Ground Strike Reactive Targets Review
Oleg Volk 07.20.14
Paper isn’t very reactive, steel is heavy, and it’s not legal to shoot at Nazis, Commies, and their fellow travelers. So what’s a guy to use for marksmanship practice? Ground Strike targets looked like a good option, so I tried a couple of them.
The odd-looking Hex Ball is 6 inches in diameter and works for any caliber from 22LR up. When hit with rimfire, it wobbles or rolls slightly, but bounces or rolls vigorously. Round-nose rifle bullets like .30 carbine move it several feet. Shotgun slugs and JHP bullets are not recommended because they abrade the target quicker. Each hit puts a tiny dark spot on the target, but even a thousand hits later it still looks good and functions like new. The only limitation is the limited visibility of the six-inch ball in tall grass or behind irregularities of the ground. It has the easiest set-up of any target I have used and is among the most fun.
The plate is intended as a back for adhesive bulls-eye targets and not designed to swing when hit. Used without stickers, it responds visibly to fat, slow bullets like 45ACP but not to thin and fast .223. It works fine as the backer, but cannot be dug into hard ground. It works best for already zeroed guns and fairly accurate shooters, otherwise it’s possible to strike one of the supports and eventually take the assembly out of service.
Overall, I would rate the Ground Strike line-up of reactive targets as excellent in usability and value. I have not tried the Ground Jack yet, but it looks like another fun design. Once you learn to hit them reliably, the next step is to play gun cricket, moving your target into a goal before your opponent can move his.
