Break out your air rifles, air pistols, airsoft guns, and RAM markers and get outside and have some fun with your closest friends and family. There are many games and targets for air guns that will excite you and challenge your competitive nature.

The first rule when setting up a game or competition is to always observe gun safety rules. Think about what might get hit if a shooter misses the intended target. Once you’ve determined the area you’re using is safe and legal, the fun can begin.

There are many types of targets you can buy—spinning, shattering, and paper targets for example, but you don’t have to buy a target. If you use your imagination, airgun shooting can be convenient as well as fun and competitive for all ages. For example, a box of animal cookies could easily become a miniature silhouette range or if set up in various locations a safari hunt. Exploding a small piece of fruit with a pellet gun like a Ruger® Air Hawk Elite or seeing who can bust a shredded mini-wheat with a BB gun is challenging, and just imagine the explosion of a cheese ball or nacho chip! How about a lollipop! Take a look in your cabinets—consumable foods make great targets because they can be left as treats for wildlife.

Look around the outdoors, there’s all kinds of natural targets. Line up a row of acorns, stack some pine cones, or for a real air rifle challenge, hang a small branch with a leaf on it against a safe backstop and see who can shoot the leaf off the branch.

If you have a competitive nature, try knocking down golf tees or picking off toothpicks at 10-meters. Place a cocoa puff on top of a golf tee and hit the puff. If you want to see who’s airgun has more energy, see how far your airgun’s projectile will penetrate a bar of soap. On a windy day, put a small object on a swaying branch to create a moving target. To determine who’s the quickest shot, shoot at little green army men with your semi-auto BB pistol like the Beretta Elite II.

If you’re shooting an air gun with a youth, or someone that likes a target that provides a big reaction when hit, items that make noise or bust are best. Balloons, lollipops, tiny canisters partially filled with flour, and cap gun caps are great ideas. Charcoal briquets provide a good reaction as do packets of ketchup and mustard—just be prepared to hose down the mess.

Use your imagination when choosing airgun targets and your whole family will have fun shooting while becoming sharp-shooters without realizing it.