DIY Pistol Targets for Practice

To master the use of a pistol, whether for sport or personal protection, extensive practice is an absolute necessity. While access to a shooting range may not always be available, constructing your own pistol targets is an easy way to chart your progress. By building a reusable target stand, paper targets can be inserted for different types of shooting or as they are used up. Be sure to choose a location where it is legal to use a pistol and always practice gun safety techniques.

  1. The Target Stand

    • A target stand can be constructed of just about any material, but plastic PVC piping makes an excellent choice.One-inch PVC is available at most hardware stores and offers a combination of strength and low cost, and is resistant to shattering. Construct a stand with a large, rectangular base and two upright posts that are between two and three feet apart. The stand should be around five feet tall. Attach a cross brace at the top of the two uprights; this will provide a place to hang the paper targets. When shooting, keep the stand stable by bracing its base with heavy objects, such as sandbags or bricks. The stand can also be disassembled for storage, and individual pieces can be replaced as they become damaged. Keep some extra lengths of piping on hand for this purpose.

    Paper Target Inserts

    • Hang paper targets from the stand, either by taping the top of the target to the cross brace on the stand, or by running one or more wires between the PVC uprights and clipping the target to the wire. Any image can be a target, but circles or X's work best. Targets can be purchased, or printed at home from many shooting websites. The size of the target will depend on the distance from which you plan to shoot. For close-range shooting (around 25 feet) use small 6-by-7 inch targets, or simply a target printed on an 8 1/2-by-11 inch piece of paper. For medium distances (50 to 60 feet) use a larger, 10 1/2-by-12 inch target. If you plan to shoot from a great distance (more than 75 feet) consider using full-size 2-by-24 inch targets.