Make Your Own "Shoot 'N See" Targets

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Sixgun
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Make Your Own "Shoot 'N See" Targets

Post by Sixgun »

Dudes & Fellow Shootists,
I talked about this on another thread but who reads all the threads? (except Hobie--he sure keeps me in line)

This is something Birchwood Casey don't want us little people knowing about. You can make your own Shoot 'N See targets. They are great, especially when shooting long range. You can make 'em 2 inches or 5 feet, if your little heart so desires. I make most of mine 8" square and use them for 200-300 yard shooting.

As a Boy Scout, I was taught the value of being thrifty. (not cheap--there's a big difference :D ) These targets are CHEAP. Even a peon forklift driver like myself can afford the materials.

READ and Comprehend (Ysable Kid & Jengel) (man, I'm a BB)

1.) Get cardboard and cut to size, You can use white cardboard or brown cardboard with white or yellow paper over it. If your weird, you can use purple paper.
Image,

2.) Get some Saran Wrap--I use the "stretch wrap" we use at work for wrapping pallets. I like that mostly because its free. :D , Just stretch it a bit and tape it on the back.
Image,

3.A) first black square---- Spray paint it, preferably with flat black paint. When you paint it, the shrink wrap gets a little loose from the chemicals of the paint. As the paint dries, it gets taunt again.

3.B) second square---this is a target thats been shot. See the white showing through? The bullet breaks the paint and the shrink film because the paint made the shrink film brittle.---make sense?

4.C) third square---after shooting the target, paint it again! Unless your like me and able to put the next bullet in the exact same hole, its going to make another "easy see" where you shot it. After 20 or 30 hits, and several repaintings, just toss it in the back of Ysable Kid's pick-up truck and get a fresh one. (a word of note--the paint has to be really good and dry or the shot in the target looks "mushy")

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nemhed
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Post by nemhed »

This is great, but I don't have any Skoal cans to hold down the plastic wrap. :?
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Post by ohwin94_61 »

Thanks 6gun I'm going to make some for patterning my turkey gun :lol:
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Post by Sixgun »

nemhed wrote:This is great, but I don't have any Skoal cans to hold down the plastic wrap. :?
Skoal brother! Just a pinch between your cheek and gum! (its the only vice I have left :D )
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Post by centershot »

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I love it! :D


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Post by hartman »

Sixgun,

Really great idea... you have burst my bubble of you though, I was hoping that was your wife's :D cool-aid flavered snoose.

Hartman
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Post by jengel »

Thanks for the tutorial. I still had to look at the pics first though. :D
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Post by salvo »

What pictures all I saw was a beautiful 86 and Flat top :D

BTW, I prefer Skoal Straight myself.
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Post by cas »

What if we don't have a big 7?
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Post by Modoc ED »

Very cool.
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Post by jnyork »

Great idea, I am going to play with making up some paper silhouettes with that.
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Post by steveb »

Good idea! Thanks for posting the how to.
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Post by rkt88edmo »

Now where did I put my purple paper?
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Post by meanc »

Pretty slick idea.

I've got about 3 cans of flat needing some use.

BTW, I've actually taken to Berry Blend myself. :D
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Post by jengel »

cas wrote:What if we don't have a big 7?
Waaaa Ha Ha Ha. That's a good one. 8)
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Post by handirifle »

Does it work on high velocity stuff too? Great idea, I LOVE the idea of making big ones for distance.
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Post by Mike S. »

meanc wrote:Pretty slick idea.

BTW, I've actually taken to Berry Blend myself. :D
Me too - I had about quit til I found that stuff.

Mike
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Post by Jarhead »

That's what she said last night :lol:
Just kidding...great Idea and I appreciate your knowledge, as always, Sixgun..... :)
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Post by JReed »

Thats a neat trick I am always looking for ways to spend less (leaves more cash for ammo). Thanks for the write up.
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Post by Ysabel Kid »

Duh, were does one learn this "reading" stuff you speak of!

Geez, miss one line and I get branded for life... :shock:
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Post by Jarhead »

Ysabel Kid wrote:Duh, were does one learn this "reading" stuff you speak of!

Geez, miss one line and I get branded for life... :shock:
That's OK Bro, You can always get a subscription to Playboy for life as well?? But you better not.... 8) Your wife might not think that's a good Idea...

That's what my wife told me ...anyway?? :D

God Bless...
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Post by El Chivo »

thanks, I've been wondering about this.

I would like to make some silhouette animals, it's hard to tell if you hit the swingers at long range.

I have a shrink-wrap setup, maybe I'll try that.
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Post by Sixgun »

Thanks guys.
Handirifle, it works with any velocity. I got the idea from a guy at the gunclub who does a lot of long range shooting at 500 meters. Even with a quality spotting scope, those holes are hard to see at long range. Good luck and happy shootin'------------Sixgun
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MikeS.
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Post by MikeS. »

Sixgun, that is great, thanks for sharing.

YK, don't feel bad about not reading the "how to" I missed it the 1st time, saw your post and went back and re-read it. So you helped me out.
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Post by El Chivo »

Hey, something to add.

I was thinking about my deer silhouette, and realized I could paint the vital areas red and the other areas something else like yellow.

Then cover the whole thing with brown shootnsee and the vital hits would come out red and the others yellow.

Guess what I'll be doing this weekend.
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Post by Borregos »

Neat idea sixgun, thanks for posting.
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Post by Sixgun »

sobenk wrote:Hey, something to add.

I was thinking about my deer silhouette, and realized I could paint the vital areas red and the other areas something else like yellow.

Then cover the whole thing with brown shootnsee and the vital hits would come out red and the others yellow.

Guess what I'll be doing this weekend.
Great idea! The ideas are nearly endless with these free s 'n s. I can't believe people pay what they do for these store bought targets.----Sixgun
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Post by new pig hunter »

Great Idea !!

I just made a couple ... and discovered for myself that I want 2 things:
1. backing board material that won't bend.
2. making sure the saran wrap is "tightly" stretched across the board, no wrinkling.

I used what seemed like stiff cardboard, but under the pull of the saran wrap it bent just a little bit, so the hole is indistinct.
And my wrapping job left a lot to be desired, there were wrinkles in the saran wrap after painting. (I can't properly wrap a Christmas present, I am definitely wrapping-challenged).

Using my .177 caliber pellet gun at 20 yards: visibility was not bad. But at 100 yards I think I'd have problems.

My dexerity problems aside, this is truly an awesome discovery by sixgun !!

Cheers,

Carl

p.s. I have one idea I'll be trying: spraying the backing board with glue, then laying down the saran wrap, hoping for a nice clean wrinkle-free laydown. I want to make some relatively huge-size long-range targets and I think the glue idea is the only way for me to get that wrinkle-free saran wrap laydown.
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Post by El Chivo »

try a blow-dryer on the saran wrap after taping, and before painting. It might shrink it tight.

There are shrink-wrap materials that will do this. I have a shrink-wrapping setup, so will probably try it instead of saran wrap. My only problem is the wrap is only about a foot wide. But you can buy bigger rolls.
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Post by new pig hunter »

an update to my post above ....

I had mentioned in my p.s. that I would try gluing the saran wrap to the backing board.
Tried it, didn't like it. Besides covering my forearms and hands with spray-on glue, I discovered that the saran wrap cannot move when the bullet goes through it, and the hole isn't easily seen.
In other words, when the bullet punches the hole in the saran wrap, the saran wrap cannot stretch a bit and the black paint doesn't flake off, not allowing for the larger view of white backing paper behind the saran wrap. Make sense ??
SO, no glue to hold the saran wrap in place. Not a good idea.

Also, I added a refinement for long-distance use. After the saran wrap is in-place, painted with black paint, and the paint is dry: I spray paint a large X using white paint.
I made a template with a piece of cardboard, cutting a large X. The lines of the X are 8 inches long and about 3/8" wide. I place this template on the target and spray it with white paint, voila, a nice clean white X on the black paint that can easily be seen at long range (OK, I use a scope on my rifle and can see the X quite easily).

With .223 ammo I tried out a couple of these (no glue on the saran wrap) targets and at 100 yards they work very very well. With the saran wrap stretching a bit and the black paint flaking off, there is sufficient white backing board to be seen to find the point of impact.

Thanks Much to sixgun for this great idea !!!!

Cheers,

Carl
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Post by Sixgun »

Mr. Pig Hunter, Your welcome. Sometimes things take a little experimenting with. It might help to warm the saran wrap up a bit before stretching so when it cools, it will be more taunt. I have found that its no big deal to have a few wrinkles. Maybe with the small pellets you are using, it needs to be tight.

Also, make sure the paint is good and dry before shooting it..

The paint softens the wrap up a bit and usually never does get as tight as it once was. I usually do mine a day to a couple of months in advance. I make a dozen or so and leave them "in waiting". -------Sixgun
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Post by new pig hunter »

I now have 3 such targets "in waiting." I'm planning to take 'em out Monday and see how they behave with .375 Winchester caliber. Got some new bullets to try out.

Cheers and Thanks !!!!

Carl
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