Ultra Cheap Targets

[Ben]

I'm cheap, I'll admit it ! !
My grandson, Trevor can go through a lot of targets ( and ammo, brass, powder, etc. )
These targets seem to work well with open sighted Military rifles and cast bullets.
Also works pretty well for long range pistol.

Notice the diameter of the center on these two are different.

 

[Cadillac Jeff]

That'll work !
I use chewy boxes with a pasty

 

[Farmerjim]

I print them off the internet.

 

[RBHarter]

I did a 1" diamond on 8.5×11 took it to work made about 100 copies when we cleaned out the log books . Those pages are only printed on one side and it seems a shame to toss all that paper .

 

[Petrol & Powder]

There are an endless variety of targets and aiming point designs.

I like a black, equilateral triangle on a white background for handguns with iron sights. With the triangle oriented so that one tip points up, I can get a nice sight picture.

For rifle target using a scope, I like an orange diamond on a white background. With iron sights, a black diamond is a bit easier for my old eyes.

Ben, have you considered making a stencil so that the aiming point could be black on a white background instead of white on a black background?

You could still crank them out with black spray paint (and maybe even use less paint per target), plus you would have a more definitive aiming point.

 

[Missionary]

We use upside down capital letter T. Takes less color to make.

 

[Jeff H]

For years, I've used a few stencils I made from 1/4" plywood and Formica and black spray paint on salvaged cardboard from boxes.

Then, I got onto @Ben 's trick with the Duck Tape on cardboard.

Might give this a try now too. I have the stuff.

 

[JonB]

Someone at my range uses those expensive "shoot-n-see" style targets and those targets have a bunch of 1" adhesive stickers on the corners of the paper...there is always some of those in the trash, I recycle them either by putting them on a cheap paperplates or plain paper 8.5" x 11" I have leftover in my office.
Sometimes, I use cray pigeons or steel cans.

 

[RicinYakima]

JonB, I do the same except I use the junk mail I get instead of a clean sheet of paper.

 

[Ben]

Ben, have you considered making a stencil so that the aiming point could be black on a white background instead of white on a black background?

Good idea.

 

[358156 hp]

I use 3X5 index cards myself. I just saw Ken Hackathorn on a Wilson video that makes a lot of sense, and you could do this with anything:

 

[Brad]

I use pop cans.

 

[richhodg66]

When I start with new shooters at the beginning of the school year, I take scrap paper from the copier room and use a bottle of liquid shoe polish as a stamp, makes a nice one inch round black bullseye. Targets are free and gey kids shooting easier not having to look at 12 bullseyes on a regulation target.

 

[JustJim]

I use pop cans.

When I have a place I can use frangible targets, I like old red clay bricks. Stood on end, a .22 will usually knock them down. Bigger stuff will break or dust them, depending on range. Where I lived previously, I could usually get paid to haul them away, so we had a 3-4 cubic yard stack.

I will be using Rich's idea of shoe polish on copy paper for future "Flintlock 101" classes (Thanks Rich!). Probably half the "students" in 2023 had never fired a gun, or a rifle, or a rifle with iron sights. I think I can introduce them to rifles/iron sights/follow-through with air rifles at 25'. This will help build some confidence before moving on to live fire.

 

[fiver]

i just use the center of everyone else's target.

 

[462]

i just use the center of everyone else's target.

Thanks for the idea, man, I'll start retrieving the targets the AR blasters put in the trash cans.

 

[beagle]

Was at the trash point several years ago and here's a couple bundles of heavy cardboard stock like greeting cards are printed on. American Greeting has a plant near here and I guess it was rejected stock. Being frugal I brought it home. Made a template for 1" squares for 100yard rifle and used the top of a paint can to make a template for about 2" pistol targets. Lay template, paint with spray and repeat. Got a lifetime supply of good heavy targets./beagle

 

[358156 hp]

i just use the center of everyone else's target.

 

[richhodg66]

Walmart sells paper plates about 5" in diameter in various colors including black. Just about a perfect size for iron sighted plinking at 100 yards and more or less the same size/shape as th vital area on a deer I aim for,so used up a lot of those practicing with my 7x57 sporter.

Right after Halloween, someone threw away a huge sheet of black construction paper I salvaged at work. Gonna use the monster paper cutter I have there to make a bunch of 2" squares and get a glue stick and scrap coipier paper and make a stack of black diamond targets for scope rifle shooting.

Anywhere you can easily save costs is prudent, I'd rather spend money on primers and powder than targets. One of the reasons I've been willing to work to salvage lead and brass over the years, not to proud to dig and sift a range berm, scrounge through range brass buckets, etc.

 

[richhodg66]

When I have a place I can use frangible targets, I like old red clay bricks. Stood on end, a .22 will usually knock them down. Bigger stuff will break or dust them, depending on range. Where I lived previously, I could usually get paid to haul them away, so we had a 3-4 cubic yard stack.

I will be using Rich's idea of shoe polish on copy paper for future "Flintlock 101" classes (Thanks Rich!). Probably half the "students" in 2023 had never fired a gun, or a rifle, or a rifle with iron sights. I think I can introduce them to rifles/iron sights/follow-through with air rifles at 25'. This will help build some confidence before moving on to live fire.

The main reason I do that is when I have a bunch of new shooters, the last thing I want to do is put up a regulation target with 12 bulls on it which will confuse them. At first, I just cut out one bullseye from a regulation target, Xeroxed it onto a piece of 8.5x11 paper and just made copies, but we go through a lot of them and someone may not appreciate me doing that since the new copiers have to be logged in and they track number of copies. This is almost exactly the same size as the black portion of a regulation bullseye, the paper is stuff that's going to be recycled or thrown away and it just takes a few minutes to churn out a bunch of them.