Reactive targets can significantly enhance firearms training. They accomplish this by providing immediate feedback and by creating greater interest by making the training process more entertaining.
Immediate feedback enhances firearms training by establishing a closer tie between the shooters’ actions and the results of their actions. For example, imagine that someone shoots three rounds at a paper target. He then examines the paper, and sees that two of the shots hit near the point of aim, while the third did not. It may be difficult for the shooter to determine which of his three shots was the one which did not hit near the point of aim, and then to remember what he did differently on that shot that contributed to a different result. With a reactive target, on the other hand, the shooter can see how the target responds to each shot, and thus can immediately determine which actions may have contributed to or detracted from successful shot placement.
Greater interest (more fun) enhances firearms training by encouraging the shooter to spend more time in training. Additional time in training often produces great skill.
Spüt Targets are a relatively new type of reactive target. They use brightly colored powders encased in 121 partitions sandwiched between the front and back of the target. Clouds of these powders erupt out of the back of the target when a partition is struck by a projectile. These brightly colored clouds provide immediate and vivid feedback showing the accuracy of each successive shot.
Spüt Targets are available in 4 different color combinations: red/green, blue/red, orange/blue, and green/orange. A pack of 4 targets, consisting of either 1 target in each combination or all 4 targets in 1 of the combinations, cost $29.99 at the time of this writing at teh company website: www.sputtargets.com .
I enjoy shooting reactive targets, so when I heard about the opportunity to test a new type of reactive target, I jumped at the opportunity. Three days later, a package arrived via USPS.
First Impressions
My very first impression was that the United States Postal Service had not been kind to the package in which the targets arrived. That package was an 11.25-inch x 14.5-inch padded envelope. A heavy wire stand is provided with each set of targets. The legs of the stand had penetrated through the sides of the battered padded envelope in three different places. After being unprotected by the envelope, they looked a little worse for the wear.
Opening the envelope revealed the product package. The product package was a simple plastic bag sealed by a folded and stapled paperboard label at the open end. The label contained some interesting information. The most encouraging piece of information on the label is that Spüt Targets are made in the USA. It was also encouraging to note the manufacturer’s claim that the targets are biodegradeable and non-toxic.
Each target is 5.5 inches wide, 7 inches tall, and about 1/2-inch thick. A colored, diamond shaped diagram on the face of the target identifies the colors of the powders in the partitions between the face and back of the target.
The metal target stand is 14 inches tall. Approximately 2.5 inches of the stand stick in the ground, about 2.5 inches slide into the target, and about 9 inches stand between the bottom of the target and the surface of the ground.
The First Range Session
I tested the first target with a Taurus TX22 that I was reviewing for SurvivalBlog. The TX22 is chambered in .22LR.
Due to the small diameter of .22LR bullets, the first hit in each partition displaced a relatively small amount of powder through the back of the partition, resulting in a rather small cloud of colored powder. The second and subsequent hits in each partition resulted in more substantial results as the opening remaining from the first hit allowed a much larger amount of powder to erupt out of the back of the target. After about three hits in a given partition, there were diminishing returns as the supply of powder remaining in the partition rapidly dwindled.
All in all, when used with .22LR I found the targets to be a fun novelty, but not something I am likely to invest in on a regular basis.
The Second Range Session
The second range session was a gathering of our small group Bible Study. “Cool Hand Luke” and his wife “Betsy Ross” were there. So were “Jungleboy” (so named because he is a missionary kid who grew up in the jungle) and his wife “Dutch Mom”. Luke and Betsy’s adult children “Hummingbird” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” were also present.
The occasion for having this range session was the addition of Dutch Mom’s newest job responsibility. She is secretary/receptionist at a school. The school administration noticed that there has never been a mass shooting at a school that has armed teachers and staff. So the school administration asked for volunteers to be armed, and Dutch Mom stepped forward. She wanted to polish her skills for this new responsibility, so I scheduled a range session.
Near the end of the range session, I invited group members to try out a Spüt Target. Several volunteers presented themselves for duty.
Hummingbird and Obi-Wan are the best shots in the group. Hummingbird went first. She hollowed out a section near the center of the target with significant clouds of colored powder, much to the satisfaction of the spectators.
Obi-Wan went next. Most of his shots went through the same section that Hummingbird had already emptied. His accuracy was excellent, but the results were not nearly as satisfying.
Then Betsy went. She hit a few fresh pockets of powder, to general acclaim from the gallery.
I went last. My shots were not as accurate as the shots of some of those who had preceded me. The enabled me to hit some partitions that had not yet been perforated, and produce satisfying clouds of powder. Then one of my last shots hit the metal stand and sent the target flying, much to the satisfaction of the spectators.
Here are some of Hummingbird’s and Betsy’s reflections about the Spüt Target:
Hummingbird observed that it is a cool idea, but that it was hard to see the colors when she was focused on hitting the target. She noted that it was kind of fun for the spectators, but that she did not see much of it herself. [Although the spectators cheered with every shot as clouds of powder erupted from the back of the target, Hummingbird had such a laser-like focus on the target that she was largely oblivious to both the clouds and the cheers].
Betsy noted that it is a fun idea, especially for the spectators. She liked the fun visual feedback, which she found much more rewarding than just shooting paper targets.
I found the results to be more substantial with 9mm than it had been with .22LR in the first range session. The extra energy on target created more satisfying results.
Colored Powder
The colored powder in the Spüt Targets consists of brightly-dyed, food-grade corn starch.
The use of such powder for entertainment purposes was popularized in the United States by the Color Run. The Color Run is a 5-kilometer (“5K”) race in which participants are showered with colored powders at various points throughout the course. The first such run was held in 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. Runs have subsequently been held at hundreds of locations in the United States and around the world.
The use of colored powder for the run was inspired, in turn, by the Hindu festival of Holi, in which participants spray or smear each other with colored powders or powder solutions.
Since popularized by the Color Run in the United States, colored powders have become popular for gender reveals, fraternity and sorority color fights, and similar events where a bright cloud of powder in the sky, or the opportunity to make an opposing team a colorful mess are desired.
It is interesting to note that the use of pure dyed corn starch without a buffering agent of some sort is not entirely without risk. On June 27, 2015, a cloud of colored corn starch powder ignited, creating a dust explosion in Taiwan that injured more than 500 people, and killed 15.
Conclusions
Spüt Targets provide an interesting and entertaining change of pace from shooting non-reactive targets. They are especially satisfying to spectators, who can focus on the results of a shot rather than making the shot itself. If you are having a range day with friends, you might want to give them a try.
Disclaimer
Spüt Targets was kind enough to provide me with two samples of their powder-filled reactive targets for testing and evaluation. Taurus was likewise kind enough to loan me a sample of their TX22 for testing and evaluation. I tried not to let the kindness of these vendors interfere with the objectivity of my review, and I believe that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.