Category: AT Short Article

Tactical Breaching/Forced Entry

Posted on by Marketing Action Target

Who out there has actually breached a door? Most of our readers have breached many doors in the past. Most will have the opportunity to do it in the future as well. But, how many have actually trained over and over again within the same day? The truth is, not that many.

Action Target has developed a revolutionary Tactical Breaching Door™ that affords instructional staff the best option for consistent and realistic training. Our Breach Door adds a whole new dimension to training realism and eliminates the problems faced when training breaching techniques to students. The Tactical Breach Door uses advanced engineering which allows trainers to adjust the tension holding the door closed (shown below) and gives them complete control over the level of force required for a dynamic entry.

The Tactical Breach Door is designed especially for use in Action Target’s Modular Armored Tactical Combat House (MATCH) shoothouse but it can also be used in a stand-alone frame or can be modified to fit into any existing shoothouse.

There is no better option available.

Here are some of our breaching door’s capabilities:

  • It can stand alone
  • It can be integrated into a shoot house
  • It can be integrated into our FlexTact system
  • It resets in seconds
  • It is reusable

Shotgun, ram or explosive entries can be exercised and the patented latch system allows an immediate re-set for multiple training sessions. No more replacing doors after each entry-simply close the door and reset the latch. This allows for instant correction of improper technique, multiple repetitions in shorter training sessions and a range of difficulty levels for various entries.

“Action Target’s Tactical Breach Door will advance training to a whole new level. For those of us who train, this innovation is a powerful and functional tool that will allow us to better prepare our teams to protect their own lives and the lives of those around them. Every law enforcement officer, special ops team and military recruit needs to be trained with this door so they can learn the techniques that will make building and room entries safer when breaching the fatal funnel.”
– Sergeant Daniel Gray – Firearms Instructor, Turlock Police Department

Take a look and you will see that our Tactical Breach Door will meet your training needs and can be used by itself with our free-standing option or integrate it into your MATCH or FlexTact® shoothouse.

You will not find a better option for forced entry training. As the industry leader, Action Target asks you to contact us today to learn how we and our Tactical Breaching Door can support your training needs. Enhance your forced entry training today with our technology. Contact Action Target today!

To learn more about Action Target and its full line of products, including the Tactical Breaching Door™, please visit www.actiontarget.com. For additional information on Tactical Breaching Door technology, please contact one of our Action Target Representatives.

Reactive Steel Shooting – Bobber X-treme™

Posted on by Marketing Action Target

Reactive shooting is the skill a police officer must rely on when confronted with a suddenly hazardous situation. It is a critical skill that can save officers’ lives, and it is the result of conditioned hand-eye coordination developed by training on Action Target air-powered reactive steel systems.

As we learn more and more about the human dynamics involved in armed confrontations, we understand that physical skills that require conscious thought or intellectual processing tend to break down rapidly under high levels of stress. If defensive skills and responses are not programmed in at a subconscious level, the sudden stress may cause us to fumble, freeze or panic. It is in this environment that reactive shooting skills are needed. Such reflexive shooting skills can be taught through the use of extremely short time limits, thus pushing the shooter to function at the limits of reaction and response time. This can be compared to learning how to hit a fast moving ball with a bat or racket, or developing the reflexes to block a punch or kick at full speed. Reactive steel targets provide the instant feedback required to program an officer’s reflexive shooting skills effectively and efficiently.

Over the next several months, we will be showcasing our entire Reactive Steel line of targets. First one to be discussed is our Bobber X-treme™:

Bobber X-treme ™

  • Reactive steel with automated reset – Independent target control
  • Multiple AR500 steel target plates – Variable exposure times
  • Choose knock-down or “flop” heads – Computerized scenarios

The basic function of the Bobber X-treme™ will probably sound familiar. A steel plate is presented to the shooter from behind cover. This plate can be hit at any time while it is exposed, and a computer interface is used to control the frequency and duration of the target exposures.

Speed – The exposure times with the Bobber X-treme™ can be as short as a ½ second, so speed is of the essence. The whole idea behind reactive shooting is to train the body to automatically carry out the complex action of firing a gun without having to process the whole sequence with your conscious mind.

Accuracy – Not only is missing the intended target inefficient and ineffective, it is a staggering liability during an actual armed conflict. Because the 8-inch target plates on the Bobber X-treme™ jump up from and retreat behind total cover, only accurately placed shots will have any effect. Painting the chest plate and assuming it to be an innocent bystander or hostage increases the pressure for accuracy even more.

Judgment – Split-second judgment and threat analysis may be the most important elements of the training triangle. The revolutionary Bobber X-treme™ addresses this issue by presenting the shooter with two separate target plates, one directly behind the other. One plate is an 8-inch circle, and the other is an 8-inch octagon. Depending on your training scenario, you can classify all the circle plates as hostile, and all the octagon plates as friendly. When one of the plates jumps up from behind cover, the shooter must quickly determine whether the plate is hostile or friendly and then take the appropriate action. The circles and octagons look enough alike to force the shooter to be sure.

If you would like some more information about the Bobber X-treme™ or other Reactive Steel products, please contact the Territory Manager for your region.

Function Testing: Why and How

Posted on by Marketing Action Target

Written by Benjamin Kurata

I’ve had the benefit of traveling to many different locations and training with many different departments and agencies. It’s been a pleasure and an honor to train with the men and women who are on the front line protecting our country and society. That being said, a universally neglected area is proper preventative maintenance of the semiautomatic pistols, rifles, and shotguns issued and carried. IF YOUR WEAPON DOESN’T WORK, YOU CAN’T PROTECT YOURSELF, YOUR PARTNER, OR OTHERS!

Cleaning and Lubrication:

Here, I have to defer to, and ask you to do that most unnatural thing: read the Owner’s Manual that comes with every firearm. If you don’t have a copy, you can go to the manufacturer’s website and download a copy, or see your department RangeMaster. (S)he will likely have a copy. The other unnatural thing that I will ask of you is to follow the instructions. Light lubrication means a light coat of lubricant, not half of the 4 oz. squeeze bottle of CLP. We all have our favorite concoctions and potions to use on our firearms, just keep in mind two things:

1. In general, solvents are good at dissolving carbon, fouling, and copper from the surfaces of your firearm. They are not good at lubricating the same surfaces. A really good solvent will strip away all the residue on the surface being treated and LEAVE THE METAL BARE AND UNPROTECTED.

2. In general, lubricants are good at protecting metal-to-metal contact surfaces and metal parts / finishes from corrosion, but they are not necessarily good as a solvent.

Firearms Function Test

Which means, yes, in general, you will have to use two bottles of magical mystery stuff. I’m sure in saying this I will get barraged with spam about the latest and greatest whatever, and if it’s out there, please feel free to hook me up with lots of free samples. I’m just saying that I haven’t encountered the ultimate all-in-one product yet.

In a future article I’ll go over general guidelines for preventative maintenance for semiautomatic pistols, but for now, let’s assume that you have successfully disassembled, cleaned, and lubricated both your weapon and any associated magazines. Yes, I am a proponent of cleaning and lightly lubricating your magazines every time you clean and lubricate your weapon. Let’s think about it. Magazines are your weapon’s ammunition feeding system. If a magazine fails, your weapon will likely no longer fire with that magazine. That’s why we practice stoppage clearance drills every time we practice. (See previous article on magazine maintenance and function testing.)

To Function Test a Semiautomatic Pistol:

  1. Make certain that there is no live ammunition in the pistol or any of the associated magazines. Check a second time.

    2. How and Why Firearms Function Test

  2. With the hammer down / striker in the “fired” position, insert and lock an empty magazine into the magazine well. This checks to see that the magazine locking notch(es) line up with magazine release, and the magazine release spring has enough power to retain the magazine in the magazine well..

    3. How and Why Firearms Function Test

  3. Smartly rack the slide to the rear. The slide should stay open. This tests the magazine follower, magazine spring, and the alignment of the follower with the slide stop. If the slide does not stay open, you may have reassembled the magazine with the spring backwards or upside down.

    4. Function Test Magazine Release Step

  4. Press the magazine release. The magazine should fall free of the magazine well under its own weight. If it doesn’t, the magazine tube may be bent.

    5. How and Why Function Test Firearms

  5. Using the slide stop / catch, release the slide and let it fly forward under it’s own action. DO NOT “RIDE” the slide with the support hand. You are testing the recoil spring’s capability to drive the slide into battery and lockup.
  6. If your handgun has an external hammer and full cock notch, press under the hammer spur, attempting to push the hammer into the fired position without pressing the trigger. If the hammer slips or wobbles, the handgun is unsafe, do not use it, turn it over to a qualified armorer immedi ately!

    7. How and Why to Function Test Firearms

  7. If your handgun has a safety lever, put it on “safe”. Press the trigger. Nothing should happen.

    8. How and Why to Function Test Firearms

  8. If your handgun has a decock lever (like a SIG), decock. Again, nothing should happen except the hammer being lowered safety to the decock notch.

  9. With the muzzle pointing in a safe direction, take the safety off (if applicable), and press the trigger AND HOLD THE TRIGGER IN THE REARMOST POSITION OF ITS TRAVEL. The hammer / striker should fHow and Why Function Firearm Test all normally.How and Why to Function Test Firearms
  10. Continue to HOLD THE TRIGGER TO THE REAR and manually cycle the slide.
  11. SLOWLY let the trigger go forward until you feel / hear the disconnector reset “click”.
  12. Press the trigger. Again, you should get a normal hammer / striker fall. Steps 9 -12 test the disconnector, the integrated safety mechanism that makes the semiautomatic weapon semiautomatic. A broken disconnector means your wea pon may go full auto on you. While that sounds exciting, it really is a nasty suprise!
  13. Repeat steps 1 – 12 with all remaining magazines.

If you are thinking, “That’s a lot of work!”, consider the following:

1. When you get the hang of it, it will take you 5 – 10 seconds to function test your weapon with each magazine. Most officers carry 3 magazines, so 15 – 30 seconds total!

2. Do you really want to charge your weapon with live ammo, holster it, and not know if it is mechanically functioning properly? A gunfight is not the place to perform a function test!

Next up: function testing the AR-15 (and similar) patrol rifle and the semiautomatic or pump shotgun.

Weapon Clearing

Posted on by Marketing Action Target

How to Clean Your WeaponThere is no shortage of techniques for clearing a stoppage or malfunction; just trying to explain the difference between the two sets off a never ending debate. Unfortunately, those who have time to engage in never ending debates lose track of what is important. You’re fighting for your life. Whatever works is what is important.

Stoppages usually occur in the cycle of operation of the semiautomatic pistol or rifle, usually caused by a dirty, un-lubricated weapon, bad magazines (covered in a previous article) under powered ammunition, poor grip (including unlocking the wrist while shooting). There are other contributing factors, but these are the primary ones.

A malfunction relates to a mechanically broken weapon that usually cannot be fixed on short notice. I would like to deal with the stoppage techniques in this article.

First, prevention or at least steps we can take to prevent this from happening are important, but please keep in mind there are no guarantees. It is hard to believe that in 2010 the primary cause of stoppages is still dirty, un-lubricated firearms. With all the training and preaching about the importance of cleaning and maintaining our weapons systems many of our fellow officers continue to not take this seriously. A properly maintained and lubricated firearm following the manufacturer’s guidelines is as important to you and those that rely on you as understanding sound tactics and techniques to survive a firefight on the street.

Every time a firearm is taken apart, cleaned, lubricated, and put back together, you should perform a function check. Often at the beginning of a training class I will have the students unload, make the weapon safe and perform a function check. I am often surprised by the number of officers that have been “trained” and carrying the firearm for some time that still do not know how to properly perform a function check on their side arm or a shoulder mounted weapon they may be using. While specific firearms require specific manipulation for a weapon-specific function check, general guidelines for a function check will be covered in a later article.

Inspection of duty ammo as we load our magazines is as equally important. The primary objective is to keep our weapons at peak operational readiness so when we draw the firearm we are confident it will go BANG! (Preventative maintenance guide coming soon.)

So, let’s move on to some more terms such as slide forward, slide to the rear, primary stoppage, secondary stoppage, etc. Slide (or bolt on a semi-automatic rifle or shotgun) forward means that the slide or bolt is all the way forward in the normal locked (firing) position but the weapon did not go BANG! Slide (or bolt) to the rear means that the slide is locked to the rearward position. Primary stoppage means that when you pressed the trigger you heard or felt a hammer / striker fall. Secondary stoppage means that when you pressed he trigger you did not hear or feel a hammer / striker fall.

First, if you have to press the trigger and the weapon doesn’t go “BANG!”, your first immediate action is to MOVE!, preferably toward cover, but if none is available, remember that a moving target is harder to hit than a stationary one.

Reload:

If the indicators are:
(1) Slide or bolt locked to the rear, AND
(2) no hammer or striker fall, chances are that the weapon is empty and needs to be reloaded.
The fix is to reload the weapon and get back into the fight! Sounds simple enough, but how many times have you seen in training shooters; (a) catch an empty magazine, (b) place an empty magazine in a pocket, etc.? If you need to continue shooting, the most important thing is to get the fresh magazine into the weapon and chamber a round. The empty magazine is worthless!

Also, some shooters practice the method of pointing the muzzle of the semiautomatic pistol straight up and flipping it in their hand so the magazine well points out at a ninety degree angle. The theory is that you can see the opening of the magazine well out of your peripheral vision or “combat window” and are less likely to fumble a reload. I can’t say that I’m a big fan of this technique, as pointing the muzzle straight up on a semiautomatic pistol with the slide locked to the rear tells the whole world (including, possibly, your assailant(s)) that YOU’RE EMPTY. I’ve also seen shooters that get the steps wrong and flip the pistol to the ninety degree angle before pressing the magazine release, and then wonder why the magazine doesn’t fall out. (Sir Isaac Newton figured this out a few centuries ago.) I prefer to keep the muzzle pointed at the threat / threat area with the magazine well pointed down while executing the reload.

Primary Method of Stoppage Clearing:

If the indicators are:

How to Clean Your Weapon(1) Slide or bolt forward, AND
(2) hammer or striker fall, your primary method of immediate action is to:
(a) TAP and TUG on the magazine to make sure it is seated;
(b) RACK the slide or bolt,
(c) READY.

All of this should happen as you are moving and the weapon is still up, pointed toward to threat or threat area. With a semi-automatic pistol, a good “par time” for a tap, rack, ready is about 1.0 – 1.5 seconds. With a semiautomatic rifle, about 1.5 seconds. Dipping the muzzle toward the ground and staring at the weapon does nothing except alert your assailant(s) that you are out of the fight.

Secondary Method of Stoppage Clearing:

If the indicators are:
(1) Slide or bolt locked to the rear, AND
(2) no hammer or striker fall, AND
(3) When you press the magazine release, the magazine does not fall out of the weapon, you may have a failure to extract combined with a failure to feed, also known as a “double feed”. We refer to it as a “secondary stoppage”.

The traditional steps to correct this have been:

(a) LOCK the slide / bolt to the rear,
(b) RIP the magazine out,
(c) RACK the slide / bolt to clear the chamber, then
(d) TAP a new magazine into place,
(e) RACK the slide / bolt and
(f) READY.

That’s a lot of moving parts to memorize, and under low stress on the range we’ve seen a lot of shooters get the steps out of order, making the stoppage even worse.

We’ve simplified this “secondary method” into three steps that are more easily remembered under stress:

(a) UNLOAD the weapon, which usually means removing the
magazine, sometimes forcefully;
(b) CLEAR THE CHAMBER (I prefer a physical check with a fingertip
as opposed to a visual check, which assumes that you will have
sufficient light to see the chamber);
(c) RELOAD the weapon, preferably with a fresh magazine, as a faulty
magazine may have caused the stoppage in the first place.

To recap, the best way to minimize the need for stoppage clearing is to:

(a) Have your weapons clean and properly lubricated;
(b) Function test all of your magazines;
(c) Make certain that all of the cartridges in the magazines are
defect-free.

That being said, practice your stoppage drills. You can do them in any safe area that allows movement and has simulated cover. Make certain to remove all live rounds from the area and use only inert training cartridges.

Product Partnership

Posted on by Marketing Action Target

Action Target believes only the best of everything should be associated with all we do. One example of our continuous search for the best is our partnership with Carey’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. After extensive review, we have aligned ourselves with Carey’s to use their heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems in order to provide our indoor range customers with the safest air conditions in the world. Action Target feels it is important for our readers to know more about Carey’s and the integral role they play in the industry. They are not only another provider of air flow products, Carey’s has been an innovator and pioneer with their systems. This article provided by Carey’s below is a little insight into the company. After reading, it will be clear to see why Action Target recommends their systems for our indoor projects.

Carey’s Heating and Air Conditioning has been developing, designing and installing successful Indoor Range projects for over 15 years. They have specialized their designs in the control of contaminants created by indoor ranges and are currently known as a National leader in the field. They have worked with the United States Navy to develop the current range ventilation standards as described in the Unified Force Criteria. Carey’s wrote the ventilation standards for Region #5 of the GSA, edited the standards for the United States Air Force as published in the ETL, and have been consultants for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (Department of Homeland Security) and FBI. With that background, it is safe to say Carey’s Heating and Air Conditioning is the leader in contained range ventilation and the Subject Matter Expert.

There are three purposes for properly ventilating indoor small arms ranges:

1.     Remove air-borne contaminates from human respiration created by the firing of a gun in an enclosed range. These include lead, other heavy metals and carbon monoxide. Left unaddressed, OSHA levels for safe operation are quickly surpassed.

2.     Maintain a negative range pressure to the surrounding areas of the building. This keeps contaminates created in the range from entering adjoining areas. Heavy metals such as lead that are allowed to enter into non-range spaces can cause levels above OSHA allowable limits for surface contaminations. These high levels are unsafe due to the chance of ingestion.

3.     Remove smoke from the range for proper vision of the targets.

The design, installation and commissioning of the range ventilation system can be the difference between an unsafe range and a range that meets the OSHA, EPA and NIOSH standards. The critical components are custom fabricated in Carey’s facility and are the summation of the lessons learned from the completion of hundreds of prior range ventilation projects.

AT Partners with Carey'sSpecifically, the radial air diffusers and plenums are custom built and have been tested to provide laminar air flow at the firing line after proper commissioning. “Laminar” flow is a steady, even airflow required to safely clear contaminate from the respiratory zone of the users of the range. These special diffusers are not available from a standard diffuser supplier. The control system and programming uses standard parts from Johnson Control, but the programming of the equipment is critical. The programming is done by an experienced programmer who has worked on all of the ranges that Carey’s has completed. It is also critical to have the control system installed and tested to automatically shut down if unsafe conditions are detected. This will protect both the occupants of the range and the adjoining areas.

The on site supervision provided by Carey’s Heating & Air Conditioning is necessary to ensure guaranteed results in meeting these standards. If the project does not have the proper oversight, it can result in unsatisfactory results and finger pointing. Unlike a standard ventilation project where the system is installed and the air test and balancer sets the design air flow at each system outlet, a range ventilation system is designed for proper air flow at the firing line that is ten to fifteen feet from the distribution point. It must be the designer’s responsibility. An installing contractor can only install the project as shown on the drawings and control the air flow to the distribution device.

Due to the potential of over exposure to carbon monoxide, lead and other heavy metals on the range as well as the potential to contaminate adjoining areas with surface contaminates, the only way to guarantee performance is to have the system installation and design managed by someone with the experience to see potential problems with the installation. The site reviews also look at the building construction to identify potential problems such as a breach in the range walls that could present problems for the end users.

Carey’s Heating and Air Conditioning has completed hundreds of range ventilation projects at facilities that have met all of the required standards, including projects for the US Navy, Air Force, US Marshals, Police / Sheriff Departments and private / commercial ranges.

  • Pasadena Police Department – Pasadena, CA
  • Milwaukee County Sheriff Department – Franklin WI
  • Matteson Police Department – Matteson, IL
  • Lake Forest Police Department, Lake Forest, IL
  • Great Lakes Naval Base – Great Lakes, IL
  • Oak Creek Police Department, Oak Creek, IL
  • Greenfield Police Department, Greenfield, WI
  • Unites States Air Force Reserves – Milwaukee, WI
  • Council Bluffs Police Department – Council Bluffs, IO
  • Boulder Police Department – Boulder, CO
  • Coronado Naval Base – San Diego, CA
  • San Diego Naval Base – San Diego, CA
  • Bangor Submarine Base – Silverdale, WA
  • Annapolis Naval Academy – Annapolis, MD
  • Patuxcent River Naval Base – Patuxcent River, MD
  • Annapolis Naval Academy – Annapolis, MD
  • Quantico Marine Base – Quantico, VA
  • Little Creek Naval Base, Virginia Beach, VA
  • Dam Neck Seal Base, Virginia Beach, VA
  • Portsmouth Ship Yard, Portsmouth, VA
  • New Orleans Naval Air Station, New Orleans, LA
  • Northeast Texas Community College, Texas
  • Newport Naval Base, Newport, RI
  • Middletown Police Department, Langhorne, PA
  • Sherwood Police Department, Sherwood, OR
  • Aviano NATO Base, Aviano, Italy
  • Sigonella Naval Air Station, Sigonella, Sicily
  • Gibraltar Training Range, Gibraltar, Great Brittan
  • Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, HI
  • Federal Reserve Bank – St. Louis, MO
  • Eagleton Courthouse, St. Louis, MO
  • Kansas City Police Department, Kansas City, MO
  • Montgomery County Police Department, Conshohocken, PA

Management

The management team assigned to any range project are key personnel at Carey’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. and will ensure its successful and professional completion within the parameters previously established.

The Carey’s team consists of the following:

  • Bill Provencher: President and CEO – oversees all aspects of project
  • Pat Tovey: Secretary Treasure and CFO – responsible all material acquisition, contracts and project coordination.
  • Jim Provencher: Vice President – responsible for all custom material fabrication and delivery.
  • Jim McKay: Control Manager – Designs, supervises the assembly and start up of the range control system. Commissions the systems.
  • Kristofer Williams: Engineer – Designs equipment and distribution system for the range ventilation.

The team of professionals that Carey’s brings to this project are among the most knowledgeable and complete authorities in the range ventilation field.

Responsiveness

Carey’s is the only range ventilation supplier that has a 24 hour, seven day per week response center that can support and troubleshoot the range ventilation system though the direct digital control system. Their level of commitment to ensuring that our range is fully operational and functioning is extraordinary. Roselle is confident that no other company in the industry is capable of providing this degree of service and maintenance.

Experience of Contractor Personnel

Carey’s personnel have 13 years of experience installing ranges. In addition to seasoned employees and industry leading partners, Carey’s has extensive sub-contractor relationships with all the disciplines of range construction. Carey’s success in hiring experienced, professional employees, partners and sub-contractors is evidenced by their track record in building some of the most advanced, complex, state-of-the-art firearms training facilities in the world.

Uniqueness

Carey’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. has been an innovative force in range ventilation design for over 15 years.

If you would like more information on Carey’s products, indoor ranges, ventilation or have other questions, please contact the Territory Manager for your area.

Latest Projects in the Great Lakes Region

Posted on by Marketing Action Target

No matter how big or small, if you need a target, range, ventilation system or custom facility, Action Target has a solution. Starting with our portable steel targets, graduating to our Tactical Application Scenario Kit (TASK) for the ultimate in portable options to the designing and building of a more permanent solution with a member of our staff, we can help.

Holding numerous patents on the products we produce and working with some of the best partners, such as Carey’s for ventilation, Action Target will construct the finest range solution for your needs. We have built, maintained and updated ranges for local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, all branches of the United States Military, professional / competitive organizations and various private / commercial entities.

We feel it is important to highlight some of our most recent projects and acknowledge those involved. Many times it is not an easy process, but whether building new or updating an existing facility, Action Target and our team of dedicated professionals will get the job done right. With that, we would like to announce the completion of two projects. Both of the following ranges were facilitated by Jason Snell, the Great Lakes Territory Manager, and the team he assembled.

AT Installs TCT for Dearorn PDFirst up is the renovation of Dearborn Police Departments (DPD) firing range. Located in the basement of Michigan’s DPD, this project took careful planning and execution. With the help of several dedicated companies, Action Target managed the removal of DPD’s existing bullet trap, modified the existing target systems, cleaned the range and installed two 16′ Total Containment Bullet Traps (TCT).

A special thanks goes to Mancom, Best Technology Systems, Inc., Truxell Electric, Arch Environmental Group, Dearborn PD Procurement, Dearborn PD Project Manager, Stephen White, Action Target Great Lakes Territory Manager, Jason Snell, Project Manager, Mark Ostebo, and many others for their hard work and a job well done!

Equipment provided and installed by Action Target includes the following:

  • (2) AR550 Steel Total Containment Bullet Traps
  • (1) Dust Collection Unit (DCU)

AT Provides Ranges and Equipment for Nashville PDCongratulations to Dearborn Police Department and all those involved!

The second project recently completed in the Great Lakes Region is the updated Metro Nashville Police Academy Outdoor Firing Range. Located in Tennessee at Nashville’s outdoor training facility, this project included the removal of all old targeting systems from two separate ranges and the installation of new Action Target equipment.

AT Installs Outdoor Fiiring RangeA special thanks goes to Officers Bob Allen and Greg Lee, City and State Officials, Metro Nashville Procurement, Action Target Great Lakes Territory Manager – Jason Snell, Action Target Project Manager – Brian Sanders, and many others for their hard work and a job well done!

Equipment provided and installed by Action Target includes the following:

Congratulations to Metro Nashville Police Academy and all those involved!

AT Installs Power 90 Turning Targets

AT Installed Track Runners for Nashville PD

If you are in the Great Lakes region and would like more information about any of our products or services, please contact the Territory Manager, Jason Snell.

801-377-8033 ext. 158
801-809-6966 cell
[email protected]

Action Target International

Posted on by Marketing Action Target

AT Build MATCH in GermanyDid you know that we are an international company? For years we have been increasing our presence abroad. Countries around the world have been increasing their police and military forces to parallel their growing populations. With more officers and law enforcement staff, countries are turning to Action Target to provide the very best training solutions. With our diverse line of range-related products, we have been fortunate enough to be selected to build some of the largest shooting facilities in the world. We have designed, manufactured and installed indoor, outdoor and M.A.T.C.H. (Modular Armored Tactical Combat House) ranges for our international friends and US military bases located on foreign soil.

Pictured above are structures we built in Germany that utilize M.A.T.C.H. technology. They are just one example of the course and scope of our international efforts.

Action Target Provides Innovative Training WorldwideAlong with our range and steel target technology, we have been sought for practical application training solutions as well. Action Target has been able to supply some of the best military and law enforcement trainers from the US to provide a comprehensive training program using our range equipment. Our ability to provide training on the equipment we manufacture and install continues to set us apart. We can provide this service with the purchase of our systems for a limited or extended time. If you do not have a range and/or would like to discuss having some specific coursework delivered to your personnel, we would like to discuss the options available with you. We have the capacity to deliver the entire spectrum of shooting-related coursework. Our capabilities including classroom and nomenclature discussions to static live fire, non-live-fire, force on force, close quarter combat, tactical live fire all the way to the pinnacle of tactical combat house live-fire training. Basically, if you have a firearm-related training need, whether it is for equipment, instruction or both, Action Target has a solution. If you would like to know more, please contact the Action Target representative for your area. Their information is below.

Europe and Africa:
Rod Wilkerson
+801-705-9146 office
+801-367-0726 mobile
[email protected]

Latin America:
Walter Roese
+801-705-9174 office
+801-787-7445 mobile
[email protected]

Middle East:
Jason Xochimitl
+801-705-9112 office
+801-376-2722 mobile
[email protected]

Pacific Rim:
Steve Thomas
+801-396-1213 office
+801-602-0014 mobile
[email protected]

If you are with the US Military and want to discuss range options in the US or abroad, please contact the military representative for your area. Their information is below.

Eastern United States, Europe, Middle East:
Alan Denmark
+801-705-9186 office
+801-995-2062 mobile
[email protected]

Western United States and Pacific Rim:
Kelli Cutler
+801-705-9111 office
+801-319-1198 mobile
[email protected]

Whether you are looking for targets, targeting systems, range development, training or anything else, please let us know. Our international staff will be able to find a solution to your needs. Since we are always committed to service and producing the highest quality products, please provide any feedback you may have by clicking here.

Firearms Proficiency Skill Levels (Part Two)

Posted on by Marketing Action Target

Written by Benjamin Kurata

(Continued from last week…)The following are arbitrary levels and goals of shooting performance. I use the word arbitrary as I have chosen them with no other intent than to place a stake in the sand so that the shooter can think about where (s)he is and where (s)he wishes to go with his / her training. What follows can be applied to shooting paper targets on a square, flat range (SFR) up through diminished light force-on-force scenarios.

BEGINNER LEVEL:

Emphasis:

  • Basic skill development (consistency in shooting position, grip, sight picture, trigger manipulation, follow through);
  • Safe, correct gun handling skills.

Shooter Position:

  • Static, i.e.,
  • Modified Isosceles
  • Weaver
  • Chapman
  • Etc.

Conditions:

  • Bright, well lit.

Target(s):

  • Static, known distance from shooter, high contrast (bullseye, PPC, Q, etc).

Time:

  • Unlimited or generous.

Acceptable outcome or goal:

  • All shots impact upon designated target area (target face, scoring rings, qualification area, etc.). NO MISSES!

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL:

AT Firearms ProficiencyEmphasis:

  • Introduce / develop dynamic target / environment skills;
  • Introduce / develop dynamic decision making skills.
  • Safe, correct gun handling skills.

Shooter Position:

  • Static (see above) between 75% and 50% of the time (gradually decreasing);
  • Dynamic or moving between 25% and 50% of the time (gradually increasing).

Conditions:

  • Bright, well lit, 50% of the time;
  • Diminished light 25% of the time;
  • No light 25% of the time (requires auxiliary lighting source).

Target(s):

  • Static, 50%;
  • Moving, uniform rate, known distance, 50%;
  • Uniform appearance 50%;
  • Non-uniform appearance (requiring shoot / no shoot decision) 50%.

Time:

  • Set time limits, challenging but achievable.

Acceptable outcome or goal:

  • No misses;
  • No no-shoot targets hit.

ADVANCED LEVEL:

Emphasis:

  • Sound decision making skills (shoot / no shoot);
  • Sound use of environment (cover, concealment, light, darkness, movement);
  • Safe, correct gun handling skills.

Shooter Position:

  • Static 20% of the time (behind cover, prone);
  • Dynamic or moving 80% of the time.

Conditions:

  • 100% diminished or no light (requires auxiliary lighting source).

Target(s):

  • 100% humanoid threat / no threat / varying levels of threat unless skill development is indicated – then bullseye, Q, etc.
  • Static but reactive, 50% (fire until threat is gone);
  • Moving, non- uniform rate, unknown distance, 50%;
  • Non-uniform appearance 100%.

Time:

  • Tight, dependent upon scenario. Shoot / no shoot available for short period of time before disappearing.

Acceptable outcome or goal:

  • Sound decision making:
    • Shoot / no shoot;
    • Use of environment / movement;
  • No misses on threat targets;
    • All shots in vital area or threat down (reactive)
  • No no-shoot targets hit.

Now, your first reaction upon reading this may be; “Nobody shoots at the Advanced Level.” Two responses:

1. Yes, there are entire people that shoot at the Advanced Level consistently, both as individuals and as teams. I will not be so arrogant as to claim that I shoot at this level, but I have had the benefit of training with individuals and teams that do.

2. As trainers, if we do not expect / demand better performance of those we train, will they ever improve? Again, as humans, we rise or fall to the level of expectation. So, as trainers, part of our job is to keep introducing more challenging, more realistic, and MORE DIFFICULT problems for the operator(s) to solve.

(Author’s Note: I started this article in 2000, but shelved it because nobody in my organization at that time was interested in discussing proficiency. Recently, a nationally published writer called and asked us about proficiency levels and evaluation, so it might be a good time to visit this subject again.)

*Note: Action Target has recently been offering firearm training manuals for sale at our online store. We only charge the cost to produce and ship the item. There are no hidden fees. We believe that your safety is that important, so we elect not to capitalize on the manuals. To get your own hard copies of these training manuals, please click here.

Firearms Proficiency Skill Levels (Part One)

Posted on by Marketing Action Target

Written by Benjamin Kurata

Three Men Engaged in Firearms TrainingWhen we talk about using firearms against lethal force threats, there is only one real measure of proficiency and an endless number of pseudo measurements. I do not say that in a negative way, as pseudo measurements save a lot of wear and tear on our personnel. However, we have to remember not to substitute the pseudo measurements for the real measurement.

The only real measurement of firearms proficiency in the realm of engaging and stopping lethal force threats is this: Did the officer / operator win the fight, and the threat(s) to the officer / operator lose the fight? Sub measurements of proficiency that fall under this can include:

  • Number of rounds fired / hits on threat(s);
  • Number of rounds fired by threat(s) / hits on officer / operator;
  • Unintentional hits on non-involved bystanders;
  • Unintentional hits on property (cars, houses, storefronts, etc.)

Any other measurement is a pseudo measurement. Within this broad area of pseudo measurements, some come closer to simulating actual fighting conditions and some have very little to do with actual fighting conditions. These include:

  • Qualification courses;
  • “Tactical” courses of fire;
  • Formal competition;
  • Etc.

Action Target Firearm ProficiencyPlease note that I do not see any of the above as a negative. Any time you are pressing trigger and getting hits on target you are reinforcing fundamental skills, and that is a good thing.

In my opinion, the most accurate, predictive live fire activity that the officer / operator can engage in short of an actual gunfight is force-on-force scenarios using dye marking cartridges and converted service weapons. Here, the hit ratio is very close to the actual hit ratio in gun fights. However, force-on-force scenarios have to be carefully scripted and controlled or they quickly degenerate into very expensive paintball games. An integral part of a well scripted scenario includes specific behavioral performance measurements that the trainer can document while the scenario is in progress.

We are all creatures of (1) comfort, (2) habit. We tend to do what is comfortable to us and avoid what is uncomfortable. If we receive enough positive feedback while performing what is comfortable to us, it becomes ingrained or a habit.

The same is true with shooting. We tend to rise to our individual level of comfort and then rationalize our level of performance. (“That’s close / good enough.”) We choose and repeat goals that we know we can routinely achieve.

(Author’s Note: I started this article in 2000, but shelved it because nobody in my organization at that time was interested in discussing proficiency. Recently, a nationally published writer called and asked us about proficiency levels and evaluation, so it might be a good time to visit this subject again.)

(This article continues in next week’s newsletter)

*Note: Action Target has recently been offering firearm training manuals for sale at our online store. We only charge the cost to produce and ship the item. There are no hidden fees. We believe that your safety is that important, so we elect not to capitalize on the manuals. To get your own hard copies of these training manuals, please click here.

Eliminating Lead in Indoor Ranges (Part Two)

Posted on by Marketing Action Target

Written by Clark Vargas

(Continued from last week…)There are inherent legal problems training with non-carry ammunition. The weight of non-lead bullets, are on average 25% less than that of standard lead projectiles by caliber and therefore accuracy is reduced at the firearms effective distances (long distances). Pistol harmonics and point of aim, likewise, change and occur at the shorter distance. So if a different practice round is trained with, the arguments can always be raised that it is different than the carry ammunition and the legal argument is created.

Military doctrine has always required engaging the enemy with mass firepower at the maximum effective distance of the firearm (whoever puts the most steel down range wins). Police trainers’ doctrine should also do the same. But, even if you are practicing and not hitting to the same point of aim with the duty and practice ammo, the lighter, non-lead practice ammo won’t do.

A lead-free indoor shooting rangeTraining with firearms requires developing proficiency at the weapons tactical or practical longest distances. That must be learned first. Close in rapid tactical drills come in second. However, if perceived recoil is different between a 100-grain and 140-grain bullet, a legal argument is again created.

Non-lead practice ammunition has no military value for combat. Lead again is and remains because of its weight and position in the periodic table, the main component for small arms projectiles of choice.

In our [Clark Vargas & Associates] opinion, LEO’s need to practice and qualify with what the less expensive issue ammunition or be subject to lawsuit, especially after a “bad” shooting incident. From a cost stand point, why shoot more expensive copper frangible and then have to qualify with lead on the same range when what you end up doing is contaminating the existing copper dust deposits with lead and then you can’t recycle any of it?

A lead-free indoor shooting rangeThe big break in ammunition technology, with respect to LEO training and environmental concerns, has only been the development of the lead heavy metal free reliable primers. Air sampling conducted at live shoots, with various totally encapsulated projectiles and lead free primer products is reported to have consistently proven to totally eliminate breathable lead exposure at the firing line.

The problem with the acceptance of the non-lead primed ammunition for tactical use has been that the non-lead primers are less sensitive than those with lead styphnate primer and increases the chance of misfires occurring, due to no ignition. This problem is being worked on. We certainly do not want misfires happening in a shoot out. Another problem is that non-lead primers were and are hydroscopic and may not store well.

Blount, Remington and Winchester as well as others, continue development with new ways of manufacturing propellant charges with non-metallic and non-lead bullets. Blount, CCI Blazer’s appear to be setting the standards in this area of technology with their more reliable lead-free primers. Lead free primers have little effect on velocity and points of aim, thus maintaining weight and velocity consistent to that of standard lead primed current carry ammunition.

A lead-free indoor shooting rangeIf a department is unwilling or unable to implement the lead management practices that we have known of for 12 years now, then perhaps they should use non-lead “green ammunition”. It should be realized though that the use of green ammunition is only one of the many alternative Best Management Practices for shooting ranges. It is not, however, the panacea and their use will have unintended consequences. The problems with non-lead alternative projectiles go far beyond the cost of the round. There are the ballistic performance shortcomings as previously discussed and yet unknown health and environmental risks. We know the risks for lead and know how to handle them.

A fine point, but points to be considered by the industry are non-lead ammunition. It is available to the military and law enforcement but is illegal for the public to purchase or possess. Frangible copper ammunition is not designed for hunting and if used, a brush buster shot or a bad hit would result in only wounding and animal cruelty. Non-lead ammunition is not accurate enough for competitive target shooting.

We now believe that zinc ammunition will be removed from the market place shortly so we won’t discuss that further. However, the Army’s tungsten “green bullet” a more recent debacle is a perfect example of the unknown risks of proposed “wondermetals”. On paper the tungsten metal compound proposed for the Army’s “green bullet” program looked great and development went forward. When real-world fate and transport studies were done, it turned out that the tungsten compound created unintended consequences worse than lead. Soil pH dropped as much as 5 full points, resulting in negative impacts on vegetation and organisms in the environment, as well as having 100% cancer rates in test rats. Can you imagine what could have happened if implemented for existing military ranges? The use of the Army’s “green bullets” on an existing lead range would have decreased soil pH and INCREASED lead mobility in large sites. Clearly not the intended result!

A Man Shooting in a Lead-free RangeThe Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, FLETC, has committed to 16 million rounds per year and is “the driving force behind the development of lead alternative ammunition”, but FLETC also has also acknowledged that lead alternative ammunition technology is NOT acceptable for duty use; they express a desire and opinion that it will be someday. FLETC developed their lead abatement strategy because of citations by EPA prior to the EPA’s development of lead Best Management Practices (BMP’s) and an EPA action due to FLETC’s past problems managing lead.

We have come through the zinc experiments and now in light of the Army’s green bullet test results, if, any assertion that non-lead ammunition is comparable to lead ammunition remarks is just plain wrong.

Balancing firearms training requirements vs. environmental stewardship is the balancing process the range design engineer and owner have to achieve. Completely eliminating an environmental risk is not possible. Minimizing risk certainly is.

I suggest totally encapsulated lead projectiles, non-lead primed ammunition for our designs. I take the common sense approach to the minimization of lead impacts on humans and the environment, and adopting range BMP’s as follows:

  • Utilize totally enclosed jacketed ammunition
  • Utilize lead-free primers
  • Install proper ventilation to assure adequate air movement and pressure in the breathing space and HEPA filter the air to be breathed
  • Instituting Range Operational Rules only proper ammunition used, wash hands, etc.
  • Eliminating lead dust generation at the bullet trap by proper choice of traps.
  • Recycle whatever you use

Utilizing the above BMP’s will eliminate 100% of the lead health safety problem in the range, due to projectiles.

Clark Vargas is a professional engineer and President of a successful 23-year-old civil/environmental engineering firm and has designed more than 30 shooting ranges in Florida, New York, Virginia, Tennessee and Kansas.

C. Vargas & Associates Logo

(NOTE: Action Target has republished this article in its entirety with the permission of the author.  Ideas, comments, practices, recommendations, etc. are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of Action Target. Our line of indoor range products, which include our steel Total Containment and rubber traps, ventilation and dust collection meet and/or exceed all of Mr. Vargas’ recommendations/conclusions.)

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