Dream Chaser, SASS #79316 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Just wondering what is considered a reasonable distance between jail bars. Plan is to shoot a rifle through them. I am working up a little prop to hold the jail "bars" since we don't have a dedicated range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fillmore Coffins, SASS #7884 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Just wondering what is considered a reasonable distance between jail bars. Plan is to shoot a rifle through them. I am working up a little prop to hold the jail "bars" since we don't have a dedicated range. Not the answer to your question. Are you going to allow the shooters to just shoot thru the bars or require them to stick their rifle thru them? One way is OK, the other is stupid and potentially unsafe. Fillmore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack, SASS #20451 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Our bars are 1/2" wooden dowels painted to look like steel. Distance between them is 6". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dream Chaser, SASS #79316 Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 My idea is to require them to have their muzzles past the bars. I was planning on using pvc pipe and painting it. Raising another question as to whether wooden dowels would be better. I'm willing to listen to all ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 One of the local clubs has a stage like that. It has been responsible for removing the front sights from numerous rifles and shotguns. Not one of my favorites. Another club uses shotgun shells strung onto a cable. Loose at the bottom. Much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Just wondering what is considered a reasonable distance between jail bars. Plan is to shoot a rifle through them. I am working up a little prop to hold the jail "bars" since we don't have a dedicated range. 2 feet comes to mind as reasonable (I hate shooting through bars). At our range they are rebar with a pipe wrap covering and are probablly 10 or 12 inches apart, they used to be closer but we cut out 1 bar. One thing to consider is they need to be far enough apart that a Gunfighter can get both pistols between them. Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tennessee Stud, SASS# 43634 Life Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Just wondering what is considered a reasonable distance between jail bars. Plan is to shoot a rifle through them. I am working up a little prop to hold the jail "bars" since we don't have a dedicated range. My suggestion is 12"... nation-wide. That way... I could sift through any of 'em... ts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dream Chaser, SASS #79316 Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Excellent advice coming through. Plans were to only shoot rifle through them. Now I am beginning to wonder. However there is a bigger match that uses them and so I thought it might be good practice for it. Hopefully more comments, pro or con, will come in and help me make that final decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Willy Dunkum, SASS # 61027 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I shot at a local annual that has a jail wagon in which I think the steel bars are maybe 5-6" apart. Rifle wasn't too bad as I could prop my hand on the bar and semi rest the rifle. Pistols were another matter as it was very unhandy and difficult to focus. Shotgun targets were a real challenge but I shot it slower and was kind of cool shooting from up inside a jail wagon. If it were on a down to earth stage prop, I would prefer the bars much wider and have a protective coating on them. Painted PVC would work for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redleg Reilly, SASS #46372 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 We've got a jail/sheriff's office and a bank with bars on the windows.. The windows have bars in them made out of PVC pipe, about 6 inches apart. PVC works well in case someone decides to shoot "thru" the bars instead of around them. It's happened about 3 times in 10 years. No restrictions on shooter's reference whether or not they have to push their barrel thru the window to engage targets. We shoot all three firearms thru the windows all the time without problems. It's fun, a bit different, and makes the shooter work a bit to properly engage targets. Can't have everything be a stand and blast or boredom will kill us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace_of_Hearts Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Just some things to think about.... Is the prop tall enough for Big John to use and low enough for Little people. Will the bars be expendable or a Match DQ if hit. Gunfighters shooting their pistols through it will hate you. Double Duelists will despise you. Double Shooters need to have room so they can shoot behind the bars so they don't rip the front bead off the shotgun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Fill 'Em 67797 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 My club has a jail with PVC pipe bars, about 12" apart. We have a knockdown target that you have to hit which pulls a rope to open the cell door. Then you run out and shoot the rest of the stage. It's a lot of fun. We normally poke the barrel through the bars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 For safety and ease of movement, I would recommend 10-12 inches. PVC works well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nichols Creek, SASS #77627 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 We've got a jail/sheriff's office and a bank with bars on the windows.. The windows have bars in them made out of PVC pipe, about 6 inches apart. PVC works well in case someone decides to shoot "thru" the bars instead of around them. It's happened about 3 times in 10 years. No restrictions on shooter's reference whether or not they have to push their barrel thru the window to engage targets. We shoot all three firearms thru the windows all the time without problems. It's fun, a bit different, and makes the shooter work a bit to properly engage targets. Can't have everything be a stand and blast or boredom will kill us. Are those the same bars I always tried to remove from the bottom???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Meadows,SASS#28485L Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 My choice would be to set them far enough apart so that the stage could be shot without hitting them, or leave them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Scatterbrain Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Perhaps you could set them about 6 inches apart, but make every other one removeable. Or perhaps the middle two or three. I was curious what the standard might be, and ran across this story of a guy who managed to slip through bars set 4-1/2" apart! No way would my big melon go through such an opening Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backshootin beauford mcgee Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 At desparadoville, they have a jail cell. It is completely filled in with bars and has an opening door in the rear. The 'shooting area'(front right corner as you enter the cell and face the targets) has an opening about 3 feet wide with no bars. The opening is maybe 4 feet tall. The bars are set 6 to 8 inches apart, I can't tell you what they are made of. This set up is safe and easy to shoot any gun from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dream Chaser, SASS #79316 Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 Thanks to all who gave me their thoughts on the jail bars. I settled on 7 inches apart which was plenty wide for the rifle. As originally planned we did not shoot anything but the rifle through them. I had thought I would use 5 inches but many on the wire either flat out don't care for them or liked wider so I went with the 7 and it was a good choice. Bars were of the smallest pvc pipe and worked well. Bars were removable and easy to re-install so we first went with the frame as a window which was about 15 inches wide. On a later stage the bars were added to make it jail bars which were 7 inches. Rules required the muzzle be past the bars and they started with the rifle through the bars and aimed at the targets. Once again thanks for all the input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fargo Bill, SASS #4942 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Perhaps you could set them about 6 inches apart, but make every other one removeable. Or perhaps the middle two or three. I was curious what the standard might be, and ran across this story of a guy who managed to slip through bars set 4-1/2" apart! No way would my big melon go through such an opening Plus if they'd a used PVC pipe I'd a got out a hell'va lot quicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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