Target Timeline

Shooting targets have come a long way from painted boards at 1,000 yards. This timeline follows the key moments, from the founding of the NRA to steel, reactive and self-healing targets.

Shooting Targets Through TimeKey eras in target history1870sNRA and Creedmoorlong range matches1920s to 1960sPolice silhouettesB-21 to B-271970s to 1980sPractical shootingand steel targets1990s to todayReactive, polymerand self-healingTarget Buyers Guide.comGun Websites Firearms Network
YearMoment
1871The National Rifle Association is formed to promote marksmanship.
1873Creedmoor Rifle Range opens on Long Island, New York, with targets out to 1,000 yards.
1874The Irish team and the American Amateur Rifle Club shoot their famous match at Creedmoor. The Americans win by a narrow margin.
Early 1880sPaper pasters for patching bullet holes become common on American ranges.
1896Shooting is part of the first modern Olympics in Athens, with five rifle and pistol events.
c. 1920The B-21 “Colt Silhouette Target” appears in a police revolver handbook and stays in use into the early 1960s.
1933The British add an inner X-ring to the 100-yard target. By 1938 the X-ring is a regular feature on American targets.
1948The first metallic silhouette match is held in Mexico City. The sport reaches Arizona in the late 1960s and the NRA takes it up in the early 1970s.
1955Army TRAINFIRE research at Fort Benning tests pop-up silhouette targets that drop when hit.
1962The B-27 silhouette begins replacing the B-21X and becomes the standard law enforcement target.
1976IPSC is founded at the Columbia Conference in Missouri, launching practical shooting.
1978-1979The Army begins testing MILES, its laser engagement training system.
1981The Steel Challenge is founded, building a match around steel plates and speed.
1984USPSA is incorporated as the U.S. region of IPSC.
1986Birchwood Casey introduces Shoot-N-C reactive targets, and Action Target is founded in Provo, Utah.
1995Throom Targets launches its polymer reactive targets.
1996Daniel Tanner first formulates the Tannerite binary exploding rifle target.
2008Champion introduces its DuraSeal self-healing target line.
Key dates in shooting target history
Thermal targets shown at SHOT Show 2020
Modern targets: thermal targets at SHOT Show 2020
Throom polymer reactive targets at SHOT Show 2022
Polymer reactive targets at SHOT Show 2022

See the companies behind today’s targets on Target Manufacturers. For more firearms history and upcoming events, visit Gun Calendars.com.

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