WARNING: DO NOT SHOOT!

[Tominco]

I want to start this thread for the new airgunners that are shooting different targets to test their skill and accuracy. There are some things you just do NOT want to use as targets.
Please add your experiences and any alternatives that might work. Please type the bad things in "BOLD" with all capital letters if possible. 

GOLF BALLS - They will ricochet the pellet right back at you! I've learned this the hard way. I've seen, for sale, golf style whiffle balls made from plastic with holes in them. I've also seen practice foam type golf balls as well.

TANNERITE - it doesn't work and you'll waste your money. If you want a "poof" try chalk. It's much less expensive and it will get harder to shoot the pieces as they get smaller. If you want a "bang" try those things that go onto soda bottles to pressurize them. I'm sure someone has the link for where to get those and will post it.

Happy Safe Shoting!

 

[Guest]

Tennis Balls: for the same reason as golf balls. Also any rubber bouncy ball or object that is meant to bounce back when thrown or dropped.
Hard Wood for target backers. Maple, cherry, walnut, oak (I have access to scrap lumber) will simply split when shot at multiple times near the same point.
Primed Shells: They will come right back at you. Don't ask how I know.
The Neighbors Cat: That one's a joke.

 

[30cal]

Any hard ground surface such as concrete, pavement or hard packed gravel. Also the surface of water or ice such as a pond. All these surfaces shot at shallow angles can cause pellets to skip and go up and away! How do I know? Once I discharged a shot into the ground from a springer thinking it was a safe way to unload an unwanted pellet. It bounced off a the hard gravel of the drive way and hit a house across the road about 50 yards away. Yikes!

 

[just.neil]

I was shooting paper targets that was pinned to some 2x6's I nailed together. One of the pellets came back to see me. I heard it whistle by my ear and it bounced off the glass door behind me. Luckily it didn't break the glass. I think I might have hit one of the nail heads.

 

[30cal]

Wow! That's scary! Good reason to wear safety gasses.

 

[ninja]

YOUR WIFE'S CHIKEN EGGS.

 

[Mentolio]

My wife's folding TV tray-tables: was using this tray table as a solid backstop for doing my chrony testing, with a bundle of magazines in front of it. Works fine for my springers, but my Disco started blasting holes through the magazines, and embedded the pellets in the table...oops. I had some "esplaining" to do!



Actually, I was lucky I used it. Without that little table, I'd have been blasting holes through the sun room door...then I'd have REALLY been in trouble!

 

[Dan25]

"John_in_Ma"Tennis Balls: for the same reason as golf balls. Also any rubber bouncy ball or object that is meant to bounce back when thrown or dropped.
Hard Wood for target backers. Maple, cherry, walnut, oak (I have access to scrap lumber) will simply split when shot at multiple times near the same point.
Primed Shells: They will come right back at you. Don't ask how I know.
The Neighbors Cat: That one's a joke.

Ahhh, "The Neighbors Cat:" are you sure? A night shot between the eyes aided by a flashlight has proven effective.

On the more serious side. Be sure to have a back stop behind your target as these high power pcp guns will shoot right through pests and go who knows where.

 

[gtavares]

Sometimes (I mean a lot...) I shoot inside ny house, more specific in my bedroom. And I use silhouette targets at very close range (around 10ft)...Don't know why but The pellets ricochet a lot !!

 

[Rubicon_Joey]

AR500 plates indoors will leave you with lead spray all over the place. I tried placing one inside a cardboard box and still ended up with lead all over my dining room.

 

[30cal]

I gave up shooting indoors. Don't like the idea of lead particles and dust in the house. I also use steel plates but at 100 yards. I have them hanging from a saw horse. The lead spray imbeds itself in the legs of the saw horse. Metal shards sticking out of the wood. Its amazing the power a .22 pellet still has at that distance. My Mrod shoots 21 gr. Baracudas at 920 fps. To much for in the house. Used to shoot my springer inside but the pcp is to scary!

 

[John "spysir" Blount]

Do not shoot spinning (as in hung on a wire) spoons. Even at 50 yards very dangerous.
John

 

[billydjann]

I use (6) Do - All Bullet Traps... at all different yard marks...
and print all my own targets..... I do not enjoy shooting objects... not sure why...

I can't take a chance in my back yard.... all I need is a neighbor complaining of a ricochet 

 

[400Blackbird]

I have an old refrigerator that no longer works in my garage I use as a back stop for my break barrels. Obviously it ricochets so i have to be at an angle great enough to avoid getting hit. Certain pellets I have used have actually punctured the steel on the refrigerator. But I still would say, that's a do not shoot

 

[pretbek]

DISCARDED TIRES - see "golf balls" for a similar effect, only more accurately back in your face.

 

[100mtrbench]

 

[Willie14228]

Any Hard object that is more than 15% angle from you 

A Feral pig in the Ahhh Hind quarters they get REALLY angry I haven't climbed a tree that fast since I was ten and a farmer down the road sicked his dog on me for steeling watermelons (and no I didn't mean too I took a head shot on a small pig missed and hit the boar in the ....) 

Bic lighters even old ones they still are under pressure and you would be amazed how far and fast plastic will fly that was when I was much younger and dummer 

Old TV or computer screens they are under pressure 

 

[X27]

Good advise 

 

[Mr.Gadgets]

Coins at close range. I was shooting pennies at 12 yards that were taped to a piece of 2x8 wood. Must of hit the coin on the edge because it came buzzing past my ear, within inches. Needless to say, . . . I don't do that anymore.

 

[TDK]

"Tominco"GOLF BALLS - They will ricochet the pellet right back at you! I've learned this the hard way. I've seen, for sale, golf style whiffle balls made from plastic with holes in them. I've also seen practice foam type golf balls as well. 

Just to clarify for others, the soft foam golf balls are ideal, safe targets. I even made a safe indoor reactive target by suspending one in front of a rubber mulch trap. The only catch is that you'll end up with tiny yellow core-samples to clean up afterwards.