I know this is an old thread but I have a similar question so maybe I can piggyback a bit.
I’m looking to pick up some steel to shoot long range rifle and some pistol. I only want to buy one becuase I have to hump this stuff out to the range. About 500 yards from truck to firing line and then another 3/5 hundred down range.
What’s the most portable system I can buy for less than $200. I’d like a silhouette it think. That’s the shape of most of my targets that I shoot. What size should I be getting for shooting at long distance like that as well?
This my be a silly question but I read that some make more noise then others. I want steel for the feedback from hits. Is there any truth in that?
2 MOA is a good rule of thumb. So if you are going to be shooting at 500 yards, than a 10x10 target is pretty good. It would be a bit big at 300, but would be good size at 500, and a little small at 600-700 yards, but still do-able with a decent rifle.
At 300-500 yards 3/8’s AR500 is plenty thick for 308 and will make plenty of noise to hear. I have 3/8’s out at 600 on one range and its EASY to hear with both 308 and 223.
Easy portable stand is 2 of those T fence posts that you can drive into the ground and hang the target by a chain in between. Secure enough even though they are temporary and they dont weigh much at all.
The arrow is good, the Indian not so much. I’m new to the long range shooting with limited experience from Marine Corps qual with good results.
As a machine gunner we would shoot way past that but that wasn’t precision.
For target stands - t-posts as mentioned is the easiest but you have to drive them in and pull them out.
You could take (4) 1.5" Tee- pvc pipe connectors and (4) pieces of 1.5" pvc pipe 2 feet long - cement them opposite each other in two of the tees, now you have the bases; take two pieces of 5 feet long 1.5" pvc pipe and put them in the last hole in each tee - these are your uprights, at the top put another tee with the tee oriented 90 degrees to the legs of the base - run a piece of galvanized chain link top rail or other material through them and you have a stand to suspend the plate from. Drill two small holes in the top corners of the plate and use ‘s’ hooks, running swing set chain around the cross piece and back onto the ‘s’ hooks.
Even cheaper, but heavier - two 3’ 2x4s, two five foot pieces of 2x4, and a 2’x2’ piece of 3/8"ish plywood sawed diagonally to make two triangles. With a hole saw drill an appropriate sized hole 4 inches from the top end of the five foot 2x4’s - this is for the cross bar; place the 3’ 2x4’s on the ground, wide side up (on their sides) place the 5 footers on the ground wide side down (flat) attached the 5 foot 2x4’s at the center of the 3 footers, flip them over and attach the plywood triangles to keep the uprights sturdy and squared. hang target same way.
From the looks of it you cannot mount other plates on it, it hold the plate at the edges. So if I wanted to put something different on I couldnt, I would need a whole new set up.
Id probably want something bigger for distance with the rifle and smaller for the pistol.
Am I over thinking this? I just don’t want to drop $200 and then be kicking myself I didn’t do something else.
You can buy replacement plates, or use one of the same size. For $175, its a great deal. I would get the regular version though. I think the size is perfect for most uses.
I’d recommend CMP steel targets for the price & durability/quality. I use them, and have recommended them to several other members who all share the same opinion as I do about them.
Combine that steel target with you own DIY hanging method and you’ll be way under $200, and most likely as portable as you’ll find.
Lastly in regards to noise…it’s really about how you hang it in my experience. I’ve found the heavier the steel, the quieter it is upon report. That’s why 3/8" is the perfect medium. Not to thin to effect durability, and not to thick to effect noise report.
I do not recommend tac strike targets of design similar to that. I have one and actually broke it this morning with a .308 at 425m.
The design uses 4 soft steel brackets to hold the AR500 plate. The brackets protrude in front of the plate. Thus you’re bound to it them eventually. The brackets can take a dead on .308 hit, but not two. It took 2 years or so of weekly shooting, but we finally hit the same bracket twice, and the plate dropped off the stand. Range day over.
Tac Strike actually includes extra brackets because they figured they would need to be replaced.
I’d rather have a design that doesn’t even need them, and I’ve seen such designs from other companies that mount the plate from the back.