$15 Cardboard Target Stand: The DIY Cardboard Base

Actions Driven By Our Vision

The why of this base is more important than the base itself. Truth is, we know that in this market, people are hurting. There are constant pressures that you are fighting. Cost of living, wages, and all other pressures that make it harder to train. We set out to design a simple base and provide you FREE plans. You can then take these plans to your local lumber store and have them cut the pieces for you. Then, you simply screw all the pieces together in the proper locations and you'll have a functioning cardboard and paper target base. It might seem counterintuitive to do this for free, but to us our vision matters more than anything else. We exist to inspire individuals to become capable providers and protectors. Providing more ways to train is in our DNA. Even if it means we don't make money on something we build. We hope that this base helps YOU to train to become that capable provider and protector. 

Benefits of the DIY (Build-At-Home) Cardboard and Paper Target Base

Cost is the number one factor. You might find yourself browsing our products and coming to the determination that right now they are simply out of your price range. While we pride ourselves in making PREMIUM systems, that does come at a cost. While each system and component is worth every penny, we know that we all go through phases where we need to really watch what we spend. This base, in almost all areas of the United States, should cost you less than $15 to build. Sure, you'll have some time invested in the assembly, but it is an extremely low cost. Further, the cardboard DIY base allows you to run our C Zone cardboard targets or our USPSA targets. Additionally, you could run your favorite paper target, even if it's not something we manufacture. This means you get a very functional, lightweight, and versatile base. Further, when assembled, this base is VERY lightweight. Don't mistake the stability of the base after that statement. It is extremely stable, even though it is a small footprint. We opted for 2X4 boards to hang the targets on, which adds a ton of strength to the system, resisting many bullet impacts. Additionally, all components required for this base are standard and readily available basically anywhere. 

Where does the DIY Cardboard Base Fall Short? 

As much as we'd love to say this is a "perfect solution", that wouldn't be true. It's A solution, but it does have some downsides that you should consider. For one, it's not AS stable as our Cardboard Base, our Genesis Base, Breakdown Base, or Gen 3 20" Round Base. The metal fabricated bases that we manufacture are top-tier. They are designed to be planted, stable, and resist wind and elements better than a wood base. Further, they are more elegant and can be utilized with our steel target systems. The DIY Cardboard Base is meant for paper only. The 2X4 wood, when used in inclement weather, can also swell and disintegrate over time. While it will take some time for this to happen, buying our premium bases will make sure you never experience this. Further, our bases can be expanded with many different mounting and paper holder options, making them overall more versatile. But, due to the materials and cost of our team manufacturing these products, they certainly are the more expensive option when comparing to a base you build at home. If you are looking for a more permanent solution, one of our fabricated bases will be the better move. If you are looking for a fast, inexpensive option, the Do It Yourself Cardboard and Paper Target Base might be the best move for you. 

Building your Cardboard Shooting Target Base

Building this base is very straightforward. That being said, we felt it's important to show you some photos of the assembly process. The first step will be making sure you have all your pieces. You'll want to print off the free design drawings as you will need to measure where each piece goes. This is especially important as you are laying out the legs and center cross pieces. 

Assembling the Post Spacers into the base

The next step is to install the smaller (4) boards. These boards will create the proper spacing for a 2X4 board to slide into. It is helpful to start at either end and use your blocks as a spacer. This way, you won't need to use a tape measure and mark the distance, as the spacers you are using match the thickness of a 2X4 post. 

If you find using the spacers confusing, you can also simply use a tape measure to mark off the correct locations. But I find it much faster to use the spacers to create the proper positioning of the openings for the 2X4 boards. This is important because the wider (outside) openings are to be used with USPSA sized targets. The closer openings (towards the middle) are to be used with our C Zone cardboard targets. If you have them in the improper positions, the boards will not be stable or they will not be in the right spot for the various cardboard targets that we sell. 

Installing your paper target to your base posts

Once you have your base assembled, you simply slide your 2X4 posts into the proper locations. Then you can use staples, push pins, or clips to attach the cardboard to the posts. All that's left after that is whatever training you hope to accomplish today. 

The DIY Cardboard Target Base Wasn't Meant to be perfect

We recognize that this is not a perfect solution for all scenarios. However, we feel that for some people this could be the difference between training with purpose, or putting off training altogether. While it's easy to fall into the trap of believing that we don't need to be training currently, I'd argue that now more than ever we MUST be training regularly. If we are to be prepared, and call ourselves protectors, we need to be taking this seriously. We hope this base and the free drawings help you to become a more capable provider and protector. If you decide to run this base, we hope you contact us to let us know how you are using it to become better. I sincerely hope it is a valuable tool for your training.