Is this a "BS" target?

[kevin c]

I went ahead and used the single stripe hard cover targets in this weekend's IDPA match. The scenario was an undercover drug buy in a gentlemen's club gone bad. Lots of grins, a few misses, but not as many as you might think. The targets were at about 7 yards, and were taken SHO from cover (static, not on the move), and required three hits each (there were three of them). I think it helped that most folks had to take a little time to aim SHO.

[gino_aki]

Just for kicks (and maybe if I'm feeling especially evil), what do you guys think of a "hard cover lattice fence."

25% of the A zone is available. It never says it has to be all in one section.

I know pasting and scoring would be kind of a pain in the ass. I figure if you paste then tape the lines it wouldn't be too bad. Just an extra step and a bunch of tape.

How would you guys shoot something like this? I think if they were far enough that you couldn't clearly see your hits a lot of people would hose them and totally destroy their reload plan by running dry early from makeup shots. I might have to consider taking the time to pick a square and aim 2 good hits in it vs blasting it with 4 rounds and hoping for the best.

Now that's a BS target. Thoughts?

We use "punch plate" shaker screens in our crushing plant that would give you that exact target presentation...and it's made up of steel that's AR500 or better...I could send you one of our discarded ones, but the shipping might be prohibitive....

Hmmm...I am running the matches this month....

No circles and squares please

Naww...been there done that...diamonds and triangles are where it's at now....

[Don Springer]

I have no problem with this target. Looks pretty simple to me. Align sights right over the black bar dead center of the A and pick up 2 d's.

[gino_aki]

With five pages of comments this probably has been beat to death but here is a diagram for a stage I'm playing around with for this weekend. Noting the stage title I'd say this was a "legitimate" use of a "BS" target.

Cell Block B.ppt

[Tizzo]

I think it'd be fun, especially if it were Virginia count.

[Flexmoney]

Zombies:

[Sin-ster]

Zombies:

Yeah, but the frags/splatter off the rebar could be enough to punch right through their rotting flesh!

And everyone knows that a zombie on the other side of a fence or barricade is just a waste of ammo!

[aeropb]

if it has a scoring zone you should be good to go.

[Skydiver]

Aeropb's avatar would make for an interesting hardcover pattern specially on the Classic (aka amoeba, turtle) targets, Just make sure the inner circle provides at least 25% of the A-zone. I would be generous and give about 33-50%.

Even more sick and twisted would be to vary the angle of the classic target from 10:30 through 1:30 clock positions, but always keep the symbol vertical.

Edited March 16, 2012 by Skydiver

[aeropb]

hell yeah thats an awesome idea! I'm gonna make a stencil and see if I can get that ball rolling

[Inkman]

Aeropb's avatar would make for an interesting hardcover pattern specially on the Classic (aka amoeba, turtle) targets, Just make sure the inner circle provides at least 25% of the A-zone. I would be generous and give about 33-50%.

Even more sick and twisted would be to vary the angle of the classic target from 10:30 through 1:30 clock positions, but always keep the symbol vertical.

I like it!! Would make for some fun shooting and steer people into having to AIM

Al

[gardnerxx]

Handsome guy in the first pic!!!! I had to pick up the last shot, but don't know why I shot it strong hand only.... I think because I was moving... It was a fun stage.

Sherm

I shot a match today. I designed a stage for the match. I used 11 metric targets, six mini poppers and 1 steel plate. Two of my metric targets had a 1.5-inch-wide strip of hard cover vertically down the center of the main A zone and lower C and D zones. I arrived today at the match and was somberly informed by the more experienced designers who run the match, that the target design was, shall I say, a poor one. I was told it would "never be allowed at a level 2 match." I was told to "think about the new shooters." I was told it is a "bs target design." My responses were that the targets were 12- and 23-foot shots, and that the targets test a shooters control of their sight picture/ target alignment at speed. This entire exchange bothered me because I LIKE these targets but I recognize that I might be wrong about their validity. I'd like to hear from a broader USPSA audience. Below are photos of both targets in the stage. You can plainly see the limit lines defining how close you can get to each target. What say you?

[lawboy]

LOL. Not only handsome, stylish to boot!

Edited March 19, 2012 by lawboy

[Eric_Vmax]

Looks good to me, but what happens with and edge hit?

[Skydiver]

Looks good to me, but what happens with and edge hit?

Same rules apply. Pull out the overlay and see if the bullet diameter touches the scoring zone.

[joecichlid]

Legal and looks like a lot of fun!

I ran the all blacked out but the a-zone target at a Level-III match. Actually, the whole stage was 15 or so of those targets.

Our local MD ran your stripe at our Level-I match...except he had more than one stripe.

Flex, I have seen targets that looked like Eddy Van Halen's guitar from back in the day. LOL

Joe W.

[torrpd]

I like it

[LRRP]

The people complaining said "what about new people"....well I'm new and don't know all the rules, but looks like fun to me. In fact, as a new shooter I might take offense to their comment. Because I'm "new" does that mean I can't negotiate a hardcover strip? Everybody has to shoot the same target...right?...just deal with it.

[mikeg1005]

The strip down the middle is kind of pointless IMHO... I'd aim at that target just the same, but slightly off to the side.

The A zone only targets... Making them headshots would make it "complaint proof" and it require even greater skill than what they were then. A full A zone at 7 or less yards really isn't THAT hard of a target to hit, and while it will require someone to aim better, it will not accomplish the goal of testing accuracy like a long distance plate/target, or closer distance head shot only target.

Plus, like mentioned, having mulitple scoring zones avaliable(A and B ) keeps the major/minor scoring fair/how it was designed to be.

In all honesty... I think the last open array of 12 targets is more annoying than the first 5 targets.

MIke.

Edited May 30, 2012 by mikeg1005

[HoMiE]

I don't agree with this target presentation or use of hard cover strips to break up scoring area. I know it's not in rule book but I think they should add that the scoring area should be contigous. The use of stripes or multipe stripes across scoring area doesn't nothing but make it a game of chance or luck. I'm sure that's why you would never see targets like this at a level II match or higher.

[Braxton1]

Small bits of hard cover (one stripe or so, like the OP's targets) are O.K. IMHO. Doing the "Eddie Van Halen's guitar from the 80s" really doesn't serve a purpose besides promoting "spray n' pray".

I shot a match in the early 90s at Hurlburt Field, Florida. One of the stages was called "Iraq-nophobia", combining the popular-at-the-time motion picture title with the then-happening conflict in Kuwait. Every shoot target had a 6X6" square no-shoot smack dab in the middle of the lower A. Those were detonators. So the no-shoots represented inanimate objects that you didn't want to hit, as opposed to the normal supposition of "good guys". Great stage; incredible amount of no-shoots hit. You'll instinctively aim at the center of a target unless you're really working at it.

[lef-t]

I don't agree with this target presentation or use of hard cover strips to break up scoring area. I know it's not in rule book but I think they should add that the scoring area should be contigous. The use of stripes or multipe stripes across scoring area doesn't nothing but make it a game of chance or luck. I'm sure that's why you would never see targets like this at a level II match or higher.

I'll admit that you could place the stripes in a way that it becomes a lucky shot if you make it in a narrow space. What can be interesting is if you use the stripes to obscure the position of the scoring zones. If you don't center the stripes, it becomes a challenge for the shooter to determine point of aim on an asymmetrical target.

Also, you don't have to keep the target vertical. Tilting the target while keeping the bars vertical creates some interesting aim points, as does putting multiple targets in an array.

[Braxton1]

I'll admit that you could place the stripes in a way that it becomes a lucky shot if you make it in a narrow space. What can be interesting is if you use the stripes to obscure the position of the scoring zones. If you don't center the stripes, it becomes a challenge for the shooter to determine point of aim on an asymmetrical target.

Also, you don't have to keep the target vertical. Tilting the target while keeping the bars vertical creates some interesting aim points, as does putting multiple targets in an array.

Oh dear Lord!!! That looks like World War II battleship camouflage. That would be a visual nightmare, but it'd make you think!

[canuk]

What's the world coming to!! Ha Ha.. You guys are creative. Keep it up.

[ffl]

I don't agree with this target presentation or use of hard cover strips to break up scoring area. I know it's not in rule book but I think they should add that the scoring area should be contigous. The use of stripes or multipe stripes across scoring area doesn't nothing but make it a game of chance or luck. I'm sure that's why you would never see targets like this at a level II match or higher.

How does aiming your shot make it a game of chance or luck.

Seems to me that shooting as fast as you can point and pull the trigger without regard to sight picture is luck or chance.