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Old December 12, 2004, 12:58 PM   #1
edgeofhell
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your favorite reactive target?

I must admit my friends and myself go through alot of pumpkins on sundays...........bricks are fun too

whats your favorite enemy?
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Old December 12, 2004, 03:38 PM   #2
yorec
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Bowling pins - they react fantastically and don't go fly out of sight quickly if set on a large pad without a fairly solid hit from a heavy caliber. They take a lot of punishment (many hits) and I have a good source for freebees.

But they're still a pain to set up each time. Sigh, can't have everything.
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Old December 12, 2004, 05:16 PM   #3
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Paintballs taped to the target face are fun, as are old Tootsie Pops
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My name is Steve, and I'm a Glockaholic.

The primary target is what we call the thoracic triangle. Shots to this area tend to make people FDGB (“fall down go boom”).
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Old December 12, 2004, 06:53 PM   #4
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A terrorist
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Old December 12, 2004, 07:29 PM   #5
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liberals, Ilike to hear em' squeal
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Not my quote but I agree completely.
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Old December 12, 2004, 07:45 PM   #6
mete
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I like big game hunting. For a 50' range ,put up animal crackers and use 22 pistols with iron sights. It's a fun challenge.
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Old December 12, 2004, 08:45 PM   #7
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A Real Person

A living, breathing , thinking, human being. I prefer to use simunitions, name your poison, airsoft, FX, whatever...Nothing better then going up against a real person, shooting REAL projectiles at you.

Thin The Herd
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Old December 12, 2004, 11:10 PM   #8
BillCA
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Golf Balls

Golf balls make excellent reactive targets.
Used to be a driving range near here and I asked them what they did with the recovered balls that were too badly damaged (usually with a "smile" cut into the ball). Instead of tossing them out I asked them to save me a bucket or two and I'd pay him $5 a bucket (about 40 balls).

Place these on top of berm, on top of posts or simply on the ground at about 10-15 yards. When hit, they tend to hop around. When hit squarely they tend to take off for about 200 yards!

Have any old or contaminated flour around the house? Pour that into some restaurant style portion cups and tape behind the X-Ring of your targets to get a "puff". This is especially good when practicing point-shooting.

Soda pop cans are a favorite too. Scoop about 3/4" of dirt into the bottom for stability and then add about 1/2 ounce of water. Let stand while you target shoot and after about 1 hour put them out standing up. Use these for point-shooting skills as well, with blank paper or reversed targets behind for correcting your point of aim if they're not on the ground.
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Old December 12, 2004, 11:27 PM   #9
Tuckersdad
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One of my favorites for the 12 guage riot gun are gallon milk jugs filled completely to the top with water and capped tightly. I turn my back and my son puts about six of them at different distances and at different heights (on the ground, fence posts, etc). After he is back in front of me and assures me the range is clear, I whirl and attempt to get all six, rapid fire. They explode fiercely when completely full. I use them to attempt to keep my skills up with the "home defense" shotgun.
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Old December 14, 2004, 04:20 AM   #10
Cowled_Wolfe
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I only do .22s at range (I'll have a centerfire one of these days!), and my .50 muzzle loader (inaccurate)... But these should be fun.

Old, inedible apples are nice, especially if you're in a forest where the animals will eat the remains.

Popcans fulla water are good. If you want the cans to pop a bit more, and you don't mind paying a bit... Use unopened cans. Wasteful, but fun.

Finally, if you're not up for walking, find a good, long, bendy stick (7 to 8 feet minimum), Prop it up into an arch, then hang popcans using some string. Use 1/4" of dirt in the bottoms to keep them in place. Don't bother with this in windy areas though.
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Old December 14, 2004, 09:33 AM   #11
edgeofhell
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great ideas gang!
keep em coming and thanks!
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Old December 14, 2004, 12:00 PM   #12
rolling thunder
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Soup cans or any similar cans filled with water. Also, some fella told me about some (I think I got it right) Tannerite(sp?). I'd like to try for fun. makes any target that much funner...
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Old December 14, 2004, 01:12 PM   #13
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I like old gas grill propane tanks. With all the new BS regulations (I don't know if it's just MA or federal), you can't get the older ones filled anymore. And, most scrap yards won't take them unless they are "perforated". Well, that's where I come in. I load up the back of my truck with them and go to the range. Usually distances from 100-200 yards for plinking with handguns and rifles (you need a rifle to punch holes in them at that distance). Every once in a while I would get one with a bad valve that somebody couldn't empty first. They dance around pretty well then.

After a day at the range, I just toss them into the metal dumpster and pick up another truckload the next time.

I keep one tied up between two trees on the riverbank behind the house, too. For handguns at around 30 yards, it's reactive in the sense that it's moving and you can hear it, but it just dents, no holes yet. It has to crack sometime soon though.
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Results of the 1998 Massachusetts gun laws:

It is important to keep in mind the ISP reports show that firearm related homicides decreased 56% from 1994 to 1998.

From 1998 to 2002, firearm related homicides increased 48%. During the same time, firearm related accidental deaths have increased 200%.

Will work for ammo.
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Old December 14, 2004, 02:00 PM   #14
Cowled_Wolfe
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Quote:
I keep one tied up between two trees on the riverbank behind the house, too. For handguns at around 30 yards, it's reactive in the sense that it's moving and you can hear it, but it just dents, no holes yet. It has to crack sometime soon though.
For some reason, I'm thinking "The propane tank that got away..."
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Old December 14, 2004, 03:16 PM   #15
Hawgleg44
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Ok, suspended between two trees. How does that sound?
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Results of the 1998 Massachusetts gun laws:

It is important to keep in mind the ISP reports show that firearm related homicides decreased 56% from 1994 to 1998.

From 1998 to 2002, firearm related homicides increased 48%. During the same time, firearm related accidental deaths have increased 200%.

Will work for ammo.
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Old December 14, 2004, 05:39 PM   #16
Smith66
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I like to use clay pidgeons, myself. They work pretty well for practicing point shooting, as well as longer distance (out to 30 yards) shooting. If you get a hit, you'll know it
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Old December 15, 2004, 01:06 AM   #17
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Quote:
Ok, suspended between two trees. How does that sound?
What if it grows legs? What if it cuts itself down? What if it retaliates...
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Old December 15, 2004, 01:33 AM   #18
durt_b1ker
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Anyone have some hints for securing a cheap supply of bowling pins?
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Old December 15, 2004, 01:37 AM   #19
Cowled_Wolfe
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I might?

I recall reading somewhere that bowling allys get rid of old, beat-up bowling pins by the crateload. Good luck hunting.
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Old December 15, 2004, 05:31 AM   #20
Chiram2003
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For Tannerite

Personally, I go for the Clay Pigeons at around 75yds with a .22LR. Bowling pins are fun at around 100yds against a red clay backstop...stand out very well. You can also get some 3/4" roundstock steel and build a frame (not inexpensive and requires welding skills) and weld 3/8" flatstock steel to the top and you get the "ding." Carry a couple of cans of spray paint and you can paint over where you shot. Ahh, fun at the range.
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Old December 15, 2004, 08:00 AM   #21
Hawgleg44
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Years ago, I worked at a welding shop and did a lot of structural steel. I would use the drops from the I-beams (some heavy for rifles, some lighter for handguns). I would cut some angle iron about 18-24" and use them for the base. I would just stand the angle iron up and angle it forward a few inches at the top, just so the back of it is just at the top of the angle iron base. That would push the bullets downward when they hit.

I would not recommend shooting at these targets any closer than 50 yards because, just like any steel target, handgun or weak rifle rounds, will ricochet.
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Results of the 1998 Massachusetts gun laws:

It is important to keep in mind the ISP reports show that firearm related homicides decreased 56% from 1994 to 1998.

From 1998 to 2002, firearm related homicides increased 48%. During the same time, firearm related accidental deaths have increased 200%.

Will work for ammo.
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Old December 15, 2004, 06:56 PM   #22
shaggy
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Tannerite. You'll definitely know when you've scored a hit...unless you're so deaf you wouldn't notice something like a stick of dynamite going off downrange. Seriously, if you like big booms, try some tannerite, but do it from a safe distance and follow the directions. Its powerful stuff and can be very dangerous if you're not careful. I made the mistake of setting a charge much too close to a bowling pin and the blast sent the pin flying about 70 yards.

Helium balloons. Get a cheap tank of helium, some balloons, and some string from a party supply store. Fill the balloons, tie one end of the string to the balloon and the other to a rock or piece of wood. On a good windy day you'll have nice bobbing reactive targets.
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Old December 16, 2004, 06:54 AM   #23
smalltownguy
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reactive target

empty 12 guage shotgun hulls stood on end. great for .22lr.
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Old December 16, 2004, 09:59 AM   #24
VirgilCaine
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SSSSHHHHHHH, here's a cool trick for yer friends.

take couple of buffered asprin tablets and put them in the freezer for a few hours. make an excuse to go back into the house and grab them.

tell yer unsuspecting shootin' pals that you'll toss up an asprin and break it with one shot from yer .22 pistol or whatever.

touch it to yer yer tongue fer "good luck" (you must do this) and toss it in the air and shoot.

the concussion of the muzzle will bust the asprin!

very funny!

you can also light a "strike anywhere" match with a .22 at about 15yds with practice. the trick is to first wipe any lube off of the .22 round, and you must have something behind the match, such as a shoot-n-see to reference yer shot. place a round just over the match and it will light.

another is to place an old axe out at 15-20yds, blade toward you. then place a clay target on both sides of the axe about 4 inches back and tight against the axe head . take a .22 and place the pin/crosshairs right between the clays. you will split the bullet and bust the two clays.

i must have too much time on my hands!
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Old December 16, 2004, 10:56 AM   #25
bill k
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I use an 8" round 3" thick piece of steel hung from a stand I made. We set this out 5 to 600 yards which is the limit at our range. You shoot, then a second or so later your here the clang.
Spry paint all your hits prior to each trip to the range. Then you'll be able to see how good of a long range shooter you really are.
I've had a couple of friends hit it every shot. The vast majority of so called shooters brag about how great of a long range shooter they are. They always end up being o-fer as many shots as they tried or possibly have one hit.
As the great Stone Shooter once said,"If there's lead in the air, there's hope".

Last edited by bill k; December 16, 2004 at 11:25 PM.
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