A little over a year ago, the Orlando Police Departments Indoor Shooting range opened for firearms training. The range is a total of 55 lanes and is broken up into 3 separate training bays.
Bay #1 is a 20 lane, 50 yard long shooting distance that includes Tactical ceiling baffling, a High Power Rifle rated Total Containment Bullet Trap with the auger collection method, Dust Collection Unit, and Air Handling system. The primary targets used on this range are reactive Steel targets, incorporating a steel center mass target with either a round head or octagon head being raised for “shoot” or “don’t shoot” scenario’s.
Bay #2 is also a 20 lane, 50 yard long range that also the same baffles, bullet trap, etc. and the targetry features the inverted runner, swing down targets, and DTAPS decision making targets.
Bay #3 is a 15 lane, 100 yard Rifle Range. This has a “Fixed” firing line and has targets staggered at the 25 yard, 50 yard, 75 yard and 100 yard lines. (again, it has fixed baffles, and the TCT trap, air handling system, etc)
All of these ranges are designed to allow police vehicles to enter the range and replicate traffic stops.
Eric Clapsaddle, the Orlando Police Department’s Rangemaster, designed several key ideas into the range, such as:
- The ability to recreate a variety of “low light” conditions again, replicating “real life” gun fight situations.
- The ability to create flexible barriers, walls, and cover with an insert-able panel for replicating “real life” scenario’s.
The Training that is provided to the Orlando Officers, is some of the closest we have seen to creating as real a situation as possible that the officers have faced or may face. The result of this type of training has been fantastic! Keep in mind the national average for “hits” in a gun fight 7 yards and closer is about 20%. With the training Orlando is doing, that number is closer to 80%, which is truly amazing, and life saving.
As you plan your range, think of ways you can recreate “real gun fights” that have happened in your area, or ones that may be common scenario’s you run into. Think of things like Traffic stops, multiple adversaries, working on scanning and avoiding tunnel vision, decision making targets (good guy / bad guy & shoot / no shoot), hostage drills, and so on. Try to allow the flexibility you need to be able to use these tools in training your officers.
The result will be a better protected community, better protected officers, and because the are better equipped, they will be better prepared.
Action Target thanks our first responders and all those who put themselves in harm’s way to protect the lives and property of others.
Stay Safe!
Very nice article on the Orlando P.D. range. What a great facility.
Questions:
Do the shooting bays allow 180 degree shooting? i.e. can you shoot into the side walls?
What is Tactical Ceiling baffling?
The lighting looks good. How do you protect the lighting system?
Do the steel traps have to be back at the bullet trap? Can you have, for example, a 25 yard shooting point, with steel targets at 7, 12, 15, and/or 20 yards away?
Thank you,
Kevin Hood
Hi Kevin – great questions and we’re happy to give you some answers:
1) The wall baffles used in the Orlando range were designed to redirect all wall shots downrange into the bullet trap. However, we also offer wall baffles with a ballistic fascia which allows for true 180-degree shooting.
2) The tactical ceiling baffling that we mentioned offers continuous coverage (no gaps) to allow for safe and contained shooting anywhere downrange.
3) The OPD shooting range lighting is mounted on the backside of the angled ceiling baffles, protecting them from any and all shots in the range. You get great lighting without having to worry about causing any damage.
4) On an indoor/contained range, proper placement of steel targets becomes more critical when compared to use on an outdoor shooting range, due to hard surfaces that can make bullet splatter less predictable. However, this doesn’t mean your range is limited to placing all your targets at the back bullet trap. Action Target can accommodate almost any target layout you can think of with proper planning and splatter protection. We do caution and ask you not to alter your current indoor/contained range target setup before speaking to Action Target or another range professional to ensure that your new set-up is properly planned for maximum safety.
If you have any more questions or want to talk to an Action Target representative about building a new range or modifying your existing range, visit our contact page, and we’d be glad to help!
This looks like a great training tool. Congrats to Orlando for making his happen. I am not sure we will see anything like this in my lifetime here in my state.
Be Safe and have a Great New Year,
Duane
Nice range but next time you might want to have them paint the hostage target before you take a picture. There are tons more hits on the hostage (pic#2) than the bad guy hiding behind them. Sad to say I know that this is the norm instead of the exception in most departments.