People don't like target shooting?
- Thread starter kazaam
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Shooting 1/2" groups all day offhand at 25 yds does get boring. Shooting paper does actually get tiresome, I intentionally miss once in a while to maintain interest.
I don't get bored with punching holes in paper, but I think that's because I very the sort of targets I'm using.
What gets old for me is packing everything up to go, not so much my range bag as it's mostly packed all the time, but targets, the rest if I'm going to use it, a cardboard backer, ammo, etc. Some day I'm going to have a range where I can shoot from my porch, and that issue will be sorted out permanently.
What gets old for me is packing everything up to go, not so much my range bag as it's mostly packed all the time, but targets, the rest if I'm going to use it, a cardboard backer, ammo, etc. Some day I'm going to have a range where I can shoot from my porch, and that issue will be sorted out permanently.
anothernewb
Member
I agree with the others. paper can get boring after a bit. Especially if you're hitting a wall on accuracy and get frustrated with the "almost" keepers. I also agree - an outdoor range makes all kinds of other possibilities happen. Built a series of steel gongs this year, and of course - there's always lots of golf balls available from the local course.
I've been shooting since the early 70s and enjoy it as much or more today. My indoor range is close by and at my age I appreciate not having to worry about heat or cold. The challenge is there every time I go to shoot that perfect group even if it is on a paper target. I still like to go outdoors every now and then to shoot tin cans or steel targets but thankful for the indoor range.
variety keeps things interesting. yesterday, the target was bowling pins at 100 yards. the other day, it was a paper target at 50 yards (testing some flying trashcans i cooked up for the 357). before that, it was clay pigeons at 45 yards (birds are supposed to last longer out farther).
yup, i like variety.
murf
yup, i like variety.
murf
Very early on I got tired of paper punching.
However I have never tired of shooting at my gong targets. I had a local welding shop make me a couple of targets with 12” discs ½” thick mild steel.
I found they are fun to shoot offhand with a pistol at 25 yards, but the only challenge at 25 yards is not missing. This is a 48 round group with a M1911 at 25 yards. However moving the target out to fifty yards it becomes a challenge to hit offhand, and when it becomes too much of a challenge, I cheat and move them back to 25 yards!. I love grading my own tests.
When there are too many shots on target I spray paint the hits.
These targets can be used at 100 yards with cast rifle bullets, such as I shot offhand with a M1841 Mississippi rifle converted to 58 caliber:
But I have found that cast bullets in centerfire rifle will hit hard enough to bust welds. Cast bullets in the 303 Brit did this:
Jacketed or FMJ centerfire rifle will drill holes in my gong targets, so they are used almost exclusively for pistol.
However I have never tired of shooting at my gong targets. I had a local welding shop make me a couple of targets with 12” discs ½” thick mild steel.
I found they are fun to shoot offhand with a pistol at 25 yards, but the only challenge at 25 yards is not missing. This is a 48 round group with a M1911 at 25 yards. However moving the target out to fifty yards it becomes a challenge to hit offhand, and when it becomes too much of a challenge, I cheat and move them back to 25 yards!. I love grading my own tests.
When there are too many shots on target I spray paint the hits.
These targets can be used at 100 yards with cast rifle bullets, such as I shot offhand with a M1841 Mississippi rifle converted to 58 caliber:
But I have found that cast bullets in centerfire rifle will hit hard enough to bust welds. Cast bullets in the 303 Brit did this:
Jacketed or FMJ centerfire rifle will drill holes in my gong targets, so they are used almost exclusively for pistol.
Yeah I hear this a lot from guys who always shoot at 10-15 feet. Get some shoot-n-see targets and shoot at the longest distance possible. I shoot 6 inch targets at 25 yards with a glock 17. There are ways to mix it up and make it fun. Shooting plain white targets is extremely boring to me. I find that the more I challenge myself, the more fun I have. Shoot-n-see targets are a must for me though cuz I cant see point of impact at 25 yards on a white target.
Some fun, safe variants of things to do at the range:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=587917
I find betting against a friend always makes shooting a little more exciting (Usually we bet a plate of home made cookies!)
BTW some new things I've started doing:
1) Playing h.o.r.s.e. with a friend. (Like basketball: Call a shot, if you make it and friend misses, friend gets a letter.)
2) Shooting "combat accuracy" rather than precision shooting (shoot just slow enough to get multiple shots in a larger sized target, then transition to another target and do it again.)
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=587917
I find betting against a friend always makes shooting a little more exciting (Usually we bet a plate of home made cookies!)
BTW some new things I've started doing:
1) Playing h.o.r.s.e. with a friend. (Like basketball: Call a shot, if you make it and friend misses, friend gets a letter.)
2) Shooting "combat accuracy" rather than precision shooting (shoot just slow enough to get multiple shots in a larger sized target, then transition to another target and do it again.)
I sometimes get tired of the paper scene, so I'll try the gongs @ 100 yards, then the gongs @ 200 yards, open sights on a rifle. When I get to hitting too regularly, I'll put up golf balls @ 100 yards on an old target frame, then shoot them with a scoped rifle, .223, this usually requires a little more attention, but never boring!
The range I was a member of went "All paper Only". We had dingers on the rifle range and the pistol range. The reason they went all paper was that some idiot with 4-H brought up a bunch of kids and set a metal dinger at 7 FEET and had them shooting it with a 22 rifle. Of course, being too close was a disaster waiting to happen. Thank goodness the injury that was sustained was from lead splatter and not a full hunk of slug coming back. So instead of banning that person / group, they banned ALL metal targets, rubber ball targets, any target other than paper. It didn't take long for me to burn out on the paper punching, and I left the membership.
RUT
Member
I'll get tired of paper targets when I can put all ten (twenty, fifty?) bullets through one hole on the paper.
I like to shoot at anything that i can.
I love to shoot plain round NRA bullseye targets. I love it so much I meet up with about 100 other guys every tuesday night and shoot at them. We even add up the scores on them.
I love to shoot plain round NRA bullseye targets. I love it so much I meet up with about 100 other guys every tuesday night and shoot at them. We even add up the scores on them.
There was a point in my life where I had the time and money to shoot a great deal. Like twice a week where I was averaging 100 rounds a range session. This went on for a few years before life got more busy. During that time, yes shooting at the same targets at the same range would get a bit boring. Things that helped included using different style targets and doing different drills. These days I get to the range only about once a month so I don't get bored with anything that I do.
Pete D.
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Without meaning any disrespect to anyone posting...what difference does a reactive target make? A piece paper, a clay pigeon, a jug of water ......one gets a hole, one breaks, one goes splashes. I just don't see the big difference.
It seems to me that there are two possibilities if you get bored. One is that you are so good that, whatever the distance or the gun, the bullets pretty much go through the same hole all of the time (you know the "I regularly break clay pigeons on the berm at 100 yards with my Beretta .25. Boring. Yawn.") or you don't care a whole lot about precision and mostly like the gun to go bang (and nothing wrong with that).
Pete
It seems to me that there are two possibilities if you get bored. One is that you are so good that, whatever the distance or the gun, the bullets pretty much go through the same hole all of the time (you know the "I regularly break clay pigeons on the berm at 100 yards with my Beretta .25. Boring. Yawn.") or you don't care a whole lot about precision and mostly like the gun to go bang (and nothing wrong with that).
Pete
peted,
i didn't know there was such a thing as an unreactive target (unless you miss, of course). maybe i just misunderstood you.
i put shooters in two categories: those that use a weapon as a tool, and those that use a weapon as a toy. i'm in the tool department.
ljnowell,
saw your bullseye post in the other thread. congratulations, a very fine score. bullseye competition is very demanding and difficult. frustrating at times, too.
murf
i didn't know there was such a thing as an unreactive target (unless you miss, of course). maybe i just misunderstood you.
i put shooters in two categories: those that use a weapon as a tool, and those that use a weapon as a toy. i'm in the tool department.
ljnowell,
saw your bullseye post in the other thread. congratulations, a very fine score. bullseye competition is very demanding and difficult. frustrating at times, too.
murf
Shooting paper is pretty boring to me unless im fiddling with loads. I never knew how much fun i could have shooting until i shot at steel swingers. Its great shooting at a 100m target and hearing the DING of a good hit.
bigtubby
Member
My buddy and I started "developing" a group of female shooters it is better to give than receive, well all most.
I think to many it gets to the point where they don't continue to improve on their shooting/accuracy. Many of these folks are quite possibly not using a proper technique, others just aren't doing other things to try and get better results. At this point it's redundant and boring. So long as you can continue to strive for better results and see them, the drive and interest remains. Trying different shooting styles and firearm styles helps keeping things fresh.
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