Don't you HATE Bags on IPSC Targets when it's wet? We have a solution

Well, I certainly do.

As a competitor, they offer a poor target to shoot at, increasingly difficult to define as the distance increases.
For closer shots, while we shouldn't look for the bullet holes, we do - and you just can't see them through the bag.

As a match official, I hate the bags even more. It slows reset to a crawl. People have to lift the bags to patch, patches stick to the bags instead of targets. Moving targets slow down with bags on them.

So I've come up with something better.

Water Resistant IPSC Targets.

My supplier has made a special run of coated targets for me to try and to get out to the shooters to try.

I've tested them in drizzle, they stay straight up and don't wilt like regular targets.

I've sprayed them with a garden hose, (see the video below) the water runs right off. They don't wilt.

IPSC Alex pasters were tested on them, they stick whether the target is wet or dry.
(You still need to keep those pasters dry until applied, though)

Here are some pictures - A regular cardboard target is on the left and the new water resistant target is on the right.

Note how the regular target wilts and the water resistant target just has the water bead off?

There's a video after of one getting doused after the pictures. See how the water runs right off them?

They are more expensive than a regular IPSC target. You don't have to buy a lot of them; they're just nice to have it if turns out to be a bad day.

They are available for purchase here:

https://www.freedomventures.ca/products/classic-ipsc-target-water-resistant

Those look great, won’t have to build roofs for target stands either. Great innovation

Genius! We were just talking about something like this on the weekend while shooting in the rain.. Bags are so annoying

Still sold in bundles of 25?

Even more simple solution.....just don't go out to shoot in the rain. #fairweathershooter (Indoor ranges are great in the rain )

Now we need a special tape that will stick to a wet surface ��

pilgrim said:

Now we need a special tape that will stick to a wet surface ��

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^^this^^

Nice going on the targets themselves.

pilgrim said:

Now we need a special tape that will stick to a wet surface ��

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IPSC Alex Pasters stick to our targets when the target is wet.
The water beads on the target allowing for a good connection with the paster.

The trick is to not take too many pasters into the rain at a time; so long as you keep them dry before you stick them on; they will work.

A water-proof paster would need to be made out of vinyl of some sort...

dacron said:

Still sold in bundles of 25?

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Yes - 25s.

We tried coated targets. Found that the rain would get into the corrugations, and the targets would fail from the inside.

We are looking forward to using these for this year's Summer Slam!

I wouldn’t mind trying them as I’m in the wettest city in Canada...
But I’m on the other coast and the freight would kill me.
Looks better than plain cardboard though.

Is the coating absorbed completely through the target? How about a garden hose video with one full of holes?

pilgrim said:

Now we need a special tape that will stick to a wet surface ��

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That's what I was going to ask about.... That's the WORST!

tiriaq said:

We tried coated targets. Found that the rain would get into the corrugations, and the targets would fail from the inside.

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Yep - that happens, hence the name "water resistant".

These targets will last a lot longer in the wet than a regular one, preventing the need for plastic bags - but they won't last forever. I left these two targets up overnight and the coated one was still attached to the sticks the next day and accepting patches.

xtrema-2 said:

Is the coating absorbed completely through the target? How about a garden hose video with one full of holes?

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The edges, as questioned above, are open and I assume over a good amount of time, would absorb water. (I haven't been able to replicate a rainstorm for a full day)

That's why we call them "Water resistant" not "water proof."

Very likely, by the time the edges absorb enough water to make the targets fall apart from the inside, you'd already have replaced them as the target would have enough holes and patches on them to prevent decent scoring anymore.

I don't think my neighbors will be fond of me shooting holes in them in the backyard; but I'll see what can be done to get some pics / video of a target with holes when wet. It's raining today here and it's also practice day at the range for me (Oh joy!) so maybe I'll get a decent test of the targets live fire tonight. Truth be told, every time you shoot the target during a match, you're going to seal the holes with patches shortly after.




Everyone Note: This is a advertising post in the Freedom Ventures forum about water resistant targets we sell, so I've deleted all the posts about whatever else you can try / do that has nothing to do with the targets we sell.

what about IDPA targets? can you get any of those done up?

nate18 said:

what about IDPA targets? can you get any of those done up?

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Sorry, I do not have a die for IDPA Targets.

Great, maybe IPSCBC will get some with their stamp to that we can use them without being fined at a Qualifier

brit84 said:

Great, maybe IPSCBC will get some with their stamp to that we can use them without being fined at a Qualifier

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Sorry, I haven't got any pull there.

Freedom Ventures said:

Yep - that happens, hence the name "water resistant".

These targets will last a lot longer in the wet than a regular one, preventing the need for plastic bags - but they won't last forever. I left these two targets up overnight and the coated one was still attached to the sticks the next day and accepting patches.


The edges, as questioned above, are open and I assume over a good amount of time, would absorb water. (I haven't been able to replicate a rainstorm for a full day)

That's why we call them "Water resistant" not "water proof."

Very likely, by the time the edges absorb enough water to make the targets fall apart from the inside, you'd already have replaced them as the target would have enough holes and patches on them to prevent decent scoring anymore.

I don't think my neighbors will be fond of me shooting holes in them in the backyard; but I'll see what can be done to get some pics / video of a target with holes when wet. It's raining today here and it's also practice day at the range for me (Oh joy!) so maybe I'll get a decent test of the targets live fire tonight. Truth be told, every time you shoot the target during a match, you're going to seal the holes with patches shortly after.




Everyone Note: This is a advertising post in the Freedom Ventures forum about water resistant targets we sell, so I've deleted all the posts about whatever else you can try / do that has nothing to do with the targets we sell.

Click to expand...

Maybe you could rotate the direction of the die that cuts the targets by 90 degrees, so the corrugations run horizontally instead of vertically. This would reduce the rate at which water penetrates into the target due to gravity.