any experience with "justshootme" ballistic polymer targets?

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Just Shoot Me

I bought a couple of them. Frames and round hangers were smaller than I expected. They performed as advertised, the bullet hole just closed right up. Shot w/.45 Auto. However, the shaft portion between the steel rod and the disk, if shot square, will sever. The steel rods, too will bend if hit. The smaller size round targets are better for .22 rimfire in my opinion. The bigger plates work well w/centerfire calibers.

I plan to buy more, soon as I quit spending all my $$ on more guns :uhoh:
 
I've used a similar product, and my experience is similar. Yes, the polymer does work as advertised. However, the target will stop roting after you hit that metal bar - not only will the metal bar bend, but you'll also leave bullet fragments in between the polymer and the metal, which bind it up.
 
I see some of their targets say "all calibers". Are they sure they want you aiming a rifle at these things? I got a SKS and a Mosin that I would love to target with, out in the country, but don't want to get these things and put a hole in them the first time out.
 
I've a set of similar polymer targets, set up as falling rack plates on a steel base with steel protected hinges.

They don't always fall when shot and hollow points tear chunks out of them. When shot with centrefire round nose ammo I have no problems, they are pretty much self sealing.
 
They work pretty well, and if they weren't so expensive I'd probably buy more of them.

You can shoot them quite a lot, especially with .22, but as people have said, if you shoot the frame, it will break or if you hit up at the top, it will be unable to spin. I have broken at least two of them over the last year and a half.

I picked out a few .22 bullets that got stuck at the top against the metal, and was able to keep using the target, but they do get worn out. A hit on the frame with .223 will break cut the metal clean off of course. If you are unlucky and hit the thin part that hangs the little spinners down with a lot of .22, you will eventually break the target off.

Still, they are a lot of fun for my kids, way better than paper targets for immediate feedback, and a lot easier, and ultimately not any more expensive, than running up and putting clays on the berm. The cheap $20 one doesn't cost any more than the steel spinners, and lasts about as long under fire.

I just ordered the ball they sell. At $65, it's way way expensive, but we have a lot of fun shooting plastic bottles with .22's , and I want to try something to shoot with .223 that would react. I have been keeping my eyes open for some surplus plastic objects which might make good reactive targets, but so far haven't found anything which will stand up to rifle fire for long, and I don't want to leave plastic bits all over our nice clean range.
 
They work as advertised, but on hard desert ground, I got WAY to many ricochettes to keep using them.
 
I bought a couple of them. Frames and round hangers were smaller than I expected. They performed as advertised, the bullet hole just closed right up. Shot w/.45 Auto. However, the shaft portion between the steel rod and the disk, if shot square, will sever. The steel rods, too will bend if hit.
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Is the "shaft portion" between the sleeve (that slides over the horizontal rod on the frame) and the polymer target disc made out of metal or polymer?

How is that shaft connected to the sleeve? Welded?

How is the polymer target disc connect to the shaft?

The reason I ask is I'm just wondering how easy it would be to repair it when it gets damaged? Assuming a person had metal fab equipment.
 
I need to order a couple of these units and am trying to figure out which models would be best for our use. Our range does not allow steel "targets" and we can't really use the roll-around on the ground type reactive targets as the "target" really needs to stay in the shooting lane. I'm thinking these spinning polymer targets might be just the ticket for this application. We would be using handguns .22-.45 at about 25 yards or so.

From the website it looks like there are two general designs. One that has the polymer target disc connected directly to the sleeve that rotates about the horizontal bar on the target frame. And one that has some sort of shaft between the two, thus creating some distance between the polymer target disc and the sleeve/frame connection.

I've never actually used these before so would love some input from those who have. However, it strikes me that the design where the disc is connected directly to the sleeve would be more apt to actually "spin" when hit, as there is less lever arm to rotate over the top during the spin cycle.
On the other hand I would think this design would also be much more prone to being damaged in the sleeve/stand connection area, and thus more likely to be taken out of service.

The design with a shaft between the disc and the sleeve seems like it would more difficult to actually spin, but would last longer as there is some distance between the target disc and the critical sleeve/target stand connection.

Don't know if any of that made any sense or not... :)
 
I've a set of similar polymer targets, set up as falling rack plates on a steel base with steel protected hinges.
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Radagast,
Would you happen to have pictures of this set-up?

Thanks
 
My digital camera is on loan to a friend for the next week, if I remember this thread when I get it back, I 'll post some pics.
 
Expensive? I got one of their spinning targets from midwayusa for like $18. It had a stainless steel frame. They are rated up to 50 BMG as long as you don't hit the frame.
 
Ive used their swinging targets and they work great. Every so often you may have to stop and pull a couple of bullets fragments out so that they'll swing again but it's not that much of an inconvenience.

Also, these little buggers are tough I've shot or seen them shot with handguns up to .44 mag with no ill effects. However, in my experience they're just a magnet for small (#'s 6, 7, or 8) birdshot. If you hit it with this small shot it will penetrate just far enough for the polymer to fuse back over the pellets, making it almost impossible to remove them and leaving the swingers visibly scarred.
 
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