3.5x5 shipping labels -- practical accuracy

For the last year or so, we have been putting small bits of tape on many of our dry fire targets and some of our live fire practice targets to encourage "looking at a spot." As part of discussion around a number of Stoeger's recent videos on target focus, YVK commented that putting your red dot on a small piece of tape would seem to encourage dot focus since you only see your dot when it covers the tape.

That led to discussion where my wife related Max Michel's technique for shooting steel, where you look at the steel and when your dot is surrounded by a sufficient amount of white, you fire the shot. We then thought that might be a good technique on paper, where you visualize a target area.

After a trip to Staples, we found 3.5x5 mailing labels. Just had a great range session with labels on some targets to denote a target area, and in separate use for zeroing, draws and practical accuracy drills. Our belief is if you can hit a 3.5x5 target on demand, at speed, you have a reasonable handle on accuracy for games and defense. These targets also work well at promoting target focus.

Here are the labels we bought.

Attachment 115843Attachment 115843

And, what they look like on a dry fire target compared to tape.

Attachment 115844

There is a ton of stuff out there that is cheap and easy, differant sizes and colors. I bought:

4" White dots
1.5" Green dots

And I bought these 2.5" round Averys with the intend of printing some cross hairs on them, but that might be a bigger PITA than I expected. I started with Word, but maybe PowerPoint would be a better approach.

Awesome idea. Thanks George

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Originally Posted by mmc45414

There is a ton of stuff out there that is cheap and easy, differant sizes and colors. I bought:

4" White dots
1.5" Green dots

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Those dot stickers are great. I usually raid the dollar store in the nearby redneckville for them once or twice a year. Plus 3x5 cards and 8” party plates and I’m set.

Fun fact :
USPS Priority Mail labels measure 4.25”x5.5”

I use 3x5 self adhesive labels too but I found a big ass roll of bright orange ones on Amazon and they've been great.

I suggest you place your sticker on the IPSC target so the top of the sticker is in contact with the top of the A-zone line. This covers the heart and aortic arch.

The sticker in your photo is too low.

Good thinking @GJM (and wife!).
From my perspective, that label could represent a side shot to the torso, but I’ll defer to the MDs here if that is out of line.
I’d also put forward that standard PostIt notes-the little squares could be useful at close range-within 7-10 yards say- for a precision shot(upper CNS).
I’m privileged to have contact with some US military veterans who have said that 8.5x11 sheets are gtg also(see Claude Werner).
So we can scale back and forth as we deem necessary.

Just gave me an idea of what to do with these zebra labels

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Originally Posted by Shawn Dodson

I suggest you place your sticker on the IPSC target so the top of the sticker is in contact with the top of the A-zone line. This covers the heart and aortic arch.

The sticker in your photo is too low.

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In this instance, I want the sticker in the middle of the A zone, as opposed to a spot more anatomical, but the great thing about the stickers is you can place them wherever you want for whatever reason.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mmc45414

There is a ton of stuff out there that is cheap and easy, differant sizes and colors. I bought:

4" White dots

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I adopted those last year on JCS's recommendation for a tight target and I like them a great deal for this purpose.

Attachment 115869

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JHC

I adopted those last year on JCS's recommendation

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He got me started with those, then I got on the slippery slope... :cool:

ETA: Right now we do a bunch of steel, but we might use our access where we do, so this is a good option.

One great thing about the 3"×5"-ish sized paper is that it's almost exactly proportional to the USPSA A zone (6"×11", IIRC). So, the 3×5-ish card at 10 yards would be roughly equivalent to the 6×11 A zone at 20 yards.

Lots of options. The mailing labels stick great. Post-Its are a bit less sticky (and I'veonly seen adhesive on the long side), but are available in colors.

Was at a course with Ernest Langdon once, and he used the 3M adhesive spray to cover the cardboard target backers. Any size paper target could be stuck anywhere on the backer. Targets were removable, more or less. And the backers needed a fresh shot of adhesive. But no contrary stapler was needed.

With all that, @GJM's idea might be the simplest, cheapest, and easiest.

I've been shooting 3x5 and 4x6 cards for years.

We did a quick practice today -- two eight inch steel targets and two 3.5x5 mailing labels slapped on a range target. When we pulled off a target to stick our labels on, someone had left us a target for testing red dot vs target focus. Here is when we finished and no government officials were injured.

Attachment 115943

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Originally Posted by rd62

I use 3x5 self adhesive labels too but I found a big ass roll of bright orange ones on Amazon and they've been great.

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You can also get rolls of 3 or 4 inch black and white dots off Amazon.

Orange and a red dot might not be the best combination.

Green ops training has been talking about using index cards instead of a small poster for doubles for sometime.

I've used 3x5 note cards for years. A year or two ago, I found roles of 3x5 stickers on Amazon, after reading a comment by Tom Givens about stickers. Stickers are the way to go. I put green 2" circle stickers on my rectangle stickers because I obsess over 2" dots.

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Originally Posted by GJM

For the last year or so, we have been putting small bits of tape on many of our dry fire targets and some of our live fire practice targets to encourage "looking at a spot." As part of discussion around a number of Stoeger's recent videos on target focus, YVK commented that putting your red dot on a small piece of tape would seem to encourage dot focus since you only see your dot when it covers the tape.

That led to discussion where my wife related Max Michel's technique for shooting steel, where you look at the steel and when your dot is surrounded by a sufficient amount of white, you fire the shot. We then thought that might be a good technique on paper, where you visualize a target area.

After a trip to Staples, we found 3.5x5 mailing labels. Just had a great range session with labels on some targets to denote a target area, and in separate use for zeroing, draws and practical accuracy drills. Our belief is if you can hit a 3.5x5 target on demand, at speed, you have a reasonable handle on accuracy for games and defense. These targets also work well at promoting target focus.

Here are the labels we bought.

Attachment 115843Attachment 115843

And, what they look like on a dry fire target compared to tape.

Attachment 115844

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I think the mailing labels are an excellent idea! They reduce the area of focus and can be attached to nearly anything very quickly. No need for staples or tape.

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Originally Posted by Hambo

I've been shooting 3x5 and 4x6 cards for years.

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Me too. I read Macinko's book, along with Shooting at the Speed of Life right about the time I became an instructor in '07. A package of multicolored 3x5 index cards last a long, long time.

Different colors and different shapes are a quick and easy means for target discrimination drills. I also read one of Paul Howe's books around that time.

pat

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mmc45414

There is a ton of stuff out there that is cheap and easy, differant sizes and colors. I bought:

4" White dots
1.5" Green dots

And I bought these 2.5" round Averys with the intend of printing some cross hairs on them, but that might be a bigger PITA than I expected. I started with Word, but maybe PowerPoint would be a better approach.

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Those dot stickers are fantastic. I typically stock up on them at the dollar store in the nearby redneckville once or twice a year. Throw in some 3x5 cards and 8" party plates, and I'm all set.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HCM

You can also get rolls of 3 or 4 inch black and white dots off Amazon.

Orange and a red dot might not be the best combination.

Green ops training has been talking about using index cards instead of a small poster for doubles for sometime.

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When I bought them I was shooting irons (still am, need to get a rds for my Glocks) and was looking for a higher viz target. They last a long time though at my pace.