Gun shooting targets

Shooting ranges and targets

Shooting ranges, targets and pellet traps are great tools for improving your airgun shooting skills. Nowadays, there are already a large number of these gadgets available and they are not expensive, so there is no longer any reason to make your own improvised targets, shooting ranges or traps. Shooting ranges, targets and traps come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Paper targets

Paper targets are the most basic and inexpensive tool for practicing accurate shooting and for improving your shooting skills. When it comes to airgun shooting, paper targets measuring 14 x 14 cm or 17 x 17 cm are the most commonly used. There are also different colored targets or targets with different illustrations, which may be more interesting for younger shooters, for example. However, there is nothing to prevent you from shooting the air rifle with larger or smaller paper targets. To avoid having to change the targets very often, use so-called target patches to tape and cover the already hit areas on the target. Patches come in several sizes and colors.

Shot traps and shooting ranges

For the standard 14 x 14 cm or 17 x 17 cm targets, there are also so-called traps, into which you insert the target. A pellet that flies through the target is captured by this trap and there is no risk of damaging objects behind the target. After shooting, the ammunition can be emptied from the trap and disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. Traps can also be targets or shooting ranges on their own. You don't put paper targets in them because they themselves contain metal targets and they are also covered and therefore trap the fired ammunition. These devices are generally made of metal parts of varying thickness. When using these shooting aids, you need to consider the durability of the range or trap in relation to the performance of your air gun, so you need to choose the right distance to shoot so that you do not destroy your range or trap unreasonably quickly.

Metal targets

Metal targets can take a variety of forms. Most commonly when they are hit they fold or collapse, and they can be brought back to their original state at a distance, e.g. by pulling a string or by firing a shot at a special place. They often take the form of animals such as rat, wild boar, squirrel, hare, crow, etc. However, so-called spinners or biathlon shooting ranges are also a popular form of metal targets. Shooting ranges, traps and metal targets are not suitable for shooting air guns that shoot steel shot, mainly for safety reasons as steel shot bounces dangerously off metal surfaces.