Target Practice

[OVERKILL]

 I didn't post this in guns or archery since it seems more like training to me.

 What ideas do any of you have for reactive zombie targets or training scenarios. I bought some paper zombie targets, but want something that explodes, drops away or in any other way visually reacts to being struck. The reasoning is a desire to train in "realistic" scenarios, like 3 zombies at 10 yards and 1 at 50 and shoot all 4 in 10 seconds with 6 shots or something.
 But to make scenarios like this I need a way to instantly know if I have struck a target. The best I have thought up so far is balloons. They can be blown up to the size of a zombies head, attached to clotheslines or poles with clothes pins and they pop when you hit them (especially fun for training youths). They move rapidly when the wind blows which gives more of a challenge.
 
 Does anyone else have any ideas?

[SykoKiller666]

I haven't tested this but I'm sure it would work, glass bottles? They shatter and create a loud noise. Of course it won't be safe to walk around, but it's more useful.

[OVERKILL]

 Glass is good, but fewer and fewer products come in glass bottles. Any other ideas anyone?

[Admin]

Glass is also not approved of at my local range (and that's a pretty standard rule)

Clay pigeons (skeet) work as well, and probably about represent the frontal brain size of the average zombie, they're pretty cheap, and are biodegradable, and don't leave sharp edges, so are generally approved of on public (outdoor) ranges.

I've also got a series of reactive steel target's that I use for such practice, they're great, but kinda pricey.

Any other ideas anybody?

[Pollard]

It depends what range you're shooting at. If it's an extremely long-range weapon, like a sniper rifle, theres this explosive stuff called tannerite I've heard about. It's illegal to own it, but there are some ranges which let you use it, I think.

[OVERKILL]

 Tannerite is not illegal, just expensive, I'm lookin for CHEAP training aids.

[Admin]

Yeah, cheap is kind of a killer when it comes to these things...

Are you at a private range or a public range?

What are the range rules about targets?

[OVERKILL]

 Pretty much no rules on what type of targets I can use, as long as it's safe. I don't like glass because I tracked some in once on my boots and later cut my foot. Any ideas are good, even if I can't or don't use 'em, somebody else might.

[†CrimsonKing†]

The idea with the balloon is good, gives a good challenge and you can also adjust the size of the balloon for like, i know it sounds bad but it could happen, child size heads. You never know man! But yeah, anyway, the balloons and the clay targets sound good to me

[OVERKILL]

 Good thinking CrimsonKing about the smaller size, I used that to train my sister (she's 9) to shoot, by progressively making the balloons smaller. One of the useful things may be to make the balloons half size and practice at progressively longer ranges, so if panic set in I would have a relative idea of my range on a full size target. I could probably use small water balloons, which are a couple of bucks a pack or even less at the end of summer, but if I remember from when I was a kid, nearly IMPOSSIBLE to blow up by mouth, but a small football pump with the right "needle" might do well. Any more ideas? Anybody?

[†CrimsonKing†]

.........?

[AK]

I too am drafting up some paper targets, but to comment on the target practice thing, I would suggest making dummies. To make them move and stuff, you could use tracks or ziplines, to either hit a moving target, or even pull the chord and have it rush at you, and see if you can nail the #$^er in the head or between the eyes or whatever sweet spot you desire.

I don't think exploding is much of an option, but you can make them bleed. Of course this depends on what kind of weapon you are using. Some guns might just blow the dummie's head right off, so you don't really need any special effects for that! But blood bags in the torso are something you could do. Wherever you hit it, it will start bleeding, so you know where you hit, again with big enough stuff you might be able to totally blow the bag apart and make a gory mess. THe head you could do with a bag, or a balloon. The balloon has a better chance of grape shotting, depending on how you make the head and what materials you use.

If you want, I can post some pages from a book about how to make realistic looking corpses for films. All you would have to do is take the general design and concept and revamp it to your personal specks and needs, ie blood bags, mobility and structural integrity, etc.

You really don't need too much stuff, and of course you don't have to try and make it film studio quality if you are gonna shoot at it. But yeah, I would suggest putting together some dummies and some lines to tram them around on in whatever pattern you want or however you want them to move.

[†CrimsonKing†]

Great idea dude! Ive made quite a few scarecrows for my Pa-Pa so i guess i could get like some zip locks filled with like fake blood from walgreens or something and put them in different areas of the dummy. That would be my cheap blood bags. Then, put one in the head so, say, i shoot it with a .22, the head won't exlode, just leave a hole, ill know if i hit it then. Just a thought for cheap people like me 

[OVERKILL]

I too am drafting up some paper targets, but to comment on the target practice thing, I would suggest making dummies. To make them move and stuff, you could use tracks or ziplines, to either hit a moving target, or even pull the chord and have it rush at you, and see if you can nail the #$^er in the head or between the eyes or whatever sweet spot you desire.

I don't think exploding is much of an option, but you can make them bleed. Of course this depends on what kind of weapon you are using. Some guns might just blow the dummie's head right off, so you don't really need any special effects for that! But blood bags in the torso are something you could do. Wherever you hit it, it will start bleeding, so you know where you hit, again with big enough stuff you might be able to totally blow the bag apart and make a gory mess. THe head you could do with a bag, or a balloon. The balloon has a better chance of grape shotting, depending on how you make the head and what materials you use.

If you want, I can post some pages from a book about how to make realistic looking corpses for films. All you would have to do is take the general design and concept and revamp it to your personal specks and needs, ie blood bags, mobility and structural integrity, etc.

You really don't need too much stuff, and of course you don't have to try and make it film studio quality if you are gonna shoot at it. But yeah, I would suggest putting together some dummies and some lines to tram them around on in whatever pattern you want or however you want them to move.

 The corpse making pages would be great, blod bags would be a good way to tell hits from a distance (water baloons would probably be better, the "blood" being somewhat under pressure would probably have more spray).

[†CrimsonKing†]

still fun