building a gong, asking input.

[Sasquatch]

I am using scrap metal from our shop to build myself a gong for my birthday. I used 2x2 square tubing for the feet, risers and crossmember, reinforced all corners with 1x1 square tubing, and plan to use this to tie wire the plates to the stand. One of the plates I already cut into a 16" somewhat round piece since I am not very handy with a torch and didn't have a compass to get a perfect circle. the input I am asking for is on the other plate. the plate is 1/2" thick 514(?) impact steel and 16.25 x 16.25 inches square. My boss says I have to be creative with the shapes I cut out of this plate or he will charge me for the steel. I'm not worried about paying the $12 scrap steel cost, but why should I if I can get out by having fun. I am going to try to add a poll with the ideas I have so far for the plate. if anyone has other ideas, I have until Tuesday morning to decide on it. And please take into consideration I am not much of an artist with the cutting torch.

Ideas so far are:

One BIG Rabbit silloette

One BIG nasty varmit flipping the bird

one big swinging monkey, hung to look like it is holding the top of the rack.

one silloette of sasquatch (wonder where I got that idea)

one 8" tall rabbit and an 8" wide varmit, looking much like a weasel

 

[Slipshot]

LOL.....Love the ----->>>>One BIG nasty varmit flipping the bird
That should bring a few smiles out at the range /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Is tie wire going to hold up? I don't know about you but I would forget extra wire and it would break at worst possible time.

 

[4ked Horn]

I voted other. I would suggest a sillhouette of an old style TV. The kind with little shorty legs and rabit ear antennas. But instead of the antennas you drill your holes 3 or 4 inches apart and centered and this is where you hook your wires for this one. Then spread the wires out on the top bar to look like the V shape of the antenna.

This gets you a lot of usage for the size steel you have plus who dosen't like to shoot at a TV. I mean, there seems to be one or two at almost every roadside sand pit I've ever shot at. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[jsali]

Barney the purple dinosaur, or teletubby. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Sasquatch]

I don't know how well wire will hold up, but it is all I have access to until I get paid again. I am thinking about buying a roll of aircraft safety wire and keeping it in my shooting bag. this would give the wire a very thin profile, with very high tensile strength. An example of this wires strength is one of the divider curtains at work. We have a 8' section of 2" x1/8" DOM tubing holding up an 8' x 10' sheet of canvas that has safety chain sewn into the bottom of the canvas to hold it down. This curtain is held up by a single wrap of safety wire at each end of the tubing. It's been there for 3 years, and the curtain gets jostled and moved around every day to put away finished parts. very impressive stuff.

 

[Buffalobob]

Other

You have a 16 inch circle already. I suggest an arcade.
Take the 16X16 and draw up a 10 inch square in the bottom left corner and a six inch square in the top right. Then draw and cut out a circle from inside each of these two squares. This will leave you with a very odd shaped piece of metal that can be two "eared rectangles" of slightly different shapes, one of which could be a short eared rabbit about 10 inches high and six inches wide and the other could be trimmed and scap pieces welded into a buffalo head about 10 inches wide with horns and a beard.

Here would be the total arcade

1. 16" circle
2. 10" circle
3. 6" circle
4. 10 X 6" rabbit
6 6X10 Buffalo head

 

[Sasquatch]

wow buffalobob, I never would have though of that. I am not going to decide on anything until after the poll closes though. thanks for the input.

 

[sniper2]

You don't need a compass to get a circle tie a piece of string to a pencil or other marking device and secure the other end to the center of what ever the circle is desired on and extend the string held marker and make your circle should do real well.

 

[Ian M]

Squatch,
Sliding a curtain on a wire and impact by a bullet are two different things. Just get a few yards of #9 soft wire, every farm supply or farm, has the stuff and use it - remember that cheap is the objective on disposables like target wire.
Better yet, try to mooch some pieces of fire-hose, most departments have to change their hose at certain intervals, very good stuff to hang targets.
Even better is to just attach the target directly to the frame with S hooks, we quit using chain and wire since we started using S hooks.
Paint it white and have at it!

 

[Sasquatch]

ok guys, here's what I have for the circular gong. The wire will go, the frame will be painted black and the gong will be white with a black dot in the center.

 

[LB]

My vote, and suggestion. Head of a coyote, (primitive)facing forward, with maybe two small holes for eyes. I'd weld half chain links on the back of the ears, and count on having to replace whatever you use for suspension, several times. Another suggestion is to lay the frame flat with an arm coming up in an el shape behind the gong, with the gong itself acting as a shield to protect the support. There is always some wise guy that intentionally aims for the suspension chain or wire or cable.

Good hunting. LB

 

[Sasquatch]

tested the gong today with dad. At 300 the 30-06 put little dents in the plate and at 460 I didn't figure for wind at took out the chain he gave me to hang the plate. We also shot a .25-06 that he won from RMEF. he shot a 1/2 MOA group at 100 and 200 yards each using a bench rest he just bought. He also put a couple holes in my stand when he didn't adjust for the wind at 460. I'll post pics when I get back to my place.

 

[jwp475]

My vote goes for a metalic silhouette chicken

 

[MachV]

Got tired of replaceing the wire and chains of a gong so I welded up a couple of these.We had to ancore them down good as the 50BMG would send the whole assembly flipping