Silhouette targets at long ranges. (100+ yds)

capflyboy05 · May 28, 2011, 08:33 PM

I hope this doesnt scare anybody too much.
I have a Mosin Nagant M91/30 and bought a couple silhouette targets.
Does anybody find it wrong to shoot silhouette targets at greater distances?
I just like to challenge myself and see what the snipers guys had to aim at.
And to see how I possibly matched up to a Soviet sniper.
I'm not doing it to cause harm to other people, or any other sick twisted game.
I feel like I could get judged quite a bit by doing this.
I just wanted some opinions.
What do you all think?

Old Grump · May 29, 2011, 11:35 AM

Why would it scare anybody, I shoot at regular silhouette targets at 100-150-200 yards with my 1911A1 45cal pistol, 357 Dan Wesson Revolver and S&W M41 22 pistol. Any closer than 100 yards seems kind of silly to me.

With my rifles I shoot the reduced silhouette targets. Practice is practice and if it upsets the ninnies that is their problem, not yours.

capflyboy05 · May 29, 2011, 12:08 PM

Thats how I feel.
Thanks.

Rifleman1776 · May 29, 2011, 03:31 PM

Why do you even mention it?
If it is safe and legal, go for it.

chadstrickland · May 30, 2011, 12:08 PM

Oh my..that's just..so wrong I mean come on..your just sick and twisted for shooting at human shaped targets...:barf:.....hahahaha just kidding..go for it bud I do it all the time..not with a nagat but with whatever I have at the time..just fun and idk maybe I hang around to mnay cops and military guys but its just something fun to do..we kinda play a competitive game with them..and you almost always learn something new when you go shooting..atleast I do

BrittB · May 30, 2011, 12:52 PM

It's only wrong if you have an actual human holding it for you. That could be an issue!

Old Grump · May 30, 2011, 02:23 PM

Quote:

It's only wrong if you have an actual human holding it for you. That could be an issue!

It's only wrong if the target holder is not an anti-gun-knee jerk-PC liberal.

Oh oh, is my bias showing?

capflyboy05 · May 30, 2011, 03:40 PM

Hahahaha, I should have my libertarian liberal govt teacher hold it. :P :P :P
She's beyond terrible.

Apparently (according to her) ALL guns are bad.
But then she goes on telling us we have the right to overthrow our govt.

I then proceeded to ask her how we would do such a thing without guns.

(Dirty look.......................... then silence.....................) hahahaha

seansean1444 · May 30, 2011, 03:54 PM

hahahaha gotta love people like that:barf:

theplague42 · May 30, 2011, 11:17 PM

Hmm now I'm oddly tempted to print out some silhouettes for my trip to the range tomorrow. I doubt many snipers use a .22 anyways!

capflyboy05 · May 30, 2011, 11:57 PM

Lol, I took mine to the range today.
I enjoyed it.
If I had to chose a weapon for close sniping.
Honestly, it would be a .22.
Light, quiet, and lethal with a good shot. :P

theplague42 · May 31, 2011, 12:05 AM

And cheap. Very cheap.

Also, it's not lethal if your target's wearing a helmet. Just sayin'. Actually, a friend of mine who used to work in the ER once saw a guy who accidentally shot himself IN THE HEAD with a .22 and was sent not to trauma or ICU but to a regular hospital room. The round had apparently flattened against his skull and the doc literally nudged it and it fell out. Some people lol...

How large were your silhouettes and what range? I'll probably print out letter-sized (8.5x11) ones for 100 yards.

spacecoast · May 31, 2011, 10:42 AM

I was at a Jacksonville area range with a friend this weekend and had a good number of my beautiful near-life-sized 11x17 (x 2 sheets) silhouette targets with me... and... no human form targets of any kind allowed.

I wish I would have asked them why, but it was my first (and likely only) time there. Is there a belief that somehow shooting silhouette targets makes a shooter more likely to want to shoot humans? I don't get it.

theplague42 · May 31, 2011, 01:03 PM

Oh it makes perfect sense. Just like how an inanimate object causes people to randomly become murderers.

Yet military and police use silhouette targets almost exclusively....
[/sarcasm]

That being said, I heavily respect M&P people and always do my best to support them. But it's silly to assume they are somehow less like to be murderers than the rest of us.

End of self-righteousness tangent.

Unfortunately my printer only fits letter-sized, not legal, and I doubt it'd be kosher to print out human silhouette targets at the local Kinko's... Ideas?

**Brian Pfleuger** · May 31, 2011, 01:28 PM

I don't agree with the fears but they are not at all uncommon. I was briefly a member of an indoor range that would terminate memberships INSTANTLY if you were caught using ANY type of target resembling a human form. Didn't matter if it was a miniature silhouette or Bin Ladens face. It was Insta-Ban.

I see no particular advantage to using silhouette targets for the vast majority of shooters. A similar sized piece if cardboard would be no less useful.

On the other hand, I also see no reason why someone shouldn't use them if they want to.

Skadoosh · May 31, 2011, 02:11 PM

So what was the reasoning given that was behind banning members for using a shilloette target?

aarondhgraham · May 31, 2011, 02:24 PM

Just another example of how a political correctness interferes with legitimate activities.

It's not rational and therefore has no real explanation.

Aarond

**Brian Pfleuger** · May 31, 2011, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skadoosh

So what was the reasoning given that was behind banning members for using a shilloette target?

In my case, the only reason ever given, implied actually not "given", was that the club was originally created for rimfire and airgun matches and lanes for high(er) power centerfire rounds were only added (much) later at the request of newer members. As such, practice for SD scenarios was not and is not the purpose of the club. It's not so much that they were necessarily directly opposed to it, though I got the impression that the club president who conducted my membership class was, but that they simply wish to serve a relatively singular purpose.

Frankly, I think there are those in the club who believe it's "wrong" to practice on human-like targets and there are those who don't want the "and he practiced regularly at...) type of publicity in the event of a defensive, or even criminal, shooting. Between the two opinions, they have no trouble controlling the rules.

In some ways I can understand the second concern. There was some negative attention given to the range where the shooter practiced who committed the shooting at the Civic/Immigration Center in Binghamton.

spacecoast · May 31, 2011, 03:28 PM

Quote:

I see no particular advantage to using silhouette targets for the vast majority of shooters

Peetza -

I wouldn't call it an "advantage", but the silhouette (and animal) targets are definitely more interesting for many if not most shooters, and for SD practice I wouldn't completely discount the value of shooting a target COM, or seeing for oneself how hard it is to make consistent head shots, especially rapid fire. Those concepts come across better on more realistic targets.

I've also been to ranges where just about "anything" was allowed for targets (like huge picture posters of vicious muggers holding knives to the throats of their helpless female victims), and I don't care much for those, but I think it's more fun for kids and adults alike to vary targets and target forms, just like it's more fun to play various shooting games with reactive targets.

**Brian Pfleuger** · May 31, 2011, 04:23 PM

I see the utility, I just dispute the necessity. A rectangular piece of cardboard is no less effective. A paper plate stapled to the cardboard makes a fine "head".

I see why, I dispute necessity, I believe in freedom.

May 28, 2011, 08:33 PM	#1
capflyboy05 Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 114	Silhouette targets at long ranges. (100+ yds) I hope this doesnt scare anybody too much. I have a Mosin Nagant M91/30 and bought a couple silhouette targets. Does anybody find it wrong to shoot silhouette targets at greater distances? I just like to challenge myself and see what the snipers guys had to aim at. And to see how I possibly matched up to a Soviet sniper. I'm not doing it to cause harm to other people, or any other sick twisted game. I feel like I could get judged quite a bit by doing this. I just wanted some opinions. What do you all think? __________________ "The only people who should feel threatened by armed citizens are tyrants and criminals."

May 29, 2011, 11:35 AM	#2
Old Grump Senior Member Join Date: April 9, 2009 Location: Blue River Wisconsin, in a little hut in the woods Posts: 3,127	Why would it scare anybody, I shoot at regular silhouette targets at 100-150-200 yards with my 1911A1 45cal pistol, 357 Dan Wesson Revolver and S&W M41 22 pistol. Any closer than 100 yards seems kind of silly to me. With my rifles I shoot the reduced silhouette targets. Practice is practice and if it upsets the ninnies that is their problem, not yours. __________________ Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern will, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters. --Daniel Webster--

May 29, 2011, 12:08 PM	#3
capflyboy05 Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 114	Thats how I feel. Thanks. __________________ "The only people who should feel threatened by armed citizens are tyrants and criminals."

May 30, 2011, 12:08 PM	#5
chadstrickland Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2011 Location: alabama Posts: 535	Oh my..that's just..so wrong I mean come on..your just sick and twisted for shooting at human shaped targets...:barf:.....hahahaha just kidding..go for it bud I do it all the time..not with a nagat but with whatever I have at the time..just fun and idk maybe I hang around to mnay cops and military guys but its just something fun to do..we kinda play a competitive game with them..and you almost always learn something new when you go shooting..atleast I do __________________ Two weapons that was designed by the same man still in use by the us military 100 years later...1911 and m2...is there anything that comes close.....lol annd maybe perhaps a sig sauer p226 tac ops edition..

May 30, 2011, 03:40 PM	#8
capflyboy05 Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 114	Hahahaha, I should have my libertarian liberal govt teacher hold it. :P :P :P She's beyond terrible. Apparently (according to her) ALL guns are bad. But then she goes on telling us we have the right to overthrow our govt. I then proceeded to ask her how we would do such a thing without guns. (Dirty look.......................... then silence.....................) hahahaha __________________ "The only people who should feel threatened by armed citizens are tyrants and criminals."

May 29, 2011, 03:31 PM	#4
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 2,839	Why do you even mention it? If it is safe and legal, go for it.

May 30, 2011, 12:52 PM	#6
BrittB Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2011 Location: Oregon Posts: 551	It's only wrong if you have an actual human holding it for you. That could be an issue!

May 30, 2011, 03:54 PM	#9
seansean1444 Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2010 Location: ithaca, new york (home of the ithaca shotguns!) Posts: 371	hahahaha gotta love people like that:barf:

May 30, 2011, 11:17 PM	#10
theplague42 Member Join Date: May 15, 2011 Posts: 40	Hmm now I'm oddly tempted to print out some silhouettes for my trip to the range tomorrow. I doubt many snipers use a .22 anyways! __________________ War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. -John Stuart Mill

May 30, 2011, 11:57 PM	#11
capflyboy05 Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 114	Lol, I took mine to the range today. I enjoyed it. If I had to chose a weapon for close sniping. Honestly, it would be a .22. Light, quiet, and lethal with a good shot. :P __________________ "The only people who should feel threatened by armed citizens are tyrants and criminals."

May 31, 2011, 12:05 AM	#12
theplague42 Member Join Date: May 15, 2011 Posts: 40	And cheap. Very cheap. Also, it's not lethal if your target's wearing a helmet. Just sayin'. Actually, a friend of mine who used to work in the ER once saw a guy who accidentally shot himself IN THE HEAD with a .22 and was sent not to trauma or ICU but to a regular hospital room. The round had apparently flattened against his skull and the doc literally nudged it and it fell out. Some people lol... How large were your silhouettes and what range? I'll probably print out letter-sized (8.5x11) ones for 100 yards. __________________ War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. -John Stuart Mill

May 31, 2011, 10:42 AM	#13
spacecoast Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2009 Location: Sunshine and Keystone States Posts: 3,405	I was at a Jacksonville area range with a friend this weekend and had a good number of my beautiful near-life-sized 11x17 (x 2 sheets) silhouette targets with me... and... no human form targets of any kind allowed. I wish I would have asked them why, but it was my first (and likely only) time there. Is there a belief that somehow shooting silhouette targets makes a shooter more likely to want to shoot humans? I don't get it. __________________ My guns include S&W and Colt revolvers, Colt and Ruger pistols, Remington 870 shotgun, Henry and Marlin .22LR rifles, Hi-Point 9mm carbine and Lancaster Arms AK. I reload handgun rounds with a Lee hand press, over 18K rounds since Nov. 2009 with nary a squib nor kaboom. Last edited by spacecoast; May 31, 2011 at 10:49 AM.

May 31, 2011, 01:03 PM	#14
theplague42 Member Join Date: May 15, 2011 Posts: 40	Oh it makes perfect sense. Just like how an inanimate object causes people to randomly become murderers. Yet military and police use silhouette targets almost exclusively.... [/sarcasm] That being said, I heavily respect M&P people and always do my best to support them. But it's silly to assume they are somehow less like to be murderers than the rest of us. End of self-righteousness tangent. Unfortunately my printer only fits letter-sized, not legal, and I doubt it'd be kosher to print out human silhouette targets at the local Kinko's... Ideas? __________________ War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. -John Stuart Mill

May 31, 2011, 01:28 PM	#15
Brian Pfleuger Staff Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Central, Southern NY, USA Posts: 14,515	I don't agree with the fears but they are not at all uncommon. I was briefly a member of an indoor range that would terminate memberships INSTANTLY if you were caught using ANY type of target resembling a human form. Didn't matter if it was a miniature silhouette or Bin Ladens face. It was Insta-Ban. I see no particular advantage to using silhouette targets for the vast majority of shooters. A similar sized piece if cardboard would be no less useful. On the other hand, I also see no reason why someone shouldn't use them if they want to.

May 31, 2011, 02:11 PM	#16
Skadoosh Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,631	So what was the reasoning given that was behind banning members for using a shilloette target? __________________ NRA Life Member (2003) USN Retired

May 31, 2011, 02:24 PM	#17
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 6,358	Political correctness gone rampant,,, Just another example of how a political correctness interferes with legitimate activities. It's not rational and therefore has no real explanation. Aarond __________________ Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Combat: "A Silent Cry" Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

May 31, 2011, 04:23 PM	#20
Brian Pfleuger Staff Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Central, Southern NY, USA Posts: 14,515	I see the utility, I just dispute the necessity. A rectangular piece of cardboard is no less effective. A paper plate stapled to the cardboard makes a fine "head". I see why, I dispute necessity, I believe in freedom.