# Moving Targets



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Shooting at static targets can be challenging, especially when the targets are small and/or the distances are great. But we all like a bit of change of pace sometimes. So I thought I would try a couple of moving targets. I wanted something I could easily set up indoors, and that did not require anyone else to manipulate. The two videos below indicate a couple that I came up with. Please forgive my lousy videos ... they were made with an old digital camera by an old but inexperienced cameraman. The first video shows a simple rotating target.






The second video shows a simple back and forth target.






In each case, the motive power is an old rechargeable electric drill. The only trick to this set up is getting the drill to run slowly enough, and that is the heart of what I have to tell you.

I could try a modern variable speed drill, clamp some sort of set screw arrangement to the handle so the set screw would bear on the trigger. But I found that modern variable speed drills run much too fast for my purposes ... you may have better luck than I, in which case, you can skip the account below.

First let me take a very quick, but shallow side step into basic electricity. There are two kinds of electric power ... alternating current AC and direct current DC. Think of electricity running in a wire as like a bunch of little BBs moving in a tube. For alternating current, the BBs just oscillate back and forth, never moving very far. For direct current, the Bbs flow through the tube in one direction. AC electricity is hard to store, but it is easy to transmit through a wire over great distances. DC electricity is easy to store, but it is hard to transmit through a wire over great distances. Virtually all domestic power supplies are AC. Many electric motors are AC. But battery powered equipment is almost always DC, and that includes the motors inside them. So the motors inside rechargeable electric tools are generally DC. The nice thing about DC motors is that they are easy to slow way down.

One more little bit about electricity, and I am done. There are two characteristics of electric current of which we need to be aware. The voltage of an electric current is like its pressure ... analogous to water pressure which a pump can produce. The amperage of an electric current is a measure of how much current will flow in a given time ... sort of like "gallons per minute rating" on a water pump. A pump may be able to put out a very high pressure, but small stream of water ... like the pump on a small water pick. Another pump may not generate much pressure, but can move a lot of water in a short time ... like the pump that empties your washing machine.

To vary the speed of a DC motor, all we have to do is vary the voltage of the current we supply. Often AC motors just will not work if the voltage gets too low, so they are harder to slow down. Still, most DC motors turn at too high a speed for us to use, so we need a DC motor with some sort of attached gear box that converts a high speed, but weak motor, into a low speed but more powerful motor. There are lots of that sort to be had ... just go check in second hand stores. There are three that I found quite suitable. The first is an electric corkscrew:










I have taken it apart so you can see the inside. You can clearly see the gearbox with the corkscrew, and behind that is the motor. It was made to use two AA batteries. It has a pressure switch arrangement, which we would discard. We can use the two wire leads that connect directly to the motor. Keep the casing to hold the motor and the gearbox.

The second possibility is a cordless electric screwdriver.










Again, I have taken it apart so you can see inside. The only thing of interest to us is the front part, which has the mortor and the gearbox. You can clearly see the two wire leads for the motor.

The third possibility is a very old 3/8 inch rechargeable electric drill.










In this photo, I have stripped out the switches and connected a snap connector (frequently used on small 9 volt batteries) to the leads. You can see the old rechargeable batteries, but I just toss those. This is actually the motor I decided to use, since it already has a chuck attached to it, which will make it easy to clamp a crank arm.

I only needed the target to move about 6 to 8 inches, so I just bent a stiff piece of wire to make a crank arm of about 3 or 4 inches. For the rotating target, all I needed was the crank arm. For the back and forth arm, I need a bit of string, a swivel, and a weight bottle.










There are several ways to power our motor. We could just use a regular battery pack. If this is your choice, best to use D cells, as they last longer. You can get a small plastic carrier made for two D cells.










You can see that this one comes with the snap connector on the side, which is one of the reasons I used the snap connector on the motor leads. Just snap the two together, and away you go. However, there are a couple of problems. First, the batteries will wear out pretty quickly. And second, you will be stuck with the one speed at which the motor turns at the voltage from the battery pack (3 volts for the two batteries). So I prefer another approach.

If you go to most any second hand store, you can find small power supplies, made for running computer speakers, telephones, and other electronic equipment. These power supplies plug into your standard household electrical system (in North America, that is 110 volt AC), and they convert it to a much lower voltage DC current. The power supplies generally tell you what their output voltage and amperage is. You want one with a voltage of a minimum of 3 volts, and probably a maximum of 9 volts. But your want the amperage to be 600 milliamps or higher. If the amperage is too low, it will not turn your motor at all. Here is one I found:










This one claims to have an output voltage of 4.5 volts DC, and an output amperage of 800 mA, which is just fine for our purposes. I have cut off the little plug end that came with the power supply and replaced it with a snap connector, which will connect to the modified electric drill.

But we still have no way to vary the voltage. Stick with me. We are almost there. There is a device available at your local hardware store that will allow you to vary the AC voltage of your household current. That device is the lowly dimmer switch. I went to the hardware store, got a dimmer switch, a standard double outlet, a plastic junction box to hold them both, and a cover made for the double outlet and a switch. I salvaged a good quality plug and lead from some junked electronics I found on the boulevard. I assembled the dimmer switch to control the double outlet, just as you would install one to control the lights in your dining room. You can look up the details of how to make the connections on the web, or you can check with someone knowledgeable at your building supply store. Here is the finished item.










By the way, I tried using this to slow down a standard AC electric drill, but could not get the drill slow enough. When the voltage got too low, the drill just stopped working altogether.

If we plug the dimmer box into standard AC house current, it will vary the AC current from 110 down to nothing. If we plug in our power supply to the dimmer box, the DC voltage from the power supply will vary from whatever the power supply maximum is (4.5 volts in our case) down to nothing. So, we plug in the dimmer box to house current. Then plug the power supply into the dimmer box. Then plug in the converted drill (electric screwdriver, electric corkscrew) to the power supply using the snap connector. Then by twisting the dimmer switch, we can vary the speed of the drill to suit the target speed we want.

For the rotating target, I used large rubber bands to attach the drill to a board and the board to the backstop, so that the crank arm was pointing down. I then used rubber bands to attach a leather target to the crank arm. With the motor running, the target goes around in a circle, turning this way and that. Trust me, it is not that easy to hit!

My favourite is the back and forth target. For that I just attached two eye bolts to the backstop, one on each side. I strapped the drill to a board and weighted the board down with a brick. The a string with a swivel was run from the crank arm, through the eye bolts, and had a small plastic bottle attached to the end. A few lead balls in the bottle gave it sufficient weight to pull the string down as the crank turned. The target was attached to the string with some lengths of rubber bands.

These days one can buy cheaply a converter for changing 12 volt DC auto current to 110 AC current. So with such a converter, you can plug in the whole rig to run off of the battery in your car. Hence if you want to drive out to the boonies, you can take your moving targets with you!

Well, sorry to go on so long. You get the idea. Find a cheap, geared DC motor. Hook up snap connectors to the motor leads (or any similar simple way of connecting the motor to a variable DC power source). Find a cheap low voltage but reasonably high amperage power supply that converts AC power to DC power, and put a snap connector on the DC output leads. Make a dimmer switch box. Plug everything in, and use the dimmer switch to control the speed of the motor. Use a wire crank arm attached to the motor to move your targets.

Now, I know some of you electronics whizkids could make up one box with a transformer and a variable resistor or something to do everything I have done here in a more elegant way. But this is pretty cheap and makes use of off the shelf items that are available most everywhere. And it requires no understanding of Ohms Law or any of the other niceties.

Have fun!!!

Cheers ..... Charles


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Nice idea but poor execution.

Why not just buy a variable output plug pack for about $5. These will often let you switch from 1.2 through to 12v and are commonly available. This will waste much much less power than varying it at the 115/220 volt stage. Also, don't you think it's a bit dangerous having people play with AC power ? If someone lacks the basic math skills to understand Ohm's law (E = I x R) then they should be NO WHERE NEAR a live AC circuit.

You could also just use a 5c resistor connected between the plug pack's output and one of the connections to the motor.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Hrawk said:


> Nice idea but poor execution.
> 
> Why not just buy a variable output plug pack for about $5. These will often let you switch from 1.2 through to 12v and are commonly available. This will waste much much less power than varying it at the 115/220 volt stage. Also, don't you think it's a bit dangerous having people play with AC power ? If someone lacks the basic math skills to understand Ohm's law (E = I x R) then they should be NO WHERE NEAR a live AC circuit.
> 
> You could also just use a 5c resistor connected between the plug pack's output and one of the connections to the motor.


Thanks for the suggestion. I have never heard of a "variable output plug pack". Perhaps what is common where you are is not common here. I have seen small power supplies designed to work with various electrical gadgets that allow you to switch between a few discrete voltages, usually 6, 9, and 12; but I have not seen one that allows a continuous variation. And the variable ones I have seen in the second hand stores do not have sufficient amperage ... perhaps they are made somewhere with higher amperage, but I have not found any around here.

As I said, I am sure there are lots of ways to accomplish this. I used what I have and what I know. I have used the dimmer switch set-up to control electric motor speeds for other projects. I have also used this set up to vary DC voltage for elctro-etching, and it works a treat in that application.

As for power waste ... it is so minimal as to be negligible ... less than pocket change in this application.

Lots of folks install dimmer switches at home but would not know Ohm's law from peanut butter; I hardly think it is a highly dangerous undertaking! And in this application, making a dimmer switch box would not require one to work with a live AC circuit. Certainly one does not need an understanding of electromagnetic theory to do what I have outlined.

One could also use a mechanical interface to slow the rotation speed of a standard electric drill ... make a small rubbber wheel driven by the drill ... placed at various distances from the center of a larger drive wheel to vary the speed of the drive wheel ... etc. But that option seemed much more complicated to construct and tune.

What can I say ... the technique I suggested is very simple, and it works! And you can find everything you need for this in virtually any small town in North America. Perhaps one might say that rather than a "poor execution", that this is a project suitable for execution by the poor!









Cheers ... Charles


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## hawk2009 (Dec 30, 2009)

I like the moving target it would be fun to shoot at but electric and me don't mix, The closest I get to messing with electric is changing a light bulb that's it.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

I will bet there is a mechanical solution to this. How about using a hamster in a running cage for power source? Very portable too.


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## Scrambler84 (Dec 8, 2011)

On the Funny Side Squirrles and the neighbor hood (pooping) cats when they try to infest my yard make great targets I use target ammo tracers sometimes I hit others not but their great moving targets usally ping em in the butt they dont come back they remember.. Enough said from me..


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## Knoll (Nov 10, 2011)

Clever one, Charles. Thanks.


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## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

I just like to shoot a can to get it swinging and then keep hitting it while it's moving.


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## cheese (Nov 16, 2011)




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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Generally a can swinging will not move nearly as far, nor as fast as one of these simple targets ... and unlike a swinging can, these will not slow down! Just a question of how much challenge you want.

Cheers ...... Charles


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## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

Charles said:


> Generally a can swinging will not move nearly as far, nor as fast as one of these simple targets ... and unlike a swinging can, these will not slow down! Just a question of how much challenge you want.
> 
> Cheers ...... Charles


I hang my cans on a piece of copper wire and have enough space in the catchbox (or catchbarrel, as it were) that the swinging can won't hit anything to slow it down, so it gets going plenty fast.
I would argue that a randomly swinging can presents more of a challenge than something that swings the same all the time like a pendulum. Also keeping it moving is a challenge in itself. You could point at the same spot with a pendulum target and wait for it to swing in to place. That almost makes it the same as a static target.


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## pop shot (Sep 29, 2011)

a rotisserie motor is what you're looking for. choke torque, just enough speed


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

pop shot said:


> a rotisserie motor is what you're looking for. choke torque, just enough speed


Yep ... I just did not have one lying around, nor did I find one in the local junk stores. But that would be very good ... and at least some of them let you vary the speed.

Cheers ....... Charles


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

M_J said:


> Generally a can swinging will not move nearly as far, nor as fast as one of these simple targets ... and unlike a swinging can, these will not slow down! Just a question of how much challenge you want.
> 
> Cheers ...... Charles


I hang my cans on a piece of copper wire and have enough space in the catchbox (or catchbarrel, as it were) that the swinging can won't hit anything to slow it down, so it gets going plenty fast.
I would argue that a randomly swinging can presents more of a challenge than something that swings the same all the time like a pendulum. Also keeping it moving is a challenge in itself. You could point at the same spot with a pendulum target and wait for it to swing in to place. That almost makes it the same as a static target.
[/quote]

Not my job to convince you. To each their own.

As for "pendulum" motion, that is exactly what a can swinging on a string is. And that pendulum action of your can is going to slow down very quickly just because of the air resistance ... soda cans are light. And the motion of your can will very quickly have significant overlap, meaning aiming at the overlap makes for an easier hit.

I also like to be able to vary the size of the target ... smaller targets than a soda can.

Heck you could even hang a soda can on one of the rigs I suggest. Put the motive device above your catch box, use your soda can on a string, and you will certainly get more action that if the can is swinging from a fixed point.

But, as I said ... to each their own.

Cheers ........ Charles


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

Moving targets? That is why I had kids.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

NaturalFork said:


> Moving targets? That is why I had kids.


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## Rapier (May 28, 2011)

Dayhiker said:


> I will bet there is a mechanical solution to this. How about using a hamster in a running cage for power source? Very portable too.


Umm yeah I tried that, well a guinnie pig actually. Had two problems... First The power to weight ratio was no where near what I needed it to be (he was a fat lil bugger with an addiction to chocolate and beer) and second, hence the "was", I'm such a poor shot that the nastly lil rascle suffered what could be described as 'instant lead poisioning in the brain'. Dam those fork hits, May he rest in peace,,,
But all is not lost as I have brilliantly come up with an answer...... WIND POWER! Only problem now is to figure out how to consistently aim my mother in laws butt at the target?!? Hmmmm Thinking some kind of secured bowl of food in a correl, positioned at low level so the dragon, um err, lady will have to bend over and always point in the desired direction! What do you guy's think?


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## Knoll (Nov 10, 2011)

Think it would be good for you to assure your puter is secure from prying eyes ... just sayin'.


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## Rapier (May 28, 2011)

NaturalFork said:


> Moving targets? That is why I had kids.


What a great thread...
Yes the aluminium foil balls that I like to call "Shut up ya barking you stupid mutt" could just as easly be named "Stop hitting your baby sister"... and i've only broken just three precious things in the house with these...


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## Rapier (May 28, 2011)

Ok I have one more...
This should be a gooden...
Ok so it really shouldn't be to hard or expensive to aquire some kind of little spit roast BBQ deal with an electric motor right? Cosco should have something like that on sale right about now. So my idea is......
First invite a few really good mates and their missus over, then get a rediculious chunk of animal meat right, put it on the spit to cook and wait 'till it's dripping fat and golden brown with tasty bits of crackling spattering and sizziling and......Mmmmm yummmm yum... The girls will be in the kitchen gossiping and making far to much salad and the pav is in the fridge. But while wating, hook up something like Charles sugests with the moving targets and all to the spit motor, start betting your mates that you can hit the target at least once out of every five shots and the looser has to go skinny dipping in the dam and get the drinks for every one else (Be sure to have the vid cam ready as there may be an opportunity to score on 'funniest home videos'. Don't tell them about the horrendous man eating yabbies in there). Crack a stubbie, start shooting and make sure you change the rules if you happen to be loosing... it's your shindig after all...
By the time any one has hit the target, you've all had a coupla beers, the meat is cooked and the girls are over with their bargain shopping disscussion (which we all know takes a good two hrs or so) and looking for a bit of cuddle action!
Hey? huh? right? You with me here?
Man am I brilliant or what? No need to thank me fellers. It just came to me like a gift from the Angles and I'm privleged to be able to share it with such honorable peeps like yourselves.
Go the sling shot forum...


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Good thinking Pop and Rapier!

$20 will get you sorted with one of these.

http://www.cyprusgrill.com.au/buy-Battery_Motor-18.html


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## pop shot (Sep 29, 2011)

Rapier said:


> Ok I have one more...
> This should be a gooden...
> Ok so it really shouldn't be to hard or expensive to aquire some kind of little spit roast BBQ deal with an electric motor right? Cosco should have something like that on sale right about now. So my idea is......
> First invite a few really good mates and their missus over, then get a rediculious chunk of animal meat right, put it on the spit to cook and wait 'till it's dripping fat and golden brown with tasty bits of crackling spattering and sizziling and......Mmmmm yummmm yum... The girls will be in the kitchen gossiping and making far to much salad and the pav is in the fridge. But while wating, hook up something like Charles sugests with the moving targets and all to the spit motor, start betting your mates that you can hit the target at least once out of every five shots and the looser has to go skinny dipping in the dam and get the drinks for every one else (Be sure to have the vid cam ready as there may be an opportunity to score on 'funniest home videos'. Don't tell them about the horrendous man eating yabbies in there). Crack a stubbie, start shooting and make sure you change the rules if you happen to be loosing... it's your shindig after all...
> ...


you and i would get along just fine


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## Rapier (May 28, 2011)

Knoll said:


> Think it would be good for you to assure your puter is secure from prying eyes ... just sayin'.


Who was this directed at Knoll?


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## Abe_Stranger (Jan 13, 2012)

You may be able to make a moving target from a feral cat and a can of spray-paint, lol.


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## Rapier (May 28, 2011)

Abe_Stranger said:


> You may be able to make a moving target from a feral cat and a can of spray-paint, lol.


HA! That fluro line marking stuff is pretty good for that but those feral buggers are pretty quick. Better target for the 12 guague me thinks. Could try breeding a whole bunch of pidgions with genetic mutation to make their heads bright orange! Could you imaging the neighbourhood with a bunch of those roosting all over? It'd be a free for all with whatever munitions peeps could get their hands on. The mayor would have to decree that they can only be shot with slingies... or start issuing free body armour to the populous...


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