I seldom shoot paper with a 22 anymore

[Mobuck]

Maybe it's just a phase I'm in at the moment but I have no interest in shooting paper targets with a 22. I'll admit that shooting paper in competition made me the shooter I am now but once I get a 'zero' I like, I switch to 'reactive' targets for my 'fun shooting'. Just keep pushing the target hanger further out until I reach the limit of the rifle. What this doesn't do is show where those misses go so not so good for some shooters.
The Grandkids were here Sunday afternoon to shoot. I asked if they wanted paper or steel and of course they wanted steel ( :unsure: ) which allowed ZERO feedback on where their missed shots landed. I made suggestions which fell upon deaf ears and finally just let them fling bullets. Maybe they improved slightly as far as target acquisition but overall accuracy didn't really improve. Hoping the deer are dumb and patient this season.o_O

 

[GunnyGene]

Maybe it's just a phase I'm in at the moment but I have no interest in shooting paper targets with a 22. I'll admit that shooting paper in competition made me the shooter I am now but once I get a 'zero' I like, I switch to 'reactive' targets for my 'fun shooting'. Just keep pushing the target hanger further out until I reach the limit of the rifle. What this doesn't do is show where those misses go so not so good for some shooters.
The Grandkids were here Sunday afternoon to shoot. I asked if they wanted paper or steel and of course they wanted steel ( :unsure: ) which allowed ZERO feedback on where their missed shots landed. I made suggestions which fell upon deaf ears and finally just let them fling bullets. Maybe they improved slightly as far as target acquisition but overall accuracy didn't really improve. Hoping the deer are dumb and patient this season.o_O

That's very common, I'm the same way although I'm not really into steel. As for reactive targets, I'm better if it's breathing ;). That aside, stationary target shooting can be made a bit more challenging if you have a spot where you can shoot up or down hill at reasonably steep angles. Then there's the really tough shots at moving targets in windy conditions at steep angles and long ranges. :)

 

[Johnnu2]

I'm with the kids..... I like to hear the "ding" and see the steel flapping or falling....
Always Striving for Mediocrity,
J.

 

[gunzo]

I've had one of those flipper targets for years, the one where ya shoot the top disc to release the other 4. Then I made a dueling tree. A great big bunch of fun there, standing side by side with another shooter & trying to stay in the game.
Then last year I bought a Know Your Limits(KYL) plate rack. About 6 disc hanging in a row that progressively get smaller, the last one being a 1/4 inch in dia. And like you said, if it gets too easy, just increase the distance. It will eventually beat ya.

I have one 22 that mainly sees paper, but most of the rest are used on the reactive stuff.

 

[contender]

Paper teaches you how bad you are. Steel gives you immediate feedback and satisfaction.
For fun, shoot steel. For serious study and learning, shoot paper.
Once you get the shots on paper going well, the steel is even more fun.

 

[wproct]

I'm for the fun shooting also. I'll turn 80 next year and my eyes are showing their age. I have a terrible case of flinching from all my years of trapshooting. I just want to shoot stuff that moves hit it and celebrate that.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

I'm reversed....lately. Built up a couple 22s for ARA style shoots. One Unlimited and one Factory. That little tiny green dot is a rascal to chase and terminate.

The centerfires, unless testing load work ups or zeroing....handgun or rifle its all steel. My club has really outdone itself building a 100yd carbine range with all types/sizes of steel plates and spinners. Same with handgun they built a very nice steel plate range......lots of 9mm and 45 ACP have been splashed against those plates!

If the steel plate ranges are busy I will just set up a USPA cardboard silhouette and punch out the COM or run FTS drills....but you really miss the DING!

Paper is too stressful anymore.... :LOL:

 

[Mobuck]

Earlier this year, I told Grandson I would 'teach him to shoot well' but as I described the process, he quickly lost interest. Guess I failed.
My 22 practice targets are 1.5-2" hung from random length strips of 'baler belt' (multi-layer re-enforced fabric/rubber) fastened to a wood 2x4 frame. Spaced alternating high & low requiring re-alignment of aim between shots. The goal is to smack all 5 targets before the first stops swinging. Not that easy with a bolt action. On a good day, I can run 25 rounds (5 sweeps across the targets) keeping all 5 swinging non-stop.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

Earlier this year, I told Grandson I would 'teach him to shoot well' but as I described the process, he quickly lost interest. Guess I failed.
My 22 practice targets are 1.5-2" hung from random length strips of 'baler belt' (multi-layer re-enforced fabric/rubber) fastened to a wood 2x4 frame. Spaced alternating high & low requiring re-alignment of aim between shots. The goal is to smack all 5 targets before the first stops swinging. Not that easy with a bolt action. On a good day, I can run 25 rounds (5 sweeps across the targets) keeping all 5 swinging non-stop.

Sounds fun, a lot like a portion of the NRL22 course of fire.

 

[Mobuck]

And this is why the only deer that get past me are the ones I decide not to shoot. :love:

 

[1gunsnotenough]

I've shot pretty much every competitive shooting there is. Not crazy about bullseye to slow. But the action shooting sports are the most fun. I've shot USPSA, IDPA, Two and Three gun. And am just getting into Steel Challenge. That said Steel is my favorite target. I actually had a steel target business before COVID hit. One of the above comments was about shooting paper for accuracy. Try shooting a 3" piece of steel off hand at 50 yds with a Ruger KMK678G you'll find out how accurate you are. Here's a pic of my back yard.

 

[RoninPA]

Mobuck, just a thought, when having the kids (still learning how to shoot) put a big piece of newsprint (or something similar) behind the reactive target(s). That would let you and them see what is going on and help you suggest ways to improve. They still get to hear the ring when they hit the steel.

 

[Randyzzz]

I definitely prefer steel. My aging eyes combined with my bad knee make paper punching too difficult. Steel gives that instant feedback that is visible from a distance.

I’ve got three of these steel silhouette targets setups and a fourth that is stop sign shaped. Some serious fun can be had setting them up at various distances and running a drill, using the stop sign as the end plate. They are just steel plate- after several hundred rounds of heavy stuff they develop a “bow” and I turn them around and shoot the other side- I reverse them as needed to keep them straight.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

Steel is good therapy as well....something about the sound make me feel all warm and fuzzy.....I have purchased/built a few guns specifically for the steel plates. GP100 4" w/compact grips, action job, red dot optic is fun. Ruger MKIII 22/45 with optic and a MKIV spiffied up and comped are fast dingers. PSA had a sale on stripped Dagger frames. I bought a compact and full size and built them to my preference with red dot optics. The full size is comped and is fast and fun. I still use open sight 1911's, M9, M18, P226 and such but the red dots are easier for my eyes. For the carbine steel plate range they have some little spinners and 8'' silhouettes on posts. Tons of fun with the M4 and A2.....out ARs with red dot optics are fun on the spinners. The 22's not so much...you can barely hear the ding and at 100 yds they barely move the spinners.

 

[Dave Schwaab]

I love ringing steel, but my nearby ranges are all indoor.

You can still have fun and give yourself a real challenge, if you want to, with a little game. Mark a regular size target sheet with 6 targets (I use 5" circles) and mark them 1 to 6, in any sequence (vary it with each new target). Use a couple of standard dice (different colors work best); one to decide which target you shoot first and the other to decide which order to go in (odd to go forward; even to go in reverse).

This can really help you to improve your skills as you try to go faster and still not mess up on the order of fire.

I like to make my own targets, so they're not so standardized, but you can find targets available to purchase that would be suitable for this type of game...

 

[WAYNO]

As much as I could enjoy shooting steel, I also still thoroughly enjoy making the tightest groups possible on paper. I can do that for hours. Or see how many shots it takes to completely eliminate a stick-on target dot.

 

[kmoore]

4 years ago I started buying steel gongs. Rifle and handgun, once I have them zeroed and grouping to my satisfaction. I then leave the paper target stands at home. It's a big time saver just set up steel, reapply some paint when done. No buying all them paper targets, tapping paper or tossing paper targets.

 

[daveag.]

I like golf balls. Sticks. Rocks. Clothes pins are a good target.

 

[codebreaker]

I like to walk through the woods with a suppressed .22 LR rifle and shoot sticks and dirt and stuff.

 

[Mobuck]

My '350 meter' gongs are in place year round. The 22 swinger target stand is always somewhere on the 100 yard range. We just acquired 3 large, heavy (anything short of 338 Lapua/50BMG) gongs that haven't been hung yet--planning to have those located in the 500-600 yard zone. Neighbor is planning an 800 yard plate and backstop which will end up being right close to 1000 yards from my front porch (handy ;)).

 

[Tensaw]

I don't shoot steel. My range doesn't have them. But a few times a year I like to take the .22 rifle and try to shoot tight groups on paper. It reminds me of all the fun times as a teenager stalking "tree rats" in the woods.

 

[Mobuck]

OK, if you guys want to make things interesting---shoot your 22 rifle from your non-dominant shoulder. Let me know how that works out.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

Well shooting non dominant shoulder (like a lefty) the 1022 is a breeze but my 457 is a pain to work the bolt to extract and not hit myself in the nose if I don't lift my head up/back. Same with any of my long guns centerfire or rimfire.

My youngest Son enjoyed challenging me this way when he was very young because he felt it evened the field a bit for him.

We had to unofficially rifle/pistol qual with non dominant shooting mechanics to understand the difference for left handed students. It was humbling at first.

 

[Springer2]

The metal targets are fun to shoot at and you don't have to keep changing targets. However if you are working at precision shooting-making yourself more accurate, paper will make you better because it is more demanding. In my competition days I would shoot 50 meter (free pistol) occasionally and it would make you humble and a better shooter. The goal is to hit a center 10 ring just under 1" with one hand at about 55 yards for 60 shots. My brain would hurt from having to focus that hard. It was an education.

 

[J. Yuma]

Paper teaches you how bad you are. Steel gives you immediate feedback and satisfaction.
For fun, shoot steel. For serious study and learning, shoot paper.
Once you get the shots on paper going well, the steel is even more fun.

I like to sit on my patio with a pellet pistol and shoot at an old iron frying pan I hung up 60 feet away. Love the sound!
I realized that it wasn't making me better, so I cut a 4 inch disc of 1/16 aluminum and hung it in the center of the frying pan.
If I hit the disc, it jumps. If I miss the disc, I get a pleasant "gong."
It doesn't tell me as much as paper would, but it's fun.

 

[Mobuck]

Shooting from the non-dominant shoulder teaches one to THINK about the basics. Hold, squeeze, bang.
I do this shooting seated using a 'bog pod' and use my right hand to cycle the bolt. Works fine for 22 but has potential for nose/thumb interference with rifle length action.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

The ARA Unlimited is the most challenging paper target I've encountered. That little green dot is the size of a pin head. It has to be completely covered by the bullet hole to count. It's checked by a scoring plug to ensure all of the dot is taken out. One shot per bull. It will stress you out chasing that little
dot. I haven't been able to participate the past couple months due to some med issues, but it's a blast and that scoring plug will humble you.

The ARA-50 target is a very challenging 25-bull target fired at 50 yards, one shot per bull, and scored using worst edge scoring. The target is sanctioned by the American Rimfire Association and is commercially available. The maximum score on an ARA target is 2500 points with 25 X's possible. A typical match, consisting of four targets, would have a maximum score of 10000-100X. The target is available in two formats, the standard ARA-50 and a Factory Class variant. The standard ARA-50 target is used by the Unlimited and Precision classes while the Factory class target is used by all other classes. ​

 

[Mobuck]

I fired a 'gazillion' rounds at the 10 scoring bulls with two 'siters' in the middle (can't remember the #) on the 10 meter rimfire range. ;)
Was pretty good in national competition 50+ years back.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

Try the ARA Unlimited at 50yds (vs 10m/33yds) and 25 "bulls" under the time limit. RFC used to have the 10 Bull competition...that was humbling enough....the ARA and USBR cards are VERY humbling.

 

[Mobuck]

Couldn't do that these days. Too difficult to find the correct part of eyeglasses lens for the various target/ sight distances. :unsure: