Homemade Dynamic Targets

[Leaveammoforme]

Update at post 9: Another target added.

I have been wanting some personal dynamic target stands for what seems like forever. I never could stomach the cost though. I gathered up scrap steel from the corner of the garage and came up with this contraption.

There are two stands located to each other by a center tube that is removed by pulling two pins. The left stand is a Swinger and the right is a Slider. Both 'mast' sections are also removable by pulling pins. Removing the masts allows stands to be used as standard stands.

The 3 silhouettes up front are No-Shoots. The taller silhouette is the Slider. Swinger is behind a No-Shoot to start.

Here's how it works,


Pull stick holding Swinger, Swinger weight goes over and releases latch for Slider. Yep, it's that quick. I tried slowing down the Slider but it wouldn't run 100% at a slower rate.

Here's at 7'ish yards with a slight hiccup/delay on the Slider,

[Leaveammoforme]

7'ish yards. I yanked second shot on Slider.

[Leaveammoforme]

10 yards, best run of day with 0 points down. Bro started filming late so it starts mid draw. Could still shave some time by engaging swinger in slot instead of waiting on it.


I'm currently working on a stand that will turn towards and away from shooter. Having problems working out the bugs.

These are home builds so they're not as stout as something you could buy and one misplaced round may end them. Definitely a fun project though.

Interested in any ideas you mave have on other designs.

[TXBK]

Nice ingenuity.

[SeriousStudent]

Fiendish contraption!!!

Seriously, thanks very much for this, it's a sweet idea. I've been looking for a way to set up some movers on a budget.

[joedirt199]

If you want a turner you need some round tube steel that you can cut a notch in the side for a track that positions the target sideways to you at start position, top of track. A spring or just gravity can bring the target down after pulling a retaining pin, which could be pulled by a falling plate. Target follows the track down so it turns toward shooter then back to side at bottom of track. Kind of like a spiral down the tube then back the other way.

Clam shells are good practice where the badguy target is in the back and springs up before a no shoot target springs up to cover it.

[Leaveammoforme]

I'm trying to make the Turner without it falling. It may be the way I have to go though. I've shot on ones that simply ride downward on a piece of flat iron with a twist in it.

A Clam shell would be a fun one. They can be a real challenge to engage if anything goes wrong. I've seen lots of No-Shoots get hit on these.

What I'm ultimately wanting is a Rube Goldburg type of target set. You start it and in volley of downrange projectiles, you either look like a champ or hit the most No-Shoots ever known to mankind.

[joedirt199]

Kind of like a mouse trap game of targets. Guess for the turner you could just wrap a section of rope around it and as the rope is pulled the target turns with a stop to keep it from continually spinning. Would require a second person or a weight to activate and pull the rope.

[Leaveammoforme]

Ended up scrapping the non-falling Turner project. I wanted it to swing like a door that was closing and then opening. It was over-engineered, non-100% functioning & it operated violently. I was bound to lose a finger at some point when cocking that thing.

Went with a channeled tube running on a guide stud. The Swinger still activates the Slider then the Slider releases the Turner.

[Leaveammoforme]

Here it is with the No-Shoots. The quickest way I can complete it is engage Slider twice, one shot on Swinger in No-Shoot gap, second shot on Swinger when it is exposed to the left & than two shots on Turner.

I suppose someone who is quicker could go Swinger/Slider/Turner. I did find myself waiting on the Turner even with my sequence though.