Help locating a backyard target enclosure

[quarky42]

Hi,

Not sure which is the best section for this, so I chose the new paintballers thinking that other people might want to know:

I'd like to be able to shoot reusable paintballs (and sometimes real paint) into an enclosure that will catch most of the reusable balls and help protect against stray balls.

I saw a video, once, of a guy from a company that sells hoppers. He took his hopper and put it on many different paintball guns to show how it was compatible with the various guns. He proceeded to shoot into an enclosure very much like the one I would like to get...

Here's what I'd like to find:
1. Good size. I'd like to to be much bigger than a "dart board" or target board that I've seen around... perhaps "just" big enough for a person to stand inside. (so somewhere around 7' tall, 5' wide, 5' deep...give or take of course, don't need to match any particular dimensions...just something that would be "good size")
2. Enclosed on all sides except for the front, where you shoot into.
3. It can be as sturdy or light weight...I could see myself building a box for this, but I think a "netted" enclosure with the large opening in the front would be great.

Do you know of any place to buy this kind of enclosure? Does anyone know of a paintball park that is going out of business?

[quarky42]

How about a "golf hitting cage".... those things have to protect against somewhat bigger heavy balls traveling at 220+ feet/sec... if the netting was "tight" enough it might stop a paintball traveling at 300 fps?

Edit: okay so maybe it would be called something like a "paintball cage".

[JChan819]

Well, for Reballs, I'd use a big laundry basket with towels wrapped around the holes and some padding in bottom of the basket. Shoot in to that, and you're good.

As for normal paintballs, I'd typically use a piece of wood. Or a fence.

As for what you speak of, maybe posting the video would help.

[danny1911]

What is the purpose of this? Is it to retrieve your reballs or is it to stop the paintballs from going into your neighbors yard? If its just target practice w/ regular paintballs just get a piece of wood and spray paint a dot or bullseye. What materials do you have available? If you have scrap wood that should be fine(the golf net idea seems pretty good). Or if you dont have to worry about hitting stuff you can just take the lazy mans root and shoot trees.

[quarky42]

I like your enthusiasm!

I'm keeping my eye open for that video again. All I remember was a guy (from a company) was saying how his hopper works on any marker. He made a video to show the hopper connected to various markers and he then fired them into an enclosure.

When I run across that video again, I'll be glad to post it here to clarify what I'm looking for.

PURPOSE:
1. Mainly to catch reusable balls (and if it doesn't catch all of them that is okay as long as it only allows them to come out along a particular path...making cleanup much easier.)
2. Possibly used to catch paintballs if I need to chrono my own gun at home.

I have an orchard right across the street from me, but those guys have been real respectful to the neighborhood around here and I don't feel like marking up their trees until I can actually get someone's permission.


Perhaps I just need to make an enclosure that is approximately 8' tall x 5' wide x 5 or 6' deep with a limited opening. I've found places that sell large amounts of paintball netting, perhaps one of them might be willing to sell "scraps" or left overs...or put me in touch with their supplier for a small quantity order.

[ta2maki]

No need for the netting, it's too expensive.

Here's what I would do. Construct a frame from 3/4" of 1" pvc pipe then affix heavy cloth to it to make the sides, back and top for your enclosure.

[spyderpilot642]

No need for the netting, it's too expensive.

Here's what I would do. Construct a frame from 3/4" of 1" pvc pipe then affix heavy cloth to it to make the sides, back and top for your enclosure.

:tup:
I was thinking the same thing and then read your post.
Maybe affix one of those heavy duty blue tarps around the whole thing (except the front of course), then let some sort of heavy durable sheet of some material (like a blanket or something) just hang there so it will slow down the reballs and letting them just drop down.

[sdlm]

http://www.snapcage.com/

they have everything you need. But it would be cheaper to build yourself.

[jeep_brute]

Harbor frieght sells netting for cheap, and some metal tubing, for $200 you could have a 20' x 20' field.

[quarky42]

hmmm I love harbor freight...that place rocks! time to go shopping.

[quarky42]

Snapcage is interesting too, but I'll contact them to see if they have any "scraps" or "rejects" that they might sell cheaper...I don't need a "24’ L x 8’ W x 7’ H" unit...

Maybe a 6' L x 8' W x 7' H...... or even a 6x6x7.... we'll see if they can do anything like that... $400 is too much, but $100 for something that is pretty safe might not be too bad.

[soccerjacks12]

No need for the netting, it's too expensive.

Here's what I would do. Construct a frame from 3/4" of 1" pvc pipe then affix heavy cloth to it to make the sides, back and top for your enclosure.
:tup:

If you want to be really cheap just go into an alley and get a refrigerator box and attach cloth to the insides.