How to scale targets for dry fire

[Danko]

Greetings again!

I'm looking for help in how to scale targets for indoor dry fire. I have a maximum shooting distance of 20-25 feet. I would like to know what size target I need to emulate shooting further distances. Example: what size target should I hang at 20 feet so that it's the same as shooting 20, 30, 40 yards? Does someone know of any easy formula to use to get the correct scale. I'm terrible with math. Perhaps someone has some sort of table or chart with the data readily available? Surely a handgun enthusiast who's good with math made up such a table/chart.

Thank you for any help!

[T Smith]

An easy way to do this is first find the relationship between the distance you're dry firing and the distance you wish to simulate. For example, if you're dry firing at 20 feet and want to simulate shooting at 15 yards, convert yards to feet (45) and your relationship is 20/45. You can simplify this to 4/9; for every 4 feet of your dry firing distance, it will be 9 feet of your shooting distance. Now find the size of the target you would shoot at 15 yards and measure it. We can get into more math-y kinds of stuff, but 4/9 is in essence a factor and this is a multiplication problem. The size of your 15 yard target, (say for this example is 12 inches) multiplied by one of two numbers (4/9 or its reciprocal 9/4) will give you the size of the target you want. At this point, you decide whether the target you want should be bigger or smaller than the one you already have - in this case, it should be smaller than the one you have for 15 yards. Those fractions mentioned (scale factor) will always have one bigger than 1 while the other is smaller than 1. Since to get a smaller target by multiplying, you have to multiply by the scale factor that is smaller than one. So in this example 4/9 times 12 inches = 48/9. Since all fractions are division problems, 48 divided by 9 is 5.3 so to simulate a 12 inch target at 15 yards, you want a 5.3 inch target at 20 feet.

[JCS]

To make it simple I use 1/3 scale targets. 12 feet away is like 12 yards. 7 feet is like 7 yards, etc.

[Danko]

Ted,

thank you! You gave me something to work with straight away, Perfect! I have to print your message so I can study it. Like I said, I'm horrible at math. I knew a math "nerd" would have the answer. Tonight I'm going to shoot at great distances in the middle of my house. I've only been shooting years 1 1/2 years, but I'm already turning into a gun nut.

The best to ya!

[Danko]

To make it simple I use 1/3 scale targets. 12 feet away is like 12 yards. 7 feet is like 7 yards, etc.

[Danko]

JCS, thank you for your input. I like your method. The fact that it doesn't involve a boatload of serious math is right up my alley.

I'm sure others will stop by and latch onto your method too. Dry fire can be hell: the gun doesn't move, it doesn't go bang and I can touch my target in 3-10 steps. Some days that all feels so wrong!

Thanks again!

[Spartan1980]

I think Stoger’s dryfire book has some info on this. If it weren’t in storage I’d look it up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Utm]

I use the ben stoeger pro shop targets

https://benstoegerproshop.com/scaled-dryfire-target-kit-including-uspsa-metric-targets-poppers-mini-poppers-and-dots/

1/3 scale targets are 1 foot = 1 yards
1/6 scale targets 1 foot = 2 yards

[Radar Love]

I went down this rabbit hole when making dry fire targets for my rifle. CMP has a write up for those who are into the math, though I still prefer the JCS method.

https://thecmp.org/making-dry-firing-targets/

95582

[Grouse870]

Ben stoeger pro shop has targets you can buy and I think gofastdontsuck does as well.
If you scroll down a bit this site has some printable ones 1/3 size
https://www.concealedcarry.com/free-targets-and-downloadable-resources/

[1911Nut]

I use the ben stoeger pro shop targets

https://benstoegerproshop.com/scaled-dryfire-target-kit-including-uspsa-metric-targets-poppers-mini-poppers-and-dots/

1/3 scale targets are 1 foot = 1 yards
1/6 scale targets 1 foot = 2 yards

This. Good products.

[mrmoose]

Surely a handgun enthusiast who's good with math made up such a table/chart.


No need for math and charts, there is a simpler solution. There is a website called Dry Fire Online http://dryfireonline.com that can do the same. I can connect my laptop to my TV and I can display the targets there. It can have even moving and random targets. Just enter how big your screen is, and how far you stand from the screen and that's all, just add some targets in the stage builder. Then if you place a target at 20 yards, its going to have the same size (from the shooters point of view) like a real target at 20 yards.