long range target

huntsd

WKR
Joined
Jun 20, 2020
Messages
422
What do you run for past 300 yards? I am sick of shooting at boxes then having to drive up to see where the impact was. Are gongs a big help here?
 

Wrhyne

FNG
Joined
Apr 6, 2021
Messages
65
Steel is the way. But it comes with its own draw backs. Price, weight, fire hazards (summer time out west).
 

Bluumoon

WKR
Joined
May 4, 2020
Messages
739
Went to my local metal recycling center last week for something else and came home w two 3/8" plates 14"x14" w hanger holes for $26 total. If I was smart I would have spent the additional time to find chain to hang it from.
 

Bluumoon

WKR
Joined
May 4, 2020
Messages
739
I’m in it for the ding ding, those two will be set at dumb distances for me, also can cut smaller later. I have smaller steel plates for normal distance, and a small set to mimic Forms 100 yard practice targets, I count the misses, saves the walking.

Anyone have a good stand design using rebar? I grabbed a few pieces of that too.
 

Ucsdryder

WKR
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Messages
5,710
Steel is good. Water jugs are good but a pain and 1 shot. I’ll usually bring a couple water jugs and put them at my MER or past my MER and try to explode on my first shot. They’re similar to an elk vitals.
 

Antares

WKR
Joined
Jan 13, 2021
Messages
1,761
Location
Alaska
A decent spotter should be able to pick up holes in paper at 300 yards. I can see holes in paper at 500 yards with my Kowa 554.
 

Justin Crossley

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
7,280
Location
Buckley, WA
Paper is best if you can see.

Steel can lie a little.

Rocks lie a lot.
Another perspective-

Paper works fine but can be very hard to see impacts and you have to walk out to set a target at every distance you want to shoot and then walk back out to each one to clean up and verify the impacts.

Steel can be left up and you can also paint it before each session so it's really easy to see exactly where you impact through the spotter or scope.

Rocks are also very easy to see exactly where you impacted if you paint flat rocks like shown above in the photo. Small rocks sitting in the dirt are fun but a lot harder to see actual impacts.
 

Lawnboi

WKR
Joined
Mar 2, 2012
Messages
7,768
Location
North Central Wi
Interesting insight. I am curious how rocks lie a lot. Can you elaborate?
Splash, depending on what your shooting can be difficult to detect exact impact point. Some just leave marks which is nice but some rocks just blow up.
There are not many times at distance paper that I don’t walk up a little disappointed .

I shoot all three, they all have their place. Plenty of times I see guys shooting at rocks thinking they hit at pint of aim when they just saw a big sand puff come off a rock somewhere. While rocks are fun to shoot at I just think steel or paper if easily usable are better solutions.

On top of that if you cannot measure the rock with your reticle, your totally guessing at the size
 
Joined
Oct 8, 2019
Messages
2,956
When practicing at the range it’s steel targets.

When practicing in the desert it’s steel targets and/or rocks (specific spot on a rock).

But the best practice is jackrabbits or any other legal game. You have to find them, range them, find a shooting position, go through the entire shooting process, and hope they don’t move while getting ready. They’re a nice challenge past 300 due to their size and tendency to be partially obscured.
 
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