Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
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    (Beaver County)
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    Default Inexpensive but sturdy steel target stands!

    I usually hang these from shepherd hooks that I stick into the hillside at my range but climbing a muddy hill sucks so I was exploring other options. Well, I found these 3/4" conduit pipe connectors from makerpipe.com for $2.75 each and ordered 8 to build stands for my steel targets. Well, they arrived today and I'm pretty impressed. They're made of pretty sturdy steel and I was actually able to hang from the assembled stand and do some pull ups. Here's what I built ... The top row is a pair of 6 inch and 8 inch plates, the bottom is a pair of 10 inch plates. They are all 1/2" thick so they're heavy.

    https://makerpipe.com/collections/mo...ts/t-connector



    I found some canopy fittings that could work as well ... https://www.a1tarps.com/specialty-fittings.html

  2. #2
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    Jan 2019
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    Bedford
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    Default Re: Inexpensive but sturdy steel target stands!

    Nice. I'm guessing the conduit and hangers are standard in a trade (Electrician?). Are they
    Easy and cheaply to obtain for non-tradesmen ? No matter what stand I try to make, it always
    Comes down to how easy it is to replace parts because hitting a 12" plate is hard, hitting a
    1/2" pipe or hanger is apparently real easy ��

    Not to diverge today much, but do you find that paint color easy to see and at what distance & background?
    My standard is to POR15 all my plates, then use white appliance paint and floresent orange marking paint
    For visibility.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    North Penn area, Pennsylvania
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    Cool Re: Inexpensive but sturdy steel target stands!

    That wooden fence backstop ain't gonna stop shit if ya miss!
    I don't speak English , I talk American!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Effort, Pennsylvania
    (Monroe County)
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    Default Re: Inexpensive but sturdy steel target stands!

    Quote Originally Posted by abner13 View Post
    That wooden fence backstop ain't gonna stop shit if ya miss!
    Yeah I was thinking that too.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
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    Wayne, Pennsylvania
    (Chester County)
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    Default Re: Inexpensive but sturdy steel target stands!

    OP, out of rep for you. Everything looks great...
    - bamboomaster

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
    (Lehigh County)
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    Default Re: Inexpensive but sturdy steel target stands!

    Nice, easy to take down for transport too. I have some Kee Klamps that would probably work as well. Now I have another project for the list...
    Illegitimus non carborundum est

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Erie (Harborcreek), Pennsylvania
    (Erie County)
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    Default Re: Inexpensive but sturdy steel target stands!

    Quote Originally Posted by abner13 View Post
    That wooden fence backstop ain't gonna stop shit if ya miss!
    Yeh, the noise may be a problem too. :-)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    Ambridge, Pennsylvania
    (Beaver County)
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    Default Re: Inexpensive but sturdy steel target stands!

    Quote Originally Posted by 85MikeTPI View Post
    Nice. I'm guessing the conduit and hangers are standard in a trade (Electrician?). Are they
    Easy and cheaply to obtain for non-tradesmen ? No matter what stand I try to make, it always
    Comes down to how easy it is to replace parts because hitting a 12" plate is hard, hitting a
    1/2" pipe or hanger is apparently real easy ��

    Not to diverge today much, but do you find that paint color easy to see and at what distance & background?
    My standard is to POR15 all my plates, then use white appliance paint and floresent orange marking paint
    For visibility.
    Most of what I use is easily sourced at any hardware store; chain, S hooks, conduit. The exceptions are the T brackets and steel hooks but as long as those don't get shot (you'd have to be WAY off to hit them), ordering them once is usually sufficient. I was talking to my sister and told her about the new design because I thought it may be of interest to her family for their targets and she asked if it was "us proof". They tend to shoot my conduit pipe when we go to the range together and so does my wife so I totally get where you're coming from. I made the lower stand for the two 10 inch plates entirely out of scrap pipe from conduit we had shot and I had to chop down. There's one on the side of my shed next to the rubbish bin that has no shit probably 7 holes in it. No salvaging any part of it!

    I've tried neon colors and they actually don't stand out very well. Also, the paint is thinner and tends to require WAY more layers to get good coverage. I don't need it to look good but having defined edges helps a lot for picking them up. We typically shoot with a dirt backstop at about 30 to 50 yards depending on which bay we're using at my club. I generally use rustoleum professional matte white because white stands out the most for my eye and matte paint isn't going to be affected as much by sunlight. This hideous seafoam green was on clearance for $2. $6 for white, a third of that for this ... The rustoleum pro has a higher output so it covers the plate with fewer passes and shooting every week (when weather cooperates) requires that I'm repainting these damn things pretty often. I appreciate the efficiency.
    Last edited by Misery Loves Shotguns; March 14th, 2020 at 05:22 PM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    Ambridge, Pennsylvania
    (Beaver County)
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    Default Re: Inexpensive but sturdy steel target stands!

    Quote Originally Posted by abner13 View Post
    That wooden fence backstop ain't gonna stop shit if ya miss!
    Quote Originally Posted by SevenMilePete View Post
    Yeh, the noise may be a problem too. :-)
    I WISH I COULD SHOOT IN MY BACK YARD! That's my dream! I have nerf guns that my wife and I shoot at the steel sometimes and we throw baseballs at them to practice for the clown knockdown game at dave and buster's. The steel makes that ping whether it gets hit by a baseball, nerf dart, or a 115 grain 9mm FMJ so it holds me over on weekends I can't make it to the range.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Windber, Pennsylvania
    (Somerset County)
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    Default Re: Inexpensive but sturdy steel target stands!

    Targets look good. I am going to try done if the fittings.

    I typically use a t post and t post hanger from shoot steel. Com but those look nice for multiple targets or a poor man's "speed rack". The tpost hangers run like $25 and 5 for a tpost so around $30 for one target hanger, this seems more economical

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