by B.B. Pelletier
Here’s a way to put some spice into your shooting. It’s useful for many types of shooting, but perhaps best for action pellet and BB pistol. Those Walther, Crosman, Daisy and Gamo pistols will show off their stuff when you shoot them at a Shoot-N-C target!
What are Shoot-N-C targets?
They are regular black bullseyes and other shapes with an adhesive back, so they stick to anything. When a projectile pierces the target, a bright greenish-yellow ring appears at the spot where the pellet or BB passed through. You can see that spot from over 100 feet away, giving you instant feedback.
The EASY way!
I’m into easy, so my favorite method of using a Shoot-N-C is to slap it on a cardboard box and set it on the ground. It takes only a few seconds, and you can keep pasting new targets over old ones for thousands of shots! It’s the perfect way to set up an impromptu target range. Just make sure your pellet or BB will be safely stopped after it passes through the box and you’re done! You guys who shoot from elevated decks in the backyard will find this method as convenient as it gets, because the downward angle of your shooting makes the ground your backstop. Just make sure there aren’t any rocks or hard objects in the area to cause ricochets.
Use them indoors, too!
Whenever I feel frisky, I load my Walther PPK/S with 15 BBs and let fly at a Shoot-N-C right in my office. For safety, I use Crosman’s model 850 BB trap to back the target, which is pasted to a flat piece of cardboard. From 8 feet, it’s next to impossible to miss the target, but I still back the Crosman trap with a heavy moving pad to keep stray BBs from hitting the wall behind. The PPK/S is fairly low velocity, so all of this setup works fine and preserves the domestic tranquility, too. I’d talk to the other decision makers in my family before declaring the range open the first time. That was how I learned to put the BB trap inside a cardboard box lid to catch any BBs that roll back. A powerful strip magnet that used to be a kitchen knifeholder helps me clean the carpet after a shooting session.
Perfect for airsoft!
In addition to pellet and BB guns, these targets are perfect for airsoft. If you have a powerful gas gun – like a semiautomatic M1911A12 from KWC or an M199 from HFC, which is BOTH semiauto AND full-auto, you can paste the target to the side of the cardboard box, because these guns will shoot through one side with no problem. In fact, it’s best to have a good backstop behind the box because powerful guns like these will eventually penetrate both sides of the target box!
If you haven’t already tried Shoot-N-C targets, you owe it to yourself to give them a try. It’s a great way to add a new dimension of excitement to your shooting!
Simple questions:
Difference between Blue Streak CB9 and Silver Streak C9? Scope or open sights? Recommendations? Better than Daisy 22X? Purpose is to shoot varmints, pigeons and crows.
Thank you very much
Forgot to ask: preferred ammo?
I want to expand on your word of caution regarding using the ground as a backstop.
My soil is mostly clay. When it is soft from rain, it’s a great backstop and stops anything and everything I can shoot at it.
However, when it dries out, pellets ricochet off of it! The other night, I was shooting my NightStalker and kept hearing an extra “thwap” noise after each shot. The pellets were going thru the target (a pop can), and ricocheting off the ground, hitting my fence. (There is about 5 acres of nothing behind the fence which is why no other backstop was used.) The angle of incidence (angle the pellet makes with the ground) didn’t really matter until it approached 45 degrees. So, even in the deck situation you describe, there is a possibility of that the ground may not be a good backstop.
Always know whats behind your target.
thanks,
ben
Bill D.
1. One is painted black (Blue Streak) the other is nickel-plated. They are the same gun.
2. I like open sights with multi-pumps. Scopes are so difficult to handle when pumping.
3. If money is no problem, I like the Sheridan over the Daisy. It has longer lasting materials and is more of an heirloom piece. And it is more powerful – which you’ll want for crows.
B.B.
Bill D,
For the Sheridan I like the .20 caliber Premier best, but you can’t find them anymore. I have to recommend the Kodiak pellet, but if our other readers object, I hope they’ll tell us both why they do.
B.B.
Thanks for the info. After reading your blog today, I happened to stumble upon some of the shoot-n-c targets, which I immediately bot and then tried. They are absolutely a great find, especially when shooting a pistol. Thanks again for pointing out a lot of fun.
cool topic, some of this is pretty close to the kind of shooting i do. 22 ft indoor range with the option of a suspended paper bullseye target with 5-ply cardboard backstop, or gallery-type shooting at individually drawn and cut out cardboard silhouette targets, using the box from a 24″ RCA TV with folded blanket behind one piece of fitted cardboard for a backstop. all of course placed in front of a hanging 3-layer blanket backstop, for the sake of the sliding glass door right behind the whole works. pretty near zero expense, just a little time, effort, and imagination for a completely practical and functional shooting range inside a one bedroom condo. it can be done!
save those dot’s that you don’t use for patching the bigger targets and use them alone at close distances…or for bulls eyes on paper silluets.
BB,
How much more velocity could you expect from a spring tune? How about a Charliedatuna tune? let me know if you have any info.
Thanks,
sav300
I saw these targets at a local bi-mart. I havent got around to trying them out. I will now.
BB,
I ordered the daisy 22Sg for a good .22 cal rifle. I still havent recieved the order yet.
I am also looking for a accurate, quiet, powerful .177 cal rifle. I’d like to be able to take game at long distances. I also would like to be able to shoot outside without alarming neighbors. I am aiming for a rifle under 150 dollars.
The gamo SHADOW at review centre has a 9.2 rating with 170 reviews. This might be the gun im going to order.
Have you experienced this rifle yet?
How loud is this rifle?
Pyramid Air’s description on the rifle siad the gun can give a .20 group at 30 yards. Would you say this is true for most shadows?
Are gamo rifles good on quality?
What are the chances of me ordering a shadow lemon?
Thank you
Cesar
What about the shadow matic? I like the multi shot feature. I do understand that only flat nosed pellets will go into the feeder. I heard it does like to jam.
sav300,
The amount of increase you get with a spring gun tune depends on the gun. I’ve seen Chinese guns double in velocity; but a TX200 gets next to nothing. I guess it depends on how good the gun is to begin with.
The average springer, like a Beeman R1, might increase 15 to 20 percent with a top tune. A Gamo might not get much more because they are pretty well set up from the factory.
B.B.
Cesar,
The Gamo Shadow 1000 is a respected airgun. Because it is a spring piston airgun it isn’t loud at all. Not as loud as a hand clap even.
I’ve not seen quite the grouping that Pyramyd gives for the Shadow from any spring gun but an HW77, a Whiscomb or a TX 200.
You want to hunt game? You need a .22. .177 is too light for long-range hunting, unless you call 30 yards long or you limit the game to pigeons. Crows are tough and take a powerful hit to score.
B.B.
Cesar,
The Shadowmatic isn’t just limited to wadcutters, you have to use the right BRAND of wadcutters or the thing ties up.
You might want to start with a single shot and get the repeater afterward.
B.B.
my main focus for the gun is a long distance target rifle. I dont really care about the hunt. It would be nice to be able to use it for pest control though, but my main focus is hitting targets.
An aperture sight question:
When using the aperture sight on a target rifle, how much of the front sight should one see?
The middle of a target front site is a circle, rather than a post. The target needs to be centered in this circle. Obviously, one needs to see the entirety of this circle to accomplish this feat. 🙂
However, should one also see the front sight tunnel? If so, are we to center the front sight tunnel in the peep first, and then center the target within the targeting circle?
I hope this question makes sense. I don’t know the proper nomenclature. I am probably making this sound much more complicated than it is.
Thanks!
Good question!
The ring in front is sized to fit around the 10 meter rifle bull with just a hint of clearance all around. These front rings are made in different sizes (VERY small incremental differences!) and there is one that is adjustable (an O-ring sandwiched between two pieces of plexiglass that squashes out flat when pressure is applied).
Now, as for the rear aperture – the smaller the hole the less light that passes through and the more precise the sight picture can be – but the harder it will be to acquire. Military rear apertures are very large for rapid target acquisition. But they are not as precise.
Yes, with an open rear aperture it is sometimes possible to see the entire front globe and not just the front ring element. I use an adjustable rear aperture so I can dial the iris hole larger for better light or smaller for more precision.
The theory is that your eye seeks the brightest light source, which is the center of the rear aperture. The theory further states you will “automatically” center the front element in the rear hole. This is the part that I believe breaks down. As you note, there has to be some thought given to the sight picture.
B.B.
Cesar:
From your posts it seems like you are having trouble deciding what you want. Just today you have indicated that you want “a accurate, quiet, powerful .177 cal rifle. I’d like to be able to take game at long distances.” Then you state ” my main focus for the gun is a long distance target rifle”.
It is essentially impossible for an air rifle to be an accurate, quiet, powerful, target, hunting, long range rifle. These are competing interests. Some rifles get close to doing it all, but not for the under $150 budget you have set. For example, a TX200 is more accurate than most of us can shoot, is fairly quiet and makes a nice hunting rifle. However, it is over $500 and you also need to buy a scope.
It appears to me that you would benefit from simply enjoying the Daisy 22SG you have on order. See what you like about it and what you do not like, learn how you actually use it (I have been surprised how I have ended up using some of my air guns) and then decide what you would like in your next rifle. Additionally, it takes a lot of experience with a particular air gun to sight it in properly and to get good at shooting it. Trying to learn two rifles at the same time as a beginner may frustrate you to the point that you don’t enjoy either. I would hate for this to happen as air guns are wonderful fun!
BB,
I have a Tech Force 99 mag in 22 and was wondering how much more velocity I could posibly get. It has power, but I would like more.
Anonymous
Thank you 🙂
Im headed to the range tommorow to try out my new springfield XD. Wish me luck.
Cesar
sav300
The Tech Force 99 has a variable build. Some have room to grow and others don’t.
The Chinese have not finished the insides of their compression chambers as well as they should, which leaves the most room for improvement.
The TF 99 already has a long stroke and reasonably large piston, plus it uses an American mainspring, so the only real place for improvement is in the finish of the chamber.
What velocity are you getting right now and with which pellets?
B.B.
BB,
I average 745 FPS with RWS Super Hollows and about 700 FPS with Crosman Domes. I prefer the RWS Hollows due to performance, accuracy, and velocity. I am wanting to get it around the 800-850 FPS mark if at all posible.
sav300
sav300,
Your goal should be possible. Check the concentricity of the compression chamber. Fnd a way to ream the cylinder to the nearest concentric dimension if necessary.
Next, put a fine crosshatch pattern on the walls of the cylinder (I’m talking 600-1000 grit). The piston seal should fit with slight compression.
The transfer port hole should be no larger than 0.125″. If it is, fill it and rebore the hole.
Coat the cylinder walls with a dense moly grease that has a high flashpoint carrier.
That should boost your compression and give you as much velocity as the current mainspring can give.
B.B.
BB,
thanks for that info, I will start on it tonight and I will fill you in on how it goes. Just to be on the safe side, do you know were I can find a layout of the TF 99 mag?
If not, no worrys.
Thanks again,
sav300
sav300,
Contact Compasseco. They designed the gun.
B.B.