Target Stands

Target Stands

 

It’s always fun to go out and do some target practice or set up to get your favorite deer rifle sighted in for the season’s hunting. Some people are lucky enough to have enough room and a set range where they can do their sighting in and target practice. Most people are not that fortunate.

Many people, especially those not living in populated areas, although they may not own a large tract of land, have access to land where they can set up and do their target shooting and sighting in. In almost every situation, the process is to find a suitable fixture, tree, soil bank, rock formation, etc. where you can hang your targets, and then using a range finder back off 100, 150, 200, 250, or 300 yards. Then set up your shooting bench and get down to business. This, of course, would be a desirable scenario but to find an area like this that is also easily accessible from the highway and where the topography is level, quite frankly is an unusual set up. The typical situation is that you have access to land and you have an area where it is safe to shoot. In other words, some type of back stop to prevent bullets going somewhere you don’t want them to, and/or enough open distance where the bullet will plow into the ground long before it becomes a safety issue. These are the situations where having a portable support system for hanging your targets is a primary requirement. On a calm day there are a wide range of target support devices that are available. However, once a breeze starts up, everything changes. Typically targets are supported on two wood uprights with a cardboard piece across them and attached with staples. The actual target is then mounted to the cardboard. As you may appreciate, when the breeze begins to blow, this acts as a sail and everything gets blown all over the place, and that’s the end of your shooting session. One solution to this problem is to bring sand bags and drape them over the base of the support it during breezy shooting sessions. Target stands of this type are made by several companies such as CTK Precision, Birchwood Casey, Midway USA, and Champion. Exceptional to this group is the Hyskore 30291 Target Hound https://hyskore.com/products/30291-target-hound/  and the Hyskore 30310 Range Hound Portable Target Stands. Both of these target stands are designed so that wood stringers such as 2 x 4’s 4’, 6’, or 8’ long can be bolted to the base to mitigate the effects of wind. Unlike sand bags, which can weigh 40, 50, or 60 pounds, in addition to the weight of the target stand, the entire target stand with two 2 x 4’s attached to the base weighs a mere 12 lbs. Both of these target stands have another feature that makes them stand out. If you have ever been to an IPSIC or IDPA shoot or seen any other target stands that are available, you will note that they all accommodate 1 x 2”  lumber for the uprights to which the backer for the targets is attached. Of course 1 x 2” lumber is readily available, but 2 x 4” are much easier to come by and can sustain multiple misplaced shots before they fail, as opposed to 1 x 2”. The only thing that is better than a target stand that can support 2 x 4” is one that support both 2 x 4 “and 1 x 2” lumber. Such is the case for both Hyskore target stands. This makes them exceptionally versatile and certainly more useful than any other type of target stand. While the 30291 Target Hound is set to accommodate IPSIC, IDPA, and NRA targets 18” wide, the 30310 Range Hound is adjustable from 24” up to 44”. This means that one target stand can work for IPSIC, IDPA, and NRA matches, and then be used for long range 1,000 yard F class shooting. It just doesn’t get better than that.

Now that we’ve worked out the equipment issue, the big advantage of portable target stands is that you can pull your pickup truck off the highway, set up target stands at 100, 200, 300 yards etc., or whatever range it is where you want to do your target work or sighting in, and then either working from the bed of your pickup truck or from a portable bench, you are all set up and ready to get down to business.