How to Add Moving Targets to Your Range Without a $100K Budget

You can add moving targets to a shooting range without a $100,000 budget by using a portable, cable-based moving target system instead of a permanent rail installation. The system anchors to points your range already has, like berms, trees, or posts, and two officers can set it up before a training day starts and hit the same training objectives as a full capital project. The video below answers the questions we hear most about how that works, and the rest of this post breaks it down.

https://youtu.be/gploVyKMXpI

How to Set Up a Moving Target Range on a Budget, Step by Step

1. Pick two attachment points on your range. Earth anchors driven into the left and right berms work, so do trees on either side of the arc. Permanent 4x4 posts in the ground are an option, but most ranges never need them.

2. Set up the moving target system between those points. If you already have attachment points, or you're using trees or earth anchors, one person can do it alone with no issue.

3. Record the movement pattern you want with the remote, or use one of the pre-programmed patterns.

4. Hit play and run your drills. At the end of the day, take the system in, dust it off, let it dry, and put the battery on charge.

Why Most Moving Target Ranges Cost $100,000

The traditional way to add movement to a range is a capital improvement project: pour concrete, install rails, and put in a pneumatic drive system. That usually means a $100,000 procurement process before anyone fires a shot at a mover. A portable cable system skips all of it. Nothing is poured, nothing is permanent, and the same range can run static one day and movers the next.

That's the core difference between our systems and the rest of the moving target market. It's not a construction project. It's equipment two officers can set up slightly early on a training day.

Which Moving Target System Fits Your Range

There are four product families, and they cover different ranges and training goals:

• X1 Pro: the flagship system for steel. Its motors are about four times the size of the X1 Plus, which gives it the power to carry an AR500 cover and move hanging steel targets.

• X1 Plus: the lightweight system for indoor ranges, running paper and target board only.

• Hostage Rescue Target: a moving head behind a steel silhouette. A wall-mount attachment screws to a wall and clicks in, so it also runs pop-out heads and pop-out silhouettes in shoot houses.

• Thermal targets: a line for training with thermal optics at night, currently launching.

Steel matters more than it sounds. With the X1 Pro you see the paint chip and hear the ting on every hit, and you keep that audio and visual feedback while the target is moving.

What Moving Targets Actually Train

The skill most shooters don't realize they're training is natural alignment. If an instructor has ever had you close your eyes and reopen them to see where your sights drifted, that's the test. When you pan to follow a moving target, with a rifle or a pistol, prone, kneeling, or sitting, your natural alignment moves with you and you fall out of alignment as you track.

That gap is real at the top level too. At a service rifle competition in Bisley, England, a senior shooter told one of our team to set his sights five minutes low and aim at the tip of the knee for a running target. It was completely unintuitive, and it hit dead on. Without years of someone else's experience to lean on, there's no way to know that, and that's exactly the training gap movers close.

The Safety Question Ranges Ask First

A moving target moves your danger area template with it. On a static lane, the template is built around shooting along that line. Add movement and the template sweeps left and right with the target, and the sweep gets more severe the further downrange you go. That's the real reason some ranges hold off on movers, and it's worth working through your range template before you buy, not after.

You can see every moving target system in our shop, take a look at the X1 Pro from the video, or reach out through the site if you need something custom built for a range project.

Common Questions

Do I need to be military or law enforcement to buy one?

No. Anyone can buy the X1 Pro or any of our target systems. Military and law enforcement just make up such a large portion of the customer base that it can look that way.

Can one person set up and run a moving target system?

Yes. If you're using trees, earth anchors, or existing attachment points, setup alone is no problem. Erecting your own posts solo is doable if you're comfortable working with hand tools. For training alone, record the movement you want, hit play, set the remote down, and run your serial as if someone else were pushing the button.

How fast do the targets move?

Both the X1 Pro and X1 Plus reach 10 feet per second. That number comes from the Bianchi Cup action pistol match, which runs a 60-foot exposure at 10 feet per second, and we wanted our systems to meet that match requirement.

What maintenance do moving target systems need?

Take the system in at night, dust it off, and let it get dry. Beyond that, keep the battery charged. That's it.

When is a shooter ready for moving targets?

Once the basics are mastered. If you can shoot a good group and handle your firearm safely, you're ready to at least start on a moving target system.