GTA
Target Shooting Matches, Discussion & Events => Target Shooting Discussion Gate => Topic started by: Stretch67 on March 14, 2025, 09:05:06 PM
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I've been reading about Bell Target Leagues... it's a British thing. Gents (and ladies) target shooting in the local pub with air rifles.
They use .177 rifles, open sights, and with each contestant using pellets from the same tin. An agreed-upon number of shots from 18 feet, shooting at a steel target with a 3/8-inch hole in the center. The target box is such that shots that go through the hole ring a bell. That scores 5. Shots impacting the inner ring (but not through the hole) are scored as 4, and the outer rings are scored as 3 and 2. Outside the 2-ring has no score.
(https://www.belltarget.com/resources/btleaflet124op.jpg)
Folks gather for a pint or two and enjoy the camaraderie of target shooting with teams of friends, with the losing team buying supper for the winners.
So I built another target box.
Starting with a 5-gallon utility box with lid, available from Lowe's and elsewhere. Distance in my garage is about sixteen feet...
(https://www.advrider.com/f/data/attachments/6501/6501877-913e53653505752d60b70273385f5c8e.jpg)
I fabbed up a box for the bell, clapper, and steel target...
(https://www.advrider.com/f/data/attachments/6501/6501879-a8622f983c78243c399812e81a21b1e3.jpg)
As seen here, the front wall (right ride) has a two-inch hole bored in it, somewhat centered on a 1/4-inch bolt that runs through a hasp, which in turn is centered on an ordinary countertop "ring for service" bell. A pellet that makes it through the hole in the steel target strikes the hasp (armored-up with a couple fender washers), which in turn strikes the button on the bell. The pellets themselves do not make contact with the bell.
(https://www.advrider.com/f/attachments/adv-target-2-jpg.6737731/)
The steel target is cut and machined from 1/4-inch hot-rolled plate, which I've had floating around from previous projects. Once the disc was cut from the steel plate with an acetylene torch, I drilled a 3/8-inch hole in the center (mostly), then ran a bolt into it and used that as an arbor to chuck it in the lathe, then turned the disc perfectly round. Once it was round, I cut grooves into the face to make 1-inch, two-inch, and three-inch rings.
(https://www.advrider.com/f/data/attachments/6501/6501883-3141135a0773b127620d23b8741dd1bc.jpg)
And just to keep things real, I also made a target plate with a 3/4-inch center hole. This will be more realistic for a 58-year-old guy wearing corrective lenses, shooting an open-sighted pistol standing & one-handed (10-meter style).
(https://www.advrider.com/f/data/attachments/6501/6501885-ba97dc137c7cebcf0da67374ab885a03.jpg)
You can see where the clapper hasp has taken a hit or two, and the target disc has stopped a pellet that didn't make the grade. :D
(https://www.advrider.com/f/attachments/adv-target-6-jpg.6737737/)
And the plastic box is containing the spent pellets, keeping bits of lead from being scattered around my garage floor.
(https://www.advrider.com/f/data/attachments/6501/6501891-0eabda626b79d77b98f59c73cba910b3.jpg)
In the Bell Target shooting leagues, each shooter gets a freshly-painted target. In order for the hits to show up better on the steel disc, the disc is painted white with a non-drying mixture of titanium dioxide powder and mineral oil.
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I built my own Bell Target... I have unlimited access to Ti02 for the paint grease from work. (We use it by the 2000 lbs "super sacks")
A little of that and baby oil is super easy to see the shots.
A little research tells a lot.
https://www.belltarget.com/
https://youtu.be/AHsNYSmpteg
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^^^ Yes, that was one of the sites I perused when I was learning about Bell Target leagues.
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I made one too:
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Dang Frank, that's quite the bell.
"What was that?"
"Oh, Frank down the street hit another bullseye."
;D
I'd read of shooters using small electric lights (even candles) inside the target box to better illuminate the target. I thought that was a good idea, so I stuck an LED puck light inside the top of the box and then painted the underside of the lid black so the light wouldn't shine through.
(https://www.advrider.com/f/data/attachments/6502/6502697-187a8c6dd1854f1442d07b13f13a7a80.jpg)
(https://www.advrider.com/f/attachments/adv-target-light-2-jpg.6738581/)
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Here is mine.
The "bell" is a simple piece of 1" box tubing suspended by by a steel cable inside. Gives a nice "ring" when I hit the 3/8" bull...
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Surplus bells from building alarms are available on eBay and Amazon.
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I see how Frank made his, gives me an idea for a high power version. I have a couple golf cart brake drums, one can set up as the bell, I just need to find a thick sheet steel face plate and some odds and ends.
On the other hand I bet If I brought a bell target and a low power rifle to the local establishment it would be a hit ;)
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instead of the bell, use an old saw blade
I made my bell target from3/4 plywood, a 1/4-20 bolt, washer, 3 nuts and an old circular saw blade
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Several years ago, I wrote an article on Bell Target for Hard Air Magazine.
https://hardairmagazine.com/uncategorized/bell-target-shooting/
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to add a little to the thread, the pellets were actually dispensed by a machine, and they cost a pence for 6 pellets. So you never knew how long did the pellets sat there, were they the same kind than the last match, or anything. some pubs had a closet were the rifles were stashed (generally 2) for the humbler pubs.
Todd: Im actually about 1 1/2 hours from you... we should get together for a little friendly shoot... turn on a smoke machine and get a couple of Bitter pints down for realistic effect... LOL. What rifle are you using? I generally use my Slavia 624, or a Daisy 753... But i have shot Bell target with just about anything that allows me to shoot 500 fps or less (yup, even a smooth bore 760...) Generally light springers is what was used as the Pneumatics make it a lot easier. Even built a bell target rig out of a QB78. Turned that one down to 400 fps, got a bunch of shots.