SELECTING TARGETS

I like to shoot but I have kids to feed so I can’t be punching holes in fresh cardboard all the time.

USPSA/IPSC targets offer the realistic(ish) scoring zones that we’re looking for with the added benefit that it’s what a lot of Qual courses are shot on. The downside is that they’re about $1.00/each. Now I’m sure we’re all rich as hell, but that cost adds up over the course of a year. To mitigate this a little I like to use C-zone repair centers and some spray glue (available at Lowes/HD/Amazon/etc.). The repair centers run about 1/3 the cost of a USPSA target and take up a good deal less space. They allow me to reuse the same carboard for multiple range trips which means I don’t have boxes of targets taking up space in my garage. I also keep a box of pasters on hand to hide my shame, in case I throw anything out into the D-zone.

USPSA target with a stack of repair centers pasted on.

At the end of the day, we need a target that gives us an effective hit area that extends from the top of the sternum to the bottom and is inside the nipples. The VTAC targets are a great example but feel free to find a target that makes your heart happy.

I usually get everything through Target Barn but there are multiple target companies out there so shop around for the best prices.

That’s a long lived piece of cardboard.

If you want a really economical option you can make your own USPSA targets for about the same cost as a repair center. You can use standard printer paper folded to 6in wide to replace the A-zone (5.9inx11in) and 3”x 5” cards make fast and easy head boxes, but they’re about 1” longer per side than the USPSA head box (about 2”x 4”) so don’t let yourself get sloppy.

On a totally unrelated note, you can have USPS send you flat rate boxes for free.

My basic range supplies. USPSA targets, repair centers, spray glue, stapler, and pasters.