TargetTalk

How are targets scored at matches? After each shot? I am making assumptions. I assume you shoot 10 shots on each target. I am shooting in my kitchen living room, I am using printed target that are printed on card stock, pinned tight on a cardboard box full of denim pants. If the group is ok I see a large hole and cant see how the target could be scored accurately. The shots are mostly 8 and 9 but how many of each? Can someone point me to a picture of a proper shot target with ok grouping. Is my cardboard box a problem? Not a proper target? or the low velocity? Or all three. I didn't order targets as of yet because of hoping to find them locally.


thanks

It varies... I've never seen matches shot with more than 5 shots per target, but those are local club matches. I've also shot in matches with 4, 3, or two shots per target. All the really big matches nowadays will be scored with electronic systems, where it doesn't matter. If the range has target carriers (so people don't have to walk downrange to change targets), the targets are typically shot in sequence, and then collected and scored at the end of the match.

Proper air pistol target paper is made with special short fibers so they don't tear. All of the US made targets I've tried are printed on paper designed for .22's, and they tend to tear badly. You need to get proper air pistol targets from Kruger or Edelmann, neither of which will be available at a local store unless you are VERY lucky. The humidity also tends to affect how cleanly the pellet holes are cut. Some people bake their targets to make them extra crispy...

Most club level shooters will have little trouble scoring ten shots per target when using the targets mentioned by Gwhite.

Rover wrote:Most club level shooters will have little trouble scoring ten shots per target when using the targets mentioned by Gwhite.

Unfortunately true. I long for the day when someone tells me that I may only shoot two shots per target to promote ease of scoring. Presently, it seems like 20 is an OK number. Damn!!

Dennis in the PRK

We use Kruger targets for our winter monthly indoor league match at our club, each shooter get 2 sighter and 12 record targets, unlimited sighter, 5 shots per record target, usually we don't have much trouble scoring, on very rare occasion where a double shot will need a closer look.

An experienced scorer can spot a double and confirm with the feel of a gauge. We shoot 5 shots per card and occasionally have double but never three in a hole. "Club level" shooting is pretty poor but we love it. Try to get em in the black is our motto.
We have a role of honour plaque for anyone who ever shot 50 on one card. There's only been 20 names in 35 years! (I'm not on it)
A national level shooter would need maximum of 2 per card and all open events I have shot have 2 per card pistol and 1 per card rifle.

In aus, Local club "Open" competition is two shots per card and scored by machine.
Sanctioned selection level, State and National level one shot per card scored by machine.
All are handed in in bundles of 10 shots.

It is very common at my club for a shooter to have four or more shots in one hole in the ten ring.

Yours truly, the famed Spazz Boy, has a target on the bulletin board with a one hole four shot group in the ten ring and a "FIVE!!!" Aaarrgh! I'm heading out right now to do it again.

BTW One our members, Jay Shi, just won Second Place in Air Pistol at the USAShooting Nationals.

For our 10 meter matches, held in conjunction with our 40 shot silhouette match, we hand out 6 targets to each shooter. The first two are to warm up, adjust sights, whatever, within 15 minutes, as many shots as you want. The next 4 targets are shot consecutively, 10 shots each for 40 shots. Not hard at all to score them. In fact we also shoot off of a bag, 10 shots at one target, to try to score a perfect 100 (a lot of fun!), any grip allowed, at 10 meters. No one has done it yet, 99 is the highest, but that is also easy to score using Edelmann or Kruger targets. They use what is called a "cross-grain" paper, in that the grain runs in both directions which is why they don't tear in any one direction like regular grain papers. Seems like a waste of targets to shoot less than 10 shots per.

The only way you can get away with using copied regular paper targets is to back them with a stiff cardboard AND use double-sided tape all around the back-side perimeter of the black circle, sticking it to the cardboard. Shot a European postal match like that because they used funny sized targets. won one for the USA! But Edelmann's and Kruger's are way better, so just spring for them. They will be the only way you can tell whether you really did hit that next white circle line just a itty bitty bit, or not.

Rover wrote:It is very common at my club for a shooter to have four or more shots in one hole in the ten ring.

Yours truly, the famed Spazz Boy, has a target on the bulletin board with a one hole four shot group in the ten ring and a "FIVE!!!" Aaarrgh! I'm heading out right now to do it again.

BTW One our members, Jay Shi, just won Second Place in Air Pistol at the USAShooting Nationals.

Probably got tired/stressed from having to cock a SSP.

Nah, it's from the exhausted bodies of PCP owners flopping around trying to keep up.

When the OTC had the paper targets that retrieved on strings, it was one shot per target. The targets were numbered with your firing point and also sequentially numbered. They were picked up by target runners and scored in a separate room.

Now, it's electronic. The OTC has Megalink targets, same as the CMP north (Camp Perry) and south (Aniston) ranges and the AMU's air range at Fort Benning.

nglitz wrote:When the OTC had the paper targets that retrieved on strings, it was one shot per target. The targets were numbered with your firing point and also sequentially numbered. They were picked up by target runners and scored in a separate room.

Now, it's electronic. The OTC has Megalink targets, same as the CMP north (Camp Perry) and south (Aniston) ranges and the AMU's air range at Fort Benning.

Supposedly Perry got rid of Megalink and went with Kongsberg. Not sure if the Megalinks were failing or Kongsberg paid CMP big dollars.

Chip

The way I do it at home is.

1- I shoot 10 shots at a target.
2- If the shot cluster is such that I cannot score EACH shot, I would shoot 5 shots per target.
> In practice, I plan to shoot 10 shots, but stop after 5 shots to evaluate the target. If the group looks tight enough that I think I would not be able to score EVERY shot in a 10 shot target, I STOP and switch to a 2nd target for the 2nd 5 shots.
3 - If the shot cluster is such that I still cannot score EACH shot, I would shoot 3 or 2 shots per target.

If you don't group tight, you can score all 10 shots on a single target.
If you group TIGHT, you may need to drop down to 2 shots per target, to be able to score EACH shot.

IOW, adjust the number of shots per target to how well YOU shoot, not some arbitrary number that makes it difficult to score the target.

You can shoot 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, or 30 shots per target. All will go evenly into 60.

Ten works well. You can use an outward scoring gauge if you think your 10 ring group is that tight. Anything else.....

Don't bother with crap targets or don't whine. Pick one.

The matches I shoot at are 5 shots per target. Not really a problem, not with good targets. I concur that good targets are a necessity

I only use the Kruger targets
It's the only one that I know that gives you nice clean holes

Back in my competition days
Usually shoot 4 in 1 target for local and qualifications matches
For regional/national it was 2 shots per target
Today I shoot 10 per target
Sometimes I do have a hard time to score but it's only training so it's not too critical

At our sanctioned matches in Norway we shoot 2 per target, only ISSF approved targets. We get 4 targets for the sighting shots. Electronic target retrieval systems are the most common, we have only one club in our county where you still have to crank it by hand.

Before the days of electronic targets we would shoot one shot per target at the Norwegian Championships. These days these matches are shot on electronic targets, mostly Megalink.

More and more clubs are getting electronic scoring systems, but it's a sizeable investment so paper targets will be around for years to come. We hope to get Megalink or Sius targets within the next year or two.

When we practice, we shoot 5 per target.

Thanks for the answers. I got out to a match. they shoot 5 shots per target. then use a scanner, it was pretty neat process. I may be able to get out for another try this week.

thanks for your help