I had a bit of free time today, so stopped by the club to shoot a bit. I had a 22 revolver, and a scoped 77/22 with me.
They have three separate, but overlapping, 22 courses in the woods. One is for pistols, and two for rifles (one is 10 stations of 5 targets each, one shot per target, high score wins, if shooting against a buddy. The other is 22 golf, where you shoot at the target until you hit it, on 18 "holes". Low score wins.). All shooting is from the offhand position.
The targets are at various distances, ranging from maybe 20 yards out to about 50 yards, with a 135 yard (!) target on the last station for a real change of pace, and are steel reactive targets. They are spray painted white or orange, so that you can pick them out in the woods. All shapes and sizes, but all small. Some are standard silhouettes (ram, turkey, etc), some are fish, some are an "S" of steel, some are discs with a hole in the center, some are a length of chain, some spin, some swing on a hook, etc. The oddly shaped ones make for an interesting challenge (what's the best place to hold on an "S"?). On one station, I was looking at a small (as in about 1" square) target through my scope, and didn't know what it was, until I hit it. It was a railroad spike, with a rod welded to it sideways, allowing it to hang from a frame with nothing but the top of the head facing you! When I hit it, and it swung backwards, I got a look at it. There was another railroad spike hanging vertically a few stations down the path.
It was great practice, and great fun. It sure beats shooting bullseyes, or even round or square steel. Instant feedback, hit or miss. And shooting a 1" target, offhand, at about 35-40 yards? Yep, it's challenging enough to keep your interest way up!
