What you see above is the result of five shots I took yesterday at about 40 yards with a JP enterprises 9mm carbine at Big Fork Gun Club outside Kalispell, Montana (one of the most beautiful places on Earth, if you haven’t had the pleasure). Anyway, I got that instantaneous feedback courtesy of a new whiz-bang target from Mason Target Systems that’s intended, as Greg Mason told me, to bring the internet of things to the world of shooting.
Their Pacifica target consists of a tough 3/8″ 18×18 plate of AR500 steel thats’ rigged with four sensors (think of what it does as triangulation, only with four collection points) that instantly analyze round impacts and wirelessly report them back to an iPad or laptop as far as a mile away. They says it’s accurate down to 1/4″.
But wait! There’s no way that thing could hold up! Au contraire, mon frere. Mason rates their target for everything from .300 Win Mag and below.
But the big idea here is much more than just instant feedback and letting you leave your spotting scope at home. The killer ap, as far as they’re concerned, is what the Pacifica system will let you to do with all that data.
Once you’re a customer, you can upload your results to a virtual gun locker, including all the data from that session (gun, distance, elevation, ammo, wind, etc.) and then compare over time. You’ll be able to accumulate that feedback for each of your guns over time, making fine tuning that Gunwerks Helios much faster, easier and more accurate.
And it doesn’t end there. You’ll be able to compete virtually with other shooters around the world. And for you gun culture 2.0 types out there, Mason has plans to interface the data with video games. Think of being able to shoot more accurately in Call of Duty based on your carbon-based shooting results. And what military, LEO or security organization wouldn’t like to be able to store and analyze trainees’ range results over time?
Of course, the Pacifica’s perfectly applicable for pistols at shorter distances with handguns, too.
Cheap, however, it’s not. Since the above video was produced, the targets are now available and priced at $2500 a pop. But Mason argues that the time savings, convenience, analytical advantages and future applications make the Pacifica more than worth the outlay. I know I had fun.
That’s a little salty, but boy would I like to have one.
$2,500? Yikes!!!!!
Beer cans work just fine, thanks.
The OCD among us are constantly pushing their OCD crap on the rest of us non-OCD types.
Hmmm, USPSA or IDPA scoring without having to go downrange and paste the targets. An app could be written to sync the shot timer with it. An electronic record that each shooter could review at a later time. This could have a huge benefit for helping people who are working to improve their skills.
I didn’t think it through to that level. That’s a really cool idea!
No kidding, this is a great piece and appears to be well-executed.
(Sometimes) Better living through technology – F Yeah!
Don’t worry guys. If it sells at all, some ChiCom will copy it, and it’ll be available on Amazon for $499.
“Don’t worry guys. If it sells at all, some ChiCom will copy it, and it’ll be available on Amazon for $499.”
Yes, but instead of AR500, the plate will be… well, who knows what the plate will be made of? Something much less “rugged” or more likely to kill ME is what I’m thinking.
There’s a competing product that sells much cheaper for those not looking to have data and analytics. It’s basically a downrange camera transmitter.
http://www.bullseyecamera.com/
Hello I just read this article and I am wondering if anyone has any current information on Mason targets? I bought one about four years ago and haven’t shot it due to circumstances for the last two years. I now notice that they have no more website or an app to go along with it. I’ve got a sick feeling that they went out of business and I will no longer be able to utilize my target. Can anyone shed any light on this please? I am unable to find any information about them.
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