What "fun" targets are your fav's

Lots of good ideas here.

I have a reproduction Stokes mortar made to fire beer or soda cans with black powder. I would love to, just once, drop one in the bushel basket target.
Otherwise, I like targets which explode. But they are tough to come by. Failing that, clay birds flying or static.

Hey there! Several years ago, I acquired some awesome paper targets that had nicely detailed British soldiers on them. French & Indian or Revolutionary war era soldiers. Has anyone seen these recently or even better, know where I can get some? Thanks all!

I use woodcuts and prints of monsters, fantastical beasts, etc., printed on a large format printer. You can score by hitting the monster but not the victim, etc.

dave951 said:

New game for Scout camp this summer. 5 shots offhand at 30yd. 5pts per hit on squeeky toy. 0 for a miss. -8 if you so much as nick the seat and the lid slams shut and yer done!


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Looks like a fun target.

I like to shoot any target that "explodes" such as balloons water jugs etc. moves such as swinging gongs, or rings such as empty propane tanks with the bottom cut out and a clanger hanging in them.

I was at a rendezvous and on their woods walk they had a hostage target with the purpetrators head next to the hostages head. Shoot the head of the purpetrator to flip it to the other side. Lose points if you hit the hostage.

Empty snuff cans, rarely throw them away. Every once in a while I'll load some up with a little flour or carpenters chalk powder.

Shooting a dueling tree target with your buddy will certainly improve your aim and your reloads.
This target is rifle rated and different size plates are available. no tools. All terrain

How far away is the ax head from your bench? Semper Fi.

I buy a case of bottled water and put them in the freezer. Nothing explodes like frozen water. Semper Fi.

Lots of great examples - I'm getting new ideas for myself.

Below is something made from some steel that a fellow gifted for the use of my range.
The stand I already had built, it was just a matter of making up a new set of straps.
For my lighter gongs I can have the legs moved further out, this target is heavy enough I had to move them closer together to support the weight.

For those of us who love to shoot steel, I have found that shepherds hooks do quite well to hold smaller targets, up to 8" if you can find the really good quality ones at least! you may have to heat it up and bend the hook closed around the target to keep it from sliding off the hook but that's no big deal for most! For the larger targets, I use 5 t-posts, two sets of a-frames wired or u-bolted together where they cross and one parallel to the ground, cradled on both ends by the a-frames. I have one of these set up at my range right now that has been holding upwards of 60 pounds of steel targets (I have some half inch silhouettes for the unmentionables) for 3 years now. I also have found that the fabric fire hose if you can find it makes great target hangers, bullets and balls tend to pass right through with fairly little damage unlike chains which break after a solid hit or two. Serpentine belts off of an 18 wheeler also hold up pretty well. Hope this gives you guys some ideas for your range, after all, if your range has a plethora of exciting targets, you will get out there and shoot more!

I like steel when it will ring...

I like stuff that swings after you hit it...

I like taking modern, pistol or rifle "pepper popper" falling targets and reversing them so then don't fall, THEN you put a knit hat that is rather loose on the "heads" of the targets, and when the bullet hits it will launch the knit hat off the target. You can set up like three of these, and only have to replace the hats after every third shooter if the stage-of-fire calls for hitting only one.

IF the hit is too low..., the splatter from the lead won't launch the hat...





LD

I’m another one that loves saving my gallon milk jugs with water. I just let ‘em pile up outside, and if they freeze, they freeze.
Steel plates are also a must. I have half a dozen of assorted sizes.

But one other fun thing to try when you have some friends around, are soda bottles (half filled with water/soda) and pressurized. Makes a big BOOM in quiet woods. They work. I have a different brand off eBay, but here is a link to one if anyone is interested. If you dig around, you can find them for A LOT cheaper
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1544832632...Lp1X_plQmW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I'm glad I found this thread.
I'm cleaning out the garage, and was about to throw out some old spray paint cans, but y'all said that they make good targets, so I'll save them.
And some golf balls, too. I don't golf, but ended up with some, and couldn't throw them away.
I guess I'll start saving the plastic 1/2 gal milk bottles, too.
But the garage is still a mess...

This thread brought back an old memory. There was a pin ball arcade I passed on my way home from school. At the rear was a shooting gallery with all sorts of targets. Many of them moving. There were several .22 unmentionable pump rifles chained to a counter. You paid and the attendant would load your rifle from a brass tube of .22 shorts. The rifles were old and rickety, but both front and rear sights were on the barrel so as long as I held the rifle stable it didn't matter.
I concentrated on moving ducks and moving "clay" pipes. Very rarely missed. In hindsight I wonder if the attendant wasn't taking bets on me.
This place was on Market Street in downtown Philadelphia and is, of course, long gone. I wonder if there are shooting galleries like that anywhere these days.

Bass Pro Shop in Pearland, TX has an electronic shooting gallery, shooting light at the targets. You have to be accurate, or the target won't fall.
It's fun and cheap, but it's mainly for kids.
Of any age!

I've got a bunch of old bowling pins from years ago.

Used to have 'pin shoots' after combat league was over for the night. A dollar in the pot and whoever could clear five pins from a four by eight foot steel table the fastest took the pot.

Those competition days are in my past - but I'm thinking of hanging them by the neck for a moving target. Just have to have them close to the berm - ricochets can be a problem.

Jugs with water and a drop of food coloring are my favorite. It's even better when it's cold and they freeze, then the jugs completely blow apart on impact.


I also like to use "splatter" targets, you can see impacts with your naked eye up to about a hundred yards, and double or triple that with binoculars.