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Bear-of-Grayling

Bear-of-Grayling

Member
Dec 19, 2021
1,634
2,995
Alabama, United States
Looking for ideas. These two are the ones that go to the range with me all the time. Good for the airguns to. Especially at 50+ yards. Like bottle caps and washers hanging from lines. A friend, now gone, made some wonderful “knock down/stand up steel animal targets for me years ago. Have a 2 liter bottle target that is filled to 125 lbs of air. A real boomer. Just moved on some acreage and want to set up a fun range. What do y’all like to shoot?

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I don't think any other target keeps a kid's attention (or many adult's) like tins cans that go "TINK" and swing when hit. Compared to heavier steel targets any low powered air rifle or BB gun can smack a tin can with satisfying authority. I made a bunch of these. They require simple tools to make, nest together to take up minimal space, don't need soft ground to be driven into and small hands can help place them and pick them up. Use 1/2 inch pipe to bend small diameter rebar secured in a vice. A pipe over the rebar gives you more leverage and prevents the rebar from bending anywhere but at the jaws of the vice.

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Goofy target above aside, check with your local realtors for the older metal frame for sale signs. They make very good stands for hanging cans, spinners, bottle caps or whatever else you might want to. 

The paint balls John mentioned are good too. I have a box full. 2x4, holes drilled a couple inches apart, stick golf tees in the holes and a paint ball on top. Now try to shoot that paintball off without breaking the tee.

Walmart sells the small metal animal figures in a 4 or 5 pack for like $7. Attach a length of heavy grade fishing line to make them easier to find when hit and attach the other end to whatever you set them on.

Splatterburst targets I also have. If you have a metal fab shop around, maybe stop in and ask if they mind you rifling through their scrap bin. They might have scraps that could be shaped, painted and used for farther out targets.
 
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I second the tin can idea. Drill holes in the sides and bottoms of the cans or use an awl. Match two cans together on the sides or bottoms. String the cans together for a very durable target. Cambells soup cans will fit very snugly inside of a Hungryman's soup can. Perfect fodder for sub 12 foot pound guns. They make a very satisfying sound and bash the can around on the string and it returns to zero, usually without penetrating the cans. The longer the string (cheap paracord) the more reactive the target. Mutant cans can last weeks, greatly extending target life.
 
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Some years back I was ask to do a one day demo/ lecture on airguns at the local boyscout camp for a group of explorers. After the usual demonstrations, safety lectures, we had invited parents and gave more safety talks etc. By the end many still had the belief that these were just toys, even some of the parents. I had filled a few 2 liter pop bottles with water and snuck in a few alka seltzer tablets then had a couple to pass around with a sharp awl for them to poke holes into but these did not have the alka seltzer tablets in them. The idea was to poke holes into the bottles and compare the force to penetrating human skin. Most all concluded the human skin would take less pressure to penetrate. I set the loaded bottles out to 25 yds and used my 22 cal R1 to hit dead center of the first alka seltzer loaded bottle, you shoukd have seen the faces when that thing blew up !!! Even the parents couldnt believe how large an explosion had been created !! No I didnt mention the alka seltzer tablets as my goal was to have them understand just how powerfull and dangerous high powered air rifles can be. I shot all 3 with the same explosive results, the bottle was just a ragged piece of plastic and I believe my point was well made!!!
 
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Ya got any trees and an understanding wife?lol. I take misc cans,poke a hole in the bottom, run a 2 or 3 ft piece of twine thru it,tie a nut,washer,whatever to the piece of twine on the inside of the can, tie a small weight ( heavier nut,I Bolt,metal clip) to the other end of the twine. Walk out to 1 of MY trees and slingshot,bolo that baby as high as I can up into the branches of MY trees.( They come down eventually from strong wind and time. I also hang them from the fence line at the edge of the property. which is 67 yards from my shooting posts at the front and back of the house. There are some Pine Trees here as well so I always try to knock a few of them down and there is this Walnut Tree at the fence line and that,s a challenge with the Classic Dreamline. Of course I have dingers. I have them staked out at 25,35,45,50 yds. I went to amazon and found these 2"rd orange pasters. They come in a big roll like 250ct or somethin. I use those on them. I found some 3" pasters on a big roll that do that dirty bird thing and those r nice when I'm culling pellets and working on technique using my 5 x 5 pellet trap and (cards from air ventura Pyramid Air ) I'd like to find some more of those pellet traps but the only place I have seen them is in the AIRGUN 101 store site and I don't think I can get it shipped here.Well I Don't Know Why, Ask Giles if you think it will do any good. How's that for target talk? Oh,forgot to mention the occasional starling.
 
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I like spinners best for the simple reason they are indestructible. Never have to change them they’re always ready. I connected trees with long poles and hung the spinners on them with appropriate brackets. Or you can make brackets that stick in the ground. I have up to 20 spinners on one bracket different sizes. I probably have close to 200 spinners up. 
Have a half dozen knock down are always entertaining.
I hoping this summer I can finish my range. Picked up a Kabota 2601 which will certainly help with the grunt work. You might see the smoke, still have 3 to 4 months thinking before I start.

Almost forgot, also the automatic target changer, holds 10 targets and changes by remote. 

Going to get some paint balls, like that idea. Crow 
 
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Playdo in different colors rolled into balls of various sizes makes for a cool shoot out with multiple shooters . Just have a third party non shooter call the next target. It builds target acquisition skills for hunting you have to be quick to get on target and hit it before the other shooter does. The kids love it. Start with them all at same distance and as skills improve place them at various distance to improve ranging skills .
 
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The video didn’t work out. The pic shows the bulk of the ranges. Out of the picture to the left is where my 25 and 30 yard spinners are. Couldn’t fit the whole thing 
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Great range. Thank you for trying to make a video for us. I like the woods behind the range and its out to 100+ yards. I’m going to make mine out to 75 yards. Airguns only. Thank you everyone.
 
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