Poor Man's Reactive Targets

[Nightcrawler]

For cheap, fun shooting, here's what you can do for a nice target that lets you know if whether or not you hit it at almost any range. (Don't try this at your local range, though, unless you have permission. This is best for shooting out in the boonies somewhere.)

You know those big plastic cups that Burger King and McDonald's give you when you get a super sized or king sized drink? Save them. Those Solo brand plastic cups that college students use at keggers will work to.

Once you're at the shooting area, fill said cups with rocks. Big rocks or small rocks. Pace back a good ways (you'll want to give yourself at least 50 feet) and fire away. When a bullet strikes the rocks, they shatter. The cup will often explode.

So far, I've seen this work with rifle cartridges (.308 FMJ works really well). I don't know if handgun cartridges like 9mm or .40 or .45 would have enough energy to cause the rocks to shatter like that.

Just thought I'd share. We've been doing it for awhile, and it works well enough for us. Don't forget to pick up your trash before you leave, though.

 

[4V50 Gary]

Calling all cheapies...

Balloons remain a favorite here. Also consider those "coin" buckets that casinos pass out for free (they also make good parts containers). Clay pigeons for those with a budget and water bottles (16 oz) filled with dye colored water.

 

[Stephen Ewing]

Personally, I've been a fan of lemons ever since a friend of mine introduced me to them. Probably just because I'm too lazy to clean up.

Steve

 

[WyldOne]

I wanna shoot a watermelon like you wouldn't believe

 

[Oleg Volk]

For rifles or close-range pistol, individual paintballs work well.
After Halloween, surplus pumpkins are fun.
Clay pigeons.
Rotten or freezer-burned fruit.

 

[Mad Max]

Me and my friends used to shoot ice cubes w/ our pellet guns - they really explode well. They would probably work even better with .22s.

 

[Futo Inu]

Tee Hee

WyldOne has the urge to see something explode, guys - who lives up there that can take her shooting?

I like the idea of biodegradable things that you don't have to clean up:

-Fruits (apples, oranges, whatever)
-Cookies & crackers
-Clay pigeons

I also have one of those pig iron swinging circles, which clink and move. Only problem is, if ground is hard or rocky, it won't stick into ground.

2-liter coke bottles with water are cheap and you can shoot them several time each, depending on caliber - no small pieces to clean up either - just a few big ones.

 

[Foxy]

I wanna shoot a watermelon like you wouldn't believe

We shot a good-sized watermelon once with a 12ga loaded with birdshot... Watch out; juice goes flying everywhere!

 

[LawDog]

Charcoal briquets.

LawDog

 

[Monkeyleg]

Some years back I learned the hard way that fruit disperses itself into the air very well when shot. I was working on an ad that was a take-off on William Tell. The apple was supposed to look like it had been fired through. The art director, a stickler for detail, wanted to know what an apple that's been shot looks like. So, I put the apple on a 2x4 with a sandbag behind it, and shot it with a .357 HydraShok.

I was cleaning apple juice off of everything (cameras, cars, furniture) for weeks.

 

[Calamity Jane]

Hey, Wyld - I want to shoot a watermelon, too - ideally, one that's gotten just a bit past prime eatin' condition!

 

[Malone LaVeigh]

Every now and then I come into possession of old cans of beer or pop. Working in the woods, I sometimes find unopened specimens or helping friends clean out old cupboards, etc. Anyway, one of my most fond memories is one time I took my son out to a old landing in the forest with a good cutbank to shoot against. I shook up an old can of coke real good and told him to blast away with the .22. He hit it on the second shot, and you should have seen his face!

Also, I have a friend who has connections at a grocery store and often gets the out-of-date goods. One time he came around with a case of aerosol whipped cream. I thought that would be fun to shoot at, but the kids in the neighborhood had other forms of mischief in mind before I got around to it...

 

[George Hill]

Match sticks.

Cactus spines.

Flies on horse pukey.

Pollen.

Or, if you run out of all that, have your wiffy plant Zuccini. That stuff is great to shoot.

 

[444]

"I also have one of those pig iron swinging circles, which clink and move. Only problem is, if ground is hard or rocky, it won't stick into ground. "
I made a base for mine by taking a 2"x4" and making a box by standing the wood on edge and screwing the four pieces together. I then drilled holes for the target to stand upright. Far less effort than trying to pound the darn thing into the ground. I have one with three spinners for .22s and one with two spinners that is supposed to be rated up to .44 Mag but I shoot at it off hand with rifles using light loads and cast bullets.

If you have access to a welder, you can make all kinds of fun stuff from a junk yard. I bought a piece of what they called "leading edge" which I guess is the part of a road grader that does the grading. Anyway, it is hardened steel. The piece was about four feet long and I couldn't begin to lift it. I cut it into pieces about 8"x8". I also bought some old tire rims and rear coil springs from cars. I welded the spring to the rim then welded the steel to the spring. I bang away at that with handguns at 50 or 100 yards and shoot at it offhand with mil-surp rifles at 100 or so. Or, I shoot rapid fire pistols at it at 25. Nothing I ever shot at it made the slightest mark on it until a month or so ago, I let loose with a full auto .223 Galil at about 50 yards. After a couple mags, it now looks like a kid with real bad acne. Anything where you can tell if you hit it but don't have to reset anything is good in my book. Of course I am shooting out in the desert where there is minimal risk of injuring someone with a richochet.

 

[Sisco]

The range I go to has a trash pit just for such fun. We save all glass bottles, empty milk jugs, broken electronic devices and just about anything else that looks like it might be fun to shoot.
Sometimes WallyWorld has the generic pop on sale for about $3 a case, can't ask for a good time much cheaper than that.

 

[HKguy9]

Great thread!!

I thoguht about making a tennis ball mobil, would that work?

 

[Gopher]

Go by your local bowling alley and ask for some old bowling pins. They usually will give you a case or two for free or a little bit of nothing. Great to shoot and very durable. Just keep them semi-dry if possible. They will swell up and rot or fall apart if they get wet. They can be shot hundreds of time with .22 or most handgun rounds before they are unusable.

 

[444]

I'll tell you another game that we love to play, however I think it would require a wide open desert. My buddy and I load our handguns then one of us throws a golf ball. We shoot at it from where we started until one of us hits it. The ball with then bounce or sail some distance and we chase it around. After you hit it, you walk until the first guy spots it and takes up a firing stance. Makes a real challenging target and it provides that man on man competition. It is great to shoot the ball right out from under the other guy's sights. Of course keeping a supply of balls is tough.

 

[Brian Williams]

one of my favorite targets is a couple of dozen eggs either fresh or hardboiled. They make a nice splat and you do not have to clean up except my range says only paper, how boring.

 

[444]

One thing that puzzles me, If you want to shoot a watermellon, what is stopping you ? Do it, enjoy yourself. But like all big game hunting, use enough gun.

For the larger mellons; watermellons and pumpkins, I would use at least a .338 Win Mag.