SteelShooten Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 What is the best way to rig an MGM Star (Whirly Gig) for a spinning start? On an Ashton star, its pretty straightforward: A weight with a tether is hung from the end of one spoke by a pin (fits into the open end) and a strut is propped under the spoke below it. A prop pulls the strut... Gravity does what it does, starting the spin. During the first rotation the pin slips out, freeing the star...and the air is filled with colorful metaphors. Another club enjoyed the invective enough to try this on their turf -but- they have borrowed an MGM target, which uses a different bracket. What's the right way to set this up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Miles Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 We just have a barbell weight we hang on one of the arms (3:00 o'clock position) and a stick with a rope that is pulled by a popper. Star has to be activated before shooting (WSB). Try adding a no shoot or two in front of the star in various positions. You'll be the most hated guy for the day. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyburg Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelShooten Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share Posted October 6, 2011 We just have a barbell weight we hang on one of the arms (3:00 o'clock position) and a stick with a rope that is pulled by a popper. Star has to be activated before shooting (WSB). Try adding a no shoot or two in front of the star in various positions. You'll be the most hated guy for the day. Pat Right. Just how is the weight hung from the arm so that it slides away without disturbing the plate on that arm? The shooters who have trained themselves to zig zag down the star already have choice names for us anyway. We had them engage the "death" star through a tall but narrow vertical port that obscured at least half of the star at any given time. Judicious use of sand bags (backing the port) kept them honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmorris Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 I built one that is powered by an old windshield wiper motor. Zero setup time, except for the plates themselves, very consistant and faster spin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Try adding a no shoot or two in front of the star in various positions. You'll be the most hated guy for the day. These have to be metal no shoots unless you want to be giving reshoots all day long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Miles Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Try adding a no shoot or two in front of the star in various positions. You'll be the most hated guy for the day. These have to be metal no shoots unless you want to be giving reshoots all day long. Why would that be? Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz-0 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 We just have a barbell weight we hang on one of the arms (3:00 o'clock position) and a stick with a rope that is pulled by a popper. Star has to be activated before shooting (WSB). Try adding a no shoot or two in front of the star in various positions. You'll be the most hated guy for the day. Pat Right. Just how is the weight hung from the arm so that it slides away without disturbing the plate on that arm? The shooters who have trained themselves to zig zag down the star already have choice names for us anyway. We had them engage the "death" star through a tall but narrow vertical port that obscured at least half of the star at any given time. Judicious use of sand bags (backing the port) kept them honest. We have put a stack of 5lb barbell weights on the arm itself behind the swell with the dovetail cut in it. My big issue with the MGM version is that you can shoot that part of the arm where the bolts go through, and if your ammo has enough oomph, the plate on that arm falls. Try adding a no shoot or two in front of the star in various positions. You'll be the most hated guy for the day. These have to be metal no shoots unless you want to be giving reshoots all day long. Why would that be? Pat Because the bullet can go through a no shoot and knock a plate off when it should not be a scoring hit. That is range equipment failure, and that is a reshoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelShooten Posted October 7, 2011 Author Share Posted October 7, 2011 (edited) We just have a barbell weight we hang on one of the arms (3:00 o'clock position) and a stick with a rope that is pulled by a popper. Star has to be activated before shooting (WSB). Try adding a no shoot or two in front of the star in various positions. You'll be the most hated guy for the day. Pat Right. Just how is the weight hung from the arm so that it slides away without disturbing the plate on that arm? The shooters who have trained themselves to zig zag down the star already have choice names for us anyway. We had them engage the "death" star through a tall but narrow vertical port that obscured at least half of the star at any given time. Judicious use of sand bags (backing the port) kept them honest. We have put a stack of 5lb barbell weights on the arm itself behind the swell with the dovetail cut in it. My big issue with the MGM version is that you can shoot that part of the arm where the bolts go through, and if your ammo has enough oomph, the plate on that arm falls. Try adding a no shoot or two in front of the star in various positions. You'll be the most hated guy for the day. These have to be metal no shoots unless you want to be giving reshoots all day long. Why would that be? Pat Because the bullet can go through a no shoot and knock a plate off when it should not be a scoring hit. That is range equipment failure, and that is a reshoot. That's why we backed the vision barrier with strategically placed sandbags. They, uh, keep the wind from knocking the wall down. Yup...and stop bullets from getting to the scoring targets during shoot-throughs. Edited to add: Also, steel hardcover for no-shoots would have to be a minimum distance from the shooter. Sandbags did the job just beyond arm's length without risk of splatter. We patched the holes in the sandbags with duct tape and restacked as necessary. Edited October 8, 2011 by SteelShooten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmorris Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 Because the bullet can go through a no shoot and knock a plate off when it should not be a scoring hit. That is range equipment failure, and that is a reshoot. Put them behind. Two gears, a shaft and two pillow blocks along with something that will hold the targets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEH Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 I have a star from both builders and what I ues is a simple bungie cord,,hook it on tne foot and on the arm,you may have to bend the hook some,use a stick,a popper and cord,ues the popper to pull the stick out and bungie cord goes to work,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now