[kalibear45]

Okay I admit that when I go to the range, I usually spend 1/2 the time shooting the sh** and sometimes helping out newbie shooters. I don't think I even I shoot over 100 rds per given pistol (except .22s), and this is within a 2-3 hour period that I spend at the range.

Lately, I've been kinda "bored" and not as motivated when it comes to target shooting. I used to go every week, but haven't gone for over a month now. Its as if I know what to expect when I go there. The gun goes bang and I hit my target :D I feel that my skills at this point won't get any better than what it is now and I need more of a challenge.

So what should I do to curb this boredom, should I take up skeet or shoot rifles more often? Maybe just take a break and just go once a month?

[jdkelly]

kailbear45,

You need some competition to practice for. Start shooting some club action shoots, IDPA, IPSC, or Pin and Plate shoots. You'll soon realize you need to get better to be competitive with whatever group you chose to shoot with. That will make your practice more important to you. You will practice in a new and different manner then the same old style you've been doing.

jdkelly

[bamf]

Speaking for myself. I got quite bored shooting slow fire at paper targets.

I transitioned to more shotgun and shooting trap, skeet and sporting clays and have loved it and have gotten to the point I consider myself more of a shotgunner than a handgunner.

But I've come back to my pistols and started doing competitions like IDPA and IPSC. It's quite challenging and a lot of fun. I just did a 3 gun match and that was a kick in the pants. Look for these matches in your area and jump right in, the people I've met have been quite nice and accomidating to beginners.

What area in CA do you live in?

HTH

[Skunkabilly]

As the Chinese guy in True Grit said to John Wayne: "Outside is prace for shooting!!"

If you're indoors, hitting the swinging tennisballs with weakhand is quite a challenge even at 7 yards....

Tennis balls are fun as heck.

[Kenneth Lew]

50 feet NRA rifle target with your target pistol offhand.

[braindead0]

Milk jugs filled with water... Coffee cans, filled with water and placed lid side down on a wood board...just like a water rocket ;-)

[Ledbetter]

Flying targets that turn into dust when you hit them right. It doesn't get much more satisfying than that.

[jade]

i sometimes get bored when shooting at paper targets. when that happens, i either go home or move my target out to some really challenging distance, like 50ft.

when i shoot outdoors, i never get bored and i rarely shoot at paper targets. i love shooting cans of unopened soda. and now i am learning to shoot trap.

[toro]

My husband makes moving targets and uses balloons. It is a lot of fun to go to the gun club and shoot against one another. We have a great time. I suggest to get involved in shooting IPSC or IDPA.

Mrs Toro.

[Smoke]

Agree with all listed. WIll add:

Steel.
Defensive Scenarios
Clay pigeons. (Good handgun targets, get creative)
Ballistic Jell
Rotten Fruit (watermelons, cantalopes)
Feral Hogs
Neighbors cats


Change your shooting routine as much as possible, shoot differently even if using the same gun.

[P95Carry]

My shooting frequency is down some - compared to my early days but yeah .... target shooting can get dull .... if only paper.

Most have suggested the alternatives ..... paper but at extreme ranges for handguns .... pop bottles (of course:evil: ) ....... and also auto reset steel plate type targets . ones where you hear as well as see your hit reaction.

Actually, it is surprising how (with a few buddies in particular), you can dream up all sorts of challenges ...... from moving targets to stationary targets and moving shooters (care with methods, of course).

I also shoot trap and skeet with my son when I can .. quite different of course but ... always satisfying.

[Standing Wolf]

I'm sure I could punch holes in bullseye targets every day for the rest of my life without even starting to commence to begin to get even a little bored around the edges.

[10-Ring]

I get bored all the time! Not that I'm that good, I'm just a product of the 80's andhave no attention span! Which is shy I tried my hand in IDPA. Makes the world of difference...try it, you'll like it!

[kalibear45]

Wow, great suggestions!

I like Skunk's tennis ball idea, will have to give that a try...

Also, gonna look into other outdoor ranges (SF Bay Area) that allow more "creative" targets. Looks like I may have to make it to Sven's Los Altos shoot...

[Waitone]

There ain't nothin' boring about hitting a 4" target at 75 yards shooting from a standing, unsupported position with a pistol.

Master stage is double taps on said setup. Nope, no boredom there.

[Dave R]

Yes, I get bored shooting paper. I much prefer plinking. In my mind, shooting paper at a range is only good for showing what the firearm can do. Plinking shows what you can do with the firearm. I'm sure competitions show that even more.

[Skunkabilly]

Do you have a friend?

Get your friend w/ a tennis ball too.

Start from low ready (since you can't draw at an indoor range) and see who can whack the ball first (if at all) from 7 yards.

Otherwise remember what Chang Lee says. "Outside is place for shooting!"

[photo_guy]

Bored shooting paper?

Yes, once you have done the work to get basic sight picture, trigger control, etc. skills to the point where you are getting consistant, small groups it is time for something new.

I agree that IPSC/IDPA are good options. Lots of new skills to learn there. Learn to shoot faster, on the move, reloads, etc.

How about taking a class? There alots of very good firearms schools around the country that will teach you new skills that you may not have even known you could not do.

"Free your mind"

[Guy B. Meredith]

One weekend a month Range 4 or 5 at Chabot allows plinking at almost anything you are willing to clean up.

I once got bored with paper, but now am feeling almost compulsive about 'doing it perfectly'. I know I can do better because I can see the front sight going off and can call the shots. Eliminating the fluffs is a real challenge.

[carp killer]

So what should I do to curb this boredom, should I take up skeet or shoot rifles more often? Maybe just take a break and just go once a month?

Try "bump" firing an AK. With practice you can get pretty good. :evil:

[Jeeper]

I used to shoot targets a lot a few years ago and got real bored. I then started shooting handgun sihlouette and got bored with it. I then took up Uspsa and that has been my shooting for about 6 years. The differetn stages and competition is very energizing. You should try it.

[Cosmoline]

and then I got a rifle. That was about four years ago, and I haven't been bored since. Anytime it starts getting too easy, I move the target out another fifty yards and it's a whole lot less easy.

[Erik]

"Do you ever get bored with target shooting?"

Rather quickly, actually. But I labor on anyway, as it is a skill I desire to hone.

[Ala Dan]

Bored? Not one bit!:uhoh: :) :D

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[SquirrelNuts]

When I get bored with punching holes through paper, I change the target.

I put plastic Army men out at 100 yards and shoot them with the .22. I like to first neutralize the planes and helicoptors. They are very difficult to see with the naked eye, and most people think I am shooting at the dirt.

I also like to put out reactive targets. I buy dip sized cans of shredded beef jerky. They hop when you shoot them.

Old hard drives are fun too.

Cans of shaving cream are great too.

Televisions.

Old computers.

Kittens that you get from in front of the grocery store. It is more difficult to hit a moving target.

I saw one great idea on television. You buy an inexpensive remote control car. You tie a balloon to it, and someone drives the car. You try to hit the balloon. Another variation is you have a hostage and hostage taker balloon. You have to shoot the hostage taker on command, but not the hostage.

Just kidding about the kittens, btw.

-SquirrelNuts

[Andrew Wyatt]

go shooting somewhere that's not a range.


i find shooting in the desert (with a proper pbackstop and whatnot) is much more enjoyable.

[444]

It sounds to me like you have become bored with your shooting regimen because it isn't challenging. Growing up, I used to shoot at a lot of junk; cans, bottle, cans/bottles filled with water, fruit etc. but after awhile I realized that hitting them at standard distances was no challenge. I also went through the phase of rapid fire and then realized that shooting fast didn't matter if you wern't hitting anything. Since then, I primarily shoot at paper or cardboard targets. This allows you to actually see the results of your efforts. Very few people can shoot to the potential of their gun, so the challenge is always there. If you happen to be one of the rare few who gets to the point where you can consistently shoot to the potential of the gun, then you move the target further away. Another method to spice things up is to introduce a timer into your shooting. Hitting a target becomes much more difficult when you have to do it in a small amount of time. And again, since you will never be able to do it instantaniously, the challenge is always there to do it faster. For variety, you can also add a draw from concealment.
Then of course there is competition. I found that when I started competing, that my recreational shooting changed to reflect what I needed work on; which was revealed in a match. A lot of people who think they are pretty good are humbled when they have to perform under time constraints, under rule constraints, in front of an audience, where every shot counts.
Skunkabilly is on to one of my faviorite plinking targets; if you have some wide open space to do it in. I love to toss a ball out in the desert and start shooting at it. As you hit it, it rolls and bounces further away. The farther away it gets, the more challenge in hitting it. One of my shooting buddies and I compete as Skunk suggested. We throw out a ball and try to shoot it out from under the other guy's sights. As the ball gets out of sight, we walk forward and try to be the first one to see it again and put a hit on it. This usually results in some long range shooting. Most balls hold up for hundreds of shots, depending of course on what you are shooting it with. Rubber type balls will soak up a lot of lead. We often use golf balls; a guy I work with lives on a golf course and picks them up by the bucket full in his yard. Hitting a golf ball way out there with a handgun is a big thrill for me. Using my ARs it is also fun, and I think valuable practice. After zeroing, most people have a good idea where their rifle hits at let's say 100 yards, maybe 200 yards etc. But where does it hit at 10 feet ? What about 25 yards ? With a golf ball you have to have precision shot placement. If you have been satisfied with center of mass hits on a silhouette, you are in for an education.

[444]

Here are a few more, if you are interested in personal defense, IDPA, IPSC etc.
Put a silhouette target down range at let's say three yards. Draw and fire single shots COM against a timer. When you think you are getting pretty good, move back. You can always move the target back further and always get faster. Then do the same thing with the gun concealed. When you think you are pretty good at that, start on head shots only. When you master that, then start double tapping. When that becomes boring to you, then start on multiple targets. Go through the whole training script until you are making head shots at distance with blazing speed. Then you can add reloads. After that you can randomly place dummy rounds in the mag or cylinder and practice malfucntion drills at the same time. If that becomes mundane, then you can start shooting from behind barricades, on you stomach, on your back, one handed, weak handed, underwater, in the middle of a ski jump whatever.

The vast majority of this can be done with rifle, pistol, shotgun, revolver, mousegun, whatever.

Remember, if you are shooting tiny groups on the target, you are not shooting fast enough.

When you can do all that at world class speeds, then it will be time for you to go.

[Sheslinger]

When we get bored, Cslinger and I use one target and he has to hit the left side of the white area in the middle below the orange, and I have to hit the right side. We shoot 10 rounds at a time. If I hit his side, he gets those points, and vice versa. Since there are two vertical lines, if either one of us shoots between them, those shots do not count. Whoever gets more shots on their side, wins.

Same target, same range, but competition makes it a bit different plus the bragging rights you get for that week.

Sheslinger

[P95Carry]

Excellent idea there Sheslinger - I like it .. also suits my ''mean sob'' approach to target useage. :p

Must try it.

[Sheslinger]

Thank you, thank you. I am really just trying to make a senior member.

;)

Sheslinger