Moving Target Training

[Gun Wielding Maniac]

I'm looking for suggestions as to how to implement moving targets in my training routine. I havent got much in the way of resources. I can only shoot at the range and my range is the traditional 500 meter one, with a variety of lanes to shoot in. Fortunately, the owner is not picky about shooting targets on the ground or shooting unconventional targets.

Any suggestions? I'm looking for something practical, affordable, but also useful. At first they would be slowly moving targets, but I'm hoping to work my way up to targets moving at about the pace of a running person.

 

[ID_shooting]

Go get a CHEAP RC car at walmart or radio shack, one with good big tires and lots of ground clearance. Tie a ballon to the antenna. Have a buddy drive the car around on the range while you try to shoot the ballon.

Expirience tells me that people will laugh at first but then all will start to beg to let them get a shot off or two.

 

[tuna]

Balloons? Cheap and easy to set up, a gentle breeze will sway them. For faster moving targets, go on REAL windy days.
A pendulum type would seem easy to make, but can't think of an easy and cheap way to get it to start rocking.

Its a start until you get better and need faster targets.

 

[X-Rap]

They sell small disposable helium tanks at party supply stores. It gives a little more action and keeps the ballon away from the car. Tie the string shorter than the height of back stops.

 

[Odd Job]

You could make it interesting: draw a chalk line at the back of the range. If the guy controlling the RC can get the car there with an intact balloon, you gotta buy him a beer. If you pop the balloon before the car gets to the line, he buys you one. If you get really good, they can up the number of cars. If one car makes it safe, you have to buy ALL the drivers a beer (after the competition has ended of course)

 

[roo_ster]

Odd Job:

That sounds like a hoot.

 

[BullfrogKen]

We've come up with many ways to make targets move. But, I need to know about your range set-up and rules before I can suggest any that might work. We've gone as far as pulleys, bicycles frames and motors, and other elaborate methods in our shoothouses. But, unless you can make the kind of alterations we do, they won't help.

 

[Henry Bowman]

I've seen the RC car thing done with two balloons, Red for bad guy, yellow for hostage. You have to hit one and not the other. Even more fun. You can set up cardboard "cover" so that you cannot take a shot when the balloon is covered.

 

[imprezagm4]

^ It was on a history channel show on Snipers, if I remember correctly, they were talking about the San Jose SWAT team.

Sounds very fun, may have to try it, very soon!

 

[ChCx91]

Go get a CHEAP RC car at walmart or radio shack, one with good big tires and lots of ground clearance. Tie a ballon to the antenna. Have a buddy drive the car around on the range while you try to shoot the ballon.

ahahahaha

thats hilarious fellas. sounds adorable but actually might work...ahahah this gave me a good laugh

 

[mpmarty]

We just mount targets inside old tires and roll them down the side berms at various angles and distances

 

[JMusic]

I like having a friend toss a 3 lb coffee can across the ground. The movement is a little more chaotic than the balloons. If you do use balloons use 1/4 inch dowell rods to keep the balloons up.

Jim

 

[sm]

*sigh*
I are old
Back when the Earth was flat, except having to walk uphill to and fro skool barefoot in the summertime...

We didn't have RC cars, even if they had, we couldn't afford them.

-You folks know what a tire swing is? Toss a rope over a tree limb and tie a tire to it to swing on? Well cardboard boxes we had, so, we started shooting moving cardboard boxes suspended by a rope like a tire swing. We learned with .22 pistols and rifles, and used cardboard so insure the bullets would not bounce back. Safety always - hard tires do bounce bullets.

-Clotheslines, tether-ball poles set in cement filled old tires, same deal for badmittion...

Run a clothesline cord between two poles with a piece of discarded garden hose on this cord. Attached to the garden hose on each end was a ring, and rings in the center to attach a cardboard target.

Fishing line tied to the rings. Yeah, two guys with fishing rods/reels standing back safe, reeling in/ letting out/ reeling in moving this target back and forth.

Hey, we didn't have to rely on batteries - gimme a break here.

-Tueller Drill. Except we did not know it was a Tueller Drill , as Tueller had not happened yet.

Basically we wanted a charging target. Just rope up higher , be it one of them poles, or tree, and other end staked to the ground. Again rig this up where it "pegged" to stay put, until someone back with shooter safe, snatched the cord, removing peg, and anything from trash can lids, to plywood, to weighted cardboard box charged at you. We did this from different angles.

-Balloons tied on fences blowing in the wind.

-We got a slew of tennis balls, so folks just started tossing tennis balls, from behind shooter for them to shoot.

We had been tossing tin cans.

One day a fellow showed up with some wind up animal toys. Seems the factory goofed up the fur, and stitching and whatnot. Yeah wind up toys, run back to firing line, and don't shoot the dogs, shoot the cats.

Moving target mean something is moving- right?

Okay, we didn't anything to move to move targets one day, where we were, so we moved. This long before IDPA and such. Duck walking and shooting. Walking a bit faster and shooting. Nobody said you couldn't shoot from a moving vehicle, so we stood in the bed of truck going back and forth shooting targets.

That worked so well, we started shooting from a moving truck bed at moving targets.

Yeah I know, low tech, but it worked then , still works.

I pull little balloons across a safe area with backstop , for kids shooting single shot .22 rifles...using a real old Zebco 202 rod and reel fishing combo.

 

[Steve Wynn]

Use an old garage door opener. Turn the unit upside down and construct a fixture to hold a target frame. You can either operate it via the remote or use the push button tethered tot the unit by bell wire.

Steve

 

[sm]

Old sheet of plywood, hole in enter, mounted on a pipe and spin it real hard.

Attach a target to shoot , like a balloon or a taped target to board itself.