How well does a shot timer work on an indoor range where other shooters are on the line? I imagine not very well, but I could be wrong. I currently do not own one and I would like to get one and start using it at the indoor range I go to but if it’s not going to work well I would rather spend my money on ammo instead. I have used a timer extensively in the past, but every time I have been on a timer I was the only one firing so obviously it was not an issue.
It won’t work so good if other people are going to be shooting at the same time as you, as it detects concusive type noises (shots) and will not discriminate between your shots and those of other persons.
If you’re shooting by yourself, no problem with that, but you’ll notice it probably picks up echos. Let’s say you fire 10 rounds. You may see the timer showing 20 shots. The extra shots indicated are the echos.
Some timers (CED 8000) have a mic adjustment setting. Try reducing the sensitivity of the mic that to reduce the recording of echoes.
My particular timer does not have such an adjustment and it records echos as another shot .1 sec after the actual shot, so I deduct .1 sec from the time indicated to get the true time of my drill.
Hope that helps
I’ve owned a PACT MKIV timer for an year now, and, sadly, this has been a biggest waste of money that I spent on training/equipment so far. I understand that, theoretically, timers are very important as one can’t objectively measure one’s progress without timer. Practically, I can’t use it for anything other than “start” beep since it detects shots coming from all lines. The ranges I use - two indoors and one outdoors - are almost never empty so in a year of owning the timer I’ve used it for no more than 4-5 times. I haven’t even gotten proficient with using it 'cause I don’t get to use it, and I always - 100% of the time - bring it to the range just in case opportunity presents. Apparently, PACT timers have sensitivity adjustment screw, and I did try to work it, but it didn’t help at all. So, in my experience with this particular timer, unless you’re shooting alone, don’t bother.
I’ve used timers indoors and out and this is what I’ve learned.
If you have multiple shooters when you are practicing, you need to use the PAR feature to time your drills. Figure out what your time goal is for your drill and set your par time. You will know if you beat the time or not when you hear the 2nd beep. It’s not a good as practicing alone but better than guessing at your times.
As far as echos indoors, it’s a function of shot dead time and shot sensitivity. On my Competition Electronics Pocket Pro 2, I can set both to what I want.
I have in the past used layers of masking tape (cheap version of pasters) over the mic on my old timers to make them less sensitive. Also, putting the timer in different positions helped somewhat. (on the bench, on my belt side, on my belt in back, etc.)
If it gets too noisy and the timer’s not working out, I just turn it off and do some other drills. It’s better to concentrate on shooting than to get frustrated playing with a timer. It’s like worrying about where every single piece of brass goes. It doesn’t help your shooting and just frustrates you.
Gringop
PAR feature is what I’ve used, and it may work if there are not too many shooters; when frequency of fire is high, even PAR didn’t work well.
I’ve experimented with tape - didn’t work well; somebody alluded to that it even may make things worse.
I certainly hope that technology evolves to make this a non-issue.
I use a shot timer occasionally on a live line with as many as fourteen other people shooting everything from .22’s to .460 Weatherbys at the same time, indoors. You need to get one that has a sensitivity setting adequate for your environment and you need to accept that sometimes it will just be too loud to use it as a timer.
In those instances, you can still use it for PAR time, which has all sorts of benefits anyway. Set the PAR for 2 seconds and see how many hits you can get on a sheet of paper or 8" circle when drawing from concealment. Write that number down and see what kind of progress you make over a month or year.
If the range is so loud that you cannot hear the beeps, then you’re screwed. Find a louder timer.
I shoot frequently at an Indoor range and find the largest problem to be the other shooters making it impossible to hear the beep. You can work out the splits depending on how much other shooting is going on and many times, I have found myself just putting the thing off to the side and running a markemanship type drill rather than a timed one. I turn the sensitivity way down so only the shooters right next to me with major calibers or rifle shooters are all that trip the timer.
Been trying to figure out a way to run an ear plug under my sordins but I haven’t taken the time to get the parts I need.
I try to time my visits when you have a small number of other shooters and my best days are when Im alone.
Todd, could you let me know which timer you suggest for said situation? I would rather not pay $300, but I WOULD like to be using a timer again.
deco – You’re the second person who’s asked today. 
I’ve been very happy with mine and it’s run well from one end of the continent to the other when teaching. But as I mentioned in the other thread, an agency I’ve dealt with had enough problems with their 7000’s that they stopped using them. The major complaint was durability, but I have no idea how they treated them or what kind of use the timers were getting day to day.
Having said that, if I were to buy a new timer today, odds are it would be the CED 7000.
Hmm, have to check out my timer later, but I wonder if any of them have a speaker-out jack? If so, you could run an audio output from the timer into an audio input on your ears (assuming you have Sordins or other ears with an audio input jack)
I’ve used one plenty of times. Mine is an ancient CED model (“Pocket Pro,” I think) and after a couple of visits I got the sensitivity adjustment right.
Usually, the factory setting will pick up too many other people’s shots, and shooters get frustrated trying to tune others out. My advice is to start by turning the sensitivity all the way down, and gradually turn it up until it reliably picks up your shots.
As Todd said, you have to accept that sometimes it’ll pick up some other shots, depending on what the person is shooting and how close. You can’t expect to use a timer when shooting your .22 and not expect it to pick up the guy with a muzzle braked .300 Win. Mag at the next station.
On the other hand, I only use mine when shooting 9mm, and it generally won’t pick up other handguns in the .38/9mm/.45 class, even at the next booth. It’ll pick up .357 Magnum or similar rounds a couple booths away, .223 a little farther, and .308 or 12-ga. slug rounds anywhere on the range.
The real problem is when the shooter in the next booth is someone with really fast split times (like, oh, Todd, for example) whose shots drown out the starting beep. Sometimes you just have to time your drills for when the other guy is reloading…
Note to self: work on speeding up my reloads.
If you’re doing that, I’d better figure out how to work the turning targets …
I really hope I don’t come off as some sort of a fanboy here, and to help avoid that I’ll confess right up front that I haven’t used it as much as Todd, for example, but…
I use the free shot timer app on my iPhone. I know, I know- it probably sounds really dumb. Believe me, I’m not advocating you go out and buy the phone. What I am saying is that SureFire put together an insanely useful free application. And for that matter, it’s the only add-on “app” I’ve used that isn’t gimmicky or craptacular.
It’s got a randomizing feature, so the starting beep isn’t predictable. The sensitivity adjustments make it very easy to “dial out” other shooters and keep it to just my booth, and it’s never picked up echo… so far, anyway. I use it at an indoor range with no ill effects. The best part is, I can email myself the results. Using that feature combined with the camera, I can keep a digital log of my speed vs. accuracy (which is sometimes very embarrassing) and have it waiting for me on my home computer.
This is the first shot timer I’ve ever used, so I could be way, WAY off on how useful it actually is. Just thought I’d chime in since I use it almost exclusively at an indoor range. Hope my $0.02 helps…
It’s very easy once you see it. We can link up sometime and I’ll show you. You’ll have it all down in under a minute guaranteed. BTW, the test range next door has a new system they’re evaluating which will allow you to control the edge and face times both to the tenth of a second.
I have it and have tried it, but for whatever reason I cannot get the sensitivity right. It will pick up shots from other people but won’t “hear” my shots right there in the booth. Otherwise, it really does seem like a fantastic app. I never think to use it when teaching outdoors, though, so haven’t tried it beyond the walls of the indoor range.