# Making target practice fun?



## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

Whats a way to make target practice a little more fun? Basically what are fun targets to shoot with shotgun or rifles?


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I saw mikevanwilder shoot one of these...

https://www.tannerite.com/

it was awesome!


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Computer monitors, TV's, old refridgerators, or whatever else people leave out in the desert. :shock: 

Just joking! I normally prefer live critters, but will sometimes shoot paper targets or the occasional plastic bottle filled with water.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Pop cans filled with water are always good. My boys love shooting happy meal toys.


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## REPETER (Oct 3, 2007)

Bax* said:


> I saw mikevanwilder shoot one of these...
> 
> https://www.tannerite.com/
> 
> it was awesome!


Those look sweet!!! Wonder how they explode when shot with an arrow like Rambo :lol:


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

REPETER said:


> Bax* said:
> 
> 
> > I saw mikevanwilder shoot one of these...
> ...


They say the minimum bullet and speed are 40 gr going 2000 fps. So I don't think a arrow will work. But they sure are fun!


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## Gee LeDouche (Sep 21, 2007)

pill bottles.. Cheap little plastic pill bottles will bounce around for a hundred shots if your just shooting 22's. golf balls I hear are good. eggs are fun with a shotgun, as long as theres not any wind to blow the snot back on ya. if your trying to shoot for distance with a rifle, those cheapo CD's (like AOL gives away) are fantastic from 400+ yards if you flip them so the shiney side is facing you. they are very easy to see, easy to see if you hit and best of all they are reasonably easy to clean up after you break them. just some ideas.  


The Gee


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Good old blaze orange clay pigeons. Throw 'em, hang'em from bushes, lean 'em against the hill, you name it, kids will find a way to use them for targets. They provide that satisfying "breakage" that paper targets lack and the bonus is that they are bio-degradable!


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## Yonni (Sep 7, 2007)

-Milk jugs filled with water
-Tannerite is a personal favorite, very loud, fun as heck to shoot
-expired soda cans/bottles they explode more than just filled with water, something about carbonation
-expired food storage

that's my list of fun


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

Shake up an unopened soda can and then place a spent pistol cartrige on the top with the extraction ridge situated under the pop tab on the soda can. Now shoot the spent cartrige. When it tips over it will release the pop tab and spray soda all over the place. 

P.S. I hope everyone is picking up their glass, plastic etc. that they are blowing up.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Bears Butt said:


> Shake up an unopened soda can and then place a spent pistol cartrige on the top with the extraction ridge situated under the pop tab on the soda can. Now shoot the spent cartrige. When it tips over it will release the pop tab and spray soda all over the place.
> 
> *P.S. I hope everyone is picking up their glass, plastic etc. that they are blowing up*.


Cans of soda are a lot of fun! I also enjoy shooting expired canned goods.

I'll admit that in the past that I wasnt very good about picking up my targets and bringing them home, but Chaser was a good influence on me and now I make it a point to bring back everything that I can. I also like to line up shot shell hulls and pick them off with my .22. Its good practice to aim at small targets with open sights IMO

Some time ago, Chaser and I took a friend out shooting and we asked him to make sure and pick up his hulls after shooting and he agreed to do so. Later on he admitted that he just threw them in bushes when we werent looking. I was pretty disappointed by that mentality. Especially since the area we were in was pretty clean and didnt have much sign of hunters from the past


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

I don't mean to steal this thread, but it wasn't long ago a guy could go into almost any gravel pit along the front and shoot. Now there aren't any that allow it, mostly because of the trash the people left. It's a real shame. There is one still available out West of Tremonton, but it won't be long and it will be shut down for the same reason. My buddy has picked up several pickup trucks of junk out there and the last time we went out there was another truck load of tv, monitors, couches and assorted other trash.

OK, back to the subject!


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## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

mikevanwilder said:


> REPETER said:
> 
> 
> > Bax* said:
> ...


7.62x39 and any pistol cartrige have trouble setting it off, but .223, 22-250, 30/06, .300 win mag, etc works great. The stuff is expensive, but is a lot of fun. If you get some try putting it in a watermelon or pumpkin, turns out pretty cool. Just make sure you don't try to blow anything up that is going to throw shrapnel at you (including small rocks laying around it on the ground).


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

+1 on the milk jugs and 2 liter bottles full of water. I like to add a twist though, and throw in some food coloring so you can call your target more easily. Not much fun with a rimfire, but larger centerfire rifles out to 100 yards and further will blow the whole thing up.

Like Bax said, shooting spent shotgun hulls with a 22 is fun. They make a zing noise when you shoot the brass. Just set them out standing up and pick them off one by one.

Clay pigeons are good targets for longer range shooting for just about any gun. A few companies make smaller clay discs that you can set inside a holder and shoot. 

Pretty much anything that gives some instant gratification, knowing the target was hit immediately is more fun than punching holes in paper. This is what makes sporting clays, skeet, and trap so enjoyable for so many people.


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## stimmie78 (Dec 8, 2007)

Not that they are around anymore... but 35mm film cans filled with flour.. nice "puff" when you hit.


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## campfire (Sep 9, 2007)

Another way to make target practice more fun is to change up the "style" of shooting. Instead of just trying to hit "the can" make it the object to move the can a few feet past a given mark. the first one to get their can over the mark "wins". This adds an element of speed and also hitting a part of the can (in order to create maximum movement)rather than just "the Can". Another thing to do is to stop at the grocery store on the way shooting and buy some fruit or vegetables to shoot at like heads of cabbage, melons, apples, etc. These all react well to being shot and also give a good idea and appreciation for the power of a firearm round.They are also very biodegradable. Clay targets are also fun to shoot at not only thrown for a shotgun but stationary for rifles or handguns. They are also biodegradable.


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## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

campfire said:


> ...These all react well to being shot...


Not too often you find that :wink:


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## Frisco Pete (Sep 22, 2007)

For a change in pistol targets I am trying something different besides my usual 8" round steel plates or the other targets mentioned above.

I recently went to the Dillon Precision store in Scottsdale AZ. In a weak moment I bought some Newbold self-sealing hanging polymer targets. They are a reactive target that eliminates ricochets and splatter like I got from my steel plates. They are also lighter to pack around!
You do need to either make up a frame to hang them from, or string something like a cable, or rope or pole between two trees to get the Hang-Tuff version to swing. The Hang-Tuff version would work great at the Bountiful Lions pistol range, where steel is _verboten_ and there is a nice cable to hang the targets on at 25 yards. 
They also make an L-Series auto-reset type that look like they attach to a wood board base of some type.

One thing I found out after buying mine is that lead roundnose or FMJ (Ball) ammo is best because they do the least damage and allow more hits before the target is done in.
They say: "_An 8" Dia. L-Series™Round Target will take over 1,000 random hits with .45 caliber roundnose (FMJ) bullets or several thousand hits with .22s._" Flat-nose bullets cookie-cuts the targets and ruin them more rapidly. Some of my favorite calibers reloaded with SWC or FN bullets may have to get a practice bullet change to RN for these Newbolds targets.

I'll have to report back and let you know how they work out.










When it comes to rifle ammo they say:
"_With rifle ammo (e.g., .223 and .308 Cal.) there is little or no target movement on our larger targets and little or no damage to the target. .223s for example leave a hole so small it is sometimes hard to see at all. With high velocity rifle ammo (1,250 fps and faster) use our smallest 2", 3" and 4" round targets for maximum target movement._"

For beginners and fun plinking the FAQs say:
"What type of targets would you suggest for beginning shooters?" 
A: In several high-use shooting ranges, the 6" HangTuff™ targets have been used very successfully to replace messy clay pigeons and time-consuming air-filled balloons (for .22 and .38 shoots). If you operate a range for kid shoots, you know how difficult it can be to keep a steady supply of clay pigeons, balloons and even paper targets set up on your range. With these Newbold targets, you set them up once in the morning and they take the hits all day long. It gives beginners lots of action, with immediate results and easily holds and keeps their interest. 8" HangTuffs™ are larger and easier-to-hit, but they'll see more action with the 6" Dia. HangTuffs. Orange and yellow are the most popular colors.

Besides Dillon, they can be bought directly online from Newbold. The sight lists all the sizes, shapes, types, and colors, plus a very good FAQ section:
http://www.newboldtargets.com/shooting-range-pages/shooting-range-targets.htm


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## flyfisher117 (Jun 29, 2009)

:shock: since when is target practice not fun?!!?!?!?

but i like shooting milkjugs frozen and non frozen. phone books. moms pots and pans 8) . old apliances i got from a garage sale for a few bucks. then i saw a you tube video of a couple of guys shooting a lawnmower as it was driving around. that looked fun. oh and this isnt super safe but its pretty cool. you know the little propane canister that the small camp stoves use? when you get an empty one or one with just a little bit of gas left sit it out 75 yards or so and shoot it. it doesnt explode it just zooms around like a rocket

EDIT: oh but if you shoot apliances put a tarp down and shoot them ontop of it.


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## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

flyfisher117 said:


> :you know the little propane canister that the small camp stoves use? when you get an empty one or one with just a little bit of gas left sit it out 75 yards or so and shoot it. it doesnt explode it just zooms around like a rocket.


I may be wrong, but isn't it a federal offense when you do not use those canisters "as directed?" _(O)_

Not saying I haven't done it :O•-: , but you might want to be careful when posting things like that


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## flyfisher117 (Jun 29, 2009)

UtahHuntingDirect said:


> flyfisher117 said:
> 
> 
> > :you know the little propane canister that the small camp stoves use? when you get an empty one or one with just a little bit of gas left sit it out 75 yards or so and shoot it. it doesnt explode it just zooms around like a rocket.
> ...


uhh idk ive never shot any. i just watched some guy doing it one day made me laugh when one shot back at him


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

Some of the things I like to do with pistols is set up two of those shoot and see targets and get a buddy and see who gets the best scores from 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 yards. We usually will bet lunch or a beverage or something like that. It can get compitive but alot of fun. I also try to make little obsticle courses and differnet sceniros to spice it up abit.


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## ACHY (Oct 18, 2007)

I've heard of people spreading a little sugar water on their paper targets to attract flies, then shooting the flies. Never tried it myself--I'll need to work on my accuracy before I could hit anything like that.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

ACHY said:


> I've heard of people spreading a little sugar water on their paper targets to attract flies, then shooting the flies. Never tried it myself--I'll need to work on my accuracy before I could hit anything like that.


I was at the Lee Kay center two weeks ago and a guy told me to watch his target and he shot a fly! Nice little splatter lines around the bullet hole. I thought that was pretty entertaining


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