10 Years of Hard Use with RTG Targets
I designed the RTG series of targets while I was deployed in 2010. As the senior Weapons Sergeant on my ODA, I was the primary trainer. Not just for our partner force, but for my Team as well. I had brought multiple targets for use on the range during training. Bringing them all took up a lot of space. Space, when you deploy, can be a precious commodity.
Why so many targets? Targets are important tools, and when used correctly, can greatly aid your marksmanship and improve your combat effectiveness. Using other training aids, like steel targets, also aids in training. There is a time and place for all types of targets. From bulls-eyes to real-imagery shoot/no-shoot targets. From different shapes and colors to 3D ones. They all have a place in quality training. I had to bring a lot of various targets, each one specialized, so we could maximize our training time by focusing on specific things.
During that deployment, I got to toying with the idea of making a good jack-of-all-trades target. I played with a lot of different ideas and designs. I had the advantage of my team having a large map plotter. I’d create a design, print a few from the plotter, then take it out back to the team range and try it out.
I knew I wanted to employ both Shapes and Silhouettes in the design. Originally, the military used bulls-eye targets for its training. This is fine for practicing marksmanship and worked well for generations. Our culture was one where most everyone had experienced the “Circle of Life”. They had seen and experienced death. Steak came from a cow, not the grocery store. But as our culture changed, bulls-eyes weren’t as effective as a standalone target. The military found this out during the Vietnam War. Many of our soldiers were not mentally and psychologically prepared to shoot an enemy. Steak came from the grocery store, you see.
It is important to shoot at a human shape in training if there is a chance of a lethal encounter. It is important to prepare for combat, whether on the battlefield or defending your home. So, you need the experience of shooting a silhouette and walking up to the target to see your handiwork. Some of the PTSD experienced by individuals is because the first time they did that was with a real threat. Dave Grossman, author of On Killing and On Combat, goes into great detail in his books on this subject.
So, after a lot of trial and error, I arrived at the present design. I was able to effectively take all of the things that the collection of targets I had brought on the deployment had, and get it down to one with three variations. I’m happy to say that they have been used all over the world now to train military, police, and civilians.
The RTG targets are an extremely useful tool. They were created to make the most out of one target and improve the quality of training. A lot of money can be wasted throwing lead downrange. The key is to know how to maximize your training time and ammo. Why not use that ammo in the most effective way possible?
To describe the target: It has a solid black silhouette target. As was stated before, it is psychologically important to shoot at an image that represents a man. It has 9 discretionary sub-targets for use in command training. The 9 sub-targets are solid shapes, filled with the 3 primary colors, red, yellow, and blue. The shapes are arranged and numbered in random order with black and white numbers for further discretionary ID. This is important to the combat shooter. It gives the one being trained exterior stimulus by way of the commands. The shooter does not know what the next threat will be and has to react to what is said. Then they must ID the proper target, and engage to neutralize the threat. There are also three different targets, with the sub-targets arranged differently. This is to help keep the student from memorizing them.
In addition to the random shapes, a few have been specifically placed on the silhouette. The triangle on the head represents the “Cranial Triangle” -- the area between the ears and upper lip. A shot to the Central Nerves System (CNS) in this area will kill instantly, stopping the threat from any harmful act. A shot to other parts of the head can still be a kill shot, but there may be enough brain activity for the threat to get off one more shot or trigger the explosive device or whatever. The next shape strategically placed is in the chest. It is center mass, over the heart and lungs. This, too, is a kill shot. The last strategically placed shape is set over the “pelvic girdle”, groin or femoral arteries. This area is often overlooked. Some threats may be wearing body armor, or helmets. A shot to the femoral arteries will have the threat bleed out in seconds.
Those specifically placed shapes are not necessarily in the exact anatomically correct location. They are rather close, again, by design. One of the common things people do when identifying a threat (see the “Dots” and “Shot Placement in Combat Shooting” articles) is they shoot at what they identify. Meaning, they see a gun, they tend to shoot the gun, not eliminate the threat. The placement of these three specific shapes is designed for the student to make a conscious decision and drive the gun to get hits on them, not just react.
I am so pleased with the feedback I’ve received the past 10 years. The RTG targets have found their way into many PDs, Units, and personal ranges in the backyards of this country. One is only limited by their imagination on what they can do with these targets. As I said, different types of targets can greatly aid your training. There is a certain satisfaction to shooting a glass bottle, or milk jug filled with water, and watching it explode. But with this day and age of high ammo prices, you need to get the most for your buck. The RTG targets are just that: an effective training aid to help you along your path of combat marksmanship.
— Jared
RTG targets can be purchased at the links below: