What fun reactive targets can I buy/build for new AR shooters out to 300 yds?

My sixteen year old sons want to go shooting. I've only shot paper targets. I think they would have more fun initially shooting reactive targets. Our local range goes out to 300 yards. Can someone give me some ideas for reactive targets? Also, I was taught not to shoot metal because of danger of ricochets. So how are metal targets safe? Thanks.

Clay pigeons are fun and cheap.

I always like water filled (metal) drink cans and (plastic) water bottles.

Bleach jugs, milk jugs, 1 and 2 liter soft drink bottles, soft drink cans, fruit juice bottles, etc.

The smaller the container, the harder it is to hit - but the satisfaction rating goes up as you begin to take out the smaller targets farther out.

Just pick up the trash when you get done.

Balloons are fun as well.

I reccomend these guys

MGM Targets

Pumpkins/watermelons/ect are lots of fun.

IDPA, USPSA/IPSC, and of course, Bianchi, have been shooting steel for years. From the Salute Products web page linked above, steel is recommended for hangun at no less than 10 yards, rifle no less than 75. The run-and-gun competitions place minimums on distance to target for steel, as well, IIRC. What you'll see, with pistol ammo, and especially with 556 ammo, will be more in the realm of "spatter" than ricochet. Wear your glasses.

Tannerite

We always enjoy shooting eggs (<––probably not 300 yards) and different fruit like apples, oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are all great targets and there is nothing to clean up afterwards.The eggs are great usually you can get 4 dozen at meijers for around $5 and also get a package of wooden golf tees. We use about a 3 foot 2x4 and drill holes about every 4 inches for the golf tees. When the eggs are hit they will actually disenegrate there will be nothing left to find. ENJOY

I agree clay pidgeons are great. If you have a farm, old discs work well. I bought mine (1/2"hardened steel-8"disc)off of ebay. for $36 shipped. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110288774340 If you hang the metal targets to angle the ricochet towards the ground and don't shoot them with high powered rifles at less than 200yds you're safe. Theres a you tube video of a guy getting hit by a ricochet off a metal target at 100 yards. First I'll bet it wasn't angled an 2 - he was shooting a 50 CALIBER ! why anyone would need to know if they hit a 100 yard target with a 50 cal. I don't know 500 yards maybe

i have a pool...so i have a lot of bleach jugs. i place several of them out at distances with a ball cap on...super fun. i call out red ball cap 150 meters...bang it explodes...john deer ball cap, 75...explodes. plus it drives home guns safety, seeing a gallon jug explode and 300m with a Little Old .223.

Be sure to pick up the trash and always recycle...

LOL Heck yes! You'll never have a problem getting your son to go shooting with you again if you use that stuff

Cheap iced oatmeal cookies from local grocery store, fall apart when you hit them and no clean up birds and such will clean for you.

Saltine crackers, lilipops (the uber cheap nasty ones) Doritos and other tortilla chips are a favorite of my girls, wife and myself. I hated how much of a mess the clay pigeons left (even after a year to "decompose"). You can also put some food coloring in the water for those Popsicle molds you can buy at Big Lots so they are easier to see.

if your going to be shooting containers filled with water 1 gallon milk jugs work the best.

I was at the range once and these guys were leaving and left use wit h2 dozen hardboiled eggs, boy did we have fun shooting them!

Using thing like fruit, cookies, jugs, clay pigeons, etc is fun, but you get no durability for repetitive shots. Here are some inexpensive alternatives:
Cabellas sells some rubber ground hogs. I have only shot them with 22 mag so far, but they are less than 20 bucks and well made. Tennis balls also last for a long time, but of course they bounce all over the place. To get steel targets that will stand up tpo repeat hits from 5.56 is expensive, and I wouldnt recomend shooting ANY steel target closer than 25 meters with 5.56. In Afganistan, we would use old wheels from toyota trucks. You could get various vehicle wheels from a junkyard and get a ping sound at 100 meters or further, if your range will allow it.

My friends and i use an old van we bought for 50 dollars that we beat the crap out of, as soon as it stopped running we took a tractor and pulled it into our field and now thats our target. Theres always that option

Steel is the way to go. No Mess from Produce or Sporting equipment parts scattered everywhere.

Steel + this: My buddy and me were shooting steel out to 300...every now and then we would walk out and hit the steel with spray paint. after the fresh coat the next round or 4 you could see a small white cloud of paint when rounds hit the metal. I had a idea....thick coat of spray paint, talcum powder, paint. this weekend we shot the plates...hilarious, a hit was obvious due to the white cloud. besides fun, it took the guess work out of hit or miss at 300 and past.

TENNIS BALLS!!!

They'll bounce like crazy when you hit them. Plus, they're day-glo and easy to see if the range is mowed.

Toss them on the ground and start blasting them. The more you hit them, the further back they'll go.

The kids will love Tannerite.

http://www.tannerite.com/

there are some you tube vids of various Tannerite applications.

+1, this looks like a helluva lot of fun!

My range is very anal about all shots impacting the berm. No ground shots, no ricochets. But I love those balloons at 300; instant gratification, no mess, just pull the remnants off the staple. pop pop pop $1.25 for 25 @ wally world, plus you can adjust the size from a few inches to a foot!

I use eggs and certs at 100. 200 and 300 we use clay pigeions. Beyond 300 we use gallon plastic jugs with bright colored Kool-Aid.

tannerite rocks, balloons are great with light wind ant they are full of helium, coconuts explode nice, clay pigeons for good and cheap, bottles with water and a dash of food coloring to make explosion really visible

Great ideas. I love reactive targets. Much more fun than paper.

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