Why We Sell Factory Seconds — And What You’re Actually Getting

At National Target, we hold NRA License No. 1. That distinction comes with a standard. Every target that leaves our Maryland facility is measured against the exact specifications set by the NRA, IDPA, IPSC, IALEFI, IBS, and USA Shooting. 

When a target doesn’t meet those specs — even slightly — it doesn’t ship as a competition target.

That’s where our Factory Seconds come in.

What Makes a Factory Second

Our manufacturing process is built for precision. Paper weight, print registration, color density, bull diameter, every variable is controlled and checked. 

But across a large production run, minor variations happen: a slight shift in ink registration, a color that prints a shade lighter than spec, overstock from a larger-than-needed batch. The target is structurally sound. The bull is the right size. The paper punches clean. It just doesn’t meet the cosmetic threshold we set for competition-grade product.

So instead of scrapping it, we sell it at a discount — clearly labeled “non-competition” — for the one application where the imperfection simply doesn’t matter: practice.

What You’re Actually Getting

The same paper stock produced at our Maryland facility. The same printing equipment. The same team.

What changes is the price: typically 50% off.

What doesn’t change:

• Paper weight and punch quality. Our heavyweight tagboard still produces clean, well-defined bullet holes that are easy to score at a glance.
• Bull size and layout. The scoring zones are accurate. Your muscle memory will train correctly.
• Durability. A factory second from National Target outlasts most competition-grade targets from other manufacturers.

Whether you’re shooting handgun, rifle, or running pellet gun or airsoft drills at home, the target does exactly what it needs to do.

Who Factory Second Targets Are For

• High-volume trainers. If you’re running 200+ rounds in a session, cost-per-target matters. Factory seconds let you put more rounds downrange without adjusting your budget.
• Shooters preparing for competition. The format is the same as what you’ll see at a sanctioned match. Practice on an IBS Rimfire target or a B-40 at half price, then step up to competition stock for the event itself.
• Recreational shooters and hobbyists. Backyard ranges, home practice setups, BB gun drills, airsoft training — these applications don’t require competition-certified paper. They do benefit from proper target formats with accurate scoring zones, rather than generic paper printed at home.
• Youth and club programs. When you’re burning through targets in volume with a training group, factory seconds make responsible stewardship of a program budget straightforward.

How to Work Factory Seconds Into Your Training

The most effective approach is to split your target budget by session type rather than treating all practice the same.

For warmup strings, high-round-count drills, and any session where you’re working on mechanics rather than scoring — draw speed, trigger control, transitions — factory seconds are the right call. 

You’re not evaluating fine placement differences. You’re building repetition. Running 150 rounds through a B-40 or an AR-5 at half price gives you the same training stimulus as full-price stock, and it means you’re not rationing rounds to save targets.

Reserve competition-grade stock for sessions where the scoring actually matters: timed qualification runs, anything you’re logging for a classifier, or a final prep session before a match where you want the paper to be identical to what you’ll see on the line.

The practical split most high-volume shooters land on is roughly 70/30 — factory seconds for volume work, full-price stock for scored practice. At current pricing, that ratio can cut your annual target spend significantly without touching training quality where it counts.

One additional use: factory seconds work well as pasters and overlay targets on existing cardboard. If you’re running IDPA or IPSC drills on a cardboard backer, a paper factory second laid over it extends the life of the cardboard and gives you a fresh scoring surface without pulling and replacing the whole setup.

Why Format Still Matters Even When You’re Not Competing

It’s worth addressing the obvious alternative: printing targets at home, or using generic reactive targets from a box store.

The problem with printing free paper targets at home isn’t just paper quality. It’s dimensions. When you train on a bull that’s the wrong diameter, or scoring zones that don’t match official specifications, you’re calibrating your visual reference point to the wrong standard. That recalibration has to happen every time you step up to a sanctioned target — and at the margin, it costs you.

The NRA B-8 bull is 5½″ for a reason. The IBS Rimfire target’s scoring rings are sized to the specific accuracy expectations of that discipline at that distance. The IDPA silhouette’s -0 zone is positioned where it is because the organization decided that’s the critical hit zone for the training scenario it represents. These aren’t arbitrary. They encode the scoring logic of the sport.

Training on properly formatted targets, even at practice intensity, means your eye learns the right picture. You walk up to a competition target and it looks exactly like what you’ve been shooting. That familiarity is a small edge, but it’s a real one — and it costs nothing extra when you’re sourcing factory seconds at half price rather than printing generic paper at home.

For BB gun practice, pellet gun drills, or airsoft training at home, the same logic applies. Using a properly formatted target — even a non-competition one — builds habits that transfer. Homemade or improvised paper doesn’t.

Our Current Inventory

Factory seconds are a rotating selection, meaning availability depends on what comes out of production and what’s in overstock. As of this writing, you’ll find items like the IBS 50 YD RF RED at $20.88 per 100 (regularly $41.75), the B-40 Non-Competition at $4.73, and the AR-5 series starting under $3.

Stock moves quickly. If you see something useful, it’s worth acting on.

Browse our current factory seconds here →