Caught my attn. on that one, thats what a lot of trap shooters like there gun to pattern, We use to add delrin plastic to the rib, remachine the angle and add new sight beads to get the pattern higher for trap shooters. My job was to cut the stock comb and add hardware so one could adjust for there head height and angle.
I have used the back side of Christmas wrapping paper to pattern a turkey gun. You can get lots cheap on boxing day
Griz what are you shooting out of the 12 GA? Slugs, birdshot or buckshot? Personally I've never shot a shotgun at a stationary target, I'm either shooting at clay birds in the sky or critters running or flying, the the type of round you're using will make a difference in what you want to shoot into. I am working on a shooting range at my house for .22 and centerfire handguns. My plan is to create a "wall" of stacked 20" or so log rounds 2 layers deep and about 4' high. Behind that is where my firewood is kept to stop any strays from getting by, there'll be 3 rows of double stacks, each 40" wide and 30' long. I was just researching steel targets yesterday, as I have access to an old combine and was thinking of cutting up the frame and axles to use as targets. Most "experts" say to only use hard armor steel, the recommended alloy is AR400 for hand guns and AR500 for rifles. Apparently you want a very hard steel, which will actually disintegrate the bullet when it hits, while a soft steel is more likely to ricochet. Even worse, soft steel will dent the more you shoot it, creating a crater filled plate that's more likely to ricochet the rounds in unpredictable directions. So I'm on the fence as to if I'll make my own steel targets or not. I have a swinging made of an unknown steel, and once I've had a .45 ACP round come back and hit me which left a small bruise on my thigh! That must be why the instructions say to only use lead bullets, as it was a FMJ.
Havent shot it, but it sill be burd shot. Want to get some experience with the gun before taking it out in the field.
Buried in the shooting thread on my site. Sorry not digging it up. Search tacticalexistence on youtube. Thats the guy shooting it and making video that day.
That was a photo bomb only in messages by dear husband. He does all kinds but trap has been his passion lately.
If you don't have anything behind where you're shooting, like other's have mentioned cardboard or large sheets of paper is great to pattern with. Birdshot will only go to about 300 yards max, and that's when you're shooting at steep angles in the air. If you need the shot stopped, thin gauge steel will work as will plywood, but the plywood will deteriorate quickly. If you're using thin steel or plywood, I wouldn't shoot any closer than 20-25 yards. Birdshot loses it's energy quickly, but if the target is too close to shot will still be tightly bundled together and can do a lot of damage! The absolute best way to practice before hunting is get a cheap hand clay pigeon thrower and have a friend toss clay birds for you. I've also set up 3 to 5 stationary clay pigeons and / or beer cans at different distances and elevations on wood stakes, loaded up the magazine and shot them as quickly as I could.
http://www.magnumtarget.com/ this is where I got my steel silhouette target from. Shooting a shot gun with bird shot at 25+ yards should not be a ricochet issue with a proper target, and spring mount set at a downward angle. Most steel matches are at distances of under 35 yards using rimfire and centerfire pistol rounds. As other have suggested clay pigeons can be used either thrown or stationary. Balloons from the dollar store are cheap and instant hit options.
Bowling pins are another cheap reactive target. Hit up a bowling alley to see if they have any old ones you could have. Fun with the Buckmark also.
I got all kinds of them for pistols. Love setting them up in a row and dueling with my son. Got mine from work back in the day when we were alot to bring our own guns etc. Now days things have gotten tighter and must use their stuff. Not as much play time shooting.
Nice Big Doe! OK, I'll be serious, I'd second the butcher paper. Put the roll on the ground and then pull up what you need, unless your aim is bad enough that you hit the ground and the roll of butcher paper.
Another idea- get some conveyor belt and cut it up into 3'-4' lengths and hang it. We've cut up hundreds of feet of belt for the local shooting range as target backers.
I'm sure I'll catch some flak for doing this, but I shoot full beer cans. Each time we have a party people leave behind 3-4 cases of cheap beer (nati light, keystone light, coors light, bud light) and I can't stand to drink that stuff. So I'll take 10-20 cans out whenever I let my 6 year old shoot and let her blow them up!
I get together every year with family and friends and we have an epic day of shooting. Handguns, rifles, shotguns you name it we shoot it. This year I got AR500 steel in 3/8" thickness. We shot probably 1500-1800 rounds at them and not so much as a dent except for places it got hit right on the edge. I built a stand out of pipe and they hang from chains and angle downward so the fragments splay downwards. As long as you adhere to the proper distances while shooting these they will last for a long long time. Here is the link where I got mine. I believe i used a coupon code and got 3 of them the 12", and the 10" and they threw in a 4" gong. http://shootingtargets7.com/ar500-steel-targets/
