Muzzle Loading - Paper - Gong - Sihlouette?

[Joe Martin]

All of us have our favorite targets we like to shoot, I'm sure. I like paper myself. I find paper demands of me to become a better shot with ball placement rather then what is needed for gongs, though many sihlouettes do require higher ball placement to topple them so a person better be able to put that lead ball where needed when the time comes if they want to score points. Still, I like paper targets. They seem to be my favorite.

Two of my all time favorite matches are the, 50 & 100 yard Buffalo X-Stick Match (just something about using a 13.75 pound fifty caliber rifle I guess), and I also like the 60 yard Chunk Gun Matches (Over the Log Shoot). The rifle I use for this Over the Log Match weighs 14.25 pounds...

Over a years time however I shoot more offhand matches from 25, 50, and 100 yards, but I'm not complaining as I've found as I get older my muscles seem to stay sore a lot longer after a, X-Stick & Chunk Gun Match. Must be all that up and down carrying a heavy rifle back and forth from the loading bench?

How 'bout the rest of you? What's your favorite targets and matches?

 

[Evil Dog]

You can have a really fun time by placing golf balls on T's at various distances. The idea being to shoot the T out from under the golf ball. Definitely not easy to get the golf ball to just drop straight down.

 

[FL-Flinter]

Joe,

My favorite targets are the mini clays, the little 2" diameter ones hanging off string from a L shaped steel rod stuck in the ground. I use a 4' length of 5/16" re-bar with about a 5" leg bent on one end. Hang the targets so you have about 24" to 28" of free string length. Put these at various random locations over the distance you want to shoot. The slightest breeze will cause the targets to spin and sway. Don't look at the targets until you're ready to shoot then aquire a target at random from the group and shoot it. The various ranges & moving targets help to hone your shooting skills especially for hunting. (The soft foam rubber balls will hold up to lots of .22LR rounds)

When it comes to paper targets, if I'm shooting for group, I choose one with a very clearly definied aim point. One of the best I've found is the solid square sitting on top of a solid triangle. These give the clearest aim point because they provide a crisp contrast using the point where the triangle meets the square as the aim point.

For hunting practice with paper, nothing beats the full size actual game targets. Don't tape the holes from the front, tape them from the back (reduces tear-out when the next ball penetrates) and hide the repairs with a light coat of spray paint color matched to the target print.

I don't shoot matches anymore, too many physical issues that take the fun out of it, so I'll give you my secret. Put up match targets with known bullseye sizes at the measured ranges used in the match. Sit at the bench and hold the rifle so you only see the rear sight. Set the bottom of the bull on the bottom of the rear notch and note where the top of the bull falls in relation to the top of the notch. Knowing the bull size and range you build a visual reference using the rear sight as a guide. If the match uses all the same size bulls, you now have a range finder reference point if they put the targets at random distances. If they use bigger bulls for longer ranges, the rear sight reference point will help you obtain the correct aim point in relation to the bull size to maintain center hits if you're shooting x-ring.

 

[Joe Martin]

Evil Dog,

That would be a real test of marksmanship, hitting the tee out from under a golf ball. I will have to try that some time. I'm sure the other club members would get a kick out of it too!

FL-Flinter,

"I don't shoot matches anymore, too many physical issues that take the fun out of it, so I'll give you my secret. Put up match targets with known bullseye sizes at the measured ranges used in the match. Sit at the bench and hold the rifle so you only see the rear sight. Set the bottom of the bull on the bottom of the rear notch and note where the top of the bull falls in relation to the top of the notch. Knowing the bull size and range you build a visual reference using the rear sight as a guide. If the match uses all the same size bulls, you now have a range finder reference point if they put the targets at random distances. If they use bigger bulls for longer ranges, the rear sight reference point will help you obtain the correct aim point in relation to the bull size to maintain center hits if you're shooting x-ring."

The above is a very informative post to be sure! Those of us shooting for, or wanting to shoot for the 'X-Ring' should find this very informative. I normally don't have much trouble (or I should say - not much more trouble then the next person) in picking up my POA for POI at given ranges, and this is a good tip to be sure for those unknown ranges!

I will be competing in our State's ML Matches over Labor Day weekend, and one Aggregate I do enjoy is the 'Hunters Aggregate'... Last year I was fortunate enough to establish a new state record on the 50 yard offhand bear target with what I feel was not a very good score at all,,, 41-0X... However, it was good enough to win in 2006 and I would most certainly like to improve on that.

Last year I shot open fixed sights in the matches, didn't do as well as I would have liked, but this year I hope to do better. I installed on a couple of my match rifles some 'Bo-Mar' rear sights and hooded my front sights, while switching from blade to pin. I like this set up very much and am within the NMLRA rules of the matches I'll be shooting at State.

If I remeber correctly, last year with the rifle I used, I had to shade over the bears left shoulder as it faces us and was able to score three - 9's, and two - 7's... The sun was playing havac with my sighting but I stayed stubborn with my POA and it paid off. We'll see how it goes this year???

 

[Double J]

Once I'm satisfied the rifle is sighted in, I practice off-hand shots at 25 and 50 yards on a blank sheet of white paper useing my first ball hole as the target. It forces me to concentrate on a small spot instead of center mass.
--Little grey squirrels are small so I practice on small targets at whatever range I'm consistant at. Usually the first shot will not be "dead center"on a clean sheet. That's good. Because the next aimed shot has to hit that point, not just the paper.
--Clay pigeons make good fun targets for plinking out past the 50 yard mark. Poker chips at 100 yards are fun and easy to see.

 

[ED21]

Imagination

is all it take to set up a good shoot. Back in the 80's I used to do a lot of shooting and buckskinning. Went to several Western National Rendezvous'. Shining times. Used to put on some primitive shoots too. Targets varied:

1. Cheerios or fruit loops on a string at 20 paces, leave the knot.
2. Poker chips glued to a board at 25 paces.
3. Balloons (blown up of course) hanging on a string in the wind at 50 paces
4. Dixie cups half full of flour at 25 paces. Hanging on string or sitting on log.
5. Spaghetti stuck in a notch either vertical or horizontal or both at about 20 paces
6. Playing cards, taped face down. Shoot 5 times for a poker hand. 5 shots only.
7. Split a ball on an ax, break two clay birds, at about 15-20 paces
8. Team shoot. (2-4 shooters) Cut/topple a 4x4 or ? the fastest.
9. Shoot playing card for center.
10. Raw egg shoot at 20-25 paces. Hanging or sitting. Miss egg, eat it raw in front of all.
11. Shoot ice cream spoons or pop cycle sticks at 15 paces
12. Mark straws and split straw at mark. Vertical or horizontal
13. Cut a playing card in two by shooting at edge at 10-15 paces
14. Cut feathers in two at 15-20 paces
15. Prize shoot: put various prizes in bags and suspend by a string. Cut the string and win the prize within. Could be a rock or a silver dollar or whatever in each bag. Everyone lines up and shoots once. cut string an win, then next shooter moves to the next bag, repeat until all prizes are won. 15-25 paces.

This should give you some ideas for your next shoot. I know I have missed several but as you can see, imagination is all that is needed to have a fun and challenging shoot.