This is a takeoff of an idea that a local area cop and training officer shared with me, that we played around with the other night. We ran into a few issues but first I’ll post the pictures and video.
Some issues we encountered…
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Even with the pin clearly visible, some people still shot low and hit the goddamn stand. One hit the post under it, rendering it useless going forward although allowing us to continue to use the stand for the rest of the test, and one hit the shelf the pin was sitting on.
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Obviously it only takes one “hit” on the pin to drop the target. Perhaps not as realistic as we might like.
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The pin becomes a wear item, and how fast it wears out with the carbine rounds is much greater than with pistol rounds (we only shot it with carbines, 5.56, 7.62x39, and .22 and even the .22 was able to drop it albeit with multiple rapid hits)
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In the S Florida humidity targets can and will bend and warp. While damage from the target hitting the deck is a non-issue, short sticks (throw-aways from the sticks that get shot off?) may be needed as stiffeners.
I am going to work this in to some of our matches, hopefully with multiple targets shot this way, on the move, at a greater distance, to see what’s what.
how about raising the stand behind the target and hanging the pin from a rope/string? it’s still “reactive” but it would take alot more shooter error to kill it.
it should be stated that the goal here is to have a man-sized target that reacts appropriately in that it falls down.
Neat idea. Careful with those pins - pistol rounds can and will bounce back off of them.
Ahhh, that changes my response a bit then.
The reactive targets I’ve shot in the past were about hitting a certain area and continuing to fire until it was hit without seeing it (threat neutralized). Being able to see it takes that part away I guess, but the falling down part is interesting. What about putting it up with another piece of cardboard and no hole in the front. serving both purposes… they can’t see the reactive part of the target and need to continue shooting until it is hit.
This has potential and I’m looking at possibilities. Building a whole bunch of small “shelves” that could be attached to the back of the target would be ideal. Problem being that then you run even more risk of shooters hitting the stand.
Something else that would be nice/potential would be a two-tiered system with something else standing in for the pin and put one in the head and one in the chest such that both need to be hit to drop the target.
Anyone ever shot a softball? Repeatedly? With a rifle?
I don’t know that this would help with rifle calibers, but you might try reinforcing your round bar stock stand by welding a piece of angle iron to the front of it. This will deflect the force of any low hits to the sides and your stand will be more robust.
You could also make a base with a section of rectangular or square tubing. Drop a 2X4 or 4X4 into the tubing and set your pin on top of that. Obviously it’s going to get shot up by low hits, but it should take several before needing to be replaced. That would be cheaper than replacing steel.
I will try to explain this as best I can. If any of this is unlcear let me know and I will explain it a different way.
How we have done reactive targets is as follows:
-Create the base for the target by using two legs of 1"x2" that is roughly 4 feet high and so the legs are far enough apart so an IDPA target can fit between them. These go into your target stand so that when you are facing the target the 1" side of the the legs is facing you.
-Staple a piece of card board connecting both legs on either side of the legs. You should now have a channel that an IDPA target can fall between.
- Cut a 1/2 circle out of each piece of card board so that both line up.
-Punch out the center of the IDPA target. Inflate a balloon to the desired size and pull it through the center of the IDPA target.
-Slide the IDPA target w/ balloon between to two pieces of cardboard. The inflated balloon supports the target in the stand. When the balloon is popped the target falls.
Problems with this
-For a long day, with alot of targets it takes alot of balloons and blowing.
-Balloons are an easy one hit kill.
I have a big shooting comp that I am putting on for dudes at my school and were are looking for a bunch of reactive targets and this just my fit the bill.
Does anyone know if a big piece of 4x4 or 6x6 would react in the same way and allow the target to drop? Or would 5.56 just go straight through without causing the wood to move?
Thanks
PJ
A while back, I went to and RTI (mini National Tactical Invitational) out in Pennsylvania. Those guys were doing a lot of interesting things a long time ago.
Anyway, in one of the shoot houses, they concocted their own reactive targets by using some type of foam rubber for the torso, arms, and head; with a piece of 4x4 vertically oriented in the torso AND - OR the head, all dressed up in regular clothes and with some type of face / hat on it. I think they used coat hanger type wire to give the arms / head some form.
All of that was balanced on a wood stand with about a 6" square platform. Hits through the foam rubber would zing right through. (Which is where I learned NOT to just service a target with two CM and go on…) Any hits to the wood and the target would fall over.
I don’t think these were necessarily easy or simple to make, but the were effective. No scoring rings, though. Its either down or its not.
They made them with different threat cues; i.e. the guy with the bomb only had 4x4 in the head.
I think the Tactical Ted targets were an off shoot of this idea. If one were to suspended the 4x4 behind it with the foam rubber, dressed it all up in old clothes, the same effect might be achieved.
may be these will help
We had discussed those previously within the club, and I had forgotten about them. Combine the ball and/or the block with a good stand design and that has a lot of potential…
thanks for reminding me.
We hang balloons, and tape the targets to that. 
Balloon pops, target falls. (Edited to add): Just tie a long line between two tree’s (Or in our case, two polls in the ground) and hang as many targets off as you’d like.
This lets you use some clever rope and pulley’s, with a counter-weight, so the target can move across the room when you open a door. Moving badguy in a room full of no-shoot targets is great training. (Just make sure the direction of fire in your “Rooms” are facing a backstop.)
For what it’s worth, I’ve done matches with balloon targets before and it’s a nightmare. 10 targets per stage, 3 stages, 25 shooters… 750 balloons!
Yeah, it gets to be a lot.
We only have six shooters, though. And pre-fill balloons.
Just thought I would chime in, for those not wanting to build a stand and whatnot.
Rob, any thoughts to making it spring loaded? It would be relatively easy to do… Hits knock it down but then it will reset itself…