GB2221845A - Shooting facility - Google Patents

Abstract

A shooting facility (10) comprises trap means (12) for projecting target objects such as clay pigeons, disc targets or other breakable targets into the air in order for the target objects to be shot at by one or more participants (P), the facility (10) further comprising a support surface (14) for supporting the participant(s) during shooting and defining one or more positions (16) from which the participant(s) may shoot, and the construction and arrangement being such that the trap means (12) is located at least substantially directly below said support surface (14). In preferred embodiments, target objects are provided which are of visually distinguishable types. The support may have one or more positions defined for the participants to stand. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: Shooting facility Description of Invention This invention relates to a shooting facility of the kind (hereinafter referred to as the kind specified) in which target objects such as clay pigeons, disc targets or other breakable targets are projected into the air in order for the target objects to be shot at by participants.

According to the invention, there is provided a shooting facility of the kind specified comprising: (a) trap means for projecting target objects into the air in order to be shot at by participants, and (b) a support surface for supporting one or more participants during shooting and defining one or more positions from which participants may shoot, the construction and arrangement being such that the trap means is located at least substantially directly below said support surface.

In such a facility, or more generally in any shooting facility of the kind specified, target objects are preferably provided which are of visually distinguishable types, for example by being of different colours, with the object that a given participant should shoot only at target objects of a specific type or types (e.g. colour or colours).

Two embodirnents of the invention, from which the above and other features of the invention will be apparent, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE I is a perspective view of a shooting facility in accordance with the invention; FIGURE 2 is a side elevational cross-sectional view of the facility of Figure I and FIGURE 3 is a side elevational cross-sectional view, similar to Figure 2, but of an alternative shooting facility in accordance with the invention.

Referring first to Figures I and 2 of the drawings, a shooting facility 10 in accordance with the invention comprises controlled trap means 12 for projecting target objects such as clay pigeons, disc targets or other breakable targets into the air in order for the target objects to be shot at by one or more participants P, the participant(s) typically being armed with shotguns, rifles or the like for this purpose. The facility 10 further comprises a support surface 14 for supporting the participant(s) during shooting and defining one or more positions (or "shooting stations") 16 from which the participant(s) may shoot. In this example there are three such positions 16, to enable up to three participants to participate.

The construction and arrangement of the facility 10 is such that the trap means 12 is located at least substantially directly below (and in this example, directly below) the support surface 14.

In this manner, the target objects, in the use of the facility 10, are projected from at least substantially directly -below the participant(s), resulting firstly in an increased apparent initial velocity across or along the line of sight, and secondly a wider range of apparent azimuthal initial directions, as seen by the participant(s), compared with prior proposals in which trap means are conventionally spaced about 15 metres or so horizontally from the participants.

Thus the level of skill and alertness required of the participant(s) is substantially increased compared with prior proposals.

In the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the surface 14 is located at an elevated level approximately 1.5 metres or so above the ground 18, the surface 14 being afforded by the top tier or platform of a stepped wooden/metal framework/staging assembly 20. The top tier is approximately 3 metres wide (in a direction laterally of the general shooting direction) and is marked out so as to define the positions 16 which are arranged in a row as shown in Figure I. (In alternative embodiments the corresponding framework/staging assembly could be of a different width e.g. about 2.5 metres to about 6 metres width to accommodate a different number of such positions; for example the assembly could be twice as wide as that in Figure I to accommodate up to six such positions arranged in a single row, to enable up to six participants to take part).The assembly 20 comprises steps 22 by which participants may gain access to the surface 14. The assembly 20 accommodates the trap means 12 below the surface 14, so that the assembly 20 and trap means 12 form a compact self-contained unit, which greatly facilitates transport (on a lorry or truck) and setting up of the assembly 20 and trap means 12 when they are taken from site to site to different shooting contests. A banner 29 mounted on poles 26 on the assembly 20, above the heads of the participants, carries the name of the contest, which is "EUROTRAP" in this example, and/or advertising and/or the names of sponsors of the shooting contest in a conspicuous position which is important as regards television coverage of the contest.Streamers 28 connected to the assembly 20 and respective marker posts 30, shown only in Figure 1, define the general lateral limits of the azimuthal range within which target objects will be projected by the trap means 12.

An important feature of facility 10 (and which is of still wider applicability to any shooting facility of the kind in which target objects such clay pigeons, disc targets or other breakable targets are projected into the air in order to be shot at by participants) is that the target objects provided are of visually distinguishable types, in this example at least primarily by virtue of being of different colours, with the object that a given participant should shoot only at target objects of a specific type or types (e.g. colour or colours.) In this manner, increased skill is required of participants who must identify the colour of a given target object, decide whether to shoot and, if appropriate, aim and shoot, all while the target object is in flight.

In the facility 10, the trap means 12 comprises three clay pigeon ldunchers/projectors, one below each position 14, each projecting single or double clay pigeons of a respective different colour (e.g. red, white or blue respectively) corresponding to the colours applied to the different positions 14. For example, the clay pigeons of any given colour may be projected from below the position 14 of that colour.

The clay pigeons are projected in what, from the point of view of the participants, is a random order, and a participant may be required to fire at only those clay pigeons of a colour corresponding to the colour of the position 14 on which he is standing.

In the present example, if there are two participants, they may for example stand on the red and white positions 14 and may each be allowed to fire only at clay pigeons of the corresponding colour and also at clay pigeons of the third, blue, colour. Points may be deducted for scoring a hit on a clay pigeon of an incorrect colour.

In Figure 3 there is illustrated a further embodiment of the invention, in which parts functionally corresponding to parts shown in Figure 2 are correspondingly numbered.

The principle and operation of the facility of Figure 3 is the same as that of Figure 2 except that instead of providing the surface 14 on a transportable assembly 20, the surface 14 in Figure 3 is provided by a plinth 40 (which may be a suitable slab of stone or concrete and/or a suitably supported layer of earth) positioned so as to span a tunnel-like hollow 42 provided in the ground 18, the hollow 42 accommodating the trap means 12 below the plinth 40, as shown in Figure 3. Participant access to the plinth 40 is via a portion 1 8a of the ground, and it will be seen from Figure 3 that the plinth 40 is located slightly higher than the prevailing average level of the ground 18.

In either of the above-described facilities, the trap means 12 is preferably capable of projecting the target objects with sufficient speed to achieve a horizontal range of up to about 90 to 100 metres or so if desired, which speed and horizontal range are greater than those hitherto employed.

Preferably the construction and arrangement of the trap means 12 is such that the initial azimuthal direction of any given target object is (from the point of view of participants) random or relatively random, so increasing the skill required of the participants. For example, a plurality of clay pigeon projectors may be set to project in a respective plurality of different specific directions, each launcher being provided with clay pigeons of a plurality of different colours, but in which the launch order of the clay pigeons, as regards their colours, in any particular launcher is essentially random.

Preferably, the time intervals between launches of successive clay pigeon are variable, so increasing the alertness required of participants.

In any embodiment of the invention, various further alternative or additional features are possible. For example different sizes of target object may be used, and exploding target objects may be used such as exploding clay pigeons for example. Where the event is sponsored, the target objects used may incorporate any distinctive colours or the like of the sponsor which, where more than one colour is used on any particular target object, may be capable of producing interesting visual effects due to spinning of the projected target object.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, or a class or group of substances or compositions, as appropriate, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims (15)

CLAIMS:

1. A shooting facility of the kind specified comprising: (a) trap means for projecting target objects into the air in order to be shot at by participants, and (b) a support surface for supporting one or more participants during shooting and defining one or more positions from which participants may shoot, the construction and arrangement being such that the trap means is located at least substantially directly below said support surface.

2. A shooting facility according to Claim 1, the construction and arrangement of which is such that the trap means is located directly below the support surface.

3. A shooting facility according to Claim I or Claim 2 wherein the support surface is located at an elevated level above the ground.

4. A shooting facility according to Claim 3 wherein the support surface is afforded by the top tier or platform of a stepped framework/staging assembly.

5. A shooting facility according to Claim 4 wherein said assembly accommodates the trap means below the support surface, so that the assembly and trap means form a self-contained unit.

6. A shooting facility according to Claim I or Claim 2 wherein the support surface is provided by a plinth positioned so as to span a tunnel-like hollow provided in the ground, the hollow accommodating the trap means below the plinth.

7. A shooting facility according to Claim 6 wherein the plinth is located slightly higher than the prevailing average level of the ground.

8. A shooting facility according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the target objects provided are of visually distinguishable types.

9. A shooting facility according to Claim 8 wherein the target objects, from the point of view of the participants, are projected in a random order.

10. A shooting facility according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the trap means is capable of projecting the target objects with sufficient speed to achieve a horizontal range of up to about 90 to 100 metres or so.

A I. A shooting facility according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the construction and arrangement of the trap means is such that the initial azimuthal direction of any given target object is (from the point of view of particiants) random or relatively random.

12. A shooting facility according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the time intervals between successive launches are variable.

13. A shooting facility of the kind specified wherein target objects are provided which are of visually distinguishable types.

14. A shooting facility substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

15. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.