TargetTalk

I have seen target backers in catalogues. I am guessing they are used to get cleaner holes punched in the target, and to keep the thin paper target flat in the target holder.

Can you glue the target backers to the target with glue stick? I do this at home with heavy poster board and it seems to work nicely (not corrugated "cardboard", but the single-layer hard stuff).

I gotta post a picture of my walmart special pellet trap. You'll love it.
Can I submit a photo as an attachment?

Thanks all,
Ralph

Hi: Target backers are put a distance behind your competition target to help with crossfires. They help the scorers to know where a crossfire came from by the amount that the shot is off-set from the others on the target. Backers are placed at various distances behind the record target depending on the distance you are shooting. When you lay the record card over the backer card, and there is one or more shots that do not match up, you put a mark on the backer card for the shots that do not sync, then look to see if the hole in the backer is left or right and by how much. This helps decide who to assign the errant shot to. Hope this helps.
Don in Oregon

I think there are two uses of the term, "target backer," but neither has anything to do with getting nice clean holes.

One use of the term is for any kind of stiff material (e.g., cardboard or plastic foamboard) to which you can attach your target, either by staples or clips. For airguns, it works fine to simply hang the target, but in a turning target match, you have to have something to hold the target stiff so it doesn't flop around as it turns.

The other use is the one Don mentioned, which is in a rifle match, where there's a possibility of crossfires. (It's an easy mistake when you're looking through a peep sight.) In this context, a target backer is a second target placed a few inches behind the first. You can tell the crossfires because the holes won't line up.

If you want nice clean holes, that's a different problem, for which the solution is to buy better quality targets. There really is a difference. My own preference for air pistol is Edelmann brand; they're dramatically better than, e.g., American Target Co.

"...This helps decide who to assign the errant shot to. Hope this helps..."

Once having decided that there is a crossfire, and the shots for the shooter not at fault are sorted out, normally the process stops. We do not try to allocate blame only on the basis of the the offset on the backing target.

Backing TARGETS are 0.5 m – 1 m behind the target for 50 m ranges (6.3.4.1), 1 m behind for 25 m ranges (8.6.3.3.2)

Backing CARDS are at the rear face of electronic targets

Backing BOARDS are used to support paper targets on the target frames.


Spencer

Ralph,

Backers are also used to confirm the number of hits and, to assign value where there are multiple shots in one hole.

A team from the United States had traveled to Great Britain in 1931 to unsuccessfully compete for the Pershing Trophy, and the exposure to the established Bisley Match practices brought some changes to Camp Perry, most notably the introduction of backer targets. The backer target, a blank sheet of target tag board, was placed behind the target and made possible the identification of crossfires and the identification of all shots in tight groups possible.

No sooner had the system been adopted than it was put to use when Ray Louden entered the history books as the first United States shooter to have a confirmed crossfire when he shot into the target of Lewis McLeod. The errant shot at 100 yards was easily identified and appropriate penalties applied.

In bench rest shooting, where the best groups are usually single holes a moving backer is used to insure that all record shots have been fired.

Regards,
Hap

Thanks everyone for the information. Very interesting! I'm obviously new to this.


Have a good weekend,
Ralph
(off to the Camp Perry SAFS!)