Wasn't sure what forum to put this in so hopefully this works. Feel free to move if there's a better spot.
I've wanted a dueling tree for a while now. The biggest problem I had, once I finally decided to build one, was coming up with a good plan and finding ideas on how to go about it. There's a few plans out there on different forums, but I figured I'd make a thread about how I did it. And hopefully help someone else if they decide to do the same.
So here we go....
For starters, I wasn't paying full price for a complete kit. If you look them up online you'll see that prices are outrageous. So I did some research on do-it-yourself kits. I settled on one from Spartan Targets. They offer 4/6/8 target kits for $100/$125/$150. I choose the 6 target kit which includes 6 paddles and 6 tubes. Everything appeared to be good quality AR500 steel and cut well (no sharp edges). My only gripe was that the tubes had some burs on them which would affect the swing of the paddles but that was an easy fix with a file. They do offer a multipurpose stand for $100 but I opted to make my own because I had some spare materials laying around.
Here is a link to their kit: https://www.spartanarmorsystems.com/diy-ar500-dueling-tree-target-kit/
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The build...
I'll start with the stand. I'm not quite sure where these pieces came from but I happen to have a few laying around the barn and figured they would work nicely. The holes that lined the steel made it easy to bolt them together and it also allowed me to extend the legs if necessary. Due to the forward lean that is needed for the target to work I would suggest a nice heavy base (like I have) or wider supports/legs to keep it from falling forward.
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Next I needed to figure out how to get the proper forward lean while still allowing me to disassemble the target, which was very important to me. Spartan suggests a 20 degree lean to keep the targets from getting stuck in the back, halfway through their rotation. So I came up with this 2 tube system. One larger than the other so that they fit together snug. The bigger tube received a 20 degree cut and got welded to the base while the smaller tube got welded to the bottom of the upright (angle iron).
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Now the upright. Spartan suggests you use 1.5"x1.5"x.25" angle iron. They also suggested a length of 5.5' for the 6 target system. The paddle tubes got welded into the crotch of the angle iron with a spacing of 5.5" between each one. This allowed me to remove the paddles when I wanted and kept proper spacing between each paddle when assembled.
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With the upright and base complete, you can see how they fit together and come apart. I can now break the target down into 3 sections, the base the upright and the paddles. You can also see the forward lean due to the angle that was cut in the larger tube that got welded to the base. I drilled a hole through both tubes so I could put a pin in there when assembled which would keep the upright from pivoting at all while being shot.
![Image]()
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With everything welded up I attached the upright to the base and slid my paddles in.
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Added a little paint and it's all done. I'm sure this is the nicest this thing will ever look!
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
Hopefully I did an okay job describing my steps. If you guys have any questions ask away! I'll do my best to answer them.
I've wanted a dueling tree for a while now. The biggest problem I had, once I finally decided to build one, was coming up with a good plan and finding ideas on how to go about it. There's a few plans out there on different forums, but I figured I'd make a thread about how I did it. And hopefully help someone else if they decide to do the same.
So here we go....
For starters, I wasn't paying full price for a complete kit. If you look them up online you'll see that prices are outrageous. So I did some research on do-it-yourself kits. I settled on one from Spartan Targets. They offer 4/6/8 target kits for $100/$125/$150. I choose the 6 target kit which includes 6 paddles and 6 tubes. Everything appeared to be good quality AR500 steel and cut well (no sharp edges). My only gripe was that the tubes had some burs on them which would affect the swing of the paddles but that was an easy fix with a file. They do offer a multipurpose stand for $100 but I opted to make my own because I had some spare materials laying around.
Here is a link to their kit: https://www.spartanarmorsystems.com/diy-ar500-dueling-tree-target-kit/
The build...
I'll start with the stand. I'm not quite sure where these pieces came from but I happen to have a few laying around the barn and figured they would work nicely. The holes that lined the steel made it easy to bolt them together and it also allowed me to extend the legs if necessary. Due to the forward lean that is needed for the target to work I would suggest a nice heavy base (like I have) or wider supports/legs to keep it from falling forward.
Next I needed to figure out how to get the proper forward lean while still allowing me to disassemble the target, which was very important to me. Spartan suggests a 20 degree lean to keep the targets from getting stuck in the back, halfway through their rotation. So I came up with this 2 tube system. One larger than the other so that they fit together snug. The bigger tube received a 20 degree cut and got welded to the base while the smaller tube got welded to the bottom of the upright (angle iron).
Now the upright. Spartan suggests you use 1.5"x1.5"x.25" angle iron. They also suggested a length of 5.5' for the 6 target system. The paddle tubes got welded into the crotch of the angle iron with a spacing of 5.5" between each one. This allowed me to remove the paddles when I wanted and kept proper spacing between each paddle when assembled.
With the upright and base complete, you can see how they fit together and come apart. I can now break the target down into 3 sections, the base the upright and the paddles. You can also see the forward lean due to the angle that was cut in the larger tube that got welded to the base. I drilled a hole through both tubes so I could put a pin in there when assembled which would keep the upright from pivoting at all while being shot.
With everything welded up I attached the upright to the base and slid my paddles in.
Added a little paint and it's all done. I'm sure this is the nicest this thing will ever look!
Hopefully I did an okay job describing my steps. If you guys have any questions ask away! I'll do my best to answer them.
