I built these mock up EBR Speed Silo targets many years ago and every year I end up having to rebuild them.
The Chickens are just a mess! At only 25 yards they take a real beating. The lead fragments that are created when the pellet strikes the metal have eroded the 2x4's over time to the point of them splitting in half. I used to have a roof on this target as well but, it's long gone. The roof helped keep the pellets from zinging all over the yard.
The right side is still holding on but, the left side is done! And, look at the chicken... It looks like a Golf ball!
Not only that, but they're all bent and twisted too. These chickens have completely lost their way "across the road!"
The piggies aren't much better. They look like they're moving across some uneven ground. Both sides have broke in two and the center support looks pretty bad as well. Also, the #2 piggy has lost part of its counterweight.
The quick fix was to just run some long screws through the ends to pull them back together. But, now it's time to replace the repair.
Friggin' Turkeys! (I really don't like the Turkeys.) Well, apparently, I'm not as good of a welder as I had hoped! As a quick fix to the welds breaking, I simply screwed them to the backer board. This is a relatively new backer board.
And finally, the Rams. Once again, my welding skills have proven inadequate. 3 out of 4 rams are screwed to the backer board.
Screwing the targets to the backer board may not seem like a big deal but it actually makes it more difficult to determine if the shot was a hit or a miss. Not only does the target not swing back and forth but, the sound is also quite different.
The backer boards function in 3 ways 1) they give me feedback for sighters. 2) they help contain pellet slag. 3) they stop the targets from spinning. During practice, it's better if the targets don't spin. Before I made this change they would often stop spinning in an odd position like 45 degrees. The backer board lets them move just enough and keeps them upright.
All the targets are down and dismantled. Tomorrow, I'll work on a quick repair and re-assembly. I know that if I added some sheet metal it would protect the wood. I might do that when I eventually add the 5th target to each row.
Cheers!
Tom
The Chickens are just a mess! At only 25 yards they take a real beating. The lead fragments that are created when the pellet strikes the metal have eroded the 2x4's over time to the point of them splitting in half. I used to have a roof on this target as well but, it's long gone. The roof helped keep the pellets from zinging all over the yard.
The right side is still holding on but, the left side is done! And, look at the chicken... It looks like a Golf ball!
Not only that, but they're all bent and twisted too. These chickens have completely lost their way "across the road!"
The piggies aren't much better. They look like they're moving across some uneven ground. Both sides have broke in two and the center support looks pretty bad as well. Also, the #2 piggy has lost part of its counterweight.
The quick fix was to just run some long screws through the ends to pull them back together. But, now it's time to replace the repair.
Friggin' Turkeys! (I really don't like the Turkeys.) Well, apparently, I'm not as good of a welder as I had hoped! As a quick fix to the welds breaking, I simply screwed them to the backer board. This is a relatively new backer board.
And finally, the Rams. Once again, my welding skills have proven inadequate. 3 out of 4 rams are screwed to the backer board.
Screwing the targets to the backer board may not seem like a big deal but it actually makes it more difficult to determine if the shot was a hit or a miss. Not only does the target not swing back and forth but, the sound is also quite different.
The backer boards function in 3 ways 1) they give me feedback for sighters. 2) they help contain pellet slag. 3) they stop the targets from spinning. During practice, it's better if the targets don't spin. Before I made this change they would often stop spinning in an odd position like 45 degrees. The backer board lets them move just enough and keeps them upright.
All the targets are down and dismantled. Tomorrow, I'll work on a quick repair and re-assembly. I know that if I added some sheet metal it would protect the wood. I might do that when I eventually add the 5th target to each row.
Cheers!
Tom
