Paper or steel ?

[Flintlock]

SO..., I heard all the pro's from my son about steel. But they weren't cheap, plus I'd have to get a length of chain for each and two C-clamps for each chain so we could clamp the ends of the chain to the target posts, and thus hang them between the paper target holders at the range.

Fine so we got some, and they would save a lot of down time as we would not be going back and forth taping up old paper targets or putting up new paper targets.

My son had a grand time, and then I tried them....

..., I have to admit I really under estimated the fun of making them ring and swing...,

And there's really no way with soft lead or even lead alloy that I'm ever going to wear these out...

LD

Our local scrap yard lets me look around, usually odds and ends of steel cut in various sizes and shapes and I can buy it by the pound at scrap prices.

 

[Cruzatte]

Steel is fun for our organized shoot, but the paper is what tells me how I am doing. A near miss on steel doesnt tell me much. I believe in making every shot count.

This fairly well represents my thoughts, too.

 

[Bergmann]

Excluding sighting in or developing a load , what kind of targets do you like to shoot best , paper targets , steel targets or other types ?

Don't leave out aluminum! A soda can filled with water explodes nicely when hit by a round ball.

 

[Bergmann]

I once had visions of a backstop of wood faced with steel with a 1-2 inch, or ? inch, hole in the center! Behind the backstop and centered with the hole would be a gong! Bullets hitting the wood-backed steel would make a "thunk"! Those going through the hole would ring the gong! Never got around to building the thing.

 

[new2bp]

I once had visions of a backstop of wood faced with steel with a 1-2 inch, or ? inch, hole in the center! Behind the backstop and centered with the hole would be a gong! Bullets hitting the wood-backed steel would make a "thunk"! Those going through the hole would ring the gong! Never got around to building the thing.

some of our rimfire sttel challenge matches had targets behind a no-shhot plate w a 4" hole in the middle

 

[flntlokr]

my range outlawed EXPLODING TARGETS, be cause the paper targets on the back stop caught fire and started a brush fire!.

Same on our range. For a significant part of the year, we have grave fire risk.

 

[JamesA]

Excluding sighting in or developing a load , what kind of targets do you like to shoot best , paper targets , steel targets or other types ?

Steel! It speaks to me. Paper just goes phft........although paper has it uses, like for sighting in my ".50 caliber shotgun" at 50 yards.


Edit: Clay pigeons can be fun too...... Just set 'em on the bank and blaze away.... our club allows them

 

[eggwelder]

if soft lead was more common, I’d shoot steel More often. I do with round ball rifles where i can use harder wheel weight lead

 

[Sam squanch]

Cut off 2x4 ends.

 

[Bergmann]

some of our rimfire sttel challenge matches had targets behind a no-shhot plate w a 4" hole in the middle

Wouldn't be hard to make one for bigger calibers. I also had visions of a "charging Bear" target. A full size steel cut out of a running bear with a target hole in the head! It would be mounted on a cart with a mechanism to move the "bear" up and down a few inches as the bear was charging the shooter. A "kill shot" through the hole would trip a leaver and apply brakes to the cart - stopping and killing the Bear! A miss and the bear would keep charging. If the bear reached the the shooter, he/she would be classed as "Et' by the Bar"! A kill would earn the shooter a T-shirt, plaque, or some such thing with the words "I kilt the Bar"! I envisioned the target/cart charging at the shooter from 50-100 yards away! The cart would ride on wooden rails(?) and be powered by either a gas or electric motor or gravity, and the shooter would have one shot (more if he's a fast re-loader)! And, as a last ditch effort to stop the bear there would be a hawk/knife block. A hit with either would give the shooter a way to escape and avoid being eaten! Unfortunately I never had the funds to develop such a target!

 

[Des52]

Got a nice wood frame to tack paper targets to and two steel gongs right beside the woods.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Excluding sighting in or developing a load , what kind of targets do you like to shoot best , paper targets , steel targets or other types ?

Shooting steel animal silhouettes. 25, 50, 100, 150, 200 yards. You hear the klink and see the critter go over. Provided you hit it!
Larry

 

[Britsmoothy]

Live ones.
Paper tastes awful and steel breaks my teeth!

 

[deerstalkert]

generally paper. just to sharpen the hold/eye. always the last shot goes to a gong.

 

[jcs266]

Steel!

1/2” AR500

 

[dave951]

Paper is for load development and practice. If you're all over the place, it don't lie. For fun, pretty much anything reactive.

In our work with the Scouts, we start off with a paper plate at 25yds. The camp guns have issues but we still get them on "paper". Then we move to more challenging stuff and shoot Civil War muskets. A "puff" board is entertaining. It's simply a 4in square of drywall hanging on a wire. Apples vaporize when hit by minies. Ritz crackers are not easy hanging on a wire at 25yd. It presents the same aspect as an 8in black at 100.

In N-SSA competition, we shoot clays on a sheet of cardboard followed by hanging 4in tiles, then hanging clays, then the infamous "clay pots". Next its 6in tiles at 100yd. All shot off hand with an iron sighted Civil War musket, against the clock, unbroken targets count against score, no pressure BIG FUN!

 

[TrapperDude]

Like a lot of folks have already said, I use paper to zero weapons, but I train on steel. It's good to set up 10" plates at 15yds and 25yds and work on reducing the time to first shot, split times and time transitioning from one plate to another.

If I keep the pates repainted, periodically, I can also tell if I'm being inconsistent in one direction or another, too.

 

[Sidney Smith]

Soft lead balls won't harm even quarter inch steel plate. My .54 would knock the whole A-frame I made over, so I welded some added length to the legs and pointed the ends so I can jam it into the ground. Swings nice now.

 

[Ferret Master]

I shoot paper for zero and Steel AR-500 Steel NMLRA .40 and under silhouettes out to 100 and the .45 and up out to 200. My favorites of all is a good woods walk with a mixture of targets. Not much in the way of woods walks available in Central VA these days.

 

[oldwood]

Paper for sight in and prep for hunting,, Metal for fun and practice in managing loading the gun and off hand shooting practice.