Every now and again, a package arrives at my door and to the best of my ability, I just cannot figure out where it came from. Most of the time, I bounce some emails around to the guys and we figure it out. But sometimes I put the thing away in a corner and forget about it. The Right Now Range that’s been sitting in my shop for three months is one of those things. It just showed up after Dan met the company owner at SHOT, I later found). I got busy. I totally forgot about it. And then I unearthed it, slapped myself in the head, and took it to the range. After a day of poking holes in it, I’m very pleasantly surprised . . .
Before I get started on what will perhaps be the most words that have ever been written about cardboard, a small disclaimer: yes, the Right Now Range is made of cardboard. I am aware that many a target stand can be cobbled together from whatever bits happen to be within arms reach. If you get to the end of this review and your only compulsion is to crap on someone’s idea, don’t. The product might not be for you, but it very well may be for someone else. The free market is going to sort it out.
Moving on, the Right Now Range is the most well-thought-out and engineered piece of cardboard I’ve ever laid hands on. It has a very broad bit of surface area with targets preprinted on it. Obviously, those don’t last long, but the cardboard is STOUT so you can continue to staple and tape fresh targets to your heart’s content.
Setup is a breeze provided you follow the instructions and is much easier than anything you’ve ever bought at IKEA. Assembly takes about five minutes and can be performed by one person, though I had help from my dad. He wasn’t keen on my insistence on taking photos of us like the ones that adorn the packaging. He was however extraordinarily keen on how well thought out and finished everything was.
The part that really seemed to get him was the top half. It has little elastic pieces for hanging cans as well as handy little spots for holding clay pigeons. Say what you will about our concstruction skills, but I’ve had hell trying to make a fixture that holds clays reliably. If the Right Now Folks just made an easy-to-set-up cardboard fixture to hold clays, I’d probably buy a couple on the spot.
Once complete, the whole unit is held in place with thick metal stakes driven into the ground, five of them in all. And once it’s set up, it bucks the wind and everything from .22LR to .300 BLK to 6.5 Creedmoor. I shot the hell out of it and it stayed upright.
Before we set it up, I asked my dad to take a guess at the price. He rubbed his chin and said, “Mmmmmm $20 + shipping and handling and I’d buy a couple.” Once we set it up, I pulled up the website for the Right Now Range and broke it to him that the actual cost was $29.99 + shipping. He looked it over a couple more times and said, “Borderline worth it. It’s very well made after all.” That’s about as rousing an endorsement as my father gives anything.
Overall Rating * * * * *
Even if it’s not for you this is a damn useful and fun item. I hope they find a way to get these into traditional retail stores as I see this as more of an impulse purchase than something you deliberately order off the internet. But if you find yourself wanting to do that, $29 plus shipping is a good deal. It’s an awesome little fixture that holds paper, fruit, clay pigeons, and cans. Buy it, set it up, and shoot stuff. How fun is that?