Show us your homemade reactive targets...

[Rembrandt]

Always interested in new ideas for reactive targets. Here's a few from the scrap pile of discarded junk.


Bowling pins with lag screw eye bolts, hung from a re-bar frame.


Old farm equipment can offer some interesting options, planter trash whippers with all but 4 tines cut off, bearings make for a smooth spinning target.....



Re-settable plates made from scrap metal....


3/4" thick target swinger for heavy duty rounds...



Show us your ideas....

 

[Shung]

love the rope resetable plates !!!

 

[RugerBob]

I don't have none, but sure like them.

 

[mcdonl]

My fear is the ricochet. How do you prevent this?

Leroy

 

[Racinfan83]

Shoot lead bullets if you are close range - they will splatter on the steel. Many falling plate matches are at 10 yards, and I never saw a richochet come back at anyone. The big heavy targets you shoot at longer ranges and even the fragments can't get back to you....

 

[TimRB]

"My fear is the ricochet. How do you prevent this?"

If you're shooting steel targets you have to take eye protection as religion. Full-on ricochets notwithstanding, if you are close enough that the targets are easy to hit, you WILL get lead splatter coming back at you.

Tim

 

[xbox360]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ABGIJwiGBc

oh yeah?

ricochet

my instuction book says NEVER SHOOT HARD OBJECTS, Trees, metal, bricks, water, I shoot dead stumps only

unless its a shotgun I think it would be safe to shoot a tree, because lead just breaks up.

 

[mcdonl]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ABGIJwiGBc

Whats up with the blue jump suit?

But, this does not put my concerns to rest.

 

[ReadyRob]

I don't have any now, but this has sure got me thinking about some.

Most metal targets I've seen are hung in a downward pattern to lessen the chance of ricochet, but it still happens to those w/bare legs sometimes.

 

[BunnyPuncher]

Fun reactive targets can be made with styrofoam insulation panels (the pink stuff). Cut it down, glue a couple pieces together and then carve in the shape of the desired critter (hot foam cutters make it easy - $10.00 at a craft store). Cleanup is a sumna**** though

Edit: I shoot steel all the time, IPSC / USPSA has a 25' (or 21' or something) rule. I've taken down 1000s of steel poppers, plates, fixed steel, texas stars etc. and have never been hit by a ricochet. And if you do get hit, it will just hurt a bit. Just use common sense and stay back - and wear your eyes.

 

[joe817]

How about this for a reactive target?

http://www.wildutah.us/rattlesnake_great_basin_jbinch_zion_may1307_1.jpg

 

[preachnhunt]

That'll work, just wear high boots----------and your brown pants!

 

[jcwit]

Range/Club I belong to prohibits heavy metal targets (pop cans ok if you police up the range after), also prohibits bowling pins.

For reactive targets I've shot 4" square pieces of foam insulation on the hill at 70/80 yds. Makes a good reactive target, cheap and easy to clean up.

 

[damien]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ABGIJwiGBc

FMJ.

That video is still the classic treatment on the subject of richochets, though. It never gets old.

 

[Icy Straits]

When I take my grandson plinking with the .22's I just take a 2x4 with 12 penny brads every 6"or so and stick potatos or apples on. The react nicely with no worries about richochets and the local deer love the leftovers.

 

[atomd]

Lots of people shoot lots of bullets at lots of steel with no problems. At closer ranges you gotta watch for the splatter. I always wear eye protection even when I'm not shooting steel so no biggie. You don't want to shoot dented targets or any steel that's at an angle that would increase the chances of a ricochet. When a lead bullet hits a steel target head on it just splatters. I'm perfectly comfortable with that.

Those are some impressive targets you've made there. I'd love to have that big spinner you built. Nice work. I like the resetting plates too. I have some of those commercial ones and I've had mixed results. Some of those ones that are rated up to 30-06 I've put dents in with a .357. One day I'll get some better ones. I have some steel to shoot but I'd like to make them into something like what you've done with yours.

 

[TEC]

Reactive Target -- for my new puppy, Annie

I shoot targets at 30 yards with low-powered pellet rifles (like this HW30s) in my back yard, with my neighbors consent and blessing, with a good backstop and without violating any local ordinances. i also have a new German Shepherd puppy, Annie, now 5 months old. She loves to retrieve tennis balls and has been getting about a 30 minute work out morning and evening playing fetch with me most days.

I should probably have named her "Shadow", because that's about how close she stays when I am home, especially in the back yard. And when I am out shooting is no exception. She is crestfallen if I shut her in the house and she can't be out with me when I shoot. So tonight, I built her an reactive target. She gets praise and puppy treats for sitting safely by my side while I shoot from my backyard bench. And every so often, I "kill" the tennis ball and she retrieves it, with praise and another puppy treat or two. It took her about 6 shots to get the idea, and not to go down range until I tell her "free". Smart puppy.

Great fun for both of us and I hope, the preliminary training for this fall when perhaps she may get the chance to retrieve some warm-blooded reactive targets.

 

[stevekl]

I wish I could weld.

One of these days I'll get someone to show me how to weld.

 

[rondog]

I don't have any fancy schmancy targets like those, I just love soda cans full of water! Simple and satisfying.

 

[paintballdude902]

what is the best thickness of steel?

we made some spinners for rim fire and pistols outa 1/4 inch and then tried my .30-30 and it went right thru it .5" maybe? or more?

 

[Dirtpile]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ABGIJwiGBc

oh yeah?

ricochet

my instuction book says NEVER SHOOT HARD OBJECTS, Trees, metal, bricks, water, I shoot dead stumps only

Actually it takes at least 2 ricochets for the bullet to come back at you,
and even if it did it generally won't have a lot of energy left.
I'm not completely convinced that it was the bullet that hit the guy. It could have been a piece of the target or a rock from the berm.

A swinging target will deflect the bullet into the ground if it doesn't splatter on impact. The drop plates often seen in match shooting resist falling enough to decellerate the bullets but easily enough that the bullets don't fully splatter. Plus they governing bodys will usually prohibit jacketed ammo because it may retain substantial energy after hitting the plates. That and they tend to dent the plates.

 

[Mt Shooter]

oh yeah?

ricochet

my instuction book says NEVER SHOOT HARD OBJECTS, Trees, metal, bricks, water, I shoot dead stumps only

unless its a shotgun I think it would be safe to shoot a tree, because lead just breaks up.

Steel challenge, Texas star. USS poppers, pepper poppers, to name a few and zero injury's. Eyes and ears at all time.

 

[TEC]

Shooting hard metal is always a bit risky. But, at least for pellet guns, shooting something like a tennis ball or golf ball is particularly foolish. They will bounce a pellet back at you without too much loss of energy. That, plus the danger of putting a bunch of lead into a ball my dog will be chewing on is why I use the spoon arrangement instead of just laying the ball on something flat and shooting the ball.

 

[highorder]

I wish I could weld.

One of these days I'll get someone to show me how to weld.

Actually, it's rather easy.

MIG is a snap provided you have the right feed, current, and gas settings...

On the other hand, gas welding is an art.

 

[Hk Dan]

I shoot USPSA constantly--3-4 times per month. This is "steel intensive" shooting in a lot of cases. The former rule book set a minimum distance of 10 yards (11 if using a foot fault). I believe it is now 27'. For centerfire rifle the min distance is 100 yards for the reason shown in that video.

Yep, you catch splatter. It doesn't matter if it's spinning, or falling, or stationary. When the surface gets dimpled there just isn't any way to predict which way the splatter will go; it seems to be pretty well spent within 10 yards, though. I caught one in the neck this weekend, in fact. No blood, no bruise, just a flinch and a cussword (I was ROing the guy who shot).

Wear your eye protection and keep it out past 10 yards, it's not that big of a deal.

Dan