After checking over the costs of building my own, I could still make the target stands I wanted for about $35 each, but then there was a fair bit of time and labor... plus painting... and the Target Meister Wyatt Earp Target Stands looked just about like what I was going to build... so I called and talked with Clint from Target Meister and then I ordered six of his target stands.
They arrived carefully wrapped and boxed, two to a package. Even though these stands will be kicked around, set down in the dirt and mud, then tossed in the back of the truck... the care and quality of the packaging clearly indicated pride in this product... and best of all, it's made in America by good folks like you and me.
The stands have solid welds and a quality finish in bright orange so you don't forget them at the range or run 'em over with the tractor and a bushhog while mowing (not that I would have ever done anything like that before to previous target stands).
The upright steel tubes each have two "spring" tabs welded inside that hold the sacrificial 1" x 2" wood furring strips firmly in place so they don't wobble and yet they don't bind up when it's time to pull them out for replacement, storage, or the trip home from the range.
The uprights are spaced just right to work with targets for IDPA, USPSA, or other shooting and competition needs. Aside from IDPA targets, for the past few months we've just been using some leftover 18" x 24" corrugated plastic sign blanks we picked up at a significant discount from a local sign shop.
Another nice touch to these target stands are the plastic end caps for the steel tube "legs" that keep them from filling with dirt, mud, and water. I would imagine that you could also fill the legs with sand, lead shot, or some other weight if you were using the stands in high winds, although they seemed to work well for us as is until the wind gusts get much over 20-25 mph... in higher winds, we've just tossed a sandbag or two over the legs.
When the shooting is over and the smoke clears, these target stands stack up for easy transport and a minimal storage foot-print. As I've said before, I don't like to review or recommend anything until I've had some significant time with the product. While I had previously mentioned these target stands, we've now had ample time to use them and as far as I'm concerned, you can't find a better made target stand for the money and Clint, the owner, even emailed us after the order had shipped to check on our satisfaction with his product.
So if you're looking for something tough enough to face you when you draw your gun, take a good look at Target Meister: Wyatt Earp Target Stands...
From all of us at Target Meister, thank you Dann for taking the time to write a quality review and for recognizing the "pride" we build into every stand.
ReplyDeleteClint Pachl
President
Target Meister, LLC
Very nice, and as you say at the price, ya may as well buy em as make em!.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could suggest to the folks at Target Meister that steel pipe sections welded to the base corners would allow the frame would allow it to be anchored to the ground with pegs inserted during windy conditions and to hell with the sandbags!.
cheers
I need to look at those.
ReplyDeletenzgarry, we are constantly improving our stand designs. Coincidentally, we have upgraded the Wyatt Earp Stand by adding mounting hardware as you suggested.
ReplyDeleteWe added pipe guides at all four corners of the base, angled at 60 degrees inward from horizontal. To anchor your stand, drive standard 10" or 12" spikes up to 1/2" in diameter.
The advantage of the opposed staking angles is that you don't have to drive the spikes fully to achieve a solid base; it will deadlock. For example, if your soil is hard, you may only be able to drive the stakes 4" to 5". This makes the stand compatible with any soil type.
The upgraded model will be available soon on our website. Here is a pic of our prototype:
http://assets.targetmeister.com/tm/products/misc/wyatt_earp_target_stand-stakeable-120117110408.jpg