chrisjonesbath
Busy member
All,
Like many of us who use their air rifle for plinking in their garden I've found that making my own targets is all part of the fun. My garden range is about 38m, so I like targets that don't require me to walk there and back to reset. I got the idea from this forum of using vine eyes to make spinning targets which have proven very successful. Thanks whoever originally posted this idea.
Recently I have purchased Red Wolf and hitting the smallest of the vine eye targets, about 12mm, has become almost a certainty. Therefore something smaller was required to maintain the challenge. Another option was to increase the length of the range and I hope to gain another 6 or 7 meters later this Spring.
I have little or no metalworking/welding skills or equipment, so I had a look around to see what I had laying about that could be easily fashion into a target that wouldn't be destroyed by just one hit.
This is what I came up with, 6mm plastic tubes topped with 10mm plugs. I thought being flexible the pellets would just knock them out of the way without destroying them and I'd be able to see this movement easily through the scope. It took next to no effort to create a suitable mount for the tubes.
Alas my Red Wolf has had to go back to Daystate for some fiddling and has been there a while, so I haven't tested the tube targets against it yet, but I have been using my RM8 UC. Whilst generally very accurate, I have found the RM8 a bit frustrating for bullseye targets at 38m, due to the propensity for flyers, plinking targets are far more fun. I use both the tubes and plugs as targets and have been pleased that they bend when hit just as I'd hoped, allowing the pellets to pass by into the back stop. Only once has a hit caused the tubes to be pulled from the base and the result was ...
I can't swear that this is exactly what I was aiming at, but I'm amazed that the tube captured the pellet so neatly. Most of my other tube hits have just kinked the tubes slightly and glanced off.
I know my choice of target material is an unusual one and if you know what they are maybe it is best if you keep that to yourself
What non-destructive plinking targets have others come up with that don't require metal cutting or welding? I'm interesting in hearing other ideas, the more unusual the better.
Chris
Like many of us who use their air rifle for plinking in their garden I've found that making my own targets is all part of the fun. My garden range is about 38m, so I like targets that don't require me to walk there and back to reset. I got the idea from this forum of using vine eyes to make spinning targets which have proven very successful. Thanks whoever originally posted this idea.
Recently I have purchased Red Wolf and hitting the smallest of the vine eye targets, about 12mm, has become almost a certainty. Therefore something smaller was required to maintain the challenge. Another option was to increase the length of the range and I hope to gain another 6 or 7 meters later this Spring.
I have little or no metalworking/welding skills or equipment, so I had a look around to see what I had laying about that could be easily fashion into a target that wouldn't be destroyed by just one hit.
This is what I came up with, 6mm plastic tubes topped with 10mm plugs. I thought being flexible the pellets would just knock them out of the way without destroying them and I'd be able to see this movement easily through the scope. It took next to no effort to create a suitable mount for the tubes.
Alas my Red Wolf has had to go back to Daystate for some fiddling and has been there a while, so I haven't tested the tube targets against it yet, but I have been using my RM8 UC. Whilst generally very accurate, I have found the RM8 a bit frustrating for bullseye targets at 38m, due to the propensity for flyers, plinking targets are far more fun. I use both the tubes and plugs as targets and have been pleased that they bend when hit just as I'd hoped, allowing the pellets to pass by into the back stop. Only once has a hit caused the tubes to be pulled from the base and the result was ...
I can't swear that this is exactly what I was aiming at, but I'm amazed that the tube captured the pellet so neatly. Most of my other tube hits have just kinked the tubes slightly and glanced off.
I know my choice of target material is an unusual one and if you know what they are maybe it is best if you keep that to yourself
What non-destructive plinking targets have others come up with that don't require metal cutting or welding? I'm interesting in hearing other ideas, the more unusual the better.
Chris
I like the way you have used the vine eyes I never thought of using them upside down like that mate.
