# BB Target



## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

My son is always disappointed when I get to go to the shooting range because he can't (too young). So we sometimes shoot CO2 BB pistols and wrist rockets in the back yard at cans and what not. I decided I'd make a nice target for us to use.

Some of you may have noticed this wooden frame in the background of some of my pictures. Now that the shop is much more usable I've made more progress on the project.

The targets consist of three separate target assemblies, each containing 4 drop-down targets which fall out of sight when hit. The targets will sit in the big wooden frame. The unit will be closed in and dampered to act as a BB catcher.

I wish I'd taken more picture of the earlier stages. But I wasn't a member of the forum when I began.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

I'm trying to show the details of the target assemblies so it is clear how I made them. And because I really like how they turned out and how smoothly they operate.

I ripped 2x4s to form square rods for the target assembly structures. Then I dadoed wide notches for the targets to fit into. The dadoes are wider than the individual targets. 

The targets themselves are constructed by screwing hardboard target panels to maple 3/4" square strips. This is one of the only parts of the unit that will not be glued. This also allows for the targets to be asily replaced if ever needed. Virtually everything else will be glued, screwed and tattooed.

Using a gauge I made to space them evenly, I threaded eye screws into the targets and into the ripped and dadoed 2x4 supports. I then ran steel rod through the eye screws to create a long hinge that attaches the targets to the supports. The white spacers you see were cut from Bic ball point pen shafts. Their purpose is to keep the targets centered in the dadoes to avoid any possible hang-ups. 

Maple blocks (also not glued, to allow the rods to be removed if a target ever need to be adjusted) were then screwed at the rod ends to lock the rods in place. The targets are completely and individually adjustable for angle and front-to-back tilt.

I've made a lot more progress than this but I must hit the sack for the night. More tomorrow.


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Looks like hours of fun ahead.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

sawdustfactory said:


> Looks like hours of fun ahead.


I sure hope so because what I'm building is serious overkill for a "simple" BB/wrist rocket target :laughing:


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

The next step was to mount supports for the target assemblies. I cut 6 side rails from 1x4 and attached them front to back. The top two were attached first, taking care to ensure that everything was level. Then I cut a spacer to make it easier to align the final 4.

Next, I added a second row of boards along the bottom to deepen the "catch pan" area.

Back to the side rails, I band sawed 6 U-shaped pieces to act as holders for the target assemblies. The assemblies will just sit into the "U-brackets", this allows the target assemblies to be lifted out and interchanged with different target types (which I plan to make)

The U-brackets were angled slightly forward to allow the targets to have a slight forward lean as to not fall over from vibration or a breeze. Brackets and rails were all glued and screwed. The actual targets, as I've mentioned, are fully adjustable. The slight forward tilt to the U-brackets gives me a good center point from which the targets have plenty of adjustment room forward or backwards. Only test shooting will determine if any fine adjusting is required.

Before permanently mounting any of the support rails, I used my dial indicator as a force gauge to ensure that all 12 targets require the same amount of force to knock over.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Now, I want the targets to fall at an angle that puts them out of the line of fire once knocked over. So I need to make stop rails and attach them at the proper height.

I got the top and middle stop rails cut and mounted last night. You can see how they support the fallen targets. At the proper distance, the fallen targets should be completely out of the line of sight. The last picture gives you a good idea, though it was taken from a closer distance than the shooter will be standing.

I know the pictures make things look crooked but everything is well squared and leveled.


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## haugerm (Nov 19, 2009)

Nice job, and pretty neat setup. I hope the kid appreciates it. Of course it'll probably be twenty years before he realizes how much effort you put into it. But by then it'll be even sweeter because he'll have so many good memories with it.
--Matt


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Okay, that is just freaking cool. I love this and wish I had one when I was a kid. Fantastic work. Absolutely fantastic.
:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

I like it! Can you make me one for a 7.62 round? :smile:

Really nice work!

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Might be a little late at this point, but have you considered setting up the targets so that one hit sets them up on the oppiste side for the next round? Sort of a modified spinner. Shoot it up top and now you shoot it down low to reset it to the top. That way no down time of resetting targets. Just a thought.


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## haugerm (Nov 19, 2009)

That's a cool idea. Maybe another target sticking perpendicular off the back of the original targets. Not sure how you could get it to stay up when resetting it, though. It might swing up and then bounce back.
--Matt


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

This looks like some one is about to have a pile full of fun, and learn some important rules on gun safety too...

Great job.


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## EM3 (Sep 12, 2011)

Just to think my friends and I shot at empty beer bottles and no we didn't empty them we found them that way. Seriously though it looks great.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

haugerm said:


> Nice job, and pretty neat setup. I hope the kid appreciates it. Of course it'll probably be twenty years before he realizes how much effort you put into it. But by then it'll be even sweeter because he'll have so many good memories with it.
> --Matt


You know, I am so proud of him. I've been spending a lot of time in the garage lately (now that I can ENJOY working in there). The past two nights he's wanted to come out and help me for the his last 1-2 hours before bedtime. And he really loved being in there, hanging out with dad and learning about the tools: what they do, how they do it and the dangers and safety aspects. He does appreciate and is very excited about the progress made.



Kenbo said:


> Okay, that is just freaking cool. I love this and wish I had one when I was a kid. Fantastic work. Absolutely fantastic.
> :thumbsup::thumbsup:


Why thank you Sir. If all goes as planned it should be getting even cooler before it's done.



firemedic said:


> I like it! Can you make me one for a 7.62 round? :smile:
> 
> Really nice work!
> 
> ~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


You have an Ak too? I brought mine to the range just two Saturdays ago. It's the loudest weapon there every time I go. Good stuff :thumbsup:



sawdustfactory said:


> Might be a little late at this point, but have you considered setting up the targets so that one hit sets them up on the oppiste side for the next round? Sort of a modified spinner. Shoot it up top and now you shoot it down low to reset it to the top. That way no down time of resetting targets. Just a thought


I have thought about and plan something very similar. And, no, it is not too late. That's the beauty of the removable target assemblies. After I finish building the unit I plan to make some 'accessories' like that. :yes:


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## mackem (May 20, 2007)

Kenbo said:


> Okay, that is just freaking cool. I love this and wish I had one when I was a kid. Fantastic work. Absolutely fantastic.
> :thumbsup::thumbsup:


+1 :thumbsup: I wish we had the same gun regulations over here
as you have in the U.S.A. :smile:


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

OK, so I didn't get a whole lot done on this last night. I have a few other projects going at the same time so my time is rationed. I rarely have only one thing going. Actually, I NEVER have only one thing going.

While the target stop rail for the bottom row glues up (though in retrospect, I should have just rabbited a piece of 2x2)...









... my son and I went ahead and ripped two of the three deflection rails and beveled one corner at 45 deg.









The purpose of the deflection rails is to prevent the target stop rails from being hit by BBs and wrist rocket steel shot. They also serve to deflect the shots downward into the collection area. You see, when standing within the proper distance range for the BB pistol, the fallen targets and target stops are virtually hidden from line of sight. But the farther back you get (such is the case with the wrist rocket) you begin to have a small amount of exposure. 

While it is unlikely that the small exposures will be hit very often, I want to protect them as much as possible from undue wear and tear, as they are not as beefy as the rest of the unit. I want this thing to last a very long time.

The deflection rails are being glued and nailed. But since they are mounting at an angle, it can be tricky to line up the nails exactly. So I figured out where the rails will sit and at what angle then traced the outline with a pencil.









That way I can drill alignment holes for the nails...









... to guarantee perfect alignment when nailing 'blindly' from the outside.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

I now have the middle row's deflection rail mounted in place.









The beveled corner is up. This keeps the rail clear of the fallen targets.









See how the deflections rail are clear of the targets?









And from the front, at a lower angle, you can see how they shield and deflect.


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## brown down (Mar 2, 2010)

think i may have to make a smaller version of this for my rifles. great job. I had a real small version of one of these when i was a kid and long story short was allowed to shoot in the house. no one told me i had to use lead pellets and my younger sister caught a ricochet of a BB in the neck lol


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## desertforest (Aug 6, 2011)

great work. i think i will make one similar to this and use it for both pistol and rifle. 

can you post a video of it in use? that would be cool. 

thanks for posting this.

:thumbsup:


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

desertforest said:


> great work. i think i will make one similar to this and use it for both pistol and rifle.
> 
> can you post a video of it in use? that would be cool.
> 
> ...


Yes, I'll post a video when it's all said and done.


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

Was thinking it would be a good idea to put some galvanized edging on the deflector plates as long as the leading edge was out of the line of fire to prevent kick back.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

RetiredLE said:


> Was thinking it would be a good idea to put some galvanized edging on the deflector plates as long as the leading edge was out of the line of fire to prevent kick back.


I agree. I was already thinking about putting metal on the front edges of the target assembles. But before I do I need to decide if I am going to attach wooden wedges to act as deflectors first. I don't want shots to bounce straight back off of the frames of the target assemblies so I probably will go with the wedges. And I may put metal on the deflectors, too, like you mentioned (though I hadn't really planned on it).

I will also be mounting 2-3 layers of fine grid "chicken wire" between the back of the fallen targets and the rear of the enclosure (the top, bottom, sides and back of the uni will be enclosed) to help slow and capture the shots and allow them to fall down to the collection pan.

The back will be hinged and have handles and casters. The unit will too big and bulky to carry around easily so a built-in 'hand truck' has been in the plans since conception.

Then several finishing touches will be added for a nicer, finished look. Also, I'll probably end up painting the interior flat black.


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## desertforest (Aug 6, 2011)

i sense a market for this.


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## dmh (Sep 18, 2010)

I see the new place all the neighborhood kids want to hange out at! :laughing:

That's really cool! :thumbsup:


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Not much new to show but I got the last of the stop rails and deflections rails in place last night. I hoped to have gotten more done but we went out to dinner and didn't get back until late. But, you know, somehow, while you're stuffing your face with crab legs, insanely overbuilt BB targets just don't seem all that urgent :tt2:

So I beveled and ripped the final deflection rail...









All rails are now in place









Here's a view with the target assemblies out of the way.









Now I have to obtain some more materials: 1/2" plywood and the chicken wire. I shall do so ASAP.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

I'm also pondering a good system to allow for a quick reset of all targets. I have several ideas I've been considering since I first decided to make this. 

So I will likely start designing and constructing the reset system tonight. Should be interesting.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

*Test run. Informative, but not at all dscouraging.*

My son and I took the target out into the back yard yesterday evening to give it a test run. We fired well over 100 rounds at it to see how t handles the abuse. The verdict? Well, it works very well. The CO2 pistol hurling steel shot, however, packs more of a wallop than I hoped. I did have concerns when making the targets out of hardboard that perhaps it may not be durable enough to handle the steel BBs. And, sadly, I was right; I hate to say. The BBs come out of that gun at such a high velocity that - in order to not destroy the targets in short order - you have to stand 48 feet from the targets. If you've ever shot a BB pistol (heck, any pistol really) you know that that distance is out of range as far as accuracy goes.

Ideally, I want to be standing about 20-25 feet from the targets or you just can't hit as often as you'd like and it's not as fun.

And look at this picture:









It is confirmed that metal strips will be required on most of the leading edges. I will also be either plating the targets themselves with metal (after replacing the few that got chipped through to the back on our initial, closer range tests), and/or changing the target material all together. The gun type I go with will determine the final decision.

Fortunately, I made the individual targets so that they are very easily replaced. Pull two screws and pop on a new target. Simple as it gets.

I am also going to have to go with a different, lower velocity BB gun. Perhaps the ones that shoot the plastic BBs and/or a pump rifle. Once I obtain new guns I can then determine the direction I'll take with the targets.

But none of this will affect the actual build, only the finishing touches. I can still move forward with the building of the unit as planned (as soon as I get the materials). Overall, it was a very successful test that told me exactly what I set out to determine: whether the gun was suited for the targets (or visa-versa), whether or not metal will be required on the target assembly structures (it will be, probably even with a slower and softer shot) and the range at which the BB gun I own must be fired from to avoid destroying the targets (too far for reasonable accuracy. Need different type of BB gun for this target).

I guess I should have known my Daisey gun would be too much for it. After all, it will fire a BBs straight through an empty soda at 15 feet without even tipping over the can. It takes a hell of a fast BB to do that.


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