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Realistic target size

green mile
A 1" dot at 25 yards is not a realistic target. I suggest a bullseye roughly 4" in diameter for distances out to about 15 yards. I also use the same size target at ranges of but a few feet. Is this not roughly the size of a human heart? For most folks it has been my experience that this size target allows them to not cover the target completely with the front sight, obscuring it. There is also a place for humanoid targets, particularly when the shooter gets to more rapid firing or wants to practice "failure to stop" drills which involve chest and head shots combined.
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • iwannausername
    Aim small, miss small....
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  • green mile
    Exactly. Many shooters depend too much on the human toro targets. And they do have their purpose, don't get me wrong, but bottom line is that you (the one pulling the trigger) are responsible for where that round goes.
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  • jonk
    Depends. For open sight pistol shooting I agree. For scoped rifle shooting a 1" dot at 100 yards even is quite fine.
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  • rsnyder55
    Depends on what you are doing. As iwanna states: aim small miss small. The smaller the target, the more obvious the sighting error is when aiming.

    As an extreme, if you have a 6" black bullseye that is larger than your sight, how can you expect to sight it in?
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  • beantownshootah
    I note that there is no question here, just a statement.

    quote:Originally posted by green mile
    A 1" dot at 25 yards is not a realistic target.
    That depends entirely on what you are shooting and why.

    I agree for defensive practice, that's really not realistic. There are also reasons why the NRA bullseye targets are larger.

    But its not always about that.

    With a scoped Ruger "charger" .22 pistol from a bench, for example, a inch square at 25 yards is an entirely appropriate target. Ditto for a rimfire rifle.

    How big is a squirrel's head?

    I think its a plausible (though not necessarily ideal) target to practice pistol marksmanship *if* your eyes are up to it. (IMO playing cards are better, plus more fun). There is benefit to be had from testing your limits.


    quote:I suggest a bullseye roughly 4" in diameter for distances out to about 15 yards.
    Sure, that could work.

    As mentioned, I think for general marksmanship training, the standard NRA bullseye targets work pretty well, though obviously there are many others that could work too.

    quote:I also use the same size target at ranges of but a few feet. Is this not roughly the size of a human heart? For most folks it has been my experience that this size target allows them to not cover the target completely with the front sight, obscuring it. There is also a place for humanoid targets, particularly when the shooter gets to more rapid firing or wants to practice "failure to stop" drills which involve chest and head shots combined.
    [/quote]
    Sure, a 4" target is roughly the same size as a human heart (actually its a bit smaller than the average adult heart). So is an orange or softball.

    If you are shooting at a bullseye-like target, you may want to use a 6 o clock hold so you aren't obscuring the target, but this will depend in part on how your sights are set.
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  • He Dog
    Isn't it nice that there are hundreds, if not thousands of different targets out there to choose from, so that no one has to be at the mercy of anyone else's dictates?
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  • rsnyder55
    I print out targets on my laserjet. I'm almost out of bin Ladens. Have to find a new target to print. (From fear of a visit from the feds, I will not disclose the CA politician that is on the top of my list of candidates for the target profile.)
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  • He Dog
    I have an Alaskan candidate to decorate your target too.
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  • RCrosby
    I can't recall who to credit on this one; maybe Rick Jaimeson.
    At any rate a bunch of years ago I went to a print shop and had them make an ink stamp, 2 1/2 " square with a 1" open hole in the center.
    The square works great for handguns at 25 yards and open sight rifles at 50 and even 100 and the open circle is great for 100 yard scope work.
    Haven't paid for a commercial target since.
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  • Anonymouse
    For self defense practice I just use 8" paper plates. They are very cheap to buy and if you can hit them fast drawing from the holster at 7 yards, it is pretty realistic as to the size of the center chest area.

    For 100 yard rifle use, I just draw a 1" circle on the plate.
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