Does the target you're shooting at affect your accuracy?

[Palladan44]

Yes, especially when you start to get one ragged hole where you're aiming.....that ragged hole starts to get bigger! This phenomenon presents itself sooner when shooting say a .45 ACP than say a .22

 

[Bazoo]

I do better with a reactive target vs paper myself. It seems I can hit a coke can on end almost every time but can’t hold that tight on paper. Or can hit a shotshell but can’t hold 2” on paper. It is psychological

 

[AzShooter1]

For sighting in I like a small target where I can see my groups and try to get them as tight as possible. After that I set up 8 inch Shoot&See targets at 15 - 25 yards and shoot off hand.

With the S&S targets I can easily see where my groups are and if I need to change my sights. These targets have a 4 inch center and that's what I concentrate on.

 

[jmorris]

It certainly can effect ones aim but I have shot fairly small groups on “blank”paper.

Like sighting in a thermal with a regular target. It’s just a cool square in front of my steel bullet traps during the day. Not so much aiming at a point rather the “center”.



It can also help to NOT have the bullet impact at the point of aim. Like this 10 shot group, had they been impacting at the point of aim the results could have degraded as the aim point disappeared. Can’t keep aiming at the center of the X, once it’s gone.



There are also disciplines where your sights might not even shoot to the point of aim (left), rather to the center of a known radius of bullseye (right).

 

[Jim Watson]

Something that messes up my accuracy a lot is when there are multiple identical targets on a single page... my eyes criss-cross the targets when trying to focus in on the front sight, and I end up not even knowing which target I'm aiming at.

I did that yesterday. On a six bull target, I had 4 hits on bull #1, 5 hits on bull #2 as I intended, but what in the world was that one shot in bull #3?

Crossfiring is a known risk on a square range with a row of targets and a relay of shooters firing at once; especially in F class where rifle scopes might be so powerful as to not have the target number in the field of view.

 

[JimKirk]

I buy white card stock by the reem ... Use 1/4" orange or green dots at 100 yards for rifles ...

Pistol/revolver I use the same paper but a 2" dark blue dot ....

The dots come off Amazon on rolls of thousand ...

 

[barnfrog]

Thanks for all the replies. I like the diamond style targets described and pictured by 9mmepiphany and dudedog. I think I'll try something similar.

Lots of folks seem to agree a smaller target tends to result in smaller groups, which makes sense. However, it seems contrary to my results. The paper target had a 2-inch black center circle, whereas the steel target is 4 inches. Perhaps the larger concentric circles on the paper target are what my mind was registering, not just the bullseye.

Went out the next day and hit 6 for 6 right off the bat on steel, and followed that up with a 1 for 6 cylinder. Gotta stay humble and practice, practice, practice.

Oh, and I also found that while a 40-grain .22 slug will pass through the heavy nylon webbing I use to hang my steel without doing much harm, a .357 bullet will induce decidedly more damage to said webbing.

 

[savagelover]

What size were the targets you were shooting on paper? I usually use 2x2 post-its from 3 feet to 25 feet. I have trouble seeing them beyond that distance. I aim small to shoot small.

I shoot at playing cards alot.

 

[AJC1]

I shoot at playing cards alot.

Splitting cards is definitely a small target....

 

[rfwobbly]

Both the shape and color of the target will effect your groups.
• Shape because the eye needs a finite point to aim at. Forget measuring groups on a human silhouette target, you need something small. "Aim small to shoot small."
• Color because the human eye needs a high contrast. There's a very good reason that NRA targets are black on manila or white.

 

[Blue68f100]

If you have heavy cross airs the diamond is the best since it gives you a reference for vert/horz. I have some targets I made up and just print them off my laser printer on recycled paper. I will see about post some to help you out.

 

[Jim Watson]

Unfortunately, NRA, PMA, IHMSA, BPCR, IPSC, IDPA, BR50, CMP, and GSSF don't care what kind of target I can line up on the best. Each of the several types of competition I have shot on over the years has its own target and I have done most of my shooting on the paper or steel du jure. A small crisp aiming point for scoped rifle trials is the only consistent exception.

• Color because the human eye needs a high contrast.

Once upon a time the guys at Rifle and Handloader tried different targets and found that bright blue gave good contrast in more different lights.

 

[Rule3]

If you are talking about handguns. what WILL affect your accuracy is looking up (peeking) every time to see where your shot hit
Try not to do that and just concentrate on that front sight!

Become the sight, become the target. Very Zen!

 

[barnfrog]

If you are talking about handguns. what WILL affect your accuracy is looking up (peeking) every time to see where your shot hit
Try not to do that and just concentrate on that front sight!

Become the sight, become the target. Very Zen!

View attachment 1070572

And a donut without a hole is a Danish.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Splitting cards is definitely a small target....

That definitely tests trigger management with your handgun

I can't consistently do that, while standing and shooting two-handed, from much beyond 5 yards

 

[Blue68f100]

Here are some targets I drew up years ago that I still use today. The pistol is what I use for pistol and rifle if it has a heavy reticle. The diamond give you another reference point for your cross airs.

22 Target #4.pdf
2 Dot Target.pdf
Pistol 7 2in dot .pdf
2x3 1:2" dots.pdf

 

[Dudedog]

Here is the Diamond I have as a .doc (Word)
I couldn't recall if I could upload .doc or not but I tired and it worked.

 

[peeplwtchr]

I learned yesterday that it does. For the last couple years I have used a silhoutte target, with playing cards taped to the ocular cavity and solar plexis, as those are the areas to aim at in a gunfight. I usually shoot about 200 through the cards perfectly in 3 shot, 1.5 second presentation from the holster. I've gotten really good after about 15k rounds.

Everything's great until my pistol instructor shows up, and tells me to use a competition silhouette target for the first time. My groups went from playing card size to 6 inches, off center left about 5 inches. I couldn't believe my eyes. He told me that when I used the cards, I was target shooting, not defensive shooting. So now I had to focus on the whole silhouette instead of easily identifiable playing cards. After about 2 mags, I was back in normal groups in center.

I never realised what a difference the target can make, I'm still amazed.

 

[Tom609]

Red works for me. I'll use red post-it notes at 50 yds., and an 81/2x11 sheet quartered at 100 yds. Both on white backgrounds.
This would be for iron sights.

 

[Mostly Lead]

Read an article on target differences 20-30 yrs ago. Tested many shapes, many colors, many combinations. Color is a subjective thing for most. For example, I can't see an orange sticker on white paper. Just disappears.. Black on tan is ok, but not my favorite..

Best for me: two inch blue tape square on white paper plate. Close second: a three to four inch inverted T made with 1" blue tape on white paper plate, will use a 1" marker in a pinch.

Fun to shoot blue playing cards though, makes for a nice keepsake in the binder - when you keep them all on the card.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I never realised what a difference the target can make, I'm still amazed.

There is something we address in training referred to as "Quiet Eye"

It is to overcome the eye's natural tendency to wander all over a target...larger target, larger cone of "wander"...allowing the shooter to "accept" a larger area of "acceptable alignment"

When you can keep you eye focused on the intended POI, your shots will fall into smaller groups

 

[Bazoo]

When shooting my at an inverted T, what is the correct hold? Do you shoot an the very bottom of the line below the vertical? Or do you shoot at the junction? Or the center of the bottom line?

 

[Navy87Guy]

I definitely have “favorite” targets, so that implies the specific target does make a difference. I think it comes down to vision and your ability to differentiate various features of the target. A red center gives you a better focal point than a black circle with white middle. I like the black/white square targets…it makes finding the center much easier for me.

 

[peeplwtchr]

There is something we address in training referred to as "Quiet Eye"

It is to overcome the eye's natural tendency to wander all over a target...larger target, larger cone of "wander"...allowing the shooter to "accept" a larger area of "acceptable alignment"

When you can keep you eye focused on the intended POI, your shots will fall into smaller groups

Yeah, he told me I started tilting my head when I switched to the new target. My eye was trying to find the card. That's what was causing me to go low left. I didn't know I was doing it. Once I focused on not doing it, business as usual.

 

[Bcwitt]

I had made a stencil to spray 2 3/8" aiming points,as it was a perfect size for the scope I was using @ the time. Made it very easy to fire very nice tight groups.