Backyard Practice Shooting Moving Target with 22LR Savage B22 Trijicon AccuPoint
Practicing on moving targets is one of the most effective ways to improve your hunting and shooting skills, yet it is also one of the hardest things to replicate at a traditional range. With the right setup, however, you can bring moving target practice right into your own backyard.
In this guide, we look at how hunters and sport shooters can use a .22 LR rifle like the Savage B22, paired with a quality optic like the Trijicon AccuPoint, to practice on moving targets at home and sharpen the skills needed for real-world hunting scenarios.
Why Practice on Moving Targets?
Stationary paper targets teach you the fundamentals: trigger control, sight alignment, and breath control. But most game animals are rarely standing still. Whether you are tracking a running deer, a darting squirrel, or a flushing bird, the ability to lead a moving target accurately is a skill that takes dedicated practice to develop.
Moving target practice trains you to:
- Track a target smoothly with your rifle
- Apply the correct lead distance at various speeds
- Follow through on the trigger without breaking your sight picture
- Build confidence for ethical shots in the field
The Savage B22: An Ideal Platform for Backyard Practice
The Savage B22 is one of the most accurate and reliable .22 LR bolt-action rifles on the market. It features Savage's signature AccuTrigger, which allows the shooter to adjust trigger pull weight to their preference, making it excellent for precision work. The B22's push-feed bolt system provides smooth, consistent feeding and ejection that holds up to extended practice sessions.
For moving target drills, the .22 LR cartridge is an ideal choice. Ammunition is affordable and widely available, allowing you to shoot large volumes without breaking the budget. The low recoil also makes it easier to maintain your sight picture through the shot and observe where your rounds are impacting.
Using the Trijicon AccuPoint for Moving Targets
The Trijicon AccuPoint is a premium variable-power riflescope that uses fiber optics and tritium to power its illuminated reticle without batteries. This gives shooters a bright, crisp aiming point in all lighting conditions, from bright daylight to overcast skies.
For moving target practice, the AccuPoint offers several advantages:
- The illuminated reticle allows the eye to quickly reacquire the aiming point as the rifle tracks the target
- Variable magnification lets you dial down to lower power for faster target acquisition on close moving targets
- The duplex-style reticle with a central dot is intuitive to use for estimating lead on moving game
Setting Up a Backyard Moving Target System
Several companies make automated moving target systems designed for backyard use. These systems typically use a motorized track or cart to move a target across a set distance at a consistent speed, simulating the movement of running game.
When setting up your backyard range for moving target practice:
- Ensure you have a safe backstop capable of stopping .22 LR rounds
- Set a distance that matches your typical hunting or shooting scenarios
- Start with slower target speeds and work up to faster passes as your skills improve
- Use reactive targets when possible so you can immediately confirm hits
Building Skill for Hunting Season
Consistent moving target practice with a .22 LR rifle is excellent preparation for hunting with larger calibers. The fundamentals you develop, tracking speed, lead estimation, and trigger timing, transfer directly to centerfire hunting rifles.
By making moving target practice a regular part of your pre-season routine, you will be better prepared to make clean, ethical shots on game when the opportunity presents itself. The combination of the Savage B22's accuracy and the Trijicon AccuPoint's bright reticle makes this one of the most effective and affordable backyard training setups available to the serious hunter.