Reusable DIY Pellet Gun Target

What I made and what I hope you are going to make as well, is a Reusable Diy Pellet gun Target. I chose to make a pellet gun target because I have a really nice pellet gun and to be honest I don't use it nearly as much as I should. Plus I am sure there is people reading this that have the same dilemma as me. I spend so many hours playing by myself and wanting someone else to play with - like when I want to play football or soccer or something else. I have to rely on my sisters who don't do anything!!! But now I can do something fun that doesn't involve another person which is totally awesome. Last thing before we make a sweet target - make sure you read the entirety of each step before you start. Don't read the first line and start - read it all. Here we go - get ready to build an epic target!

1. Roughly 15 inch by 15 inch piece of plywood for the target
2. 4 short pieces of wood (2 by 2s ) approximately 2 feet long for the supporting legs
3. A Band Saw or jigsaw if you want your target to be round
4. Chop saw or skill saw for cutting legs to length
5. Drywall putty and putty knife
6. Sandpaper
7. Paint or wood stain (any colours of paint- I suggest 3-5 colours), white being one of the colours
8. Paint Brush
9. Wood glue and/or a nail gun with nails
10. And finally a Pellet Gun to try it out!

After you have collected all of your supplies, you will make the target round (yours could be any shape - it doesn't matter). Start by drawing a outline of your circle/shape, then carefully follow it with your jigsaw until you have cut off the excess wood. The easiest options is to use a bandsaw or a jigsaw. It will take you 10 minutes max and bam you got your circle. If you don't have a bandsaw or a jigsaw at the ready (most of you probably won't) I suggest you leave it square or use another saw. Ok let's get to sawing - DON'T LOSE ANY FINGERS ;)

After you have made all of your cuts, I suggest you start by applying drywall putty to the target to smooth out the surface. Spread the putty evenly across the entire front side, let it dry then sand it down. You will probably only need one coat because it doesn't matter what it looks like as long as it is smooth like butter. You may want to apply a coat of white primer paint, as after sanding down the putty you may have wood showing through some areas.

Once the drywall putty is smooth and dry you will continue the process by drawing the rings of the target. In order to have perfect circles/rings increasing by the same amount each time, start by measuring the diameter and dividing it into equal sections. For example, a 15" diameter fits 5 circles each 1.5 inches wide. Then tie a string, longer than the radius, to a pencil or marker. Hold the string at the center of the target with the pencil precisely at the distance of your first ring. Keeping the string firmly anchored at the center, turn your target or rotate your pencil until a complete circle has been drawn. Make sure for each ring you increase the string length by the same each time ( 1 inch or 2 inch etc).

Once you have got your rings, go ahead and fill them in with your paint. Traditionally the rings of a target go bullseye is yellow, the next is red, then blue, then black, and lastly white. But you can make your own unique creation. I am just going to use the traditional colours so it is as clear as possible. Also just to put the looks over the top you can paint the thin side of the target and also the visible part of the supporting legs. Alright get to painting!!! Note - it takes precision to make crisp lines, and a straight, narrow paint brush helps! Make sure you let the paint dry before you stand it up or flip it over!

If you are planning to hang your target on a tree, then you will not need the supporting legs. But I find having legs very helpful just so I can set it up anywhere (obviously only in safe places - never shoot towards people, roads or buildings!). Start by lying the target painted side down. Set 2 of the supporting legs onto the back of the target. These will serve two purposes - they will elevate the target so it is not touching the ground, and they will prevent it from tipping side to side. I set the tops of the legs near the top of the target with about 3 inches between the tops of them, with roughly a 30 degree outward angle. Once the positioning is figured out, flip the entire thing over and use a nail gun to secure the legs in place. An alternate option is to use wood glue, which eliminates the need for flipping it over but takes much longer to dry. You wouldn't want to use a nail gun from the back as it causes significant damage to the front, and the nails may not be the right length.

For the third and final support leg, use a chop saw to create a 45 degree angle at the top and bottom of your 2x2. Then use a nail gun to secure this final support piece into the top backside of the target, between the other two supporting pieces. The length of this piece determines how your target will sit - a longer piece means the target will sit more upright than if the supporting piece is shorter. Play around with the length before securing. Note- This will be the longest of the 3 support legs.

You may determine, as I did, that a brace is needed to secure your angled back piece in place. In order to do this, cut a short piece of 2x2 with the same angle of your supporting piece. Holding the 2x2 in place from the back of the target to the side of the supporting piece and tracing a line to match the angle is the easiest way to accomplish this. Trim your brace to correct angle then use a nail gun to secure the brace in place - once from the front of the target, once from the bottom of the brace into the supporting piece, and once from the back of the supporting piece into the brace.

The final step in this project is cutting the bottom of the 2 side-supporting legs so they sit level. Start by placing the target on a level surface then, use a level, straight edge or left over 2 x 2 and mark with a pencil a straight line on all 4 sides of each supporting leg. Then use a jigsaw to make the cut on each leg.

Now is the time that we set up our target in a safe place and test it out to make changes! I don't think you will have many problems, (except your aim but luckily that's exactly what this is for). Have fun testing it and be sure to comment exactly what your friend says when they see your perfect aim!!!

After going through the exciting and tricky process of making a Reusable DIY Pellet Gun Target, I have learned the following - how to follow and make clear instructions (that are made for others to follow not yourself), making and cutting proper angles to best fit a part of a project, and of course problem solving. I felt that this project opened up my artsy side a bit more with the painting part of the job, and since I am not usually a very artsy guy that was cool. Throughout this project the part that I found the hardest was making and describing the process of building the back supporting legs. This was difficult because it was a bit of trial and error, as well as dependent on the saws and other supplies on hand. I doubt that the next person's creation will be the exact same as mine with the same angles etc as mine, which is totally fine. This was a fun and inspiring process of building, making, and problem solving. I hope that you have fun making a target and learn something from the process!!! Good Luck:)