Poll: Gauging acceptance?

[Member 34319]

Thanks for all of the replies thus far guys. This poll surely helps me get a good understanding of current recreational shooters mindset. As does the personal replies, they add context as well. I'll be sharing all of this with ODF as well as working to use this information to help draft educational opportunities with Trash No Land.

Please remember this is to be a positive thread and not judge others for their votes!

 

[Joe13]

I am a little confused by some of the results of the survey. Over 70% shoot at paper targets, but only 11% use pallets or homemade wooden stands. Are shooters really buying target stands from the store? I have a simple wooden target stand that folds up when done. I use cardboard to attach the targets to. Better than 90% of the target stands I see advertised. Cost was less than $5. I am hoping that shooters are not using trees or rocks.

I purchased a pair of hinging saw horse brackets that you put 2x4's in. Makes a great target stand, you can make it as wide or as tall as you want and it folds up when your done. It will hold steel plates as well.

 

[cdmontgo]

Thanks for all of the replies thus far guys. This poll surely helps me get a good understanding of current recreational shooters mindset. As does the personal replies, they add context as well. I'll be sharing all of this with ODF as well as working to use this information to help draft educational opportunities with Trash No Land.

Please remember this is to be a positive thread and not judge others for their votes!

I don't live there anymore, but I appreciate your efforts. Thanks!

 

[Cogs]

I am a little confused by some of the results of the survey. Over 70% shoot at paper targets, but only 11% use pallets or homemade wooden stands. Are shooters really buying target stands from the store? I have a simple wooden target stand that folds up when done. I use cardboard to attach the targets to. Better than 90% of the target stands I see advertised. Cost was less than $5. I am hoping that shooters are not using trees or rocks.

I'm seeing several wood homemade stands out there. Some made with PVC base and 1x2 furring strips with cardboard stapled or clamped on and paper taped onto the cardboard. I use the white corrugated board because I get it for free from work, (or steal them from peoples yards from election campaigns ) and then I use the standard realtor wire stand and poke it in the ground. I'll put 4-5 paper targets on one big sheet of white corrugated board. I use them over and over again with simply taping on new paper targets.

One stand I really like because it's real versatile to varying widths, it the Hatpoint Target stand. Uses the 1x2 furring strips. Allows the shooter to have small, medium or large targets. They run around $30 bucks and add $10 for strips and clips. If you don't want to pay that, then you should come to our fundraising event and win one!

​

 

[mkwerx]

I've got a couple steel targets, but it's usually a paper punching game. For target backers we'll take homemade target stands (my cousin made some nice ones from PVC, I had a couple wooden stands I made before moving and had to ditch 'em) or cardboard boxes, stuffed with cardboard boxes to resist falling over after one shot. We try to clean the place up nicer than when we found it.

I used to take soda bottles (2 or 3 liter) before I found out it was a no go. That's really disappointing, because for $20 one could have a lot of fun. Personally I think the rules should change to allow almost any type of target with the provision that the shooter cleans up after themselves. I'm all for writing tickets to litter bugs - but there should be common sense and it should not be considered litter until it's left behind. If a guy wants to blast pop cans or beer cans or soda jugs or meat targets or whatever - cool. pick up the trash and pack it out and it should be A OK.

On the same token - ODF could bring in some old stumps to use for target backers if they wanted - easy enough to nail cardboard/paper to a stump, and rotted wood makes a decent backstop. Again, before discovering stump shooting in the wild was a no-go my favorite target backers were old rotten stumps, because you could recover expanded bullets in them like ballistics gel.

Eventually I'd like to own a parcel of land big enough to never have to worry about ODF's rules, or the parade of poor shooters one runs into on public land, but for now 99% of the time I'm shooting in forest land, so it's paper targets or professionally made targets, which kind of sucks.

 

[Mygrainman]

It can get boring shooting at a dot you can barely see, and having to wait to walk out and see where your groups are hitting. Shoot and see's are great, but expensive. What I do is go to the dollar store, and walmart, and get a stack of those neon green or orange sheets of heavy paper in the craft section... a few rolls of clear packaging tape, and several cans of the 99cent black spray paint.

Simply cover the paper on one side with tape, then spray paint it black. It helps to hang the paper up so the paint flows better, and you will still have issues with the nozzle clogging, it is cheap paint after all... but for about $2 each you get a huge target that you can either leave whole, or cut up into several pieces. Way cheaper than the ones from the rack.
You can either use a stencil and a contrasting color paint for an aim point, or buy those little round stickers that folks use for labeling thier crap at garage sales. I get the 1" target stickers at sportsmans and arrange them like cookie dough balls. they fit perfect on the target stands at my county range and I can go 3-4 rounds before needing to change it.
They are especially good for sighting in at long range.

Hers one I used to sight in my old spr over the summer.

As you can see it took me a few groups to get myself settled in and tighten up my groups. I'm happy when I can get all five touching at 100 with off the shelf 55g 5.56. That barrel loves ball ammo. Those were that cheap independence stuff in the blue box.
(edit: It was actually 4/5 touching and 1 bullseye. we all get lucky once in a while)

 

[EPS]

It can get boring shooting at a dot you can barely see, and having to wait to walk out and see where your groups are hitting. Shoot and see's are great, but expensive. What I do is go to the dollar store, and walmart, and get a stack of those neon green or orange sheets of heavy paper in the craft section... a few rolls of clear packaging tape, and several cans of the 99cent black spray paint.

Simply cover the paper on one side with tape, then spray paint it black. It helps to hang the paper up so the paint flows better, and you will still have issues with the nozzle clogging, it is cheap paint after all... but for about $2 a huge target that you can either leave whole, or cut up into several pieces. Way cheaper than the ones from the rack.
You can either use a stencil and a contrasting color paint for an aim point, or buy those little round stickers that folks use for labeling thier crap at garage sales. I get the 1" target stickers at sportsmans and arrange them like cookie dough balls. they fit perfect on the target stands at my county range and I can go 3-4 rounds before needing to change it.
They are especially good for sighting in at long range.

Hers one I used to sight in my old spr over the summer.
View attachment 420022
As you can see it took me a few groups to get myself settled in and tighten up my groups. I'm happy when I can get all five touching at 100 with off the shelf 55g 5.56. That barrel loves ball ammo. Those were that cheap independence stuff in the blue box.

That is cool because I love the shoot and see targets

 

[Flymph]

But at least pumpkins are bio lol

Unless cooked, produce is also a potential invasive species... hence why I shy away from that.
Although I doubt a deer or whatever could resist such a meal.
I also think it is weird that somebody would choose to shoot food when some fairly recent statistics put child hunger rates at 9% nationally... not trying to put anyone down, just something to think about. I'm tempted to shoot produce as well, especially watermelons...

I'm going to look up information about these "self-healing" reactive rubber targets. Might want to add that to my options.
Also would like to appreciate the member who pointed out bio-clays, as I was unaware those exist. That really improves my options.

 

[Flymph]

It can get boring shooting at a dot you can barely see, and having to wait to walk out and see where your groups are hitting. Shoot and see's are great, but expensive. What I do is go to the dollar store, and walmart, and get a stack of those neon green or orange sheets of heavy paper in the craft section... a few rolls of clear packaging tape, and several cans of the 99cent black spray paint.

Simply cover the paper on one side with tape, then spray paint it black. It helps to hang the paper up so the paint flows better, and you will still have issues with the nozzle clogging, it is cheap paint after all... but for about $2 each you get a huge target that you can either leave whole, or cut up into several pieces. Way cheaper than the ones from the rack.
You can either use a stencil and a contrasting color paint for an aim point, or buy those little round stickers that folks use for labeling thier crap at garage sales. I get the 1" target stickers at sportsmans and arrange them like cookie dough balls. they fit perfect on the target stands at my county range and I can go 3-4 rounds before needing to change it.
They are especially good for sighting in at long range.

Hers one I used to sight in my old spr over the summer.
View attachment 420022
As you can see it took me a few groups to get myself settled in and tighten up my groups. I'm happy when I can get all five touching at 100 with off the shelf 55g 5.56. That barrel loves ball ammo. Those were that cheap independence stuff in the blue box.

Fantastic! I'm utilizing this!

 

[Flymph]

I am a little confused by some of the results of the survey. Over 70% shoot at paper targets, but only 11% use pallets or homemade wooden stands. Are shooters really buying target stands from the store? I have a simple wooden target stand that folds up when done. I use cardboard to attach the targets to. Better than 90% of the target stands I see advertised. Cost was less than $5. I am hoping that shooters are not using trees or rocks.

I literally duck taped some metal rods to card board, dowel rods work as well... I have been using a target stand I bought for $25 recently.

Sorry for the long string of posts.

 

[Mikej]

Unless cooked, produce is also a potential invasive species... hence why I shy away from that.

You're kidding about this right?

 

[Flymph]

You're kidding about this right?

Nope! You could probably get a citation for that in addition to the other citations.
I know you can't do anything like that with fish, and I even need tags for invasive species on my canoe. Heck, the canoe even needs to be registered since it is 18'!

 

[FriendOfEvanWilliams]

I usually bring my own paper targets and some kind of jerry-rigged stand, but when shooting I often take my pick of the leftover trash previous shooters left behind to have some reactive targets as well as the paper. Then I pack out everything I picked up and shot, in addition to filling up the rest of the trash bag with assorted garbage. This way I still get the satisfaction of shooting cans that jump around and make noise, but also do my part to clean up after the jerks who ruin every outdoor shooting area in the state.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

99% of my shooting is on private land. i usually shoot beer cans, semi truck wrist pins, ar500 targets, cardboard silhouettes, cardboard boxes, squirrels, etc....

 

[gunnails]

I honestly had no idea it is illegal to shoot cans and plastic bottles in the forest.

 

[wired]

I save all my cans to shoot later on.

I buy bags of balloons at the dollar store to shoot. Usually by letting them float off in the wind and my son and I see who can bag it first.
I also get free"produce" when in season . ( Lab samples that have been tested for pesticide residue . Trust me, no one wants to eat those ) so I shoot a lot of apples.
Then we clean it all up and go home.
Ranges? Whats that?

 

[WrenchNguns]

I have a pvc stand with firing strips and homemade cardboard targets stapled to it. Also, the self healing ground targets and the little metal spinner targets for rim fire. Love shooting at steel when friends bring them to the shoots after the cleanups with Trash No Lands

 

[Member 34319]

I have collected a quantity of steel targets over the years, my best investment being a purchase at Wideners about 6-7 years ago for a set of three 1/2" half torso AR500 plates. I gave one to my dad and kept two. These two plates have seen thousands, perhaps tens or hundreds of thousands of rounds considering I tend to bring them with me to clean ups and group shoot outs. @Mikej can attest to how many lengths of chain they have been through I also invested in TheLastStand brackets about the same time I bought the plates. They are made of the same self healing plastic as some targets out there and utilize standard rebar to make a gong stand. They snap in and out of grooves for easy transport. Occasionally someone will buy a sheet of AR500 here and there and sell it on the forums for fairly cheap, I've managed a good couple of targets through these means, one pictured here was from a guy back in Reno at a metal shop that got his hands on a sheet of the stuff and was selling it at rock bottom prices to make up for his loss. Definitely not the greatest plates, the chain simply welded on to create mounting points, but this 1/2" 12"x12" plate only cost me $15 dollars. I still use it till this day and it is about 4 years old. I've also invested in static targets, the ones with stands using 2x4s and spring mounts from Shootsteel.com, loves them for pistol use. I shoot paper on occasion, mostly just to sight in something, or test a new reload, and use a manufactured target stand to do so. I also love clay targets, the make great targets for rifle and pistol. Sometimes I'll lay out 20-40 of them on a berm at 400-500 yards and spend the coarse of the next hour picking them off with my bolt action 223. They are super fun for 22lr too as you can usually get multiple hits on them before they break up too much. Oh and dueling trees are some of the most fun you will have if you're not the greatest shot! I picked one up back in Reno about 4-5 years ago and it is easily one of my favorite targets. Especially with rimfire as you have to get the outer most portion of the paddle to get it to flip. I'm currently working on collecting the components for a makeshift speed rack. I've purchased 6 4" plates off Amazon and I am working to figure out a way to mount them.

Pictured is some of my days out at the range with targets set up, and a few close ups of some of my targets.

 

[Mikej]

Speaking of "Steel", I picked up a 10" round from "Thor Targets" it was $40.00. It withstood a dozen or more .30-06 from a Garand at 80 yards with nothing more than a bit of the bullet left on the gong. Thor targets are said to be stronger than AR500. However, the .30-06 hits to the chain did it in and almost did in one of the two pieces rebar I was using with those Laststand holders.

 

[Member 34319]

I think I found the last components for my makeshift plate rack.

Target Hanging Kits (2x4 Target Hanger) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07665JXJ1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_v89wAbS0M90ZV

Patented 2x4 Target Stand Brackets AR500 Steel - 250lb Capacity - Powdercoated - Most Popular Stand On Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VR6XL16/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_z.9wAb5PV2523