How Are Poppers Supposed To Work?

[ivanhu]

I've just discovered this thread, and being one who actually has experience with the forward falling poppers (several years before we had quite a few here in Hungary), let me ask a question.

First of all, our FFPs basically followed the design I've seen on the first page of this thread.

Now the question is, how could you prevent that a lower hit would cause its fall? Basically, as long as the FFP just moves a millimeter, the hook falls, and then the popper falls. So, how to calibrate it? With the FFPs, the real problem is not, as was the case with the backward falling ones, to have a popper that won't fall - au contrary, the problem is that if'll fall even on the slightest touch, eg when a fly rocks its head on it

We were experiencing to have the hook and the holder edged (that is, when the popper moves, they just move, the hook is a bit lowered but still holds the popper), however, we were unable to find any "easy to calibrate" solution.

Obviously, we're not the wisest technicians in the Universe, so is there anybody here who has found a working solution? I'd like to hear about it, because "otherwise", the FFPs are much safer than the BFPs, so I'd be eager to use them.

Best Regards,

[mcoliver]

Ivan, I once saw how some guys setup the FFP so it won't fall with a very low hit. They raised the rear portion of the mounting platform so the popper was even more forward than it already is. It wasn't really raised very much and you can still get a full view of the popper from where you're supposed to shoot it. They then shot it with a 9mm gun purposely hitting low. They adjusted it such that a very low hit will not move the popper enough to release the hook.

I know it's not very scientific but it sure did put some grief on some low-hit-flinching production div shooter.

[Vince Pinto]

OH MY GOD! Ivan has discovered the BE Forums ......... everybody run ......... aaarrrggghhh !!!!!

Jokes aside, a very warm welcome to you Ivan, and I hope you'll find the discussions useful, and I'm sure you'll be a positive contributor.

To answer your question, in my experience it hasn't yet been possible to effectively calibrate an FFPP so that it won't fall with a low shot. For us in Hong Kong, the FFPPs came about by law whereby we were prohibited from using regular poppers for safety reasons, so we didn't have any choice in the matter if we wanted to keep shooting them.

Then again, and to be perfectly frank, these days very few people know or understand the original concept that poppers should be calibrated not to fall with a low shot, and everybody was simply focusing on ensuring that poppers would fall when hit somewhere with a 125pf bullet. In fact, I can't find any reference to the "go/no-go test" even as far back as the 13th Edition Rulebook, so I guess the procedure was only documented in Range Officer seminars and materials.

The positive side of FFPP is that bullets don't leave the range and most shots will cause them to fall, including some sub-125pf shots, so there are far fewer problems at matches. The negative side is that FFPP don't recognise power quite as much as regular poppers, but a 200pf bullet will still cause them to fall faster than a 125pf bullet.

All things considered, I prefer FFPP.

[james h]

Hi Ivan

when we use ffps (which is most of the time) in the UK they are sometimes fitted with a hook that curves round so that it needs to be pushed back at least 5mm before it disengages . it helps stop low or partial hits but not with calibration.

one possible answer may be to increase the mass of the strike face to increase inertia but then the inertia in the crew may set in as well as bad backs

anyway nice to hear your about

james

just had another idea;

if you had a spring pushing against the back of the popper on a threaded adjuster it may be possible to increase the resistance to movement by compressing the spring more, a downside would be when the popper goes it would be spring loaded and resetting would become more difficult