May is Military Appreciation Month, reminding us to recognize the many sacrifices of the brave men and women who serve our country. It's also a time to celebrate their dedication to service that allows us to enjoy our freedoms each day.
A Brief History
In 1999, Congress designated the month of May as Military Appreciation Month to encourage Americans to show appreciation for those serving in active duty. But May wasn't chosen by accident. This month has many patriotic holidays, including Memorial Day and Armed Forces Day.
Throughout the month of May, many events and activities will be held to honor military personnel, including parades, ceremonies, and community service projects. We hope everyone will get involved and do their part to show appreciation to our armed forces and give them the honor they deserve.
Supporting Our Troops
One integral aspect of military training is helping soldiers prepare and equip themselves for active duty. This often takes place at target practice. At Qualification Targets, Inc., we're committed to designing, manufacturing, and distributing military shooting targets that train and support personnel who serve the U.S. Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard.
In honor of Military Appreciation Month, we wanted to share our top 3 military shooting target picks of the year.
DOT-6 Paper Target
Dot targets are designed to help military personnel improve their shooting accuracy, timing, and precision, which are all critical skills for any soldier.
The Dot-6 paper target, for example, features 10 black dots ranging in various sizes and aligning in vertical patterns, making it useful for a wide range of shooting exercises, including basic marksmanship training, advanced marksmanship training, and tactical training.
Shooters can score by hitting certain number patterns or instructors can call out dots to hit in random sequences, forcing shooters to readjust their weapon and realign their sight picture.
For more information on the benefits of DOT targets, check out this guide.
M16A1 Paper Target
Silhouette targets are also great for military training as they provide a visual representation of a human target, creating a more realistic scenario for shooters. Most of them, like the M16A1 paper target, are also designed with scoring areas that allow soldiers to track and measure their progress in terms of accuracy and proficiency.
With the M16A1 paper target, soldiers can practice shooting at different distances, from different positions, and with different weapons. This type of training is crucial for soldiers to develop the muscle memory and skills needed to respond quickly and accurately in high-pressure situations.
What we like best about the M16A1 paper target is that it gives shooters different variations of human silhouettes, with several focused on the head and others on the toros. Each contains a bullseye, showing the center of mass aiming point. During training, bullets should hit within the white circles but all shots are scored in terms of where they land on the silhouette.
C-21 Steel Dueling Tree, Centerfire
For a little fun and an extra challenge at target practice, The Dueling Tree offers both.
The concept is simple: the 6" circles flip from side to side when hit. But that doesn't mean it's easy. We like this target because two shooters can compete at the same time to flip targets to the opponent's side.
Made of 3/8" thick AR500 steel, this target boasts extreme longevity and excellent impact resistance. The six targets are mounted to a common post which fits into a socket in the base, using our standard 34" legs that can be adjusted for uneven terrain.
In addition to these popular military targets, we also offer a wide selection of paper, cardboard, and steel targets, as well as safety and cleaning gear and clearing stations.
Celebrate Military Appreciation Month
At Qualification Targets, Inc. we're honored to supply our U.S. military personnel and departments with a large supply of shooting targets for training and qualification.
We make it easy to order your bulk supplies online, or you can call us directly at 866-498-8228 to speak to a team member. You can also email us at sales@targets.net.
We thank all military personnel for their continued dedication to making our country great and safe for all.