Whats your favorite paper/cardboard target(s) to practice with?
Whats your favorite steel (brand and style)?
Cardboard favorite=Homemade. Inexpensive and easy to get (boxes sold at Walmart). I make them smaller than IPSC, and they have whatever hit boxes I want to use.
My favorite targets for the AR15 are the gongs offered by www.metaltargets.com
They have a great ring to them and have been very durable.
I also like the the FBI style & IPSC targets from GT Targets.com with the sniper cut out.
FBI QIT
Paul Howe’s CSAT Targets and Jeff Gonzales’ Tricon targets
I’m biased because it’s my design but…
For steel, I’ve had great success with MGM, Action and Porta-Target. I prefer either static or self-resetting to avoid wasting time.
I like. What are the dimensions on it? Are these available anywhere?
My old man and i made some steel bells out of T1 steel drops, it takes anything we throw at it.
Best pic I have of some of my AR targets The 2 IPSC shaped targets up front and the FBI style target in the back came from GT Targets. You can see the 12" yellow gong from metal targets out there on the left.
The NRA sil. targets are made from T1 and are for pistols only.
I’ve been using the steel FBI Q target from www.letargets.com It goes together very quick by just unfolding the legs and then basically hanging the target on the stand.
It’s so far withstood thousands of rounds of 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45acp from several shooters. I would recommend that you turn the target each time you shoot to prevent a bow forming in it from repeated strikes.
For .223 we use the port a target rifle target.
I really love shooting steel more than anything else target wise.
Great thread.
Lately I’ve been doing the same as Neeglik except that I place a standard NRA bullseye target over the center mass “A” zone. I get the boxes from the supply guys at work, but have to buy the bullseye targets. I did not come up with this though, I just learned it in a class.
I don’t think there is a better target in the world.
Hawkeye,
They are distributed by www.letargets.com/html/featured.html and can be found about halfway down the page. The camo area is roughly the size of an IDPA with the outer scoring area removed and the optimal hit zones are more realistically sized and placed. The eye box is 3 1/2" wide and 1 1/4" high, neck is about 3 1/2" wide, spine is 1 1/2" wide, primary chest is 4" wide and 5 1/2" high while the secondary chest is 7 1/2" wide and 7" high. The ocular cavity is to draw attention and demand that head shots be placed properly. Glad you like them and let me know if you need any further info.
David-I bought a box of these. Would you please explain the dotted lines on the torso?
Submariner,
The dotted lines are intended to provide an intended hit/scoring zone while not being visible from distance. People don’t wear scoring rings and I’d rather have shooters focus on getting effective hits without aiming aids. Does that answer your question?
I found the measurements for the IPSC targets and made a master stencil. Now I just keep my eye out for scrap cardboard large enough. I also bring a roll of packing tape to cover holes and get the most use out of them.
No. I suspect the vertical bar is vertebra/CNS. I don’t understan the parts of the body to which the other areas correspond.
Submariner,
You are correct that the vertical lines are the spine which averages 1.5". The smaller box is the primary chest zone and it’s measurement and location were determined by the averages also and intended to encompass the primary organs that bleed or leak. The larger box extends to the outer perimeter of the lungs but wouldn’t include the heart. Anything outside the boxes but still on camo should be considered a peripheral hit that might depend on luck and psychology more than anything. In designing the target, I consulted with several thoracic surgeons as well as trauma specialists and the dimensions and placement were deemed accurate and relevant to the extent that a paper target is capable of portraying them.
I get all my Poppers and paper (and cardboard) from letargets.com
Anyone have any thoughts on Salute steel targets and MGM Steel targets?