Texas Star Target Review: SR500 Reactive Steel (STUSA)
Last updated: July 21, 2026 · Originally published: July 24, 2026
Texas Star Target Review: SR500 Reactive Steel
The 100 Days of Silence is wrapping up with one of the most entertaining and challenging prizes in the entire campaign, the Shooting Targets USA Texas Star. This reactive steel target is part of the grand-finale package that one winner will take home after the two-day event on July 24–25, 2026. If you’ve never shot a Texas Star before, you’re missing one of the most effective (and addictive) training tools available.
Who Is Shooting Targets USA?
Shooting Targets USA is a family-owned manufacturer based in King, North Carolina. The company is run by brothers Andrew and Dan Speeney along with their father, Mike. Before they started making targets, the family built precision components for demanding industries including NASCAR and SpaceX. That background in high-tolerance fabrication shows up in every product they produce.
Their focus is simple: make durable, innovative, American-made steel targets that actually improve a shooter’s skills. Everything is waterjet-cut from USA-sourced SR500 ballistic steel and built for high-volume use. The Texas Star is one of their flagship designs and has become a favorite on competition ranges and private training facilities across the country.
How the Texas Star Target Works
The Texas Star is a spinning reactive target built around a central hub with five arms. Each arm holds an 8-inch steel plate that sits in a spring-retention pocket. When you hit a plate hard enough, it pops out of the pocket and falls. The sudden change in weight distribution makes the entire hub start spinning, but it never spins the same way twice and that’s what makes it challenging.
As plates continue to drop, the speed and direction of the spin keep changing. You are forced to track a moving target, time your shots, and transition quickly between plates while the whole system is in motion. Miss a plate and the star keeps spinning. Hit them in the wrong order and it can speed up or reverse direction on you.
This is exactly why the Texas Star is so effective. Static paper or even regular steel plates let you settle into a rhythm. The Texas Star destroys that rhythm on purpose. It trains the exact skills that matter in competition and real-world shooting: target acquisition under movement, rapid transitions, and maintaining accuracy while things are changing.
Competitive shooters in 3-Gun and USPSA face Texas Stars regularly for this reason. Law enforcement trainers use them because bad guys don’t stand still. Recreational shooters love them because once you start knocking plates off a spinning star, ordinary targets feel boring.
Texas Star Specs
- Plates: Five 8-inch diameter × 3/8-inch thick SR500 ballistic steel
- Hub Diameter: 48 inches
- Overall Height: Approximately 6 feet 2 inches when assembled
- Shaft: Stainless steel for weather resistance
- Bearings: Industrial-grade sealed pillow bearings (maintenance-free)
- Assembly: Single 1/2-inch bolt — roughly 10 minutes with a 5/8-inch wrench
- Reset Time: About 20 seconds for one person to reset all five plates
- Caliber Rating: Handguns, rifles, and shotguns (buckshot)
- Minimum Distance: 10 yards (handguns) / 100 yards (rifles)
- Weight: Approximately 140+ lbs fully assembled
- Made In: USA (King, North Carolina)
Durability
Shooting Targets USA builds the Texas Star from SR500 steel, which is harder and more impact-resistant than standard AR500. The 3/8-inch plates and arms are designed for high-volume use and stand up to repeated hits from common pistol and rifle calibers when proper distances are observed. The stainless shaft and sealed bearings are built to handle outdoor conditions without constant maintenance. This is a commercial-grade target meant to last for years of serious training rather than a season or two.
Who Gets the Most Out of This Target?
The Texas Star is ideal for:
- Competitive shooters (especially 3-Gun and USPSA) who need realistic moving-target practice
- Law enforcement and tactical trainers who want to force students to engage moving threats
- Serious recreational shooters who have outgrown static steel and paper
- Anyone who wants to improve speed, transitions, and accuracy under pressure
If you only shoot once or twice a year and just want something that rings when you hit it, a simple gong will do the job. If you want a target that actively makes you a better shooter every time you run it, the Texas Star is one of the best tools available.
Final Thoughts
The Shooting Targets USA Texas Star turns ordinary range time into real skill-building. It is simple to set up, quick to reset, extremely durable, and challenging in the best possible way. As part of the 100th Day of Silence grand-finale package, it gives the winner a training tool that will keep paying dividends long after the suppressors and firearms are zeroed.
Entry for the two-day finale is free and runs from 6:00 AM CT on Friday, July 24 through 10:00 PM CT on Saturday, July 25, 2026. One winner takes the entire package — including this Texas Star.
How to Enter
Entry to the gun giveaway is free and takes seconds. The window opens Friday, July 24 at 6:00 AM CT and closes Saturday, July 25 at 10:00 PM CT. Enter using the official entry form on the 100th Day of Silence finale page. One winner receives the Texas Star and every other prize in the package. All giveaways require a separate entry.
No purchase necessary. 21+. U.S. residents only, except residents of CA, DE, HI, IL, MA, NJ, NY, RI, FL, and DC. All giveaways require a separate entry. Winners posted to the Winners Page and emailed the following day. See Official Rules: popularsuppressors.com/official-rules/. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Shooting Targets USA Texas Star?
It is a rotating reactive steel target with five 8-inch SR500 plates on a 48-inch hub; hitting a plate unbalances the star and makes it spin.
What steel is it made from?
The plates are 3/8-inch SR500 ballistic steel.
What firearms can I use on it?
It is rated for handguns, rifles, and shotgun buckshot, with minimum distances of 10 yards for handguns and 100 yards for rifles.
What is the MSRP?
The MSRP is $1,199.99.
How fast can it be reset?
One person can reset all five plates in about 20 seconds by lifting each spring and reseating the plate.
Where is it made?
It is made in King, North Carolina, USA.
How much does it cost to enter the giveaway?
Nothing. Entry is completely free, and no purchase is necessary.
Who is eligible to enter?
U.S. residents, 21 years of age or older, except residents of CA, DE, HI, IL, MA, NJ, NY, RI, FL, and DC. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.
How is the target delivered to the winner?
The Texas Star ships directly to the winner as a standard product.
How and when is the winner notified?
Winners are posted to the Winners Page, and emailed the following day. Winners must return a signed affidavit by physical mail to Brand Avalanche Media, Inc., 4343 16th St #161, Moline, IL 61265.
Related reading
- The best reactive steel targets for 2026
- Action Target: reactive range games
- Make plinking great again: target game series
- Enter The 100th Day of Silence — the full $12,000+ package
- Shooting Targets USA Texas Star product page
This Texas Star is one of sixteen prizes in the finale of Silencer Central’s 100 Days of Silence — 200 suppressors given away across 100 days, April 17 – July 25, 2026.
Disclosure: Silencer Central is the anchor sponsor of the 100 Days of Silence campaign under a flat paid sponsorship arrangement. This is not an affiliate or commission relationship. Editorial content reflects independent author analysis.
{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”Shooting Targets USA Texas Star”,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:”Shooting Targets USA”},”image”:”FEATURED_IMAGE_URL”,”description”:”A rotating reactive steel target with five 8-inch SR500 plates on a 48-inch hub, rated for handguns, rifles, and shotgun buckshot.”,”additionalProperty”:[{“@type”:”PropertyValue”,”name”:”Plates”,”value”:”Five 8 in, 3/8 in thick”},{“@type”:”PropertyValue”,”name”:”Steel”,”value”:”SR500 ballistic steel”},{“@type”:”PropertyValue”,”name”:”Hub diameter”,”value”:”48 in”},{“@type”:”PropertyValue”,”name”:”Rated for”,”value”:”Handgun, rifle, shotgun buckshot”},{“@type”:”PropertyValue”,”name”:”Origin”,”value”:”Made in USA”}],”offers”:{“@type”:”Offer”,”price”:”1199.99″,”priceCurrency”:”USD”,”url”:”https://shootingtargetsusa.com/shooting-targets-usas-texas-star/”,”availability”:”https://schema.org/InStock”},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”reviewRating”:{“@type”:”Rating”,”ratingValue”:”5″,”bestRating”:”5″},”author”:{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”James Nicholas”},”reviewBody”:”A durable, self-resetting reactive steel target that turns any range day into a moving-target drill.”}}
{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”FAQPage”,”mainEntity”:[{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What is the Shooting Targets USA Texas Star?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”It is a rotating reactive steel target with five 8-inch SR500 plates on a 48-inch hub; hitting a plate unbalances the star and makes it spin.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What steel is it made from?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”The plates are 3/8-inch SR500 ballistic steel.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What firearms can I use on it?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”It is rated for handguns, rifles, and shotgun buckshot, with minimum distances of 10 yards for handguns and 100 yards for rifles.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What is the MSRP?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”The MSRP is $1,199.99.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”How fast can it be reset?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”One person can reset all five plates in about 20 seconds by lifting each spring and reseating the plate.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Where is it made?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”It is made in King, North Carolina, USA.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”How much does it cost to enter the giveaway?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Nothing. Entry is completely free, and no purchase is necessary.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Who is eligible to enter?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”U.S. residents, 21 years of age or older, except residents of CA, DE, HI, IL, MA, NJ, NY, RI, FL, and DC. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”How is the target delivered to the winner?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”The Texas Star ships directly to the winner as a standard product.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”How and when is the winner notified?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Winners are posted to the Winners Page, and emailed the following day. Winners must return a signed affidavit by physical mail to Brand Avalanche Media, Inc., 4343 16th St #161, Moline, IL 61265.”}}]}
{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”HowTo”,”name”:”How to enter The 100th Day of Silence”,”description”:”Enter the free grand-finale gun giveaway to win a Shooting Targets USA Texas Star and a $12,000+ package in Silencer Central’s 100 Days of Silence.”,”totalTime”:”PT2M”,”supply”:[{“@type”:”HowToSupply”,”name”:”An email address”}],”step”:[{“@type”:”HowToStep”,”position”:1,”name”:”Visit the finale page”,”text”:”Open the 100th Day of Silence finale page on PopularSuppressors.com.”},{“@type”:”HowToStep”,”position”:2,”name”:”Enter your email”,”text”:”In the official entry form, enter your email.”},{“@type”:”HowToStep”,”position”:3,”name”:”Complete any entry actions”,”text”:”Each visit-a-page or follow-a-social action is an additional entry — all giveaways require a separate entry.”},{“@type”:”HowToStep”,”position”:4,”name”:”Wait for the close time”,”text”:”The giveaway closes at 10:00 PM CT Saturday, July 25, 2026.”},{“@type”:”HowToStep”,”position”:5,”name”:”Check the Winners Page”,”text”:”Winners are posted to popularsuppressors.com/winners/ and emailed the following day.”}]}
Reader Favorites
Firearms reference desk
Plain-English references worth bookmarking — the gear terms behind every review, plus NFA and carry law.
| Term | Category |
|---|---|
| Striker-fired | Action |
| MOA | Optics |
| Twist rate | Ballistics |
30 gun, ammo and optics terms explained in plain English.
Open the glossary → Network| 2026 at a glance | |
|---|---|
| NFA tax stamp | $0 |
| Permitless carry | 29 states |
| Suppressors legal | 42 states |
50+ NFA, carry and gun-law terms, from Freedom's Lodge.
View full chart →
