Novelty Ideas Needed

[Soinkuhndog]

I'm new to the sport and thinking of taking on organizing our Novelty Shoot this fall and can use some unique ideas (I've only seen one).

I tried the "search" function, but got nothing even close to "novelty" topics.

I was thinking two-person teams. We have woods walk area, a paper target line, hawk and knife area, and also thinking of a flint/steel contest.

Thanks.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Some of the more common novelty shoots include: shooting at an edge of an axe blade, to break two clay targets leaned against the axe; shooting at bottle caps; shooting at neco wafers( biodegradable); or soda crackers; ( a variation of the soda cracker target requires you to glue " Cheese-it squares to the middle of the cracker quarters, so that extra points are given for hitting the cheese-it cracker( center hit)); cutting playing cards in half by shooting at the edge; snuffing candles; shooting at swinging targets; shooting at eggs suspended from strings taped to the eggs. ( Wrinkle: The guys who miss have to eat the raw egg!) Spear throws, where the spear has to go through a hoop of some size( spear, and hoop provided); hawk throwing contests, where you can required the members to throw overhanded, or Underhanded, or sideways; or you can stretch rubber bands from 5 pegs on the back stop and require the bands to be cut to score( 5 pts. for cutting one band, 10 pts for cutting both); do the same kind of thing with knife throwing; shoot at pop cans, the can kicked the highest or furthest is the winner.

Using paper targets, turn the targets backwards, and have the shooters shoot for score, firing at the center of the blank piece of paper. Score the targets normally.

Those are some ideas that should keep you busy.

Remember that you can set these targets out at any distance, or in events having more than one target to shoot, at varying distance, and not just a 25, or 50 or 75 yards. You will be surprised at how many shooters will miss the close targets!

 

[Birdman]

I've shot at match sticks lined up in a row(hitting the board deducts points n matchs get shorter the farther ya go down the line) as well as had to cut a string(weight held string straight up n down but was not secured so the string could move in a breeze). Ya can also try cutting feathers in half(harder then ya think) with a two/or three shot maximum.Let your imagination run wild, its half the fun seeing what crazyness that can be come up with. Maybe shoot thru a tube(cardboard) say 3"in dia at a target behind it, lose points if ya hit the tube

 

[rafterob]

How about tin cans filled with water. Use cans of increasing sizes at increasing distances. Shots must pierce the cans to count. If they are placed on a wide board they will often stay in place because of the weight of the water and you get a spurt of water to signal a good hit A different play on this one is take plastic jars with lids, nail the lids to a 2x6, fill up the jars with water and screw them into the lids and then turn the whole board upside down. This holds the jars in place when hit so you get a great spurting water effect. I read a post awhile back where they had some kind of mechanism that would toss a can in the air when a target was hit. first shooter hits the target and second shooter hits the flying can.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Cut a standard 100yd rifle target in four equal parts through the center of the "x" and just a quarter target for 25 yd offhand.

This is something we did at a fun match a few years ago. take gallon milk jugs and fill them with water. Tie a line like baler twine, from each jug up over a horizontal pole to a weight. Competitors shoot at 100 yards at the jugs. The idea is to empty the jug the fastest so the weight falls to the ground. Competitors shoot until the weight hits the ground. So the question becomes, are you good enough to hit the cord, or do you hit the bottom of the jug where it takes 40 seconds to drain and for the weight to fall.

Some French and Indian war re-enactors do a pumpkin rolling match. A small pumpkin is placed at 25yd and the competitors shoot at it until it rolls across the 50 yd line. It requires loding the gun with very little powder so that the ball hits and sticks in the pumpkin and causes it to roll.

Some civil war re-enactors do stake shoots. A 2x4 or 4x4 is stood up at 50 yds and competitors have to cut the 2x4 or 4x4 in half so the top falls over. It combines accuracy and speed of loading and firing.

I've seen folks drill holes in a fence rail and stand feathers, one in each hole. The idea at 25 yds is to cut the feather off. It is tricky because the spine of the feather isn't always on center.

Gongs are always popular. we've used old farm disc blades. drill a hole near the edge and hange them with stout chain.

Sillohuettes can be fun, if you have access to equipment and some plate steel to make them. Just a piece of 1/4 inch plate in a small shape will work at 50 to 100 yards.

Sometimes just a piece of dry wall works for a sillohuette. When the ball hits the dry wall, there is a puff of "smoke" from the pulverized gypsum.


Here's one I did a long time ago. It requires a two man team, one having a rifle and one having a shot gun. at 25 yards there are soda cans. The rifle shooter aims underneath the can and fires so that the can is kicked up into the air. The shotgunner then has to blast the can with shot. The shot must be fired while the can is airborn. I actually did this down at Tidewater Muzzleloader's near Annapolis Md, many years ago.

 

[WV MZL HUNTER]

We did a lot of carcoal tied to a string at 25 yds. sounds easy? Maybe for some but if you hit it, the cloud of black smoke :thumbsup: tells the story.
Plus we did one shot into a playing card.
Three shots at a 50yd. target, three shots a 100yd. target. One running deer target at 35 yds.

 

[ohio ramrod]

some more ideas are "driving "golf balls, any small container filled with flour, ballons on a string free to move with the wind or tied down, and the old fashioned "rattle" boxes. If you are not famiular they are a board with several "ramps" that over lap, you drop a ball onto the top and it rattles from the top down until it drops into a tin can. You have to drop the ball in and shoot your target before the ball reaches the can.The nice thing about novelaty shoots is coming up with something different.

 

[ameling]

A simple shoot that is kind of based on an old D Boone story is two targets with one shot. You hang two rows of targets - like charcoal briquettes from strings. Vary the height of them in both rows. Then it is up to the shooter to "line up" one from the front row and the back row, and hit both with one shot. You don't need much distance between the two rows of targets. But do vary the heights a bit for different height shooters.

At dusk, a candle shoot is always fun - but chews up candles fast. You usually need something like a cardboard box for the candle to set in - to keep the breeze from blowing it out. The object then is to "snuf" the flame out without hitting the candle.

And any shoot or knife/hawk throw gets real interesting if you use a standard "target", but put the aim point off center! So many people are used to aiming for the exact center. But if the aim point is off near one edge, you will get a lot of people ... missing. It's kind of like cutting a standard paper target in quarters and then shooting at that. But here you have to "ignore" your normal mind's eye sight picture - to put your shot off to one side.

And if you get a GREAT DEAL at some garage sale, you can always have a ... beanie baby shoot! BOY, does that ever get people worked up - on BOTH sides!!

And the "hidden mark" shoot adds a bunch of randomness. Take a big sheet of paper/cardboard/etc. and make a mark on the back side of it. Then set it up and have people shoot at it - whereever they want to. Mark each "hole" after each shooter. At the end, then check for the shot that got closest to your hidden mark. This one gives any shooter a pretty equal chance of winning.

And then there is always the "mystery ball" shoot. Everybody throws one of their normal roundballs into the hat. As each steps up, one is picked out for him at random (without the picker seeing who it is). So you might end up with a 36 to shoot in a 62. Or a 75 to shoot in a 45! LOTS of extra patching gets used on this one. And have a stump/hawk nearby for people to ... re-form a large ball into a long slug! Some places allow slicing excess lead off instead of hammering small enough to fit down the bore.

Just a few humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands


p.s. Or pick two shooters at random, have them load up their regular load, and then swap guns! And combine their scores! The different sight picture and length of pull throws a lot of people off. But having the original owner of the gun load it gives more peace of mind to the shooters, and combining their two scores keeps somebody from ... throwing a bad load for the other guy!

 

[ameling]

Or if you are really brave - and have a good enough backstop downrange, there is always that Mirror or Buddy shoot.

You load your gun, face away from the targets, rest your gun over your shoulder, and use a mirror to aim it! (or rest it on a padded rail instead of your shoulder - a little safer)

The other variation is you doing it the same way, except your "buddy" stands in front of you and then sights down your rifle and tells you where to aim and when to pull the trigger. WARNING: DO NOT HAVE HUSBAND/WIFES DO THIS!! It will be bad enough having your buddy tell you "your other left" several times! Large easy to hit targets like milk jugs or pumpkins are generally called for.

Mikey

 

[brubincam]

-----soda cans work real well--just fill with water--no need to plug hole--they explode nicely and can still be recycled-----

 

[renovato]

Here's one I did a long time ago. It requires a two man team, one having a rifle and one having a shot gun. at 25 yards there are soda cans. The rifle shooter aims underneath the can and fires so that the can is kicked up into the air. The shotgunner then has to blast the can with shot. The shot must be fired while the can is airborn. I actually did this down at Tidewater Muzzleloader's near Annapolis Md, many years ago.

A lot of great ideas in this thread, but that one sounds like an absolute hoot! I think I'm gonna give it a try next time me and the buddies hit the desert for an afternoon of plinking.

 

[robertdale]

try a gas filled balloon taped to a clay bird.rifle shoots first,breaks clay bird till ballon liftoff, smooth bore shoots balloon in air.
staple ketsup and mayonaise packs to board ,number each one,we used call this the bug
splat. have safe fun

 

[trent/OH]

A standard bullseye target, mounted backwards, so you have to guess where the x-ring is.

The NMLRA sells a novelty target which has 10 individual targets, one shot each. Some are easy enough, but it's basically torture.

Research any historicalevents on or near your shoot date, and make something up as a target. Last Fall I made a silhouette target of a Japanese light cruiser which the US shot up during the Battle Off Samar, which had been on the same date. Shots hitting the 5 turrets would score 10, and hitting the gun barrels scored 5.

A picture of a 5 man artillery crew at their piece presents a chance to prove the American colonial rifleman legend, by hitting all 5 of them with 5 shots.

 

[RC]

if ya go to a $ dollar store...(or happen to be near Washington DC (hear they have LOTS!) Tea BAGS are great! come with their own string,,and if ya tie that string to another string tween trees, a lil breeze will be quite moving! :rotf: ...and I found some big washers 3 1/2" maybe.. with about a 2" hole in the..cellophane tape over the hole...and shoot the "HOLE"! some shooters still don't talk to me..or if ya have a lot of "distance" shooters..(shoot 25-50-75-100--) put a target out (air tanks work great, TING!,,but tell them it's further,,I put it out about 115 yds and tell them 137 1/2 yds..w/o knowin how big the tank is they'tre not sure how far it is,,its a mind thing! :rotf:

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Almost forgot, a local club has some hilly ground. They put a piece of cardboard inside an old tire and let it roll down the hill and across the firing range at slight angle. These guys shoot only flintlocks. Seldom do flint fans get to shoot a "running" target. I understand it was a humbling experience for most shooters.

 

[ameling]

I once put on a cowboy/old west running buffalo shoot. I set up 6 steel buffalo targets (6x8 inch) at random distances from the firing line - getting progressively farther away. They also started directly to your side and them got to where you were shooting straight ahead. And then I put a saddle onto a large sawhorse to shoot from. You had 10 shots to use. Each steel target tipped over counted as a point. But you had to remember to count your shots and reserve the last one for a Running Buffalo target - which scored 10 points.

For that running buffalo target, I stretched some old telephone wire across our firing range, and had a plywood/steel buffalo cut-out hanging from it on pullies. When released, it ran across in front of you and you had to shoot it while it passed between two posts - IF you remembered to save that last shot. The wire and release mechanism caused that wird and target to bounce up/down about a foot as it rolled past.

It went well - especially with all the normal banter going on. Only 2 people forgot to save that last shot for the running buff target.

One Club does a running deer target. They stretched their wire through the normal timber on their range. You have to shoot at it only when it is between two trees, but you can see it "bounding" for 30 yards before that. Plus there still are some little saplings/branches in the way. That long bouncing wire really does get that deer target looking like a deer ambling through the woods! In all the years that club has used that running deer target, only one guy managed to clip the wire! But they also use it to practice up for regular deer hunting season.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

p.s. Having a steel target with a small hole in the center and a clay bird behind it to break does get pretty interesting. Lots of "dings" but few broke birds. Just don't make that hole TOO large. A standard old disc blade works well - at 50 to 100 yards.

 

[StewartLeach]

Here are the things we did at Buckhorn Skinners club in Colorado last Fall:

Events at 2008 Buckhorn Skinners “Meat Shoot”, a novelty match

Tie Breaker is the only paper target. Other targets breakable or are square, round, rectangular or animal outline metal gongs that do not have to be retrieved. Most gongs are suspended from a frame by chain, or mounted at the top of a strong coil spring.

Participants are paired up in teams of two, move through the events at their own pace, in any order they choose, and score for each other. Can decide to take a break, etc. Can even decide not to shoot a particular stage, such as Good Luck.

Tie Breaker Target- one shot at a cross printed at the center of an 8.5x11” sheet, 50 yards, closest to center wins in case of a tie in another event or the aggregate. Everyone fires and retrieves this target as a formal first relay

Good Luck- 5 shots on 18” wide by 24” long gong at 200 yards, scored by observer using spotting scope (hint- shoot this stage early in day, when winds are light, bore not badly fouled and shooter fresh)

Bass Ackwards- 5 shots at 50 yards on prairie dog gong, fired from shooter’s weak side (left side for normally right side shooter, etc.)

Aim & Blame- 5 shots on 65-yard round gong, owner loads and aims his/her own rifle, partner manipulates trigger (hint- use benchrest trigger technique, where trigger is pinched between index finger on trigger and thumb on back of trigger guard)

Trade Rifle- owner loads rifle his/her rifle, and then partner shoots it at 75-yard gong

Cross Sticks- 5 shots at target of choice at 75 yards- 6” round gong, or three 4”x 12”steel gong strips hung a width apart and staggered vertically- sitting position, rifle across cross sticks

Smokin’ Toes- 5 shots from Creedmoor-style back lying position, gong target at 25 yards, shooter gets down, partner hands rifle to shooter. (safety problem for shorter rifles where barrel does not reach past the toes)

Pistol- 5 shots at 6” gong target at 10 yards, against timer made of metal funnel, coil of ribbed natural gas line and metal pan to catch ball at bottom. Could also use IPSC-type timer. Shooter loads pistol, assumes muzzle up ready position. Time starts when 50 cal ball is dropped so as to clink against funnel at top, ends when it hits pan at bottom. Targets are suspended in center of real estate sign type frame using chain at top corners and short tarp straps at lower corners or center.

Shotgun- shoot at 5 clay pigeons using ML shotgun.

Hawk Throw- 5 total throws at tree stump cross section, 1 each regular seven pace distance, double distance, blade to rear, underhand, weak hand; if it sticks it counts

Knife Throw- 5 throws, if it sticks it counts

 

[shooyer_250]

Have you considered an obstacle course Kuhn...

1) pick a known distance, say 100 yards
2) fire one round stnading kneeling and/or prone
3) move downrange left or right to a wall, reload, fire
4) again move downrange hide behind a butterchurn for example, reload and fire

you get the gist, if you want to PT me and i'll help you, i've built ranges in places i didn't even know existed till we landed...give me a yell.... Lee

 

[ameling]

If you are going to do a version of "kick the can", save some bean cans to use instead of pop cans. The aluminum pop cans are a little light. The round balls often punch right through them without moving them. Plus any wind will also "kick" them about.

So we started saving and using bean cans - with the labels cut off. The steel is heavier. Wind doesn't affect them as much. And when you hit one, you really know you hit it.

For Kick-The-Can, you have a team fire at a can to move it as far back as they can with a set number of shots. You still should try to hit just in front of and below the can - so the lead and dirt combined blasts the can back and away.

The Team variation is to have two or more teams having one shooter each at a time step up and shoot. First team to get their can past a set line wins.

Note on team Post-Cutting shoots. Mark a pair of lines on each post - where the shooters must hit it between those lines. Somewhere around 6 inches apart. Otherwise, after some shooting, somebody will try to hit the top to "snap" the post off. Especially after the middle of the post has been shot out by all those people "shooting center". Then you just have the two outside edges left holding it up.

Also have your "posts" be as similar as possible. Many groups use 2x4's. Just don't get one with a big knot right where you are supposed to shoot/cut it!

And, if you have some "win at all costs" people, it might also be wise to check their hunting pouches and pockets for a short length of dog chain! One group got real upset at being disqualified when a length of dog chain suddenly appeared half buried in their post which was still more solid than they thought! They claimed sabotage from another team shooting THEIR post! But past history with some of those guys quickly led to the discovery of another short length of chain in one hunting pouch. Some people just HAVE TO --- win at any cost!

Have fun figuring out ways to ... torture ... your shooters!

Mikey

 

[RC]

when they start callin ya *#!^(&%$#! and &^$#@!***$%^&_+& then ya jus KNOW ya dun good! :thumbsup: