# My new BIG lifetime target



## jrbowhuntr (Jul 23, 2005)

Nice looking target, I've got to getting around to building me one of those big targets.


----------



## truman (Jul 26, 2011)

What type of plastic and how much of it the reason I ask is I built my lifetime target and the stuffing is harder to find then I thought


----------



## PUGIDOGS (Mar 17, 2005)

Any type of plastic really, think shrink wrap, garbage bags, vapor barrier. I got most of mine from the grocery store. They have bundles sitting out back and I asked to get one. I also used wood pellet bags. Its hard to say how much, you have to pack it in pretty good. I took a piece of wood and kept cramming it down as we loaded it.


----------



## jcapen2121 (Sep 27, 2011)

i stuffed mine out of old cloths and it works great. i thought plastic would melt to your arrows and make them hard to pull out. my arrows slide right out effortlessly. takes a lot of cloths but everybody you know has old cloths they don't use any more.


----------



## PUGIDOGS (Mar 17, 2005)

jcapen2121 said:


> i stuffed mine out of old cloths and it works great. i thought plastic would melt to your arrows and make them hard to pull out. my arrows slide right out effortlessly. takes a lot of cloths but everybody you know has old cloths they don't use any more.


Not at all. Plastic does not stick to arrows and its a two finger pull out. I have used grain feed bags stuffed with plastic for years. Lightweight and great for the field.


----------



## trapper.robi (Jul 9, 2011)

Nice work! should last you a very long time!


----------



## rex21 (Nov 8, 2012)

When Dad and i built ours we used carpet on the outside, shrink wrap inside, and a piece of tarp on top to keep some of the rain out.
With carpet there is no need for the chicken wire. That and old carpet is free.


----------



## oldschoolcj5 (Jun 8, 2009)

nice ... years of enjoyment there


----------



## truman (Jul 26, 2011)

I am thinking the plastic wouldn't get smelly as fast either


----------



## nycredneck (Nov 9, 2007)

What does the bottom look like, are there wheels to roll it around? If not it's not a bad idea, perhaps you dont need them but It might be handy for someone else.


----------



## PUGIDOGS (Mar 17, 2005)

I do not need to move mine, so no wheels. It sits in back of shop, open garage door and can shoot down driveway to 50 yards. My shop sits on back of property and the driveway is paved from road. The whole range is lighted as well so we can shoot at night.


----------



## Triggins (Aug 30, 2012)

that thing is a monster!!!!!!!! nicely done!


----------



## lc12 (Jul 30, 2009)

I was worried about using chicken wire (I know, there has been no issues with it, but believe it or not, I have some guys that REFUSE to shoot their arrows into chicken wire!), so I went to Home Depot and bought one of their TUFF ONE Painters drop cloths.
They are a light blue in color and appear to be VERY TOUGH. It is advertised as TEAR RESISTANT and is really light in weight. It comes in a 4 ft X 15 ft. piece, so there is enough to do both sides of my target.
I am going to start with this and see how it holds up, but I like the idea of using carpet too! I may have to go buy some indoor/outdoor carpet just to be safe.


----------



## kc hay seed (Jul 12, 2007)

I wonder if the orange mesh used in construction and around holes in the streets would work rather than the chicken wire?


----------



## chuckatuk (May 28, 2003)

kc hay seed said:


> I wonder if the orange mesh used in construction and around holes in the streets would work rather than the chicken wire?


I built one with the barricade fence.It worked ok I finally tore it apart and used chicken wire.Now I need to replace the chicken wire after 2 years of shooting.


----------



## 25ft-up (Mar 14, 2010)

Looks good! I just made my second one a few years ago. The wood on the first one finally rotted out after 20+ years of being outside. I use solid 6" lumber for the sides and bottom, and make the top open like you did, so I can stuff. I wrapped it with burlap, and left over fabric wallcovering. Tacked it on the sides and underneath, just folded the top in. Stuffed it with rags and let it belly out. I cover it with a piece of heavy vinyl. Totally free target. Keep it dry and it will last forever. I'll just wrap another layer around it when the holes get too big.


----------



## PUGIDOGS (Mar 17, 2005)

To keep mine from bellying out to far I packed the bottom half then used zip ties half way up to hold the front and back closer to each other.


----------



## tjhostle (Feb 24, 2011)

How do you think a 6 mil poly plastic work. You can buy them at lowes. We use it working bridge construction for everything and I could get a lot of it. I'm very intrigued by this target and before I invest unmaking one would love to know your thouhts.


----------



## PUGIDOGS (Mar 17, 2005)

tjhostle said:


> How do you think a 6 mil poly plastic work. You can buy them at lowes. We use it working bridge construction for everything and I could get a lot of it. I'm very intrigued by this target and before I invest unmaking one would love to know your thouhts.


I think it would work great for stuffing. You might have to put a heavy boot on it to pack it down.


----------



## fisher2 (Oct 29, 2012)

how well does this prevent soft spots? like if i draw a heart lung diagram on it and shoot say 4x a week at 100 arrows a day...


----------



## PUGIDOGS (Mar 17, 2005)

If you do get a soft spot, remove plastic and repack, usually no need to add more just need to move it around a little.


----------



## tjhostle (Feb 24, 2011)

Does the chicken wire effect aluminum arrows at all as far as putting kinks or minor defects in them


----------



## PUGIDOGS (Mar 17, 2005)

We only shoot carbon so I could not comment on aluminum. I can say I don't get any damage with the carbon arrows. The chicken wire is easily bent out of the way by arrows. If you look at other threads on forum about this type of target you will see no one claim any arrow damage.


----------



## tjhostle (Feb 24, 2011)

So far I haven't been able to find a supplier for used shrink wrap but I had a brainstorm. I started using plastic garbage bags. I built a target 2' X 3' and had it filled extremely loosely the whole way and it packed down to about a quarter of the way full and I decided to shoot one shoot from my target bow into it. (I'm drawing 53 lbs 225 grain points with 2613 Easton xx75 eclipse arrows) the target stopped the arrow within 7 inches and that is with the target only a quarter of the way full and nothing on top of it to hold it packed . Hope everyone can understand that.


----------



## Zerg4U (Mar 11, 2013)

tjhostle said:


> So far I haven't been able to find a supplier for used shrink wrap but I had a brainstorm. I started using plastic garbage bags. I built a target 2' X 3' and had it filled extremely loosely the whole way and it packed down to about a quarter of the way full and I decided to shoot one shoot from my target bow into it. (I'm drawing 53 lbs *225 grain points* with 2613 Easton xx75 eclipse arrows) the target stopped the arrow within 7 inches and that is with the target only a quarter of the way full and nothing on top of it to hold it packed . Hope everyone can understand that.


225gn points?? really? wow, no I dont understand that at all.


----------



## GrayTech (Jan 29, 2013)

Great work. If you packed it with layers of old carpet instead you can do away with the chicken mesh. Here is my indoor target made from carpet. It stops my 480gr arrows out of my 70# bow withing a few inches. I use it to shoot in indoors down my 11yd hallway to get some practice every day. 
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1953530


----------

