AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: tddeangelo on December 23, 2014, 02:36:33 AM
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Hi everyone,
Been reading a lot, only posting a little. I've been a flintlock shooter with varying degrees of success since I turned old enough to hunt (actually, for a bit before that), which was in the mid-80's. A few years ago, I got bit by the flintlock bug, and decided to really get back into shooting and enjoying flintlocks for more than just extending my hunting season. (I live in PA, so I get an extra month of hunting for the management unit I hunt if I hunt with a flintlock.)
Anyway, after some time checking out what was available, and being that I live 20 min from Dixon's, I spent a bit of time at the shop and at the Gunmakers' Fair, plus at the Lewisburg show, too. I finally made a decision, put my name in the books with a gunmaker, and began the wait. That wait ended about a week ago, and I'm having a lot of fun "re-learning" how to shoot a flintlock.
What I've been struggling with a bit is with targets. I've not found a good 100 yard target. I use a 6" black Shoot-n-see on cardboard at 50, and it gives an excellent sight picture. It's more challenging at 100. The polished brass front sight is AWESOME for hunting visibility, but struggles on bright targets (like bright red or orange). I use spray-painted forest green diamonds for my centerfire rifles, but those are scoped. The 6" high x 3" wide diamonds I make are too small for 100 yard open sight work.
I could get targets with a 12" black to give the same sight picture at 100 as at 50, but those will get pricey quick.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
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To heck with painting. Try some plastic "dinner-sized" plates of a dark color.
Or white ones against a dark backer. The "snack-sized" ones are great at 50.
Maybe a sight shade for the blade? Can make one to slip on/off an octagon bbl. But agree how great brass is in the woods and not-great on bright range.
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That's pretty good idea! Thank you!
And I was at Dixon's the other night and Chuck suggested making a sight hood of sorts. That or using a sharpie and blackening the front sight for range work. Both are good ideas.
Very new to the long rifle scene....I've shot TC's and Lyman's out the wazoo, but this custom rifle is my first plunge (likely not my last) into the long rifle pool, though.
When I keep my head on straight, though, I can tell this rifle and I can shoot well together. Just have to keep shooting and make it second nature to follow through, hold through the shot, etc.
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At our club, we have standardized on the NMLRA 200 yard target for our 100 yd matches. It is a great target, easy to see, and the price is pretty good too. You can order them from the NMLRA or from the Log Cabin shop.
Dixon's might have them. I patch and reuse mine until they are just about shredded ;D
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I need to get some more 0.600 balls tomorrow anyway, I'll see if Dixon has those targets. If not, I'll try the plastic plate idea for the time being. I bet using some masking tape and black magic marker could patch them up nicely for a long time. :)
Actually, now that the rifle's all set up and ready to hunt, I'll probably shoot on deer cutouts for now. Our flintlock season starts on Friday. Can't wait!
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When you set your targets ,, us white plates on a dark background ,,that way your dark sights will show up on the white target ,,,try it you'll like it much better << Buy the cheap plates,they go up real easy with thumb tacks and wind will not blow them around ,,,
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Well, that's the thing...I have a polished brass front sight. It's not "dark" unless I black it with a sharpie or the like. But I'll try anything once. Even if it doesn't work out well, I still get to shoot. :)
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All of my front sights are brass,and show up like yyou will not believe on the white plates .. Old guy told me about the white plates ,,,
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Well, I'll give 'er a shot....worst that happens is I shoot holes in paper. :)
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black or white poster board works good for targets. you can cut squares ,circles whatever you want. also the spray on sight black works great. I think uncle mikes makes it. I use it whenever I'm testing loads with any open sight gun. just wipes of when your finished.
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Thanks all for the great ideas! Bad weather forecast for the next couple days, but the range does have a roof over the line. Maybe I can sneak out on Wed. AM to shoot a bit. The wife may or may not approve, but she's not a morning person, so properly timed, I could probably pull it off. :)
I'm definitely going to need to start casting balls and buying 2f by the keg..... ;)
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I believe the NMLRA uses the same bullseye target at 100 yds as it does for 50, except the 7 ring is black for for the 100 yard version.
(https://nmlrashop-org.3dcartstores.com/thumbnail.asp?file=assets/images/mo2406sq_thumbnail.jpg&maxx=150&maxy=0) That gives you a 6" diameter black for 50 yards and an 8" diameter black for 100. (https://nmlrashop-org.3dcartstores.com/thumbnail.asp?file=assets/images/mo2435sq_thumbnail.jpg&maxx=150&maxy=0)
I drew a circle on a manila folder, cut the circle out, and use that as a template on a piece of cardboard or a white sketch pad and spray it with a cheap can of flat black spray paint. Most clubs I've shot with over the years use the 8-ring black (6" diameter) bull at both 50 and 100 yds.
The other 100 yard target I've encountered is the "Haffner" black buffalo target, with scoring areas corresponding to "kill" zones. It's a lot easier to get a good sight picture than the 6" diameter bull, and gives you practice for silhouette shoots.(https://nmlrashop-org.3dcartstores.com/thumbnail.asp?file=assets/images/m100haffbufsq_thumbnail.jpg&maxx=150&maxy=0)
A lot of people's shooting falls off pretty drastically after 50 yards, and the average shooters have trouble keeping 5 shots in the scoring rings, much less 5 shots in the black. Practice regularly at 100 yds with the targets that your club uses, and you've got a pretty good chance of
finishing an aggregate in good shape.
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By far my most favorite and one that works great for me out to 200 yards.
Its 17.25" diameter with a 3" orange bulls eye. Clear as day thanks to the huge black area. It just allows your eye to settle in and focus on the orange.
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi39.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff39%2F18%2F40%2F56%2F85%2Fimg_3922.jpg&hash=cf7391b942a094dd3ef88323d64ca87da078fd25)
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I use different colors of duck tape on cardboard, I can make my target as big or small as i want for sighting in my rifle and you have many colors to choose from for various distances and light conditions. can also use it to cover your holes ,won't fade when wet.
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When I was attending Hunter Safety Class the instructor ( DIFW Officer) made a very good point,,,do not use dayglow colors on targets!!!!! reason Hunters are required to wear Blase Orange (dayglo) in Maine so get in the habit of never pointing a firearm at anything Blase Orange,,small point but reasonable..
Paper plates are inexpensive and no matter what color your sights are, except white,they show up real clear.
What ever works best for you is the way to go ,,, good hunting enjoy the experiance just don't forget to take a youngster with you and share it ..one day they will be older and so will we and they will be our ride to the range,,,, ::) ;D
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A candle or lighter filled with gas or lamp oil will smoke your sights for bright sun conditions...USMC range procedure...Tom
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I like to use a sheet of cardboard and make an 8 to 10 inch cross in the center. Black electrical tape works well. Make it as thin or thick as needed for the distance you are shooting. This gives a vertical and horizontal point of aim.
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A candle or lighter filled with gas or lamp oil will smoke your sights for bright sun conditions...USMC range procedure...Tom
Yup - that is SOP (carbide lighter) for modern cartridge target work BUT using black powder rifle & pistol you will get thrown off most shooting range's - open flame & black powder don't mix. Be cautious & careful ;).
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I carry three bottles of model airplane paint in my shooting box along with q-tips. White, black and yellow. White for shooting at dark bulls in shade or cloudy dark days. Black for shooting in bright sun and yellow for hazy in between. A quick dab on the back of the front sight and good to go.
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tddangello, I use just a plain white paper plate with a black dot spray painted in the center.To get a perfect black circle, take an empty can such as the type that green beans or soup comes in and cut out both ends. Then all you have to do is center the can on the plate,hold it down tight and spraypaint. Works real well. Make up a bunch at one time and you will have enough to last a while. You can also paint around the outside of the can to kill some of the white glare. Use a different color paint for the outside. I use orange for the outside paint. With my old eyes it really highlites the black bullseye.
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I really like the cross made of colored electrical/duct tape. That could work well, and would be easy to repair, too.
Lots to experiment with for sure... thank you all for the ideas!
Our hunting season starts the day after tomorrow, but I'll try to keep shootin' at the range a bit during the season, too. After the season ends at the end of next month, I want to start playing with other combos for patch, ball, etc. and see what I can do with it. It's shooting well now, but it's always fun to see what can be accomplished. Plus, it gives me more time to shoot. ;)
I feel fairly confident with it for the hunt this year, but there's room to improve for next year, for sure. Just means more shooting! ;D
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td, I always end my range sessions with water filled milk jugs at 50 and 100 yards. Nice reactive target about the size of a deer lung area!
Robby
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Robby,
I wish I could shoot jugs at the range. They are not permitted at any of the club ranges I belong to. I do shoot them for bullet testing, but I have to do so at my parents' house where I can get away with some limited shooting. I can't bang away all day, but a few shots here and there don't bother the (somewhat distant) neighbors.
My targets tomorrow, if I encounter any, will be brown and furry and walk upon hooves. :)
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Sight Black is available in many gun shops. It is an aerosol.
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these have the same dimensions as the NMLRA 100yd target but are printed on thinner paper and are a lot cheaper.......http://www.midwayusa.com/product/394403/nra-official-smallbore-rifle-training-targets-tq-4-100-yard-paper-package-of-100
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Tddeangelo,
There have been some good suggestions provided here for inexpensive targets for just general practice. However, there are a couple of things to think about if you're considering shooting some local club matches or higher level competition. Shooting bullseye targets is good, but consider that when doing so you are getting into the habit of always shooting for the center of mass. This is generally the "10" ring and the best score. However, when you encounter a Haffner, fun target, or other novelty target, the center mass of the target is generally not the highest scoring place on these non-circular, odd shaped targets.
Though these targets aren't shot at 100 yards, most off-hand rifle matches involve targets at ranges like 25 and 50 yards also. If you let your eye center your front sight in the center mass on one of these targets, your scores will suffer. It would probably be worth your while to pick-up some of these targets and get used to shooting them as well as bullseye targets. Most clubs use some of the NMLRA targets you can see at the below link.
Glad to see you prefer flintlocks, that's nature's intended ignition system. Sooner or later the "Spark Side of the Force" gets most shooters. ;)
https://nmlrashop-org.3dcartstores.com/Targets_c_12-1-3.html
Mole Eyes
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Anymore I'm just partial to AR500 metal targets from ShootingTargets7.com. The ball splat on impact on the metal (8" - 10" - 12") will tell you how well you are at judging hitting the target in the center. Granted, if your zeroing your rifle - paper is the way to go. :)
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Anymore I'm just partial to AR500 metal targets from ShootingTargets7.com. The ball splat on impact on the metal (8" - 10" - 12") will tell you how well you are at judging hitting the target in the center. Granted, if your zeroing your rifle - paper is the way to go. :)
Actually. They work just fine for zeroing. There is always a rimmed splat mark
To find grouping and easily changeable coloring if your requiring a different color.
I've had a 16" 1/2" target for years I zero multiple calibers and rifles with to varied
Ranges. Hardly ever use paper at all anymore.