AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: Seth Isaacson on September 28, 2023, 08:37:33 PM
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Anyone have any fun ideas for an inexpensive but fun target for a friendly match among friends, most of which don't usually shoot muzzleloaders? I prefer reactive target to paper generally since they are bit more exciting. I already have a steel turkey for a old time turkey shoot, six knockdowns, and some other steel targets I could place at different distances, but I wanted something more outside of the box that I could set up for a dozen people or so.
Ideas I'm considering inspired by past posts here and elsewhere: shoot through a pipe to hit a clay pigeon at the other end, Dum Dum suckers stuck into a board, golf balls off of tees, or a hanging chains of a few sizes. Last year one of our targets was a bunch of plastic bottles that gave a gratifying spray of water when hit.
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We some times do team stake cutting competitions. Hang 2x2 or 2x4 pieces. First team to cut theirs in half wins. With the bottom swinging free, they get harder to hit with fast paced shooting.
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At the Konocti Rod & Gun Club we have an event that consists of a 1/2X6” fence picket suspended from a target frame. It has an Altoid box screwed to the bottom with the prize in it. It is a great target for a club like ours that has black powder shooters, and modern guns as well. The tin usually has cash, gift certificates, or one year memberships. You’d be amazed how long it takes sometimes to cut that picket.
Hungry Horse
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Plastic jugs are great, easy to clean up and super fun to shoot. Bargain brand cans of soda are excellent too. Dollar store shaving cream is a hoot. Yeah, I like to see things explode when shot LOL.
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Apples
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We shot at a length of hanging chain during a Woodswalk which was cool. Also a triangle dinner bell. Don’t leave out the ax head to split the ball. All pretty easy targets to set up and enjoy.
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Reactive targets are most fun. Charcoal briquets and life Savers candy, hung from a string. Eggs on a golf tee. Potatoes, apples, lemons, stuck on a nail. marshmallows on a toothpick. raw spaghetti noodles, thumb tacks, playing cards, feathers (cut the quill) popsicle sticks. Ping-pong balls. Whatever you think you can hit that disintegrates or gets cut in two piece's.
Score a hit or a miss and have one paper target for a tie breaker.
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A match we used to have was what I called the "Joe Meek" cup shoot. Here's how it went:
Place a water filled paper cup on a watermelon. We put the watermelon on a down log with a safe backstop. (you could also use a pinecone as the target on a watermelon in a pinch--easier clean up) or use an apple and call it the "William Tell" shoot. LOL.
At a set distance, the shooter would load and shoot at the cup. If he hit the cup, he would take 3 big steps backwards and a new cup would be placed and he would reload and shoot again, If he hit the watermelon he was out. If he missed the cup and the watermelon, he could try again. After three missed shots He was out.
The winner was the shooter that stepped back the furthest.
We got some great video of watermelon carnage.
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Egg shoot with half of them cooked the other half raw. You eat what you don't hit.
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Daniel,
We did thew same with those little awful yellow marshmallow chicks we see around at Easter ! They are truly Awful to eat, but had the same rules as you! Eatum
if you missum!
For a challenging target, I think the hardest is CD's suspended on cotton thread in a breeze!
Those explosive targets are good too! Lets you know when you hit them! (Like on Top Gun show)
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Fun ideas! Thanks gents.
A match we used to have was what I called the "Joe Meek" cup shoot. Here's how it went:
Place a water filled paper cup on a watermelon. We put the watermelon on a down log with a safe backstop. (you could also use a pinecone as the target on a watermelon in a pinch--easier clean up) or use an apple and call it the "William Tell" shoot. LOL.
At a set distance, the shooter would load and shoot at the cup. If he hit the cup, he would take 3 big steps backwards and a new cup would be placed and he would reload and shoot again, If he hit the watermelon he was out. If he missed the cup and the watermelon, he could try again. After three missed shots He was out.
The winner was the shooter that stepped back the furthest.
We got some great video of watermelon carnage.
That sounds fun. This event is Halloween themed, so I could switch watermelons for pumpkins. Apples off pumpkins would be fun.
Egg shoot with half of them cooked the other half raw. You eat what you don't hit.
Marshmellows, apples, or hardboiled eggs seems a lot more palatable and might ensure people actually want to come back!
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a pumpkin would work great!
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At a wood walk I was at years ago, there was a target about 25 yards away. The target wasn’t that difficult but there was one twist. You walked up to the line with your rifle loaded but unprimed. On the side of the line there was a large rectangular wooden box, the side facing the shooter was covered with plexiglass. Inside the box were a series of alternating pieces of wood which faced downward. At the top was a small hole for a roundball . When you were at the firing line, you reached over, picked up the round ball and dropped it in the hole at the top. As the ball was going down towards the bottom, it was bouncing off the slanted wooden slats. As it was traveling towards the bottom, the shooter had to bring the rifle to half cock, prime the pan, fully cock the lock, aim and fire before the ball exited the bottom of the box. I think there were different scores-1) shooting before the ball came out of the box but missing the target and 2) shooting before the ball exited the ball and hitting the target and 3) having a non- discharge or shooting after the ball hit the plate below the box. If your rifle wouldn’t fire or the ball came out before you shot, you earned a goose egg. I don’t remember how long it took the ball in the box to exit the bottom, but you had to quickly prime and shoot. The shooter that hit the target before the ball hit the plate under the box obviously earned the maximum score. Even though everyone had hearing protection, you could still hear that ball hitting each paddle-it was like a clock ticking. I don’t recall anyone counting how many “ticks” there were , but it added a little stress to the target. It was a fun target to shoot, it probably just took a little time to construct the box.
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Not my idea. was at an event where we shot in pairs, one shooting a ball and the other shooting shot.
The ball shooter shot at a heavy six inch round plate, that was on a stake... about three feet high. the ball shooter would shoot the plate, causing it to fall on a lever (on the ground). on the opposite arm of the lever, was a pad with a clay pigeon sitting on it. when the steel plate hit the lever, the clay pigeon would be catapulted into the air, and would be shot by the shooter using shot.
It was great fun.
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We've done that with a rifle with ball and smoothie with shot, but using a beer can full of water, with an empty one on top.
1st shooter has to hit the bottom can, to squirt the upper one into the air to be shot by the 'shot' shooter.
There's usually a few empty cans around. This is usually shot on the last day, before breaking camp.
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Thanks for more fun ideas!
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Another variation of the wooden box with paddles is one we have on our trail walk. It consists of a length of black plastic water line wrapped several times around a spruce tree and stapled to the tree in a few places. The shooter, rifle primed but on half cock, steps up to the top of the pipe and inserts one of his lead balls. He then steps back, raises his rifle and fires at a 12" steel plate at about 45 yards. First, you cannot see the plate from the tree with the hose, you have to step backward to the shooting lane. The shooter's ball rattles its way down the tube and ends up in a coffee can under the bottom end, with a clunk. There is lots of time to get off an accurate shot, but the shooter always rushes his shot, misses the target, and still has time to shoot accurately. It's a mind game.
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The plastic water hose works well, until a bear bites it here and there. This reduces the size of ball that can be used. My 14 bore balls no longer will go down all the way.
It is a fun target. There are usually a few ball of different sizes in the can to use.
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one shot that really stands out in my memory was part of a woodswalk. The story that inspired the shot is that Daniel Boone was captured by the natives, and because he was such a great hunter, they would send him off with a rifle loaded with a single shot. He had to return with either the loaded rifle, or some game. Apparently he would pull the charge and cut the ball in half with his knife and axe, then reload a half charge and half ball. This way, after a few trips, he saved up some ammunition that could help in his escape.
I thought the story was pretty interesting, but I didn't believe it would work.
So, for that shot the fella running the shoot had cable shears there, you'd give him one of your balls and he'd cut it in half.
You'd load the half ball, and take a shot at a cardboard target about 20 yards away.
I couldn't believe it when my shot cut a perfectly round hole about 1" from the bullseye.
It just didn't make sense in my mind that that should work.
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Another variation of the wooden box with paddles is one we have on our trail walk. It consists of a length of black plastic water line wrapped several times around a spruce tree and stapled to the tree in a few places. The shooter, rifle primed but on half cock, steps up to the top of the pipe and inserts one of his lead balls. He then steps back, raises his rifle and fires at a 12" steel plate at about 45 yards. First, you cannot see the plate from the tree with the hose, you have to step backward to the shooting lane. The shooter's ball rattles its way down the tube and ends up in a coffee can under the bottom end, with a clunk. There is lots of time to get off an accurate shot, but the shooter always rushes his shot, misses the target, and still has time to shoot accurately. It's a mind game.
That sounds like an easy way to create that timed shot challenge. I'll look into that. Some of these ideas I won't be able to implement this year, but I'll have time to plan for for next year. I think this is one I'll find a way to incorporate.
one shot that really stands out in my memory was part of a woodswalk. The story that inspired the shot is that Daniel Boone was captured by the natives, and because he was such a great hunter, they would send him off with a rifle loaded with a single shot. He had to return with either the loaded rifle, or some game. Apparently he would pull the charge and cut the ball in half with his knife and axe, then reload a half charge and half ball. This way, after a few trips, he saved up some ammunition that could help in his escape.
I thought the story was pretty interesting, but I didn't believe it would work.
So, for that shot the fella running the shoot had cable shears there, you'd give him one of your balls and he'd cut it in half.
You'd load the half ball, and take a shot at a cardboard target about 20 yards away.
I couldn't believe it when my shot cut a perfectly round hole about 1" from the bullseye.
It just didn't make sense in my mind that that should work.
If large enough caliber, I guess you are basically creating a light conical bullet. Seem hard to believe half of a .375 round ball would be much good, but half of a .54+ caliber ball still has a fair amount of weight for lighter game.
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Ian Pratt emptied his wood stove ashes into a paint can. He took a video of it when he shot it and it made a pretty good dust cloud. Could probably use water bottles and get the same effect.
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also check out the 3 October shoots featured in the Denny Ducet videos on the site: Folk Firearms Collective. And also, each shooter's "rifle is broken" and he'll have to use his friend's rifle. Or if right-handed, shoot left and vice-versa.
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The ribbed plastic tubing used to cover oil and gas lines conforms to wrapping easily and provides a "nerve wracking" sound as the ball drops. Christmas tree balls (yard sales) hung on lower bushes or a line provide very little "clean-up" just call your shot.
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Use a air compressor to fill various sizes of balloons. Tie them to a random lengths of string. The wind will keep the balloons moving, giving a fun target to try and hit.
Fleener
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Thanks all! Lots of ideas to consider now.
Use a air compressor to fill various sizes of balloons. Tie them to a random lengths of string. The wind will keep the balloons moving, giving a fun target to try and hit.
Fleener
The random lengths of string aspect of that idea adds a nice bit of variability.
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Dogs that bark and howl all night >:( >:( >:( >:(
Bob Roller
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Egg shoot with half of them cooked the other half raw. You eat what you don't hit.
We used to shoot two charcoal briquettes suspended on strings, with a raw egg suspended in a baggie as a choice for the third shot, for double points. A missed egg was an eaten egg. I always chose the egg, and never had to eat one. LOL.
Splitting a ball on a double bitted axe, at about 20-30 feet is a fun, challenging target. Clay birds, or water balloons placed on either side of the axe were broken, depending on the accuracy of the shot. Both birds or balloons broke when the shot was true.
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We shoot at a single briquet tied to a butcher sting hanging from a 2x4 or branch. The briquet must be totally GONE to be scored a hit.
Sometimes, a small chip left hanging will defeat you form scoring a hit. The higher the vel. the greater the chance of no piece left hanging.
(just a thought for the squib load shooters) I've guilty of squib loads if I'm shooting the .69. Only 85gr. for close targets.