Air Gun Plinking

[GUN BOY]

I was just wondering what some fun recommended plinking targets are for an air rifle. Currently I have just been shooting clay targets but surely there are some more fun targets.

 

[RevolvingGarbage]

Cans of water are always fun. With a decently powerful air rifle you get a nice little explosion.

 

[chevyforlife21]

why in the hell would you wanna shoot an airgun ive hated airguns since i shot my first .22

 

[GUN BOY]

why in the hell would you wanna shoot an airgun ive hated airguns since i shot my first .22

Because here in Australia ammo is really overpriced and because air rifles don't use gunpowder and are small they are cheap. They are also near silent and have a really small amount of kick. That's why

 

[cowmeateater]

best targets i ever shot were cans filled with water, rotten fruit, glass bottles full of water.

 

[GUN BOY]

I heard somewhere that ice can be fun because you don't have to clean it up, which makes it easy to deal with but I haven't heard anything about what happens when you shoot it.

 

[GUN BOY]

Regarding rotten fruit.
I was wondering if something hollow inside like capsicums would be better than something more solid like a potato?

 

[chevyforlife21]

no offense to that gun boy i always forget that Australia is like that. personally my favorite part about guns is the loudness and kick thats why 12gauge has always been my favorite.

 

[GUN BOY]

none taken chevyforlife. I agree with you about the noise but I live in an area with a few neighbours and if you know anything about the typical Australian view of firearms the less noise the better.

 

[chevyforlife21]

yes if neighbors are nearby that that might pose a problem haha.

 

[Isher]

You want a real challenge, try

Wingshooting dragonflies with a highgrade bb gun.

My dad turned me on to that one, with not

So high grade bb gun.

It makes skeet shooting look like

3 yards off of a bench rest.

isher

 

[JohnKSa]

why in the hell would you wanna shoot an airgun ive hated airguns since i shot my first .22

• Fun to shoot
• Good practice for firearms
• Very inexpensive ammunition
• Can safely and legally shoot them almost anywhere including in the house.
• Can be shot upwards for pest control or other purposes as long as there is nothing closer than around 400 yards downrange unlike firearms (other than shotguns) which need well over a mile of downrange clearance to be safely shot upwards.
• They're quiet enough that the neighbors won't have a heart attack and/or call the police when you shoot one in the back yard.
• A well-made airgun offers the same pride of ownership and same enjoyable service as a well-made firearm though for different applications.

I've loved airguns ever since I saw and shot my first one. Same with firearms.

 

[Maverick223]

You want a real challenge, try Wingshooting dragonflies with a highgrade bb gun.

When I was younger, I used my Daisy to "wingshoot" bumblebees. I got my start shooting the power line with my BB gun and worked my way all the way into the garage (about 30yds), which taught me how to judge the trajectory, but soon became bored after it wasn't a challenge, and turned to "swatting" bumblebees. In doing so I became very proficient with leading the quarry. The use of a simple BB gun served to teach me nearly all of the principles of handling firearms and practical shooting and hunting. They are quite useful as a teaching aid and are still fun to plink with. That said, I still prefer a nice boomer...the bigger the better.

 

[RoostRider]

Balloons make great responsive targets (for firearms or air rifles).... they also move across a field in a light breeze... (tie them to something in wind)

 

[rangerruck]

use the nra smallbore targets; the dot at 10 yds, is smaller than your pellet.
plus the pellet moves much slower down the tube, than a rilfe bullet does.
THIS MORE THAN ANYTHING, will teach you all you will ever want to know, about breath control, trigger control, and follow through after the shot, and make you a much better rifle/pistol shooter.

 

[GUN BOY]

When I was in about Grade 3 (9 years old) we studied Ancient Egypt and part of this involved making our own life size sarcophagus out of butchers paper. We drew on them in pencils then stuffed them with scrunched up newspaper. Well as soon as I got home I asked my dad if we could shoot at it with the air rifle and that weekend it was absolutely riddled with holes. Then we burnt it.
Some of the best fun I ever had

 

[GUN BOY]

I found this image of a bowling pin attached to a spring welded onto a bolt with an end grinded into a spike shape. You stick the spike in the ground then shoot at the bowling pin to make it swing around. Personally I'd put a longer spring on it so it moves more when it's hit. I would post an image but I'm not sure how…
Obviously this not suitable for an air rifle because it'd barely make the thing move. Any ideas for what could be placed a smaller spring?

 

[CajunBass]

If you ask me. It's pretty hard to beat a peach can.



Cheap. Readily available. Reactive. Changes sizes in grass. Makes a really satisfying "plink" when hit. Lasts for a LONG time.

 

[Kernel]

I usually shoot aluminum beverage cans supported off the ground on a short stick inserted into the mouth and placed a various distances. They make a nice little "ting" sound and jump a bit when you hit them, giving some feedback.

In the past few years I probably shoot and plink with my Webley Eclipse more than any arm I own.

 

[Speedo66]

I also shoot alum. cans, but hanging w/string (isn't that what the poptops are for? ) from a branch, so they can blow around if there's any wind.

Visual and audio confirmation of a hit.

 

[rangerruck]

shotgun shells; used stapled to a board, with the brass part sticking up, over the top of the board. Hit the brass part.
shotgun shells; NEW. hit the primer as the brass end faces you.

 

[BHP FAN]

from where I sit typing this [with one finger] I can see four air rifles,and I'm pretty sure I have three or four working air pistols as well.The broken air pistols [two] are relegated to being ''holster stuffers''. Keeps the gun leather from flattening out .

 

[Uncle Mike]

shotgun shells; NEW. hit the primer as the brass end faces you.

UNLOADED SHELLS ONLY. DO NOT SHOOT AT THE PRIMERS OF LOADED AMMO! NO....BAD...DON"T!

Loaded ammo will explode sending its payload and its casing in EVERY direction...including in your direction.

...use your imagination, the beauty of an air rifle is the fact you can pretty much shoot anywhere at pretty much anything, within reason.

I wouldn't shoot anything that might get you tossed in the jailhouse such as someone else property...reminds me of a stunt we boys pulled...but we go into that now!

CAUTION RICOCHET HAZARD Please protect your, and anyone else NEAR you, eyes.

Reactive targets are the, dare I say it, funnest! Things that go 'ping' when hit or explode.

We used to make mudballs of different shapes and sizes and shoot them at varying distances...cheap; and I know you have dirt and water over there.
This was also a way we checked out the killing potential of our pellets, as you can claim most of the expanded pellets from the bigger mudballs and examine them.

Hard BB's bounce off of everything, so be careful.

Mom would buy the 'cheap' soda from time to time, we would sneak a few out, shake them up real good and...it makes for a big show.

Please be careful!

 

[7X57chilmau]

I used some threaded rod to make a little stand with 4 horizontal branches. I bent the handles of some teaspoons and table spoons into loops to fit over the branches. Placed at 30 yds, the teaspoons are a real challenge. My RWS/Diana M34 in .177 will spin the tablespoon about 4 revolutions with a solid hit. Choose heavy weight spoons so they'll survive, though.

Teaspoons are squirrel head size. 'nuff said.

J

 

[ckkphoto]

When I was little I would build model cars and airplanes...after the glue got old and falling apart I would "shoot the planes down" VERY FUN at 15.

My brother and I used to shot a golf ball across our grassless back yard. First one to get the ball to the other end one...mind we had no one for miles in the direction we were shooting. But it made both of us very good at offhand shooting.