Target Stands - Marking Locations

[BillChunn]

We are starting SC matches on November 20th at Oakland County Sportsman's club in Waterford, MI.  

The matches will be run through the winter but the stages have to be torn down during the spring / summer months so other disciplines can use those ranges.

 

My question is how are you marking the target stand locations when the stage is torn down?

 

Since USPSA and IDPA matches are held on the same ranges, the markers cannot induce trip hazards.  Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.   Pictures would be even better!

 

Thanks in advance.

BC

[outerlimits]

forestry markers.

 

https://cspforestry.com/products/6-stake-chasers-marking-whiskers.html?sku=0200-EA&_vsrefdom=adwords&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjYWs7Kr_8wIVUT2tBh3CxgMxEAsYAiABEgK-SfD_BwE

[Hoops]

19 minutes ago, outerlimits said:

forestry markers.

 

https://cspforestry.com/products/6-stake-chasers-marking-whiskers.html?sku=0200-EA&_vsrefdom=adwords&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjYWs7Kr_8wIVUT2tBh3CxgMxEAsYAiABEgK-SfD_BwE

We use the whiskers as well.  In South Texas, there are year round IDPA and USPSA matches and the whiskers can get a bit beat up so I would recommend ordering extras to replace as necessary.  Set up goes quickly with the markers.  

[shred]

+1 on the whiskers.  You can color-code multiple stages on one bay if you want.  After about 6-12 months of sun the color can get bleached out of them, but it's not hard to whack another one in on top.  Only thing IDK about is how well they stand up to being mowed over.

 

 

[chrsb]

My son and I will be shooting at your match. How many stages you setting up for? At HGC they use magnets and wire hanging from the baffles. That way you get the location and height and don’t need to set up a transom. Next time you shoot at HGC I can show you how they do it. 

Edited November 4, 2021 by chrsb
Added Words

[zzt]

Whiskers are great on stone bays.  If you have grass bays use surveyor's markers.  They are brass usually and hammer in flush.  In a pinch you can hammer in yellow tent pegs flush with the ground.  Buy different colors if you want to shoot multiple classifiers in a bay.

 

Use a laser level to set up the plates the first time.  Then mark the exact length of the 2x4 on the stick.  Label them 1 thru 4 and stop, so if one gets shot up you can make a new one.  Tape the sticks together at the end of the match and mark the tape with the classifier.  If you do all that, setup will be a breeze.

[nso123]

If mud is never an issue in your bays you can use fender washers nailed in the ground. Paint them different colors for different stages.  If mud can be an issue, then go with the whiskers. 

[mchapman]

I would suggest you use the whiskers or flat washers nailed down and then make a "map" of the length of each 2x4 for each stage once you have laser leveled it now you can go back at any time and set up your stages pretty quick. Here is my steel map, 

[BillChunn]

On 11/4/2021 at 7:11 PM, chrsb said:

My son and I will be shooting at your match. How many stages you setting up for? At HGC they use magnets and wire hanging from the baffles. That way you get the location and height and don’t need to set up a transom. Next time you shoot at HGC I can show you how they do it. 

We will be running five stages:

Accelerator, Smoke & Hope, Five To Go, Pendulum and Roundabout.

 

Having shot at HGC when the SC matches first started there last winter, the way they setup the targets is unique.  We don't have the $125,000 overhead steel plates over the bays so the hanging magnets, even though they work very, very well is a bit outside our budget at the moment.

 

We used Chris' laser transit to set all the target heights as our range floors go uphill, some of them 2' to 3' from the shooting boxes.  All the post length measurements have been recorded in an Excel spreadsheet and the length is marked on the end of every 2x4 so cutting a new one when needed can be done very quickly.

 

For the winter months, all the stands have been anchored with 4 spikes each so hopefully they survive until spring.

 

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions.  The painted surveyors markers sound best as some bays require a lawn mower once an a while.

 

Looking forward to Saturday's match and seeing how well the warming tents work.

 

BC