I may have posted something similar before, but it’s been a while.

I’m not the first person to think of a drill using targets like this, but if you aren’t familiar with something like it, perhaps it’s something to consider.

The drill uses appropriately-sized targets that are suspended by cords and allowed to move freely in the wind.

The setup I used today and in the past are pieces of mezzi rigatoni pasta taped to the ends of strings hanging from an overhead support, in this case another piece of string stretched between two uprights. The targets were placed 25 yards from the shooting position.





The reasons for choosing the pasta pieces as targets were that they are large enough to be hit reliably with an accurate rifle at 25 yards, they are heavy enough to settle the movement in light breezes, they’re biodegradable and don’t leave a permanent mess, they’re very inexpensive, they can be taped easily and securely to their strings, and they react in a very satisfactory manner when hit. They do vary somewhat in size so they can be sorted for uniformity, or, as I do it, they’re just chosen at random from the box for a bit of more natural realism. To attach the pasta to the strings I use ordinary Scotch tape.

There are other larger types of pasta or even other objects which would be more suitable for shooting at longer ranges, perhaps with centerfire cartridges, and in stronger winds.


I shot the drill from the prone position using a Ruger 77/22 rifle shooting SK Standard Plus ammunition. When I checked the zero at the beginning, three shots formed one small hole at the point of aim, so I was confident that the rifle and ammunition were precise and accurate enough if used properly. Setting the scope magnification between 15 and 20× struck a good balance between enough field of view to pick up and transition between targets while allowing precise enough aiming.





The drill consisted of five targets and a full 10-round magazine. There’s no time limit and the object is to hit all targets with as few shots as possible. Of the eight or nine times (lost count) I ran the drill, I had five hits for five shots once, five hits for six shots twice, and at the other end I got a total of two hits with 10 shots twice.

In my opinion the drill is good for a few reasons. First is that the targets at 25 yards aren’t gimmies and do require reasonably good marksmanship under the best conditions. More important, though, their erratic movement in the wind requires patience on the part of the shooter, attention to how they are moving, attention to the wind conditions, and the ability to shoot quickly when things are right while maintaining proper marksmanship fundamentals. When I missed it was always because I got tired of waiting and took a shot that even as it broke I knew I shouldn’t have taken.

In addition to just being fun, I believe the practice the drill provides would be especially useful for hunters in certain situations. I’ve seen many videos of big game hunting shots in which the animal was grazing or otherwise moving at a slow pace while changing direction and sometimes being screened by vegetation. Countless times I’ve thought, “Shoot, shoot!” when it seemed obvious to me that the time was right. I wasn’t, of course, on the scope myself and therefore don’t know if my decisions would have actually been appropriate, but with this drill there are clear times to shoot and times to wait—many more of the latter, usually.

As I say, the pasta pieces I use are good for my conditions: accuracy of the rifle, distance, and wind. The last can vary a lot, and ideally for most benefit from the drill, wind speed should vary and not be too strong for the type of target. Today the wind varied from about 1 to 2 mph to a good 15 mph. The patience part is waiting until the target movement almost stops or is consistent enough that it can be “ambushed” with a shot at the end of its pendulum swing.

One benefit of the drill on a small scale is becoming aware of what the wind is doing. Will it pick up just as I’m about to shoot? Is it due to die? If so, where will the target be then? Very often I noticed that it was blowing harder at my position while it was much calmer even at the target just 25 yards away.

Anyway, something to consider if you’re looking for something that’s inexpensive and easy to set up while being a challenge of your shooting (and related) skills.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sigfreund,

Thanks for this post.

I like it! Practical, affordable, and no unnecessary mess. This needs to be tried.

Cool, Earth-friendly and bio-sustainable, too! Reminds me of using the traditional Necco wafers.

If you're more tactically oriented, you can hang gingerbread men:



Practicing for Fall deer season? Here's your shoot/no-shoot comestible targets:

Necco wafers make great reactive targets, but are definitely more challenging when they twist edge on to the shooter.

For big game hunters a box of animal crackers makes a cheap safari.

Gummi bears to assess penetration?

Cookies for targets?????

Oh, the horror of such a thought.

There is a game out there called Skeet. You play it with a shotgun. The Target is a 108mm diameter disk roughly 19mm high. The target can be edge on up to a full disk depending on the shooting station and Wind. Yeah, Wind can really play with that disk in flight. The target can be moving at speeds ranging from near zero mph up to 70 mph or a bit more depending on Wind. Note the throwers are typically set to throw at 35-50 mph. Target ranges are typically from about 8 feet up to 40 yards but in strong Winds that target can be up to 25 yards in elevation which does increase the distance by another 15 yards. Finally targets can come in true pairs and typically the time window for hitting both is about 1/2 second.

So, this is another answer for providing a moving target that does unexpected jumps, dives, and wiggles. To make it really interesting use a 410 shotgun for the shooting. BTW, all of this is done using Point Shooting. Because with targets moving this fast and erratically you just don't have time to line up sights.

I like wine corks too.

Gummy bears and animal crackers? What’s wrong with you? I’m not sure they could survive a trip to the range in my car.

when Precision Shooting Magazine existed, I recall reading about a Egg Shoot down in NC or SC, (IIRC) and also fly shoots,


years ago I used beer or bottle caps, (drill hole in center, and rivet them to a peice of wire (coiled) or small flat stock and stick them in the ground,

Air Rifle would knock them over, and they helped with offhand

Decided to try this can swinging at 200 yards, kneeling supported by tripod and shooting sticks: three for three (one other can was hit somewhat lower and disintegrated). The three exit holes are pictured (two entrance shots were through the same hole).

Rifle: Tikka T3x TAC A1 chambered for 308 Winchester. Ammunition Hornady 155 grain TAP Precision. After further testing, I decided the elevation was set a little high for the range and I believe that was why all the hits were near the top of the can.

The short range practice obviously helps.

Fill the soda can with water. A .223 hit will be quite visible and the can often will be flattened.

Yes, I sometimes include filled cans in training exercises to provide a visible, and very satisfying confirmation of a hit.

That can was supposed to be filled with water as it wasn’t opened after purchase. I have, however, found that those cheap supermarket offerings are sometimes not fully filled, and according to Internet discussions, underfilling such cans is not unusual. To avoid that problem (and disappointment ) I suppose I’ll have to start weighing cans before relying on them for the purpose.

The can’s twin was hit closer to the bottom and reacted as expected, but because this one was hit near the top with each shot the bullets were undoubtedly just passing through empty air.