Looking for opinions on the white flyer bio target . We picked up one pallet to try them out. They are not black inside like pitch targets. Some don't like the fact that they don't make a nice black puff ball when you break them. I personally don't have an issue with them. What do you guys think. Pro or con.
White Flyer Biodegradable Targets
- Thread starter Harris26
- Start date
The ones that we use make a nice ink blot when you hit them squarely. Perhaps they changed them? As for the biodegradable, it takes years for the biodegradable ones to break down, so is there really a lot of difference?
We use them extensively especially when throwing a curling target with belly showing against a dark background. They show up nicely compared to the black bottom on a pitch target. They fly somewhat differently than a pitch target so we generally don't mix pitch and bio targets in the same machine. Also a bit harder to break, we have picked up many which are still intact but have several holes in them. Environmentally friendly is also a plus however just how environmentally friendly they are remains to be seen.
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
- Location
- Drayton Valley, AB
White Flyer make excellent targets. However, the Bio targets are made with sulfur and make the soil acidic which results in dead grass and vegetation.
Lawry targets tend to be harder which results in less breakage, a good thing for throwing targets not so much when trying to break them. When comparing them I've found White Flyers to be more uniform and fly better. With both companies their bio targets are harder than their regular targets.
The only truly bio target and certified as such by Agriculture Canada is Lawry. White Flyer targets uses sulphur and changes the ph of the soil. It kills all invertebrates and after a while all green plants! It is only a bio because there is no residue after a number of rain falls. But it is really bad! Tar based targets ill take many more years to integrate into the soil, but do not change the habitat!
I've thrown bio-degradable targets for near 14 years, majority white flyers, some Caldwell, and some Lawry.
all have been shot out of the same machine over a small cliff onto a hay field, I continue to harvest hay every year, the one exception was last year when there was no rain. I don't notice the breakdown, but there are obvious less broken targets on the ground every year. The breakdown will happen a lot quicker
if the broken pieces are broken down even further. We still find the odd complete target, which has been sun bleached and extremely faded, but is not broken down. With out help, don't expect to see the those clays disappear any time soon.
all have been shot out of the same machine over a small cliff onto a hay field, I continue to harvest hay every year, the one exception was last year when there was no rain. I don't notice the breakdown, but there are obvious less broken targets on the ground every year. The breakdown will happen a lot quicker
if the broken pieces are broken down even further. We still find the odd complete target, which has been sun bleached and extremely faded, but is not broken down. With out help, don't expect to see the those clays disappear any time soon.
Thanks for everyone's comments. We normally use the white flyer regular pitch targets, decided to try a pallet of bio targets to see if we liked them. Some don't like the color when they break. If they are in fact acidic when they break down ,that would concern me.
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
I find White Flyers "appear" to fly better but I think it is just an optical illusion based on their shape. Maybe it is just the type of machines (Pat-Traps) or the way they are set up here at this club or maybe it is a sea level thing(SK vs Ont) but I find the targets (White Flyers) roll off sideways at clubs I have shot at out here towards the end of their flight before contacting the ground as opposed to landing flat (Lawry) and thrown from the Beomats at my former home club? One thing is for certain I do find the White Flyers "appear" larger and more visible in flight and seem to disintegrate better when hit.
When our club was debating between the two targets we compared a lot of them. The best way to determine flight performance is from directly behind the trap. WF flew slightly more true and a bit further when thrown off the same trap while Lawry targets had a very slight but noticeable wobble. But there are many variables that need to be taken into account even if using the same trap including age and condition of the target, how it was stored, etc.
Both make good products and ultimately it doesn't matter providing during a competition the same brand of target is shot by everyone.
We had a forced trial with a small batch (120 cases) of 110mm bio targets from WF last year as they shipped bio instead of pitch.
We use them on our longest throw (~100y flight liner) so it’s quite a hard takeoff. They worked fine but we started experiencing more no-birds after ~6-7 months of storage. Nothing major, but annoying enough not to double check next order so we don't endup with them anymore. It might be a non-issue on shorter/smoother throw.
We use them on our longest throw (~100y flight liner) so it’s quite a hard takeoff. They worked fine but we started experiencing more no-birds after ~6-7 months of storage. Nothing major, but annoying enough not to double check next order so we don't endup with them anymore. It might be a non-issue on shorter/smoother throw.
Are you saying the biodegradable White flyers were more prone to breakage right out of the machine after sitting for more then a year?
Interesting, if that's how i read your post, I have considerable more "no bird" targets from clays that are sitting more then a year.
I'm throwing them from a winchester trap. I'll try to find some pitch made targets. For a while now, I've only seen bio white flyers.
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Doug The Canuck
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- central Ontario
I shoot Quail Creek in Florida. They throw white flier bios, and there isn't a blade of vegitation where they land.
High acid also causes problems with leaching lead. Should be a ph of 7 to be inert.
From our experience, they seemed to be more prone to breakage after 6-7 month. But to be fair, they are used in a pattern that require them to be thrown with a lot of speed (100y + flight path). That's why I said it might be a non-issue for "softer" shorter throw.
They are okay for practice but bad for competition. They are hard to break and we've seen a lot of hits where only dusts came off but no pieces. We've had strong opposition to the White Flyer bios from the competitive shooters so we're switching back to pitch targets for competition.
