Thread: Gong shooting matches/stages

Gidday Folks

After a lot of shagging around we are now shooting gongs at our local "NRA" range.

Thanks to @Cowboy06 and @greghud we have 6 gongs from 450mm down to 100mm.

We have mounds at 100M, 200Y, 300Y and 400Y. (And we can only shoot from mounds) We can shoot in all positions (so standing to prone) and can use props.

I'd love to hear suggestions for possible matches (and stages too) using the format we have available.

Thanks

Make one random stage shooting standing unsupported.
Watch people go pale. Was at a match i did. 5 hanging targets of decreasing size @100m. Not what anyone was expecting. Sorted a few out me included!

Interesting that gong shooting is considered OK at an NRA Range. Normally anything metal on target frame is a no-no for ricochet reasons.

There is a specific protocol for the use of steel and they are not on the target frames

Good result Tentman

Pity more NRA ranges don't allow other forms of shooting on "their" ranges - always thought it was such an underutilized resource.

How do you guys mitigate ricochet issues ?

Originally Posted by mikee

Make one random stage shooting standing unsupported.
Watch people go pale. Was at a match i did. 5 hanging targets of decreasing size @100m. Not what anyone was expecting. Sorted a few out me included!

I shot 22rf metallic silhouette Hunter class for many years. All offhand of course. We used to get visitors come with you-beaut rifles, lots of bling, then struggle to even hit the close targets, chickens 40 metres, let alone the rams at 100 metres. Most of them never returned for another go.

Originally Posted by ebf

Good result Tentman

Pity more NRA ranges don't allow other forms of shooting on "their" ranges - always thought it was such an underutilized resource.

How do you guys mitigate ricochet issues ?

As you yourself will have experienced the NRANZ and its member clubs are still populated and run by old diehard TR shooters. Look at how well F class was excepted by the NRANZ? Shame really.

I could't see how we could shoot steel on either of the 2 ranges I frequent given the richochet potential.

@zimmer if there is an appetite for change most things can be overcome

PNZ ranges do well mitigating ricochet issues by having steel hung at a slight angle and/or using baffles.

Even if we could be allowed to shoot service matches on paper targets it would be a massive improvement...

I think it is nuts having ranges solely catering for a rapidly declining number of shooters. The more shooters we can get using ranges the better our chances of retaining then in the face of new regs etc.

Originally Posted by ebf

Good result Tentman

Pity more NRA ranges don't allow other forms of shooting on "their" ranges - always thought it was such an underutilized resource.

How do you guys mitigate ricochet issues ?

Hang targets at specified angles according to range certifiers manual.

I agree with the under utilised ranges bit. I find it baffling, given the "improvement" now that electronic targets are in such wide use. I am sure you could get a program to change the NRA target to a gong of any size. A lot has been done to encourage "other styles" of high powered rifles, through offering new classes and such ( like hunter class ).

At my local full bore range which sits on the boundary of a major city population, we struggle to get a handfull (even less) of shooters from within its city limits. The club would have to be one of the friendliest open minded group of shooters I have met.
P and hunter class would be the fastest growing groups within the club.

I get it that shooting a round target isnt the same as the satisfaction of ringing a steel plate, but so much of what we do thesedays is a simulation, the speaker sound of a plate hit or ricichet could be incorperated into an app.

We have deer overlays and target representation at the device on the Electronic targets already.

Interesting seeing all the talk about ricochets when shooting steel plates.

I've done a fair amount of steel plate shooting over the last few years, I've never once had a ricochet. All my plates are hanging, and are very hard wear plate. No matter the caliber or cartridge, from 22lr 17hmr 17 hornet, 223, 243, 6.5's 7mm's from 708 to 28 Nosler and 300 RUM running normal hunting or match type bullets. All of these projectiles just explode on impact on the steel plate.

Does the ricochet risk come from potentially glancing off the edge of the plate or potentially the structure mounting the plates?

Dunno maybe its just that, the chance to ricochet off of all of the above. Theres the famous video of the guy shooting a plate and the bullet comes whizzing back and whacks the earmuffs off his head. I have seen myself, pitted plates with the impacting round going into an existing dent and coming back, picked up many fragmented petals that are forward of the firing line and behind.
I get it that you refer to hunting and match bullets, but what happens when someone turns up ( maybe on their own or at least unsupervised ) and drills the plate with FMJ or just wants to see what armoured stuff will do?
I am not anti plate shooting by the way, just putting another point.

Paint them different colours.

Timer starts.

Shooter gets given a sequence of colours and must hit the corresponding targets in that order.

Fastest time wins.

Originally Posted by GWH

Interesting seeing all the talk about ricochets when shooting steel plates.

I've done a fair amount of steel plate shooting over the last few years, I've never once had a ricochet. All my plates are hanging, and are very hard wear plate. No matter the caliber or cartridge, from 22lr 17hmr 17 hornet, 223, 243, 6.5's 7mm's from 708 to 28 Nosler and 300 RUM running normal hunting or match type bullets. All of these projectiles just explode on impact on the steel plate.

Does the ricochet risk come from potentially glancing off the edge of the plate or potentially the structure mounting the plates?

I have had one from the edge of a plate. Was actually the last semi auto shoot at my place

Originally Posted by SPEARONZ

Paint them different colours.

Timer starts.

Shooter gets given a sequence of colours and must hit the corresponding targets in that order.

Fastest time wins.

Good idea. roll the dice to determine the order of colour.