As a relatively new shooter, I welcome the opportunity to improve my skills and since accuracy is one of those skills, I like to practice using a target. I’ve used many a white paper plate and that’s a great way to see how close I can group my shots but it doesn’t help me when it comes to aiming at specific areas, especially if those areas are outside the perimeter of a regular sized paper plate.
In January of this year, Birchwood Casey introduced the EZE Scorer paper silhouette targets and as a member of The WON’s writing staff, I got the opportunity to “try before you buy.” Why would I want to practice using a silhouette target instead of a paper plate? The chance of a paper plate invading my home is zero percent. The chance of a home invader being approximately the same size and shape of a silhouette target is 100 percent
My husband, Rick, and I are fortunate enough to live on 113 acres outside the city limits, where we not only hunt the deer and turkey that populate the property, but we can also set up targets in our back yard, which overlooks the Big Dry Fork creek and a multi-acre, uninhabited field. We can practice our rifle, shotgun and handgun shooting skills without worrying about endangering any neighbors. Recently, we’ve been using the Birchwood Casey silhouettes, along with the Birchwood Casey Shoot-N-See® targets during our target practice sessions.
(Front) B-27 NRA police silhouette, B-21 police silhouette, (Back) TQ-19 police training and qualification target
The paper silhouettes come in 3 sizes:
So far, we’ve used the B-27 NRA police silhouette and the TQ-19 police training and qualification target, but only because our homemade target stand isn’t wide enough for the B-21 police silhouette. I’m looking forward to using that one at the range with my friend, shooting mentor and publisher of The WON, Babbs.
Even though they’re made from paper, the targets are heavy duty and don’t tear easily, which is important when you’re attaching them to the target stand. The targeted areas are clearly marked and easy to recognize from a distance of more than seven yards. The contrast of the dark silhouettes against the white background also make the shapes easy to discern. We also discovered that if we placed the Shoot-N-See targets over the areas of the silhouettes that we were aiming for, we could immediately see how accurate our aims were in those areas.
Maybe you’re happy with paper plates for targets and that’s fine if you only practice occasionally and for fun but if you’re looking for something that will prepare you to protect your family and property from a home invader, a silhouette target is what you want. These targets are available for a suggested retail price of $1.20/each and can be purchased online or at most shooting supply stores.~Paige Essinger
This product was provided the the user for review purposes.
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
Good article Paige and as usual you have a good dose of common sense along with a sense of humor to make easy reading. Am sending along to other members of my family your quote of “The chance of a paper plate invading my home is 0%. The chance of a home invader being approximately the same size and shape of a silhouette target is 100%” . I have family (and some friends) that say practicing on tin cans makes them ready for whatever. I think they should invest the $1.20 on the targets you mentioned above…