# New ideas for cheap home made target.....



## Jimbo45 (Dec 6, 2012)

Sorry fir the strange typos, my smart phone isn't very smart and editing text is a nightmare.


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## iluvgear1 (May 9, 2011)

The pine bedding for horses could be a good idea but you will need to wrap it in something that can stand up to the punctures. You also need to keep it dry or you will be on your way to compost. I save the bags the pine bedding comes in and stuff feed sacks with them. Couldn't believe how many bags you need to tightly stuff a feed sack. I do not leave mine outside but I suppose you could. It stops field points well and the arrows pull fairly easily.


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## jdamet (Jul 25, 2009)

If you have an auto glass shop around, or a glaziers shop nearby, ask them for the foam that is packed around the glass that is shipped to them. Works great for layered targets. its about 1/8th" thick and most pieces are fairly large. I made one, and used bailing twine to compress and hold it together. Works just as good, if not better than most $75-$100 targets out there.
The best part is that as you shoot it up and it gets worn, untie the twine, compress it even more and its like brand new.


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## dpete (Mar 19, 2009)

Go to any Big Box home improvement store and get a bag of blow-in cellulose insulation (do not open it). Find a cardboard box that it will fit into with about 2" to spare on at least two sides. Then pack rags as tightly as you can between the inside of the box and the bag of insulation. Tape the box shut and wrap it with Saran Wrap or any stretchy plastic wrap. Stick target dots on the outside and you are good to go. I've used the same target for the past two years and arrows are just now starting to penetrate 12" into it, and this is with a bow shooting in the 290 fps range as close as 15 ft. For under $10 you can have a recycleable target that arrows pull out of 10 times easier than any commercial target made. If you want to you can add a second layer of cardboard to the faces that will see the most shots. The target isn't fancy or great looking but it sure is functional.


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## oklahoma archer (Nov 23, 2012)

We have been using the bags that are like woven such as some seed bags. we get the bag and will fill it with old worn out jeans and shirts. you could go get some really cheap at a yard sale if needed. my evo ony pentrates about 5'' at 5 feeet. my target recurve bounces off sometimes. lol its a great target


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## Jimbo45 (Dec 6, 2012)

Great input guys! I have the day off tomorrow and me and my 4 year old will hit some stores and see what we come up with. Keep 'em coming! Love the ideas, and will definitely put them to use for another field point target. I am still working on a broadhead target idea too, probably requiring foam. I have a couple commercial bag targets that arent great, but work. The only target i currently have to shoot broadheads at, is a 3d buck that i really hate to chew up. I don't think fabrics or rags are going work well with broadheads.


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## Jimbo45 (Dec 6, 2012)

.....oh, and I have seen a video of a guy making a rp target out of stack of alternating pile carpet and foam carpet pad. Looks like a good idea, and I have a carpet shop very near my house, so I may see if they have scraps.


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## xJOHNPOPEx (Jan 6, 2013)

If you have a Tractor Supply Co. around, they have 1'x1.5'x1' hard foam blocks that they through away. They told me I can get as many as I wanted. I took 4 home, ratchet strapped them together in a tall rectangle shape, then strapped that to a wagon that I can pull into the yard. I get a stack of 9x12 targets from Walmart for a few bucks, put on target on each block, and go to town.


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## jdamet (Jul 25, 2009)

Jimbo, the target that I made out of the foam was a broadhead target. I bet between my wife and I, we have shot ours 100 times with broadheads and it still stops them before they get 6"-8" in.


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## Jimbo45 (Dec 6, 2012)

xJOHNPOPEx said:


> If you have a Tractor Supply Co. around, they have 1'x1.5'x1' hard foam blocks that they through away. They told me I can get as many as I wanted. I took 4 home, ratchet strapped them together in a tall rectangle shape, then strapped that to a wagon that I can pull into the yard. I get a stack of 9x12 targets from Walmart for a few bucks, put on target on each block, and go to town.


Hmmm.....I would have to drive a little. What are the blocks for, or shipped with? I want to know in case they look at me sideways when I ask for free foam!



jdamet said:


> Jimbo, the target that I made out of the foam was a broadhead target. I bet between my wife and I, we have shot ours 100 times with broadheads and it still stops them before they get 6"-8" in.


Yep, love the idea. That's what I had in mind. I will ask at the glass shop this week, near where I work. Thanks!


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## xJOHNPOPEx (Jan 6, 2013)

Jimbo45 said:


> Hmmm.....I would have to drive a little. What are the blocks for, or shipped with? I want to know in case they look at me sideways when I ask for free foam!
> 
> 
> Im not sure what they were originally used for, but they are tightly wrapped in plastic. I know they use them to hold up the hitch end of drop and tip trailers, but I know that's not what they're actually for. I asked if they had large foam blocks(a friend told me to go there and ask)and they said take what I want from the back. It's more dense than the "huge cube" targets, wrapped in plastic so there's no real mess from blow outs and they're free!


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## Jimbo45 (Dec 6, 2012)

xJOHNPOPEx said:


> Jimbo45 said:
> 
> 
> > Hmmm.....I would have to drive a little. What are the blocks for, or shipped with? I want to know in case they look at me sideways when I ask for free foam!
> ...


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## Jimbo45 (Dec 6, 2012)

Scored 6 of the tractor supply foam blocks! I was hoping they were not styrafoam but they are. They are pretty firm, but I doubt they will last very long. I also picked up 2 packs of cellulose insulation ($8) and 3 rolls of plastic food wrap ($4.50). I already had some packing tape and some leftover woven house wrap, at home.


















Used the packing tape to situate the blocks and bags together, then wrapped with cellophane very tightly (pictured with today's helper, for scale):










Then, wrapped them with a layer of woven house wrap, and another layer of cellophane. Ready to stick on some bullseye spots:










Probably not going to have time tonight, but going to do something with these, to shoot broadheads at:










So, not bad....I have a total of $12.50 in these two targets, and they should work better than the $75 worth of commercial bag targets I currently have! Big one is 38" x 36" x 12", and the small one is 28" x 20" x 12".


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## oklahoma archer (Nov 23, 2012)

Just found out today that an old mattress is a great target! A. It's big. B. Easy arrow removal. C. Not much penetration.


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## HoughsArchery (Oct 7, 2011)

Jimbo45, let me know how the blocks work out. I have about 20 of them that I intend to make a target out of one of these day so hopefully what you did works well.


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## oklahoma archer (Nov 23, 2012)

I found this old mattress buried under stuff in my shop and it works like a charm!


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## Jimbo45 (Dec 6, 2012)

Found some spots in the gun range bag....


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## Jimbo45 (Dec 6, 2012)

oklahoma archer said:


> View attachment 1599559
> 
> I found this old mattress buried under stuff in my shop and it works like a charm!


Do you use a ladder to pull the arrows? Lol. I wouldn't think that a mattress would stop 275+ FPS arrows. Guess I was wrong!


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## YankeeRebel (Dec 30, 2005)

I have made bag targets out of the following materials:

* Burlap bag from Rural King Supply (COST $3.00)

* Saved plastic bags from grocery, Wal-Mart...(fill and then once filled tie off and store for later use)

* Saved old cloths, like t-shirts, socks, dresses, ect...remove any buttons. I never use jeans....just light clothing, nothing heavy. 

* 2 pieces of carpet that will fit in the front and the back of Burlap Bag. Measure width and height of Burlap bag to cut 2 pieces of carpet to where carpet is wide enough to easily stand inside of burlap bag with about 2" from top of bag.

* I take Burlap Bag...insert 2 pieces of carpet, one piece of carpet in front and other in back. Now I will alternate stuffing saved plastic bag bundles and old clothing in between 2 pieces of carpet. I will stand and stomp to PACK stuffing before adding more as I go till I cannot get anymore stuffing inside the Burlap Bag. I usually leave about 2" of burlap free on top so I can roll down to close up the Burlap Bag. I will then poke holes across the top with a screw driver or spike and then slip in zip ties to Zip up the burlap bag. If you want spots on Burlap Bag to shoot at you can simply spray them on or take a black or red permanent marker and color them in. This bag is great to shoot at and arrow removal is amazing. You can pull arrows out of this with 2 fingers. I have never left this out in the elements so I would suggest always dragging it into ur garage or shed after shooting or cover it up. For a cheap and inexpensive bag target you can't beat it. DO NOT SHOOT BROADHEADS INTO THIS TYPE OF TARGET. ( I thought I would add that just in case someone thought it would be good for broadheads too. LOL (This is a target to shoot field points into only) Happy shooting. :thumb:


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## bowman29092 (Oct 16, 2012)

I've used old carpet before. It works great for field points. What I did it take a large rectangle piece of carpet and used zip ties every two inches or so to hold it together like a bag and filled it with everything from more carpet pieces to old towels to old clothes that were headed for the trash. Everything I put in wasn't usable for anything. put it on a wood pallet from a warehouse down the road and it works great for me. I made a few of them since, they last a long time too. Just spray paint some dots on. I left mine outside forever until the neighbors complained. Another idea is using "Great Stuff" the foam insulator. I would get a smallish cardboard box and filled it with it. I got lucky and found them on sale for $1.75 each, and bough a ton of them. I use it as a broadhead target, I also use it to fill in the holes created by BH's when I shoot my 3d targets. After I fill the targets, I sand away the excess and spray paint the animal with matching paint. Been shooting the same deer/pig now for years.


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## oklahoma archer (Nov 23, 2012)

Yes you have to climb a little. Lol


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## Fauxfly (Apr 19, 2011)

An empty used seed bag from my local co-op - free. Had the guy at work in the storeroom save a week's worth of used shrink wrap - free. Stuffed the seed bag full to the top and this baby will stop 423 grain arrows from my Insanity (70 lbs) at 2 yards!! I can pull them out really nice! Have also shot it with broadheads, but I just push them through, and spin the head off and draw them backwards to take them out. ( practice set of broadheads only) 

It'll make a bag target about 16 inches wide and 30 inches tall - certainly not huge - but forces you to improve form and accuracy at 40, 50, and 60 yards!

Did I mention it was free and I've been shooting this for 2 years now!


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## HoughsArchery (Oct 7, 2011)

Jimbo45 said:


> Found some spots in the gun range bag....


Is that stopping arrows pretty good?


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## Jimbo45 (Dec 6, 2012)

HoughsArchery said:


> Is that stopping arrows pretty good?


Funny you should ask. I just tried both targets out. My helium is 28" draw set at about 67# shooting 386 gr arrows, so assume its close to 300 Foss. At 20 yards, I shot both targets. 

The cellulose target is a no go. Arrow buried the fletches and only stopped there because the arrow stuck in the fence behind the target. Would have been a pass through without the fence there. So, I guess this one will be for my kids' bows only.

The tractor supply foam did pretty well. The arrows did poke through about an inch or two, but were pretty easy to pull. I like it! But, since it is styrafoam, it will probably shoot out pretty quickly, so I will just use it for testing broadheads, since most of my other targets are field point only.

As soon as my girl naps here shortly, I plan to get started on the athletic mat target and see how it works.....


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## Jimbo45 (Dec 6, 2012)

Got the athletic mat target done and tested. It was constructed of 12 layers of mats, and I had 20 edge strips that I spaced out, five each, on four of the pads, then alternated them in. They don't do much in there, but it did space out the thickness of the target a bit, so it would stand on its own better. I first glued the stips on five of the pads, then stacked them all up in a neat stack, gluing with spray advesive (all along the strips, and a 3" circle in the center of each side of all pads). Then, I took a couple ladder stand nylon ropes (that I don't use) and tied one of the corner tabs tight, and then wove the cord all around the tabs, to keep it all together. I have enough cord left, and made a loop at the top, for a carry handle.










Then I tested it out at 20 yards (I know, only one bullseye, but it was about 15-20 mph cross wind, and 25 degrees out, and I was in a hurry):










It worked pretty well, and I think it will be nice for broadheads, and should last longer than the styrafoam target! The tips protruded an inch or two out the back, and if broadheads would penetrate the same, that would be great! I will test those this weekend. Only drawback, was this target is relatively hard to pull arrows. Not as hard as my 3D deer target (those are nearly impossible to pull), but require some effort. Maybe if I re siliconed my arrows, they would pull easier from this target.










I still think, there is distinct defference between a long life target, and easy pull target, and a broadhead target. You can't seen to have all in one. I believe the burlap style woven mesh type bags, filled with cut up clothing or other textile or synthetic scrap, are going to give you the best long life properties, and depending what filler you use, may or may not be able to leave them outside. But, they won't work for broadheads. Broadheads are going to need a foam based target, and that is what I was trying to acheive here. I am getting there, with spending little money, but not quite yet. I think the key is layering stacks (horizontally) of very thin, rubbery foam sheets, like jdamet suggested that he made from scraps from a glass business. I will work on that one next, for a reasonably long lasting broadhead capable target. I think The Block Classic, would be about the best design for this need. I almost bought one, but couldn't pull the trigger for $90.

For field points, I also want to work on a carpet/pad based target, wrapped with house wrap. That should work well too.


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## Mathewdxt1 (Aug 15, 2012)

I've used carpet and phone books both have done great. Probably a no go on the broad heads though lol. But made both for under 5$


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## pnyhunter (Nov 14, 2009)

I have used the tractor supply blocks but stacked them the other way. IE align so you are shooting at square end and not the rectangle side. 

This will give you another 6-8" of foam before the arrow passes through. I also put a piece of heavy foam similar to the workout mats you are using or a I have used a piece of plastic sign on the back side before I wrap/tape. Arrows pass through all the Styrofoam but stop when they get to the mat/plastic. Leaves me 3-4" sticking out and it is easy to pull arrows out. 

Decent Brodhead target for almost nothing.


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## traperdude (Sep 12, 2008)

When I was a kid, my brother and I made one from old cardboard boxes cut about 6 inches wide and stacked about 3 feet high. Start with a 2x6 as the bottom. Drill a hole in each corner to accept a 3 1/2 ft piece of all-thread. Put a large washer and nut on each piece then layer the cardboard on top. Cap the whole thing with another 2x6, a large washer and nut and you have a great target for target points. You can adjust the tension on the cardboard pieces with the nuts in each corner. That thing lasted about 100 years or more. (Well, OK ... a long time.)


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## Jimbo45 (Dec 6, 2012)

Traperdude, i love that idea! I always have cardboard to get rid of. I might just start working on this, only make it 12" deep, instead of 6". It wouldn't be easily moveable, but if you covered it well, it should last a long time. Thanks for the idea!


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## traperdude (Sep 12, 2008)

Trust me, you won't shoot through 6 inches since you can tighten it with the all-thread. Perhaps you can split the difference and have something you won't need a tractor to move. Ha! Oh ... almost forgot ... it wasn't too friendly to the green coating on Gamegetter arrows. Never hurt XX75's though. Good luck.


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## sjaa (Feb 26, 2012)

traperdude said:


> When I was a kid, my brother and I made one from old cardboard boxes cut about 6 inches wide and stacked about 3 feet high. Start with a 2x6 as the bottom. Drill a hole in each corner to accept a 3 1/2 ft piece of all-thread. Put a large washer and nut on each piece then layer the cardboard on top. Cap the whole thing with another 2x6, a large washer and nut and you have a great target for target points. You can adjust the tension on the cardboard pieces with the nuts in each corner. That thing lasted about 100 years or more. (Well, OK ... a long time.)


this is a awesome idea!!!!!thanks for sharing


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## GrayTech (Jan 29, 2013)

Hi Jimbo45,
try this target method for field points, its the best I've found yet, and it's adjustable! 
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1953530


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## Jimbo45 (Dec 6, 2012)

GrayTech said:


> Hi Jimbo45,
> try this target method for field points, its the best I've found yet, and it's adjustable!
> http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1953530


Love it! Heavier than the pressed cardboard stack, but would maybe last longer. I suppose you could use treated lumber, and use a small grill or airconditioner cover to keep it dry outdoors. Man, thanks for all the great ideas guys! Cant decide which to build first!


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## mccoppinb (Aug 14, 2012)

Jimbo45 said:


> Found some spots in the gun range bag....


they work really well for broadhead targets and fp targets i use them


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## slowen (Jun 27, 2006)

Take sofa foam (I get mine for free from local upolsterer), stack 2 together, stuff in large plastic garbage bag and wrap in 4x8 burlap and zip tie the seam together. Total cost of about 4 $ and they last for years!


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## GrayTech (Jan 29, 2013)

Yes quite a bit heavier, but still liftable at 2.5' x 2.5' x 1' (I have trolley wheels on it now). I have one that is 5 years old and still looks new, it would need a roof for outdoors (mostly to protect the wood). or you could use angle iron in place of the wood.


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