About Us
How many times in your daily routine have you looked at an item and thought, why didn't I think of that? Velcro Kydex, Spyderco opening hole, the list goes on and on. The finished product seems so simple in function and design that you think "I could have done that!".
But whether by intent or a timely series of events, more often than not, the road from birth of an idea to it's completion is long and full of trial and error.
What started out several years ago as a casual conversation may well turn out to be the next step in firearms and safety. I have often discussed the difficulty of how hard it is for me as a rangemaster to operate a tower and instruct my officers at the same time. Edmond PD employs approximately 87 sworn officers. Seldom do I have less than 10 to 15 officers going through training or qualifications at any one time. More often than not we can't seem to turn loose of any additional instructors. How nice would it be to be on the fireing line with my students. The only option was to have a hard wired control box without a timer. Who wants to drag 25 feet of cable around with them?
Rick Jones, a.k.a. "Doc", was a member of our cowboy shooting club. The evenings after a good day of shooting was a favorite time for us, the campfires were lit and the chuckwagons were open and the conversations were lively. After a good home cooked meal the conversations settled down and as most of our members are law-enforcement officers and firearms instructors, the topic of discussion was usually centered around law enforcement and training topics. And like all good B.S (gripe sessions), a lot of useful information was being exchanged. An idea was born.
Rick is an avid hunter, shooter, and firearms enthusiast. By trade he is a tool maker (machinist) and metrologist. This wealth of information that was being exchanged at the cowboy shoots was the seed Rick used, and spent the next several years building his company and developing a revolutionary idea and product. Not only for the the law enforcement community, but the private sector as well, where there are a growing number of shooters and private ranges.
Rick has developed the Maverick Remote controlled turning target system that eliminates most of the maintenance problems that I had to live with. In fact, having had the Maverick System on line for approximately one year, I have come to take for granted it's efficiency and ease of operation. I sometimes forget just how efficient the system is until I see the expression on first time visitors to the range, when I set the wireless remote timer, standing on the the firing line, and watch as the targets quickly face and ease to a stop, then quickly edge and ease to a stop with the push of one button at the beginning of the scenario. The first comment is usually, "boy those targets are fast" and "did you turn them from down here?" I smile and say, yes I did. Instead of flipping switches and talking on the PA system I am able to instruct and watch for safety violations with my full attention.
While listening to the numerous instructors and Rangemasters, Rick learned that one of the biggest complaints they had was the issue of reliability. He addressed this problem with a simple dampening system, which is not only quiter and smoother operating, but it also elimiates 90% of the routine maintenance for me as a Rangemaster. Why? Vibration. It takes most of the shock out of the entire mechanism. The time spent replacing bent and broken hardware, tightening bolts and anchors, welding broken linkage, and adjusting stretched cables for the most part has been eliminated. As a direct result more of my time is spent on training instead of maintenance.
The very act of being on the firing line at a firearms training facility is dangerous for obvious reasons. Firearms accidents do sometimes occur. Typically most accident reports at my facility read; tripped and fell, sprained ankle jammed finger ect. Lots of the injuries were occuring when officers were climbing over a 2 foot tall retaining wall to score or repair targets. The Maverick system addressed this problem by designing a target base less than 8 inches tall which can be protected by a single row of railroad ties, and by keeping the actuator rod at 1/4 inch off the floor, removing all those unnecessary electrical wires, conduit and boxes. The chances of falling are even more greatly reduced.
Safety on the range is my responsibility. Concise, direct communication between the tower and the line officers is paramount and the use of radios and hand signals are at best antiquated and now unnecessary. Now I'm on the firing line communicating directly with my line officers. By setting the wireless remote, with it's delay and hands off features, I can now devote my full attention to my officers and there techniques.
NIGHTFIRE....need I say more? I can't think of a more stressful time on the range as that period between flipping the switches in the tower to face the targets, then waiting for the voice on the radio to say "clear". Meaning everyone is safe. What a totally different scenario it is for me now. I set the wireless remote timer for the next course of fire in one step, hook it on my belt, call the course of fire, ready the line and take a stance where I can see my officers clearly, then push the start button. The optional delay feature offers me a few seconds to focus on my students before the targets face. My attention is totally on them when it is needed most. Someone once said, "Where there is darkness, let there be light". Now figuratively speaking, there is. Where there used to be total blackness between the firing line and the tower, there is now vision and complete command control.
The Maverick Targeting System has made my professional life a lot easier and safer. It allows me to focus more on training instead of maintenance. It affords me better communication, and less confusion for a safer training environment. I now have at my command a system which allows me to focus on training, detect and correct bad habits because I am only feet away, in control. Essentially, I can now be in two places at the same time.
It is a great feeling knowing that I am sending my officers out with the best training I can give them, on the best equipment available. For more information on the Maverick Remote Target System contact Rick Jones at 3201 Belmont Cr. Edmond, OK. 73034 (405) 348-2187 Fax (405)844-9095.
Bobby Hunter is a 20 year veteran Law Enforcement officer. He has been a C.L.E.E.T Certified firearms instructor for 16 years. Hunter has been with the Edmond Police department for 14 years and has been assigned as the Rangemaster/ head firearms instructor for the past 7 years. Life member NRA and North American Hunting Club, member Oklahoma Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors. Hunter has completed the PPC, IPSC, Service Rifle, and Metallic Silhouette shooting. Hunter can be reached at the Edmond Police Department, 23 E 1st. Edmond, OK 73034 (405) 359-0212.