Your favorite targets to shoot.

Status
Not open for further replies.
I just picked this up for shooting, only used it on the pistol range so far. Looking for ward to popping some rifle rounds at it.
 

Attachments

  • 1.jpg
    1.jpg
    59.6 KB · Views: 61
Aside from the usual bull’s-eye type paper targets I like anything that you can destroy within reason. Old model kits are great fun along with tin cans, anything made of chalk. plastic bottlers full of water, etc etc. One of the ranges I shoot at has a few competitions using turning targets for rapid fire (.22 semis and full bore under-levers) which are demanding but lots of fun.

My favourite is a ‘Pendulum Shoot’, which consists of a wooden frame with a Pendulum hanging from it, which has a target at its bottom. . The Pendulum is suspended by some wire and a 1.5 inch chalk disk. You have ten shots within 20 seconds @ 25 yards. Firstly you need to break the chalk disc which sets the Pendulum swinging and then you use up your remaining shoots at the target stapled to it. Great fun but a real bugger if most of your 10 shots are used up trying the smash the chalk disc in the first place.
 
My Favorite Targets

Another vote for PC monitors. Sort of an oblique revenge for every time Microsoft made my life miserable.

For .22, I like shooting fresh cherry tomatoes at about 30-50 ft.
 
targets that make a mess. or blow up. basicly i like targets to react.
Click to expand...

+1 on this, I too save lots of drink bottles and gallon milk jugs. A little red food die makes the results very good and easy to observe from a good distance. I have shot a couple of propane tanks as mentioned above (always from a very safe distance). And have used the same setup with a 1 liter bottle of gas right at dark and it is a great visual. (But with the price of gas soaring I am not likely to do much of it).
 
Rotten grapefruits. We have citrus groves all over where I live and the farmers don't mind us picking up old fruit that has fallen to the ground.
 
Anything reactive.

Gatorade/2-liter water bottles, golf balls, tennis balls, fruit, brass, expended shells, clays, etc.

Most stuff is hung from a target stand and swings freely to make it harder after the first shot.
 
Blocks of ice, they are cheap, fun to shoot and best of all, no clean up.
 
I like a 2x4 drilled every 6" with lollipops placed in it. The wind blows in the right direction you can almost taste them.
Fruit is fun playing "golf" or "poker" is even more so.
 
For paper I like 1/2 size body shaped targets or 5" Orange Peel stick ons.

Reactive I like 1' sections of 4x4, jugs, soup cans and fist size chunks of sandstone.

FFMedic
 
For rifles, I bought some Alt-C qualification targets and started shooting at them at 25m with my AR and .22LR rifle in the various positions. I did some reading about how the Marines qualify versus the Army and decided I needed to modify the target to be a bit more challenging. I cut one up, scaled the 250m target to 50% to make a 500m target, and made a bunch of copies of targets ranged 150m, 200m, 250m, 300m, 500m.

I shoot at each, again set up at 25m, in the following order:

Standing - 150m / 200m
Kneeling - 200m / 250m
Sitting - 250m / 300m
Prone - 300m / 500m

I can usually get between 70-80% hits overall, sometimes better, though sometimes I have a bad day. Note this is with iron sights only - when I put optics on / go supported, I add 50-150m to each range stated above.

I've found that shooting at scaled targets is much more efficient than actually walking to the 50 / 100m line every time I want to change targets, plus I can usually see if I've missed from the line. Being so close, practice with my .22LR is handy and affordable, too.

My goal overall is to be a well-rounded marksman, able to realistically hit at the maximum effective range of my weapon (AR in .223) and do so from field positions. I only set up on a bench for work-ups or zeroing.

For reference, if the average man stands approximately 20" across the shoulders, then a simulated 100m target at 25m would be 5" across the shoulders. A 200m target would be 2.5", a 500m target would be 1", etc. I've since printed all different sizes to represent everything from 50m - 600m targets at 25m, 50m, and 100m.

Also, having all these targets on 8.5x11 paper (or 11x17 if I want a big series) is cheap and easy to carry to the range, and I can duplicate whenever I want on a copier.

Note - I would LOVE to be able to shoot at actual targets from 200-500m, but my range only goes to 100m, so scaled targets is the best I can do at the moment.
 
Last edited:
Bowling pins, Half full (or less) used , spray paint cans, .22lr sends them flyin' .357 mag just blow them up in a cloud of color, and once in a while I will get some of the spray foam insulation, (Greatstuff) a .22lr will pop the can and leave a lump of foam about the size of a football, clean up is easy.
 
Whattt???? 43 posts and no one comes up with balloons??? As big or small as you want, water-filled or not, dyed H20 if you want.

Also use one of those swinging metal targets, big square on bottom, small on top. Two shooters alternate shooting at the same square to get it swinging and try to get it to go over the top. A .22 will get the job done with the right timing and bullet placement. Works easiest with a DA or semi-auto handgun, and is a good wrap-up for introducing new shooters after you're satisfied with their handling and safety practices.
 
Ah yes, balloons. They're great. Blowing in the breeze from a 2' or longer piece of string makes for a good reactive, non-stationary target.
 
Ah yes, balloons. They're great. Blowing in the breeze from a 2' or longer piece of string makes for a good reactive, non-stationary target.
Click to expand...

If you want to change them from "good" to "great" then just before you blow them up drop a spoon full of baking flour in them.

Talk about reactive.
 
If you want to change them from "good" to "great" then just before you blow them up drop a spoon full of baking flour in them.

Talk about reactive.
Click to expand...

Yup yup. I've done the same except using baby powder. Good fun.

Some of my other favorites include old school textbooks (ones I can't sell back), course packets, old notebooks. Just got revenge on Physics II yesterday.
 
I buy a pack of those little 4" paper plates like they use for simple desserts and such and use them. I figure, if I can put it into that group at range, I can place a shot legitaimately into the area that I am aiming for. Look at it from this point. That 4" plate is the same area as the center mass area of the chest, or a face shot on a standard size person.
I never really cared about hitting the "X" or the 10 ring. I just knew that I could place a shot where it counts, when it counts.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

C
  • Locked
Reactive target ideas
Replies
2
Views
495
Carter
C
I
  • Locked
Profile pistol targets?
Replies
0
Views
277
IAJack
I
Panzerschwein
  • Locked
  • Poll
Favorite color of B-27 target?
Replies
11
Views
1K
CajunBass
CajunBass
H
  • Locked
What's a good site to buy targets from?
Replies
14
Views
713
mikewayde
M
B
  • Locked
Splatterburst brand adhesive targets one of my new favorites
Replies
0
Views
706
basicblur
B
Back
Top