Time to build something substantial. I have in my head how I want to build it. So I'll post pics as I work at it. Feel free to throw ideas out there.

Framed old oak boards, and will brace the back with thin plywood. The center will fill with material. Not sure what all yet. Front will be at least 6 layers of old carpet.

Hope it doesn't look tacky when its done. My wood shed I built two years ago, always wanted to incorporate a target to it, just don't know how and still have it look right.

Just food for thought. I found a bunch of 36"X36" carpet squares and stacked them, then took pipe clamps and squeezed, and framed up. Unfortunately my squeeze press was a little skinny and I hit more frame than carpet. So I took it apart, cut all the squares down the middle making 18"X36" re-stacked and just put a top on the stack. I have shot all kinds of targets and materials. This carpet stack seems to be the best I have found. Shooting in between the layers stops the arrows, and like a lot of others here, I really like shooting. Most any target does good to last me 30-45 days. The carpet squares seem to be a winner.

-Bones

Consider backing it with something tough but not hard, to cut down on the trauma to your arrow tips. Heavy carpet, or better horse stall mat

Consider backing it with something tough but not hard, to cut down on the trauma to your arrow tips. Heavy carpet, or better horse stall mat

I have a backstop made up with old conveyor belts hanging vertically

I have a backstop made up with old conveyor belts hanging vertically

We have the carpet bale targets where I shoot. Front to back is about 18” thick. We use the pointy field points rather than the bullet shape, they will bounce out. It’s caused by the center getting shot out. Course we share with compound shooters whose bows have more penetration. The store bought bales have some kind of coating on them to keep the carpet fibers from unraveling.

Here is what I thought. Layering the carpet differently than most guys shoot into it edge to edge compressed. I may lay layers of cardboards between each carpet layer. Do you fellas think this is enough to stop an arrow out of 60lb bows. I think it will.

I think it will stop it, and I tried using the face of the carpet like you are showing. Only I shot out the carpet pretty fast. First few days went well, but after a week there was hollow spaces. Cardboard also break down fast in outside environments. the clothing/ random cloth idea would most likely work better. I stuffed a sack with old clothes and mostly all I ever needed was to replace the bag.

-Bones

If you built the shed next to it, your arrow stop gonna be be a piece of cake. That's one heck of a nice wood shed, whoever made it.

thanks bob, i built that two years ago. Keeps my beagle in one side and wood on the other.

That shed I built for roughly 600 dollars. I am happy with it.

Ok back to the target build along. Maybe I should put a thin material up in front of the carpet?

Yup, a fine shed. Some nice country around there too. Thanks for the photos Brian.

Whatever you build will work fine. If not you'll tweak it down the road.

Two comments. I've shot blunts into free hanging carpet. My blunts generally just bounced off unless they entered a hole. I found two layers carpet was plenty. #55 grizzly, hickory shafts with blunts.

Secondly if you shoot wood arrows tipped with target points, and they embed in that oak frame, or if the back edge of the point stands proud of the shaft, the edge can hang up in the carpet when you pull them. In either case a pair of pliers at the shed will come in handy. I actually had to drill holes adjacent to my target pointd hickories to free them from 2X in my old target frame, and sawhorses. No, I'm not a particularly good shot. lol

I would put a piece of tin on to to shield the target. Something simple yet large enough for protection of the material from rain.

Then I would get three straw bales and ratchet strap them together stacked one on top of the other just like a farmer would when putting them in a barn. Then I would shrink wrap the heck out of it for extra weather protection. 360 degree wrap- total coverage. Turn the three bales so they are standing on their edge so the bales run III not = when in the framework.

Replace as needed. My son-in-law does this and can get about two years out of the target sitting in the open and in the rain. Eventually moisture takes over and the straw rots. Covering it with a roof will prolong the life.

Shrink wrap roll- $25 3 bales- $15 Strap- $10 at Wal-Mart or Harbor Freight

Typical bag targets run $40-$50 or more.

No backstop needed. Just find a way to secure the three wrapped bales in the framework.

The countryside looks great! Lucky to have a location like that. My target is like that one and the only thing that I do with the carpeting is to cut it long enough to go over the target frame to the ground. So, I have double the layers and I don't worry about the rain. I usually come across old carpeting that people have discarded, from time to time, and best of all...it's free. Have been using carpeting in this way for years. When the center gets too shot up, I simply take a few layers off and double it up and the center is like new. Thanks for posting the photos, nice country.

Like Bud said stacked bales make a much nicer target than carpet. You can group on them, arrows are easy to pull. You can rotate the target. No blasted grunge of melted finish and target material on your wood shafts. Excelsior is the best but I only shoot it at the public range.

Looking at your photos again if that was my shed I'd just do bales in front of the wood pile. The weather is off them plus errant shots gonna stay in the shed not woods out back. Hmmmmm....I need to build a shed out back by the yurt. lol

I had bales in front of my wood pole, ratchet strapped. The arrows burry nock deep. I may try bales behind carpet, shrink wrapped.

I've also had my people miss the target and send an arrow into the wood pile. I found it as I worked through the wood pile this winter. It's a pain tring to work around the target, while trying to do firewood. I still cover with tin.

Nice looking target range!

I recommend a covered target. I made this one to house my big Morrel. I have been shooting the same bag for 15 years, I put a new cover on it every couple of years after I shoot up the front and back.

I attached a piece wafer board to the front leg to put my rifle and pistol targets on.

The camera is crooked not the target housing, the roof is sitting on 4 legs set in concrete. The target is hanging on hooks through the top eyelets

Too bad that the price of Excelsior is through the roof. 3 bales of THAT. Hang the horse stall mat or the used conveyor belt behind. You will definitely need a roof of some kind to protect the bales ( straw or hay) GOOD LUCK! BATMAN

If you take the hay bales, and 2 pieces of 2x10 and some all thread, 4 nuts and 4 washers you can build a target that will stop any arrow.

Buy an 8' 2x10 and cut in to 2 4' pieces. Lay one on top of the other, set a hay bale on it, and drill a hole on each of the narrow ends of the bale all the way through both boards. Stack your bales as high as you want them, 3 bales, 4 nbales, whatever, on one of the boards. Set the other board on top.

Cut 2 pieces of all thread long enough to go through both boards keeping in mind that you need a nut and washer on each end.

Put the all thread though the hole in the bottom board, and tighten up the washer. Do this on both ends. Stack your bales, put the top board on, take a box end wrench and tighten the bolts on top as tight as you want them. As the bales get shot up, retighten the bolts.

Occassionally rotate the bales if you want to. Move the top to the middle, the bottom to the top, etc..

If you keep the bales dry, and set the traget up off the ground, it will last for years, and you don't need anything behind it.

Ratchet straps don't get nearly tight enough to compress hay bales well.

When I was younger, we did the same thing fdp describes using 4 or 5 inch wide strips of cardboard boxes instead of hay bails. It outlasted 3 brothers. I now have something similar to Eric's shanty only bigger. I hung a piece of carpet behind the bag to keep stray arrows from hitting the wood wall (lesson learned).

third hand archery diy target faces would work great! stuff with goodwill t-shirts.

Looking at what you already have, you could easily do the cardboard target be floating a second 2x6 inside the top plate and compressing the cardboard down with 4 upside down toggle bolts. You could use 1/2 x 6 inch bolts with the heads pushing against washers. I would add some strapping along the edges, front and back, to hold the cardboard strips. Would be inexpensive, too.

IME the best all around material for target points is excelsior. Given time, money, skill, and incentive, building an excelsior target is clearly the way to go.

Well thanks for all the thought guys. My brother in law sent me a pic of all this carpet I can have. It should be enough, I'll cut into 8" wide and I have a great idea to incorporate the all thread and compress it to be a solid target for years to come.

Wish I could find some excelsior bales here locally. That was the best I've ever seen. I built a big target out of it years ago and it finally got old and rotten enough to quit using and I took it apart.

For a quick cheap, long lasting target get compressed steaw bales from Tractor Supply and stack in your frame. They are plastic wrapped so they are protected from the elements. They are a little hard to pull arrows from to start but that eases up after they are shot a few times.

Placed a 2×8 in there and the irons will guide it from kicking out

Ready for carpet

Lots to work from

Used a2x8 as a sizing template

This will take a while

As far as I got for now

I need to cut a few more pieces and then crank it down. my arrows drill through and hit the plywood....im shooting 56# at my draw

Good job. Really looking forward to how it works.

Anyone using small bales of straw try corn fodder bales. It's chopped corn stalks and works alot better than hay or straw. We used to buy 700lb square bales of corn fodder for our clubs practice range. They held up for years.

fantastic target brian, i built one about 3 years ago and leave it outside the whole year, wears very well and when it gets a little softer around the center you can tighten it up more, cheap very good targe. you will love it

Added some more yesterday

Works great

well done brian,enjoy it

I like those tri color rabbit dogs also!

Good job Brian

Hey, that's a pretty nice target!

Interesting. I will be building one this spring at the cabin for me and the kids/grand kids. I quit shooting at targets that hold arrows a few years ago and shoot into layered cotton tarp and/or carpet with blunts. The life expectancy of my arrows has increased many fold since they just bounce off and fall to the ground. Yours looks very good.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here