DIY Plate Rack >$175

[ACC]

With corona virus paranoia keeping me at home a bit more than normal, I decided to take on a project I had been wanting to do for a while. Made for a nice project for me and my kids in the garage today

I recently scored five surplus 8" AR500 plates from shootsteel.com for a great price. Decided to make my own plate rack with them since the real ones are SPENDY!

(3) 8' 2 x 4s . $11.07
(5) Carriage Bolts . $2.67
(5) Washers . $0.81
(5) Nuts . $0.45
(1) Pair of sawhorse brackets . $5.99
(5) Beveled washers. $3.90
(5) 8" AR500 steel plates shipped . $147.47

TOTAL = $172.36

And here she is! The beveled washers gave the plates a nice slight down angle. Can't wait to take it out to my range tomorrow. Made for some fun Nerf Gun action in the garage today too.

 

[churchmouse]

I have built several; such racks. They are a blast but you do know the main support and the lead legs will be shot to hell in very short order.....

 

[ACC]

I have built several; such racks. They are a blast but you do know the main support and the lead legs will be shot to hell in very short order.....

Luckily, I have many extra 2x4s laying around

 

[Oldgunfan]

This is just the kind of thing I need for my back yard!

 

[t-squared]

Nice. Shooting at steel is some of the best fun you can have with your pants on !!

 

[deo62]

Made my frames out of old rebar and used trampoline springs to hang them. Springs are easy to find after a good windstorm, just look in any field or trashcans in alleys.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Hanging the plates from strapping or chains will greatly help prolong the life of that horizontal board!

And good work, man. Wish I could help you break it in. LOL

 

[TJ Kackowski]

Hanging the plates from strapping or chains will greatly help prolong the life of that horizontal board!

And good work, man. Wish I could help you break it in. LOL

Chains get shot and break, so I use scrap fire hose ... https://www.firehosesupply.com/collections/scrap-fire-hose ... to make hanging straps for my steel.

I just loop the fire hose over the horizontal bar and attach both ends to the steel using cheap washers, bolts and nuts. Cheap hardware because it too gets shot and breaks. The fire hose keeps on going for a looooong time. It does tend to hold bits and pieces of copper jackets. I wear leather gloves when setting up and taking down the steel rack.

My rack is made from threaded black iron pipe, so the steel gets to swinging when hit with anything more than a .22 LR round. I suspect that with a long enough strap, the steel will even swing a bit from your 2x4 rack.

 

[teddy12b]

I like what you've got setup there and I have something similar at home. I'm a really big fan of these backets that make a very easy stand as well: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VR6XL16/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These 2x4 frames are about as simple as it can get. Get four 3/4" black iron pipe legs at whatever length you want. Slide a 2x4 through the slot and you're done with the frame. I use 2'-6" length of 3/8" chain and just loop it over the 2x4 so it'll slide around easily and deflect the shrapnel into the dirt when hit. They are also really easy to take down and move to different locations if you're going to do that too.

I should mention that replacing the main 2x4 each year is pretty normal. They just get torn up too much, but I haven't had to replace a single leg yet.

 

[TJ Kackowski]

Finally took the time to get some pics of my steel target set-up ... posted it here ... https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/accessories-gear/480097-shooting-steel-target-2.html ... post #14.

 

[ashby koss]

I have built several; such racks. They are a blast but you do know the main support and the lead legs will be shot to hell in very short order.....

mounting angle iron on the lead leads and in between plates on main beam will stop that for the most part. <[]

 

[Hop]

Finally took the time to get some pics of my steel target set-up ... posted it here ... https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/accessories-gear/480097-shooting-steel-target-2.html ... post #14.

I need to switch to fire hose. My Amazon bought rubber strap hangers were crap and easily shred. The commercially available Champion kits are much better but still not as durable as the fire hoses.

For hangers, I've been using shepherd hooks but also use 1" galvanized electrical conduit (works ok, not very strong though).

 

[TJ Kackowski]

Hop, I'm pretty certain that you put most of the holes in my frames just to test the materials and build.

 

[Gunaria]

As long as you hit the targets more than your stand you will be a-ok. Good job by the way.