#Targets

Advanced Target Technologies has just released a Simunition/UTM version of their Lumatic Target Plates. The system is designed for target designation and hit notification with sensors that display information via self healing LED lights. The Sim/UTM Lumatic Targets complement ATT’s current system for live fire training available here. Details, links and information can be found below.

In the past, I’ve seen this debate all over, whether it’s online or in a gun store. There is a common misconception that you are only allowed to shoot paper or steel and one MUST be better than the other. The truth is both paper and steel targets have advantages. Both can be beneficial for new and experienced shooters so we will walk through the Pros and Cons with each.

Recent news from the Department of Defense has shown that the 2nd Marine Law Enforcement Battalion, based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina has been working with Marine Corps Systems Command in testing a new target system that the Marine Corps could possibly purchase and integrate into marksmanship qualifications. Although the DOD imagery was very discrete about where the targets were from, not mentioning the company name or showing them up-close, the Australian-based company Marathon Robotics Corporation made it clear that 2nd LEB was indeed testing their moving target systems through a post on their Facebook page.

Steel Targets can be an awesome addition to any training regime, whether it be for self-defense, long distance shooting, any sort of competition, or just plain bragging rights at the range with buddies. Due to their reactive “CLANG”, steel targets give shooters instant feedback on whether or not the fundamentals are being properly applied. But with that great training value comes some responsibility. Especially when it comes to safety precautions. Shooting at steel isn’t like shooting at paper or cardboard targets. There are chances of fragments or even whole bullets coming right back at you due to various factors involved. Distance from the targets is one of them, design of the targets is another. Wearing eye protection and having a proper medical kit on standby is certainly good advice when working with any sort of steel.

Recently, after a successful week of hunting in the Tyrol region of Austria, I had a free day to spare before my flight.  While visiting some friends in Kufstein, I toured the Festung Kufstein, or Kufstein Fortress.  If one is traveling to Bavaria, Tyrol, or South Tyrol and are going anywhere near Innsbruck, the Festung Kufstein is worth a stop (just don’t forget to purchase a vignette toll sticker before entering Austria!).  Though better known for having the world’s largest outdoor pipe organ, the fortress has some pretty great arms-related exhibits.  Tucked away in a tower was one exhibit in particular that I found fascinating:  hand-painted targets of the 19th and twentieth century.

Birchwood Casey offers a wide range of targets that brightly mark shots as the bullet passes through the paper. Called Shoot-N-C, the targets offer instant feedback for shooters and can make a first time range trip much more enjoyable for both kids and adults. For those of us that have been around the block a few times, it can still aid greatly in spotting where the bullets are going.

The “Izzy” Diplomatic Security Qualification (DS-Q) target is currently in active usage by a number of U.S. Government Law Enforcement entities but is primarily used by the U.S. State Department Diplomatic Security Service (shortened to DS for Diplomatic Security). In an extension of the DS role, there are a number of security contractors that supplement DS agents overseas and must qualify on firearms in use by Diplomatic Security services such as the M4 platform, Glock 19, Remington 870, and the AKM rifle. For these qualifications, the “Izzy” target is used extensively. The target depicts a man in a striped shirt with jeans on, holding an AKM, with a huge handlebar mustache looking very tired. Within the target are barely visible dotted lines that categorize the profile into point zones. Center mass is 5, while 4 is around the shoulders, head and crouch, and then 3 is the outer line of the entire profile. There are two versions of the target, one that comes in a paper form and another that comes in a cardboard cutout version wherein you can have just a silhouette stapled to a stick, stuck in the ground.

When people head to the range simple paper targets just do not cut it anymore. We need something more interactive. More exciting. More reactive. Champion Traps & Targets understands this like many shooting sports companies and is adjusting accordingly. Their line of Visicolor targets has some new additions to hopefully get people headed to the range.

This is something I saw while walking down the aisles of the NRA Annual Meeting. MegaBoom target by Do All Outdoors.

Last year, Triumph Systems made their debut at Big 3 East in October 2015. Jared Ogden, CEO, co-founder of Triumph systems and a former Navy SEAL, showed us a prototype of his Pivotal Trainer. It was raw and unrefined but the potential it showed was exciting. The prototype did as advertised. It holds a shoot/no-shoot target and there is a motor that spins the target to show the edge profile or either side. The motor is controlled wireless by a remote. You can manually choose which side to show the shooter or you can set it to automatically rotate. What we did not get to see was the final product.

Intelligent Target Systems has a slogan that neatly summarizes their newest addition to their product line: “We don’t always know what you’re up to…but we know what you’re up against.” And while the premise behind their slogan is simple – and true – not every industry business out there follows it. Basically, it means it takes a gun guy to know what other gun guys need. Keeping this in mind, companies should have experienced shooters designing their products. Furthermore, those shooters should be well-versed in the specific area of shooting they’re working in whether shotguns, handguns, hunting, or self-defense. In the case of Intelligent Target Systems’ new Air Rack ‘Em Up system, if you’re a rifle shooter with an interest in long-range shooting, you should take a closer look at these targets.

There was a time not so long ago that long-range shooters had to have a second set of really expensive glass and typically a friend to call shots are long-range. It turned long-range shooting into a group activity, allowing friends to share experiences, and other sappy things. But, that often communal activity required said friend and in today’s fast-paced world getting schedules to line up is a problem.

If there’s one thing I enjoy changing up when I head to the range it’s my targets. And if there’s a company out there with a wide variety of targets available, it’s Birchwood Casey. If you have access to a shooting spot that allows steel targets, Birchwood Casey has quite a few options in that category. There’s one in particular that’s fun for use with everything from airguns to centerfire, though, and that’s their Shoot-N-Spin.

Target practice isn’t just fun, it’s a vital part of honing your marksmanship skills. Of course, target practice is a lot more interesting when the targets are more than plain white sheets of paper. Enter Birchwood Casey, the company whose Shoot-N-C targets make the classic bulls-eye style significantly more interesting. Now they’re adding targets to their Dirty Bird lineup: three new targets for 2016.

Thanks to George for sending this our way.