How to build a DIY target stand from 2x4s

A DIY target stand makes sense once you start shooting at an outdoor range that expects you to bring your own targets. The idea is simple. The base stays, and the parts that get shot (the uprights and the cardboard) are ordinary materials you replace. You also get to build it to fit the targets you actually use. Here's how it goes together, using published hardware specs where we cite them. We don't invent measurements, and we haven't built these stands ourselves.

What you need: the DIY target stand materials list

1. Two 2x4 boards for the uprights. A 2x4 isn't actually 2 by 4 inches. Highwild notes on its bracket page that the board's "actual" size is 1-1/2" x 3-1/2", which matters when you're matching boards to a base.
2. A base. A steel 2x4 base, a bracket set, a ready-made stand that takes lumber, or one you build from wood. The options are below.
3. A cardboard backer. It spans the uprights and gives staples something to grip.
4. A staple gun and the right staples. Champion's target Staple Gun, for example, takes "JT21 staples."
5. Targets. Self-adhesive sheets stick straight to cardboard; others need staples. Our best shooting targets for beginners covers both.
6. Ground anchors, if your base uses them. Some bases are nailed or staked down, and the hardware is often sold separately.
7. Tools for the build: a saw to cut the boards and, if you build a wooden base, whatever fasteners your plan calls for.

Three ways to handle the target stand base

The base is the part that decides whether your stand stays upright in a breeze. There are three store-bought routes, plus the all-wood option at the end.

1. A steel base that takes a 2x4

Drop the upright into a base and go. Highwild's Double T-Shaped 2x4 Target Stand Base is one example: Highwild says it will "support both 2x4 board and Highwild adjustable steel post," and "each leg comes pre-drilled with hole for fixed to ground by a ground nail." The ground nails, target and lumber aren't included. A single-upright base like this suits steel hangers and toppers. For a paper backer between two uprights, you'd use two bases or a bracket set.

2. Brackets that turn boards into a frame

Brackets let you build the whole stand from lumber, sized to your targets. Highwild sells 2X4 Target Stand Brackets as a set of 2, "designed to build any size target stand, for use with 2x4 board," with "adjustable leg mounting for maximum stability" and a welded, powder-coated build. You supply every board.

3. A ready-made stand that holds lumber

If you'd rather not cut anything, some commercial stands are built around standard boards. Caldwell describes its Ultimate Steel Target Stand as an "H-stand design" that works "without driving posts or stakes into the ground." Its "1x2 stake pockets are perfect for setting up paper or cardboard targets," it has an angled 2x4 pocket for steel, and it "comes with 2 ground stakes." It's the half-DIY option: the stand is bought, and the boards and cardboard are yours.

You can also build a base entirely from wood. We don't publish a cut list, because every measurement we printed would be one we haven't built and checked. If you go that route, use a plan from a source you trust, and test the finished stand for wobble at home, before range day.

How to put a 2x4 target stand together

1. Start from your targets. Check the published size of the targets you'll hang. Our types of shooting targets guide lists common sizes, from 12 x 18 inch sheets up to a 23 x 35 inch silhouette. That tells you how wide the backer and the gap between uprights need to be.
2. Cut the uprights to the height you want the target at. Keep the bottom cuts square so they sit flat in the base or brackets.
3. Seat the uprights in the base or brackets and fasten them the way the hardware maker instructs.
4. Staple the cardboard backer across both uprights, pulled flat.
5. Hang the target on the cardboard with staples, or stick it on if it's self-adhesive.
6. Test it at home. It should stand on its own and not rock when you nudge it.
7. Pack the extras: the staple gun, spare staples, spare cardboard and target pasters (small stickers for covering holes). Our what to put in a range bag checklist has the rest.

The cardboard backer

Cardboard is what makes a two-upright frame work. It fills the space between the boards, holds staples, and can take a target bigger than the gap. When it's shot out, you swap it for a fresh sheet. A flattened box works for practice. Target suppliers also sell purpose-made backers: Qualification Targets, for example, lists a 24 x 45 inch backer in "200 lb Single Wall Cardboard," though only in bulk (a minimum order of 50).

If you'd rather skip cardboard entirely, some stands include a holder. MTM says its Jammit Compact Target Stand "includes cardboard target holder" and weighs less than 2 lb.

Where the stand goes at the range

A homemade stand is still a target stand, and the range's rules decide where it goes. The short version: in front of the backstop or berm, in your lane, and only when the range has been called cold.

• Know what's behind it. The NRA's gun safety rules include "Know your target and what is beyond." The stand goes where the backstop or berm will stop every shot, including misses.
• Don't shoot the hardware. MTM's advice for its own stand applies to yours: "never let anyone shoot the stand itself." Hang the target so the base and any metal brackets sit well away from where you're aiming.
• Check the ground. Stakes and ground nails need ground they can go into. MTM, for example, says its stand "works on non-rocky ground." On gravel or hardpack, ask the range how stands are set.
• Wash up after. Champion's steel target warnings say "targets and target stands will accumulate lead residue when shot," and to wash your hands with soap and water after handling them. More in our lead exposure guide.

Hanging steel on a 2x4

A 2x4 is also the standard post for hanging steel, but a paper stand isn't a steel mount. Steel needs hardware made for it and the target maker's rules. Champion's warnings call for the target's shooting face to be "angled down toward the ground," with "a 10-20 degree angle from vertical" recommended, and set minimum distances starting at 15 yards.

The hardware exists. Champion makes a 2x4 Target Stand Topper as a mounting option for its Center Mass AR500 steel, with the lumber sold separately. Birchwood Casey's 2x4 Nested Steel Target Stand hangs steel gongs from "one 2" x 4" post not included" and "requires no tools to assemble." Before any of it, read our steel target safe distance guide.

DIY or store-bought: which fits you

A DIY stand isn't automatically the better choice for a beginner. It comes down to how you like to spend the time before range day.

Build it if you want the stand sized to your own targets, you're fine with a saw, and you like the idea of replacing a shot-up board rather than a part. Brackets or a steel base keep the carpentry small.

Buy one if you want to unfold it and shoot. Caldwell's Ultimate Target Stand, for example, comes with an all-weather backer that Caldwell says holds two 16-inch targets side by side, spikes you drive in with your foot, a removable stabilizer for wind, and a frame that collapses for the car. No lumber, no cutting. The trade-off is that you can't resize it, and Caldwell doesn't publish the backer's dimensions.

Either way, the range rules don't change: the stand goes where the range puts targets, and you walk out to it only when the line is cold.

What to look for in 2x4 target stand hardware

• It takes standard lumber. A 2x4, or a 1x2 for lighter paper setups, so a shot-up upright is a board you replace, not a part you order.
• A way to anchor it. Pre-drilled holes for ground nails, included stakes, or a wide base. Check what's included and what isn't.
• Published materials. Welded steel and a powder coat are the kind of details worth seeing on the page.
• Made for what you'll hang. Paper frames and steel hangers are different jobs.

Rather buy a stand that's ready to go? Our best target stands roundup ranks them, and our Caldwell Ultimate Target Stand review looks at a popular no-lumber option.