BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a target used in shooting sports. In particular, the present invention relates to a target system, commonly referred to as a dueling tree, in which a plurality of targets are available to a pair of shooters wherein the targets move when they are hit by the shooters.

2. State of the Art

The use of targets to enhance one's shooting ability is extremely common place. For hundreds of years, soldiers, police officers, and the like have used targets to improve their ability to shoot accurately in war time and other high pressure situations. A variety of different mechanisms have been used to simulate these situations in which the shooter's blood pressure will rise and affect his or her shooting ability.

One common method for generating adrenaline and blood pressure increases in a shooter is to have a competition. The competition may be as simple as shooting at a plurality of clay pigeons or other targets. While isolated shooting at targets in competition situations provides a moderate increase in adrenaline flow, a much more significant increase is caused by head-to-head competition wherein both shooters are shooting a target at the same time. This is even more so if the competition is structured such that both shooters know how well the other shooter is doing.

One system for significantly increasing pressure on the shooter during the competition is the use of a system called a dueling tree. Typically, a dueling tree includes a plurality of targets which are mounted on a central support. The targets are mounted such that if a target is hit by one shooter, the target moves into the firing line of the other shooter. Thus, a shooter attempts to strike the targets and move them into his competitors line of fire as quickly as possible. The first person to have all the targets disposed in their line of fire loses the competition.

While a shooter may concentrate on hitting a particular target to move into his opponents line of fire, that concentration is readily broken when a target from the opponent moves over to his or her line of fire. This scenario quickly develops adrenaline and blood pressure increases and causes the shooter to react similarly to a real live situation in which the shooter's life may be in danger.

One problem with some dueling trees is that a target may not completely move to the other side if hit. Other dueling trees are constructed so that even a grazing of the target will cause it to move. While attempts have been made to correct these problems, considerable improvements could be made.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the dueling tree includes a plurality of targets which are pivotably mounted to the center support so that when they are struck by a bullet, the target rotates 180 degrees and is disposed on the opposite side of the center support. The dueling tree is configured so that the target will generally not get stuck between either side.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the center support is disposed at an angle. This angle, preferably between 5 and 30 degrees short of vertical, and most preferably about 15 degrees, promotes the target to move forward towards the shooter and prevents the target from rotating to the other side of the central support unless it is solidly hit with a round.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the targets are also disposed at an angle short of vertical. The forward angle causes the target to channel bullets downwardly when impacted, thereby minimizing the risk of back splatter.

In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, the center support has a splatter guard attached thereto. The splatter guard limits the movement of bullet fragments traveling toward the center support so as to avoid the fragments from ricocheting and hitting shooters or other individuals in the area.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the target is configured so that the target has a pin integrally formed therein which forms part of a hinge which enables the target to move between a first position and a second position. Because the pin is formed integrally with the target, it is less susceptible to breaking due to the vibrations of the target caused by the target being hit by bullets. This is in contrast to conventional structures wherein the hinge is welded or otherwise attached to the target. Such configurations often break under the repeated fatigue of the target being hit by a bullet. Furthermore, forming the pin and target from a single piece of material decreases expense, as less handling of the target is required.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the target is configured to move between a first position and a second position in such a manner than the target is biased into the first position or the second position, and away from a position therebetween, by gravity. Preferably, this is accomplished by the movement having a vertical component. Thus, the target must move upwardly and then back down as it moves from the first position to the second position and vice versa. This inhibits the target from stopping between the first position and the second position, and thereby encourages the target to be disposed in the line of fire of one of the shooters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description presented in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a dueling tree formed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of a dueling tree formed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a dueling tree formed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 shows an alternate embodiment of a dueling tree formed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made to the drawings in which the various elements of the present invention will be given numeral designations and in which the invention will be discussed so as to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention. It is to be understood that the following description is only exemplary of the principles of the present invention, and should not be viewed as narrowing the pending claims. Furthermore, it should be understood that all embodiments of the invention may not achieve all of aspects of the invention and the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a front view of a dueling tree, generally indicated at 6, formed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The dueling tree 6 includes a center support 10, and a plurality of targets 14, which are pivotably mounted to the center support. Each of the targets 14 is mounted such that when the target is hit solidly with a round, the target will rotate approximately 180 degrees and be disposed on the opposing side of the center support 10. As will be explained in additional detail, this can be accomplished by providing a target which has an arm 18 with a portion of the arm forming a pin (not shown). The pin mounts on the center support 10 so as to enable the target to rotate about the pin.

During a shooting competition, a plurality of targets 14 are disposed on each side of the center support 10. For example, in FIG. 1, three plates are disposed on each side of the center support. When a shooter's bullet forcefully impacts a target 14, the target rotates to the opposing side of the center support 10. The first person to have all of the targets 14 disposed on their side of the center support 10, loses the competition.

Turning now to FIG. 2, there is shown a side view of the dueling tree 6. The plurality of targets 14 are disposed along the center support 10 so that they are visible only along their ends.

While the center support 10 can be made in variety of configurations, in a preferred embodiment, the center support 10 has a splatter guard 22, which is attached to a deflector plate 26 of the central support 10. The splatter guard 22 receives bullets that splatter laterally toward the center support 10 when impacting the targets 14. Thus, the splatter guard 22 limits the ability of bullet fragments to cross over the central support and injure shooters and by-standers alike. In a preferred embodiment, the splatter guard 22 is formed by a generally V-shaped rail plate 30 which is spaced apart from the deflector plate 26 between 1 to 3 inches. A mid-center rail 34 attaches the plate 30 to the deflector plate 26.

Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown a perspective view of the dueling tree 6. A plurality of rings 40 are attached to the deflector plate 26. The rings are configured to receive a pin 44 formed by a portion of the arm 18 of the target 14. (As shown in FIG. 3, the "pin" need not be cylindrical, and is typically flat. Rather, "pin" is used because the target rotates about an axis 3A—3A extending through the structure).

As a target 14 is struck by a bullet, the target rotates about the pin 44 in rings 40 to the opposing side of the central support 10. It is preferred that the target and the rings 40 are formed from steel to increase longevity of the dueling tree.

As shown in the above-referenced drawings, the dueling tree is preferably disposed in an orientation other than vertical. While the base 52 is disposed horizontally, the longitudinal axis 3B—3B of the central support 10 is disposed at an angle. The angle should be between about 10 and 30 degrees and preferably approximately 15 degrees from vertical (75 degrees from horizontal). This angle provides several advantages. First, the angle encourages the targets 14 to fall into forwardly into a position in which they extend outwardly from the central portion generally perpendicular to the line of fire. If the dueling tree 6 is disposed vertically, the targets have a tendency to bounce backward away from the line of fire and to be disposed where they are not fully presented to the shooter. In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, however, the targets 14 travel along a path in which they move vertically upward as they move horizontally between the first position and a second position disposed on an opposite side of the center support. Thus, the targets are drawn by gravity into either the first position or the second position and away from the area in-between.

Providing the face 14a of the target 14 at the same angle, also helps to channel bullet fragments downwardly once they impact the target. This minimizes lateral scattering of the bullet fragments and decreases the risk that a ricochet may injure a shooter or by-stander.

Turning now to FIG. 4, there is shown an alternate embodiment of the invention. Rather than having the longitudinal axis of the central support 10a at an angle, the central support extends substantially vertically. The rings 54 which hold the targets 14, however, are not disposed perpendicular to the central support 10a as in the previous embodiment. Rather, the rings 54 are positioned to extend about between about 10 and 30 degrees above horizontal, or 60 to 80 degrees less than vertical. Preferably, the rings 45 are positioned at about 15 degrees above horizontal. This causes the pins of the targets to rotate about an axis 4A—4A which is 15 degrees less than of vertical (i.e. 75 degrees above horizontal). As with the prior embodiment, the angle tends to cause the targets to rotate forwardly into a position perpendicular to the line of fire. This also results in the face of the targets 14 being angled downwardly about 15 degrees, thereby deflecting bullets downwardly.

Thus there is disclosed an improved dueling tree. While the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 are currently preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications can still be made within the principles of the present invention. The appended claims are intended to cover such modifications.