Reactive Targets

NightSight · July 14, 2009, 04:55 PM

How many people use reactive targets as a part of their training?? Is the extra hassel (lugging steel targets, resetting, etc) worth it??

On a related note:

Has anyone made a home made pepper popper?? Any auto-setting ones??

What about other home made reactive targets??

SW1911CT · July 14, 2009, 09:43 PM

I had a welding shop make me a set of 7 plates that fall backwards when shot. They're a lot like what you see in steel challenge shoots. But the whole thing is heavy and I leave it on the range.

Slopemeno · July 14, 2009, 10:39 PM

Pepper Poppers are a ton of fun. Yes, lugging them around is a problem, but if you join/make a league there's your labor pool.

Ian0351 · July 14, 2009, 11:01 PM

I save up beer bottles, fill up jugs with water, and occasionally buy one of those large blocks of ice and throw wadcutters at it 'til its gone. I especially like the last because clean-up is nonexistent. I really like the instant gratification of shooting stuff as opposed to paper...
I am thinking about getting one of those spinner targets that has a 1" cup with a .25 cal hole, but I haven't been shooting my .22 much lately as the ejector is broken and pulling the shells by hand is a PITA.

Bottom Gun · July 16, 2009, 06:19 AM

Quote:

I save up beer bottles

How do you clean up all the broken glass afterward?

WeedWacker · July 16, 2009, 07:54 AM

My personal favorite and what I originally learned to shoot at is the ole' soda or tin can. For a larger target I like the metal coffee cans. Makes a nice ping and a .22 short on the coffee can, if hit at the right angle, will spin around the inside of the can. And I just finished a whole case the other day so I know what I'm gonna be doing come Sunday

ZeSpectre · July 16, 2009, 08:07 AM

Somebody posted a plan for "reactive zombie targets" a little while ago.
Here's a link to the article.

Basically he hot-glued red paintballs to stickers and then stuck the stickers on the zombie target head at the range. When shot, you got a big pink splatter.

I tried it myself...fun!

Ian0351 · July 16, 2009, 09:13 AM

Quote:

How do you clean up all the broken glass afterward?

I bring out an old poncho that doesn't quite keep out all the rain anymore and set up a cardboard box on the center and the bottles on the box. Broken glass stays mostly on the poncho and gets thrown out once I get home.

Bottom Gun · July 16, 2009, 09:25 AM

Quote:

I bring out an old poncho that doesn't quite keep out all the rain anymore and set up a cardboard box on the center and the bottles on the box. Broken glass stays mostly on the poncho and gets thrown out once I get home.

I'm glad to hear you clean up after yourself like that. There are entirely too many irresponsible shooters who do not and they create a bad image for the responsible shooters by leaving behind a terrible mess. I have seen areas closed to shooting for that reason.

Ian0351 · July 16, 2009, 10:00 AM

I shoot on public land, and most of my fellow shooters are not so considerate. Every time I go I have to wade through a sea of shotgun hulls and surplus brass... it's a gruesome sight and a hell of an ecological impact even considering the site is a former gravel pit. I am worried that it will be closed down by the DNR soon and I will have to begin paying to join the private range. Thusly, I always try to leave it better than when I got there, and take out at least as much brass and hulls as I fire (since it's not always so easy to find your own hulls in a sea of similar super-range red hulls). Now if I learned to reload those bad-boys...

ZeSpectre · July 16, 2009, 10:11 AM

Range Cleanup Tip

Large plastic tarps are pretty cheap these days. I lay out a 20x30 one and stake it down with tent spikes so it stays in place and roughly 80% of my brass stays on the tarp unless I move around a lot.

If you have a "range cleanup crew" it also works well to give everyone a "gopher/reacher" and lay a big tarp out in the middle. Just throw everything on the tarp and then you pick it up and hold it so that everything will slide right into trashbags neat and easy!

Jmarshall · July 16, 2009, 10:16 AM

Quote:

I shoot on public land, and most of my fellow shooters are not so considerate. Every time I go I have to wade through a sea of shotgun hulls and surplus brass...

Brass can be sold at $.80/lb a gallon bucket filled with old cassings weighs approx. 125lbs. =) I love shooters that dont clean up, they pay for me to shoot more!

ZeSpectre · July 16, 2009, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Brass can be sold at $.80/lb a gallon bucket filled with old cassings weighs approx. 125lbs. =) I love shooters that dont clean up, they pay for me to shoot more!

Not to mention the personal value of good reloadable brass.

Glenn E. Meyer · July 16, 2009, 04:47 PM

I love to shoot at reactive targets at matches and there can be very clever ones.

The most fun and useful for training are:

http://www.dvctargets.com/

You have to hit these just right to get them to fall. Some can be set for failure to stop drills and need something like a Mozambique to go down.

We used them at the Polite Society and something similar at the NTI. If you take your shot and they are still there - OOPS.

Brian Pfleuger · July 16, 2009, 05:35 PM

I prefer woodchucks, really.

If they "react", you missed. They're sort of the opposite of a steel target.

NightSight · July 16, 2009, 07:01 PM

Awesome link Glenn!!

Double Naught Spy · July 16, 2009, 10:50 PM

My choice of a reactive target. I needed something that didn't require a power source or resetting after being hit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6pKmbOXu60
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9NylptF1G0
http://www.vholdr.com/node/1397

Tucker 1371 · July 16, 2009, 11:32 PM

Not sure how it happened but I was out plinking in the backyard the other day with my 5.45 AK and every now and then one of the cans would get tossed up about 12ft in the air... I kinda thought I might have hit the dirt just in front of the can and caused the bullet to roll into them... not sure but it looked really cool and put a big smile on my face every time (like this

).

One time when I was probably 8 to 10 or so my grandpaw bought some exploding targets for me to shoot with my .22 chipmunk... those were a lot of fun until one failed to explode, didn't quite know what to do with it so we chucked it in the lake and decided not to buy anymore.

We also had one of those metal resetting .22 targets like this one. It was fun too until my little brother decided to take a whack at it with his .243 ... SP round blew a nice big hole right through one of the steel plates (about .25" thick too). He knows better now, we still use it now but I skip the plate he shot because half the time I try for it I think I'm shooting thru the hole

oldppc · July 26, 2009, 09:34 PM

Years ago, when I was still teaching Hunter Safety, we used Necco wafer candies as targets for the BB gun sighting practice. Some of the kids could hit them in the air when thrown. My partner could hit them too; I was not that good. But I learned that teaching kids to shoot on targets that provide instant feedback was an excellent way to train and maintain their complete interest.

July 14, 2009, 04:55 PM	#1
NightSight Member Join Date: July 6, 2009 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 74	Reactive Targets How many people use reactive targets as a part of their training?? Is the extra hassel (lugging steel targets, resetting, etc) worth it?? On a related note: Has anyone made a home made pepper popper?? Any auto-setting ones?? What about other home made reactive targets??

July 14, 2009, 09:43 PM	#2
SW1911CT Member Join Date: January 3, 2009 Location: Raleigh Posts: 90	I had a welding shop make me a set of 7 plates that fall backwards when shot. They're a lot like what you see in steel challenge shoots. But the whole thing is heavy and I leave it on the range. Last edited by SW1911CT; July 14, 2009 at 09:44 PM. Reason: .

July 14, 2009, 11:01 PM	#4
Ian0351 Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2009 Location: Washington Posts: 414	I save up beer bottles, fill up jugs with water, and occasionally buy one of those large blocks of ice and throw wadcutters at it 'til its gone. I especially like the last because clean-up is nonexistent. I really like the instant gratification of shooting stuff as opposed to paper... I am thinking about getting one of those spinner targets that has a 1" cup with a .25 cal hole, but I haven't been shooting my .22 much lately as the ejector is broken and pulling the shells by hand is a PITA. __________________ You can have your churches, I'll keep my guns. Just keep your hands off my paycheck and your eyes out of my backyard. Join the Libertarian Party! http://www.lp.org Semper Fidelis

July 16, 2009, 07:54 AM	#6
WeedWacker Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2006 Location: Body: Clarkston, Washington. Soul: LaCrosse, Wisconsin Posts: 1,591	My personal favorite and what I originally learned to shoot at is the ole' soda or tin can. For a larger target I like the metal coffee cans. Makes a nice ping and a .22 short on the coffee can, if hit at the right angle, will spin around the inside of the can. And I just finished a whole case the other day so I know what I'm gonna be doing come Sunday __________________ - Jon Disequilibrium facilitates accommodation. 9mm vs .45 ACP? The answer is .429

July 16, 2009, 08:07 AM	#7
ZeSpectre Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2007 Location: Shenandoah Valley Posts: 3,276	Somebody posted a plan for "reactive zombie targets" a little while ago. Here's a link to the article. Basically he hot-glued red paintballs to stickers and then stuck the stickers on the zombie target head at the range. When shot, you got a big pink splatter. I tried it myself...fun! __________________ "The dogs may bark but the caravan moves on"

July 14, 2009, 10:39 PM	#3
Slopemeno Senior Member Join Date: January 19, 2007 Posts: 2,663	Pepper Poppers are a ton of fun. Yes, lugging them around is a problem, but if you join/make a league there's your labor pool.

July 16, 2009, 10:00 AM	#10
Ian0351 Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2009 Location: Washington Posts: 414	Bottom Gun: I shoot on public land, and most of my fellow shooters are not so considerate. Every time I go I have to wade through a sea of shotgun hulls and surplus brass... it's a gruesome sight and a hell of an ecological impact even considering the site is a former gravel pit. I am worried that it will be closed down by the DNR soon and I will have to begin paying to join the private range. Thusly, I always try to leave it better than when I got there, and take out at least as much brass and hulls as I fire (since it's not always so easy to find your own hulls in a sea of similar super-range red hulls). Now if I learned to reload those bad-boys... __________________ You can have your churches, I'll keep my guns. Just keep your hands off my paycheck and your eyes out of my backyard. Join the Libertarian Party! http://www.lp.org Semper Fidelis

July 16, 2009, 10:11 AM	#11
ZeSpectre Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2007 Location: Shenandoah Valley Posts: 3,276	Range Cleanup Tip Large plastic tarps are pretty cheap these days. I lay out a 20x30 one and stake it down with tent spikes so it stays in place and roughly 80% of my brass stays on the tarp unless I move around a lot. If you have a "range cleanup crew" it also works well to give everyone a "gopher/reacher" and lay a big tarp out in the middle. Just throw everything on the tarp and then you pick it up and hold it so that everything will slide right into trashbags neat and easy! __________________ "The dogs may bark but the caravan moves on"

July 16, 2009, 04:47 PM	#14
Glenn E. Meyer Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2000 Posts: 20,064	I love to shoot at reactive targets at matches and there can be very clever ones. The most fun and useful for training are: http://www.dvctargets.com/ You have to hit these just right to get them to fall. Some can be set for failure to stop drills and need something like a Mozambique to go down. We used them at the Polite Society and something similar at the NTI. If you take your shot and they are still there - OOPS. __________________ NRA, TSRA, IDPA, NTI, Polite Soc. - Aux Armes, Citoyens

July 16, 2009, 05:35 PM	#15
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	I prefer woodchucks, really. If they "react", you missed. They're sort of the opposite of a steel target. __________________ Nobody plans to screw up their lives... ...they just don't plan not to. -Andy Stanley

July 16, 2009, 07:01 PM	#16
NightSight Member Join Date: July 6, 2009 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 74	Awesome link Glenn!! __________________ "Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July; democrats believe every day is April 15." -Ronald Reagan Last edited by NightSight; July 16, 2009 at 07:30 PM.

July 16, 2009, 10:50 PM	#17
Double Naught Spy Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2001 Location: Forestburg, Montague Cnty, TX Posts: 12,717	My choice of a reactive target. I needed something that didn't require a power source or resetting after being hit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6pKmbOXu60 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9NylptF1G0 http://www.vholdr.com/node/1397 __________________ "If you look through your scope and see your shoe, aim higher." -- said to me by my 11 year old daughter before going out for hogs 8/13/2011 My Hunting Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

July 16, 2009, 11:32 PM	#18
Tucker 1371 Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2008 Location: East TN Posts: 2,649	Not sure how it happened but I was out plinking in the backyard the other day with my 5.45 AK and every now and then one of the cans would get tossed up about 12ft in the air... I kinda thought I might have hit the dirt just in front of the can and caused the bullet to roll into them... not sure but it looked really cool and put a big smile on my face every time (like this ). One time when I was probably 8 to 10 or so my grandpaw bought some exploding targets for me to shoot with my .22 chipmunk... those were a lot of fun until one failed to explode, didn't quite know what to do with it so we chucked it in the lake and decided not to buy anymore. We also had one of those metal resetting .22 targets like this one. It was fun too until my little brother decided to take a whack at it with his .243 ... SP round blew a nice big hole right through one of the steel plates (about .25" thick too). He knows better now, we still use it now but I skip the plate he shot because half the time I try for it I think I'm shooting thru the hole __________________ Sgt. of Marines, 5th Award Expert Rifle, 237/250 Expert Pistol, 382/400. D Co, 4th CEB, Engineers UP!! If you start a thread, be active in it. Don't leave us hanging. OEF 2011 Sangin, Afg. Molon Labe Last edited by Tucker 1371; July 16, 2009 at 11:41 PM.

July 26, 2009, 09:34 PM	#19
oldppc Junior Member Join Date: July 26, 2009 Location: Sierra Foothills Posts: 2	Years ago, when I was still teaching Hunter Safety, we used Necco wafer candies as targets for the BB gun sighting practice. Some of the kids could hit them in the air when thrown. My partner could hit them too; I was not that good. But I learned that teaching kids to shoot on targets that provide instant feedback was an excellent way to train and maintain their complete interest. __________________ http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/n.../XR100Oops.jpg Don't Over-think it ... When you have four of the five touching that close to center at 100 yards, just rely on the scope and don't see if you can "nudge" the next shot into the precise center. It just ruins an otherwise very nice group.