Airgun Targets – The Havrox Expert Guide

Choosing the Right Airgun Target

At Havrox, we believe a target should do more than simply give you something to shoot at.

A good target helps develop accuracy, consistency and shooting technique. It can help a beginner understand grouping, give an experienced shooter a measurable training challenge, or transform an ordinary shooting session into a competitive and enjoyable experience.

That is why the Havrox range includes 14cm airgun targets, 17cm airgun targets and metal reactive targets, providing options for recreational shooters, clubs, instructors and experienced target shooters.

Our target range is backed by genuine shooting and coaching experience, including input from Alan Gregory, an NSRA County Coach and Crossbow World Champion.

14cm Airgun Targets

The 14cm × 14cm format is one of the established sizes used with airgun target holders and pellet catchers in the UK.

Havrox 14cm targets are designed to fit corresponding standard 14cm target holders and pellet catchers, making them a convenient choice for shooters who already have this type of equipment.

Their compact size makes them particularly useful where several shooting points or multiple target holders are being used.

They can be used for:

• Air rifle target practice
• Air pistol target practice
• Zeroing and sight adjustment
• Grouping exercises
• Coaching sessions
• Club shooting
• Recreational shooting
• Shooting competitions and challenges

When properly installed, the target card is held in front of the pellet catcher, allowing the shooter to concentrate on the target while the correctly rated pellet catcher and range backstop deal with the projectile.

17cm Airgun Targets

Our 17cm × 17cm airgun targets are designed for the corresponding larger standard target holders and pellet catchers.

The additional target area makes the 17cm format particularly useful for training and recreational shooting.

For a beginner, that larger area can provide greater confidence while learning basic shooting technique. For an experienced shooter, the additional space allows us to create more complicated target designs, multiple aiming points and different shooting exercises on a single target.

Havrox 17cm targets are suitable for use with air rifles and air pistols when combined with an appropriately rated target holder, pellet catcher and safe range backstop.

Are Havrox Targets Suitable for Air Rifles and Air Pistols?

Yes.

Havrox paper and card airgun targets can be used for both air rifle and air pistol shooting.

They can be used with the principal types of sporting airgun, including PCP, spring-powered and CO₂ systems, provided the target is used as part of an appropriately designed shooting setup.

It is important to understand that the printed target itself is not intended to stop the pellet.

That is the job of the pellet catcher and ultimately the range backstop.

The pellet catcher and backstop must therefore be appropriate for the type, calibre and power of the airgun being used.

Why Use a Pellet Catcher?

A pellet catcher performs two important jobs.

Firstly, it provides a convenient way of holding the paper or card target in position.

Secondly, and much more importantly, a properly selected pellet catcher helps contain the pellets passing through the target.

This is why Havrox produces its paper targets in the widely used 14cm and 17cm formats. Shooters can use our targets with many existing target holders rather than needing a proprietary Havrox holder.

Whether shooting indoors or outdoors, the pellet catcher must still be used as part of an appropriately constructed shooting area with a suitable backstop.

Targets Are Training Tools

One of the biggest mistakes in recreational shooting is thinking that a target exists simply to determine whether you hit the bullseye.

For a coach, the entire target can provide information.

A tight group in the wrong place tells us something very different from a large scattered group.

The first may indicate that the shooter is producing consistent shots but requires a sight adjustment.

The second may indicate that we need to look more closely at shooting position, sight picture, breathing, trigger control or follow-through.

This is why grouping is so important when developing shooting ability.

Before worrying about achieving the highest possible score, a shooter should learn how to produce consistent groups.

Once we have consistency, we can work on putting that consistency in the right place.

More Than Traditional Bullseyes

Traditional circular targets remain extremely useful, but shooting does not have to consist solely of repeatedly firing at the same black circle.

Havrox is developing targets that introduce different challenges into shooting practice.

Depending upon the particular target design, a shooter may be asked to demonstrate:

• Precision
• Grouping
• Target identification
• Multiple aiming points
• Shot placement
• Speed combined with accuracy
• Progressive difficulty
• Scored challenges

This makes the range useful not only for individual shooters but also for clubs, instructors, youth organisations and organised target-shooting activities.

Metal Airgun Targets

Paper tells you where your pellet went.

A reactive metal target tells you immediately that you achieved the required hit.

That immediate feedback creates a very different shooting experience.

Havrox metal targets are intended to provide shooters with challenging reactive target shooting and are particularly suited to creating Field Target-style practice and shooting courses, subject to the specifications and safe-use instructions for the particular target.

Field Target and Hunter Field Target Shooting

Field Target and Hunter Field Target take airgun shooting away from the conventional idea of repeatedly shooting paper targets at a fixed distance.

Reactive metal targets can be placed at different distances and elevations, requiring the shooter to deal with changing shooting conditions and target presentations.

Instead of simply hitting the metal plate, many Field Target-style targets incorporate a designated hit or kill zone. Successfully striking that area activates the mechanism and causes the target to fall.

This provides immediate confirmation of a successful shot.

It is a simple idea that can create an extremely challenging shooting discipline.

Indoor Field Target-Style Shooting

Reactive target shooting does not have to be confined to woodland.

Where the range has been appropriately designed, metal reactive airgun targets can also provide challenging indoor shooting.

Different distances, target sizes, positions and presentations can be combined to create a progressive course.

This can be particularly useful for clubs and ranges that want to introduce shooters to Field Target-style shooting where access to a large outdoor course is limited.

It also gives experienced shooters another way to practise throughout the year.

Outdoor Reactive Target Shooting

Outdoors, reactive targets provide even more possibilities.

Targets can be presented at different distances and elevations, producing a course that requires considerably more thought than shooting repeatedly at one fixed-distance target.

The shooter may need to judge distance, understand their equipment and maintain good shooting technique while adapting to each new target.

A well-designed course can therefore challenge both new and experienced shooters.

Developed with Shooting Experience

Havrox is more than a business printing targets.

Our approach to target development is supported by Alan Gregory, an NSRA County Coach and Crossbow World Champion, with extensive experience in target shooting, competition, instruction and coaching.

That coaching background affects how we develop our products.

We ask:

What is the shooter supposed to learn from this target?

Does it provide a worthwhile challenge?

Can an instructor use it as a coaching tool?

Can we make practice more interesting without losing the emphasis on accuracy?

Most importantly:

Will shooters enjoy shooting it?

Those questions are helping us build the Havrox target range.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size are standard airgun targets?

Two widely available target-holder and pellet-catcher formats in the UK are 14cm × 14cm and 17cm × 17cm. Havrox offers targets in both sizes so shooters can choose the format appropriate to their existing equipment.

Will Havrox 14cm targets fit a 14cm pellet catcher?

Yes. Havrox 14cm targets are designed for corresponding 14cm × 14cm target holders and pellet catchers.

Will Havrox 17cm targets fit a 17cm pellet catcher?

Yes. Havrox 17cm targets are designed for corresponding 17cm × 17cm target holders and pellet catchers.

Can I use Havrox targets with an air rifle?

Yes. Our paper and card targets can be used for air rifle shooting when installed in an appropriately rated target holder or pellet catcher with a suitable range backstop.

Can I use them with an air pistol?

Yes. The targets are equally useful for air pistol practice, training and recreational shooting when used with an appropriate pellet-catching and backstop system.

Can I use Havrox targets indoors?

Yes. Paper targets can be used on a properly designed indoor airgun range. Suitable Havrox metal targets may also be used indoors where the particular target and range design permit it.

Can Havrox targets be used outdoors?

Yes. Our targets can be used on appropriately designed outdoor shooting areas. Paper targets are useful for conventional target practice, while suitable reactive metal targets can create more challenging Field Target-style courses.

What is a reactive airgun target?

A reactive target provides an immediate physical response when the correct target area is struck. Depending upon the target design, this might involve a plate moving, falling or resetting.

What is Field Target shooting?

Field Target is an airgun discipline involving reactive knock-down targets presented at varying distances and elevations. It provides a different challenge from conventional fixed-distance paper target shooting.

Are metal targets better than paper targets?

They perform different jobs.

Paper targets are excellent for analysing accuracy and grouping because they provide a permanent record of every shot.

Reactive metal targets are excellent for immediate feedback and creating challenging courses.

For a well-rounded shooting programme, both have their place.

The Havrox Approach

From the first pellet a beginner puts onto paper to an experienced shooter tackling a demanding reactive-target course, we want Havrox targets to provide a purpose.

14cm targets.

17cm targets.

Training targets.

Challenge targets.

Metal reactive targets.

All developed with one objective:

Better targets. Better practice. Better shooting.

Havrox – Designed by shooters, for shooters.

Safety

Always use airgun targets within a properly designed shooting environment. Paper targets must be used with a suitable target holder, pellet catcher and backstop appropriate to the airgun and ammunition being used.

Metal targets should only be used in accordance with the target manufacturer's specifications, including any requirements relating to permitted ammunition, power limits, target condition, shooting distance, target angle, eye protection and backstop arrangements.asks easy to complete. With tooltips and contextual help, users quickly become productive, enjoying a smooth and efficient experience.

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