Information comes from and was given to me by MOA Targets (specifically for their 40% IPSC starter kit), but it's a generic how-to for hanging steel targets with simple and cheap materials that you can put up and down easily each time after the initial setup. It should take you about 5min (depending on how many beer breaks you take) to set it up the first time, and after that it's well under a minute each time you get to or leave the range.

First up, make sure you have all the parts.

• Target


• Two equal-ish lengths of firehose


• Nuts, bolts, and washers


• Tools and Knife- recommended are a properly sized wrench and a cordless impact driver, but you can get by more slowly with just two wrenches.


• Stand pieces (kit or homemade, whatever this entails for you)

Cut an X in each end of your firehose sections:


Using a lag bolt, washer, and impact gun/wrench, mount the firehouse to a 2x4 top crossbar (or whatever you're using, but a 2x4 is easiest):


With the firehose and washer on the backside (not the strike face) of the target, bolt the firehose to the target:


Go grab some EMT Conduit table legs/pipes/whatever you're using and throw everything in the back of your transport machine:

(note: emt conduit should be fine with up to ~60lbs or more, but if you step up to heavier duty pipe, you can basically go until the wood breaks)

Set it up at the range:




Try not to miss. If you do miss, do it when your buddies and cameras aren't around. If you don't miss, don't brag about it, because then they'll certainly be there, and they'll proceed to make fun of you all year until you actually get out to Cola Warrior Texas 2 and place a 26 slots above them. You know, on second thought, maybe do miss a few times:


Again, while the above pictures and information is all credit of MOA Targets, it applies to hanging other targets cheaply and easily as well. So stop faffing about with it, go out and actually shoot your targets and get better. If you don't have steel targets yet...well, now you know what you need and where to get it. The 40% IPSC kit used as an example for this post works great, because it forces better accuracy with pistols, and at 100yds with rifle is about equivalent to a full-size torso/IPSC target at 250yds on sizing (disclaimer: the target does not magically make changes to wind and gravity, your ballistics will still be 100yd ballistics). This means though that if you're somewhere with limited space, you can train for the higher standards you should be working towards still. He's also running a sale right now so y'all got basically no excuse to not have some good steel yet.

Don't forget - 12yds for pistol, 100yds for rifle, and 200yds for magnum rifle - minimums. Shooting is fun, but it's the most fun when your gear is reusable and your (or someone else's) body isn't leaking red fluids.

Disclaimer: I don't get paid or have any official connections to MOA targets. He just posted a good writeup on reddit, didn't want to bother posting it here, and since so many here hate reddit, people would otherwise miss out on good info, so he asked if someone could dump that info over here for y'all as well.

Good write up.

Where do you guys normally get the firehose?

If you have any drilling contractors around you, they throw it out on the regular...

I'm not sure where MOA gets it, but you can get 1.5" single wall for $9.00/5ft and 2.5" double wall for $16/5ft from at least that location, there's plenty of others as well as all of ebay available to you as well at varying prices from ~$10-70 that I'm seeing.

The 1.5"x5' for $9 comes out to $1.80/ft or so, but if you had a number of friends who all wanted in (or if you just have a beautiful number of targets needing to be hung, or if you're just a really bad shot) then you can get 1.5"x90' for $60, or $0.67/ft

Gov auction by the pallet

If you cant find firehose, you can buy conveyor belt material mats at tractor supply. It's used as horse stall liner. Not very expensive and also a pain in the ass to cut, but extremely durable, much like fire hose.

I like simple and easy for steel targets. T-posts with carriage bolt mount

Thanks all

That’s what I do.

Yep. I use this T-post mount...



...and this 2x4 mount...



Both from AR500 Target Solutions. Very happy with both of them.

Does the fire hose handle a lot of hits before it breaks?

And I want that metal dinosaur!

Do ya think they'd recommend it otherwise?

Awesome

<<< Retired Fire Chief here, we usually threw 3-400 feet of hose in the dumpster every year after hose test.  Hose that failed test and could not be re-coupled.  I’ve probably got 600’ in my storage building and it’s about all I use for my rifle and pistol range.

Swing by your local station and ask.  They will probably give it to you.  We were always giving supply hose to guys who wanted to use it for boat bumpers on docks.

T-posts don't drive into the ground well in places I shoot, so I haven't built brackets yet.

Well it's generally recommended to hit the target instead...

If you mean will it survive the force of the target getting hit a bunch, yeah there'd be 0 concerns there. If you actually did mean shooting the hangers, I'm not sure exactly what it's rated for but at least on video I've seen it take more hits than chains often seem to.

I got 200' of double walled 3"hose from 2 fire stations.  It didn't pass annual pressure testing and they were going to toss it.

If you use both layers for a strap, it'll last a very long time.  We tried only using the outer jacket and it wears a lot faster.

Spall does more damage than direct hits.

Yep. I actually try to stick to the wildland hose. Easier to work with, hold up well.

Go to any volunteer fire company.  They have to throw it away when it doesn't pass testing/inspection, and they'll give it to you for free.

I use a plug cutter instead of cutting an X with a utility knife.  Makes a nice round hole that is less susceptible to wear and tearing.

We use it as shown here for the gun range where I work. We generally get a couple of years of commercial use on our handgun steel ranges before we have to replace the fire hose.

Sometimes they give it to you for free.  There are 8-20+ other guys in the station that can call dibs before you do.

I've worked with 13 maybe 15 stations over the last few years (funding, accounting) and I got hose from 2.  The old hose can be used for all kinds of stuff and sometimes the simple act of expressing interest in something gives value to it.  I had one volly noob want the old hose after I said I'd take it.

My guess is it might be easier to get in bigger stations vs small rural departments.  More hose, more failures, bigger budgets.

I have the bottom setup and love it.

Cool, I need to built something like that.

You think the firehose is better than chain?

Where do you get old firehose from? (answered above)

I made this a long time ago, before AR500 was the hotness.  Had a shop cut the mild steel plate and copied a design I saw at a shoot.   It started out flat lol.  The mount is great, rings like a bell.

Attached File

I use old seat belts

Wish you sold targets with the center hole for a single carriage bolt.

Firehose or a similar material is far more durable to gunshots than chains

I've seen chains break on a single hit, and then it's bye bye target. Not horrible if you're shooting pistol or something and have extra chain. Massive suck if you're shooting long range from one hilltop to another.

I've been looking for something like that.  Just ordered one.  I'll try to pick it up at the store this weekend.

Keep the ideas coming, need to rehang  7 AR500 targets here shortly.

Seems like unnecessary work

I've used hose (retired CAF) and conveyor belt from tractor. Both last forever. Usually guys that couldn't hit a 3/4" link chain from 5' out take out the chain within 10 minutes of setting it up. I have actually hit the bolt and shattered it but the hose and conveyor belt seems to last forever.

Can't recommend MOA Targets enough.

Buy all the things from them. Even in person at the ATF Convenience Store in Kingman AZ.

I've got several hanging from baler belting and one on a sign post with a 1/2 carriage bolt and a valvle spring.  The sign post targer is easily 3x easier to hear.  And because of that, everyone concentrates on that target.  I will be adding a cross bar to the targets that dont have a single center hole and will be hanging them with 2 valve springs.

You can order pretty much any static target from the website with zero to three holes, and carriage bolts is the standard.

Use the Contact form for custom stuff. Almost everything started out as custom at some point.