One of the most enjoyable parts of shooting precision rifles is hearing the “ring” of a steel target. Unfortunately, there are a lot of environmental conditions that may make hearing that glorious sound difficult. Not hearing or seeing your impacts during a practice session can be frustrating. A spotter not seeing them during a match can cost points and possibly a win.
There are several target hit indicating products on the market, but I have not seen any that are as compact and easy to setup as the Magnetospeed T1000. The T1000 is a self-contained unit that is actually designed from the start to be left in the field. With the T1000 there is no need to send runners out to each target on “Day 2” to replace the gear.
The self-contained nature of the T1000 also solves another problem found on other systems. The T1000 has no wires to break. The sensors, batteries, and display are all housed in one tidy package that attaches to the back of the target. The target itself becomes the armor for the indicator unit.
Mounting the T1000 is as simple as sticking the included self-adhesive loop Velcro strip to the back of your target. The T1000 reflector can be used as a guide to get the spacing correct. Once the velcro is mounted the T1000 just sticks onto the target. The T1000 is lightweight and will stay in place through hundreds (probably thousands) of impacts.
The only “tricky” part of the mounting process is to make sure the reflector is positioned properly to shine back at the observer’s position. This is done by loosening the velcro straps on the T1000 and rotating the whole unit in the mount. Magnetospeed includes a small plastic clip that serves as an aiming aid.
Due to the hanging arrangement of our JC Steel Target, we had to hang the T1000 on the side of the target. This prevents the T1000 from being slammed back into the t-post during impacts. No adjustments or modifications need to be done to the T1000 for this position. It is ready to go right out of the box.
Magnetospeed does not recommend mounting the T1000 to plates smaller than ten inches.
We tested the T1000 on our home range at 400 yards. The rifle used was a 24″ barreled .308 firing 175gr. Black Hills Match. This is not a “light” bullet and it moved the plate with vigor at this range, but I felt it would give us a better idea of the durability of the T1000 during the first range trip.
The T1000 remained stuck to the back of the plate without any issues. It flashed its red LED hit sequence every time we impacted the target. It picked up misses several yards off the steel and flashed an amber LED “miss” pattern. It was very easy through the optic or with the naked eye to see when we had a hit or miss.
One of the major concerns shooters have voiced after seeing the T1000 is, “what happens when (not if) the LED Reflector is hit?” Magnetospeed thought of this during the design process. The reflector is a soft polymer piece that will allow bullets to pass through without catastrophic damage.Eventually, impacts will degrade the reflector to the point that it needs replacement. Magnetospeed includes one additionally reflector in the box. Extra replacements will be available at a nominal cost. T1000 units have already seen service at several large matches around the country. The reflectors have proven to survive many impacts and still function.
Eventually, impacts will degrade the reflector to the point that it needs replacement. Magnetospeed includes one additional reflector in the box. Extra replacements will be available at a nominal cost. T1000 units have already seen service at several large matches around the country. The reflectors have proven to survive many impacts and still function.
The T1000 has several configuration options. Sensitivity can be adjusted. Miss Indication can be switched on or off. The indication can be switched to Short, Normal or Long periods. Magnetospeed has also included a “Rapid Fire” Mode. This causes the T1000 to only issue one red flash for each impact two seconds after the last hit. (I.E. the target is hit five times in four seconds, two seconds after the last hit it will flash five times.) This may be useful for gas-gun matches where targets must be hit multiple times in a short time span.
In most situations, the Rapid Fire mode should not be needed. In the “Normal” mode a hit will cause the T1000 to light up red for 1.5 seconds then flash red. If another impact is detected after the T1000 begins flashing it will go to solid red, then start flashing again. This should be visible to the spotter.
The only issue could be when multiple T1000 units are close together on a target array. In this situation, a hit on one target may be detected as a miss on the others (they would flash amber). However, a hit while the target is flashing amber would cause it to switch over and announce the hit. An attentive spotter should easily see the difference.
Battery life is an important consideration in a device like this. The intent is to be able to attach them to a target in a hard to reach location and then leave them there indefinitely. Magnetospeed is estimating standby battery life for almost one year. Two Lithium AA batteries should last for five to six thousand hits. Standard Alkaline should get you around 1000 hits. This will depend on temperature and what options have been configured on the unit.
The T1000 will begin shipping soon. The retail price will be $150. While this often may be more expensive than the target you are mounting it to, it is likely to save a considerable amount of frustration on those long range targets where spotting impacts is not a sure thing.