NORTH PLAINS OR – February 2012 – Salute Products, Inc. launched its Spartan Target earlier this year; an innovation developed specifically for Police and Military target training. Since its introduction, it has gained attention not only in those two key markets but also in the private tactical training environment. Civilian shooters (both men and women) are choosing it for its rugged simplicity and many shooting challenges.
The body of the target is based on the IPSC A-C zone: the 3 moving targets represent the electrical, hydraulic and chassis target zones of the body. Electrical would equate to the head, hydraulic to the heart and the chassis to the pelvis. “Police will tell you if a perpetrator is on PCP or Meth a shot to the heart may not immediately bring him down. A solid hit to the pelvic bone area will take them down every time, so being able to train on that is beneficial.” said Mike Howard of Salute products. The Spartan name is based on the ancient Corinthian Hoplite helmet, which resembles the eyepiece of the Salute Spartan. Another unique feature is when you hit the head-eye target; it flips out and turns into “the hostage situation” target – forcing the shooter to hit the perpetrator over the shoulder of the hostage. The heart and pelvic plates also flip out, creating challenging shot areas to flip back into place. The Spartan is easy to set up, take down and to transport (easily fitting into the trunk of any vehicle).
“One of the things that people tell us is that you get a reaction when using steel vs. paper. There is a definite "PLING". You get an audible reaction, and with ours you get a unique visual and reset reaction,” said Howard. “We believe it is rapidly setting the standard for a whole new field of tactical re-active steel targets.
The Salute spring bases are design to capture the majority of the bullet splatter behind its front plate, which also protects the unique Salute base & spring mechanism. Its DOD Mil Spec (Department of Defense Military Specification) base holds the target at a 30-degree forward tilt deflecting much of the bullets energy and fragments down into the ground beneath the target. This does not negate the fact that all shooters should always wear adequate eye and ear protection when shooting. By automatically resetting after every shot and deflecting dangerous bullet fragments towards the ground, the shooter is able to shoot more rounds at a closer range.
Founded in 2003, Salute Products Inc. manufacturers steel targets made with select durable AR500 armor plate steel incorporating a unique spring-loaded and angle layout technology into its design. Salute staff run tests on every armor plate order upon arrival with armor piercing ammo on a custom proving ground test. The company was founded by two close friends Mike Howard, a retired Colonel from United States Marines and Iraq War combat vet, and Mike Eggiman, an award winning industrial and mechanical engineer well known for engineering the internationally renowned DeMarini softball and baseball bats.