"Negative Image" Targets for Better Long-Range Viewing
At long range, small bullet holes are much easier to see in the white than in the black. When you’re practicing at long range on high power targets, one way to enhance your ability to see your bullet holes is to print a “negative” version of the regulation bullseye target. Forum member Watercam has a new Pentax PF-80ED. With the Pentax he can see 6mm bullet holes in the white at 600 yards, but holes in the black are only visible out to 400 yards or so. Accordingly, Watercam uses a modified “reversed” black-to-white target for 600-yard practice. Watercam writes:
“I just received my Pentax PF-80ED-A angled spotting scope the other day and it is awesome. Great quality. I traded a straight Kowa 77mm fluorite for it through SWFA.com. Eye relief with the Pentax 10-60 power zoom is 18-22mm (much more than the Kowa zoom), so I can use glasses with no problem. The view through the Pentax is very sharp and contrasty with great color.
With my 6mm and limited mirage I’m seeing defined, 6mm holes in the white out to 600. In the black, I can see bullets holes at about 400 with my eyes. I am printing reverse-color targets for training without a pit partner at the 600-yard line.”
If you’re not concerned with official scoring rings, you can use an all-white target with a bright, fluorescent target dot in the middle. A 2″- or 3″-diameter stick-on target dot is highly visible at 600 yards. Birchwood Casey Target Spots® assortment #33928-TSA offers neon orange target dots in 1″, 2″, and 3″ diameters.
Similar Posts:
- Better Viewing at 600 Yards with ‘Negative’ Targets
- Flip Your Target Colors for Better Long-Range Viewing
- White/Black Shoot-N-C Targets for Long Range Practice
- The Eyes Have It — Reduced 300-Yard F-Class Targets
- Seeing Bullet Holes at 1000 Yards? Yes It IS Possible…
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Tags: Reverse-Color, Scope, Target
I’ve been using the “Birchwood Casey” 1, 2 and 3″ stick-on dots for years, mainly because of the problem spotting 22 & 6mm holes in-the-black”. Buy 80# cover stock, 11″ x 17″ plain white paper ( .10 Cents a sheet by the ream), & make my own targets, based on scope magnification, distance & accuracy capability of the rifle being used. The small black diamond in the center of the dots are used for adjusting the scope parallax: they provide an excellent focusing point.
I agree with the comment that seeing the bullet holes is hard at distance. But I shoot peepsights on targets like MR31 and A23/17. I still need some black for aiming purposes so what I did was scan the targets on a flat bed scanner, import them into a jpeg editor(I use photoshop) and then select the outside of the 9 ring. Then invert the image. What I have now is a target that is white on the outside, stil has the normal aiming black and then the 9, 10 and x ring are white again. I have not found that this ffects my globe/aperature aiming at all and really helps on the seeing where I am hitting.
HTH
David