The targets are hand-painted plastic mannequin-like forms filled with fluorescent orange foam (mutilating) or a pink, paintball inspired substance that oozes or splatters when pierced (bleeding).
Both targets produce easily identifiable hit points.
And believe it or not, producing lifelike targets of already dead humans is much more politically correct than manufacturing targets that resemble living, breathing people.
Although Zombie Industries has taken a fun and entertaining approach to range shooting, the zombie targets do have legitimate training value, as author Scott W. Wagner points out in his article “Zombie Industries Targets” at USConcealedCarry.com:
“There is a huge difference between shooting flat paper targets and 3-D humanoid figures. Using some of your training time to shoot these types of realistic targets can help prepare shooters for defensive scenarios.” (Read more at USConcealedCarry.com)
Like their real-life counterparts, the Zombie Industry targets do not go down easily. They are designed to withstand up to 1000 pistol rounds of high-caliber bullets up to and including .460 Magnum rounds. Although the targets can also withstand shotgun blasts, their longevity is significantly shortened.
If the targets are to be stored and reused, cleanup can be time consuming, especially for the bleeding model. All of the zombie innards are 100 % biodegradable and can be disposed of normally. However, the bleeding models lend themselves more to one-time use since they create a large “splatter zone” and may not be suitable for indoor ranges. In addition to that, the target itself will be dripping with pink ooze after use and should not be returned to its storage box before drying out.
There are several zombie targets available and each comes with a wooden stake for mounting. Some of the models include terrorist, Nazi, and clown variants. The targets are not cheap; $89.95 for the bleeding and $69.95 for the mutilating, but if divided among a group, the price drops significantly and provides a fun way to spend an afternoon improving essential self-defense skills.