The TacStrike FRB target is sized to fit in the U.S. Postal Service Flat Rate Box -- making for decreased shipping costs.

Shooting on steel gets you immediate feedback, one of the advantages over paper. There are disadvantages to steel, one which actually turns out to help shooters who pay attention. If you don't have your own personal shooting range and if your gun club or other accessible range doesn't have steel, you have to get your own to see what it's like. That's pricey from the purchase price for quality steel and for shipping. Plus, you have to lug the stuff around. The "wow" factor can quickly diminish. I became acquainted with TacStrike some time back but had never used any of their gear. The first thing to draw my attention wasn't the steel targets at all but the arched frame target carriers. Made to use the standard 2"x1" or 2"x2" uprights, the "feet" are arched, putting the carrier 1 ½" higher - facilitating the use of the target frames on uneven ground. As most ground is uneven, that's an advantage. (And, the Arched Frame Target Carriers are on sale until the end of this week.) I've yet to purchase those carriers though because something else came to my attention: the FRB steel targets. Part of the "Backyard Memories" line of targets, they're not made for high volume training but for recreation. There are two different FRB targets, the SFRT and MFRT. As my son has a place to shoot and his cup of tea is currently rimfire, Rob Tackett's brainstorm became my first TacStrike purchase. I got one of each for my offspring.

This is the "small" FRB target placed on a garden fence post purchased from Tractor Supply Co. The target is tilted a little toward the shooter to cause the bullet splatter to go into the ground at the base of the target.

The targets are constructed of 3/8" AR500-Brinnell 500 steel and have a welded bracket on the back. This allows use of a standard garden fence post - as found at Tractor Supply and other retailers - but not a full-size T-post. If you got the target carrier that uses 1"x 2" lumber, the FRBs fit on those as well. The splatter from the impacts will limit the lumber's service life a bit compared to the steel fence post and shooting the strip is problematic too. What makes these targets special? They're cut to fit in US Postal Service Flat Rate Boxes - hence the FRB in the name. As you might suspect, the SFRT fits the small flat rate box and the MFRT fits the medium. The SFRT is 5 ½" x 8 ½" or about the size of a DVD box. The Medium is about 12" x 14". You get real deal steel targets, but the cost of shipping is drastically reduced. The rules for steel remain the same. Allow the target to tilt forward toward the shooter for force splash away. Don't have a lot of spectators standing on either side of the shooter. Shoot them no closer than 10 yards away for handguns and .22LR. The targets are packaged with instructions for shooting steel - I'd heed them. Don't be like the folks shooting in a field last week without benefit of a backstop - a neighbor ½ mile away was struck by a round that 'missed.' I know my readers won't miss the target, but some shooters do. We've taken care of the shipping costs and the low investment by using the FRB targets. They're easily transportable and easily set up. Shooters new to steel will miss routinely at first. When we first got steel at the agency range, I was a little stunned by the phenomenon until it struck me that shooters were trying to see the bullet strike the target. We have the "clang" of impact to prevent the need to see the bullet strike, so get to looking at those sights. The FRB targets are a great way to begin shooting at steel as long as you recognize that they're not for commercial or LE training. I've already broken them in as you can see. For more information on these or other target products, see TacStrike Steel Target Systems. -- Rich Grassi