Hanging AR500 gongs from my target holder

[wahoowad]

I have a rebar-based target holder I use at my gun club's rifle range. It's maybe 4' wide. Most of my AR500 targets are hung by chains and S-hooks but they usually start walking down the crossbar one way or the other and eventually slide into other hanging gongs. It happens more with my smaller gongs as they jump and twist more from hits than the heavier 6" and 8" gongs. Any suggestions for trying to keep the chains in place?

 

[the_assman]

metal hose clamps or zip ties around the top rebar

the hose clamps could be loosened and repositioned if you wanted to slide the targets around

 

[bkincaid]

Cut lengths of pvc or emt conduit to place in between the targets.

 

[tadawson]

Weld on washers?

 

[Ranchhand]

I use fire hose and have washers welded to the rebar.
I like hose way better than chain for hanging targets.

 

[MarshallDodge]

Rubber garden hose, cut for the separation distance.

A more elegant solution would be shaft collars

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[wahoowad]

I use fire hose and have washers welded to the rebar.
I like hose way better than chain for hanging targets.

Do you find the heavy firehose dampens the ring from a hit on the gong? I feel like my gongs on chain ring a lot louder than the ones I hang using this heavy duty conveyor belt material. At one point I switched to the conveyor belt material because chains inevitably get shot to pieces.

 

[tna9001]

Replace the cross bar with #8 rebar or better and you won’t have to worry about this.

 

[Aftermath]

Replace the cross bar with #8 rebar or better and you won’t have to worry about this.

Yes...^^^THIS. That big sag is contributing to your issues. Move the heaviest targets to be closer to the legs, too.

 

[wahoowad]

Replace the cross bar with #8 rebar or better and you won’t have to worry about this.

How so? The jumping of the gongs (the chain really) has more to do with the slack introduced when the gong gets hammered and not the flex in the rebar I've chosen. I have considered thicker rebar just to eliminate the flex but my current stand won't accept the thicker rebar without rework, and I have to hump all this steel to the end of the range and I have to make 2 trips if it gets any heavier (also carrying a bucket with my gongs, chains, etc.)

 

[wahoowad]

Yes...^^^THIS. That big sag is contributing to your issues. Move the heaviest targets to be closer to the legs, too.

Ahhh, OK I see why you guys are suggesting this. Yes, I'll try to mod my stand to accept the heavier cross bar.

 

[stello1001]

Just weld washers or little stems every 8 inches or so as you see needed.

 

[wahoowad]

FYI - I usually don't hang the heavy IDPA, although plan to do so next time for some open sight shooting we'll be doing. Normally there is not as much flex.

Good point about hanging heavier stuff to the ends

 

[stello1001]

Also, to keep the sag from sagging more, you might want to add a 3rd leg in the very middle to give it more support.

 

[Aftermath]

FYI - I usually don't hang the heavy IDPA, although plan to do so next time for some open sight shooting we'll be doing. Normally there is not as much flex.

Good point about hanging heavier stuff to the ends

 

[MO Fugga]

Gators work well too, the strips of semi truck tire found on the highway. Instead of chains or hose.

 

[tna9001]

How so? The jumping of the gongs (the chain really) has more to do with the slack introduced when the gong gets hammered and not the flex in the rebar I've chosen. I have considered thicker rebar just to eliminate the flex but my current stand won't accept the thicker rebar without rework, and I have to hump all this steel to the end of the range and I have to make 2 trips if it gets any heavier (also carrying a bucket with my gongs, chains, etc.)

Perhaps you are right. I’m not a mechanic engineer but it makes sense to me that if the crossbar isn’t moving as much then target will move less as you are removing one movement from the system.