Grizzly Targets

            I like to shoot, it is relaxing and fun and something I just enjoy. I have never been a fan of strict range environments. I grew up shooting bottles off fence posts and  watching cans bounce along the ground as shot them with a 22 rifle. In the military range days were OK but the military has a knack of sucking the fun out of any activity......I mean who ever goes camping and doesn't build a camp fire?
 Many gun ranges are run like a Marine Corp range, some even worse. You have to shoot paper targets and stand in certain locations and shoot when you are told you can. This is all well and good for some training but it is not real world training and it treats everyone like they are so stupid they have to be instructed every move. I am all for range safety but I like to have common sense as well applied to the range, if I want to rapid fire or quick draw etc I don't want to not be yelled at like a two year old.
For this reason my friends and I maintain a private shooting range where we can develop our own skills without over restrictive rules, we are constantly finding new targets to practice with.
I was contacted recently by Jeremy with Grizzly Targets about trying out one of their targets. Before I replied I went to their web site and looked at what they offered, I have always been a fan of moving or pop-up targets so I was keen to try them out, I wrote back and soon received this target in the mail.
My first impression was it is sturdy. I have tried a lot of different targets which seem OK at first but then deteriorate with use. This one is different, it is heavy gauge steel and is hot-dipped galvanized. All the bolts are grade 8 and the spring is stainless steel.

Having many years experience in construction and engineering I know many times welds are galvanized with a cold application but not this, it is hot dipped after welding, a far better method and ensures it will not rust.
I have seen targets which require re-welding if broken up over time but on this target the welded areas are not subject to direct hits from bullets so if there was any damage to the striking surface repairs would be easy to make by simply replacing a bolt, obliviously a well thought out design.

This is a close up view of the hinge area. Notice quality of construction and ease of maintenance. The target itself resembles the "Dog Targets" the Marine Corp uses which is designed to be a head and shoulders silhouette. The target itself is 3/8" plate and is 14" high and the circle area is 4" across which is a good size for close range pistol while also excellent for up to 100 yards with a rifle.
I am anxious to give it a full work out, we have a range day planned later this month and I will be sure to give a full report later.
For full Range report click here.

Working The Butts

I was recently reading a girl and her gun, she was talking about her new job at the gun range and I was reminded of some of my favorite range times.
The military has a knack for taking a normally enjoyable experience and sucking all the fun out of it, be it camping (field exercise, no open camp fires) fitness training (forced run in full gear) and of course the rifle range.
Growing up I always enjoyed shooting practice, you throw a can into the air and shoot at it, or shoot at a can watching it bounce along the ground, shooting different pieces of junk to see what damage you could do, some favorite targets were, old refrigerators, old cars, TV sets, propane cylinders (partially full), concrete blocks etc. The military tends to frown on this kind of range activity (although we did get to shoot at old tanks with mortars)
At least once a year we went to the range to qualify with our rifles. we would be divided into three squads. We were then rotated between the firing line, the stand by where you waited behind the line for you chance to fire and the 'Butts'. On range day I enjoyed working the Butts the most (spare me cracks the jokes, I have heard them all)

Watching for shots, arrows show small marker discs.

The 'Butts' was 200 yards down range where the targets were, they had to be manned while the range was hot. One man would be below each target which was numbered. If you qualified on a certain target you would work the same target in the butts. This was done to help certify scores. During 'doping in' you would wait for the first 3 shots and then pull the target down (as you see in the first target in the foreground) and mark it with little cardboard circles (picture at left) then raise it up so the shooter could see his round placement.. For certain courses of fire you would stand with the target raised, it would be only about 5 feet above your head, your head crammed back watching for the bullet hole to appear in the target, At 200 yards down range you could not hear the shot only a tap noise like you rapped the target with your finger, when you saw the hole you would quickly lower the target and mark the shot with a small marker that you would poke in the hole and raise it quickly for the next shot. On other courses of fire you would simply mark the shot placement with a paddle or disk which was a 12" round metal plate (red on one side white on the other) attached to a 6' broom handle.  When the hole appeared in the target you would not lower the target but rather raise the 'paddle' to cover the area of the shot so the shooter could see it, and then quickly lowering the paddle before it got shot while you were holding it. This was another reason we worked the same target as we shot so if your shooter shot the paddle while you were holding it you could return the favor for him when it was your turn to shoot.

'Dog' targets in raised position

There was also a range officer on the line as well as in the butt area with a phone line between them. This was so the line could tell you to pull a target if you failed to see the hole. The shooter would yell "mark target 45" the range officer would call to the butts and they would yell down the target line, "mark 45". On the other hand if you saw too many holes in our target we would relay it to the line so they could yell and shout verbal abuse to the  shooter like " 27 why are you shooting target 28."  I liked the action and bustle, you had to be on your game all the time when the range was hot and it was important to stay in your area with 50 shooters firing 5 to 6 feet over your head. On most ranges all the pine trees behind the target areas looked like they had been sawed off about 15' above the ground from the years and hundreds of thousands of rounds fired. I don't know why I liked working behind the berm but there were always stories to tell afterward.