This invention relates to shooting targets, and more particularly to a shooting target having a feature for enhancing the visibility of the point of impact, and for producing a more dramatic result when a projectile strikes the target, thereby enhancing the target shooting experience.
In target shooting using a firearm, especially where the distance between the shooter and the target is large, e.g., 20 yards or more, it is difficult for the shooter to see the point at which his bullet punctures the target. At these longer distances, in order to see the points of impact on an ordinary target, the shooter must use a spotting telescope, approach the target, or utilize a target-moving apparatus to move the target toward the firing line for inspection.
Another way to make the point of impact visible is to incorporate into the target a coloring material that is dispersed by impact, enhancing the visibility of the point of impact. A “self-marking” target, utilizing a coloring material for this purpose is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,561, granted Jul. 11, 1967. In the system described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,561, an array of receptacles, each containing a colored solid or liquid material is disposed behind a porous target sheet having a protective layer on its back surface. When the porous target sheet is struck by a bullet, the colored material in the receptacle behind the point of impact is released through the bullet hole formed in the target sheet and the protective layer, and absorbed by the target sheet in the vicinity of the point of impact, making the point of impact immediately visible to the shooter. In an alternative embodiment, instead of using a colored material, the receptacles contain a reactant liquid that combines chemically with a substance previously absorbed in the pores of the target sheet, producing a visible color change in the vicinity of the point of impact.
A problem with the target described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,561 is that size of the array of receptacles for coloring material or reactant is the same as the size of the target. Large amounts of coloring material or reactant are never used, especially if the shooter is sufficiently skilled to shoot in a tight pattern.
This invention addresses the aforementioned problem by enabling a shooter to customize a target easily, by arranging liquid-containing pockets behind a target sheet, and to limit the locations of those pockets to selected areas corresponding to predetermined areas of graphics printed on the front of the target sheet.
A shooting target in accordance with the invention comprises a target sheet having front and back faces, and a liquid-containing unit comprising plurality of connected, liquid-containing, blisters adhered to the back face of the target sheet. The liquid contained in each of the blisters is isolated from the liquid contained in each of the other blisters of the liquid-containing unit.
The liquid-containing unit comprising a plurality of blisters is formed by superimposing first and second sheets on each other, and adhering the sheets to each other along a continuous closed stripe defining an outline of the plurality of blisters, and along plural stripes each extending from one part of the continuous closed line to another part of the continuous closed stripe. The continuous closed stripe and the plural stripes define the boundaries of the blisters.
The back face of the target sheet is ordinarily substantially flat, and in that case, a first sheet of the liquid-containing unit is also preferably substantially flat and in surface to surface contact with the back face of the target sheet. The blisters are formed by bulbous portions of the second sheet and portions of the first sheet opposite the bulbous portions. The liquid contained in the blisters can be a dye the color of which should be visually distinguishable from the color of the majority of the area of the part of the target image in front of the liquid-containing unit.
A blister-containing unit having a desired shape can be removed from a larger array of liquid-containing blisters. For example, if each of the plural stripes that define boundaries of the blisters is provided with a row of perforations along its length, a multiple blister unit removed from the larger array can be composed of a non-rectangular array of rows and columns of blisters. In that case, the number of blisters in at least one of the rows will be different from the number of blisters in at least one other one of the rows.
The target sheet can have an image imprinted on its front face defined by a printed outline. The multiple blister, liquid-containing unit having a shape corresponding to the shape of the printed outline can then be removed from a larger array and adhered to the back face of the target sheet and positioned within an area on the back face of the target sheet defined by an outline, either printed or imaginary, directly opposite the outline defining the area of the image on the front face. The liquid-containing unit can substantially fill the defined area on the back face of the target sheet. The image on the front face of the target can be of any desired size and shape. The shooter can customize the target by selecting or producing a desired target image, and attaching a liquid-containing unit having a desired size and shape to the back face.
Another aspect of the invention is a method of making a shooting target. The method comprises the steps of separating a liquid containing unit, having rows and columns of liquid-containing blisters, from an array of connected, liquid-containing blisters arranged in rows and columns and in which the liquid contained in each of the blisters is isolated from the liquid contained in each of the other blisters of the array. The separated liquid-containing unit is adhered to the back face of a target sheet having a front and a back face, and a target image drawn or printed on its front face.
The target produced by the method can have any one of, or various combinations of, the several features mentioned above.
The target sheet can be a relatively stiff card stock or a more flexible sheet of paper. A target sheet composed of stiff card stock can be mounted easily by leaning it against an upright support, with its lower edge in contact with a horizontal surface. A flexible paper target sheet can be tacked or stapled to a backing frame. The frame should be an open frame composed of elements that lie behind margin areas of the target sheet. Alternative materials other than card stock and paper, such as fabrics or plastics can, of course, be used.
Outlines 14′ and 16′, of the heart and the diamond-shaped area 14 and 16 may be printed on the back face of the target sheet 10 as shown in
As will be apparent, the target sheet can be supplied pre-printed by its manufacturer on its front face, or on both its front face and its back face, and the user can affix suitably shaped multiple-blister units to the back face of the target sheet. Alternatively, the user can generate his own target image, for example by drawing an image on, or attaching an image to, the front face of a blank target sheet. The user can then affix multiple-blister units to the back face of the sheet at locations that he or she determines.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The target shooter can customize his or her targets by separating an appropriately shaped multiple blister unit from an array shown in
When the target is struck by a bullet or other projectile at a location in front of a multiple-blister unit, rupture of a blister will release dye, and generate a pressure that causes a portion of the dye to flow outward through the hole in the target sheet, forming a spot that enhances the visibility of the point of impact so that it can be seen easily by the shooter, even at a distance far exceeding 20 yards. The release of the dye on impact also produces a dramatic effect, enhancing the target shooting experience.
Many of the advantages of the invention can be realized in alternative embodiments. Whereas a dye can be utilized in the blisters to enhance visibility of the points of impact, a chemical reaction between a liquid in the blisters and a substance absorbed into the target can produce a visible color change. For example, a solution of ferric chloride in the blisters will produce a bright red color upon reaction with potassium thiocyanate absorbed in the material of the target sheet.
Although the blister array is preferably formed from two sheets, one sheet (30 in
In each embodiment, blisters remaining in the blister array after removal of a multiple blister unit can be utilize to make other multiple blister units of various shapes and sizes. Individual blisters, or small groups of blisters that remain after removal of multiple blister units can be combined and secured to the back faces of other target sheets even though not held together as unit. Therefore, waste of dye-containing blisters can be avoided.
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