Ol' Buffalo Shooting Accessories

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you're reading this in English, thank a veteran.

I have long been dissatisfied with available target stands. There are many stands on the market, but in my experience, most had one shortcoming or another. Some are very nice, but doggone expensive!

Here are questions I've had in looking for in a target stand:

• How do you hang your targets?

• How long does it last?

• Is it easily portable?

• Is it quick and easy to set up?

• Does it need frequent maintenance or repairs?

• Can it hold my targets steady in a breeze?

• Will it work for all kinds of targets

• Can I afford to buy one (or several)?

With input from fellow shooters, I've come up with a stand that is versatile, simple, reasonably light weight and best of all, solves all the above challenges. Due to its simplicity and ease of storage, this is now the only stand that I use in my shooting courses.

I made my stands of welded steel. The vertical tubes are designed to hold standard 1x2" furring strips (about a dollar each, not included with the purchase of the target stand) as target uprights. The furring strips can be cut to height for whatever kind of shooting you're doing. For "combat" shooting I cut them about 6 feet and for rifle, I cut them about 4 feet long. The wood furring strips take quite a pounding before they expire -- as many as 30 rounds before breaking. I staple a piece of cardboard across the strips and can shoot many targets of all sizes and shapes before the cardboard needs to be replaced.

• One of the most stable target stands around.

• Doesn't need stakes or sand bags unless yer shootin' in high winds.

• Will not tip over under normal shooting conditions. If the wind blows this one over, its probably too windy for shootin' anyway. But, if you do want to shoot in the wind, you can weight it down with a bag of sand (I used a 40# bag of lawn fertilizer the other day).

• Use indoors or outdoors on any surface.

• No parts to lose.

• Just drop in place, insert your "sticks", staple, and shoot.

• The furring-strip holders are taller than most competitors for a more stable target in windy conditions.

• Stands weigh 5-7 pounds each.

I've made three versions:

18" wide x 30" deep for targets up to 18" wide.
24" wide x 30" deep for wider targets.
Multi-width accommodates narrow and wide targets. Similar in appearance to above models but has 3 vertical tubes spaced at 18" and 24", combining capabilities of the 18" and 24" models in one stand.
I no longer sell these target stands. Shipping these things costs as much as the cost of the stand itself. But, you should be able to take the photos to a local welder and have some made -- and save the postage. The base of the red target stand is made of one 18" long piece of 3/16" thick 1-1/2" angle iron and two 30" long pieces of the same material. The three pieces are welded into an "H". The uprights are two 8 to 10" long pieces of 1x2" rectangular tubing. The blue stand substitutes a 24" piece for the 18" one and has three uprights spaced for 18" or 24" target backers. I've found that the 18" stands work fine for 24" targets, so the 24" stand really isn't necessary in most cases.

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