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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 :thumbsup:
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 ?
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by mikee
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by ebf
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.
Hang targets at specified angles according to range certifiers manual.Quote:
Originally Posted by ebf
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.
I have had one from the edge of a plate. Was actually the last semi auto shoot at my place :(Quote:
Originally Posted by GWH
Good idea. roll the dice to determine the order of colour.Quote:
Originally Posted by SPEARONZ
Attachment 189910
Not much chance of a ricochet if the guns big enough
Looks more like what you get when people substitute mild steel for proper hardened plate. If it isn't then you have some serious artillery.
Attachment 189918Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty Henry
Yep, id hazard a guess that plate is not hardox 450 or bizalloy 500 etc. I run Hardox 450 and ive yet to see any rifle even look like marking it, let alone punching a hole thru it. And ive had numbnuts shoot my plates at 100 yards.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty Henry
Attachment 189933Quote:
Originally Posted by GWH
That mild steel plate was put up as joke it was shot with 50 cal and 260rem to see what happened.
Bisalloy plate is pok marked with 50 cal and also bent slightly.
You dont need a behemoth. My 22/250 would easily punch thru the discs we had in the early days. 308s etc mostly made a crater.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty Henry
We were being naughty though and shooting at discs intended for lead only BP rifles.
Edge of disc hits or hits on the hanging chains (BP or smokeless jacketed) in some circumstances resulted in nice winie ricochets.
“Know your limits” dexreasing plate sizes is always good. Standard is to lose all points of you miss and alt is to start again, with unlimted rounds but a time limit.
Another good stage is varying ranges requiring aim off or dialling within a time limit.
Then of course there is the several positions shooting within a time limit. To avoid discussions about what kneeling or sitti g and what variants are allowed these are best done by shooting over or under a a specified barrier - just a piece of cord that the barrel has to be over or under is enough.
Of course, you will want at least one bipod high accuracy long range stage out to where wind comes into play.
Then you have trick shots like through plywood loopholes, spinners and swingers if you can arrange them and “hostage setups”.
Shooting left and right handed is good if youve got a large target but a lot of sporting rifles have asymmetric cheekpieces so do t have too much points on that.
There should be one standing snap shot stage.
This is starting with rifle at waist level pointing down and shoot on command with a loud timer set. If already loaded, 3 seconds is quite difficult and 5 seconds is beginner-easy.
Thanks for those suggestions, some really good ideas.
