Novelty shooting set ups for kids of all ages?

[Texantothecore]

If you have some fun ways of entertaining yourself or your kids with a rifle or pistol please post them here. Steel targets, shots made into pipe elbows redirected to a plate, let's hear your ideas.

The reason I posted this in the muzzleloader section is that bp shooters have more fun.

[country gent]

An axe in a tree trunk targets on both sides is a old one that got a lot of attention for many years. Splitting ball. Golf balls and see who can knock thiers the farthest with a set number of rounds. Eggs are an interesting target but need to be away from buildings and occupied areas. Cans of outdated soup make a big splatter also. Again away from occupied areas. Swinging targets where safe and allowed. Up close with small calibers ( even pellet guns) Neco candy wafers make a nice little cloud when hit. For really proving skill set asprin tablets. Imagination is the limit here.

[Texantothecore]

I have never tried the axe shooting but will do so this year. One of the variations I have heard of is to place clay pigeons on either side of the ax and try take to take out both with a split ball. Should be a blast!

[Pipefitter]

Egg shoot, take a bunch of eggs and hard boil half of them. Take a shot, if you miss you either eat the one you shot at or pay and shoot again. The only one who knows which ones are raw and which ones are cooked is the person who set them out.


Blackjack shoot: Shuffle 2 decks of cards and staple them face down on a large sheet of backing. As many shots as required to hit 2 cards, which becomes your blackjack hand.

[Texantothecore]

Both of those look great. The added grossness of eating a raw egg would be a bonus for the kids.

[waksupi]

If you do the egg thing, keep them in a cooler until you are ready to shoot. There was an incident of salmonella poisoning a few years ago from eggs that were left sitting in the sun too long.
We use vegetables and fruits quite a bit. A grape or raisin on a toothpick is a tough target. Small wood blocks on a string are good. So are balloons on a string, and old cd's or canning lids. All spin and swing in the breeze.
Candle snuffing is fun, you can build a box to block the flame from wind. Paint the inside back of the box black to make the flame easier to see.
Trading guns can be interesting, as every one shoots a bit different for each person. Also shooting left handed, if you are right handed.
We also sometimes shoot with the rifle held upsidedown on the top of the head, and backwards using a mirror. Safetly glasses are a real must for these.

[koehlerrk]

I have never tried the axe shooting but will do so this year. One of the variations I have heard of is to place clay pigeons on either side of the ax and try take to take out both with a split ball. Should be a blast!

You mean like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV4qAo4o6Q0

Yup, that's me splitting a 38 Special at 20 yards. Lots of fun, but all too often you get this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGFUk_MpBg0

So, are you entertaining kids, or letting them shoot? Balloons, chalk, crackers, ice cubes, charcoal briquettes are all fun for kids to shoot.

[Texantothecore]

Some great ideas. And they are extremely valuable for teaching the shooter expertise in shooting.

Keep them coming.

I think trying to drive carpet tacks might be interesting too.

[Texantothecore]

My nieces and nephews are going to be doing this. 10 kids in the family and they don't get to shoot much because of the cost. So I want to get them going with black powder and they can shoot all day playing different games along the way. This also is good training, much like stump shooting at targets of different sizes at unknown yardages. You really learn how to shoot quickly.

[Squeeze]

when I take the kids with the .22's they get bored with just paper, so I got a couple of boards with a V groove cut lengthwise that I line up paintball ammo on. they get a kick out of getting to wreck things and watch them splatter. Its biodegradable and supposedly food grade, so environmentally harmless. longer range clay birds are always nice, but they will break through a box of them before you can turn around. paintballs are cheap enough and plentifull

[Texantothecore]

Squeeze,
That is a great idea. I am going to look into it. Splatter is good.

I can see some great variations too.

[LIMPINGJ]

I save up the out of date cold drinks and beer from work for when the grandson visits. They explode nicely and the can fragments are not hard to clean up after we finish.

[Beerd]

Almost anything breakable makes good targets. If it's eatable the bugs help with cleanup.
..

[sundog]

Post shoot is fun for multiple players or team play on a timer.

[waksupi]

Post shoot is fun for multiple players or team play on a timer.

I can remember five instances of broken ramrods going through peoples hands. Every one, during a speed shoot. We outlawed them in this part of the country, and know of no shoots that allow them here. If you do it, be sure everyone has synthetic or metal ramrods.

[aspangler]

Darn! Most of these ideas will work for 22 or even cast boolits in ,say, a 30-30. Subscription add to my profile. I'm watching this one.

[Pipefitter]

Another one: go to the local goodwill and buy some old tablespoons. Cut a slot in a 2X4 just deep enough to hold them up straight.
25gn of black behind a 50rb is enough to knock them over, younger ones can shoot at 25 yds, expert marksmen shoot at 50yds.

[EOD3]

My nieces and nephews are going to be doing this. 10 kids in the family and they don't get to shoot much because of the cost. So I want to get them going with black powder and they can shoot all day playing different games along the way. This also is good training, much like stump shooting at targets of different sizes at unknown yardages. You really learn how to shoot quickly.

I collect out-of-date eggs throughout the year and set them up on golf tee's for my grandkids when they're out here for the summer. The first time an egg explodes, that youngster is hooked for life. My 8 year old granddaughter went from her first time touching a rifle to "poofing" eggs at 50 yards in less than a week. She wanted grandma to go to wally-word and buy more eggs for her. This summer, I plan to graduate her to an AR at 100 yards. I'll probably set up some swinging water balloons for the 100 yard range too.

[Texantothecore]

1 x 2s cut to abut 18" long and staked into the ground. Cheap, fun and historically correct. Hahaha....

[Texantothecore]

A paper lunchbag full of flour, swinging in the breeze would be exciting. Actually I would love to do that!