At a dollar per round, it’s more important than ever to ensure that you make the most of every shot you take at the range. For World Champ IPSC Shooter Josh Froelich, the key is to practice like you play. That means getting shots on target as quickly as possible and transitioning to the next.
Whether training for competition or self-defense, you will not have enough time to set up the perfect shot or walk up to your target to check your hits. “As a shooter, the instant feedback you get from a steel target is so important. Once you pull that trigger, you instantly know if you did the job right or if you didn’t,” said Froelich. “In any shooting scenario, whether competitive or defensive, there’s an acceptable sight picture, an acceptable shot, something that’s good enough. We’re not bullseye shooting in any of those scenarios,” Froelich said. “In a defensive scenario, I’m going with two on center mass. I want two on target, and then I’m getting out of there. Competition is a very similar thing. I want two on center mass. When I’m shooting eight-inch targets at twenty yards, I don’t care if I shoot the center or if I just hit it. Either is a great shot.”
In addition to competitive shooting, Froelich is also a shooting instructor, and he’s adamant about the effectiveness of steel for training purposes. “When you think about coaching a shooter, there’s no better platform than steel. Every new shooter I’ve ever taught, I start with .22lr on Shoot Steel targets, one hundred percent of the time. For me, getting confirmation of a hit is really helpful. For a new shooter, it’s everything. They get that ring, the feedback, and it’s just really fun to know you got that hit right out of the gate.”
“Steel is one of those things that if you buy it once and you buy right, you can keep shooting at it forever. I’ve got targets out here that are seven years old that I’m still beating on, and that means something. I trained for my World Championship with the Shoot Steel Spring Popper. I hit it with everything from slugs to buckshot, and it held up. In fact, it’s still out on my range. We’re talking about tens of thousands of rounds on these targets, and they’re still good. Shoot Steel targets just hold up. The welds are strong, and the designs are simple. Simplicity leads to durability when you’re talking about something that you beat on as much as you do a steel target.”
For Froelich, steel targets are an efficient and effective way to make the most of your rounds because steel doesn’t lie. “Steel makes you check your pride at the door. You can shoot fast on paper and miss most of the time, and it might still look cool, but if you try shooting fast on steel and you miss, you know you missed, and it forces you to get better.”