What targets do you use?

I shoot paper when sighting in, the rest of the time I like 3-D targets. If I wanna bust something, I freeze ice in party cup to ice cream bucket sizes....no clean up.

...and I tend to use big pine blocks 30” or so, for backstops, so I can get the lead back. Grew up shooting hornets, grasshoppers, and shotgun shell primers with my air rifle. Mom yelled at me when I shot her iris stalks, or the cat.

DO NOT SHOOT GLASS BOTTLES! It a terrible mess and dangerous too. You can buy cases of different sized clay targets not real expensive.

So, I’ve got another idea for a target. I can buy a bag of secrete for about $5.00. I’ll cut some line and attach a washer. Then I’ll make balls of cement around the washers and set them down to dry, then spray paint when dry. I’ll hang the balls from a horizontal bar ... probably made from t-posts.

Griz44Mag said:

Several really good steel vendors around.
I bought several sets of steel from shootingtargets7.
He is a vet and a really ice guy.
I do enjoy the sound of steel.
Pay heed to how you hang them, a wrong way can be painful.
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Good back stop Griz, and a good iron fence to hang things on

Juice Jaws said:

Good back stop Griz, and a good iron fence to hang things on

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The picture is at the club I belong to. This part of the range is normally dedicated to silhouette matches. Rails have flat tops on them to set up the knockover targets. 22 and cowboy action mostly. I use these to set up a black powder gong match. A lot of fun!
Distances at 40, 50, 75, and 100 meters. If you are ever in the Austin area, look me up and we will go shoot there. It's a great place to be. This pic is from a Jr. Ladies match.

I like the flat iron fence, good idea, are the targets heavy enough that if they hit the rail the targets don't fall off, ever get to Austin, I will look you up.

Gowacky said:

I haven’t broken a one as yet and I’m sure you’re all right. There’s nothing good that can come from leaving broken glass on the ground and it could be years after I’m dead and gone that some child steps on a piece of glass that I left.

I’ll abandon that idea and get my local welding shop to help me make a metal target.

Thanks!

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If you have your local guy make them, use AR500 steel 3/8" minimum thickness.
I shoot my AR500 targets with a lot of different things, including the "unmentionables" that are WAY more powerful than a 54 black powder load. It would be a lot easier, and probably a cheaper, to buy an assorted set from a real target maker and hang them per NRA recommendations. They will last a lifetime.

Griz44Mag said:

If you have your local guy make them, use AR500 steel 3/8" minimum thickness.
I shoot my AR500 targets with a lot of different things, including the "unmentionables" that are WAY more powerful than a 54 black powder load. It would be a lot easier, and probably a cheaper, to buy an assorted set from a real target maker and hang them per NRA recommendations. They will last a lifetime.

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Yes!!! I agree and concur with what Griz recommends.

I too have 3/8 AR 500 steel target’s that range from 2” up to 16” being the largest I own.

Roundball will only disturb the paint on these targets. I spray the target’s with a cheap can of spray paint only to see where I’m grouping? Otherwise the CLANG definitely lets you know beyond a shadow of a doubt!!!

Extremely fun proactive targets to shoot at!!

Respectfully, Cowboy

Juice Jaws said:

I like the flat iron fence, good idea, are the targets heavy enough that if they hit the rail the targets don't fall off, ever get to Austin, I will look you up.

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Yes, the rails are very beefy. A 30 cal (cowboy action) hitting the rail will not rattle the targets off the flat. I will take a detail picture the next time I am out there and post it.

Used bowling pins last forever and when you hit them the bounce around like you just rolled a strike.

Since I can’t shoot I’ve been working on my shooting range. I just painted a bunch of playing cards white and they look to make great targets. I’m going to buy some balloons too. I’ve made a tripod from some pvc pipe and have a wire from that that I can hang targets to. Seen some simple ways to build holders for clay pigeons. I’ll try to sub something for the long neck although I’d love to shoot’em.

Speaking of targets have a true story for you. A friend of mine had a small trail walk upset at his house. Once or twice a month about 5 or 6 of us all good friends would go over and shoot it. The last target was a 3/4 piece of pipe about a foot long tie to some bushes. We would all throw in a dollar and who ever hit it got the money. They shot rifles and tease me about my musket. Well them smart rifleman never did see me load with shot. I always won the money and it drove them crazily. After almost a year of winning someone broke the wire holding the pipe. When they went to fix it they seen all the shot holes in the branches. To make a long story short, they are still my friends but I never did give their money back. But they watch load now.

Juice Jaws said:

Speaking of targets have a true story for you. A friend of mine had a small trail walk upset at his house. Once or twice a month about 5 or 6 of us all good friends would go over and shoot it. The last target was a 3/4 piece of pipe about a foot long tie to some bushes. We would all throw in a dollar and who ever hit it got the money. They shot rifles and tease me about my musket. Well them smart rifleman never did see me load with shot. I always won the money and it drove them crazily. After almost a year of winning someone broke the wire holding the pipe. When they went to fix it they seen all the shot holes in the branches. To make a long story short, they are still my friends but I never did give their money back. But they watch load now.

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Now that’s funny!!

Respectfully, Cowboy

Gowacky:

At our age I am sure we have "killed" a bunch of dump glass bottles, rats, and tin cans. Things are different now even if you own your own place. Its time to forgo the glass and move on. Clay targets are easy to shoot and don't hurt anything as long as there are no hogs in the pasture.

Steel dingers are fun but if you are sighting in I suggest you make a target frame to be able to use paper bulls eye targets until you get things worked out. As you said it has been a long time since you shot muzzle loaders and based on the previous questions you asked I think you need to move slowly here.

Get the lock problem fixed and then sight in the gun on paper. Not much has really changed in regard to how one goes about this so you should still have all the basic knowledge that worked for you before with muzzle loaders. even with stuck balls.....

Just another old guys thoughts

Gowacky said:

Seen some simple ways to build holders for clay pigeons.

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2 nails, 3"s apart horizontally in the end of a log,, rest the clay pigeon on top of the nails.
Shoot and break it.

2 nails, 3"s apart horizontally in the end of a log, 2" space, a double bladed axe head driven in the log, 2" space, then 2 more nails, 3"s apart horizontally in the end of a log.
Rest a clay pigeon on both set's of nails on either side of the double bladed axe head.
Split a ball on the axe blade and break both clay pigeons at 10-15yards.

Hang a bolt from a string. Cut the string. (save the bolt, tie on another string)

Don't paint the cards white,, make a stand with a clothes pin to hold the card edgewise,, cut the card in half.
Staple the whole darn deck of cards on a board face out, 5 shot's each (rotation) Who's got the best poker hand? A card can only get shot once.

We can talk about snuffing candles too,, it's all actually easier then ya might think. After all, your sending a projectile that's nearly a 1/2" wide down range.
(or if you had a 54,, larger then a 1/2")
(he who snuff's the candle,, is the best poacher!)

10 inch by 3/8 round ar500 steel for me.

Since the idea is to have a challenging (small) target that reacts.... and doesn't need constant resetting or maintenance and doesn't make a giant mess.... I suggest our Single Plate Swinger as pictured below.
Plate sizes run 3", 4", 6", 8" and can be changed without tools. The unit is mounted on a standard T Post (without tools). All exposed steel is AR500 3/8".

SINGLE PLATE SWINGER