About 2 years ago I got tired of replacing targets and picking all the litter up they created .
So I set out to build a target that lasts forever to shoot in the yard with. It's permanent and will last the rest of my life . I have accomplished it IMO.
Looking from 20 yards:
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo359/luckyjack123/Target002.jpg)
Up close :
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo359/luckyjack123/Target004.jpg)
Jack,
Looks good to me.
I had one of those targets once. The material just never wears out...
Yeah Kevin it has lasted about a year of shooting almost every day.
Jack
Great idea.
Best broadhead target there is.
Blunts, field tips , broadheads, judos anything you want to shoot is OK and TRULY 2 finger retrieval , not like the other commerical made targets.
Jack
Hope there are not going to be any pics of you shooting in a bathing suit.
I got one just like it!
I was actually pondering this very idea today. I shot at one a few times at an archery club I used to live near. Works great, but...
How much wear to arrows does it cause? I guess type of dirt/sand will make a difference. I shoot carbon mostly--any issues with doing more than cosmetic wear and tear?
I really like that! I have a pile of top soil behind my cheap old 3d target and it stops all of my errant shots. I should just make up something similar. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for posting Jack, I know what I'll be doing next week end.
Will it draw cats?
You got it Jack.....a pile of sand is all I've used for 25 years....good for field points as well as broadheads.
Careful You might wake to find someone has built a castle. Then you will have to take it by Storm.
Glynn no cats allowed around here :)
Oh Scott me in a bathing suit = Ugly
Billy sand is awsome :bigsmyl:
Jack
Do you think that there are any ill effects on arrows, continually being shot into sand, and wearing out the finish or even the carbon (assuming you shoot carbon) on your arrows, especially the front end which is the part you want to be the strongest?
Not nocking your target, as I have shot many an arrow into those targets and they are all you say they are, GREAT!...Just curious.
Thanks
Jake
Yes it is hard on the finish, I have been shooting carbon arrows into it for over a year . Let's ask Billy Shipp he says that he has been shooting a sand pile for 25 years . What ya say Billy ?
Jack
I've had one for twenty years myself. It does wear the finish off of wood arrows. It has been quite a few years since I shot aluminum, but I don't remember any issues with them at all. I've been shooting carbons for the last 3 or 4 years and have had no wear issues with them whatsoever.
Best broadhead target by far :thumbsup:
Good post Jack, two finger arrow removal without the price.Hey,if ole HOT HAP'S concern becomes reality there's always the rubber blunt option!
Whip Fellow Wisconsinite what do you do in the winter? I assume this is not a functional winter target for us correct?
Looks to be a good 3 season target thanks for sharing.Jerry
I've been thinking of the same thing for shooting my broadheads. I remember Fred Bear using deer silhouett targets made from cardboard and staked in front of a sand trap. Thought I would do the same.
Thanks for sharing... Jack!
how much sand did you use and what are the diminsions
Why wouldn't that work in the winter? When it's covered by snow, put some tennis balls or something on top of the snow (on top of the target butt) and shoot at them.
Should work just fine.
The winter concern for me would be if moisture permeated the sand/dirt and became frozen. I've muffed up a couple of arrows hitting very frozen ground.
How are the dirt type targets when it has been rained on? Do they get the arrows pretty gummy?
Thanks for the responses! I will be giving this a try :thumbsup:
Jack is that sand or a sand dirt mix,
Kurt
I've got a permanent shooting platform same height as I usually hunt from with 4 sand piles,10, 15, 20, and 25 yards. Build it in 1972 and just as food today as it was then. It even has lights so I can shoot at night.
100% sand left over from installing a pool :saywhat:
Frozen ground would be a concern in Wisconson but not really here .
There's always a better mousetrap! I just finished my new target/backstop with used carpet and plastic filled feed bag. Feeling pretty good about it and now this.... Now, that's the next one. I like the broadhead comments too. I've got just the place for this one - where my new carpet one is!
I found that saw dust is much less abrasive on arrows and broadheads than sand.
QuoteOriginally posted by Hot Hap:
Will it draw cats?
thank god YES! :saywhat:
Pounding sand for a year with no ill effects?
:bigsmyl:
This idea is illustrated in the first Archer's Bible by Fred Bear. Worked then... and now!
Killdeer :thumbsup:
What a great way to "turn" the compost!
BobW - too funny. Glad someone shares my love of feral felines as well!
Oh Killy I had to think about that for a second or two .
Sawdust, wonder if it will stop an arrow? What do you do wet it down , then let it settle to compact it????
Did you place anything under the sand to keep from losing it to the ground beneath?
God bless,Mudd
No, Mudd nothing goes through this red clay we have as top soil, but you could if you need to. Possibly a piece of discarded silt fence from a construction project .
Jack
I used to have access to an old sawdust pile from an abandoned sawmill. Arrows penetrated about halfway. It was damp and compacted from just being out in the elements. I imagine you could do the same thing on your range with wetting and tamping as you build your pile.
The sand pile I shot at "once only" was at the family concrete plant next door. It took the finish off my wood arrows and half the paint off my Zwickey's.
Sorry, wrong thread
Where do I buy one of these? :smileystooges:
Seems like they might be expensive to ship. :knothead:
Are they made in America? :laughing:
Thats a good idea! My 10yr old and I rove the field and when we see an anthill we shoot from where we 1st saw it. Lots of distance guessing and lots of arrows under the grass! Fun but he has wisened up, now he pretends not to see the anthill until we are on top of it.
Just had a thought, What would happen if you mixed the sand, saw dust. If you poured anti freeze in it that might help freezing in the cold months.???
The simplest things are usually the best! Great idea.
Do not pour anti freeze on the ground, it is toxic and not good for the environment, plus dogs/cats are drawn to it and if they drink even just a sip it will kill them.
If you are purosely shooting at dirt, is there a such thing as a miss ? interesting concept
Does the sand eventually take the finish off your arrows?
QuoteOriginally posted by KentuckyTJ:
Does the sand eventually take the finish off your arrows?
Was wondering the same thing...
I used the same concept for my backstop, of course I tend to over do things!
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/adeeden/photo-7.jpg)
As a tip if you go to your local farm supply and pick up a bag of calcium chloride and mix in with your sand your freezing problem won't happen. thats what they mix with sand to put on the roads in the winter for snow and ice.
personaly when the ground freezes that hard I shoot in the garage, its 20 yards from wall to wall!
QuoteOriginally posted by moththerlode:
If you are purosely shooting at dirt, is there a such thing as a miss ? interesting concept
Not unless you hit the tree that fell when no one was there....
Now, there is something that I will do as well! Thx!!
How much sand did you use? Looks like I need one of those! Great job!
I use a pile of glacial silt as a backstop for my bag target and the abrasive fine sand gets all over everything. The scratches on my carbon arrows seem rather superficial, but I have found it to be tough on the inserts (sand gets threaded in with the field point). I try to wipe my arrows clean after hitting the sand or it gets all over my arrow rest and that can't be good for the bow finish.
A big ol'pile of mulch works good also. Local Landfill sells it by the truckload cheap!
I use one large hay bale. Grass grows all over here
I like the idea, but I don't like the sand staying on my arrow and getting on my glove then gets in my mouth.
I've always thought that sod that was cut, then rolled and stacked lengthwise would work...but never tried it.
Looks good to me!
I'm gonna build one but I'm gonna build in 2 half boxes and put it on a hinge so I can keep it covered so the neighborhood cats don't make use of it.
Just wondering if that rubberized stuff you can buy for kids playgrounds would work.
That's the best kind. Most the targets on the market are too expensive IMO.
Do you have problems with the face of your target getting dirty?,,LoL
CATS ? a problem ?
My best target would be my wife's cat, but I'm not allowed to use it.