Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Wood Field Target
It was September of 1995, I was sitting one Saturday morning on the practice range waiting. Waiting for anyone to show up to my very first match. I had started the field target discipline at the Port Malabar Rifle and Pistol Club in Palm Bay Florida and now I was waiting to see if anyone showed up for the inaugural match. The PMR&PC board of directors gave me $50 to buy supplies and make some targets to try to get this venture going. From that money, I bought some string, spikes and enough materials to make 10 wood based field targets . I had one guy show up, Bud Yeager. He and I went into the woods and shot our match at my 10 wood targets and had a great time.
The simple wood targets worked great that day and have continued to serve me well to this very day. I still have most of those original ten targets today and they still work great. I made a bunch more targets after that day and I still have a lot of them too. I still use the old wood targets from time to time, however I hesitated to leave them out in the elements all the time.
With my recent adventures into low powered airgunning I decided to get a couple of my old wood target and use them at home to practice with my 10 meter match rifles. I thought I would have to adjust the sears to allow them to fall over with a lower powered rifle, but, to my surprise the targets were already set to fall with just 1.5-2 ft. lbs. of energy! I hadn't realized that these old targets would trip so easily yet would take the impact of a 20 ft. lbs. rifle without falling. I had a much better design than I realized!
In the olden days, I tended to use scrap wood for my targets and most of it was untreated wood. The wood would swell if it was left out in the rain which caused the sear pressure to change. Once it dried out the sear would return to normal. At a few matches I had to adjust some targets on the morning before the match after a night rain. It never occurred to me that I might use marine plywood and pressure treated bases to make the targets and then slather all the parts with some water sealant before final assembly. This may help weather proof the targets and allow them to set out in the elements all season like my metal targets. I think once I get settled into my new home that I may have to make a few more wood target out of better materials. Then I will torture test them over the next year to see just how well they hold up in the harsh southern climate.
Here are a few wood targets I made over the years:
The simple wood targets worked great that day and have continued to serve me well to this very day. I still have most of those original ten targets today and they still work great. I made a bunch more targets after that day and I still have a lot of them too. I still use the old wood targets from time to time, however I hesitated to leave them out in the elements all the time.
With my recent adventures into low powered airgunning I decided to get a couple of my old wood target and use them at home to practice with my 10 meter match rifles. I thought I would have to adjust the sears to allow them to fall over with a lower powered rifle, but, to my surprise the targets were already set to fall with just 1.5-2 ft. lbs. of energy! I hadn't realized that these old targets would trip so easily yet would take the impact of a 20 ft. lbs. rifle without falling. I had a much better design than I realized!
In the olden days, I tended to use scrap wood for my targets and most of it was untreated wood. The wood would swell if it was left out in the rain which caused the sear pressure to change. Once it dried out the sear would return to normal. At a few matches I had to adjust some targets on the morning before the match after a night rain. It never occurred to me that I might use marine plywood and pressure treated bases to make the targets and then slather all the parts with some water sealant before final assembly. This may help weather proof the targets and allow them to set out in the elements all season like my metal targets. I think once I get settled into my new home that I may have to make a few more wood target out of better materials. Then I will torture test them over the next year to see just how well they hold up in the harsh southern climate.
Here are a few wood targets I made over the years:
