Category: Outdoor Activities

Practice, they say, makes perfect and when it comes to shooting and accuracy, practice is the only way to improve accuracy.

Regardless of your shooting goal, accuracy is important. That is why shooters use targets to hone both their skill in handling a gun and their accuracy. To that end, there are three popular types of targets that shooters use. Those are steel targets, Tannerite targets, and plinking targets. Here is a look at each of these targets and why you’d use them.

Steel Targets

Steel targets are made out of 1/2 inch or 3/8 inch steel. Many people opt to use armor grade steel. The fast-and-hard rule is any steel will do if it has a Brinell hardness in excess of 500. Of course, this is subjective but applying it adds longevity to your targets.

The benefit of using steel targets is that they last longer and require fewer houses for setup since they can be used over and over. They are also easy to clean up and usually just require repainting when it matters. The advantage of using steel targets is that you can hear that “plink” if you hit one. This allows the shooter to have instant confirmation during target practice.

The downfall with steel targets is that they pose a ricochet risk and people do get injured from bullets that ricochet. Steel targets are usually easy to move around so you can gain more detailed target practice in a small space. With the right tools, steel targets are easy to make as a DIY project.

Tannerite Targets

Tannerite targets are exploding. They are a mixture of aluminum powder and ammonium nitrate. The ratio for mixing at home is 5:95 Aluminum powder:Ammonium nitrate.

While this already sounds like a bad idea, the mixture only explodes when struck with a bullet. The bigger risk is that the target may cause a fire. That is usually from mixing the ingredients wrong, or exposing them to flames.

Tannerite targets are helpful for long-distance shooting where you might not hear the plink. You will definitely see the explosion. The downside is that they are a once-use product and they create a mess. While the current laws allow Tannerite targets for use and sale in all 50 states, it is best to check with your local authorities for changes to those laws.

Plinking Targets

Plinking Targets are comprised from almost anything from tin cans to watermelons. These targets offer an affordable means to hone your shooting skills and accuracy. You can easily create larger targets using cardboard cutouts or difficult targets using Q-tips.

If you want to add technical challenges, many plinking targets can be swung from a rope to provide a moving target. The benefit of plinking targets is that they are scalable for different skill sets.

Depending on the material from which the target is made, these may be single use or last for years. The list of material that you can use is virtually limitless. Another advantage to plinking targets is that they add a sense of fun to the game of target practice.

It is easier to convince a new shooter to practice target shooting if the idea is to demolish a watermelon or perhaps to challenge them by taking a grape off a toothpick at 50-yards.

Every target has its strengths and weaknesses. The idea is to learn when to use each type of homemade target to gain the best benefit.

Your goal as a shooter should always be gun safety followed by bettering your shooting skill and accuracy. Each set of target types also provides a wide range of costs. These three choices allow you to pick a cost that fits your budget.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) states that 19 million plus Americans safely invest their time in target practice. They use handguns, shotguns and rifles. Some of this is for fun and much of it is for competitive shooting. Practice makes perfect.

Competitive shooting — shotgun

There are three general categories for most competitive shotgun shooting events. All three involve throwing clay targets, but it is how they are thrown that differentiates these shooting events. Those are:

Skeet shooting — Clay targets fired from opposite directions and cross, which helps the shooter to develop or show off profile shooting skills.

Trap shooting — Clay targets are thrown in the same direction as the shooter is facing, but their trajectory varies, giving the shooter a more difficult set of targets. This type of shooting develops skills that involve instant decision making when choosing multiple targets.

Sporting clay shooting — One could easily describe this as mayhem. The clay targets are pitched from different heights, speeds and angles. Most targets move fast, and the goal is to simulate what a hunter would face in the wild with birds and small game.

Pistol and rifle competition shooting

Cowboy action shooting — The primary requirement for these types of shooting events is that the guns used are from the era of the American cowboy. That typically means from the 1800s. These are perfect events to get a look at antique guns and weaponry.

Pistol shooting events

Bullseye shooting — While this can occur with the use of rifles, it is mostly a long-distance event for pistol shooters. By long distance, we mean upwards of 50 yards. Competitions are usually a mix of slow-firing and rapid-firing contests. To increase the difficulty level, a timer might be used and participants might also be required to fire using a single-hand rather than a double-hand grip.

International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) shooting events — This is an action shooting event that focuses on international rules and guns. This shooting competition focuses on self-defense type shooting situations, and the events mimic real life as much as possible. Its sister competition is the United States Practical Shooting Organization (USPSA), which is the U.S. version.

Rifle-focused shooting

Silhouette shooting — This is a rifle event and primarily uses small gauge rifles such as .22s. These events stage small steel targets at varying distances between 50-100 yards. Targets may be at different heights, angles, and may move. There are competitions that employ high power rifles with targets in the 1000-yard range. To increase the difficulty of these events, shots might be timed.

Bench rest shooting — This is the most precise shooting competition for rifles available. The rifle sits on a front and rear rest and the rest sits on a table, thus the name. Shooters take aim at paper targets. The rifles used are highly modified or customized to provide the most stable shot possible. A lot goes into the trajectory of a bullet as even the wind can shift its path slightly. These competitions can be decided by a fraction of a millimeter. This is the type of event that is deeply rooted in tradition and can be seen at both the winter and summer Olympics.

Shooting events are widely available and they might be hosted by a local gun club or as a world competition at a venue such as the Olympics. What is the next step for people who are interested in shooting competitions? The biggest decision that you face is determining which style of gun — shotgun, pistol or rifle — that you favor. When the breadth of a hair can spell winner or loser, precision counts.

Protecting your hearing is a must – but you also need to be able to communicate with your fellow hunters and hear the light footstep of a deer on the forest floor. Hearing matters for more than deer; the fastest and easiest way to locate a turkey is to listen for the chatter and gobbles coming from a Tom – cover your ears too early and you’ll have to go without a turkey dinner this spring.

Hunting differs from a trip to the gun range; you can expect rapid, regular firing at the range and pick the ear protection that offers the fullest degree of coverage. While a rifle or long gun is generally not as loud as a pistol or revolver, it is still loud enough to cause damage. Since you’ll still need to use your senses as you hunt, picking ear protection is a little more tricky. What protection do you need, and when should you use it?

Some assume that since you are only firing occasionally, you can do without protection, but even a single hunt has the potential to cause permanent hearing damage, according to the American Speech Language Hearing Association. Learning more about how hearing damage works and the science behind ear protection can help you protect your hearing while you hunt; whether you are furthering your own firearms skills or helping a young person get started, hearing protection is an important part of gun safety.

The science behind ear protection

We measure the sounds we hear every day in terms of decibels (dB); normal human speech registers at about 60 dB, while your car engine could range from 70-90 dB. Sounds that are over 100 dB have the potential to damage your hearing over time, while single instances of loud noise over 140 dB can cause permanent damage. A .22 rifle shot is over 140 dB as are virtually all shotgun, pistol and revolver shots.

Since all gunshots surpass the safe level for human hearing, it is essential that you use protection any time you fire a weapon. Protecting your hearing should be considered part of basic gun safety. Some hearing protection options are better than others when it comes to hunting; the right choice for you depends on your personal preferences and budget.

Gun safety tips: Ear protection options

Earplugs

Made out of a soft, compressive foam, inexpensive earplugs may be all you need to muffle sound and protect your hearing. Earplugs have several advantages – they are cheap, readily available and disposable. While earplugs certainly help protect your hearing, they do have some significant downsides. If you do not like things in your ears, you won’t like earplugs. They also dampen all sound, making it more difficult to tell how much noise you are making and if an animal is near. They can also be difficult to insert when your hands are cold – you need to roll the foam into a tight coil to insert them into your ears.

Passive ear muffs

They look just like a pair of headphones, but passive ear muffs add an extra layer of protection as you hunt. Designed to mold to your head and cover your ears completely, this style of ear protection is more expensive than earplugs but provides more protection as well. Passive earmuffs block all sounds, so you won’t be able to hold a conversation or realize how much noise your group is making while wearing them.

Electronic ear muffs

Probably the best option for hunting is also the most expensive. Electronic ear muffs selectively filter sound, so you can have a conversation, hear that distant gobble or realize how much noise you are making as you stomp around getting set up. Electronic muffs dampen the sound of a shot considerably, protecting your hearing while allowing for effective communication, making them the ideal choice for hunting. If you are serious about hunting, then a set of electronic ear muffs is an essential part of your kit.

Using hearing protection

Setting up

Unless you are wearing electronic ear muffs, don’t put your hearing protection in until after you’re set up in your spot; the deer in the area can hear you even when you are trying to be careful. If you cover your own ears you may end up making a lot more noise than you intend to as you scope out the area, set up or climb into a blind. Set up the day before if possible, or add your ear protection after you’ve settled into your spot. The deer and other animals in the forest already have superior hearing to yours; dampen your own senses and you could scare anything worth bagging away from your site.

Hunting alone or with a group

If you are out on your own, then simply remembering to insert earplugs or don the dampening headphones may be enough, if you are not using the electronic versions. Hunt with a group or even a single partner and your needs become more complex. A gun fired near you has the same impact on your hearing as one you fire on your own, so communication is a must. Choosing ear protection that works full time to protect your ears is best if you are hunting in a group; you won’t have to worry about loud and potentially damaging surprises.

Protect your hearing every time you hunt

The best hearing protection in the world won’t do you any good if you don’t use it. Make a commitment to tracking down and acquiring the best protection you can find – and to using that protection every time. Ear protection should be as important as caring for your firearm and choosing the right site. Protecting your ears now ensures that you’ll still be able to hear the subtle rustling of a turkey in dense brush – or the loud gobbling of a Tom looking for hens – for years to come.