Mold for Clay Pigeon holder

Not sure where this thread could fit so i thought i'd try here. My range wont allow steel targets but they're okay with those metal clay pigeon holders. Problem is i read that they get destroyed fairly too easily and the cost can rise quickly in replacing them. I had the idea of why not looking into casting my own since all it is, is a twig of metal. Could this be done using lead scrap as it could be recycled over and over if destroyed? Obviously i would need to have a machinist make me a custom mold but it'd be pretty cool to have these littered all over the range. I read the lee pot doesn't get hot enough to melt aluminum thats why it would have to be lead. Any ideas or suggestions? I also bought these 1ft long wooden skewers to hold up targets but its not great at balancing a clay pigeon.

Coat hangers and a bending jig?

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Originally Posted by 17nut

Coat hangers and a bending jig?

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you know i just thought of just cutting into the end of a pvc pipe so that i can squeeze in a clay. I already have a pvc cutter to trim them after they take a hit. i should've just thought about this more instead of making a whole thread about it lol

edit: just saw this too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGBrfpWc4oQ

For shotgun targets, in 3gun we just used simple metal holders.

T shaped where the top of the T was about 2" wide and the clay hangs on that.

A hunk of plywood and tacs will work if you are shooting something that would hurt the metal holder. You could get a lot of plywood scraps and tacs for what a custom mold would cost and would be much quicker to put to use.

We've been using some plastic holders in our CAS events. Must be cheaper than metal. I think they are from Uniquetek.
http://www.uniquetek.com/product/T1317
— Clay Target Hangers (Pack of 10)† = $ 6.95
— Clay Target Hangers (Bag of 100)† = $59.95

We use scrap rebar for stake and wrap coat hanger wire around stake, bend ends up to form
arms to hold clays. You have to replace wire occasionally but stake last forever. We use a 1/2
dia in vice to wrap the loop for the rebar, the rebar is about 3/4" so it is a spring fit on the stake.
Pull the end of arms together and loop opens to fit over rebar, when you let go it grips rebar.
It also is good for putting a couple beer cans upside down on ends of arms.

Years ago I made up some
rebar and a 1-1/4 or 1-1/2 pc of flat bar bent in a U held the clay on with a wood clothes peg

Years ago I made up some pigeon holders for a gunclub I belonged to. I made up a simple 2x4 frame and used 6 penny nails tapped into the wood at an angle to hold the pigeon. When the wood got shot up, put a new board on the frame. Problem about using the clay pigeons is that they make a mess that someone has to clean up.Robert

We used to drill a small hole on the edge of the clays. Then you can hang them on hooks or string.

pegboard and plastic pegs

they take a bunch of hits before you need to toss them... the one at my range can hold 10 rows of 10 so you dont need to load them up and stop everyone too much... if i remember correctly it is 4x4 so you can make 2 of them with a 4x8 sheet

I have worked a few shoots that made a 2x4 frame with a chicken wire basket.
Take a piece of chicken wire, fold it in half, staple it to your wood frame with the opening of the basket pointing up.
Just set the Clay's in the basket.

Mount several baskets on the frame, holds a bunch of Clay's.
And holds the broken pieces in place fairly well, giving you lots to shoot at.

These were for the open house at the state rifle range, where keeping the line hot was a priority.
So the baskets we're mounted to a frame, 8' long that then set in place on another frame driven in the ground.
They had extra chicken wire frames, so one set could be refilled while one was being shot.
Line would go cold for a minute, one pair of guys would pull the old frame while another placed a reloaded frame.
Line was never cold for more than a minute or two.
Easiest way to clean out the shot up pieces was just to stomp on them until they all fell out of the baskets.

Was a great system and the shooters had a ball.
Many of them had never shot before, and it is much more satisfying than shooting paper.


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