Destructive Testing

Daniel Ramer
Jun 18, 2016
3 min read

Lets kick it off by saying thank you for joining us thru our latest adventure. Today I am going to rant about the genesis of B.R.A.P.

It starts out as a normal idea... mind you a normal idea to me is an every day occurrence, where I think I have some great idea from the universe. My wife and friends have become accustomed to me calling, texting, or emailing them "I have a great idea...no...this one is awesome." They have put up with it for years now, and every time the dream idea just evaporates into thin air.

I am sure I have them all written down some where but who knows...anyway, enough of that.

B.R.A.P. Target Systems stems from a lot of time out shooting at ranges here in Oregon that are not your normal gun club ranges. I am talking rock quarry, back woods, off the beaten path kind of ranges where a stray rock in the mound behind your intended target can come back and get you. Now this can happen just about any where you shoot unless it is indoor with professional ranges designed for such a thing.

The first time we went shooting we had a couple cans and some paper targets with no where to put them so we made due. The second time we went I had the forethought to build some wood target frames. They held up well against the 9 mm, .308 win, and the bull pup. Unfortunately they were a one time use kind of deal.

So I bought my next target. I spent 100 bucks on the thing and got two good trips out of it before I had to hang it up or buy new parts that would cost more than the original target, not only that it was bulky, heave and hard to travel with...See below.

So I set out to design and build a modular, easy to transport, reusable target. Once we had our design, I started piecing it together, pricing it out as I went, cutting back where I could while still keep the rigidity that I needed. Once we had our first design we started to go crazy with the possibilities. I mean, add-ons, lighting, clay pigeon holders, conversion kits, competition kits...you name it we are working on it.

but the key to this target system is that it is lite weight, and can be put together in under a minute. It can be completely customized and is packed away, taking up less space in your garage or trunk. The modular design makes it possible to add on to an existing target or modify the one you have to your own wants or needs.

The last trip we took we did some destructive testing on the prototypes I had built (I was sad to shoot them but it was fun.)

We set the ground target at a distance to sight in a couple new scopes and the stand up one at about 10'-15' for pistol shooting. I shot the long range one with a .223 round and got it right at the joint, no surprise that it went straight thru and busted the lock... the cool thing is that all you have to do is rotate the vertical and horizontal leg and you can continue shooting...you will need to buy a new lock but that only a couple bucks.

We continued out testing and shot the stand up target with a 9 mm from about 10' away...not only did in stay standing (that was a concern I had) but it actually stopped the bullet from completely exiting the extrusion... surprise!!!