Finding projectiles downrange

[deusXmachina]

I've been designing a very aerodynamic round that is fired out of a 3" barrel with Great Stuff sabots for the purpose of range firing, when I realized something fairly obvious: Getting a range requires retreiving your rounds. And aerodynamic darts have a tendency to be terro-dynamic on impact, burying themselves good and deep. So I was wondering what methods work well for finding rounds after firing them 1/4+ mile.

I've thought about using that orange contractor's twine on the end of it, but it would just bunch up in the hole on impact. And I don't have any RFID readers, although that would be nice ^__^

[ShowNoMercy]

How about something like this http://www.deepskyrocketshop.co.uk/prod ... 3d3914de74 maybe you could modify it so it goes off on impact? I'm sure there are many deviances of that idea out there so good luck.

[c19o]

Build a GPS receiver into the dart and track it.

[noname]

For a large projectile, you could have it loaded with low pressure air, a needle, and a burst disc. On impact, the needle would pop the disc and shoot a load of flour up out of the back of the round, which would be sticking up, assuming the round is weighted at the front.

[ShowNoMercy]

But if he is shooting that far away how will you see a sudden poof of flour ?

[judgment_arms]

Perhaps a metal detector? Or hire a whole bunch of “cheap labor” guys to scour the field. Or, building on Noname’s idea, instead of flower, hi-visibility paint, chaff, or a coil of caution tape with a weight on one end and tied to the bolt/dart at the other.

[hi]

If it was clear you could put a glow stick in it. You could mold a wax round (not recommended, mine just fell apart) and put an LED in it. You could tie a string to the round and then tie the other end to your finger (highly not recommended, mainly because you will end up in the hospital)

[ShowNoMercy]

Or just do some calculations with projectile, windage, energy transferred to it, and angle of shot. That way you could grid your shot target zone if you had a nice liitle topo map and a good sense of math etc. Or borrow a marine artillery officer and ask him to do the math.

[deusXmachina]

I really like the audible tracking because I'm too cheap for GPS, and we'll have a spotter nearish to where it should land, but we won't be able to get that close (Bithmuth spike at 100 mph = not cool to be under). Although the flour idea is really creative.

I forget the firearms provisions in New York state but I am pretty sure putting a smokebomb in the projectile would make it illegal...anyone know?

[noname]

Flaming and/or incindiary projectiles are illegal, both in the US and on this forum, I suggest you end this idea beofre the trouble starts.

[ShowNoMercy]

How about dry ice?

[Orpackrat]

For recovering at night, I would use a high power LED light installed in the rear (providing it is front heavy), during the day I would install a loud chirping device that would chirp (beep) every 10 seconds or so.

[Hotwired]

Just give it a streamer of brightly coloured material. It may bunch up on landing but you'll see exactly where it lands.

A metre or so of bright orange ribbon would do the trick

[joannaardway]

Trailing any string/ribbon will majorly reduce range.

The first thing you should do is calculate an expected range.

The best idea I can give is glow-in-the-dark paint and doing it at night with solid ground.

The other option is dragging a huge tarpulin/similar thin flat sheet over your target area, and then searching for the hole in it.

[Recruit]

Or do the flour idea only it releases a neon colored balloon filled with hellium or hydrogen which ever gas you have you can get your hands.
It hits and you have a balloon floating 1-2 feet off the deck.