trip of a couple of hundred miles to check out the host range and discovered that it was lacking six target positions for my upcoming classes.
Returning home and stopping at the local lumber yard, I bought enough lumber to produce six of the best portable target stands I have ever used in this life. I honestly don't know where I got the design, but had been using it for my own needs for some years at that time, and had found it to be easy to make, inexpensive, and extremely durable.
In fact, in the next few weeks each of my new target stands had a total of 3,652 rounds of pistol ammunition fired through them, and although they had taken some hits, each and every one of them was serviceable and safe to use. They stubbornly resisted every effort my trainees made to blow them apart. But first, here is the target stand I am referring to.
The stand consists of a base and a target frame. The target frame is simply inserted into a slightly undersized slot built into the base and is held there by friction alone. On the ones I have built, I have generally made the span of the vertical 2x2's a half inch wider than the slot in the base. To put them together, you get one leg started into the slot, then push in on the other leg with your foot until it goes in. Then you push down on the entire frame and it stays put. It looks like this when finished and assembled.
All you need is two 2x4x8's and three 2x2x8's. Pick through the 2x4's and do your best to find the driest and therefore the lightest ones in the pile. Light weight is very important because you have to carry this stand downrange to the distance you want to shoot. Try to find straight 2x2's, straight ones being as rare as hens' teeth, but give it your best shot.
Here are all the parts of both the base and the stand laid out so you can see how they go together.
This is a basic project that requires few carpentry skills, any kind of a good saw, a power drill with a few bits, especially a screwdriver bit, and 32 screws of any kind you happen to have laying around, including rusty, reclaimed ones. They can be wood screws, sheet metal screws, drywall screws, or deck screws. As long as they have a good screwdriver slot, you're in business.
As for a saw, I have built these stands with table saws, radial arm saws, chop saws, circular saws, and even small hand saws used with a cheapo three dollar miter box. I built this particular stand with my power miter saw, but you certainly don't need anything that sophisticated for this project. The joints are all butted together and no routing or dado heads are needed at all. (Note: You can make these stands with nails but I don't recommend it as the stand will loosen up pretty quickly. Use screws if you can. )
The dimensions of this stand are entirely optional. Usually you will find yourself limited by the size of the storage area you have for it, and by the room available in your vehicle. I've pretty well standardized on these dimensions: BASE – 2x4 feet, 3'. 2x4 cross boards, 2'. TARGET FRAME – Height, 6'. Outside width of upright 2x2's, 24 ½". Vertical distance at the outside of the horizontal 2x2's, 4'. Here are a couple of photos showing things to consider when deciding on the dimensions you want to use.
I keep my stand stored between a fridge and freezer in the garage, and don't care to exceed 24 inches in width lest it become a snag. Also, this kind of lumber is fragile and won't tolerate being stored outdoors for very long at all. So keep it indoors if at all possible.
This is how it breaks down and fits into a Dodge Ram short-bed half ton pickup.
I use my frame mainly for pistol work out to 25 yards and rifle work out to 50 yards, although I have used it much farther out than that. That being said, here's an idea you might consider.
If you are going to place your stand out at extended ranges, I suggest you spike it down as shown in this photograph. Although it's rare, I have seen these stands blow over when a strong gust of wind hits them, and that's a real bummer when you've just gotten back to the firing line after walking the stand out to the 200 yard line. The ten inch spikes shown in the photograph cost 55 cents each at Lowe's. The twelve inchers are only 65 cents.
And now here are some photos of the basic joinery involved , along with a few explanatory comments and hints for building the stand.
I use two 2 ½" screws in each butt joint in the target frame and always pre-drill the holes. I advise against trying to countersink the head by running the screw in at a high speed – 2x2's will split every time when you do this. It's OK to run the screw in fast, just slow it down before the head meets wood. If you find your screws are a bit short, it doesn't hurt a thing to countersink the head as much as ¾" in order to get the needed thread depth into the horizontal 2x2.
All of the corner braces in both the base and the target frame are 6" in length on the long side, cut to 45 degrees, and are held in place with two drywall screws. In this case I had some 1 5/8 inchers that worked great.
In the base I used two 3 ½" deck screws to make the joints, then reinforced them with corner braces like the ones shown in this photo. Note the precision with which I located the deck screws, heh.
One need not necessarily use 2x2's for the corner braces. I used them as a matter of convenience since I had plenty of lumber. But you can use triangles cut from old flooring like the middle piece in the photograph, or from a scrap piece of 1x4 board like the top piece and then screw them down flat on the back of the frame and the top of the base. The screws shown are typical of the ones I used in this project.
You might be wondering if the corner braces are really needed. Well, yes and no. I have made these stands without corner braces and they did fine for a while. Then they started getting wobbly and had to have all the screws driven in farther, which is a pain. Also, I've found that the corner braces really help hold the unit together when one of the longer pieces of 2x2 takes a bullet hit. I've never seen one of these stands get shot up so badly the shooter couldn't finish his day, and the corner braces help make that a reality.
This photo illustrates just how the target frame and base go together. When you make the base, it's best to install one crossboard completely, then establish the correct size of the slot by placing a loose piece of 2x2 between the fixed board and the second one you are about to install. I even C clamp these together to make sure I get the snudge fit I'm looking for.
This gives a different view of how the entire unit goes together when it's finished.
So gents, if you are growing tired of swiping your neighbors' "For Sale By Owner" signs, or even the little front yard political ad signs to use for target stands, this offers a real chance to have a sturdy, cheap, easy to build and repair, inexpensive alternative you might want to consider. It offers some real room for alterations to fit ones situation as well. And again, these are entirely suitable for conducting firing classes on the range. Best wishes and thanks for listening.
EssOne
