My idea of a plinking target

[1886]

This is the back view. just imagine it turned around w/ the rear supports in back. One frozen day two years ago I got tired of trying to hammer a heavy duty Birchwood Casey spinner type target into the frozen ground and decided there has got to be a better way. Well my feeble brain started to sputter and I took the spinner to my local welder/fabricator and asked him to try to come up w/something better. He is not a shooter but he understood the general idea and came up with what you see. It is not perfect. It probably needs a heavier cross support and it is not suitable for high power jacketed rounds. It works well with heavy cast loads though. Heavy .44 mag loads, 300gr at 1300fps, will move it around after a half dozen rounds and this sucker is about 75lbs. Maybe another 25lbs would cure this. The base is about 24"x30" 1/2" diamond plate. The damage to the cross member was due to a direct hit from my 45-70 plinking load, a 400gr Bearcreek supply at 1000fps from the muzzle at 150yrds. "Light load" but big punch. It cost me $50 bucks plus the cost of the spinner, about $35.00. 1886.

[J Miller]

1886,

With a bit of refinement that should do nicely.

I used to use axle shafts for targets. Set them on the ground, flange down with the lug nut studs stuck in the ground and then try to knock them over.
Anything short of a direct hit would just glance off. And anything under a 38 Special wouldn't even rock them.

I also had a frame with hanging targets that my friend and I used. It got left behind in AZ when I left , gone now.

Joe

[Ben_Rumson]

A thought....Maybe if you extend the swinger shank 8", it would dampen the revs, and perhaps that would keep the rig in place.. Remove the cross bar to clear the swinger. For more weight & strength add 1/2 x2 bar braces between the legs front to rear. Also you could face the legs with angle iron to help deflect bullets better..

[Tycer]

weld four 1/2" diameter by 1 1/2" long feet to the bottom to keep it from sliding. or drill, thread and use hardened bolts of any diameter.

[Rusty]

Better be careful with that thing it will put your eye out!

We were shooting at the range one day. There were steel gongs set up on the back side of the 50 yard line right in front of the butts. My buddy shot a 240 grain GC out of his 4" M29 and it bounced right back and hit him in the shoulder. didn't break the skin but it smacked him pretty good.

There's also a clip on youtube of someone shooting a .50 BMG that came back at the shooter.

I know I love shootin them too, just be careful.

Rusty <><

[Griff]

Very nice Joe. I've got a couple of animal silhouette targets that are good for most anything, but I keep them to cast only. One is a "running" bear and a 1/4 life size buffalo. They're both mounted on 2" pipe with an "X" base. Each weighs about 75 lbs sans upright and base. The running bear is very deceiving as it really only has about a 18" center of mass although the four legs and neck being extended make it appear much larger. Actually, it just has a lot of gaps that cause misses. Most shooters don't like it! I don't have any pictures, but will have to rectify that when I get home.

[cnjarvis]

That's a great idea, thanks for sharing! I have the same problem out where I shoot. The ground isn't frozen though, just dry and hard.

I think I'll try it with a couple of lengths of 2x2 angle or some scrap tubing I have laying around.

[Ysabel Kid]

Magnificient idea!!!

[jdad]

We have 1" thick steel practice "spinners" hanging from chain, in a heavy "I" beam frame. The 200m rams probably weigh well over 100 pounds and barely move. We have them all to one side for practice, so you don't have to move/setup targets and you can just repaint them, then see where your shots are hitting. Saves on setting up paper and is more fun.