Safe & Sane

[CrustyFN]

Mods, I wasn't sure where to put this so feel free to move if I have it in the wrong place. Once in a while some friends and I get tired of paper targets and like to have a fun day at the range. I would like to hear some of your ideas of what some of your favorite things are to shoot. We will be shooting all types of pistols and 22 rifles. I was also wondering if anybody knows how to make some ( safe and sane ) exploding targets. I am not looking for anything crazy. Thanks in advance for your ideas and I can't wait to see what some of you come up with.
Thanks,
Rusty

 

[croyance]

Tannerite is a binary explosive that is good.

Milkjugs (2-liter soda bottles, etc.) with colored water, melons of various sorts, they sell little stands with metal targets that pivot around too.

 

[Blackwater OPS]

Beat me to it, tannerite is the way to go. Melons are pretty great also.

 

[NukemJim]

This list is from my experiences with my nieces/nephews



Balloons, you can vary the size to compensate for different skill levels, if you are shooting outside put them on the end of a short piece of string for a "moving"target.

As a special treat on a hot summer day buy a flat of the small can house brand carbonated soda (on sale about $0.25 per can). Keep in hottest possible place till ready for use, shake well, throw or roll the can downrange ( you will lose a certain percantage when they hit a rock ), have niece/nephew shoot, enjoy the look on their face when they hit it

Stale cookies, Vanilla wafers, Necco disks (SP?) again different sizez for different skill levels.

Fruit. Tomatoes, apples, melons, as a very special treat ( I love to spoil my nieces/nephews ) watermellons with either Glaser or Magsafe. Wear old clothes, don't ask.

Be sure to clear up after shooting.

NukemJim

 

[Lycanthrope]

SMALL PLASTIC aspirin/pill bottles filled with blackpowder make a small flash and large "poof" of smoke when hit by a high powered rifle.

Just don't use anything that can fragment like glass or metal containers. Anything like this can get dangerous very, very fast.

 

[kirkcdl]

You can use potatoes or apples,they're available in bags of 25+ for very little money,they literally "explode" when hit,and the remains will rot back into the soil...If your "range" is in a wild area as mine,the animals don't mind the free food either...

 

[hehz0r]

Pieces of old flower pots shatter nicely. Just make sure you clean them up if you need to.

 

[neal bloom]

Charcoal briquettes. Animal crackers. Playing cards. Doesn't tannerite need a high power rifle to do its thing?

 

[CrustyFN]

Thanks everybody for all of the great ideas. I can't wait to try some of these. If I discover anything new or hear of something not mentioned I will post it.
Thanks,
Rusty

 

[oldbillthundercheif]

Crackers make good targets for .22s, except when it's raining.

 

[Limeyfellow]

We had such a bumper crop of melons, cucumbers, eggplants and other large plants that it was simply unable to use all of them so down into the gully and my little firing range down there they went to be shot at. Hopefully the same will happen with the fall planting season.