Anyone here find shooting at paper targets boring?

Machineguntony · June 29, 2013, 09:20 AM

So yesterday a friend and I went shooting on another friends farm.

We brought out some of his NFA machine guns and a 50 bmg.

It's so much more fun when you can see stuff being destroyed or blown up.

We shot up a number of water filled milk jugs, water balloons, old watermelons, a half eaten cantelope, a half eaten roasted chicken dangling by its drumstick, some corn cobbs, an old cabinet drawer, an old TV, a broken iPad, some old cell phones, one old phone books (which nicely retained some mushroomed bullets), a big block of thickly made gelatin, a normal and unshaken coca cola two liter (awesome results), a well shaken two liter bottle of coca cola (warning, be far away), and a very old kitchen sink.

Dixie Gunsmithing · June 29, 2013, 09:21 AM

I had access to a color plotter, and some of the images we printed to shoot at, I wouldn't want to say on here, but we were trying to put a hole in a hole.

Lt. Skrumpledonk Ret · June 29, 2013, 11:02 AM

Pumpkins filled with water. A hand-size chunk went twirling 30' in a nice arch

dahermit · June 29, 2013, 11:02 AM

Steel targets that tip over, swing, fall, etc., are always more interesting/fun than paper targets. They also make less mess and damage to the environment than many of the traditional (bottles, etc.) plinking targets of years gone by.

Closing The Gap · June 29, 2013, 11:07 AM

Yep extremely boring. But our current location makes anything else a non starter. I cannot wait until we are back in the desert...

Dashunde · June 29, 2013, 11:31 AM

Very boring... to the point I wont waste ammo on it except for ccw practice on a paper plate.

Although I have been kicking around getting a nice .17hmr for pure accuracy "excitement"

Machineguntony · June 29, 2013, 11:47 AM

Now that you mention it, the steel plinking targets are very fun. The sound of ding ding ding is very satisfying.

TheNatureBoy · June 30, 2013, 06:36 AM

I shoot paper targets when I'm load developing and steel when I'm shooting for fun with friends.

8MM Mauser · June 30, 2013, 08:23 AM

Paper is fun for me to start the day of shooting. I usually shoot for accuracy through a couple mags and then begin plinking on bottles/cans and/or steel and I train for speed when I do that. That said, shooting "stuff" is more fun but I always feel guilty if I don't put some groups up first. I guess I just need to know how precise I am.

Hunter Customs · June 30, 2013, 08:24 AM

Yes, that's why I chose action pistol events like pin matches and steel matches to compete in over bullseye matches.

The only time I shoot paper be it handgun or rifle is to test new loads and the accuracy potential of the gun itself.

Out in Western Colorado there was a rifle match put on by the local volunteer fire department where they shot at dynamite place on a mountain at various unknown yardages
I always thought that would be a hoot to shoot but I never did make it out there.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com

Ted D · June 30, 2013, 09:23 AM

Ya paper is boring.Here in Dayton,Oh. theres no place to shoot the fun stuff.I don't have access to private land.

Jim Watson · June 30, 2013, 01:07 PM

I shoot at paper targets supplied by IDPA and NRA.
The guy with the timer and scorecard prevents boredom.
Well, I do shoot at steel, too, but they are still regulation targets and score is kept.

I remember when breaking and blowing up stuff was getting dull. If I had not been introduced to competitive shooting with those boring old paper targets, I would probably be playing golf by now.

UtopiaTexasG19 · June 30, 2013, 01:16 PM

I just change the face printed on the targets and it gets interesting all over again. In all honesty I shoot for extreme accuracy so dumping mags or lots of rounds at one time does nothing for me. Now, hitting a gallon jug at 500 yards gets me excited.

Uncle Buck · June 30, 2013, 02:20 PM

We do paper and steel targets and I just got three bowling pins.

I used to shoot other stuff, bottles, glass and things like that but I got tired of being the one to have to clean up after everyone else left. That is another reason I do not go to public ranges, because of the mess people leave behind.

I remember one guy saying he put all his "smashable/breakable" targets on a tarp and then just rolls it up and dumps the stuff. I might try that sometime in the future.

JerryM · June 30, 2013, 02:29 PM

No.
Jerry

dakota.potts · June 30, 2013, 04:02 PM

I like it because I can see exactly where my bullets are going. I'm still in the new stages of learning though. I did have some fun shooting some sporting clays that were laying on the backstop of the range at 50 yards.

jimbob86 · June 30, 2013, 04:29 PM

Boring?

No. But it is not as fun as shooting targets that explode (milk jugs full of water with a high powered rifle are my favorite) or fall over (steel plates and bowling pins).

huntinaz · June 30, 2013, 04:41 PM

I shoot paper with rifles mostly just for load workup and zeroing. Then I move to fun targets.

Revolvers, I don't really care to shoot at paper.

I shoot more paper than anything with semi-auto handguns though.

thallub · June 30, 2013, 06:26 PM

Yep, i sometimes tire of shooting at paper. To make the boredom go away i go out and shoot some wild hogs.

ChasingWhitetail91 · June 30, 2013, 06:33 PM

I like frozen or thawed jugs of water when I shoot. I put food coloring in them sometimes but its as fun without it. A couple friends have brought their kids out with balloons full of liquid or confetti and said they had a blast.

MattShlock · June 30, 2013, 07:05 PM

No. I actually keep score and challenge myself to improve if not actually "beat" others...

kutz · June 30, 2013, 07:38 PM

I shoot BE, love the challenge, but I bought some falling plates (6) and a duleing tree 3/3 just for fun. Paper plates are fun too.

Alabama Shooter · June 30, 2013, 08:04 PM

We just hosted a shooting party last week. All the non paper targets were bought at Dollar general for under $20 total. After confirming zero on paper the targets included:

- Three bags of plastic pirates (think army man size). The red ones were enemy the black ones were friendly.
- Several larger dinosaurs about 6" high
- Couple of decks of cards for the poker games
- Big bag of balloons inflated
- Large bag of lollipops
- Several space ships
- Sponge Bob

While most of the shooters were under 16 a couple of the older folk got into the act. A good time was had by all.

Dashunde · June 30, 2013, 10:09 PM

Shooting a poker game? How does this work?

Rifleman1776 · July 1, 2013, 08:09 AM

It is the competition and challenge that is fun.
Just blasting a lot of ammo at stuff that blows up might be fun also but it isn't as challenging and proves nothing about your shooting skills.
That said, I always enjoy matches using novelty targets.

June 29, 2013, 09:20 AM	#1
Machineguntony Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2013 Posts: 1,277	Anyone here find shooting at paper targets boring? So yesterday a friend and I went shooting on another friends farm. We brought out some of his NFA machine guns and a 50 bmg. It's so much more fun when you can see stuff being destroyed or blown up. We shot up a number of water filled milk jugs, water balloons, old watermelons, a half eaten cantelope, a half eaten roasted chicken dangling by its drumstick, some corn cobbs, an old cabinet drawer, an old TV, a broken iPad, some old cell phones, one old phone books (which nicely retained some mushroomed bullets), a big block of thickly made gelatin, a normal and unshaken coca cola two liter (awesome results), a well shaken two liter bottle of coca cola (warning, be far away), and a very old kitchen sink.

June 29, 2013, 11:07 AM	#5
Closing The Gap Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2013 Location: Las Vegas Nevada Posts: 258	Yep extremely boring. But our current location makes anything else a non starter. I cannot wait until we are back in the desert... __________________ Half the country hates my business, the other half my hobby.

June 30, 2013, 09:23 AM	#11
Ted D Member Join Date: January 27, 2013 Location: Dayton.Ohio Posts: 76	Ya paper is boring.Here in Dayton,Oh. theres no place to shoot the fun stuff.I don't have access to private land. __________________ LIFE MEMBER OF THE NRA.GREENHORN RELOADER

June 30, 2013, 02:20 PM	#14
Uncle Buck Senior Member Join Date: June 21, 2009 Location: West Central Missouri Posts: 2,592	We do paper and steel targets and I just got three bowling pins. I used to shoot other stuff, bottles, glass and things like that but I got tired of being the one to have to clean up after everyone else left. That is another reason I do not go to public ranges, because of the mess people leave behind. I remember one guy saying he put all his "smashable/breakable" targets on a tarp and then just rolls it up and dumps the stuff. I might try that sometime in the future. __________________ Inside Every Bright Idea Is The 50% Probability Of A Disaster Waiting To Happen.

June 30, 2013, 02:29 PM	#15
JerryM Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 1999 Location: New Mexico Posts: 1,889	No. Jerry __________________ Ecclesiastes 12:13 ¶Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

June 29, 2013, 09:21 AM	#2
Dixie Gunsmithing Moderator Emeritus Join Date: April 27, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,923	I had access to a color plotter, and some of the images we printed to shoot at, I wouldn't want to say on here, but we were trying to put a hole in a hole.

June 29, 2013, 11:02 AM	#3
Lt. Skrumpledonk Ret Senior Member Join Date: May 30, 2012 Location: Oh, Jesus. Posts: 226	Pumpkins filled with water. A hand-size chunk went twirling 30' in a nice arch

June 29, 2013, 11:02 AM	#4
dahermit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Location: South Central Michigan...near Posts: 6,501	Steel targets that tip over, swing, fall, etc., are always more interesting/fun than paper targets. They also make less mess and damage to the environment than many of the traditional (bottles, etc.) plinking targets of years gone by.

June 29, 2013, 11:31 AM	#6
Dashunde Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2004 Posts: 2,018	Very boring... to the point I wont waste ammo on it except for ccw practice on a paper plate. Although I have been kicking around getting a nice .17hmr for pure accuracy "excitement"

June 29, 2013, 11:47 AM	#7
Machineguntony Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2013 Posts: 1,277	Now that you mention it, the steel plinking targets are very fun. The sound of ding ding ding is very satisfying.

June 30, 2013, 06:36 AM	#8
TheNatureBoy Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2007 Posts: 1,204	I shoot paper targets when I'm load developing and steel when I'm shooting for fun with friends.

June 30, 2013, 08:23 AM	#9
8MM Mauser Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2011 Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan Posts: 647	Paper is fun for me to start the day of shooting. I usually shoot for accuracy through a couple mags and then begin plinking on bottles/cans and/or steel and I train for speed when I do that. That said, shooting "stuff" is more fun but I always feel guilty if I don't put some groups up first. I guess I just need to know how precise I am.

June 30, 2013, 08:24 AM	#10
Hunter Customs Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2005 Location: Osborn, Missouri Posts: 2,697	Yes, that's why I chose action pistol events like pin matches and steel matches to compete in over bullseye matches. The only time I shoot paper be it handgun or rifle is to test new loads and the accuracy potential of the gun itself. Out in Western Colorado there was a rifle match put on by the local volunteer fire department where they shot at dynamite place on a mountain at various unknown yardages I always thought that would be a hoot to shoot but I never did make it out there. Best Regards Bob Hunter www.huntercustoms.com

June 30, 2013, 01:07 PM	#12
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,541	I shoot at paper targets supplied by IDPA and NRA. The guy with the timer and scorecard prevents boredom. Well, I do shoot at steel, too, but they are still regulation targets and score is kept. I remember when breaking and blowing up stuff was getting dull. If I had not been introduced to competitive shooting with those boring old paper targets, I would probably be playing golf by now.

June 30, 2013, 01:16 PM	#13
UtopiaTexasG19 Senior Member Join Date: July 3, 2011 Location: S.E. Texas Gulf Coast Posts: 743	I just change the face printed on the targets and it gets interesting all over again. In all honesty I shoot for extreme accuracy so dumping mags or lots of rounds at one time does nothing for me. Now, hitting a gallon jug at 500 yards gets me excited.

June 30, 2013, 04:02 PM	#16
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	I like it because I can see exactly where my bullets are going. I'm still in the new stages of learning though. I did have some fun shooting some sporting clays that were laying on the backstop of the range at 50 yards.

June 30, 2013, 04:29 PM	#17
jimbob86 Junior member Join Date: October 4, 2007 Location: All the way to NEBRASKA Posts: 8,722	Boring? No. But it is not as fun as shooting targets that explode (milk jugs full of water with a high powered rifle are my favorite) or fall over (steel plates and bowling pins).

June 30, 2013, 04:41 PM	#18
huntinaz Senior Member Join Date: September 21, 2010 Location: az Posts: 1,332	I shoot paper with rifles mostly just for load workup and zeroing. Then I move to fun targets. Revolvers, I don't really care to shoot at paper. I shoot more paper than anything with semi-auto handguns though. __________________ "When there’s lead in the air, there’s hope in the heart”- Hunter’s Proverb "Feed me, or feed me to something. I just want to be part of the food chain." -Al Bundy

June 30, 2013, 06:26 PM	#19
thallub Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2007 Location: South Western OK Posts: 3,112	Yep, i sometimes tire of shooting at paper. To make the boredom go away i go out and shoot some wild hogs.

June 30, 2013, 06:33 PM	#20
ChasingWhitetail91 Senior Member Join Date: October 10, 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 336	I like frozen or thawed jugs of water when I shoot. I put food coloring in them sometimes but its as fun without it. A couple friends have brought their kids out with balloons full of liquid or confetti and said they had a blast. __________________ Abraham Lincoln made all men free, Samuel Colt made them equal.

June 30, 2013, 07:05 PM	#21
MattShlock Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2013 Posts: 251	No. I actually keep score and challenge myself to improve if not actually "beat" others...

June 30, 2013, 07:38 PM	#22
kutz Senior Member Join Date: September 24, 2012 Location: Arizona Posts: 393	I shoot BE, love the challenge, but I bought some falling plates (6) and a duleing tree 3/3 just for fun. Paper plates are fun too.

June 30, 2013, 08:04 PM	#23
Alabama Shooter Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2012 Location: Sweet Home Posts: 886	We just hosted a shooting party last week. All the non paper targets were bought at Dollar general for under $20 total. After confirming zero on paper the targets included: - Three bags of plastic pirates (think army man size). The red ones were enemy the black ones were friendly. - Several larger dinosaurs about 6" high - Couple of decks of cards for the poker games - Big bag of balloons inflated - Large bag of lollipops - Several space ships - Sponge Bob While most of the shooters were under 16 a couple of the older folk got into the act. A good time was had by all. __________________ Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.

July 1, 2013, 08:09 AM	#25
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	It is the competition and challenge that is fun. Just blasting a lot of ammo at stuff that blows up might be fun also but it isn't as challenging and proves nothing about your shooting skills. That said, I always enjoy matches using novelty targets.