Swinging Target for airguns with some Power

[JimD]

I made myself a new swinging target.  I have a couple commercially made swinging targets but the discs are a little big (easier to hit) and, more importantly, dent when hit by my bigger 25.  Not sure about my new one, I didn't shoot them with it (yet).  So I made one.

The frame is just a T of 1/4 steel rod welded together.  I found out I needed something to prevent it rotating when hit.  So I picked up a rectangular plate off the floor of my garage and welded it on near the bottom so it goes a little into the ground.  Works well. 

The spinners are pieces of 1/4 steel rod, bent at the top to go around the frame with washers welded at the bottom as the actual target.  4 of the spinners have doubled 3/8 washers and two have tripled 1/4 inch fender washers.  The 3/8 washers are 1 inch diameter and the fender washers are 1 1/4 inch diameter.  So far they have not bent.  The washers are welded to the rod but not welded together except indirectly as they are welded to the rod.  I just clamped them on with locking pliers and put a tack on them, usually at the top.  Then I released the pliers and welded the hole in the center closed and ran a bead along the rod in the back.  The center weld fastens the washers together some.  The 1/4 inch rod for the spinners started out about 7.5 inches long.  The variation in length is due to my uneven bending.  I heated the rod up with a map gas torch then grabbed it with needle nose pliers and bent it around.  The openings were not 1/4 inch so I drilled a hole with a 17/64th inch drill bit.

They've all survived multiple hits from my 25s with no damage.  My little 16 fpe Prod can spin them nicely.  I need to buy some paint so the target part is more visible.  I might also get some really little hose clamps to position them along the frame.  Or I could just put a small bead of weld on the frame to stop lateral movement.  They have not moved much from being hit but one outer spinner did come off once (didn't go far). 

[Bluejaycamp]

Very nice. Zip ties on either side may keep them in position.

[JimD]

Thanks for the idea.  I have plenty of zip ties.

[JimD]

I noticed today that some of the washers are spreading a bit at the bottom where I didn't weld.  I will probably need to clamp them with locking pliers and tack them together at the bottom.  I'll attach a picture.  I think it was mostly repeated hits from my 45-50 fpe Avenger that did it.  The picture shows a view looking up at the worse 1 1/4 inch target made of 3 1/4 fender washers.  Not hard to fix but I should have tacked them at the bottom and maybe the sides too when I made it.  Overall they are holding up OK, however.  The AV is definitely pounding them a bit.