Posted: 1/19/2008 7:53:29 PM EDT
Hey guys my old thread got lost in the shuffle. Wanted to update a few things.I have the spring rifle targets dialed in and almost ready to go. I also have the precision rifle targets ready to go. Our good friend Lawdog734 was kind enough to write a review on this target. I thought I would share it here:
Product Review: TacTargets Precision Rifle Target
Review by Lawdog734
When it comes to steel targets that are capable of taking the impacts that a high powered rifle takes, it seems that there isn’t much as far as innovation taking place anymore. Most are of the same general shape and quite frankly, are a pain in the rear end to move around. Other than that, most are well constructed and capable of the abuse that their makers advertise.
In the Fall of 2007, I met with John Maddox of TacTargets to discuss features that a shooter would want in a target that would make it better than what is typically available from most places. After our conversation, I think we came to an agreement on which features would be particularly nice and John then went to work making up the targets.
What we came up with was a method to facilitate easier transportation of the target and ease of repair if the stand should be shot. When I met with John a few weeks later, I was impressed by what he came up with. John made the target out of AR500 grade steel, which is a necessity when being shot with a centerfire rifle and the legs are were made out of easily replaced forming stakes that can be picked up at any Home Depot. In addition to that, the target had a handle that swung down and out of the way and swung freely via conveyer belt securing the steel target to a cross bar. The target was easily broken down for transportation by removing several large cotter pins.
After getting a target from John, I took it off to my local range to see what it would be capable of taking. I started by setting up the target at a 100yds, which is the closest that you really should use a steel target like this with your typical rifle ammunition. I started by shooting it with a .308win rifle. I fired a 10 shot group at the target in a tight knot to put as much stress on the steel as possible. After my initial group, my examination of the target showed that the target had not even been dented and showed no signs of metal wear other than from where the paint chipped away upon the bullets impact. I also shot the steel bolts that are in the target that secure it to the conveyer belt. The target is secured with Grade 8 bolts and actually held up quite nicely besides being scratched up a little bit.
I next shot the target with a .300WM at the same range. The bullets that I used were a mix of Open Tip Match bullets and Nosler Accubonds. Once again, there was no evidence that there was any stress or damage to the target.
My final evaluation involved shooting the target from 15yds with 5.56 M855 steel cored ammunition through my AR15. I will say that this admittedly is not the safest practice, but I felt was worth doing to formally evaluate the target. I was surprised to find that this actually caused the most damage to the target. There were very small divets in the steel that could be seen and felt with a fingernail, but didn’t go any deeper than that. I would feel confident shooting ammunition such as this on a limited basis.
I proceeded the day by letting everyone on the range have an open session on the target. It was shot with everything from a 7.62x39 SKS to a .30-06cal M1 Garand, the result was that as long as standard ammunition was used, the target held up quite nicely.
I’ve been shooting the target for several months and have still not had any issues in regards to damage. I actually shot the legs on it several times to see how they’d stand up, and they merely glanced off. Any scarring would be easily cleaned with a file, so the legs will hold up even if shot multiple times. I am very impressed with the target and think that John has come up with something quite nice for shooters. As a result of the target being made with quality materials, it should hold up quite nicely for years to come. In addition to the rifle target, John has pistol targets available, so there is something for everyone.
If you find yourself needed economically priced steel targets, get in touch with John at [email protected]. I’ve found that his prices are cheaper than most places that I know of and you won’t be able to find a nicer guy to boot.
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Thanks to Lawdog again for a well written review.
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