So...I made a sand target

[TxAg]

Previous thread:   http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=144621#000000  


I used scrap wood and old shingles I had laying in the shed. I used some old cypress mulch for a base to keep it from getting too muddy. I'm not carpenter, but it's serviceable.  

 

   

   


The only thing I paid for was 10 30# bags of play sand from Home Depot. About $3 a bag. It works, but ideally it would be about 8" deeper.

I will probably remove the lower barrier and extend it using some 2x6's screwed on the sides at the bottom. Another 5 or 6 bags of sand and I'll be just right.


   

[pdk25]

Nice work.  I need to get off of my butt and do that.

[Orion]

Looks good.  Might consider sliding a sheet of 1/2 inch or thicker plywood behind the entire set up.  Regardless of how good a shot one is, every now and then, the yips creep in, the concentration wanes, etc., and one gets a flier.  The cedar fence may or may not be enough to stop a broad head.  

[J. Cook]

I've never shot into sand or dirt targets - with all the supporters for that on this site, it has me wondering...does it eat up the front end of your arrows eventually?  I would think it's like shooting into sandpaper every shot?

[ChuckC]

It causes wear, yup.  Mostly to the broadhead and the front 6 " or so of the arrow finish.  Nothing lasts forever.  It is not as bad as it would seem.
ChuckC

[Whitetail Addict]

Cool, that'll work. I should do something like that too.

I'm working on a target today myself. Nothing as ambitious as yours, I'm just filling a cardboard box with spray foam, lol. I'll give it a day to dry, then add the rest.

Nice target.    

Bob

[TxAg]

Originally posted by J. Cook:
I've never shot into sand or dirt targets - with all the supporters for that on this site, it has me wondering...does it eat up the front end of your arrows eventually?  I would think it's like shooting into sandpaper every shot?

I'll have to report back in a couple months, but this sand is very soft and fine. It is more like fine river silt than sand you'd find at an ocean.

Regardless, I will probably use broadheads and blunts in the sand and stick with the bag for field tips.

[joe skipp]

Sand targets are great for testing out penetration on broadheads with your arrow setup or just comparing different arrows for penetration.

[Orion]

Wasn't that long ago (20-25 years or so) that almost all hunting type tournaments used cardboard animal silhouettes placed in front of sand bunkers, and the targets were shot with broadheads.  Of course, most clubs still have those sand bunkers, often in disrepair, but few shoot them anymore.

Excellent practice for hunting.  Really enables one to test a lot of broad heads and figure out what flies best.

The advent of the expandable broadhead contributed to the demise of broadhead shoots as did the invention of the 3-dinmensional target. The wheelie guys don't want to damage their expandable heads shooting into foam or sand/dirt, and they're the majority of shooters in most areas.

Of course, the realistic 3-D targets are a lot of fun to shoot, regardless of equipment, but it's nice to have a sand bank, natural or man-made, to shoot broadheads into before season.