Falling plate set up

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Feb 2, 2009
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Got rained out at work this afternoon so in a moment of inspiration I decided to build a falling plate stand. Welded up some #8 rebar.
The base is done, I just need to engineer some sort of hinge and plate mechanism. Anyone ever build one?
targetstand1.jpg

targetstand2.jpg
 
We have built them for our 22LR club. We used angle iron for the frame. It really takes a lot of beating, not sure how rebar will hold up - I am by no means informed on the pro's con's, just sharing my advice. We use large pins, maybe 5/16" by 6" long. Welded a small section of pipe on the vertical riser for the plate, and 2 small sections on the frame (looks like a door hinge sideways) - and insert the pin through to hold the plate.
We have found the 'weak' point to be the welds - plate to vertical riser, riser to 'hinge'. Given the number of times they fall and are reset each night, some replacement/maintanency is to be expected.

If you want I will try to take a picture next time I am at the range.

I didn't realize you were in CT - you should come by on a Friday night and shoot with us - Silver City Gun Club in Meriden.
http://www.silvercitygunclub.com/plate_winners.html
 
Yeah, I'm not sure on the durability of the rebar OR my welding. So far I only have a few hours into it and almost zero in money. I think I can get everything pretty much for free. Of course last year I did a MAJOR clean out of my barn and scrapped stuff that I haven't used in over 10 years. Sure enough I tossed out a bunch of oddball hinges.
I was also toying with the idea of mounting the plates on old garage door springs vertically.
 
Stopped by the welders yesterday. 5- 8"X8"X 3/8" plates for $30. Going away to VT for the weekend, maybe next week I'll put it all together.
 
The rebar will fail if you hit it with anything other than a rimfire so what you need to do is weld a flat bar of steel the length of the stand at a 45 degree downward angle to not only protect the frame & plate hinges but to also make sure the ricochets are directed to the ground. You should also be aware of a minimum safe shooting distance of no less than 25 feet as there will be jacket/lead fragments kicking back. Don't overthink your design but also don't worry about over-engineering your design for strength and durability.
 
I welded the plates and simple hinges on. Needs some tweeking. Some times the act of a plate falling will shake the whole contraption and cause 1 or more other plates to fall. I may just weld angle iron to it to stiffen it up and re-direct any ricochets.
 
Sorry I didn't get to the range until last night - and of course my camera battery was drained! Ours is very similar to the link above. Our racks are hinged on the bottom - and fixed to the backstop about 2 ft off the ground - very stable and almost never have a problem with the plates falling on their own. A really good adjustment, is to use a bolt with multiple nuts to set the distance or angle of the plate. If they are dropping too easily then shorten the bolt a little so it leans forward more, if they are not dropping do the opposite.
 
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