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Bumper Boy Bumpers

16K views 53 replies 20 participants last post by  Ken McNutt 
#1 ·
Just received my new BB 4-shooter, but was disappointed to find small, fabric-covered bumpers, instead of the traditional heavy-duty ones, with the streamers. I E-mailed BB customer service, and was told that they are no longer making the originals, due to breakage problems. I'm concerned that, at greater distances, they are going to be difficult to see. I'm kind of upset because there is no mention of the change on their website, and they are still advertising the original bumpers. Also, when I inquired about extra bumpers and pricing, I was told that they are already out of stock.
 
#2 ·
That is disappointing to hear. I was planning to order 4 replacement bumpers this week from them. How different is the size? Could you post a side by side picture?

Also, have you shot them yet? It's going to be a big problem if they have different flight characteristics.
 
#3 ·
Do they work well? Fabric? Fabric can rot and rip, whatcha think of the covering? How small? I already do not use mine at any distance,
 
#6 ·
Don't know what happened. Tried to post a reply but it disappeared. So I'll try this again... First of all, there are 2 things I don't like about the new bumpers: 1. They are too light for the BB. Even when I only push them down about a 3rd of the way on the barrell, they still go at least 60 yards; 2. Being only about 8 inches long and all white, they are hard to see on a bright day, or when there are white clouds in the background. I tried to fix the latter by wrapping a strip of black duct tape around the middle. I am also attaching some heavy vinyl streamers, which should make them more visable, and maybe add enough drag to shorten the launch. If that doesn't work enough, I'm going to try some lighter loads. Unfortunately, I could only find crimped blanks in green loads. I've heard they don't work so well in the BB's, that they tend to stick in the chamber. I found one site that does carry wadded blanks in a lighter load, I was just hoping I wouldn't have to pay $11 a box. I'll let everyone know how things work out. I'm going to train this weekend, if it doesn't snow again.
 
#7 ·
Ken, save your money. BB used to say to only use the wadded blanks and sold them at a good discount. For awhile thet didn't have the wadded blanks and said to use the crimps till they got more.

The crimps work fine. They don't stick. When you pull the empties out they will be split up the side but they come right out. I think there is a disclaimer on the nail set loads (crimps) about not using them in a firearm.

I cut 3/4" pvc spacers that slip over the barrel to different lengths to regulate how far the bumper goes. The streamers will definitely help too.

I hope it's just a supplier issue with the old style bumpers and they go back to them. The selling point for me with BB was always the ability to place the bumper right where I needed it.
 
#8 ·
Thanks, John. I'll try the crimps tomorrow. I tried the new streamers, and found out that the zip ties are not strong enough. They broke at launch. I'm going to try steel picture wire with aluminum ferrules. I had to go to 2.5 inch long PVC spacers to get a throw, which would be equivalent if a hand-thrown control bird. I cut 1", 1.5", 2", and 2.5" spacers and had a big difference just between 2" and 2.5. Just cut some new 2.25", so, between the spacers, the streamers, and the lighter loads, I hope to get something that comes close to distance like a dead duck in a Winger.
 
#9 · (Edited)
http://www.gundogsupply.com/-985-.html


These light loads give me a consistent 25-30 yard launch depending on the wind. I got some duds a while back and GDS replaced them promptly. As for BB, their worse than awful service strikes again.
 
#10 ·
Curious if anyone else has any additional feedback on bumper boy's new bumpers. Are they exactly like the Retreiver R Trainer bumpers?

This may be the straw that broke the camel's back causing me to get rid of all of my bumper boys and replace them with wingers...

Casey
 
#13 ·
Curious if anyone else has any additional feedback on bumper boy's new bumpers. Are they exactly like the Retreiver R Trainer bumpers?

This may be the straw that broke the camel's back causing me to get rid of all of my bumper boys and replace them with wingers...

Casey
If you post them in the classifieds on RTF they'll get snapped up.
 
#11 ·
If you remove the rubber o ring off the barrel it will cut down the distance considerably.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Ken,

I got streamers from BB years ago, I don't know what kind of streamers you have. Mine are a piece of plastic type fabric white on one side black on the other. It's folded in half with a grommet in the center. I untied the knot at the end of the rope and threaded it through the rope, slid it up against the bumper then tied an overhand knot just above it and it has been there since. Later I added a similar streamer in flourescent orange with a grommet the same way to help me find the unretrieved bumpers in the cover.

The spacer sounds right. I've always used yellow loads and the spacers. It depends how far the mark is but sometimes the light loads can't be heard as well.

I'll add in case you haven't thought of it yet, when you need the bumper to land in a precise spot, just in the cover or short of it or just beyond that bush. Put the BB at the fall and shoot a bumper "backwards to the gun station." Then go set the BB up where the bumper landed. Perfect...
 
#15 ·
I'll add in case you haven't thought of it yet, when you need the bumper to land in a precise spot, just in the cover or short of it or just beyond that bush. Put the BB at the fall and shoot a bumper "backwards to the gun station." Then go set the BB up where the bumper landed. Perfect...
PERFECT??
Only if you are training in a vacuum where there is NO wind and you have shells that are exactly the same; 2 conditions that NEVER exist in the real world.
On marks where exact placement is critical, no mechanical thrower meets the bill Accurate, experienced live bird boys are essential in those situations
 
#14 ·
After a while the original bb streamers (groumet) broke or wore out. I order replacement streamers from gundogsupply. They are similar in size to the BB ones but are cloth not plastic coated. They come with a groument and a hook (similar to what comes with rabies tags). You can bend it around the rope behind the knot. They are pretty cheap as I recall.

However, we still do not have a description of the dummies you have. Can you post a picture?
 
#16 ·
If I get this right, you'll have a picture of the bumpers. The Bumper on the bottom is the "new one" from Bumper Boy. I added the streamers. The one on top is the bumper I got from Gun Dog Supply. They are both about 7" long with identical inserts. The GDS bumper compressed after a few shots (I put the black tape on for visibility). That's why is is a little shorter, now. It's covered with canvas, and I don't expect it to hold up for a very long time. It's already showing some dents and snags from dog teeth. The BB bumper is covered with what appears to be heavy-duty nylon, and is holding up well. I've probably launched these bumpers less than 15 times each, and they are already soiled. I had 4 other bumpers with the streamers attached, and even going down to the lighter green loads, they still blew off at the launcher. These bumpers are just too light. In Kansas, the wind blows, and even with light loads, they carry. I Launched them into the wind with a green load and a 2" spacer, and the bumpers landed 20 yards behind the launcher. I'm still going to order at least one more 4-shooter, but it kind of irritates me that they still show the original bumpers for sale. Seems a bit like false advertising to me. I'm going to keep on experimenting to see if I can come up with something that will work better. I'm thinking about covering one of the bumpers with a thick coat of liquid latex to add some weight. Still don't know about attaching the streamers. I'm thinking that, if I attach them to the front of the bumper instead of the rear, they might stay on. We'll see...
 

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#17 ·
Another problem I see with the new ones is no rope. I sure like being able to tote them all in one hand when I take them out to reload. Trying to carry 8 of those little canvas bumpers isn't going to work without a bucket.
I don't see what the problem was with the old style. I like them and the weight of them. Just now having one that's coming apart and it's only the second one I've had to that going on about 10 years of use. Maybe they'll get wind of the consumers dis-satisfaction and change back.
 
#19 ·
Those are just like the retriev-r-trainer dummies. At least they should make they 10 or 12 inches long so you can see them better and slow the flight down. It is amazing how things with BB have deteriorated so much over the past year. They took a very good, reliable product, with loyal customers and put it all at risk with the Hawx relationship.
 
#24 ·
Wow! That's lots of BBs. How many dogs do you have/train?
 
#30 ·
More good news.. just checked the BB sight to see if my recent order had shipped. It says they are out of launchers, and will not ship until Fall.
 
#34 ·
ugh..... Not what I wanted to hear. We were just shopping these, as we are getting back in the HT game. I was wanting to get 3 BB units so we could continue working our dog when she returns from training. May need to reconsider
 
#35 · (Edited)
First of all it cheaply made, real light weight. We used four shooters for one of the marks, on a slightly 15-20 mph wind. We ran 4 different dogs on this same mark, all got different throw..ranging from 15 yds infront to right by gunner to right behind gunner. Bumper shoots out 50 yds up in the air then sail like kite to wherever but the same spot. Totally pissed me off to see stupid throw like that. They need to go back to the old style bumpers if they care and I would pay extra for that if that's why they cutting cost and go cheap.
 
#36 ·
If you go to my post of 5/13/13. 4:07 p.m., I posted a picture of the new bumper and a similar bumper from Gundog supply. The black tape and streamers are not included. I put those on in an effort to make them more visible.
 
#37 ·
Vertebrate Mammal Canidae Dog Dog breed
Is this the standard BB bumpers?
 
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