Anymore as I get older and the ol' eyesight ain't what it use to be, I do enjoy shooting at different size gongs. In fact, I actually find them a lot more fun to shoot because of the instant feed back / one way or the other / hit or miss / you know...

Some years back before I retired, I bought some AR500 round gongs (6, 8, & 10 inch). Best investment I ever made!

Paper targets still have their place for sighting in, or checking one's zero,,, and at our annual Rendezvous we normally just shoot paper, (which is okay).

Yes sir, swinging metal is a lot of fun!

I have a 60 yard range in my back yard. That is all the room I have for it.
I have a portable target stand that I place out there for paper targets. Off a little to one side I hung a 12 inch square, 1 inch thick steel plate. I spray paint the gong with whatever color I have on hand. My hits show up well.
My .50 round balls make a very slight dent, dimpling the steel. However, my .450 Nitro Express, with 480 gr. solids, put a serious hole in it.

My Range band all soft metal targets, but the AR500 & AR400 Metal swing targets for muzzle loading, high power, and rimfire, are ok... (Ricochets from the old potted soft metal targets were coming back towards the firing line). So as long as it's an AR500 metal swinging target - we're good, and the AR400 for the Rimfire shooters - or they can also use the AR500 targets... It's kind of funny as our BoD's didn't want anymore metal at all, and at least 80% (or better) of the membership did. So we won out in that area as well as requiring the AR500 and AR400 target metals. Haven't had any incidents since of anyone getting struck with a come back shot, and it did happen a few times with the soft potted metal targets.

Reactive targets have always been the most fun for me as well. Tin cans, pieces of metal, wood or plastic was all I shot at for many years; paper targets didn't interest me that much. I did sometimes draw a circle on a piece of cardboard from time to time just to check where I was hitting. But I still have the most fun with reactive targets.

There's also another plus for metal targets. Since mine are set up to hang with a downward "back" angle towards the bottom,,, the lead balls flatten on the metal target and are usually are found within (or there about) 12 to 18 inches in front of the target on the ground - so I pick them up and they will find their way into the casting pot eventually. That's a nice plus.

Yes sir, I've had a lot of fun with 'em over the years.

Does anyone - in case a gong plate is missing or just for kicks - hang up things such as tin cans, misc. pieces of metal, wood blocks, etc? I think I'll build a portable stand and hang up pieces of whatever I find.

Hanshi, at some of our Spring "Rendezvous" Shoot's in the past, we've shot at - cans, charcoal, the string itself held with a rock tied at the bottom to keep the string straight. Just about anything a person can come up with will work. Splitting the ball on the ax to hit the clay on each side, cutting the card... A truly fun shoot (that really can't be practiced at one's local Range unless they allow you to shoot in the dark / loading by candle lantern, is our annual Rendezvous "snuffing the candle" shoot... Now that is flat out fun!!! We normally start at about 10 PM on a Friday Night and finish up after midnight. (We've been known to as late as 2:00 AM... Snuffing the candle is the best!!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: JoeM,

One time at a Civil War re-enactment I watched teams shoot at racks of clay "birds" that had been hung from wires. I think there were about 24 of the saucer-like clay targets for each team of 6 men to shoot at. The first team to break all their targets won. They were shooting from about 50 yards.

quote:

Originally posted by Rancocas:
One time at a Civil War re-enactment I watched teams shoot at racks of clay "birds" that had been hung from wires. I think there were about 24 of the saucer-like clay targets for each team of 6 men to shoot at. The first team to break all their targets won. They were shooting from about 50 yards.

Clays are fun to shoot, We use to drill two little holes on the edge of a clay - string fishing line through them, and hang 'em on a rack to shoot. Good fun!

Here's a picture of some of those clay racks off my right shoulder;

I used to do Cowboy Action Shooting and we did something similar as targets for our revolvers. Loads of fun.....At 25 yards.

quote:

Originally posted by Boartooth:
I used to do Cowboy Action Shooting and we did something similar as targets for our revolvers. Loads of fun.....At 25 yards.

That would be some fun. I doubt I'd hit many with a revolver (or any handgun for that matter) from 25 yards - but 10 or 15 yards, I'd have fun with that!

My last duty station was Detroit, MI. I was an assistant firearms instructor there for our office.
During one of our quarterly qualification shoots I brought my 1860 Colt Army revolver. I took a place in the line-up between other agents and when the call to "fire" was given I drew that blackpowder .44 and cut loose.
For six shots I easily kept up with the .40 semi-autos that the others were using. However, I lost ground when it came time to reload.
The complaints about the cloud of smoke obscuring the targets of those around me were loud.

Ah yes, but the wonderful smell associated with firing the "Holy Black"....!

I had every intention to go Gong Shooting this morning, but it has been one chilly damp dreary day - all day, today... Sometimes I think the weather sets it tone by my plans...

No longer owning a c&b revolver I have to satisfy myself with my flint pistol.

oooh. Pretty.

Very nice.

That is one fine looking pistol for sure, Hanshi!

I have four AR 500 plates..., various sizes...,

I got them because my son likes them modern things, and would tear up a target, and then you have to stop and post another target.

Steel or gongs are great, you know you hit and they move, and I was surprised that I liked them that much.

PLUS when talkin' soft lead round ball, AR500 steel is going to last into the next century....

But the goofballs that administer my local range decided that "no steel except at sanctioned events".

GAD!


LD

There are a couple of gongs at our range, one at 100 yards and another one that can hang anywhere. There's also a can of spray paint to keep 'em visible.