How to Spin a Spinner

Steel targets have evolved over the years from basic shapes hung on a post to some pretty engaging reactive setups. Perhaps one of the most entertaining and affordable targets is a spinner and they are starting to show up at precision rifle matches.

Shooting at a spinner can be an exercise in frustration – as was our initial experience. Engaging a spinner with the first and second shots is generally successful, but as the target swings higher the subsequent shots often miss their mark. Why does this happen? Out of instinct the shooter will engage the bottom plate when it arrives at it’s lowest point and due to the time it takes for the bullet to arrive, the plate will have swung up and out of the way. To get a spinner to spin, one has to pick a fixed aiming point and time their shots correctly. Fortunately, it’s not as complicated as it sounds.

Pick a fixed aim point

We’ve applied the science of ballistics with some trial and error experimentation to develop a technique that works well. We prefer to place the point of aim at the middle of the cross bar where it intersects with the target as it will be stationary at all times. Others prefer to aim at a fixed point beyond the target, but we have not had much luck with this technique. We also prefer to shoot at the bottom plate only. Some folks prefer to alternate shooting the bottom and top plates. This can be an effective technique but it incurs a margin of risk as the top plate is smaller than the bottom plate, and proper shot timing while alternating between the two plates can be a real challenge particularly if the distances between the centers of the two plates and the crossbar are not the same. Shooting the bottom plate only, you can spin most spinners with three to four shots so this is the technique that we employ. Most matches allow for up to ten shots to accomplish this so there is plenty of margin.

When you aim at the center of the spinner cross bar you will have to adjust the elevation turret to compensate so the bullet will impact the center of the bottom plate. Here’s the basic formula for what to dial (units of measure are in Mils or MOA) and we will use Mils for this example:

Turret Elevation = (Distance in Mils from the center of bottom plate to the cross bar – Ballistic bullet drop in Mils from the shooter to the target).

We obtain the distance between the center of the bottom plate and the cross bar by using our scope reticle or a spotting scope with a reticle. When possible, we do this before it’s our turn to shoot or during our prep period. If you can’t do that, you’ll have to take a few seconds to measure this distance while you are on the clock. Once you obtain this distance, you subtract the required elevation for the distance of the spinner and dial in the difference. In our experience, this distance typically ranges from 1.5 to 2 mils and is dictated by the size and distance of the spinner. Note: This technique will also work for folks using MOA scopes so long as their dope is in MOA units too.

For example, you mil the distance from the center of the bottom plate to the cross bar and you get 1.7 mils. For the given distance of the spinner, let’s say your dope calls for .9 mils of elevation (in other words, your bullet is going to drop .9 mils). When you subtract the two you are left with minus .8 mils. Dial in minus .8 mils and you will hit the bottom plate when you aim at the cross bar. Some scopes will not let you dial a negative elevation due to the zero stop. In that case you can hold under with your reticle to accomplish the same thing.

As a sanity check, simply combine the bullet drop (-.9 Mils) and the elevation you dialed (-.8 Mils) and they should equal the distance from the cross bar to the center of the bottom target plate (-1.7 Mils)

Note: When it comes to wind, you simply hold over as you would with any target. With so much concentration required to properly time one’s shot, some prefer to dial their wind as the mind likes to keep everything centered up. Through experimentation you’ll discover which technique works best.

Timing

After the first or second shot, the spinner is moving with enough speed that a shot aimed directly at one of the plates will miss due to the time it takes for the bullet to arrive. It’s the same principal that one observes with any moving target. Like a moving target, the spinner requires the proper lead. However, the spinner will be moving at different speeds depending on how many times it’s been hit therefore the lead has to be adjusted dynamically. Fortunately, obtaining the proper lead is pretty simple:

1. After the first shot, engage immediately when the plate starts to change direction and swing down.
2. If the plate swings upward past the horizontal plane, engage immediately when the plate breaks the horizontal plane on the way down.

Assuming no misses, you will spin a spinner in 3 – 4 shots. With lighter weight bullets, expect 4 – 5 shots. Timing is critical, so a long slow trigger squeeze is not going to work. You’ll have to be pretty aggressive on the trigger in the same manner as you would engage a mover using an “ambush” technique. The need for an aggressive trigger pull is yet another reason to aim at the bottom plate as it gives you more margin for error.

Conclusion

Using the techniques described in this article, we believe a spinner stage can be accretive to your overall performance instead of being an embarrassment. If our readers have other techniques for spinning a spinner please share them in the comments section. If you found this article useful, please consider supporting our efforts with a small donation.