Novelty shooting match suggestions please.

[Larry (Omaha)]

OK guys n gals, a friend called me today (president of a local ML club) and said his club wanted to spruce up their novelty matches with new ideas. I gave him some I know, but would like to ask this forum for suggestions.
If you would like to suggest some novelty targets here are the parameters: 10 to 50 yard distance, no post cutting matches, nothing that requires rapid loading, and do not suggest anything listed.
Cutting string
Cutting cards
Shooting at double bladed ax to hit target on both sides of blade
Charcoal briquettes
Eggs
Cut a feather
Shooting at tack heads
Candle flame extinguish
Gongs
Hitting a plastic bucket so it stays in the bucket (does not go through both sides)
All suggestions will be appreciated.
Larry

 

[jdw276]

Apples. This year guy shot at one forgot to remove his ramrod, we called it the william tell shoot. All apples were safe with him. Target frames were in trouble.

Bananas, lemons, cheetos on toothpicks, lollipops, water balloons, clay pigeons.

 

[Rifleman1776]

One of my most memorable I set up at a small ronny. Location was where a rancher put dead cows. Lots of bones laying around. Most challenging and cuss provoking were the ribs hanging from a string. They turned with every slight breeze. Hard to hit when the flat side was facing you.

 

[andy52]

The funniest I've ever seen was a 55-gallon barrel mounted on springs that had a saddle on it. You had to sit in the saddle and shoot over your shoulder as if you were being pursued by injuns.

 

[dave951]

I enjoy a ladder shoot. Three strips of wood hanging by wires in the ends like a ladder. Scoring is easy, busy the "rungs", fastest time wins. This is not an event for individuals but is shot as a team.

 

[Stykbow]

I have shamelessly stolen this from “The Odyssey”, but how about shooting thru the eye of an axe head at a target beyond?

 

[tnlonghunter]

My club has done them with:

Charcoal briquettes
Sidewalk chalk
Apples
Big pretzels
Empty shotgun hulls
Eggs
Balloons

Our flintlock-only shoots are usually done golf-style. Winner is the one who needs the smallest number of shots to hit one of each target.

The last one we had, we set a 100yd bullseye target. Your score on the target was theamount of shots subtracted from your total. So, for example we had 6 novelty targets that took me 8 shots. I scored a 6 on the bull, so my final match score was 2.

Next time I'm going to suggest a steel target I have that's a boar with a separate plate for the heart at 100yds. Maybe 2 points off the total for hitting the pig and 5 off for hitting the heart.

 

[sheriff john]

One old-time shoot I attended was at the Maires County Fair. Many were shooting originals in those days. Target was a white paper disk (perhaps paper plate - don't remember, that was about 50 years ago) with a roofing nail in the middle. Score was shortest distance between the roofing nail and bullet hole. When the roofing nail was centered, the target fell off of the large log end to which it was attached. Only one shot did that.

Fellow in a folding chair sat out by the log a respectable distance who measured the distance with a caliper and yardstick. All shooting was off'n a bench. Beyond the target were some distant cows. I asked the fellow with the scores "What about those cows back there?"

"If you can't hit that log, don't shoot." The distance wasn't far - maybe 40-50 yards.
Prizes were meat - hams and bacon mostly. Anyway ...roofing nail was the "bullseve".

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I enjoy a ladder shoot. Three strips of wood hanging by wires in the ends like a ladder. Scoring is easy, busy the "rungs", fastest time wins. This is not an event for individuals but is shot as a team.

Thanks Dave, but have no clue what busy the rungs is? Help me out here!
Larry

 

[Roundball 54]

Cattails are fun . Hit them and watch the fuzz fly .

 

[dave951]

Thanks Dave, but have no clue what busy the rungs is? Help me out here!
Larry

Sorry, darn spell “correct” should read- break the rungs

 

[LME]

OK guys n gals, a friend called me today (president of a local ML club) and said his club wanted to spruce up their novelty matches with new ideas. I gave him some I know, but would like to ask this forum for suggestions.
If you would like to suggest some novelty targets here are the parameters: 10 to 50 yard distance, no post cutting matches, nothing that requires rapid loading, and do not suggest anything listed.
Cutting string
Cutting cards
Shooting at double bladed ax to hit target on both sides of blade
Charcoal briquettes
Eggs
Cut a feather
Shooting at tack heads
Candle flame extinguish
Gongs
Hitting a plastic bucket so it stays in the bucket (does not go through both sides)
All suggestions will be appreciated.
Larry

You have eliminated just about everything there is? LOL!

 

[dave951]

One that we use fairly often in competition is the "puff board". Nothing more complicated than a 6in square of drywall suspended by one corner at 50yd. Usually there's a "spot" on it or a playing card. It's a timed event, as many shots as you can take. Scoring is simple, a hit is one point. Hitting the "spot" is 3 points. In the case of the playing card, blank dry wall is one point, the card is 3 points, hitting the bicycle on the card is 5. With a range of points available and limited time, there is a bit of strategy. Do I go for most accurate? Do I use volume of fire? Do I balance speed and accuracy?

This target was 2 minutes, shot with my Parker Hale musketoon at 50yd. Scoring- 3 on dry wall=3pts 1 on card=3pts 1 on bicycle=5 for a total of 11pts scored.

Here's one with my musket. Parker Hale at 50yd, 2 minutes. Score was also 11. Three card hits for 9pt (hey, the corner, however slight was still a hit) and 2 blank dry wall for 2 more points.

 

[Rod Man]

The funniest I've ever seen was a 55-gallon barrel mounted on springs that had a saddle on it. You had to sit in the saddle and shoot over your shoulder as if you were being pursued by injuns.

Actually, that sounds like a Hoot!!! Someone was in FFA or 4H that thought of that one!

RM

 

[andy52]

That one was at a rendezvous I went to at Old Mines Missouri.
I don't recall all of the construction used but the springs looked like coil springs from a car front end.

 

[Zapadach]

OK guys n gals, a friend called me today (president of a local ML club) and said his club wanted to spruce up their novelty matches with new ideas. I gave him some I know, but would like to ask this forum for suggestions.
If you would like to suggest some novelty targets here are the parameters: 10 to 50 yard distance, no post cutting matches, nothing that requires rapid loading, and do not suggest anything listed.
Cutting string
Cutting cards
Shooting at double bladed ax to hit target on both sides of blade
Charcoal briquettes
Eggs
Cut a feather
Shooting at tack heads
Candle flame extinguish
Gongs
Hitting a plastic bucket so it stays in the bucket (does not go through both sides)
All suggestions will be appreciated.
Larry

A pumpkin roll: you load so as to go through the pumpkin but not out the other side, then measure how far it rolls.

 

[buickmarti]

Dollar store box of saltine crackers.

 

[mooman76]

One you can do as a relay team is to hang a block of wood like a 2x2 and first team to cut it in half.

 

[Fly103]

pop bottles with an inch or 2 of water in the bottom for stability, take the lid off and balance it on edge on the bottle top, shoot it off without knocking the bottle over.

golf balls on Tees, whoever drives the ball the farthest without cutting the tee.

shooting any target with your non dominant hand (like my november postal match)

also look up black powder maniac shooters video on the running boar targets used in nmlra shoots.

Chris

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Hey guys thanks for all the replies, keep them coming if you think of anything. Please no offense to any that have suggest rapid fire, but my original post requested no timed rapid fire. The safety dept is squeamish about loading without ample time to make sure all embers are gone.
Thanks again
Larry