Favorite Target for Load Development

[Center_shot]

I know, I know, a big buck is all our favorite target but........until then I need to do some load development. Wondering what is everyone's favorite target for precise aiming? A 2" Diamond set like a snow cone on top of the front sight bead seems to be best for me. Although a circular target with about a 4" white circle and 2" dark circle seems to work pretty well also (NFAA archery target). Looking for suggestions on what works best for you.

I'm shooting with a RMC 3/4 peep and stock TC Hawken front sight on my TC Hawken 50Cal. Have tried a globe front sight but prefer the original front sight.

 

[deermanok]

I really don't have any favorite.
Cheap paper targets from Walmart, or sometimes I use a 8" paper plate and using a can and magic marker, I'll make a red or black circle in the middle.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Generally it is recommended to use, at least, 50 yards for load development. But, I'll modify that a bit. Start at 25 yards from a rest to learn where your sights are pointing. If you are on paper, move back to 50 yards. Traditional wisdom is to begin with a load that equals your caliber. e.g. 50 cal./50 grains real bp. Shoot five shot groups and increase charge by 5 grains until your group closes to where you want it. As said by others, the target need not be fancy. Paper plate with a felt tip marker 'X' or targets from Walmart are just fine. Good shootin'

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I like these targets for load development and final sighting-in. They’re printed off on 8 1/2” X 11” printer paper. I scanned the images and saved them so I can print off as many as I want.

The grids on the right side target are 1” grids. I would rather the target was black, it can be hard to see at 100 yrds with a naked eye…scope, no issues out to 400 yrds, beyond that and I go to a different target entirely.

The target on the left, I put one shot into it at the very top…then realized it was my last target, and made my copy…so all my PDF printed targets have a bullet hole at 12:00…

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I know, I know, a big buck is all our favorite target but........until then I need to do some load development. Wondering what is everyone's favorite target for precise aiming? A 2" Diamond set like a snow cone on top of the front sight bead seems to be best for me. Although a circular target with about a 4" white circle and 2" dark circle seems to work pretty well also (NFAA archery target). Looking for suggestions on what works best for you.

I'm shooting with a RMC 3/4 peep and stock TC Hawken front sight on my TC Hawken 50Cal. Have tried a globe front sight but prefer the original front sight.

For me this is what I like. Vertical and horizontal lines help your eyes zero in on dead center. This is light weight poster board from Hobby Lobby. One sheet for .29 cents will make ( 4 ) size 11" x 14". I purchase colored duck tape and rip or cut to the width I want. The one here is 7/8" wide lines, and would use for 50 yards. I stay away from black tape because the rifle sights are harder to distinguish. Works for me and my eyes are 77+ years old.

Larry

 

[appalichian hunter]

Paper plate 2in. black circle start at 30 yards, then paper plate 1 1/2 in. black circle at 50 yards once that is satisfactory back to the paper plate 2 in, black circle with a 1 in. orange dot in the center of the black circle for me equals minute of deer.

 

[SDSmlf]

I like the size of the NRA SR series targets. About a 6” bull at 100 yards. I use downsized versions for shorter distances (3” at 50 yards and 1.5” at 25 yards) and use larger bulls for longer distances (about 12” at 200 yards) to keep the sight picture the same. When hunting my front sight becomes a ‘range’ finder of sorts, as I have learned from practice about how much my front sight covers at various distances. I also like the various splatter targets, as hits are easy to see. Have a bunch 5-1/2” diameter bull ones (close enough to 6”) that I use at 100 yards on a 24” wide piece of chart or news print paper.

Here is a sight-in target (5-1/2” bull) for new sights on the flintlock (already had the load figured out). It was one of those good days. Mr Hoyt’s barrels are more accurate that me every day.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

I prefer 1" dots ... if you can see them.

These 2 load development targets were shot years apart, one a fowler and one a rifle, but they both display graphic proof for how a barrel - actually ANY firearm barrel - will print different groups depending on the charge, which correlates to whether or not you are shooting from a node. Barrels whip or vibrate like a tuning fork, but in a sine wave pattern. Your arm, and the load, WILL be the most accurate if shot off either the top node - where the muzzle is at the apex of its travel - or at the bottom dwell point.

The other thing that shooting off a node does for you is that minor variations in powdah charges do not open up the groups at reasonable distances (so far I'd surmise that to be 75Y and under).

Fowler - 54"barrel, offhand to boot, 25-yards, where I eventually took this one up to 110-grains. This one liked 55 & 75 the best of this test group (2Fg).

Link = Load Development for 54" Fusil

Rifle - 42" light profile swamped barrel, benched, but look how the group changed just by a 5-grain increase! It will also shoot 1-hole groups @ 50-grains (3Fg). Those other red dots around the lowest one actually helped make sure I wasn't crowding the front sight 'up' into the lowest one.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I am a cheapskate so I just use a plain piece of paper with a simple milk carton lid as centering point.

 

[necchi]

Wondering what is everyone's favorite target for precise aiming?

A basic thin line 1" grid in black on white 8 1/2 x 11" printer paper with a center 1" circle in black.
I don't aim at the target, my method is to use a 6 O`clock sight picture for that dot on that paper, it's a black spot on white.
I don't shoot at a target, I shoot at that black spot. I use it as a random aiming point for consistency.
The "grid" isn't necessary at all, it's a simple supplement for easy measurement.
Anybody else heard of 1/4 inch clicks?

p.s. To be honest, I printed a grid to paper, then put a Dime as center, used a Sharpie to draw around it, filled it in, scanned, save, print.

 

[Center_shot]

For me this is what I like. Vertical and horizontal lines help your eyes zero in on dead center. This is light weight poster board from Hobby Lobby. One sheet for .29 cents will make ( 4 ) size 11" x 14". I purchase colored duck tape and rip or cut to the width I want. The one here is 7/8" wide lines, and would use for 50 yards. I stay away from black tape because the rifle sights are harder to distinguish. Works for me and my eyes are 77+ years old.

Larry
View attachment 149388

Great idea - I use similar to sight in compound bows, don't know why that did not dawn on me sooner. Aging eyes are the problem. Young guys with good eyes don't know what we are experiencing.......yet. Thanks.

 

[Center_shot]

FWIW: I am sitting at a computer with AutoCAD on it and have printers and plotters at my disposal. I can make any target I can dream up, just wondering what works for others. I'm thinking an 11x17 with a couple 1" thick red crosses may just be the ticket. Thanks.

 

[oldracer]

I make “home made Shoot-n-See” targets as shown on several You Tube videos. I use bright yellow craft paper from any office supply store, I get the packing tape at Costco and the cheapest flat black and flat white and paid less than a dollar several years ago. I get a dozen targets per can. You can see them out to 300 yards easily!
John

 

[Sidney Smith]

I use those orange stick on target dots and whatever paper or cardboard I have saved up. Usually it's the round cardboard circles that come in many frozen pizza boxes, or the rectangles of thin cardboard that come with packages, or inside of a small appliance box.

I normally use a 3 inch dot at 50 yards, as it's easiest for my tired eyes to see on my clubs shaded range. At 25 I'll use a 2 or 1 inch dot, mainly for my .32 caliber.

I'm not one who demands Supreme accuracy while at the range, or I don't hunt. I've always used the adage, baseball at 50, pie plate at 100. If I can keep my groups inside those two sized targets at those distances, then I'm happy. I rarely shoot past 50 yards anyway, so if I'm hitting the baseball then I'm good to go.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

FWIW: I am sitting at a computer with AutoCAD on it and have printers and plotters at my disposal. I can make any target I can dream up, just wondering what works for others. I'm thinking an 11x17 with a couple 1" thick red crosses may just be the ticket. Thanks.

Not as fun as a critter target, but if you are serious about dead center, this is the way to go! IMO
Larry

 

[longcruise]

FWIW: I am sitting at a computer with AutoCAD on it and have printers and plotters at my disposal. I can make any target I can dream up, just wondering what works for others. I'm thinking an 11x17 with a couple 1" thick red crosses may just be the ticket. Thanks.

I make all of my targets with my office suite. For the purpose cited in the OP, I use just a red bull with no other marks except may for a 1 or 2" grid for reference. Red because it's easier to see black sights on it and easier to see the hole. Size of the circle is based on how far I'll shoot. Nearly always 50 yards .

They are printed on 60# bond. Makes for a cleaner hole.

For load development, this is.. for sight in there are some variations.

This is one that I made for postal a recurring postal match.

https://csmla.webador.com/csmla-postal-match

 

[AZbpBurner]

My favorite targets used to be grapefruit when Dad had more grapefruit than he and the neighbors could eat. I got shopping bags full of grapefruit & even after squeezing gallons of juice I still had enough leftover to stick out at the 100 yard line for sighting in.

 

[david w]

I use shoot-n-see targets simply because my older eyes can see where I hit easier.

 

[Wildrangeringreen]

printer paper with a permanent marker circle on it. I use 36" rosin paper for regulating doubles and patterning scatterguns. I usually walk down to look at targets (a little exercise does you good), but today we also have sub-$50 binoculars and monocular. Those are nice to have around for PID, if nothing else. "Is that a groundhog or a chunk of dirt?"- now you know.

 

[1BadDart]

It depends on how far I'm shooting, plus at 61 my eyes aren't young anymore. I shot a bow for years and learned to shoot small, you have to aim small.