Building a BE range

First topic message reminder :

Just taking an informal poll . If you were to build a BE range in a hot section of the country what would you focus on first ? If you already have berms and target stands at 25 and 50 yard but want to add turning targets at 25 yard would you focus on the 25 yard turning targets first or build an overhead and benches for the shooters to keep them out of the hot hot sun.Personally I would rather build an overhead and benches to build up a following and then in a year or two focus on the turning targets at 25 yards,

Allen Barnett wrote:Such a shame I know where there is a complete 15 point turning target system that is just rusting away.

Alan it was news to them based on their reply I got from the club you mentioned they are planning to use it for ranged expansion so I doubt that it is rusting away

They may not even be aware of what is at the Columbia site.  The Columbia site was more or less abandoned when the club bought the Hallsville range.  If you want I can do some digging with the last match director as he and I share rides to matches near Kansas City during the outdoor season.  We talked several times about the old range equipment and he stated that the last he knew it was still at the Columbia location but that some of the timing system had been removed.  Other than that he stated that the basic range equipment, target stands, turning system and mechanicals are still there.  If they do intend to start things back up for Bullseye that would be great for me as it is 2 hours plus to the nearest match.  Maybe they are going to repurpose them for something else and/or re-locate them.

Alan I Emailed the club president and he was the one that had replied to me and he didn’t know anything about any rusting hulks if you’re willing to do some digging it is much appreciated because this range will be starting it’s Bullseye from scratch pretty much

Will do it may be sometime before I get up to Columbia (30 miles up the road) but I will check as soon as I can.  It will give me a reason to go to Bass Pro.

Will do it may be sometime before I get up to Columbia (30 miles up the road) but I will check as soon as I can.  It will give me a reason to go to Bass Pro.

jmdavis wrote:

brassmaster wrote:Effective 01-01-2020, CMP Rules were changed that require turning targets at 25 yds. for sanctioned EIC Matches. Might be a consideration if you plan to hold EIC Matches.
CMP 2020 Rule Book: 3.7.3 Target Line
"Targets may be turning or fixed, except that National Trophy, National Championship and EIC Matches events must be fired on turning targets."

I wonder what they plan to do to make the targets at Talledega turn?

Probably nothing.. turning electronic targets that are already expensive as all get out and are currently configured to rise and fall. They simply need some unique rules for those targets or forget about them for BE or EIC..

Can't say i really care for them much but they do make for an interesting match..

jglenn21 wrote:

jmdavis wrote:

brassmaster wrote:Effective 01-01-2020, CMP Rules were changed that require turning targets at 25 yds. for sanctioned EIC Matches. Might be a consideration if you plan to hold EIC Matches.
CMP 2020 Rule Book: 3.7.3 Target Line
"Targets may be turning or fixed, except that National Trophy, National Championship and EIC Matches events must be fired on turning targets."

I wonder what they plan to do to make the targets at Talledega turn?

Probably nothing..   turning electronic targets that are already expensive as all get out and are currently configured to rise and fall.   They simply need some unique rules for those targets or forget about them for BE or EIC..

Can't say i really care for them much but they do make for an interesting match..

Targets rising and falling to control firing time in a pistol match? Internationally, pistol target timing is shown by red/green lights.

I believe years ago, SOME pistol matches were run using pits.  Targets were raised and lowered for the sustained events.  Those went away when turning targets became the norm.  Turning targets avoid3d pit alibis.

The hang up I see with red/green lights controlling Bullseye events is that most target systems have the lights below the target.  This works for the low ready position but not for Us because we can be in the aim.  Maybe led strip lights at each side?

I would think the lights would be very distracting regardless of where they are placed.

Allen Barnett wrote:I would think the lights would be very distracting regardless of where they are placed.

Turning targets are plenty distracting too.
And just having a buzzer can be unclear.

Depends what you train for.

Thing that bothers me the most about the idea of lights is my shooting budget would go way up for all the times I'm likely to hit them. :p

At least until I get some adjustable sights on my 45 (I hope).

Wobbley wrote:The hang up I see with red/green lights controlling Bullseye events is that most target systems have the lights below the target.  This works for the low ready position but not for Us because we can be in the aim.  Maybe led strip lights at each side?

Every target on the line would have a set of lights, so even if you can't see your own target light, there would be targets on either side with lights. They are usually on one side of the target not centered, Green on top and Red on bottom so R/G color blind can still tell which is which.

Lights that seems to be a bit ridiculous , targets on a wire that rise and fall I just can’t picture that . I am more thinking towards the line of a hydraulic electrical activated turning system using a command box for the delay . Plus benches that are high enough so that a person that is well over 6 foot tall can use their spotting scope attached to their pistol box.The use of expandable canopies for an overhead seems like a good idea in the short term as they will keep the sun and the rain out. We might need at least three maybe four of the canopies to cover a 15 point range using folding tables at this time . I personally have a way to raise my pistol box up about 8 to 9 inches that is very secure and level so that I can use my spotting scope until such time permanent benches of a suitable height are created . All the ideas put forth in this forum have been interesting to say the least .

What Stephen (xman) is talking about is a new, start up, bullseye pistol match in Mineola Texas. This club contacted me last year about helping them expand their matches to include bullseye pistol and wanted me to run it. Of course, this is a completely volunteer, unpaid position, that I have already donated personal time and money to get started. The club is primarily IDPA, USPSA, and Steel Challenge and is also completely separate from the property owners training range and business, they essentially just use the range to hold matches.

Financial situation: what I can share currently is that the possibility of the owner or club purchasing any kind of turning target system or bench/cover for the bullseye pistol matches in 2020 is extremely slim until we have a substantial rise in participation levels. As we have only had two sanctioned 1800's so far, we are at the infancy level of new. However, i have a plan to increase the attendance of our matches by including turning targets. To me turning targets make a much more exciting match to shoot, and I think that will be a draw to our local shooters.

We do have a temporary solution for benches and a covered firing line which consists of portable picnic tables and canopies. Not ideal, but available and better than nothing. Now for the turning targets, they will not be paid for during the 2020 season by the club, so I have decided to take on the task of building them myself and paying for it out of my own pocket. That is why we stand the possibility of having turning targets before permanent benches and cover.

That said I would love to hear about any leads on clubs wanting to get rid of their turning target systems.

Hey Dan

In Midland we build ours out of mostly scrounged/donated/"found" materials and volunteer labor. Started with an old school manually operated turning mechanism - picture a 4' tall lever sticking up in the middle of the firing line, connected to the target line using sucker rod inside a 4" pipe. Ugly but worked fine. Replaced that with pneumatics and electronic controller later. Not simple or easy but very do-able.

That design reads a lot like we had went up north in New York at the Genesee conservation league we had 49 positions with a lever on one end of the range back from the firing line and that would move the 25 yard turning. Unfortunately the bull’s-eye program has pretty much gone away there after the death of a person who was really running the show her name was Dorothy Wharton and everyone at the GCL and Rochester rifle club miss her