IPSC, IDPA, USPSA shooting targets - stationary and moving

[Simko]

A friend and I just got started in IDPA shooting, we live in the middle of nowhere so there aren’t any clubs to shoot officially without driving at least 2 hours.

We decided to set up some senarios in our yards and have been having a lot of fun shooting with just the neighbors. We have the official cardboard targets and set up some barricades, walls, and reactive steel targets, but would really like to make up some moving targets where you shoot a smaller target and it gets a larger target moving.

Does anyone have any ideas or links to sites for DIY steel moving targets. I have done quite a bit of searching and most everything that I find that is DIY is made of 2x4’s.

I’m going to keep searching and will post here as I find stuff. Thanks!

[CGT80]

I don't have any links, but you could build a swinger for cardboard and use a steel rod to prop it up and to one side. A wire attached to another plate, or the plate sitting in front of the wire, will result in the wire being tripped when you shoot the small plate.

My favorite is the texas star. One match director, "Mr. Twisted" had plates made with the center cut out, so it was harder to hit them.

What I always take to the range for practice is a dueling tree. While they aren't used often in the competitions at the range I now use, Mr. Twisted always used them. You could even paint the paddles different colors and stipulate a shooting order.

A plank or platform over 4" drain pipe makes for a good teeter totter to stand on, one foot on each end. Shift your weight left and shoot a target on the left, shift right and shoot a right target. When you miss, your feet move anyway and you have to catch yourself. After we had done that a number of times, Mr. Twisted added center targets. Yep, you had to balance so the board was not touching the dirt and shoot a center target.

These aren't sanctioned matches that I shoot, but they are damn fun and it is good practice for at home, as long as you know the rules for the matches you will attend.

Wish I had more ideas. Good luck and share what you find.

[Scratch]

I made a bunch of targets from a sheet of AR500 for my range. I like the "Popper" style targets. They can be setup to trigger flying clays or to pull a rope which will release a swinger.




I also use pipes on stands for shooting shotgun.
Here's a prop I made last year that has been fun. It's a shotgun door breaching prop that we use for 3 gun:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwIv95nMlQU


If you have some steel cable you could make a Tueler drill setup like I did:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJBDyx8w_V0

[Simko]

Thanks CGT80 and great videos Scratch! I will have to watch some vids on your channel when I get a chance. Looks like you're into a lot of the same stuff as me.