Product Review

Small Arms Review Magazine

Product Review: EZ-Roost Target System

Dane Hobbs

          Shooting paper is a necessary component of a gun writer’s life, but it still can be exceedingly boring.  I am always searching for a new target to relieve my boredom! I believe that it was last year when I saw a new and interesting target. Daisy introduced a ShatterBlast Target that held a 2-inch clay target. A great idea, but I wanted one that held the regular size 4 ½ inch clay targets. This would enable me to easily and enjoyably test firearms from 50 to 500 yards. Clay targets are not only visually stimulating (you know immediately if you hit the target or not) but are biodegradable and easily disposed of. While working on an upcoming .22 rimfire project gun I was searching for the ideal stock and happened upon the Bell and Carlson site. As many of you are well aware, Bell and Carlson are well known for producing quality synthetic stocks for almost any rifle that you can think of. I saw the perfect stock for my Ruger 10/22 project gun, but I will tell you more about that in a future issue. While I carefully studied their website, I finally found that somebody indeed had listened to my prayers and was producing a simple and inexpensive target that held the standard 4 ½ inch clay target. Bell and Carlson had just introduced EZ-Roost “The Ultimate Target System” to the plinking world.

          The EZ-Roost target system consists of four target holders and four steel mounting posts. The polished steel posts (rods) are approximately 11 ¾ inches long and 3/16 inches diameter. To further increase their versatility, the target holders are counter bored to allow mounting them on 3/8 inch diameter steel or fiberglass posts that are commonly used on ranches (primarily for electric fences). You can also use 3/8-inch wood dowels that you can buy at any hardware store. Living on a ranch, I had numerous posts that I could use when I needed to use an elevated target for long-range shooting. The hard black plastic target holders are very durable and held up well to several stray rimfire shots. The target holders are a semicircle with a lip on the front and back. This always you to simply slip the clay target between the lips and it is firmly held in place. Next, you simply insert the steel rod into the target holder base, push it into the ground, and begin shooting. Such a simple and effective concept, I don’t know why no one thought of it years ago.

          The low cost of these targets enable you to setup a whole range of targets from as close as you need for shooting with BB/air guns, rimfires to long ranges when you are practicing to hit that distant prairie dog or woodchuck. It is very exhilarating when you see the target explode with pieces scattering to the four winds. I used my Tony Rumore built TR-15 in Tactical Twenty to routinely disintegrate clay targets to 300 yards. Within a short period of time, I had shot up a box of clay targets and was ready to decimate another. If you are addictive to plinking reactive targets like me, then EZ-Roost is the perfect inexpensive target for you.