Why is there a B zone on a metric target?

[JayWord]

The B-Zone is there for the same reasons the C/D zones are. The thought process was a peripheral hit on the target would not be as devastating as a center of mass hit.

As far as the naming of the Metric target, if you research the first draft of the IPSC rules that were posted here, the target was referred as the metric target since the beginning of the IPSC rules. Prior to that there were a number of variations of targets used.

Many years ago the Metric target was also called the Brussel's Target since that is where the GA where it was agreed to was held. (5th Edition, 1990.??)

As far as the B zone is concerned when I first started the whole upper zone was scored as a B hit unless the WSB specified that the A zone was scored as 5 points. (3rd Edition, January 1986, Rule 9.04)

As far as the Classic Target is concerned that is either a Florida 8, Item or Milpark target, not the Turtle. That's what we were shooting when I began in 1984.

BTW: I do not have a copy of the 4th edition Rulebook easily available tonight.

Jay

[RobMoore]

The B-Zone is there for the same reasons the C/D zones are. The thought process was a peripheral hit on the target would not be as devastating as a center of mass hit.

The way I took the question is "Why is the B zone separated from the C zone, since they both score the same?"

Why not just make it all 'C'. I have heard ROs calling out scores of "Alpha Charlie....wait, make that Alpha Bravo", and I thought "what is the difference?".

[slip knot]

B zone's have been used to break ties in scoring in days of old. If a shooter

had more B's than the next shooter, but had the same score, then the stage

went to the one with the most B's. But then that was back when, and I don't

do any scoring anymore , so that may have all changed.

[bkeeler]

The way I took the question is "Why is the B zone separated from the C zone, since they both score the same?"

Why not just make it all 'C'. I have heard ROs calling out scores of "Alpha Charlie....wait, make that Alpha Bravo", and I thought "what is the difference?".

That is what I was asking.

BK

Edited October 27, 2009 by bkeeler

[ima45dv8]

The B-Zone is there for the same reasons the C/D zones are. The thought process was a peripheral hit on the target would not be as devastating as a center of mass hit.

As far as the naming of the Metric target, if you research the first draft of the IPSC rules that were posted here, the target was referred as the metric target since the beginning of the IPSC rules. Prior to that there were a number of variations of targets used.

Many years ago the Metric target was also called the Brussel's Target since that is where the GA where it was agreed to was held. (5th Edition, 1990.??)

As far as the B zone is concerned when I first started the whole upper zone was scored as a B hit unless the WSB specified that the A zone was scored as 5 points. (3rd Edition, January 1986, Rule 9.04)

As far as the Classic Target is concerned that is either a Florida 8, Item or Milpark target, not the Turtle. That's what we were shooting when I began in 1984.

BTW: I do not have a copy of the 4th edition Rulebook easily available tonight.

Jay

Thanks, Jay. Very educational!

[Dan Hefta]

The way I took the question is "Why is the B zone separated from the C zone, since they both score the same?"

Why not just make it all 'C'. I have heard ROs calling out scores of "Alpha Charlie....wait, make that Alpha Bravo", and I thought "what is the difference?".

That is what I was asking.

BK

This is just a wild guess, I bet it has a little something to do with the 50,000,000 targets that are allready made and the cost of re-tooling the machines used to punch out the targets.

As long as we are debating this subject why wouldn't a head shot be worth 4 points after all it's a head shot! Then you wouldn't need a tie breaker.

Edited October 27, 2009 by danscrapbags

[gino_aki]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the upper A zone being synonymous with "ocular window". Considering the martial roots of the sport could it be that the founders simply called it the B zone to accentuate the added value of an OW hit?

It's true the B zone used to be used as a tie breaker, but does that really explain why it exists in the first place?

So calling two "OW's" equals 10 points??............I can't wait.

R.O.: "2 Alpha's, Alpha-Charlie, 2 Charlies, Alpha -Delta, 2 Oscar-Whiskeys...."

Scorekeeper: "2 A's, Alpha-Charlie, 2 C's, Alpha-Doggie, 2...huh?!

[zman]

if the B zone is 50% smaller than the A zone in the midle of the target,why doesn`t it have a higher point value and the 15 or 18 % size of the A in the B sone should be worth 7 points???

Z-Man

[JeffWard]

Another interesting fact about the metric target is that the overall outside width is 45 cm and the width of the area within the 0.5 cm scoring border is 45 cm. There seems to be some sort of alternate universe thing going on there. If you don't believe me, look at the drawing in Appendix B3 of the rulebook.

Later,

Chuck

Accounts for the curvature of the earth... silly!

The cut the perfs closer near the poles, wider near the equator.

Jeff

[Gary Stevens]

Don't know if this has any merit or not, but when I was at Gunsite, the Col. Cooper version, his targets had the small box in the head (yes I actually said it). He said it was the entry point of a good brain shot. Just saying......

[Jim Norman]

Whilst on the subject ot targets...

Does anyone have pictures or drawings of all of the old, no longer in use targets? What would be really neat is to compare size and scoring zone sizes.

Jim

[ChuckS]

The way I took the question is "Why is the B zone separated from the C zone, since they both score the same?"

Why not just make it all 'C'. I have heard ROs calling out scores of "Alpha Charlie....wait, make that Alpha Bravo", and I thought "what is the difference?".

That is what I was asking.

BK

A little more history:

The 2001 rulebook paragraph 9.3.1 declared that ties would be broken by comparing the number of A's, B's, etc. If the count was exactly the same, a COF would be used to break the tie.

The 2004 rulebook paragraph 9.3.1 declared that a COF was the only option. The 2008 book says the same thing.

So, I guess it hasn't mattered since January 2004.

[ima45dv8]

Why is there a B zone on a metric target?

Because it's the left-overs from an A hit in the head.

There.

Someone said it.

[Zerwas]

I thought that the "B" was scored as "A" when scoring.

I have had a stage or two where you had to do head shots and the "A" was what you needed to hit. If you hit the "B", it would be scored differently.

Randy

This is true for an IDPA match as it all counts the same...not in USPSA shooting though.

Perhaps we need to switch the "C" zone and rename it the "B" zone, and rename the "D" zone to make it a "C" zone. Or perhaps make the whole head a "B" zone hit worth 5 points and keep the C and D zones as they are. Or perhaps we should reverse the scoring areas and make the A zone the new D zone, and then re-name everything else as appropriate?

Is anyone else as confused as I am right now????????

J/K yall...

[Nik Habicht]

I know flex once proposed making the B-zone 4 points for both major and minor, while leaving C&D alone....

Might make head shots a more appealing option for competitors shooting minor on some targets....

[Rob D]

I know flex once proposed making the B-zone 4 points for both major and minor, while leaving C&D alone....

Might make head shots a more appealing option for competitors shooting minor on some targets....

That would be awesome. The Upper A/B zone is so rarely used it might as well not be there on 90% of the targets we shoot. Unless there is hard cover or a no-shoot covering the lower A zone, nobody even thinks about hitting the head because of how tiny the upper A is.

[lynn jones]

I know flex once proposed making the B-zone 4 points for both major and minor, while leaving C&D alone....

Might make head shots a more appealing option for competitors shooting minor on some targets....

+1 on that!

[RobMoore]

^ also +1. It would give the B some purpose. I see it as just another section of C right now.

[Hank Ellis]

I dabbled in conbat shooting in the early '90s, took a long break and returned 5 years ago.

As I recall back then the B zone was used a tiebreaker however it was never explained to me how it was to be implemented. Whether by the book or not courses of fire often had madatory head shots after two to the body. Standing, kneeling, and prone to 25yd was standard fare also.

It's also my understanding that the target was designed by a doctor. I could be full of it also. The story goes that at the beginning one of the shooters was a MD. He was tasked with designing the target zones from his knowledge of anatomy and the effect of gunshots on such.

[Nik Habicht]

As I understand it, in the event of a tie, they'd tally the number of Alphas shot by the two competitors --- if they were still tied (identical Alpha count), then they'd tally the number of Bravos, and so on....

In that manner a Bravo would trump a Charlie, even though both had the same numerical value. Talking to one of the rules writers when they implemented the change, he said that since we calculate match scores to four decimal places, they considered a match tie to be highly unlikely. If one were to occur, in a shooting sport, why would one not want to break it with another shooting contest?

[sslav]

The B-Zone is there for the same reasons the C/D zones are. The thought process was a peripheral hit on the target would not be as devastating as a center of mass hit.

The way I took the question is "Why is the B zone separated from the C zone, since they both score the same?"

Why not just make it all 'C'. I have heard ROs calling out scores of "Alpha Charlie....wait, make that Alpha Bravo", and I thought "what is the difference?".

Well you can call it C for all I care. But the perforation between the B & C is useful. This way when you cut off the 'head' you get a built in non-scoring border.

[sslav]

if the B zone is 50% smaller than the A zone in the midle of the target,why doesn`t it have a higher point value and the 15 or 18 % size of the A in the B sone should be worth 7 points???

Z-Man

The B zone is not only smaller vertically than the lower A zone but misses in three of the four possible directions on the B zone will result in a Mike while on the lower A zone you will get C's. However in most cases hits on the B zone are accidental.