Training With Moving Targets

Regardless of your style of shooting, most of us understand that stationary targets seldom represent real life. When harvesting game, you typically only have a sliver of time to pick a shooting lane and thread a shot through it as the animal passes, and in life-or-death self-defense engagements, emergent threats will most likely be moving rapidly, making it more of a time trial to get to your gun and get a shot downrange. Methods of simulating these experiences have changed throughout the years, with most being too complicated to realistically deploy every range session or requiring such frequent resetting that it’s hard to get more than just a few reps in on during an average practice session. However, through the miracle of modern technology, these devices have gotten smaller and easier to power remotely, making moving targets more obtainable for the average American. Here are some that I’ve incorporated into my home range that recreate some of the most common target movements.

Turning
A target that turns to give you a brief period to engage is a generally handy tool to have. Action shooting leagues like USPSA and IDPA have utilized these for decades, as they are both challenging and realistic. The typical mechanical turner relies on twisted steel to rotate a carriage once or twice as it drops into place. While this doesn’t require any power to operate, it must be manually triggered and reset each time. Additionally, these assemblies are often bulky and expensive for something so rudimentary.

Caldwell answers the call with its product known simply as the Target Turner. Operating off AA batteries, the mechanism rotates a cardboard target 90 degrees with an adjustable pulse time of one to six seconds. Transporting it to the range is effortless, as it breaks down into just four parts and assembles without any tools. A simple clamping system holds cardboard or corrugated plastic and is built to be replaceable. I enjoy using this target to improve my holster work, as well as my recoil control. On the slower settings, it gives me enough time to reholster and assume a ready position as I wait for the target to present itself. Once it’s presented, I understand that I only have a short period of time to engage. I up the ante by increasing the distance to the target, narrowing my time to acquire my sights and press off a shot. caldwellshooting.com

Running
Simulating a running target might just be the hardest movement to recreate. Short of rolling something down a hill, the only other ways that I’ve seen this done successfully involved a scoring pit with a crew walking with a target held up into the line of fire. Although safe, there aren’t many ranges where this is possible, and it involves more than one person, which always makes things tough. Dynamic Range’s X1 target systems makes this motion effortless to set up and is surprisingly portable. The Li-Ion battery-powered carriage is radio controlled with a range of 450 meters (492 yards) and rides along a variable-length steel cable. Dynamic Range X1 includes a tension system to pull it tightly between a pair of trees or T-posts and also allows for the use of simple paracord for a more field expedient installation. The most vulnerable components are built from 3D-printed parts, making it affordable to replace, should you send a shot high.

As the company would rather you spend more time enjoying its products than waiting for replacement pieces, it includes a target bracket that allows the use of common lumber, leaving you everything you need to repair it right at home. Attaching the target for lateral movement lets me set up woodland hunting scenarios, where I need to decide where I want to engage an animal and then get my shot on target in the allotted time. It’s also a terrific method of working out leads when you utilize more of the remote’s distance. Mounting the target the other way allows you to train against a threat moving fore and aft, which is an excellent way to prepare for a charging attacker or dangerous game. It also works well as a target retrieval system if you’re feeling lazy and have some static target work that needs to be addressed. dynamicrangex1.com

Lifting
Lifting, or “pop-up” targets, do a good job of training situational awareness and teaching shooters not to fuss a trigger-press in certain situations. These target systems are typical of “Hogan’s Alley” type shoot houses and as such, have always been a stationary fixture. Seeking to strip this system’s dependence on AC power and air compressors, AutoTargets offers a wireless system known as the Active Response Kit (ARK) that works off of compressed air and a rechargeable battery pack. Deploying it in the field means that you’ll need to have the tank charged by a scuba or paintball shop or invest in a high-pressure fill station. However, once it is charged, it will last for 700-1,000 lifts, depending on ambient temperature. A ballistic shield that is rated up to .308 Winchester protects your investment and ensures that you don’t accidentally hit that high-pressure air bottle.

AutoTarget’s system is one of the smartest on the market, as not only does it pop-up, it features conductive hit detection and can be programmed to fall after only a prescribed number of shots. This is controlled by an app on the included tablet that also allows the shooter or coach to map out specific shooting schemes, alter the amount of engagement time, and even pair a series of targets together for extraordinarily complex scenarios. Each target has marked scoring zones that relay impacts back to the tablet, so each run can be critiqued without having to go down range. It does this over a Wi-Fi network that it creates between the two, yielding a range of up to 1,000 yards without the need for an internet connection. I like using the target for self-defense training, as the variable hit counter promotes the idea of shooting until the threat disappears. It’s also handy for long-range rifle work, as the instant feedback is invaluable for building a dope card and perfecting wind-reading ability. autotargets.com

By adding targets like these to your range, you not only make your training practical but far more fun as well. Although we take shooting seriously, nobody is going to practice anything that they don’t find enjoyable. Incorporating your own movement into some of these drills will help you better shoot from cover and remember to remain a moving target yourself. With a small investment in time, getting your range to resemble real-world conditions is a stark reality today, and as technology improves, things are becoming more dynamic and less expensive as the days go on.