Best target stands for shooting: stable, portable picks for a new shooter

The best target stands for shooting do three things: hold your target where the range's backstop catches every shot, stay put when the wind picks up, and pack small enough that you'll actually bring them. This page is for the new shooter heading to a range where you hang your own targets, and for the parent setting up a first family session. If you're still building the basic kit, start with our first range kit; a stand comes after ear pro, eye pro and a few targets.

Do you need a target stand at all?

Maybe not, and it's worth checking before you buy one. Plenty of ranges hang targets for you or supply the frame:

• Connecticut DEEP's Glastonbury range: "All targets will be secured on standard DEEP target frames set downrange" ( CT DEEP).
• Louisiana's LDWF: "Use only provided targets and frames unless otherwise specified," and several of its ranges list target frames and paper targets as provided (LDWF).
• At an indoor range, targets go up however that range's lanes are set up, and a stand built to stake into dirt has nowhere to go. Ask how targets go up on your lane.

A stand earns its keep where you set up your own targets: a club range or outdoor bay that allows your own equipment, or private land where shooting is legal and there's a safe backstop. Rules vary, so check with your range first. Our guide to indoor vs outdoor ranges explains what each kind usually provides.

How we picked these stands

We haven't set these stands up in the field for this page, and we don't claim to have. We compiled what each maker publishes (base, anchoring, backer size, folding, weight, what's included) and scored every stand on our public stand rubric: stability (35%), portability and setup (30%), target size it holds (20%), and materials and build (15%). The weights are on how we pick gear.

The rank order answers the beginner's question, "what should I buy first?", so it isn't strictly the score order. The Caldwell Ultimate ranks first because it's a complete paper stand with its own backer and the most published anchoring. The MTM Jammit ranks second because it's the lightest published option and comes with a cardboard target holder. The lumber-based picks come next, in the order you'd need them as you move from paper toward steel. A stand isn't a target, so no stand here carries a safe-distance figure of its own; for steel, the distance always comes from the target's maker.

The four kinds of target stand

"Target stand" covers very different things. Knowing which kind you're looking at tells you what else you'll have to buy.

Backer stands are the simplest start. Caldwell describes the Ultimate Target Stand as having an "oversized backer to hold multiple large targets (two 16" targets side by side)," an all-weather backer, steel rod frame arms, a collapsible modular frame and a built-in storage container. You bring targets and a stapler. Birchwood Casey sells a similar idea as its Adjustable Target Stand Kit, with "6 Modular Uprights and Single Target Backer" and a 19.5 x 19.5 inch white backer board; we couldn't confirm that exact kit on Amazon, so it isn't ranked here.

Stake stands trade size for weight. MTM says the Jammit Compact double-stake stand "weighs less than 2lb," holds the target backer 24 inches off the ground, includes a cardboard target holder, and measures 17.5 x 2 x 47 inches planted with the backer. MTM describes it as "Designed for rifle and handgun shooters."

Lumber stands and 2x4 hardware use boards you buy at a hardware store as the uprights. The Caldwell Ultimate Steel Target Stand holds 1x2 or 2x4 lumber for steel or paper, comes with 2 ground stakes, and Caldwell says the angled 2x4 holds up to a full-size IPSC target. Highwild's 2x4 Target Stand Brackets are "Designed to build any size target stand, for use with 2x4 board (actual 1-1/2" x 3-1/2")," per Highwild. When a board gets shot up, you replace the board. Building one from scratch is its own project; the DIY target stand guide walks through it.

Steel mounts are for one job. Champion's 2x4 Target Stand Topper is made for "Champion's full line of Center Mass AR500 Steel Targets" and sits on 2x4 lumber (not included). Birchwood Casey's 2x4 Nested Steel Target Stand hangs steel gongs from one 2x4 post you supply and, per Birchwood Casey, "requires no tools to assemble." If you're not sure steel is for you yet, read paper vs steel targets first.

Wind and ground: how a stand stays up

A flat backer catches wind the way a sign does, and a stand that tips over mid-session means a cease-fire and a walk downrange. None of these makers publishes a wind rating, so judge stability by how each one anchors, in the makers' own terms:

• Spikes plus a stabilizer: the Caldwell Ultimate Target Stand has molded-in metal spikes and a removable ground stabilizer. That's the most anchoring any maker here describes for a paper stand.
• Stakes: the Caldwell Ultimate Steel Target Stand comes with 2 ground stakes. The MTM Jammit uses two stakes, and MTM says it "Works on non-rocky ground." On hard or gravel ground, stakes may not go in at all.
• Nail-down bases: Highwild's Double T-Shaped 2x4 Target Stand Base has a pre-drilled hole in each leg for a ground nail, though Highwild notes "GROUND NAIL NOT INCLUDED." Its 2x4 brackets list "Adjustable leg mounting for maximum stability."

Two practical rules follow. Ask what the ground is like at your range's target line before you pick a stake stand. And on a windy day, a smaller backer is easier to keep upright than a big one, so the 12 x 18 inch sheets on our best shooting targets list are friendlier than a full-size silhouette.

Cardboard backers: what your target sticks to

Most paper targets need something stiff behind them. Self-adhesive sheets like the Shoot-N-C Handgun Trainer stick to it; non-adhesive sheets get stapled to it. Some stands include one: the Caldwell Ultimate has its all-weather backer, the MTM Jammit includes a cardboard target holder, and Birchwood Casey's adjustable kit includes a 19.5 x 19.5 inch white backer board. Lumber stands and 2x4 hardware don't, so you add a backer.

We didn't find standalone cardboard backers from the big consumer target brands. They do exist in bulk from target suppliers: Qualification Targets, for example, lists a 24 x 45 inch backer in "200 lb Single Wall Cardboard," sold with a minimum order of 50. For a beginner, the simpler route is a stand that comes with its own backer. Whatever you use, match its size to your targets: a 23 x 35 inch full-size silhouette needs a much bigger backer than a 12 x 18 sheet.

To attach non-adhesive targets, Champion sells a compact staple gun it describes as the way to "Keep your paper targets securely in place." It takes JT21 staples.

Where to put the stand: backstop first

A stand's job is to put the target in front of something that stops every bullet. The NRA's rule is the whole point: "Know your target and what is beyond" ( NRA Gun Safety Rules). Georgia DNR's range rules turn that into two placement checks worth borrowing (Georgia DNR):

"Ground level targets must be positioned so that a bullet will not strike flat ground before the backstop; all targets must be located so that a bullet will strike between the base and halfway up the backstop."

Which stand for which shooter

• You shoot paper and want one purchase: the Caldwell Ultimate Target Stand. Backer, spikes, stabilizer and storage are all on the stand. Our Caldwell Ultimate Target Stand review goes through its published specs in detail.
• You walk a long way to the target line, or carry everything in one trip: the MTM Jammit Compact. Under 2 lb with its own cardboard holder, as long as the ground takes stakes.
• You shoot paper now and might try steel later: the Caldwell Ultimate Steel Target Stand. It takes 1x2 or 2x4 boards for paper today, and Caldwell's 2x4 Plate Hanger (sold separately) for Caldwell AR500 steel later.
• You like to build things, or need an odd size: the Highwild 2x4 brackets and your own boards.
• You already own Champion Center Mass steel: the Champion 2x4 topper, made for that line.

What to look for in a target stand

1. Anchoring you can use on your range's ground. Spikes, stakes, a stabilizer or nail-down legs. Stakes need soft ground; MTM says its Jammit works on non-rocky ground.
2. A backer that fits your targets. Two 16-inch targets side by side on the Caldwell Ultimate; a 19.5 x 19.5 inch board in Birchwood Casey's kit; your own backer on lumber stands. Full-size 23 x 35 inch silhouettes need the biggest backer.
3. Weight and folding you'll live with. MTM publishes under 2 lb for the Jammit. Caldwell lists a collapsible modular frame but no weight. A stand that stays in the garage doesn't help.
4. What isn't in the box. Lumber is not included with the Caldwell Ultimate Steel stand, the Highwild brackets and bases, the Champion topper or the Birchwood Casey nested steel stand. Ground nails aren't included with Highwild's bases. Plan for it before range day.
5. Paper, steel or both. Backer stands are for paper. Steel needs a mount made for your steel target and the target maker's published distance.
6. Replaceable parts. Stray hits happen. Lumber uprights and cardboard backers can be swapped without replacing the whole frame.

A range-day checklist for your stand

Most stand problems happen because something stayed at home. Before you leave:

• Confirm the range lets you use your own stand, and ask what the ground is like at the target line.
• Pack everything the stand doesn't include: lumber for 2x4 hardware, ground nails for Highwild's bases, a backer if the stand has none.
• Pack the attaching kit: a stapler and spare staples for non-adhesive targets, or self-adhesive sheets, plus pasters.
• Pack your targets in a size that fits the backer.

At the range:

• Wait for the range to be called cold before you carry the stand downrange.
• Set it in front of the backstop, high enough that shots end in the backstop, not the ground in front of it.
• Use every spike, stake or stabilizer it came with, then give it a push to check it's steady.
• Walk back behind the firing line before anyone handles a firearm.
• After packing up, wash your hands before you eat or drink.

For the rest of the packing list, see what to put in a range bag.

Beginner mistakes with target stands

• Buying a stand the range won't let you use. Some ranges supply frames and want only their own. Ask first.
• Setting the target too low. A target near the ground can put bullets into flat ground before the backstop. Georgia DNR's rules say to position targets so bullets strike between the base and halfway up the backstop.
• Forgetting the lumber. Several stands here are hardware only. No 2x4s, no stand.
• Using a paper stand for steel. A backer stand is made for paper; Caldwell, for example, sells a separate stand for steel. Use a mount made for your steel target, and follow the target maker's rules.
• Shooting the stand. Aim at the target. MTM says to never let anyone shoot the stand itself.
• Walking downrange on a hot range. Set up and change targets only when the range is called cold. Our range etiquette guide covers the commands.
• Skipping the hand-washing. Champion warns that stands collect lead residue. Wash with soap and water after handling them; our lead exposure guide explains why.