BB Gun Range Targets

[Steve Kohn]

I lead the repair and maintenance committee for a Boy Scout camp. I've been asked to build targets for the camp's BB gun range. They have been described as a pretty simple frame to hold the paper targets and get mounted into the ground when in use. Can anyone point me to a resource? I need to build 8 of these.

[Jim Everson]

Wish I had a suggestion, but I don't. But I did want to say.....what a cool project....thanks for helping out your BSA Troop!

[William Adams]

If memory serves, there're plans for them in the Boy Scout Shooting merit badge book --- an image search shows a base and the balance of the target is just two uprights and a pair of cross members to hold them together --- ideally all sized to match the targets being used, or some standard size of cardboard sheet as a backer.

[John Ziebron]

Steve, kudos for helping the Boy Scouts. I don't have any plans but most all the target holders I've seen for BB and pellet use are made of metal. Directly behind the paper target is a piece of metal slanted at about 45 degrees to deflect the shot down. I'm thinking you could make the your target out of wood and use a piece of heavy gauge sheet metal screwed to some angled wood supports behind your target frame. Good luck with this project. Show us what you end up with.

[Dan Forman]

My grandfather made a bb gun trap for us to shoot at in the basement of his house. I am having a hard time trying to describe it, but think of it as a sandwich - a plywood backing board, over that a U shaped frame of strips of wood 3/4" - 1" wide and maybe 3/8" thick, along the bottom and sides, with the top open. Into the space created by that went a bunch of folded newspaper, which would trap the bb's. Over that a layer of cardboard to hold the target, and over that another U shaped open top frame. It was all held together by a couple of bolts which came from the back through the U frames and secured with wingnuts in front.

The bb' s would expend most of their energy going through the paper, and put a dent in the plywood back, then fall down to the bottom or remain suspended in the paper. The open space in the top allowed changing the newspaper from time to time, retrieving the spent bb's, and when the cardboard is worn out, just unscrew the wingnuts, lift off the outermost U frame, install fresh cardboard (have to punch holes for the bolts to go through), replace the outer frame and wingnusts, and your good for a few more rounds. I hope this makes sense, wish I could draw better.

He just had an old Daisy air rifle, if your scouts are using higher power guns, you may need to allow room for more newspaper, but you shouldn't need a metal plate unless they are shooting high power pellet guns.


Dan

[Lee Schierer]

Our PF chapter has a Daisy BB gun range and the targets are suspended on a light rope and pulley system. There is a metal hanger wire with a binder clip that holds the targets.
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BB's pass right through the paper.

[Steve Peterson]

Our PF chapter has a Daisy BB gun range and the targets are suspended on a light rope and pulley system. There is a metal hanger wire with a binder clip that holds the targets.
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BB's pass right through the paper.

That's similar to what our scouts have. It's just a piece of bailing wire strung between 2 trees. They use clothes pins to hang the paper. No need to make it any more complicated than that.

Steve

[Greg Hines, MD]

The best outdoor range I ever went to had a series of wooden frames, just nailed or screwed together, about 3' wide and about 6' tall with cardboard stapled to the frame, and their range was perforated with short bits of PVC pipe that were set in the ground 3' wide, and at various distances. When you rented a lane, you brought one out, and fitted it into one of the sets of holes, so that it stood on its own. You could then tape your targets to them.

For a Scout Camp, generally you need set distances, but the same idea can apply. This was in Arizona so you did not have to worry about the cardboard getting wet, but that is a regional thing. At our camp, they use the same backstop and just simple boards nailed to posts that they use for the Boy Scouts .22 rifles.

Doc