Exploding Target

Abstract

An exploding target features a hard-walled container containing ammonium nitrate therein and a flexible bag containing particulate aluminum therein disposed in the container. An explosive mixture is formed by mixing the oxidizing and sensitizing components in the container according to one aspect of the invention. In another aspect of the invention, each pair of opposing upstanding container walls are in parallel relation thereto and have uniform spacing therebetween from the bottom to the top thereof so that the amount of explosive mixture contained between each pair of opposing walls along the depth therebetween is uniform across the surface area of each wall. In a further aspect, each wall has a visually distinguishable feature for distinguishing from the other walls and from the external environment. In a further aspect of the invention, the aluminum comprises a combination of fine and coarse grades of aluminum particles for improving sensitivity to bullet impact.

1 . An exploding target for a shooting exercise comprising:
 a first hard-walled container defining a target of the shooting exercise, the first hard-walled container comprising:
 a plurality of upstanding container walls defining an outer container periphery; 
 a container base at a bottom of the walls; 
 a container neck at a top of the walls delimiting a container opening; and 
 a container cap removably attached on the neck across the opening; 
   a first oxidizing component contained in the hard-walled container;   a second container containing a second sensitizing component therein;   the first oxidizing component and the second sensitizing component being combinable to form an explosive mixture storable in the hard-walled container;   the container walls comprising an even number of walls arranged on the container base such that the outer container periphery is defining a polygon having the even number of sides, each pair of the sides directly opposite one another being in parallel relation and having equal length; and   at least one pair of opposing container walls corresponding to at least one pair of the sides which are directly opposite one another having uniform spacing therebetween from the bottom to the top thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The exploding target according to  claim 1  wherein the sides of the polygon have uniform length and each pair of adjacent polygon sides has substantially equal interior angles formed therebetween such that each polygon side is in the opposing parallel relation to another one of the sides, and each pair of opposing container walls corresponding thereto has uniform wall spacing therebetween from the bottom to the top thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The exploding target according to  claim 1  wherein the polygon comprises one of a rectangle and a square. 
     
     
         4 . An exploding target for a shooting exercise comprising:
 a first hard-walled container defining a target of the shooting exercise, the first hard-walled container comprising:
 a plurality of upstanding container walls defining an outer container periphery; 
 a container base at a bottom of the walls; 
 a container neck at a top of the walls delimiting a container opening; and 
 a container cap removably attached on the neck across the opening; 
   a first oxidizing component contained in the hard-walled container;   a second container containing a second sensitizing component therein;   the first oxidizing component and the second sensitizing component being combinable to form an explosive mixture storable in the hard-walled container;   at least two container walls respectively comprising a visually distinguishable feature distinguishing one of said at least two walls from another one of said at least two walls.   
     
     
         5 . The exploding target according to  claim 4  wherein said at least two walls respectively having the visually distinguishable features comprises two container walls which are adjacent. 
     
     
         6 . The exploding target according to  claim 4  wherein said at least two walls respectively having visually distinguishable features comprises all of the upstanding container walls. 
     
     
         7 . The exploding target according to  claim 4  wherein the visually distinguishable feature of at least one of said at least two container walls comprises a vibrant colour including one of cyan, magenta, yellow, and a mixed colour integrating at least two of those colours such that the hard-walled container is distinguished from an environment external to the hard-walled container. 
     
     
         8 . The exploding target according  claim 4  wherein the visually distinguishable feature of at least one of said at least two container walls comprises a vibrant colour having fluorescence such that the hard-walled container is distinguished from an environment external to the hard-walled container. 
     
     
         9 . An exploding target for a shooting exercise comprising:
 a first hard-walled container defining a target of the shooting exercise, the first hard-walled container comprising:
 a plurality of upstanding container walls defining an outer container periphery; 
 a container base at a bottom of the walls; 
 a container neck at a top of the walls delimiting a container opening; and 
 a container cap removably attached on the neck across the opening; 
   a first oxidizing component contained in the hard-walled container;   a second container containing a second sensitizing component therein;   the first oxidizing component and the second sensitizing component being combinable to form an explosive mixture storable in the hard-walled container;   the first sensitizing component comprising ammonium nitrate;   the second sensitizing component comprising aluminum particles;   wherein the aluminum particles comprise a combination of different particle grades, the particles grades including a fine size and a coarse size in which the coarse size is larger than the fine size.   
     
     
         10 . The exploding target according to  claim 9  wherein the fine size comprises an average particle dimension between 0.5 and 15 microns. 
     
     
         11 . The exploding target according to  claim 9  wherein the fine size comprises an average particle dimension between 1 and 10 microns. 
     
     
         12 . The exploding target according to  claim 9  wherein the coarse size comprises an average particle dimension between 16 and 120 microns. 
     
     
         13 . The exploding target according to  claim 9  wherein the coarse size comprises an average particle dimension between 20 and 100 microns. 
     
     
         14 . The exploding target according to  claim 9  wherein the combination of aluminum particles comprises a prescribed ratio between the fine and coarse sizes in which the fine size is in a range between 2% and 55% by weight and the coarse size is in a range between 45% and 98% by weight. 
     
     
         15 . The exploding target according to  claim 9  wherein the combination of aluminum particles comprises a prescribed ratio between the fine and coarse sizes in which the fine size is in a range between 5% and 50% by weight and the coarse size is in a range between 50% and 95% by weight. 
     
     
         16 . The exploding target according to  claim 9  wherein the combination of aluminum particles comprises a prescribed ratio between the fine and coarse sizes in which the fine size is in a range between 7% and 35% by weight and the coarse size is in a range between 65% and 93% by weight. 
     
     
         17 . An exploding target for a shooting exercise comprising:
 a first hard-walled container defining a target of the shooting exercise, the first hard-walled container comprising:
 a plurality of upstanding container walls defining an outer container periphery; 
 a container base at a bottom of the walls; 
 a container neck at a top of the walls delimiting a container opening; and 
 a container cap removably attached on the neck across the opening; 
   a first oxidizing component contained in the hard-walled container;   a second container containing a second sensitizing component therein;   the first oxidizing component and the second sensitizing component being combinable to form an explosive mixture storable in the hard-walled container;   the first sensitizing component comprising ammonium nitrate;   the second sensitizing component comprising particulate aluminum;   wherein the explosive mixture comprises a prescribed ratio between the ammonium nitrate and the particulate aluminum in which the ammonium nitrate is in a range between 85% and 99% by weight and the particulate aluminum is in a range between 1% and 15% by weight.   
     
     
         18 . The exploding target according to  claim 17  wherein the prescribed ratio comprises an optimal ratio in which the ammonium nitrate is in an optimal range between 90% and 98% by weight and the particulate aluminum is in an optimal range between 2% and 10% by weight. 
     
     
         19 . The exploding target according to  claim 17  wherein the prescribed ratio comprises an optimal ratio in which the ammonium nitrate is in an optimal range between 91% and 96% by weight and the particulate aluminum is in an optimal range between 4% and 9% by weight. 
     
     
         20 . A method of preparing an exploding target for a shooting exercise comprising:
 providing a first hard-walled container and a second container comprising:
 the first hard-walled container defining a target of the shooting exercise and comprising:
 a plurality of upstanding container walls defining an outer container periphery; 
 a container base at a bottom of the walls; 
 a container neck at a top of the walls delimiting a container opening; and 
 a container cap removably attached on the neck across the opening; 
 
 a first oxidizing component contained in the hard-walled container; 
 a second sensitizing component contained in the second container; 
 the first oxidizing component and the second sensitizing component being combinable to form an explosive mixture storable in the hard-walled container; 
   transferring the sensitizing component into the hard-walled container to form an aggregate of the oxidizing and sensitizing components;   mixing the oxidizing and sensitizing components in the hard-walled container so as to form the explosive mixture.   
     
     
         21 . The process according to  claim 20  wherein the second container comprises a flexible bag disposed in the hard-walled container. 
     
     
         22 . The process according to  claim 20  wherein the hard-walled container is sized to provide a sufficing air gap between the aggregate of the oxidizing and sensitizing components received therein prior to mixing and the opening of the hard-walled container such that the hard-walled containing is adapted for the step of mixing the oxidizing and sensitizing components directly in the container. 
     
     
         23 . The process according to  claim 22  wherein the sufficing air gap comprises a gap measured in a direction from the container base towards the opening generally between the aggregate and one of the container base and the opening, and the gap comprises a prescribed range between 5 millimetres and 30 millimetres. 
     
     
         24 . The process according to  claim 23  wherein the prescribed range comprises an optimal range between 8 millimetres and 26 millimetres. 
     
     
         25 . An exploding target for a shooting exercise comprising:
 a first hard-walled container defining a target of the shooting exercise, the first hard-walled container comprising:
 a plurality of upstanding container walls defining an outer container periphery; 
 a container base at a bottom of the walls; 
 a container neck at a top of the walls delimiting a container opening; and 
 a container cap removably attached on the neck across the opening; 
   a first oxidizing component contained in the hard-walled container;   a second container containing a second sensitizing component therein;   the first oxidizing component and the second sensitizing component being combinable to form an explosive mixture storable in the hard-walled container;   wherein the second container comprises a flexible bag disposed in the hard-walled container.   
     
     
         26 . The exploding target according to  claim 25  wherein the flexible bag is sized for passing through the opening of the hard-walled container.