Helium filled Balloon

[Trapshooter12]

Yesterday I went out to shoot with some friends at a Range I have made in the Desert here.

Before I went my wife and I stopped at resturant for breakfast and as I was sitting there I saw they had some Helium filled Balloons (Light Bulb time)and asked for one as I was leaving. The waitress gets this smirk on her face and then my Wife starts telling me how cute this looks and made me leave before she did.

I was riding my Quad out to meet my Friends and so that I wouldn't loose the Balloon I tied it to the Handle Bars. I met my friends and they are looking at me like WTH and I tell them to give me a min and rode out and tied the Balloon with 4 foot of string to the 600 yard Target. When I got back they all asked what I was doing with the Balloon and I told them that was thier Target and they were all saying this aint going to last long

Man did they find out how wrong they were.

The range is set up in a Bowl and we had a steady 5 to 10 MPH wind hitting the shooters from the S SE but the Balloon could be blowing 360 degrees on the Compass at anytime including just hanging straight up.

The Balloon was bobbing around like a Chicken head. One could squeeze off a round and one could see the Balloon duck out of the way just as the Bullet got there.

I will estimate a 100 rounds went down range before the Balloon was popped and then it was finally taken down with a Bushmaster AR with the guy getting down to the last rounds in a 20 round Magazine.
After the Balloon was popped everyone couldn't stop talking about how much fun that was.

What was nice about the Helium balloon was the Target allows you to read the Wind also with the Helium the target floats so you don't have to worry about the balloon catching some Bullet splatter and it is a reactive Target. You know if it's a hit or miss.

Give it a try you will have a blast.

 

[Agent Law]

Re: Helium filled Balloon

That sounds like an awesome idea!

 

[GardDog]

Re: Helium filled Balloon

My ex-wife worked for P&P. They would qualify with their service weapon on a regular POST course, then go through a course of fire shooting moving balloon targets. The range guy had a cable rig that would allow the balloon to be move side-to-side or coming straight at the shooter. It worked well with a pistol, educating in point & shoot.

I remember reading a post somewhere about guys tying a balloon to a remote control vehicle and having his buddies try to shoot the balloon as it was traversing down range. Cheap moving target practice.

 

[Outsydlooknin75]

Re: Helium filled Balloon

You dont even need to do a helium filled balloon. Tie a string between two trees and then tie ballons just hanging down from the string between the trees. if you dont have two trees use something that would put the string chest high to hang the balloons from.

 

[coldboremiracle]

Re: Helium filled Balloon

I've tried that before, it is great fun, the only thing that you have to becareful with, is that there is nothing close enough to send shrapnel from a miss into your ballon, giving you a false hit.