BigD Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Does anybody know where to buy forward falling pepper poppers or any other steel targets that fall forward? Thanks, Darin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mda Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Ok!! IF no one else will take the bait I will. What about just truning around the whole popper? That is the way we do it at our club. MDA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dunn Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 MGM has forward falling gizmos for their poppers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket35 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 What about just truning around the whole popper? That is the way we do it at our club. I have also done this with success. It actually works pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 http://WWW.GUNSTEEL.COM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gino_aki Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 See my posts in the Forward Falling Popper thread under Stage Comments or Questions for pics on converting Poppers to FFP type. Actually should've posted the pics here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irate Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 May I ask what the advantage of forward falling poppers is? I'm not trying to be a smart @$$, I really want to know. Why are backward falling poppers unsatisfactory and why do you want a forward falling one? Just curious Irate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim James Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Latest Front Sight indicated that they are good for reducing shrapnel and debris for ranges like USSA that have bays behind other bays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irate Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Latest Front Sight indicated that they are good for reducing shrapnel and debris for ranges like USSA that have bays behind other bays. Ok cool, that makes sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Latest Front Sight indicated that they are good for reducing shrapnel and debris for ranges like USSA that have bays behind other bays. not to mention the lack of having to calibrate. lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
open17 Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 not to mention the lack of having to calibrate.lynn I thought the major problem with them at Tulsa was that they wouldn't stay calibrated? How do you have a falling steel target (not a plate) and NOT have to calibrate it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihatepickles Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 I thought the major problem with them at Tulsa was that they wouldn'tstay calibrated? How do you have a falling steel target (not a plate) and NOT have to calibrate it? The problem at Tulsa was the forward falling poppers weren't a great design. It wasn't a calibration issue. I believe they figured out how to retro design those poppers so they won't screw up another major match. The FFPs are a forward leaning popper held by a hook on the back of the popper. When the bullet hits the popper the splatter flies straight down into the dirt due to it's forward lean, this is the anti-shrapnel part. Also, when the popper is hit it rocks back a bit which takes the tension off of the hook holding it, the hook is pulled out of the way either by gravity or spring, and from there the popper hits the dirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n2ipsc Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 ...May I ask what the advantage of forward falling poppers is?... Well, among other things, it's fun to watch oneself or others holding the popper up with multiple hits because it isn't...going...over...backwards... (For maximum entertainment value, try them on shotgun stages...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPatterson Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 This is even more fun if you put them in a row of say 4 as the 2nd and last and watch speed shooters try to drive them down. Borders on evil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itento Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Our club is in the process of replacing all of our 15 year old, mild steel Pepper Poppers. All have been re-bent numerous times and are badly pock marked. They also had homemade based from I-beams which made them so heavy no one wanted to use them. After having bought a Whirly Gig (Texas Star) and 3 Flash targets from Mike Gibson (MGM Targets) I knew he produced quality equipment at reasonable prices. So far, I have all the bases replaced. I also ordered 1 Forward Falling bracket which work with the bases. I doesn't have a hook. Here are several pictures: I wasn't sure how well it would work. I'm happy to say it is a great design IMHO. The Square tube with adjusting bolt keeps the plate upright until the plate is hit. It then pivots down to let the plate fall forward.. There are no exposed mechanisms and the adjustments should be more than adequate for uneven terrain. I have drilled out the base anchor holes slightly to accept my homemade 1/2 inch rebar anchors which completely immoblize the target. You can see in the last picture that the popper is angled slightly forward which should keep all lead inside the bay. Yesterday, I ordered 10 more brackets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumpy Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Another advantage we have found is they are less inclined to be knocked over by wind gust, as forward falling poppers are...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 May I ask what the advantage of forward falling poppers is? I'm not trying to be a smart @$$, I really want to know. Why are backward falling poppers unsatisfactory and why do you want a forward falling one?Just curious Irate <rant on> IMO.....Backward falling poppers are a dangerous relic and should not be allowed on a range. Just about every match we have on my home range involves and argument with (various) MD(s) on using backward falling poppers set up with several in a row (deep). This guaranties that every shooter who comes to the line will fire multiple shots at the poppers to drive them down to allow shots at the hidden poppers. This absolutely assures that with every shooter we will have bullets leaving the range - uncontrolled. Our range is now facing encroachment from a subdivision to the rear from a developer who has already made it clear he wishes to shut down the range. The rear falling popper can to make this happen with just one incident. <rant off> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Merlin wrote: "This guaranties that every shooter who comes to the line will fire multiple shots at the poppers to drive them down to allow shots at the hidden poppers. This absolutely assures that with every shooter we will have bullets leaving the range - uncontrolled." Agree 100%. A falling popper becomes a "launching ramp" for subsequent shots. Unlike bullets that strike the face of a standing popper & loose all their energy, a bullet that hits a falling popper just glances off & sails over the berm - at nearly full speed. Its not much different (safety wise) than an ND over the top of the berm - and we all agree of the seriousness of that occurance. "Our range is now facing encroachment from a subdivision to the rear from a developer who has already made it clear he wishes to shut down the range. The rear falling popper can to make this happen with just one incident." I do realize that many of the good folks on be.com are lucky enough to live in the countryside & have access to ranges or property w/ unlimited space beyond the backstop (the Dillon full auto video comes to mind; they safely fired 30 cal rifles into the air since they had access to so much land). However, many of us live near cities & built up areas. We are in the same boat as Merlin. If the land near your range has not yet been developed - just wait a few years. Launching a few rounds over the berm is not acceptable. It is my hope that USPSA and IPSC eventually switch to 100% use of forward falling poppers (though there WERE legitimate issues w/ their use at the last Production nationals - and that will have to be addressed too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevolverJockey Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 (edited) At least to me, it seems like turning around a backward falling popper to make a forward falling one leaves the popper standing more than it should. At our club, we do this and it still has the loose calibration screw behind the plate. After a few hits they seem to settle into the sand or the screw comes out of adjustment. Yesterday I hit one about 3" off the edge with 145 pf ammo and it didn't fall. We called for calibration and wouldn't you know it, it fell. It don't know what is going on, but obviously if 127pf match gun 9mm ammo can knock the plate over on the second shot, 200 gr 145 pf .40 should have been able to knock it over on the first shot. The rules are the rules and I took the Mike. After this, we saw 3 more instances where chronoed minor ammo failed to take down a forward falling plate set up this way, but out squad didn't challenge anymore of them. Is there some strategy to setting up PPs in this way that makes them more fool proof? Maybe some kind of wooden base to widen the footprint or something? Any ideas would be appreciated. Lee Edited June 5, 2011 by Mitch_Rapp.45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wileecoyote37 Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 I'm the one that knocked down the popper after the call for callibration. Lee was shooting a 145 PF revolver. My calibration pistol was a 9mm 115 gr with 120 PF. Lee hit the popper off center but definitely in the callibration area. The callibration pistol hit dead center and sure enough the popper fell. I'm not sure I understand why. I had just turned the whole base around to make it forward falling. I do plan to convert to a forward falling system with an adjustable bolt as soon as possible. Can any one explain what may have happened yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevolverJockey Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 I wonder if maybe we have too much play in the "V" shaped base allowing too many positions for the plate to lay against the calibration screw? Maybe the first shot jars it into position and when he second shot comes along it is in a slightly different spot that the first. I didn't help that it was a plate I had set up, lol. Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DyNo! Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Agree 100%. A falling popper becomes a "launching ramp" for subsequent shots. Unlike bullets that strike the face of a standing popper & loose all their energy, a bullet that hits a falling popper just glances off & sails over the berm - at nearly full speed. Its not much different (safety wise) than an ND over the top of the berm - and we all agree of the seriousness of that occurrence. I never considered that and I'm sure a lot of others haven't either. If turning the poppers around works - it think it's something USPSA should get on the horn about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wide45 Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Taking a standard popper and turning it around is not a reliable solution. It might work 99.9% of the time. It will fail if it receives a second hit that stands it back up, or it shifts when hit and looses the energy to rebound and fall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I've seen and shot the FFPs from GunSteel and they seem to work just fine, but I have not run a match with them so I don't know how they perform when a bunch of people are shooting them. As far as availability, I've check several web sites and sent a few emails and very few companies seem to make these, which makes me wonder. But more importantly, I have yet to see any definitive proof that these can be used in a Classifier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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