# .22 target. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 22, 2018, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356 "2018-07-22T00:42:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stosh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/1 "2018-07-22T00:42:18Z")
I have a spinner target for my .22. It’s made of steel and is powder coated black and has some orange stickers on it. These stickers will not last long and I’m going to paint it. Does anyone have any ideas on which paint would be best? I haven’t used it yet. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/2 "2018-07-22T00:55:14Z")
Repainting steel is a continuous process. Just buy medium quality and plan on respraying every time it looks bad. At our range the members bring paint and spray as needed. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/3 "2018-07-22T00:58:15Z")
> [@stosh](#): > > I have a spinner target for my .22. It’s made of steel and is powder coated black and has some orange stickers on it. > These stickers will not last long and I’m going to paint it. Does anyone have any ideas on which paint would be best? > I haven’t used it yet. Baked on or electroplated powder coat. As long as you keep missing, it’ll last forever. or at least long enough. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/4 "2018-07-22T01:03:20Z")
Cheapo Wal-Mart spray paint. What ever it gets on will never be the same, will not come off. Until you shoot it off. Repaint, rinse and repeat. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/5 "2018-07-22T01:14:55Z")
Sand the thing real good, coat of good quality primer formulated for the metal … and use auto paint … let it sit a couple of months … and keep missing … ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/6 "2018-07-22T17:09:45Z")
I’m actually surprised that there are stickers on it. I haven’t seen any stickers or paint that would stand up to a .22 (as long as you hit it). I like to use NECCO wafers on my steel targets. Put a dab of cheap honey on the back of a wafer and stick it to the target. (The plastic squeeze dispensers with the spout make this easy.) The wafers stay there for quite some time and they make a satisfying SPLAT when you hit them. A damp cloth will wipe it all off. A pack of wafers will last a long time and they are dirt cheap (when you can find them). They are also environmentally-friendly. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/7 "2018-07-22T18:15:15Z")
No sticker, and no paint, can survive the impact of a bullet fired from a gun. As suggested by others, buy some cans of cheap spray paint and apply as needed. I like to use fluorescent paint. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/8 "2018-07-22T19:29:01Z")
LIne-X. Their video shows it making a car door resistant to a shotgun blast (birdshot). Although it is not a bullet proof as they claim. But it looks cool and will outlast anything else. [http://www.wideopenspaces.com/just-how-bulletproof-is-line-x/](http://www.wideopenspaces.com/just-how-bulletproof-is-line-x/) Dennis ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/9 "2018-07-23T00:33:41Z")
There is no paint or “finish” that will withstand the impact of a .22 round on a spinner, much less anything else more powerful. If you must have something eye-catching when you shoot, I suggest the cheapest fluorescent spray available. Apply when you feel necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/10 "2018-07-23T13:57:18Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > I like to use NECCO wafers on my steel targets. Finally! A good use for NECCO wafers! I usually bring a couple rolls of SweeTart candies and use them for my 50 yard targets. NECCOS might be small enough to be sporting at 100. ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Matt\_Mason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Major\_Matt\_Mason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Matt_Mason)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/11 "2018-07-23T14:09:33Z")
I used to use burned-out vacuum tubes as pellet gun targets. This should give you some idea as to how ancient I am… ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/12 "2018-07-23T14:51:08Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Cheapo Wal-Mart spray paint. What ever it gets on will never be the same, will not come off. Until you shoot it off. Repaint, rinse and repeat. That’s what I was going to say - cheap and bright (or dark, depending on what you’re looking for). ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/13 "2018-07-23T18:19:06Z")
> [@Major\_Matt\_Mason](#): > > I used to use burned-out vacuum tubes as pellet gun targets. This should give you some idea as to how ancient I am… I once tried to destroy an old TV with my 5mm Sheridan. The TV screen wasn’t happy about it, but I came closer to putting my eye out with a ricochet than to breaking the picture tube from the front. I seem to remember you could make flash cubes go off with a bb or pellet gun. ---
**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/14 "2018-07-24T05:17:28Z")
Wow, so a thread that is right up in my wheelhouse…my expertise is in adhesives, coatings and potting compounds for large OEM items, including power transformers, large and medium generators, wind energy, transportation, etc…we deal with IEEE, ASTM, ISO, IEC, many more specific OEM specifications, we can test coating systems for a multitude of conditions, accelerated aging, corrosion, weathering, etc, we test our adhesives for lap shear strength under multiple conditions, we make our own polymers and define them by Tg, MW, and functionality The funny part (well, to me) is the answers provided are the correct ones, buy the cheapest stuff possible and paint it as needed… This reminds me of a meeting I was able to score with a large Canadian manufacturer of logging equipment, they used gobs of paint (that’s a technical term), I gave a well-reasoned, comprehensive technical discussion of all the possible combinations that we could offer, pointing out that we offered coating systems that survived 25+ years in rigorous conditions…the room was quiet, and finally, the technical director spoke, he said, “We use the cheapest water-based paint possible, once it leaves our factory, the painted surfaces get rubbed off by the trees within days, after that, the constant abrasion on the steel surfaces prevents rust…” I said, “Oh, that makes sense…um…never mind…” ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/15 "2018-07-24T12:28:50Z")
Years and years ago, what we would do is straighten out a standard steel coat hanger, stick one end in the ground and put the other end in a empty aluminum or steel can. You can see the can jump when it is hit, but it basically stays put. Just replace the cans as needed. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/16 "2018-07-24T15:32:25Z")
I shoot steel nearly daily. I’ve found that the cheap .99 cents a can Wal-Mart paint works great. I’ve also found that lighter colored paint seems to show hits better. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/17 "2018-07-24T20:29:52Z")
At my club we generally use white, sometimes long distance steel is sprayed red along the edges for better visibility. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/22-target/818356/18 "2018-07-24T21:20:41Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Years and years ago, what we would do is straighten out a standard steel coat hanger, stick one end in the ground and put the other end in a empty aluminum or steel can. You can see the can jump when it is hit, but it basically stays put. Just replace the cans as needed. Brilliant. We used to hang cans with fishing line. Teaches you how to hit a moving target. 🙂