Target Making

Message

Mr_X · #1 Post by **Mr_X** » Wed Sep 24, 2003 1:05 pm

Well, theres plenty of info on arrow/bow making but not that much on target making.

Do you make your own targets or buy premade ones?

At the moment I'm shooting into 19X25" cardboard boxes filled with heavy curtains inside. It works alright but they aren't very durable.

Griffo · #2 Post by **Griffo** » Wed Sep 24, 2003 1:19 pm

I find shade cloth stuffed with rags, plastic bottles, underlay off cuts and plastic bags works very well. I believe the most important thing is to have your butt hanging up as the movement on impact serves very well to cushion impact, absorb shock and limit penetration. This makes arrow removal a cinch (two fingers).

Works for me anyway

#3 Post by **Stickbow Hunter** » Wed Sep 24, 2003 9:41 pm

I also use similar to Griffo however I won't use the plastic bottles. They're not good for wood arrows. The other fill which is light and pulls an arra up quick is fly screen off cuts. Jeff

Butch Speer · #4 Post by **Butch Speer** » Wed Sep 24, 2003 11:25 pm

If you can find a business that uses shrink wrap, it works great for field tips. It's just throw away stuff. Would probably be glad to get rid of it.

Stuff it tight in a bag & hang it up. Arrows come out with two fingers and, I've never shot thru one.

gilnockie · #5 Post by **gilnockie** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 9:26 pm

I use polyurethane foam offcuts ($8 for a huge bag) stuffed into a milk crate with a sssheet of cardboard over the top and tied on. At 4 metres it stops an arrow fired from a 64# longbow, easily.

ozlongbow · #6 Post by **ozlongbow** » Sat Oct 25, 2003 11:00 am

Best I have used - and intent to make one - uses layers of foam sheeting you can buy at Clark Rubber or similar.
Maybe when I get of my @$$ and make one I should take pics along the way and post a how to on here.
Basically it is stacked foam sheets held tight with rachet straps - same concept as the commerically avaible (and pretty dang expensive) Block - etc.
I have shot field points and broadheads into a friend's version and it works a beauty - realy truly two-finger removal. As well, you can make the target any size as you are one cutting the foam sheets, so its portable.
And when it starts to get a bit ratty, you can undo the straps, shuffle the foam sheets and she's good to go.
Lindsay

erron · #7 Post by **erron** » Sat Oct 25, 2003 12:39 pm

Maybe when I get of my @$$ and make one I should take pics along the way and post a how to on here.

- absolutely! I encourage anyone who has pics of their setup to post them, BTW.

Basically it is stacked foam sheets held tight with rachet straps - same concept as the commerically avaible (and pretty dang expensive) Block - etc.

- can you give more details on those straps? Are they like the Octopus straps?

Thanks Lindsay,

Erron

ozlongbow · #8 Post by **ozlongbow** » Sat Oct 25, 2003 6:00 pm

Nah mate ratchet straps are webbing straps that have rachet tightenting device on them - AKA tie downs - big with 4WDers and bike riders for holding down your bike on the trailer. Auto Pro and similar car accessory chain type stores usual have them - cheaper versions that are perfect for the butt but not what you would hold you $6000 Husqvarna to the trailer!

lets see if me pic works - first time and all ...
Lindsay

ozlongbow · #9 Post by **ozlongbow** » Sat Oct 25, 2003 6:01 pm

Well, hog tie me to the back of a Cadillac - it worked!
L

erron · #10 Post by **erron** » Sat Oct 25, 2003 6:43 pm

Of course it worked!

Thanks for the info. Nice Avatar, too Lindsay!

Erron

TRASH · #11 Post by **TRASH** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 8:58 am

I use budgy wire a smaller version of chicken wire ,cut and fold like a envelope and stuff it with glad wrap, see woolies or coles there pallets of boxes on delivery are wrapped in it .they sometimes call it shrink wrap.
Crimp in shut and hang it or lean it against somethingand go for your life.Mine has been outside in the rain and sun for 3 years and no sign of deteriation . Would be good for you fellas in the wet areas

erron · #12 Post by **erron** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 5:12 pm

Photos, damn it, I want photos!

Mr_X · #13 Post by **Mr_X** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 9:18 am

Thanx ozlongbow,

You just saved me from shelling out $$$ for a "Block" target.

Do you know which type of foam it is?

ozlongbow · #14 Post by **ozlongbow** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 1:25 pm

MrX
Can't say I know the name of it - get in to Clarke Rubber and look for their sheets of foam rubber - its black and I think the best stuff is 5 or 8mm thick. Will contact me mate back in Coffs for that bit. Will find out how many sheets he needed to make the target X dimensions. You buy it by the sheet and cut into rectagular pieces to stack up. As I recall matt's cost all up under $80. And I saw cheap rachet straps for about $12 in one of those fair dinkum crazy bargain warehouse places.

Eron
thanks for the compliment on the avatar.

Lindsay

ozlongbow · #15 Post by **ozlongbow** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 1:31 pm

Hey TRASH
Wet areas? Who lives there? Oh yeah, the Mexican would remember what rain looks like!
Lindsay

erron · #16 Post by **erron** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 6:01 pm

My handle on another site is "Raindog', coz that's what the wife said I smell like when I come in from hunting in my wool jumper: wet dog!

Yeh, I know about rain.

Erron

Griffo · #17 Post by **Griffo** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 5:08 pm

What site's that Erron?

erron · #18 Post by **erron** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 6:11 pm

Well, Luke, I'm surprised you didn't know already! Let me elucidate the sittyation:

http://bowgroup.proboards6.com/index.cgi

Erron

Griffo · #19 Post by **Griffo** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 10:24 pm

Now what would you want to go there for? I've heard that's a crap forum

ozlongbow · #20 Post by **ozlongbow** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 7:59 am

Mr X
Re the target - here's what my mate Matt had to say
'you can use 4 or 6 mm foam, the thinner the better but you will
need more sheets therefore the cost will go up as well. i used 6mm. my
target is approx 1 metre square and about 40cm thick i needed about ten
sheets (sheets were approx 3m long and somewhere around 1.2 - 1.5 m wide so i got about 9 rectangles out of one sheet) the sheets were $1 per mm, or $6 per sheet, but i think they have gone up since then. (bout a year ago now).'

Hope that helps!

Lindsay

doug · #21 Post by **doug** » Mon Nov 03, 2003 12:02 pm

Hey all,

For the last six years I've been shooting at a box stuffed with any plastics bits laying around. Plastic wrapping, shadecloth, whatever (just take off any hard bits).

I've topped it up with extra bits of plastic a couple times and replaced the box a few times (especially after it's gotten too wet). But it's still the same target ;P

-doug

gilnockie · #22 Post by **gilnockie** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 9:15 pm

A couple of solutions which are worth trying:
Scrounge as many cardboard boxes as you can (the type which is made of corrugated cardboard) your local corner store, supermarket or hardware store will probably give you a truck load if you ask them. Cut them into strips about 30cm across. Stack them together until they form a target of the right size, with the edges facing you. Tie them tgether with rope or something similar.

I built a permanent butt in my backyard 12 months ago from telephone books. The butt is three books wideand about 1.2m high. I compressed the books using threaded steel rod and pieces of hardwood. The edges of the books face you, the spine faces away from you.

The books need to be sheltered from rain.

The only drawback is that if your points are not securely glued to the shaft, they can be left in the target butt.

MarkP · #23 Post by **MarkP** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 9:43 pm

So far I've seen some good ideas posted on targets. I might try one or two in the near future.

In the past I have mostly used wool bales filled up with rags. You can normally buy them direct from the major Lifeline stores. They cost around $20-$30 bucks depending on the store. These stores normally sell wool bales packed full of compressed rags to businesses that need rags. They retail for about $100. If you explain you are only looking for an archery target they'll pack one full of rags that don't cut the mustard as 'rags'.

The advantages of this target is that it is big and extremely long lasting. I used one for 3 years once and still didn't wear out the first side. Keep them covered with a tarp as they get extremely heavy if all the rags get wet. Disadvantage is that it takes 2 blokes to lift one, although once its on the ground you can give it a big bear hug and shuffle it around.

Better still the purchase price goes to charity - and the rejected rags you have chosen will be so grateful they will draw your arrows into nice tight groupies.

MarkP

ozlongbow · #24 Post by **ozlongbow** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 8:03 am

MarkP
Know what you mean with the Lifeline bags - a word of warning tho and I reckon you'd have to be unlcky but a club I shot at once used them and I lost a point in one - opened it up and found the point lodged in a shoe!
Lindsay

doug · #25 Post by **doug** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 9:00 am

Shoe! hehehe!

Sounds like some good ideas for some durable targets here.

Being a cheapskate I'll probably stick with mine, didn't cost me a cent and it's so light I can take it most places.

-doug

erron · #26 Post by **erron** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 5:11 pm

Something else I might try for a small and extremely portable target: in the plant nursery the other day I saw bags of compressed oats, wrapped in plastic. Not sure how well they stop an arrow yet, but at around 9-12 dollars a go it can't hurt to find out, and if they're a failure I'll chuck the contents on the garden!

Erron

doug · #27 Post by **doug** » Thu Nov 06, 2003 7:43 am

hehe! That's the spirit!

-doug

Buford · #28 Post by **Buford** » Thu Nov 13, 2003 1:19 pm

hi ya'll, i am lindsay's friend in coffs with the foam target but.
yes, the foam i used is from clarke rubber, it just the outer skin that is cut off the huge blocks of rubber that places like dunlop make before cuttin it up into little bits for things like squeegie rubber and stuff. it used to be about $1 per mm of thickness (in 1998 when i made it, still stoppin arras!) but is probably a bit more now. any type of soft rubber can be used as long as it can return to its origional shape. ie- not that foam that is used as packing around a new tv(styrafoam or something) Any questions, drop me a line.

ozlongbow · #29 Post by **ozlongbow** » Thu Nov 13, 2003 2:32 pm

Matt
What you said made sense! Well done, Buford!

Lindsay

Buford · #30 Post by **Buford** » Thu Nov 13, 2003 2:36 pm

thanks cletus

and you thought i was just a country hick from south o' the border!