Microgunner
New member
The dueling tree is the most entertaining handgun / rimfire rifle game ever. As long as you have someone to compete against.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
I need suggestions for fun target games,,,
- Thread starter aarondhgraham
- Start date
I'm asking for more ideas for fun interactive targets,,,
Any ideas you can share with me?
Hmmm......interactive targets? Join the Marines...worked for me!
Willie Lowman
New member
The dueling tree is the most entertaining handgun / rimfire rifle game ever. As long as you have someone to compete against.
as long as you have someone who is in roughly the same shooting skill level as you. It stops being fun pretty quick if you are getting beat nonstop.
Most of my friends like to shoot my dueling tree but not with me. I recall shooting at at 'tree in Lancaster with some old police officers. Shooting handguns, there was nothing I could do to keep up with them. After a while I asked if we could shoot the 'tree with pistol caliber carbines. When the carbines came out the ball was in my court and they couldn't win a round. Those old guys got tired of loosing pretty darn quick.
re Shot Timers: In addition to just 'timing' the shot timers also have a "Par Time" function. When the 'beep' sounds, start shooting. When the second beep sounds (par time you set) STOP shooting or be penalized. This is good for "free style", "weak hand" and "strong hand" shooting.
Line up targets and see who can shoot the most in a given "Par Time".
Can be done using holsters or guns at the "low ready" position.
re Paper Targets: Targets are available that have circles, squares, and triangles in different colors on the same target. Calling out the "shape" OR "Color" to shoot can be fun and challenging. Center mass is different for each target. Triangles are tough.
The metric USPSA silhouettes are tan on one side and white on the other. A white is a "NO SHOOT". Covering part of the targets in white horizontally, verticly or at an angle emphasizes accuracy. "Don't shoot the baby".
An oldie: line up 12 gage hulls at 25 yds---"aim small, miss small".
Line up targets and see who can shoot the most in a given "Par Time".
Can be done using holsters or guns at the "low ready" position.
re Paper Targets: Targets are available that have circles, squares, and triangles in different colors on the same target. Calling out the "shape" OR "Color" to shoot can be fun and challenging. Center mass is different for each target. Triangles are tough.
The metric USPSA silhouettes are tan on one side and white on the other. A white is a "NO SHOOT". Covering part of the targets in white horizontally, verticly or at an angle emphasizes accuracy. "Don't shoot the baby".
An oldie: line up 12 gage hulls at 25 yds---"aim small, miss small".
I've got one that you don't hear about too often: try charcoal briquettes on a stump or fence rail, and you don't need a long range to get good practice, plus they're 100% bio-degradable, with a big puff of "smoke" when you hit them.
I use them for .22 LR practice at appropriate distances...stepping back to 25 yds makes them a great offhand target that's tough to hit with a rifle. Up closer, at 15-20 yds, they're a demanding pistol or revolver target, and spectacular when you hit them with a center fire cartridge.
I teach young shooters the basics on paper targets (copy paper with a "bullseye" made from 2" squares of blue masking tape) then switch to the briquettes for the fun part of the session. Kid vs. Kid, with six of the charcoal tgts lined up on the fence rail, soon teaches them not to slow poke they're shots or they'll be left behind, but demands a good trigger squeeze or they'll miss.
The cheapest bag you can buy is just fine and voila: no clean up!
I've also used walnuts, still in the hull, from the grove along our back lawn in the same manner. A .22 LR will tear good chunks off them when hit right but a big handgun bullet will blow them apart. In a good year, I get literally thousands of them on the lawn, and bribe the kids that come to shoot with unlimited .22's if they collect the big hulls for me.
For longer distances, I use steel railroad cross tie plates (about 8" x 15" of 1/2" steel with holes for the spikes...used under the rail on top of the wooden tie). These are good 'ringer' targets for pistol or revolver work and present a good challenge at appropriate distances. They're made of soft steel so high velocity rifle rounds will severely dimple them but for and handgun they're just right. At 50 yds +, they will test your deer hunting capability with a short gun; especially so if you keep them in their natural rusted state...hard to pick out against a treeline backround and tough to see a black front post handgun sight against. Hung from a tree or fence rail, they'll ring when hit and won't need to be set back up.
And lastly, I've got a cpl of the 20# propane tanks that have the old valve assembly; I set out at 100 and 200 yds for rifle shooting. They're a good approximation of the kill zone on a deer and a good-nuf offhand target for practice. Dinging one of them from a steady rest position with a long barreled handgun is fun and will wow your friends once you figure the hold over sight picture.
Have fun,
Rod
I use them for .22 LR practice at appropriate distances...stepping back to 25 yds makes them a great offhand target that's tough to hit with a rifle. Up closer, at 15-20 yds, they're a demanding pistol or revolver target, and spectacular when you hit them with a center fire cartridge.
I teach young shooters the basics on paper targets (copy paper with a "bullseye" made from 2" squares of blue masking tape) then switch to the briquettes for the fun part of the session. Kid vs. Kid, with six of the charcoal tgts lined up on the fence rail, soon teaches them not to slow poke they're shots or they'll be left behind, but demands a good trigger squeeze or they'll miss.
The cheapest bag you can buy is just fine and voila: no clean up!
I've also used walnuts, still in the hull, from the grove along our back lawn in the same manner. A .22 LR will tear good chunks off them when hit right but a big handgun bullet will blow them apart. In a good year, I get literally thousands of them on the lawn, and bribe the kids that come to shoot with unlimited .22's if they collect the big hulls for me.
For longer distances, I use steel railroad cross tie plates (about 8" x 15" of 1/2" steel with holes for the spikes...used under the rail on top of the wooden tie). These are good 'ringer' targets for pistol or revolver work and present a good challenge at appropriate distances. They're made of soft steel so high velocity rifle rounds will severely dimple them but for and handgun they're just right. At 50 yds +, they will test your deer hunting capability with a short gun; especially so if you keep them in their natural rusted state...hard to pick out against a treeline backround and tough to see a black front post handgun sight against. Hung from a tree or fence rail, they'll ring when hit and won't need to be set back up.
And lastly, I've got a cpl of the 20# propane tanks that have the old valve assembly; I set out at 100 and 200 yds for rifle shooting. They're a good approximation of the kill zone on a deer and a good-nuf offhand target for practice. Dinging one of them from a steady rest position with a long barreled handgun is fun and will wow your friends once you figure the hold over sight picture.
Have fun,
Rod
Last edited:
Mike Irwin
Staff
OK, I read this too quickly. I should have seen the distances involved -- that makes it pretty obvious we're talking about handguns, so this is in the correct section.
Reopened.
And I, too, like shooting at charcoal briquettes. They puff nicely when you get a good center shot on them.
Reopened.
And I, too, like shooting at charcoal briquettes. They puff nicely when you get a good center shot on them.
armsmaster270
New member
Stretch a rope between two close trees then tie bowling pins to the rope with 550 cord first shot starts them swinging.