New Life For Good Ol' Plinking

I'm continually running across new, fun targets for rimfire plinking. The latest is a collection of brightly colored targets from Newbold. The targets are made of self-sealing Elastimax elastomer. When a bullet passes through the target, the hole closes behind it. Bullets don't ricochet, making these targets safer than steel plates. There's also no lead spatter-back.

Newbold targets come in a variety of configurations ranging from duck, prairie dog and squirrel silhouettes to bowling pin, bottle and circular shapes. The neat thing is the way these targets react when hit. You can simply knock them over, or L-series targets can be mounted to a wooden 2x4 with plastic nut-and-bolt sets supplied by the company.

Newbold's K-D Pivot Targets fall over backwards and stay down until reset. The Pivot base can be fitted with a pull cord to allow remote resetting. Hanging targets are also available. Prices range from $20 to $65, depending on size, shape and type of base.

The manufacturer warns against using hollowpoints, as they tend to "cookie-cut" the target material. When you use .22 solids, an 8" round target will last for several hundred rounds. You can use centerfires, too -- the same target has a 1,000-round life when shot with .45 ACP ammo.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group