Need a good target

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True Grit

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I'm sick and tired of paper targets. Whats a good, safe, and reusable torso style target? Something for multi caliber .22 and up. I'm not to crazy about steel but I'm open to consideration.
 
My son welded me up a steel plate with a couple of rings on the back. I just hang it up with a bungee cord. The rings are near the top so it always has a slight downward cant to deflect slugs into the ground.

I like it. I like getting that "ring" on each hit for feedback. It's flat and so just lays in the trunk until I want to use it.
 
I like bouncing around the jumbo sized cans like juice or baked beans come in. Roughly 6" x 8" and my target moves automatically if I hit it. At pistol ranges, soup cans do nicely. :) Fun for plinking and training yourself to reaquire a target quickly.

My son welded me up a steel plate with a couple of rings on the back.
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Something like that is your best bet. You just missed an ar500 steel plate target group buy with some great deals.


http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=576470&goto=newpost

Keep in touch with the seller...it may happen again.
 
The only thing I have against metal targets is I don't know how well a five or ten shot group is grouping. I like to see where exactly each shot went.
 
The only thing I have against metal targets is I don't know how well a five or ten shot group is grouping. I like to see where exactly each shot went.
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That's why it is good to have both. Paper is great for seeing your groups, but nothing beats steel when you want instant feedback when running drills. Just get the steel plate sized accordingly to what you want your group sizes to be if you are running defensive drills.
 
If you want groups, shoot paper. If you want to run drills, shoot steel.

You don't need a full torso-sized sized plate. Mine is about 10 inches wide x 14 inches tall. I think of it as a center-of-mass target.
 
I like to shoot at 12 gauge hulls with .22 pistols. stand em up, space em out and plink away! it's a great way to spend hours for just a few dollars
 
You paint that steel white you will see where every round hit. Paint between groupings you dont need paper. Nothing like the ringing gong sound when you hit steel:D and the lack sound when you miss:banghead:
 
I paint my steel with orange ground striping paint it goes on real thick and the impact makes a gray lead splotch that's easier to see
 
Do you have access to a dirt cliff for a backstop? I do and I buy cheap cans of spray paint at the dollar store and spray 3" - 5" spots on the dirt. There is no question when you center one as they dissappear. There is nothing to haul in and haul out except a paint can and it is good for about 100 target spots.
 
Grease or paint will allow you to see your groups on a steel target - have seen several folks with a steel silhouette mounted on a steel upright that fits into a tire with steel rim........works great, is portable and can be transported in the trunk of a small car
 
Steel targets are safe if they're angled slightly toward the ground and you're far enough away.

At my range the steel pistol knockdown plates are to shot from 15 yards minimum due to splash back. For rifle shooting I'd recommend expanding bullets that will splash or at least partially fragment on the target. Even .22 to .30 cal non-AP FMJ's should break up on a heavy enough piece of steel. I've hit the 300 yard "gong" on the rifle range with 75 gr Hornady HPBT's from a .223 and can see the dirt kick up under it. The same thing happens with larger caliber hunting bullets too.
 
How safe are steel targets?
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Pretty safe. That's not to say you won't get hit by "splash back" once in a while. Eye protection is a must.

I shoot a lot of steel targets. Several times a week I shoot hundreds of rounds, timed fire, mostly 22LR, at 4-7 yards (backyard range).
Also shoot the steel targets with 38, 45 and 9mm from about 7 to 25 yards.
I've been using most of this steel for twenty years or more.
Backyardrange1010.gif

I have other steel targets that I shoot out to 52 yards with handguns and 22 rifles.

This is a nice shape for a "man" size target.
ThompsonNS3.gif

This 2x2 foot steel plate is a nice size for small handguns at 50 yards.
52yards38Smith2-1.gif
 
I found these last night.

http://www.newboldtargets.com/

Does anyone have any experience shooting these with 9mm and 223? Seems they sale to several ranges so I'm thinking somebody on here has shot one at some point. I'm just wondering if 9mm or 223 are moving too fast to make them be reactive in the 6" versions. The website recommends 3" or smaller for 223...but 3" is really small for reaction and moving drills.
 
How safe are steel targets?
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Steel targets are perfectly safe to use if you observe a few basic safety rules.

1.) Always wear eye protection. (You do this already, right?)
2.) Don't shoot steel targets closer than about 30 feet for handgun.
3.) Don't shoot steel targets closer than 125 yards for centerfire rifle.
4.) Keep the target in good repair. If the surface is exceptionally pockmarked, cracked, or the target is starting to have a bowl-like shape, replace it.
5.) Angling the steel so that it is facing slightly downward will help to ensure that the splatter is sent into the ground.
 
When I was a kid my step dad introduced me to shooting with a red ryder and a bucket of army men like this
plastic-army-men-742187.jpg


I would set them up all over the yard making entrenchments, invite friends over and set up different "forts" and shoot each others army men.

If I had my own range I would revisit this but if you have kids it makes for a good time.
 
The only thing I have against metal targets is I don't know how well a five or ten shot group is grouping. I like to see where exactly each shot went.
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That's why I keep a couple cans of black and white paint handy.:)

Even with my old eyes I can see the hits on the steel targets in the white or the black, until there's 10-15 hits on the target. Then it's time for a quick spray job.
RugerLC952yardtarget.gif
 
If you have an old car or truck laying around the body panels make great targets. I had a ton of fun ventilating my parts truck after I pulled the engine, drivetrain, and fuel tanks. Old appliances are fun too. The enamel flakes out real big around the bullet hole so you can tell where you hit from quite a ways. Also, the extra weight from all that lead is as good as cash when you finally go scrap them.
 
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