Action Target PT Scout Review [2020]
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)
Some people say that if you're shooting steel, sooner or later you're going to bleed. Action Target's PT Scout calls that into question by going all-in on safety, especially the PT Scout pistol variant, which uses an unusual smooth-faced design. Throughout all of our testing, we didn't get so much as a butterfly kiss of jacket fragments or lead splatter, even when shooting as close as 10 meters over a testing period lasting four months. There was one, single time when one of our testers felt something brush against his hand after firing, but he wasn't sure if it was splatter or just a bug landing on him.
The PT Scout isn't just safe, either - it rings loud, you can carry the stand in just one hand, plus assembly and swapping targets requires no tools. The only downside is that all this goodness comes with a steep price tag. However, the cost (for us, at least) is justified because shooting steel is serious business, especially at close range - people can get hurt, badly, if you do it wrong or use shoddy equipment. Action Target puts out some of the safest, smartest steel target designs on the market, and in exchange, a little padding on the price tag seems only fair.
The PT Scout isn't just safe, either - it rings loud, you can carry the stand in just one hand, plus assembly and swapping targets requires no tools. The only downside is that all this goodness comes with a steep price tag. However, the cost (for us, at least) is justified because shooting steel is serious business, especially at close range - people can get hurt, badly, if you do it wrong or use shoddy equipment. Action Target puts out some of the safest, smartest steel target designs on the market, and in exchange, a little padding on the price tag seems only fair.
It takes a few minutes to get the hang of, but once you do it's mighty straightforward to take the PT Scout from stowed to assembled.
Review Contents
This review is organized as shown below. You can read the whole thing, or click on the below links to jump to the section that’s most interesting to you.
- PT Scout Overview
- The Safest Target Around?
- Nitpicks and Gripes
- Wrap up
- PT Scout Overview
- The Safest Target Around?
- Nitpicks and Gripes
- Wrap up
We'd had our eye on the Action Target PT Scout for a while, so when they agreed to send us two of them for testing, we were happier than a camel on hump day. In a market where any yahoo with a cutting torch and some carriage bolts can bring a product to market, Action Target offers a refreshing amount of professionalism and innovation, driven in large part by their experience with installing and fabricating commercial-scale shooting setups - if you've ever been to a shooting event and had a blast shooting an array of steel targets, there's a good chance that setup was developed and/or installed by Action Target.
The biggest "ooh ahh" of the PT Scout is probably it's portability - the stand weighs about as much as a housecat, and it folds down so compactly that you can store it in the side of your closet - not in your closet, in the side of your closet. It also brings some truly impressive chops with regard to safety, an extra-loud ring, and tool-free assembly and target swapping. All totaled, the PT Scout just might be the best steel target/stand combo on the market today. Let's talk about why:
Professionalism and Packaging
Bear with us here!!!!
We don't normally waste oxygen talking about a product's packaging, but we'll make an exception because Action Target's incredible professionalism is immediate from the moment you see the heavily-branded box, then crack it open and find custom-molded foam shipping pads protecting your swanky new target.
The biggest "ooh ahh" of the PT Scout is probably it's portability - the stand weighs about as much as a housecat, and it folds down so compactly that you can store it in the side of your closet - not in your closet, in the side of your closet. It also brings some truly impressive chops with regard to safety, an extra-loud ring, and tool-free assembly and target swapping. All totaled, the PT Scout just might be the best steel target/stand combo on the market today. Let's talk about why:
Professionalism and Packaging
Bear with us here!!!!
We don't normally waste oxygen talking about a product's packaging, but we'll make an exception because Action Target's incredible professionalism is immediate from the moment you see the heavily-branded box, then crack it open and find custom-molded foam shipping pads protecting your swanky new target.
It's not quite an iPhone unboxing, but it's pretty slick.
You can see the outline from where the padding was hot-molded over the stand, ensuring your PT Scout arrives safe and sound.
I mean, come on, their cotter pins are even retained by ball bearings instead of the classic knuckle-scraping retaining pin.
That's going the extra mile.
That's going the extra mile.
Save your wood!
Any target stand worth it's weight will angle the target forward slightly because when a bullet strikes the steel target, it shatters into a spray of lead and copper fragments, and angling the target downward helps ensure that spray goes (mostly) down into the ground and not back toward the shooter. However, the PT Scout goes one step further and angles the entire target stand, ensuring that the wooden 2x4 stays out of the path of the bullet splatter. This saves you from ripping up your hands on jacket fragments when you go to disassemble the stand, and also preserves the wood, which would otherwise eventually be splintered enough that it collapses downrange in the middle of your shooting session.
Any target stand worth it's weight will angle the target forward slightly because when a bullet strikes the steel target, it shatters into a spray of lead and copper fragments, and angling the target downward helps ensure that spray goes (mostly) down into the ground and not back toward the shooter. However, the PT Scout goes one step further and angles the entire target stand, ensuring that the wooden 2x4 stays out of the path of the bullet splatter. This saves you from ripping up your hands on jacket fragments when you go to disassemble the stand, and also preserves the wood, which would otherwise eventually be splintered enough that it collapses downrange in the middle of your shooting session.
The PT Scout 2x4 on the left is largely unscathed, while the 2x4 on the right is from a more generic steel target.
The wood could eventually be chewed up to the point that it will fail, causing your target to topple downrange (not to mention ripping up your hands and clothes when you're carrying it around).
The wood could eventually be chewed up to the point that it will fail, causing your target to topple downrange (not to mention ripping up your hands and clothes when you're carrying it around).
Lightweight Yet Stable
One major concern with steel target stands is stability, because steel targets are heavy, suspended up high, and getting smacked around by bullets and buckshot. The easiest path to stability is size and weight - a huge, heavy stand is guaranteed to support the weight of your target and keep it upright. However, the PT Scout takes a much smarter approach: angles. It leans all the weight of the target at the front, so it soaks up shots without jumping around.
One major concern with steel target stands is stability, because steel targets are heavy, suspended up high, and getting smacked around by bullets and buckshot. The easiest path to stability is size and weight - a huge, heavy stand is guaranteed to support the weight of your target and keep it upright. However, the PT Scout takes a much smarter approach: angles. It leans all the weight of the target at the front, so it soaks up shots without jumping around.
Let Freedom Ring!
For all that the PT Scout is visually distinctive, it's what you can't see where things start to get really special. For starters, the PT Scout targets are built to "maximize harmonics" which is our way of saying, they ring good and loud so you'll definitely hear the ring even when wearing hearing protection at a noisy gun range. To hear the difference for yourself, check out this comparison we did between a PT Scout and a jerry-rigged stand and target head we built out of one of their older product lines:
For all that the PT Scout is visually distinctive, it's what you can't see where things start to get really special. For starters, the PT Scout targets are built to "maximize harmonics" which is our way of saying, they ring good and loud so you'll definitely hear the ring even when wearing hearing protection at a noisy gun range. To hear the difference for yourself, check out this comparison we did between a PT Scout and a jerry-rigged stand and target head we built out of one of their older product lines:
The difference between 'the best' and 'the rest' isn't hard to hear: @ActionTargetInc definitely did it right with the PT Scout. Review is in the works, we'll post soon! pic.twitter.com/qzFeXVqzjr
— GunTweaks (@guntweaks) October 12, 2019
Lightweight, Tool-free, and Compact
Portability and ease of setup aren't often at the forefront of shooter's minds when buying a stand, but they take center stage the moment it comes time to actually load/unload the target and set it up. If your target stand is bulky, heavy, or generally inconvenient, it's going to start coming with you less and less of the time, especially on days when your walk downrange to set up is 100 yards or more. We've seen folks with such large and elaborate setups that it takes more than one trip downrange, which is not only tiring for them, it's annoying for the rest of the range patrons who sit twiddling our thumbs until the range can go hot again.
The PT Scout is optimized for one-trip, tool-free setup. The stand, wooden 2x4, and steel target head can all be carried (relatively) conveniently in one trip and assembled completely without tools, so whether you're setting up just beyond the parking lot or 300 yards downrange, you're good to go. Plus, it stows so compactly that you could bring two or more no matter what kind of car your drive.
Adjustable Height
The maximum height of the PT Scout's target head is determined by the length of the wooden 2x4, but you can adjust the height of the target to anywhere within that range by sliding the target head mount up and down the 2x4, and then using the included set screws to bite into the wood. You could even run two targets on the same 2x4 at different heights, if you were so inclined.
Portability and ease of setup aren't often at the forefront of shooter's minds when buying a stand, but they take center stage the moment it comes time to actually load/unload the target and set it up. If your target stand is bulky, heavy, or generally inconvenient, it's going to start coming with you less and less of the time, especially on days when your walk downrange to set up is 100 yards or more. We've seen folks with such large and elaborate setups that it takes more than one trip downrange, which is not only tiring for them, it's annoying for the rest of the range patrons who sit twiddling our thumbs until the range can go hot again.
The PT Scout is optimized for one-trip, tool-free setup. The stand, wooden 2x4, and steel target head can all be carried (relatively) conveniently in one trip and assembled completely without tools, so whether you're setting up just beyond the parking lot or 300 yards downrange, you're good to go. Plus, it stows so compactly that you could bring two or more no matter what kind of car your drive.
Adjustable Height
The maximum height of the PT Scout's target head is determined by the length of the wooden 2x4, but you can adjust the height of the target to anywhere within that range by sliding the target head mount up and down the 2x4, and then using the included set screws to bite into the wood. You could even run two targets on the same 2x4 at different heights, if you were so inclined.
Also operating behind the scenes, invisible to the average eye, is the PT Scout's incredible commitment to safety. Shooting steel is the bee's knees, but it's downright dangerous if you don't do it right. Plenty of shooters have bled, a few have gotten stitches, and in rare cases people have been hospitalized or even killed, like this unfortunate gentleman. One of the "old men of the range" near us has a story about a jacket fragment coming back from a steel target and shattering the lens of a thermal scope that cost more than a used Hyundai. Still another had a story about a jacket fragment that thunked into the wood of his shooting bench so deeply that he couldn't pull it out, even with pliers.
There are two basic dangers to shooting steel: ricochets and bullet splatter. The PT Scout deals with both of them pretty smartly:
Avoiding Ricochets
To eliminate the risk of ricochet, a target must be either soft enough that the bullet penetrates right through, or hard enough that the bullet shatters into a spray of fine particles. Most manufacturers make their steel targets from sufficiently hard steel to shatter the bullet effectively, so it's actually the mount/stand that presents the problem: soft steel chains, struts, rebar, and carriage bolts are all commonly used when constructing the stand that supports the steel target itself, so when a careless shot eventually lands off the target and hits one of those soft steel pieces, you could have a dangerous ricochet on your hands.
The PT Scout avoids this risk by presenting only a soft wood 2x4, a hardened steel target, and that's it - everything made from mild steel is either sheltered behind the target or way down at ground level where it's all but impossible to hit accidentally. It should also be noted that while some PT Scout targets do use exposed carriage bolts, they are specialized, hardened steel carriage bolts, not the regular mild steel stuff you'd find at a hardware store.
There are two basic dangers to shooting steel: ricochets and bullet splatter. The PT Scout deals with both of them pretty smartly:
Avoiding Ricochets
To eliminate the risk of ricochet, a target must be either soft enough that the bullet penetrates right through, or hard enough that the bullet shatters into a spray of fine particles. Most manufacturers make their steel targets from sufficiently hard steel to shatter the bullet effectively, so it's actually the mount/stand that presents the problem: soft steel chains, struts, rebar, and carriage bolts are all commonly used when constructing the stand that supports the steel target itself, so when a careless shot eventually lands off the target and hits one of those soft steel pieces, you could have a dangerous ricochet on your hands.
The PT Scout avoids this risk by presenting only a soft wood 2x4, a hardened steel target, and that's it - everything made from mild steel is either sheltered behind the target or way down at ground level where it's all but impossible to hit accidentally. It should also be noted that while some PT Scout targets do use exposed carriage bolts, they are specialized, hardened steel carriage bolts, not the regular mild steel stuff you'd find at a hardware store.
This side view shows the target head mount, but when facing this target from the front, there are no chains, rebar, or steel hardware visible anywhere. There are really only two things your bullet can hit on the PT Scout - a soft wood 2x4 and a hardened steel target face.
Avoiding Bullet Splatter
It's common practice to have the target stand tilt the steel target slightly forward - this directs splatter safely into the ground, as seen in this high-speed video.
It's common practice to have the target stand tilt the steel target slightly forward - this directs splatter safely into the ground, as seen in this high-speed video.
Here's a high-speed video from Action Target themselves showing what happens when a .45 slug rings a steel target. Note that while the initial spray of particles goes in all directions, a moment later we see that the larger, dark-colored fragments (which are what we really need to worry about) all get directed harmlessly downward.
This is all well and good, but when you add the rounded head of a carriage bolt to the front of your target face, things get complicated. Eventually, a bullet will hit that rounded head, not the smooth, angled surface of the target, and that can send a splatter of fragments just about anywhere. The PT Scout addresses this issue by using different target designs for rifle vs pistol applications, but we found that their website didn't do an outrageously thorough job of explaining this, so we'll run it down for you here:
For starters, Action Target makes their pistol targets from AR500 steel, and their rifle targets from harder AR550 steel. This is standard industry practice, but Action Target alone goes several steps further to maximize safety:
The pistol targets, which are meant to be placed as close as 10 meters to the shooter, are completely smooth on the front. There is no mounting hardware anywhere that could unpredictably deflect bullet or jacket spatter. The stand's support underneath is soft wood, too, so there is absolutely nothing on this target that isn't safe to shoot at, even at close range.
For starters, Action Target makes their pistol targets from AR500 steel, and their rifle targets from harder AR550 steel. This is standard industry practice, but Action Target alone goes several steps further to maximize safety:
The pistol targets, which are meant to be placed as close as 10 meters to the shooter, are completely smooth on the front. There is no mounting hardware anywhere that could unpredictably deflect bullet or jacket spatter. The stand's support underneath is soft wood, too, so there is absolutely nothing on this target that isn't safe to shoot at, even at close range.
Front and rear view of a PT Scout Pistol target - note that the mounting hardware is welded in place on the rear. This keeps the front of the target completely smooth, providing maximum safety for close-range pistol shooting.
Unlike the pistol targets, the rifle targets do not have completely smooth faces. The heads of Grade 8 (hardened) carriage bolts are exposed on the rifle target's face, but per Action Target this does not pose a threat to the shooter as long as the targets are at least 100 meters away, which is also the minimum distance needed to avoid damaging the target itself when firing rifle rounds at it. The benefit of the carriage bolts is that they make the targets reversible - if the target's face does eventually get pitted, you can just flip it around and thereby extend the life of your target (shooting at a steel target with a pitted face is a recipe for injury to yourself and everyone around you).
Reversible targets with extended lifespans are great, however, the carriage bolts do make the rifle targets unsafe to use at close range, since they are not completely smooth like the pistol targets. Action Target recommends (and we agree) that you should only use the PT Scout rifle target for the rifle range, and a PT Scout pistol target for the pistol range - there's no mixing the two if you want your body and your targets un-injured.
Reversible targets with extended lifespans are great, however, the carriage bolts do make the rifle targets unsafe to use at close range, since they are not completely smooth like the pistol targets. Action Target recommends (and we agree) that you should only use the PT Scout rifle target for the rifle range, and a PT Scout pistol target for the pistol range - there's no mixing the two if you want your body and your targets un-injured.
We only had the pistol targets on-hand for testing, but in this screen grab from Action Target's website, you can see that the pistol target (left) is smooth black steel, and the rifle target (right) has carriage bolts protruding from the front. Per Action Target, the carriage bolts don't pose a splatter risk to shooter as long as the target is at the minimum safe distance for rifles - 100 yards.
If you can't stomach the cost of two targets, there's a cheaper but less elegant and arguably less durable solution: the 'Static Steel' series of targets. This Action Target product line pre-dates the PT Scout and while it isn't as user-friendly in carry or setup, it does offer AR550 steel (rifle-grade) targets with a smooth face, which makes them safe to use at close range for pistols. This allows you to purchase a single rifle target and use it for both rifle duty (at 100 meters or more) and pistol duty (at 10 meters or more), with the understanding that it will never be as easy to set up as the PT Scout, and it may not last as long since you can't reverse the target face if it gets pitted up. Finally, the Static Steel line uses target stands made from mild steel - not nearly as safe as the soft wooden stand of the PT Scout.
However, its pretty straightforward to jerry-rig up a wooden stand for the Static Steel targets - just drill two holes in a wood 2x4 and bolt a Static Steel target in place. This approach is also much cheaper than buying the Static Steel dedicated stand, so if you are on a budget, a Static Steel target head married to a wooden 2x4 lets you start ringing steel, safely, for right around $100 bucks including whatever stand you can find that holds the 2x4 upright.
However, its pretty straightforward to jerry-rig up a wooden stand for the Static Steel targets - just drill two holes in a wood 2x4 and bolt a Static Steel target in place. This approach is also much cheaper than buying the Static Steel dedicated stand, so if you are on a budget, a Static Steel target head married to a wooden 2x4 lets you start ringing steel, safely, for right around $100 bucks including whatever stand you can find that holds the 2x4 upright.
This jerry-rigged setup uses a Static Steel target head. It requires tools to assemble and isn't nearly as portable or stable as the PT Scout, but if you're on a budget and want to stay safe, it gives you access to Action Target's extremely safe, smooth-faced targets for a pretty manageable cost.
By and large, we're pretty big fans of the PT Scout, but there are a few spots where we wish the design was different. We talked our concerns over with Action Target directly, and incorporated their responses below where applicable.
What About Paper and Cardboard Targets?
For us, any given range day will involve a mix of both paper and steel targets, so it's a real bonus when a target stand can do double duty for both types of shooting. However, since the wooden 2x4 is angled forward 15 degrees by the PT Scout stand, it's not especially easy to hang a regular paper or cardboard target off it, so even after Action Target sent us the nice PT Scout stands, we kept bringing our clunky old target stands along so that we could still use paper targets.
We talked this over with Action Target, and they've got a few idea in the works, but nothing that's particularly close to market. They did send over this picture, which is definitely an improvement, but it's pretty bulky and still doesn't solve the issue of the wood plank being angled forward. Still, it's better than nothing, and to be fair the PT Scout just plainly wasn't designed for paper targets.
What About Paper and Cardboard Targets?
For us, any given range day will involve a mix of both paper and steel targets, so it's a real bonus when a target stand can do double duty for both types of shooting. However, since the wooden 2x4 is angled forward 15 degrees by the PT Scout stand, it's not especially easy to hang a regular paper or cardboard target off it, so even after Action Target sent us the nice PT Scout stands, we kept bringing our clunky old target stands along so that we could still use paper targets.
We talked this over with Action Target, and they've got a few idea in the works, but nothing that's particularly close to market. They did send over this picture, which is definitely an improvement, but it's pretty bulky and still doesn't solve the issue of the wood plank being angled forward. Still, it's better than nothing, and to be fair the PT Scout just plainly wasn't designed for paper targets.
Not a perfect solution for paper and cardboard, but not bad, either.
Where to carry the wooden 2x4?
Action Target put a lot of work into making the PT Scout easy to carry, but it's downright puzzling that they expect you to carry the target stand and the target head in one hand. Here's a shot from their website showing how the two pieces fit together:
Action Target put a lot of work into making the PT Scout easy to carry, but it's downright puzzling that they expect you to carry the target stand and the target head in one hand. Here's a shot from their website showing how the two pieces fit together:
This leaves your other hand free to carry the wooden 2x4, which lets you carry the whole apparatus downrange in one go. Groovy, right?
Well, only kind of.
The downside of this approach becomes apparent the first time you try to carry it farther than the parking lot - the target stand plus the steel target head is HEAVY, and it puts a lot of weight onto just one hand. Here's the weights:
The way Action Target has it set up, you've got 10.5 lbs + 13.0 lbs = 23.5 lbs hanging in one hand, and just 4.0 lbs in the other - not exactly a well-balanced load. 23.5 lbs might not seem like much when you're picking it up from the weight bench to do curls, but carrying it 200-300 yards downrange, in one hand, got unpleasant pretty quickly.
It's much, much more balanced and comfortable to have the stand and the 2x4 in one hand, and the steel target head in the other, balancing the load at right about 13 - 15 lbs in each hand, but there's no way to do this elegantly. We resorted to tying a short length of rope around the 2x4 and binding it to the target stand, which worked, but it wasn't ideal.
It's also worth noting that the 12" circle is far from the largest steel target you could encounter - there are much bigger and heavier targets that you might one day need to carry downrange, so the weight imbalance would become only more problematic. A hook or two added on the stand would let you carry the 2x4, but when we asked Action Target about adding that to a future design, they seemed lukewarm on the idea. We should also note that even with this unbalanced load, the PT Scout is still metric tons more convenient to carry than many of its competitors, so maybe our field testers just need to work out more and whine less.
Well, only kind of.
The downside of this approach becomes apparent the first time you try to carry it farther than the parking lot - the target stand plus the steel target head is HEAVY, and it puts a lot of weight onto just one hand. Here's the weights:
- The target stand weighs about 10.5 lbs
- A 12" circle target head weighs about 13.0 lbs
- The wooden 2x4 weighs about 4.0 lbs
The way Action Target has it set up, you've got 10.5 lbs + 13.0 lbs = 23.5 lbs hanging in one hand, and just 4.0 lbs in the other - not exactly a well-balanced load. 23.5 lbs might not seem like much when you're picking it up from the weight bench to do curls, but carrying it 200-300 yards downrange, in one hand, got unpleasant pretty quickly.
It's much, much more balanced and comfortable to have the stand and the 2x4 in one hand, and the steel target head in the other, balancing the load at right about 13 - 15 lbs in each hand, but there's no way to do this elegantly. We resorted to tying a short length of rope around the 2x4 and binding it to the target stand, which worked, but it wasn't ideal.
It's also worth noting that the 12" circle is far from the largest steel target you could encounter - there are much bigger and heavier targets that you might one day need to carry downrange, so the weight imbalance would become only more problematic. A hook or two added on the stand would let you carry the 2x4, but when we asked Action Target about adding that to a future design, they seemed lukewarm on the idea. We should also note that even with this unbalanced load, the PT Scout is still metric tons more convenient to carry than many of its competitors, so maybe our field testers just need to work out more and whine less.
In general, the PT Scout is very fine and handy steel target system. It's incredibly portable and easy to live with, and it's also the safest off-the-shelf steel target we've encountered.
There are a few grips and nitpicks, but the day-to-day convenience and smart design is just so overwhelmingly good that those concerns fade into the background. That just leaves the elephant in the room: price. The PT Scout is a spendy piece of kit - there's no arguing that. The stand alone sets you back $200, and while the targets range in price based on the size and shape, expect to spend at least another $100 per target.
However, the price starts to fall into perspective when you consider the safety aspect. Shooting steel is a load of fun, which makes it easy to forget that it's an inherently risky activity that carries a genuine possibility of serious injury. High-risk activities demand high-quality gear - after all, you probably wouldn't opt for the budget brand of parachute when going skydiving. So our view is that if you can't yet afford "the good stuff" like Action Target, then just stick to paper and cardboard for a few more months while you save up. A hundred bucks saved now isn't worth a hospital bill later, and the gear from Action Target is also lighter, smaller, and easier to live with than the competition, as well. In our view, that's some pretty easy math.
There are a few grips and nitpicks, but the day-to-day convenience and smart design is just so overwhelmingly good that those concerns fade into the background. That just leaves the elephant in the room: price. The PT Scout is a spendy piece of kit - there's no arguing that. The stand alone sets you back $200, and while the targets range in price based on the size and shape, expect to spend at least another $100 per target.
However, the price starts to fall into perspective when you consider the safety aspect. Shooting steel is a load of fun, which makes it easy to forget that it's an inherently risky activity that carries a genuine possibility of serious injury. High-risk activities demand high-quality gear - after all, you probably wouldn't opt for the budget brand of parachute when going skydiving. So our view is that if you can't yet afford "the good stuff" like Action Target, then just stick to paper and cardboard for a few more months while you save up. A hundred bucks saved now isn't worth a hospital bill later, and the gear from Action Target is also lighter, smaller, and easier to live with than the competition, as well. In our view, that's some pretty easy math.
And that's it. Happy shooting.
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