I like a large board on which to hang paper targets. The larger 1000 yard targets are ideal because their large area allows you to see hits that are off the mark.  This is essential when checking zeros at longer range.  The F-Class center is a little smaller than the 1000-yard target and I use it to practice for those shoots.

By Dave Morelli

There are no special targets that will make us better shooters. To be better shooters we need to use targets a lot and regularly. This is called practice. There are however, targets that will make shooting set up easier and more fun giving us incentive to practice more. Shooting at a variety of targets and scenarios is more like training. Practice makes us better shots; training wins matches and prepares us for difficult situations.

Not all of us have the luxury to have a shooting range nearby let alone a long-range facility. With a little engineering and help from some target makers, any safe stretch of BLM or other public ground can become our fun house and give us the training we need in between matches and practice shoots.
My formal 1000-yard range is 120 miles one way from my house. I cannot always make it out for practice sessions although I go as much as I can. These days one has to save travel money for the matches so I practice close by the house with the help of some prefab targets.

For getting on paper I use a target board. The rifle has to be printed on paper to see what it is really doing. Mostly it is for shooting groups and sighting in rifles at 100 yards. It is big enough though, I can shoot at further ranges and show hits on the paper while fine-tuning my ballistic charts. This paper target helps me get some of my elevations set and also I can check variances in different climates.
The paper target backstop is made from some scrap plywood and 2x6 lumber that fit into a metal upright stand.

It breaks down quickly and fits in the back of the truck for easy set up in the field. I can staple any target on it and since I shoot F-Class competition I use a replacement center for a long-range paper target. For closer groups that I want to record for later reference I use a Benchrest type target that can be put into a ring binder. These are made out of a heavy grade plastic-coated paper and hold up well in a binder. These record the actual group and any other info on weather and the load that was used.

MGM Targets make a great long range reactive target they call the Flash Target.  It is a 10 strike area and that equals one minute at 1000 yards.  It is a challenging target and the plastic cards can be seen moving at long distances.

Shooting the paper target is doable out to around 400 or 500 yards without a vehicle to get back and fourth to score the targets. I can usually use the exercise but I don’t always have the time to walk back and forth to 1000-yard targets. Sometimes I will put the ATV in the back of the truck and set up a portable shooting bench like the one Caldwell offers for longer range shooting.

For just getting the elevation I will many times use the Caldwell Tack Driver Shooting Bag right on the hood of the truck (Idaho Shooting Bench) and drive back and forth to the target. It is faster than moving the shooting table to different ranges. The Caldwell bags off the hood are not as comfortable as a bench and a front rest, but for portability in shooting different long ranges in the field, they work great.

One way I deal with the walk back and forth on the longer range stuff is to use reactive targets. Once the rifle is zeroed on paper and various elevation adjustments recorded I can practice on reactive targets placed in different positions. In the field being able to shoot at targets at 1000 yards and see the hit is good practice and can be done without a couple of range buddies in the pit or running back and forth to see the score.

I was surprised at how inexpensive steel targets from MGM Targets are. Considering they last forever with a lifetime guarantee and include the shipping, a backwoods rifleman can get plenty of long-range practice in the field without going back and forth. NEXT PAGE