Training targets exist to create feedback loops. A target that merely confirms you pulled the trigger is barely useful; a target that forces you to confront where your rounds actually went — and whether that placement would matter in a fight — is a training tool. The T.REX cardboard target line is designed around this principle, using deliberate design choices to shape better shooting habits on the flat range.
The Redacted D Zone Target
The flagship cardboard offering is the T.REX Redacted D Zone Target, a standard USPSA-format silhouette (18 × 30 inches) with one critical modification: the D zone — the lowest-scoring outer ring on a standard USPSA target — is blacked out. This is not an aesthetic choice. The D zone on a conventional target acts as a visual safety net, giving shooters a broad area they can “count” as a hit even when the shot breaks wide of center. Blacking it out removes that crutch. With no visible D zone boundary, the shooter’s eye is drawn inward toward the A zone, reinforcing a centered aiming point and tightening acceptable shot groups over time.
This matters because real defensive shooting demands rounds in the upper thoracic cavity or the cranio-ocular region to produce rapid incapacitation. Peripheral hits on a human torso — the anatomical equivalent of the D zone — are far less likely to stop a threat quickly. Training on a target that subtly rewards center-mass precision builds the neural pathways for accurate shooting under stress.
Perforated A Zone and Headbox
Each target features perforated lines separating the A zone and the headbox “credit card” from the rest of the silhouette. These tear-away sections allow the target to serve double duty. After a drill, the A zone or headbox can be torn free and stapled over a fresh target for focused work — isolating the precision zones without replacing the entire sheet. This is an economy measure as well as a training design: cardboard targets are consumable, and anything that extends their useful life on the range keeps training costs down and supports the kind of high-volume, skills-based practice that actually drives improvement.
The headbox separation is especially useful for speed-versus-precision drills, where the shooter alternates between fast A-zone hammers and slower, deliberate headbox shots within the same string of fire. Being able to tear out just the headbox and score it independently gives clean data on the tightest-tolerance portion of the drill.
Dual-Sided Use: No-Shoot Capability
The reverse side of each target is blank white. Flipping a target around converts it into a no-shoot — a clean silhouette with no scoring zones, placed adjacent to shoot targets in force-on-force or decision-making drills. This is critical for building shoot/no-shoot discrimination under time pressure, a skill that carries directly into force-on-force scenarios and aligns with the legal realities of defensive use of force. A shooter who has never trained with no-shoot targets mixed into an array has never practiced the cognitive load of target identification — arguably the most important skill in a civilian defensive shooting.
Practical Integration
These targets are built to the USPSA dimensional standard, which means they are compatible with standard target stands and cardboard bases (including the TA Targets Cardboard Target Base). They work seamlessly alongside Chameleon Variable Threat Targets, which add variable-threat identification to the mix, and T.REX paper targets for more specialized precision work.
For pistol drills and qualification standards, the Redacted D Zone target is a direct replacement for any standard USPSA silhouette — scored the same way, just with higher implicit standards because the D zone offers no visual “hit” confirmation. The same applies to rifle drills at closer ranges where the full silhouette is used for timed strings.
When setting up a range session, consider pairing these targets with a structured approach to target setup and range organization — staggering distances, mixing shoot and no-shoot presentations, and using the tear-away sections to isolate specific performance metrics. The Range Day Pro app can help track these metrics over time.
Specs at a Glance
- Format: Standard USPSA silhouette, 18 × 30 inches
- Material: Cardboard, made in the USA
- Key feature: D zone blacked out to enforce center-mass focus
- Perforations: A zone and headbox tear-away for isolated drills
- Reverse side: Blank white for no-shoot use
- Pack size: 50 targets
- Shipping: Contiguous 48 United States only (fulfilled by TA Targets)
Products mentioned
- T.REX Redacted D Zone Target — USPSA-format cardboard target with blacked-out D zone for precision-focused training