GAF Blunt Silhouette targets

Pitspitr · March 15, 2010, 08:18:36 AM

I visited Capt. Ned Neiderlander at his home yesterday and have the opportunity to view first of the new GAF Blunt Silhouette targets. They will be challenging, but they look really good. They are in half scale which makes the standing target just under 3 feet tall and should work pretty well as a knock down or a fixed target. Eventually the Calamus Vigilance Committee would like to own about 50 sets. Hopefully about half of the targets used at the Department of the Missouri Shoot in July will be these targets. I didn't have a camera with me or I'd insert photos here. Hopefully Capt. Neiderlander can post a few.

Texas Lawdog · March 15, 2010, 09:28:25 AM

Pitspitr, I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Niederlander · March 29, 2010, 08:01:51 PM

Hello!
Here are pictures of the new Blunt skirmish targets set up as Knock-down Targets. They should work equally as well as regular "dinger" targets. I put the Krag in for scale, and because I just like Krags!

Niederlander · March 29, 2010, 08:03:05 PM

Sorry, the other picture didn't load the first time. Here it is.

Drydock · March 29, 2010, 08:40:41 PM

Beeuuutiiifull! Can hardly wait!

Pitspitr · March 29, 2010, 08:48:10 PM

Capt. Neiderlander,
What are we at for a count? 5 Standing, 2 kneeling? I'd like to have at least 5 prone for the Dept. Muster, and 8 would be better.

River City John · March 29, 2010, 09:19:33 PM

Look great!

I can foresee a lot of fatal 'elbow shots' debates in the future . . .

RCJ

Texas Lawdog · March 30, 2010, 02:23:34 AM

Just as long as it's a knock down.

Niederlander · March 30, 2010, 07:16:59 AM

Quote from: Pitspitr on March 29, 2010, 08:48:10 PM
Capt. Neiderlander,
What are we at for a count? 5 Standing, 2 kneeling? I'd like to have at least 5 prone for the Dept. Muster, and 8 would be better.

I'm not sure. I'll check tomorrow at the steel shop and see what we're up to. Just to confirm, you'd like to have eight PRONE targets by the muster? It's easier to find steel for those.

Pitspitr · March 30, 2010, 08:45:42 AM

Yes, 8 prone dingers. I have a stage that would work really well using the prone targets.

RattlesnakeJack · March 30, 2010, 10:44:54 PM

Are they Martini-Henry rated?

Pitspitr · March 31, 2010, 05:27:18 AM

Come down in July and we'll find out.

Alas, all I can "proof" them with is a .45/70 or a .50/70. $:-\$

Niederlander · March 31, 2010, 07:01:31 AM

Good morning, Jack!
I'm going to shoot at them with a .45-70 and a .50-70. What is the bullet weight and velocity of your .577-.450 rounds? Thanks!

RattlesnakeJack · March 31, 2010, 10:41:08 AM

Actually, the loads I use at Muster are loaded down to the "wimpy"

.45-70-based Battle Rifle specs - i.e. a 405 grain bullet over no more than .70 grains black powder .... Just thought I'd jump in with that comment since many folks seems to think of the M-H as a "gong-killer" for some reason!

Mind you, if loaded to full spec - 480 grain bullet over 85 grains powder - it would definitely be more likely to qualify in that respect.

(I read somewhere that a primary consideration in the development of the .45-70 round was that it had to be capable of consistently putting down a horse, to be effective in the Plains Indian campaigns which were then the primary focus of the US Army. I joke that the .577/.450 Martini-Henry round must have been developed by the British War Department with a similar capability in mind - but the mounts of the "Indians" they were apt to be fighting could well be elephants!)

I continue to hope to hit upon a consistently accurate load for the .577 Snider-Enfield (which was actually the primary-issue military rifle in Canada in the period I portray .... the M-H was limited issue.) In that case, I would be in the "above .50 caliber" class, and presumably could go with a full military load, which was actually the same (480 gr bullet and 85 grains powder, although muzzle velocity was lower.)

Niederlander · March 31, 2010, 05:16:47 PM

Jack,
I'd love to see you use your Snider-Enfield! I'll let everyone know how the testing comes out. My only concern is whether the smallbores (i.e. .30 Army) will take down the knockdown targets.

Niederlander · March 31, 2010, 07:22:20 PM

Quote from: Pitspitr on March 29, 2010, 08:48:10 PM
Capt. Neiderlander,
What are we at for a count? 5 Standing, 2 kneeling? I'd like to have at least 5 prone for the Dept. Muster, and 8 would be better.

So far we have five Standing, six Kneeling, and six Prone. The guys doing the cutting are keeping their eyes open for scrap steel suitable for what we're doing.

Pitspitr · March 31, 2010, 08:02:34 PM

We probably need the fewest prone ones but they are the easiest to come up with steel enough for. In fact I think I may have come up with enough for quite a few of the prone targets.

Niederlander · April 06, 2010, 11:52:37 AM

I did a little bit of testing on these targets last night, using them as knock-downs. A shotgun puts them down easily at seven to ten yards. A .38 Special did fairly well, but strangly enough, a .45 Colt with 200 grain bullets didn't do as well. The Krag knocks them down reliably at seventy-five yards, but you have to hit the prone one midway up or higher to get it to go down. I hit one twice right at the bottom edge and it didn't go down. Obviously, I'll have to experiment with adjusting the targets to fall more easily. (I didn't have time to do that last night.) By the way, that prone one is a challenge to hit, but quite doable. Overall, I think these are going to be great targets!

Pitspitr · April 11, 2010, 09:14:02 AM

So how was the shoot yesterday? Did you use any of the Blunt's targets?

Cactus Rope · April 12, 2010, 03:15:18 PM

Howdy,

Say, how thick is the metal your using?