Will it work?

[bobm]

At any range Ive been to or been a member, Targets that remain out there all the time, like steel gongs, are considered fair game for anybody. At the range i belong to now you can bring your own targets but you have to take them with you when you leave. It seems rediculous to me for everybody to bring their own steel targets. Before long the target area would be full and i couldnt even see mine from the firing line. if youre gonna leave steel targets out there you gotta expect people to shoot at them. if you dont like that get your own range.

Hoz53, mine get taken home every time. I set them up, shoot at them, take them home.

 

[bobm]

Yeah. There's some that will see the o's and the inside of the upper and lower part of the S are just asking to be shot.

Of course, as others have said, many will see the words and find another target. But, from what I've seen, you're going to still get impacts that you didn't fire.

Fortunately, I do most of my shooting during the week when far fewer members are there. I thought about those inviting circles. I don't really care if it gets hit. Repainting the stencil after I trash the paint will get old. I am looking forward to warmer weather to get one out there and see what happens.

 

[bobm]

I agree with those that think it’s unusual to leave personal targets up all the time. Maybe this policy worked okay with 350 members, but doesn’t work as well with 1900 members.

Again, no one ever leaves personal targets behind. Hell, mine are $200. ea.

 

[carlsbad]

I mark my private electronic target with a magic marker "PRIVATE TARGET" "DO NOT SHOOT".

Of course it is pretty small and 600 yards away. Most can't even see it. So far nobody has shot it.

Jerry

 

[bobm]

I will have my practice targets out tomorrow. Just in case I am not alone on the range..........

 

[Bc'z]

Take 2 targets.
Paint shoot this 1 on one, dont shoot on the other.
Make the other target smaller and more challenging to hit and maybe they'll leave it alone.
18" @200 is really big BTW.

 

[carlsbad]

I will have my practice targets out tomorrow. Just in case I am not alone on the range..........

Looks good. But after you shoot it and it has marks all over it people will say "looks like everyone else has so why not"...

 

[bobm]

Take 2 targets.
Paint shoot this 1 on one, dont shoot on the other.
Make the other target smaller and more challenging to hit and maybe they'll leave it alone.
18" @200 is really big BTW.

Bc'z.....that is a 50 pound full size HP silhouette ram target. 3/8" AR 500. That one gets set up at 500 meters and fired at standing offhand. I sprayed the lettering in three steps moving the stencil, would not fit otherwise.

 

[LHSmith]

Yeah. There's some that will see the o's and the inside of the upper and lower part of the S are just asking to be shot.

Of course, as others have said, many will see the words and find another target. But, from what I've seen, you're going to still get impacts that you didn't fire.

I take care of range maintenance at two clubs. Been doing it for so long that I know how to minimize target frame damage.
* Mount the target backers (coroplast) with minimal frame contact.
* Cut the post tops on a 45* to eliminate a "shelf"
* Use screw heads the same color as backers. Avoids using the screw heads for a target
* Rules that state target must be attached in middle of backers.
* Paper targets only...No balloons, clay birds, cans, bottles, exploding targets
* Rules that state no auto, semi-auto and no rapid-fire/ single shot fire only.
* Recording security cams promote enforcement.
The pay sucks ($0/hr) it is my rules voted on and approved by the members. Gladly turn the job over to someone else. No takers in 21 years so I guess no one has a problem with the rules.
Oh yeah. The state cops have not had to make a visit in that time to determine where the bullets came from that put holes in neighbors house siding down range. We used to get visits regularly.

 

[Newhouse]

Sign:
Range steel is white.
Private steel MUST be PINK

I use bright orange paint on mine and they are half the size of the club range steel which are painted white.

 

[bobm]

I use bright orange paint on mine and they are half the size of the club range steel which are painted white.

I always stick with black or white depending on conditions. As mentioned before we have two dozen different sizes of round and square targets on our range. I have seen them painted every color in the rainbow both glossy and flat. Even mirror silver! We have one guy lately that must have bought a case of medium blue gloss spray cans. He gets half of them painted every visit, shot up, and then they get another color soon after.

At the new member meetings we tell them to always bring spray paint with them when using that range. Many show up with no paint and are happy to hear a solid hit with out knowing where on the shot up target they hit. You would be surprised at how many new members have never shot long distance steel. Or any steel.

There is this one new guy lately that shows during the week right after I have sprayed all of the targets. Four times now he fires 30-40 shots on fresh paint then packs up and drives off. Next time I will walk over with a spray can and ask him to refresh the targets he shot.

 

[ebb]

If you don't want it shot don't put it out there.

 

[jelenko]

Cut the post tops on a 45* to eliminate a "shelf"
* Use screw heads the same color as backers. Avoids using the screw heads for a target

Good ideas! Guys at our range love to put little targets on the tops of the frames.

And, of course, they are going to try to hit those nice, little round screw heads.

 

[bobm]

Back in Oct. I installed two more permanent new gongs like this one at 100 yds. They are mounted on heavy stands. The bolts and are nuts welded together so they don't grow legs. The last set lasted about three years, but AP rounds cut the life way short. The three carriage bolts were always being deliberately targeted. On this new set I have been using these stencils to help keep bullets away from the bolts. So far all six bolts have no bullet damage. And even more amazing, no AP damage yet.

 

[LHSmith]

We Had a set of gongs at our 300 yd hunt club range. I was always taking them back to get re-welded or for new chain. I gave up. You would think the person that did the damage would take it to have it fixed.I should have known better.

 

[cotntop]

Shot at a local range for the first time last year, takes a lot of getting used to.

 

[MislMan]

Get a cardboard box from Home Depot ($2.00 for large size). Put the box in front of your target with top and bottom cut out to form a tunnel. Mount on wooden legs if needed. From the firing line only you should be able to see the target to shoot it. Sort of like shooting through a chronometer but boxed in.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

We have a homemade gate at my club, rolls on a wheel/tire from a old riding lawn mower. For 2 days it was flat, I had my tire pump with the 2nd day, wouldn't hold air. I drilled a hole in a piece of 2x4 for the wheel pin, took the flat into local farm service. I told them it was from the club gate, they fixed it for cost of a new tube. Old tube was damaged by a burr on the wheel, they ground it smooth and painted it. Been rolling since. At least 5 vehicles used the gate, maybe most are afraid to "step up".

 

[Medic505]

I usually take a 6" gong to the range with me and set it up at 300 yards to have something to plink at while letting the barrel cool on whatever I'm doing load work on. The club I belong to doesn't have steel set up , so if there's one there, it belongs to somebody that's shooting. A couple weeks ago, we had a really nice afternoon with NO wind. Not an everyday event in the panhandle of Texas. It just so happened to be on a Sunday afternoon. I never go to the range on weekends, if you go during the week, there might be one or two other shooters there, but usually you'll have the range to yourself. I bit the bullet, loaded up and went. Range was busy but not packed. I set up a couple targets and the gong at 300. Shot a few strings, a cease fire was called and I went down to change paper. When I got back to the line, we had a new shooter. 20 something looking dude with his girlfriend/significant other had set up right in the middle of the 10 benches we have. Both wearing BDU's, even had boonie hats on. He had set up a big black bolt action rifle with a brake, found out later it was a Savage 110 in 300 Win Mag. I had a .223 to plink at steel with, line went hot, I loaded a round and was about to pull the trigger and all hell broke loose. BOOM! I happened to see a splash in the berm about 2 foot above and to the right of my steel. Sammy Sniper is shooting at my steel. I looked down the line and gf/so is telling Sammy where he shot. He adjusts scope. BOOM! Low and left. BOOM! High and left. I got on my rifle and waited. BOOM! Just over the steel and I shot as fast as I could after seeing his shot. RING!!!! GF/SO squeals with joy. He loads another and I do too. BOOM! and I shoot, RING! GF/SO squeals. This went on for 10 or so shots. He's shooting about 6 inches over. At this point I had a headache and all I could take of the brake, most everybody else had left or had moved away from the line. I walked down and ask what he was shooting. I didn't know I knew so little about a "sniper gun" as he called it. I threw out a challenge. I bet him 5 bucks he couldn't hit that round thing down at 300. Sammy bites. BOOM!! silence.... Sammy and GF/SO look at each other in disbelief. I pipe up, double or nothing? Sammy throws in another round. BOOM!! silence. The look on the dudes face was priceless. I chuckle. Sammy looks pissed. Double or nothing again? He bites again. BOOM! silence yet again. GF/SO yells at him, "Stop, that's 20 bucks"! I have to give her credit, she at least could count. To this young mans credit, he stood up, took a 20 out of his billfold and handed it to me. I took it, looked at it and handed it back to him. I explained that was my gong you were shooting at, handed him his 20 back and told him to buy his own. I packed up my stuff and left. Still makes me laugh.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Pew pew pew guy shooting cross a couple lanes was shooting at the plate in my lane.
Not a big problem but was splattering my sight in target.
(OK, so it was a problem and I'm mean)
Ding, and I laugh. Ding and another laugh and some side eye.
Couple shots with a 91-30 and he left.

See the clays on the berm. Range has an adjacent shotgun range and pickups are allowed up to head height on the berm. Some fools will prop them up against the wooden (consumable) target stands.
Sometimes at 25 yards. (color coded PVC guides for the stands @ 25, 50, 75, 100)
My next trick will be to shoot a 25yd target standing, off hand and bounce off the ground and hit the 100 yd plate.