Swinging plates (pistol shooting)

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This is my first "real" project and I decided to go with something for the range. This design is based off a friend's setup but we simplified it by removing all connectors. The tension on the legs holds it in place and it seems very secure even on the small temporary legs. The support bar is deliberately undersized as his plates were dented onto the bar by stray hits and he couldn't get it apart. It is also modular, we can run one plate or 10 and can change the height by adding different legs. I'm not sure what the plate is but it had handled hits up to 357 magnum from a 6" Ruger. If it dents we have about 20 more laying around. My brother and I finished this in about 6 hours with the first 3 by myself making the corner brackets. There was a lot more cutting, grinding that we had expected. The welding was done with an AC225 and a Century welder. 1/8 6013 rods. All of the steel was left over from other projects.
Reply:Nice project.  Smart move to undersize tha hanging tubes.  The rest can be easily weld-repaired as required.  You could counter balance some top mounted targets to spin when hit, but always return to upright (bit heavier at bottom)"Good Enough Never Is"MIller AC/DC  ThunderboltHobart HH180, 125EZRiland Cut 40 Plasma oxy/act  outfitTons of "stuff", all treasures to me!
Reply:Nice project, Onlything I don't like is the hanging staps where they are twisted above the plates, a bullet striking the twist at the right/wrong angle could fly off in any direction,  Regards  Gordon.Lincoln SP-170 MigHypertherm powermax 45Lorch T220 AC/DC TigButters FM 215 synergic MigKemppi 180 adaptive mig RULES ARE FOR THE OBEDIENCE OF FOOLS AND THE  GUIDANCE OF WISE MEN.
Reply:Looks good, get to shootin'."I'd rather be careful a hundred times as killed once"
Reply:Originally Posted by gordon stephensonNice project, Onlything I don't like is the hanging staps where they are twisted above the plates, a bullet striking the twist at the right/wrong angle could fly off in any direction,  Regards  Gordon.
Reply:Till the bullet hits the weld and ricochets back at you.  I had that happen on some targets my cousin made and I was struck in the leg and by dumb luck I ended up with a nasty welt, didn't even break through my wranglers.  I made this drawing up to show how I would attach them:
Reply:Thanks for the feedback guys, any new plates will be made without the twist. Today was the group shoot with about 50 shooters through the day. The steel was a big success! It handled every handgun we threw at it (mostly 9, 40, 45, 357 but up to 45LC and 44 mag) and even some pistol caliber carbines. We had a few hits to the strap but no damage. I would estimate about 300-500 rounds today.
Reply:Looks like fun shooting in a place that is not a public range! I wish i had that luxury. nice targets alsoAmerican by birth Southern by the Grace of God
Reply:Finally, a project I'm looking forward to doing, and at a skill level I may be able to copy.Where do the bullets go?  How far ahead/behind the plates are the bullets hitting?It looks great!Hobart 125Words mean things
Reply:Originally Posted by dapapaFinally, a project I'm looking forward to doing, and at a skill level I may be able to copy.Where do the bullets go?  How far ahead/behind the plates are the bullets hitting?It looks great!
Reply:I gotta build something like that. We shoot in the back yard all the time. That's 11 acres by the way. Right now it is the empty can routine.Lincoln Ranger 8                        Lincoln 175                          Drill pressLincoln 225 mig                            Plasma                              8 ft brake        52" jump shear
Reply:Nothing wrong with empty cans, until you hit them with a large enough caliber to make 'em disintegrate. My uncle did that with a coffee can filled with water and an old Kraig shotgun (forget the caliber), blew a hole in the can big enough to put your fist through.Here's a challenge: take a coffee can filled with water and place it on top of a 2x4, or fence rail.  Now the trick is NOT to shoot the can!  You're going to nick the side of it with the bullet, and try to scoot it over a little.  My brother and a couple of my redneck cousins were goofing around with their Ruger 10/22's, and were making that can dance all the way down the length of the fence rail and back .... well, at least until my uncle pulled out that ol' Kraig.I like the way you set up your targets and the mountings, and agree with the thinner strap for holding up any new targets.  Angling them down is almost mandatory, as you don't want anything flying back at you!  Are you going to put red dots on the centers of the targets?  And of course, the portability is a must.
Reply:Oh.... you were shooting at the big round and square plates.  Misunderstood...thought you were gunning for the single target on the line to the right, just above the right end of that trapeze contraption