Very Safe Targets Displace Round Impact Energy To The Ground

New Very Safe Targets (VST) from Metal Madness make it less likely for shooters firing at steel to be struck by fragments from spent rounds.

by
posted on December 9, 2024
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
Newlede 1Target 1
New Very Safe Targets (VST) from Metal Madness are a target system that displace the energy of the impact of the round downwards to the ground—instead of towards a shooter—making it less likely they will be struck by fragments from a spent round while shooting steel.
Metal Madness Shooting Sports Association

A new target system from the folks at Metal Madness called VST (Very Safe Targets) promises to minimize or even eliminate bullet splashback.

Ed White, the founder of Metal Madness, describes the organization’s new Very Safe Targets as “an affordable target system for the beginner to the seasoned competitor.”

Very Safe Targets
With Very Safe Targets, fragments go straight down to the ground, basically eliminating ricochet or fragments heading back to the shooter.

 

In development for the past two years, the patent-pending design of this target system basically eliminates ricochet or fragmenting coming back at the shooter. Very Safe Targets displace the energy of the impact of the round to the ground, rather than back towards the shooter, making it less likely for the shooter to be struck by fragments from the spent round while shooting steel.

“Our patent-pending design was developed for Metal Madness Unlimited, but we found that it works in any steel target shooting sport,” White said.

While watching video of the Very Safe Targets in action above water puddles to indicate where spent bullets are headed, you can see the new targets directing rounds fairly straight down after impact, marked by both large and small splashes below the targets and hangars. You can watch the video at Rumble and YouTube.

I asked White how the Very Safe Targets can send rounds to the ground, instead of back towards shooters.

“The way it works is that the target gives on impact, because of the way the hanger is angled and designed,” he said. “The size of the hole in the target is important to allow the target to move freely, but be small enough that a .22-caliber round will not pass through it insuring a mark on the target.”

Besides being touted as a safer steel target, White mentioned that Very Safe Targets have “a loud ring and visible movement, making it easy to know when the target is struck.”

VST gif
Very Safe Targets in action.

 

As for the price, it’s still being determined, but White said it will be “comparable or less than targets already on the market.”

Manufacturing is complete for Very Safe Targets, and you will be able to find them online soon at the Metal Madness website. Go to mmssa.net.

Latest

Peiser 600 0Ct2026 1
Peiser 600 0Ct2026 1

Kentucky’s Braden Peiser Goes Perfect, and the NCAA Rifle Streak Rolls On

Kentucky’s Braden Peiser fired a perfect 600-53X in air rifle against Murray State, the sixth 600 of the young NCAA season.

Hillsdale College Freshman Orientation Moves to the Range

Hillsdale College swapped its freshman campus tour for a Halter Center visit built around safety instruction, live fire and team building.

How One Postal Match Bridged U.S. and Australian Smallbore Competition

SSAA’s postal match sparked the Hands Across the Sea match during the 2026 NRA Smallbore Nationals, and a U.S. team will compete in Australia in 2027.

Rusty Newton Goes 5-for-5 at 3,119 Yards to Win King of 2 Miles

Rusty Newton went 5-for-5 at 3,119 yards to win the 2026 King of 2 Miles Global Finals at the NRA Whittington Center.

Jessie Harrison Closes Season on Top at U.S. IPSC Nationals

Team Taurus Captain Jessie Harrison topped the Ladies Open leaderboard at the 2026 U.S. IPSC Nationals.

Mein Doubles Up at 2026 NSCA South Central Regional

Team Federal’s Derrick Mein won FITASC and Five-Stand at Providence Hill, dropping just one target in Five-Stand along the way.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.