Where do you order your targets?

Z

zanemoseley

New member
I'm getting into several shooting disciplines where I need a good amount of regulation targets, 10m Air Pistol, 25&50 yard bullseye, 50ft small bore rifle and I've noticed that the price and quality of targets vary widely. Whats the best place you guys have found to order.

I found Kruger targets that are made in Germany and supposed to be good stock that cuts well with wadcutters, their US online store has good prices but the shipping is outrageous as it has to cross the country to get to me. The shipping is about 50% of what the targets cost.
 
Unless you need them for something public, like an organized match or something, it's not too likely anyone will complain if you just download the pictures and print them out for your own personal use.
 
I use TargetExpress -- cheapo software with something like 500 printable targets, or you can use it to create your own. There are probably freeware equivalents out there by now.
 
I like to use a thicker paper. The edges of bullet holes are sharper and they don't tear. I can buy 100 paper plates at Walmart for about $2-$3 and stick dots on them. When I need or want bigger targets I save cardboard from around the house. Pizza boxes, shoe boxes, etc.

I don't really care for most of the commercial targets, they are too "busy". Bullet holes at 200-300 yards are a lot easier to see on a plain white paper plate or cardboard.
 
I'm primarily a Bullseye shooter and I can't practice seriously if I'm not shooting on official targets that I can score properly. I'm also responsible for ordering the targets for my Pistol Team - several thousand per year. Like Mr. Borland, I get bullseye targets from American Target Company. In all honesty, I think that National Target Company prints a somewhat nicer target, but American is just fine, also "NRA Official," and a good bit cheaper.

For air pistol targets, the very slow-moving pellet won't cut a clean hole in regular target paper, so there I opt for the ridiculously expensive, but otherwise superb, Edelmann targets at Pilkington Competition. I understand the Kruger targets are similar, but I don't have any experience with them.

Even if I'm just shooting informally, I like using not just a "real" target but also the correct size and configuration for the shooting I'm doing. At each range session, I'm shooting guns that cost me several hundred to a few thousand dollars each, and burning ammo that costs me a few to several tens of dollars at each session (even if reloaded), so I've never understood shooting at odd bits of paper just to save a few pennies.
 
I like to use a thicker paper. The edges of bullet holes are sharper and they don't tear. I can buy 100 paper plates at Walmart for about $2-$3 and stick dots on them.
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That's exactly what I do. I think the dots are just over $1.00 for over 300. I get paper plates at the Dollar Tree and the Styrofoam ones at Walmart.
 
I do about everything. I lucked into a gun store that was going out of bizz years ago and bought piles of targets. I also download images and print them out, usually on heavier paper in yellow or orange I buy at an office supply store.

Then I often use real high class targets, like when I first shot my 2006 Colt XSE LW Commander. I just wanted to see where it was hitting to adjust the rear sight and I know exactly where the air point is. By the way, as an old bullseye shooter I shot these 6 rounds with one hand at 15 yards. A nice little pistol for the money.



Once I got the sights right I just had to do 10 rounds slowfire bullseye at 25 yards. My ammo was still nothing special, just 230gr Win. White Box. Given I am an old out of practice bullseye shooter it was not a bad group.



I continue to like my "sharpie cross" targets as I know exactly where I put the sights. Sometimes I combine them with a neat little plastic ruler item I got from Brownells. Here when I first bought my Colt Special Combat Gov at 25 yards with one hand. And often I only shoot 6 or 7 rounds. Six rounds in this case.



That pistol, by the way, will give one sub 3 inch groups at 50 yards from a Ransom Rest with the right ammo. Nice pistol, but not cheap.
 
Ditto on the Meijer paper plates. About one cent a piece. Take a plate and cut a cross or circle in it with an xacto blade. The cut plate will be your stencil for some cheap spray paint. I can find Duplicolor on clearance for 99 cents a can in many dark colors. Red is hot right now. Crank out about 20-30 of them and they dry in 20 minutes outside.
It's been a while since I've spent 50 cents on a target. With a little whittling skill you can make a professional looking target and your stencil will last for many hundreds of targets.
 
American Target Company sure does have cheap shipping, I had the quote shipping on over $100 worth of targets and it was under $4. I'll likely get some soon, $100 worth of targets should last me for quite some time.

On a side note I saw some targets in the trash at the range today with ultra crisp holes made by a .45 SWC bullet, it was a Kruger target. It was crazy tearing a piece off the target, totally different card stock than the National targets I currently have. My .45 SWC leave nowhere near as neat of a hole. Not sure it really matters though except for in scoring which isn't really an issue during practice, it just looks cool as hell.

I also printed off some 25 yard slow fire bullseye targets at work on our laser printer just for fun and tried them today. They are nowhere near as bold as store bought targets but they did the job.
 
I looked at Kruger's US online store, their prices are good but their shipping is ridiculous, I got an order together of $90 worth of targets. The shipping cost was over $49, that's crazy. I emailed them, lets see what they can do, I'd love to get some Kruger targets.
 
My favorite targets (for pistols) are ones I drew with Microsoft PAINT program. I print these on ordinary 8.5"x11" paper

1 An oval that approximates the "kill zone" of a bowling pin (for if and when we ever get a bowling pin competition going)

2 An "X" and the arms of the x shrink to points at the center point of the "X")

3 A cross (something like a Maltese Cross, but skinnier)

This does not help zanemoseley much, but drawing your own targets should not violate copyright protections (as long as you are not photocopying someone else's work, but simply following publicly available target specifications). Then using appropriate weight paper stock as jmr40 and Damon555 do, you should be gold.

Good luck, good shooting.

Lost Sheep
 
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