Target carrier protection system

Claim 1

In a target shooting range having a designated shooter position and a target position, a target carrier system comprising: a carrier medium extending between the designated shooter position and the target position, a movable target carrier mounted for movement along a path defined by the carrier medium between the shooter position and the target position, said movable target carrier having an upper carriage portion, a lower target holder portion and a suspending system depending from said upper carriage portion for holding the target holder portion and a target in view of a shooter, a normally stationary protective shield mounted in the shooting range between the shooter position and the target position, said protective shield having an obliquely oriented continuous smooth surface extending perpendicular to the direction of and below said carrier medium, said continuous smooth surface extending to both sides of a vertical line intersecting the mid-point of said carrier medium by a distance which is greater than the amount which any portion of said movable target carrier extends to either side of a vertical line intersecting the mid-point of said upper carriage portion, whereby said upper carriage portion and at least a portion of said suspending means are shielded from the view of a shooter at the shooter position, said target carrier lower target holder portion being movable with respect to said upper carriage portion, and wherein means are provided to move said lower target holder portion into a retracted position above and clear of said normally stationary protective shield while said target carrier is moved between the target and shooter positions.