Like so many others have said, 8x12 make your own. I was a sniper for a large agency... (not an internet commando sniper; but a school trained, for reallies guy). 70% of our shooting/training was done on 8x12s we created and printed ourselves. We all maintained three ring binders of these 8x12s to log historical records; for training, currency, weapon system inspection & maintenance cycles, and many other considerations. (Big B27 type targets also. Square and crop all the holes you shot in the target and cut out that square with just your groupings. If it's bigger than 8x12, make cuts in some of the folds, and like origami or a pop up book, it will fold down to 8x12.)
Microsoft office and internet images are all you need to make any target you can imagine. Zeroing targets, shapes, hostage rescue, simulated unknown distance, etc. We had access to a wide range of complex and expensive targets and systems such as 3d, reactionary, moving, mannequins, etc.; but most of our shooting was on 8x12 typing paper... (ok, "copier" paper for those born after 85). Of course, when we used the other systems they usually had an 8x12 on it; especially the mannequins (T-box). I regularly suggest that shooters keep such logs for their rifles, and, handguns as well.
Here's a few I made:
Multi Use
View attachment 441930
Pistol, Gray Smiley Load & Chrono Data
View attachment 441931
Cold Bore Comparison / Measure of Deviation of Fouled Barrel follow Ups
View attachment 441932
Diamonds with Basic Data Block
View attachment 441933
LITTLE B. (Call him what you want. He's known by 7 letters, starts with B ends with d.) Put him up at 100 yards and run timed stress drills with 3 rounds: 1 to the head, 2 to the body. You'll see how he earned his name.
View attachment 441934
Advantages:
You aren't stuck with data blocks that are irrelevant to you or what you are shooting that day; customize data blocks to suit what you want.
- Date, time, location, distance, training evolution, etc.
- Environmental; Indoor/outdoor, sunny/overcast, day/night/lighting, temperature, elevation, etc.
- Shooting reloads today? No? Today it's factory ammo; don't need a big square data block for loads taking up 1/4 of the target. Today I am shooting reloads, and I want my data blocks to include entry lines that may not be on generic targets; OAL, seat depths, etc. New brass or fire formed? How many times have I loaded this brass; do they need to be annealed?
- Running tally for page to page round count.
- Identify historical trends that manifest in your firearm, training, and personnel performance. We had a weapon system that developed problems that no one could diagnose; not even by the armorer/gunsmith or a factory rep. So we carefully studied back through a year and a half of this weapon's log and identified a trend of decreasing performance when the rifle was subjected to specific firing conditions. We replicated those conditions, shot it, and were able to diagnose the mystery gremlin.
Okay, I could go on and on with the bullets points, you get it. But making your own targets really pays off when you tailor them to your specific shots and shot strings. I typically insert six separate targets on a single 8x12 for rifle targets up to 200-250 yards. Slap eight of these 8x12s up and you have 48 targets. Shoot all day with only two trips downrange. Especially when I'm comparing reloads that I'm working on. And for a load evaluation page, I put a data box under each of the six targets.
How often do you shoot for absolute precision up close? Like 5 yards close? Rifle or pistol? Irons or optics? I submit to you; in order to place a well centered shot on a nickel or quarter at 5 yards, you must use the same skill and precision needed for long range shots. Some of you may know where I'm going here. Yup, Dot Torture. If you haven't tried it, put it on the list. Can you take a stock, issue pistol, and hit torso size targets at 50-100 yards? Rifle at 1000 yards? If you can, you should be able to drill a quarter at 5 yards; even on command with a snap shot (controlled trigger jerk) or repeatedly during sustained fast fire drills. If you can't, Dot Torture will help tune those fundamentals and mechanics.
If you haven't done this and you think it sounds easy, you're about to expand your shooting horizon and have some fun. Get some buds, take turns calling the commands, and have at it. Hits in the circle scored at 1 point each.
Dot Torture, Pistol Version 1
View attachment 441935
All you need is a simple target set up for 8x12s. Cardboard backer stapled or inserted into whatever target stand you're using. Middle of nowhere? Sharpen two 1 inch branches or saplings and spear them into the ground; staple cardboard to those uprights. Every so often I'll resurface a shot up cardboard backer with wrapping paper. Yes, gift wrap. All those ugly or overstock rolls that go on sale for .50 cents a roll the day after Christmas? Stock up, the back of that paper is usually flat white. We’ve also used easel flip-pad type paper to extend the life of the cardboard.
So that's a lot for a forum post but I'm really just scratching the surface. The targets I uploaded are samples of ones we made. Some may have parts that look familiar; if we see a design that works we would incorporate it in ours. Sorry for the low quality images of the uploads but I built these on tables in Word, PDF, or Power Point; they don't do so well with a snipping tool.
8x12s, lots to learn by keeping them. They don't have to be fancy. We stopped using the issued or commercial data booklets. Everything is on our targets. We use the back of the target to record more data or a write up. Remember; good info in, good info out. We made data packs that included erasable laminate sheets that we used to sketch range cards. Real world mission info, notes, and AARs from our data packs would be typed up, printed out and put in the binders. 8x12s got rid of the booklets
. Hated the booklets.
An unexpected and happy benefit was discovered years after I started keeping a log on my personal guns. Christmas, years later; I was looking through a revolver binder and saw a target my daughter shot when she was five years old. I asked her if she remembered that day. Next thing all the kids were strolling down memory lane laughing and giggling at the goofy stuff they wrote or drew on the targets, talking trash how they out shot each etc. Good times.
Yup, says a lot for an 8x12 piece of paper.
Here's a few used samples:
View attachment 442026
View attachment 442006
View attachment 442007
View attachment 442019
