What does everyone else shoot at? How far?

kenken0269 · Post by **kenken0269** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:32 pm

When y'all are shootin your levers, do you shoot paper, cans, metal goats.....
How far do you shoot when just playing around? And what is your favorite lever to shoot?

Me and mine like to shoot paper at 50 and 100 yds. I guess my favorite is my '52 Winnie in 30/30, but I do like my Trails End in 357. Wait, I just love my trapper 9422 mag with carry handle.

I like 'em all.

kenken

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:10 pm

My favorites are steel gongs. I have several made from armor plate that even a green tip .223 won't hurt. I have different sizes from 6" sq. to 12" sq. I hang 'em from 3/4" rebar. At our gunclub, there are hanging silhouettes of chickens, pigs, turkeys and rams from 200 to 500 meters and those are great too. Then there's always John Taffin's favorite targets---rocks

I like them when I'm upstate, especially with AR's and full auto toys.

Another neat target is clay birds we set on the bank from 50 to 500 meters. Because I am color blind, I have to paint 'em white. Lots of fun shooting clay birds with cast bullets and fast powder. You can shoot all day for a few dollars

On all of my guns I make sure the sights are right for the different ranges by shooting on paper---then its fun time.

Cans and bottles are a mess to clean up. Sometimes it is fun to "roll a can" with a single action when you have the proper place to do it and the energy to pick up the stuff.

I gotta a new Colt AR in .308 coming soon. Colt is making machine guns in these first for military/law enforcement and then the semi's will be out. I got to figure out what kind of targets I'll be using for this.---probably rocks--small ones at 500 meters.

-----------Sixgun

RKrodle · Post by **RKrodle** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:33 pm

For fun shooting I have a gong at 170 yards that I like to plink at. Some times I do good, other times not so good. It's a pretty good challenge for me with my S&W model 10.

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:38 pm

I'm with sixgun. I shoot at a 10" armorplate gong that will take anything but AP up to 3000fps at point of impact.

I hate paper.

BenT · Post by **BenT** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:12 pm

I use a 5 gallon bucket of water to fill empty pop cans. Set them on a saw horse and blast away. Saves time on crushing them . Easy cleanup because my son picks them up to take to the scrap yard for money.

I've also make my own steel targets to shoot mostly with 45 colt and 38-55.

Post by **Old Savage** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:20 pm

Paper at 50 and 100 yd and steel from 125 to 400 yds.

Ben_Rumson · Post by **Ben_Rumson** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:24 pm

Golf balls... as far as I can see'um

Bigahh · Post by **Bigahh** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:35 pm

I usually blow up some Balloons, and set them in a sand pit down the road. Free hand from 40-200 yards. My favorite rifle to shoot is my Winchester 64A with a 24" Barrel. It is a Balloon killer!

wavetrain75 · Post by **wavetrain75** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:41 pm

The public range I use is only good to about 130 yards. So long guns 75-130, handguns 7 - 100. 100 yard handgun practice keeps you humble but also has given me a lot more confidence in my ability to hit something if I need to.

I never understood the 3 yard handgun / 25 yard long gun thing, although I see a lot of people do it.

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 10:10 pm

Sixgun wrote:My favorites are steel gongs. I have several made from armor plate that even a green tip .223 won't hurt. I have different sizes from 6" sq. to 12" sq. I hang 'em from 3/4" rebar.

Old Ironsights wrote:I'm with sixgun. I shoot at a 10" armorplate gong that will take anything but AP up to 3000fps at point of impact.

WHERE do you guys get such targets...? I have soft steel gongs that are fine with .44 Magnum, but if you accidentally shoot them with a .444 Marlin you get a clean hole punch through them, and forget it if you use a .308 or .223 or 7mm Magnum...

I can 'fix' them with bolts and washers and welding up to a point, but a tough target without all the 'dislaimers' about ammo types would be really cool...

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 10:31 pm

paper for load developement then steel for fun, all the way to the 1000 yd line with some rifles.
Have an old "frog plate" from mine rail that sits 270 yds off my deck, and even the 22 lr will make the bugger ring nice.

2X22 · Post by **2X22** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 10:54 pm

I shoot at a couple rock pits where I can reach out to about 200 yards. So, I shoot a lot of rocks..............

But much of my shooting is paper punching and I also like to take a case of pigeons and set them up at varying ranges out to 200. That is mostly Levergun shootin', the .44 mag/spec, 99.99% of the time.

44

Malamute · Post by **Malamute** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 11:06 pm

I shoot at rocks, steel plates, and odds and ends. Yucca stems are fun, empty shells, chunks of wood (thrown in the air sometimes). Shoot paper to get a zero or check loads, but mostly just fun stuff. The steel plates are at 300 and 600 yards. The 300 is good for 30-30's, havent shot the farther one with levers so far. Been working on offhand shooting at the 600 yard plate and the 308 bolt. The 300 yard plate is good fun for pistols also. It's 18", the 600 yard plate is 24".

olyinaz · Post by **olyinaz** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:00 am

Dirt clods at the range is a favorite of mine. They're always moving/improving the berms and those dirt clods, they scoff at me they do. They MUST be broken up!!

Oly

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:43 am

AJMD429 wrote:
Sixgun wrote:My favorites are steel gongs. I have several made from armor plate that even a green tip .223 won't hurt. I have different sizes from 6" sq. to 12" sq. I hang 'em from 3/4" rebar.

Old Ironsights wrote:I'm with sixgun. I shoot at a 10" armorplate gong that will take anything but AP up to 3000fps at point of impact.
WHERE do you guys get such targets...? I have soft steel gongs that are fine with .44 Magnum, but if you accidentally shoot them with a .444 Marlin you get a clean hole punch through them, and forget it if you use a .308 or .223 or 7mm Magnum...

I can 'fix' them with bolts and washers and welding up to a point, but a tough target without all the 'dislaimers' about ammo types would be really cool...

http://www.metaltargets.com/SpinningTargets.htm#Gong

You want the "high velocity" type, rated for: .223, .308, .30-30, .30-06 .45-70 & equivalents.
At point of impact, terminal velocity can not exceed 3200 ft/sec.

Prices really aren't bad for what you get. Fast delivery too. And I like their Guarantee:

Our Guarantee

If you shoot any caliber closer then 25 yards you may be hit with bullet splatter.
If you shoot any rifle calibers closer then 100 yards the target will be damaged.
If you use steel core ammo or belted magnum rifle calibers the target will be damaged.
If you do not paint and lubricate your target's moving parts it will rust and will stop functioning properly.
We also guarantee that if you use your target properly and it fails due to a manufacturing flaw we will repair it at NO COST TO YOU.

Here's what the folks at 6mmBR say about gongs:

Many local steel fabricators can sell you a round steel plate you can hang from a chain. But keep in mind that a proper gong is more sophisticated. First it should be hardened steel. Second, it needs to be the right diameter and thickness. If it's too heavy it won't swing when hit. If it's too thick or the steel isn't surface-hardened the gong won't "sound off" with a clang when hit. Jason Baney, our 1000-yard Editor, has done a lot of long-range shooting at steel targets. He reports that "the bigger and thinner the gong, the louder it rings". Also the best-ringing and most-durable gongs are attached with a bolted "clasp" on a transverse axle rather than a chain. (You can snap a chain with just a few hits.) In addition to the D&S Product, MetalTargets.com sells a cost-effective gong, rated for high-velocity rifle ammo. Choose from 10" ($78), 12" ($99), or 15" ($115) diameters. Prices include a swinger frame made of 3/4" HR bar. For $25 more you can order a heavy-duty base (as shown in picture).

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:59 am

You can get AR plate from the local welding shops, but the stuff isn't cheap.
1/2in and 3/4 in regular plate will handle most cast bullets,but the last I checked seems like 1/2 plate was running around 500$ for a 4x8 sheet.
Boiler plate works good if you can find any at a salvage yard.

Beaker · Post by **Beaker** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:45 am

Old Ironsights wrote:
AJMD429 wrote:
Sixgun wrote:My favorites are steel gongs. I have several made from armor plate that even a green tip .223 won't hurt. I have different sizes from 6" sq. to 12" sq. I hang 'em from 3/4" rebar.

Old Ironsights wrote:I'm with sixgun. I shoot at a 10" armorplate gong that will take anything but AP up to 3000fps at point of impact.
WHERE do you guys get such targets...? I have soft steel gongs that are fine with .44 Magnum, but if you accidentally shoot them with a .444 Marlin you get a clean hole punch through them, and forget it if you use a .308 or .223 or 7mm Magnum...

I can 'fix' them with bolts and washers and welding up to a point, but a tough target without all the 'dislaimers' about ammo types would be really cool...
http://www.metaltargets.com/SpinningTargets.htm#Gong

You want the "high velocity" type, rated for: .223, .308, .30-30, .30-06 .45-70 & equivalents.
At point of impact, terminal velocity can not exceed 3200 ft/sec.

Prices really aren't bad for what you get. Fast delivery too. And I like their Guarantee:

Our Guarantee

If you shoot any caliber closer then 25 yards you may be hit with bullet splatter.
If you shoot any rifle calibers closer then 100 yards the target will be damaged.
If you use steel core ammo or belted magnum rifle calibers the target will be damaged.
If you do not paint and lubricate your target's moving parts it will rust and will stop functioning properly.
We also guarantee that if you use your target properly and it fails due to a manufacturing flaw we will repair it at NO COST TO YOU.
Here's what the folks at 6mmBR say about gongs:

Many local steel fabricators can sell you a round steel plate you can hang from a chain. But keep in mind that a proper gong is more sophisticated. First it should be hardened steel. Second, it needs to be the right diameter and thickness. If it's too heavy it won't swing when hit. If it's too thick or the steel isn't surface-hardened the gong won't "sound off" with a clang when hit. Jason Baney, our 1000-yard Editor, has done a lot of long-range shooting at steel targets. He reports that "the bigger and thinner the gong, the louder it rings". Also the best-ringing and most-durable gongs are attached with a bolted "clasp" on a transverse axle rather than a chain. (You can snap a chain with just a few hits.) In addition to the D&S Product, MetalTargets.com sells a cost-effective gong, rated for high-velocity rifle ammo. Choose from 10" ($78), 12" ($99), or 15" ($115) diameters. Prices include a swinger frame made of 3/4" HR bar. For $25 more you can order a heavy-duty base (as shown in picture).

Old Iron; Cool just what I have been searching for. Thanks for the tip.

BigSky56 · Post by **BigSky56** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:14 pm

We have a covered bench public range on public lands (FS) target holders to 500 and gongs at 500 about 3 1/2 miles as the crow flies from my place was out there yesterday working up a new 223 load for coyotes. the range also has skeet/trap towers and a archery range, everything is free cept the clay birds. The steel for the gongs comes from the county road dept, worn out grader blade edges corner bits off dozer blade what ever we can scrounge from the county yard or dump. danny

soon 2 retire · Post by **soon 2 retire** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:15 pm

[quote="AJMD429WHERE do you guys get such targets...? I have soft steel gongs that are fine with .44 Magnum, but if you accidentally shoot them with a .444 Marlin you get a clean hole punch through them, and forget it if you use a .308 or .223 or 7mm Magnum...

[/quote]

Go to ebay and type in AR500 steel a type of armor plate. There's a lot of people selling targets. 1/2" thickness may work.

Bob in NE Indiana

6pt-sika · Post by **6pt-sika** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:26 pm

With the leverguns I shoot pretty much paper only at 50 and 100 yards from the bench !
Not any practice involved it's all about load development with the 444's and the 45-70 !
It's alot of worrk to keep 2 dozen 444's and a 45-70 tuned up with a different cast bullet load in each 444 and 4 loads in the 45-70

With bolt guns and Ruger #1's I pretty much shoot paper only at 100 yards from the bench and sometimes paper only at 200 yards and of course from the bench .

Borregos · Post by **Borregos** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:27 pm

Steel gongs or silhouettes anywhere from 25 to 200 yards.

jnyork · Post by **jnyork** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 7:05 pm

Borregos wrote:Steel gongs or silhouettes anywhere from 25 to 200 yards.

Silhouettes here also.

Motex66 · Post by **Motex66** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 7:48 pm

Silhouettes swingers or paper out to two hundred yards. Use to shoot IHMSA it died out around here. Don't care much to travel for matches anymore did that for years. I travel to see my kids and grandkids. I go to gun shows when it works out. The gun shop and the range quite often. I got pals to shoot with. A wonderful wife. A church. Who could ask for more.
John

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:47 pm

Mainly steel. I have some silhouettes of a bear & 2 buffalos. The bear is about ½ size; the buffs are ¼ & 1/8 size. I gave some odd shaped CAS types and when not doing double duty as trailer stand a few ½" plates in 10" & 12" circles! I also have a homemade paper target stand. Lastly, I have 2 shotgun "poppers".

Only pics I could find is of one of the poppers!

m.wun · Post by **m.wun** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:44 pm

I shoot whatever.Papper,clays,water bottles,steel from 5-200 yards.The club I shoot at
we have a shoot we call running deer.Sitting on a short stool,we shoot at a life size deer
paper target on a wood frame that rolls on a wire,driven by someone behind a berm.The first
shot is a standing target,then takes off at the shot.Once target is moving you try to put in
3 more before it goes behind the berm.Total of 4 shots and 5 rounds of shooting=20rnd.The
wire is at 148yrd,and there is a grid on target with each area worth from 0-5 points.Once the
target is behind berm the operator radios the shots back.We then have a identicle target at the bench a put bottle caps on the grid that were called back to see where the hits are.With
my 308 Ruger Hawkeye my lead is about 18".With the 30-30 about 22".Its real fun and can be
humbling at times.

COSteve · Post by **COSteve** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:07 pm

Long guns:
Paper for sighting in and load development (50 & 100yds).
Steel, dirt clods, clay pigeons, golf balls, 2 liter bottles, etc. (50 to 350yds).

Pistols:
Paper for sighting in and load development (12yds).
Steel, dirt clods, clay pigeons, golf balls, 2 liter bottles, etc. (7 to 200yds).

Scoped 20" AR:
Steel and the occasional P-dog (300 to 600yds).

Ray Newman · Post by **Ray Newman** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 4:22 pm

Paper shooter: bullseye targets and 8" diameter bright orange Halloween paper plates from WalMart.

Start at 50 yds to check the sights, then on to 75 and 100 yds. Iron sights and my eyes are getting to be non- compatible....

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:01 pm

Old Ironsights wrote: You want the "high velocity" type, rated for: .223, .308, .30-30, .30-06 .45-70 & equivalents.
At point of impact, terminal velocity can not exceed 3200 ft/sec.

If you shoot any rifle calibers closer then 100 yards the target will be damaged.

If you use steel core ammo or belted magnum rifle calibers the target will be damaged.

I guess I won't bother looking for tougher steel targets then, because it sounds like I couldn't shoot at 100 yards with most bottleneck cartridges, or even my .444 Marlin, without pushing the limits of these ones, and couldn't use a 7mm Remington Magnum at all.

If all I can shoot is pistol cartridges at or under 100 yards, my junkyard 'soft' steel targets can handle that.

I know we have armor on much of our military stuff that can withstand .50 BMG FMJ and all sorts of other mean stuff, so I just wish that we civilians could get scraps of something we could use without worrying we exceeded 3200 fps...

6pt-sika · Post by **6pt-sika** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:09 pm

AJMD429 wrote:I guess I won't bother looking for tougher steel targets then, because it sounds like I couldn't shoot at 100 yards with most bottleneck cartridges, or even my .444 Marlin, without pushing the limits of these ones, and couldn't use a 7mm Remington Magnum at all. If all I can shoot is pistol cartridges at or under 100 yards, my junkyard 'soft' steel targets can handle that.

We have IHMSA matches at our club and the same targets are acceptable for lever action silhoutte matches . And when I used to run lever matches we had several folks come and shoot with 444's and 45-70's and my targets suffered no ill effects be it cast or jacketed .

TravisM · Post by **TravisM** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:46 pm

I'm no where near as good as you guys.

The furthest I've shot is 50 yards at paper/stickers.

I call it making swiss cheese without the cheese.

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:53 pm

AJMD429 wrote:
Old Ironsights wrote: You want the "high velocity" type, rated for: .223, .308, .30-30, .30-06 .45-70 & equivalents.
At point of impact, terminal velocity can not exceed 3200 ft/sec.

If you shoot any rifle calibers closer then 100 yards the target will be damaged.

If you use steel core ammo or belted magnum rifle calibers the target will be damaged.
I guess I won't bother looking for tougher steel targets then, because it sounds like I couldn't shoot at 100 yards with most bottleneck cartridges, or even my .444 Marlin, without pushing the limits of these ones, and couldn't use a 7mm Remington Magnum at all. If all I can shoot is pistol cartridges at or under 100 yards, my junkyard 'soft' steel targets can handle that.

I know we have armor on much of our military stuff that can withstand .50 BMG FMJ and all sorts of other mean stuff, so I just wish that we civilians could get scraps of something we could use without worrying we exceeded 3200 fps...

Call them. I think the 3200fps/no steel core is more accurate. Set the target @ 100 yds and go with it. IIRC Mine took some pretty heavy thumping from Jeremy's .308 Handi at the last NIN shoot with no damage to the plate. (the bolt head that took an almost direct hit is a little smudged though...)

Not too many loads are doing 3200fps at 100yds...

El Chivo · Post by **El Chivo** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:39 am

mostly these days I shoot paper at the indoor range, 50 ft... mostly going for the trigger time and the smell of cordite. I just switched from the small bullseye to the larger (pistol) bullseye, and last time out my entire group was in the orange. Then I have something to send to my mother.

I once tried to shoot balloons, but the ones I put up at the public range were shot by some smart-aleck before I could get back to the bench. So much for honor among shooters.

I also used to shoot lollipops, they're cheap and already have a stick to stick into the ground. Colorful and leaves something for the ants.

Outside I bring a cardboard box and paint on black bullseyes. Or I shoot silhouettes.

rogn · Post by **rogn** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 1:56 am

My son scrounged up a couple of wornout bushhog blades. Its nearly impossible to cut. One piece, about 5" by 12" has been popped with everything from a 204 Ruger to a number of short mags. The most damage that has been done is a small mark around 1/8" in diameter that you can just barely feel. I dont know the composition or alloy but its unbelievably tough. I wish I had a BMG to try on it just to see if it'd harm it. It hangs @ 440, but we shoot from different field positions and ranges. It doesnt ring but gives a loud crack when directly hit. Water filled plastic drink bottles make interesting variety. Busiest targets are small fiber filled pill botle that are in a few trees near the south pasture. They get a lot of attention from pellet guns-20 to 35 yds. Back stops are sand filled 30 gallon plastic barrels, to help contain lead contamination.

Noah Zark · Post by **Noah Zark** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:35 am

I like low-cost reactive targets.

Claybirds standing on edge propped up by short sections of scrap 2x4, on the 25, 50, and 100 yd berms. I shoot handguns at 25 and 50 yds.

Also empty plastic bottles and bowling pins, and dark spots in berms, rocks, or dirt clods. I like to see where the shots go while I'm shooting, sort of an instant visual feedback thing.

I use paper only for checking accuracy of a firearm or a particular load. Otherwise, paper is too boring.

Noah

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 6:11 pm

Hello gentlemen.

Mainly paper and animals. But I made the mistake of shooting at a bowlingball w/a 22 from about 25yds. It ricocheted and pinged off my new Toyota truck! Be careful what you shoot at.

Johnny

new pig hunter · Post by **new pig hunter** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 6:48 pm

bowling pins !! Since most of my shooting is at the range: I put one at 100 yards and another at 220 yards.

With my .375 Win and .444 Marlin, it takes a lot of hits to knock all the wood out. Nothing more satisfying than a solid hit and watching it spin around, you definitely know it's been hit. And it doesn't go very far.
With smaller less-powerful calibers one pin will last all day and then some.
A pin's best virtues: doesn't weigh much, easy to carry, no set up required (just toss it on the ground), minimal cost.

Cheers,

Carl

What does everyone else shoot at? How far?

What does everyone else shoot at? How far?

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