by Col Michael Coleman Howard, US Marines (Ret), original founder, developer & owner

After 20 years of vision, invention and discovery, Salute Targets and Salute Products is moving on to another season in the reactive steel manufacturing industry. As of Christmas 2023 (Salute Targets started Christmas 2003), we are shutting down its original manufacturing headquarters in Helvetia, Oregon, and moving on to another season of life. This will be the history, research, discussion, and preservation of lessons learned in the American and Israeli reactive steel target industry. This is a team effort in conjunction with dear family and friends. We apologize for any confusion caused by our past “partnering” with other individuals & companies that took advantage of our designs & attempted to replicate them under false licensing agreements. Please beware of fake Salute Targets & Products.

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Fall-Winter 2023
From: Col Michael C. Howard US Marines (Ret), Salute Targets Founder
To: Our Loyal Salute Friends, Customers, Partners, and Fellow Historians
Subject: Salute Targets Transition to Salute Targets History & Colonel’s Corner Defense Review Inc.
Motto: One Team One Fight for Faith, Family, Friends, Flag & Freedom


Growing up in the family that owned Seabiscuit, I often heard the phrase from my Dad or one of his favorite jockeys (Danny Conchola & Robert Strauss) that “It was a great ride.” That described, in the Thoroughbred or Quarter Horse racing industry, that a racing event was both a great adventure and endeavor. It was always a team effort involving not just the horse and jockey, but the support establishment of trained, owner (often the same in our family), the barn area familiar faces of folks who LOVED horses and treated them like their own kids. There were also the vets, logistic support (food and hay) and array of sincere track officials who made the establishment a positive one of integrity. And there were the wives and family who also added their support. There was also the media and “callers” like Joe Hernandez (the “Voice of Santa Anita”) who shared horseracing with the nation in a warm, rich manner that endeared all of it to all of us. Much has changed. But it still comes down to integrity, trust, and professionalism.

This is what Salute Targets has been to me these past two decades.

As I learned from my family, friends and 32 years in the Marine Corps, THE PEOPLE are any organization’s best asset. As Gen Tony Zinni, who mentored me from Okinawa, to Korea, from Camp Pendleton to Kuwait, what good people will live, serve, and even die for is: Family, Friends, Faith, Flag and Freedom. What he called The Five F’s.

After 20 years of being a leader in the reactive steel target industry, Salute will stand down its actual target production to focus more on the areas of applying steel target training & designs. There are many target manufacturers out there now that have adopted (both legally & illegally) our key original designs, like the Spartan & Gravity Plate Racks. Our Exploder Targets are also becoming a standard for targets set beyond 1,000 yards (the distance at which major rifle caliber rounds cannot be heard striking steel.

During these past two decades, many of our designs have been adopted by others, both domestic & foreign.

For actual acquiring of high-quality targets, we now recommend Action Targets & MGM Targets. We have great respect for these two companies as they have never illegally copied our original designs. In other security areas, we recommend our Israeli friends at MIFRAM.

Salute Targets will continue to operate as steel and other target evaluation experts. Our historical files and articles accurately chronicle the origins and phases of steel target development. We also will continue to research and write articles dealing with personal and organizational defense training. Feel free to contact us and use our library of history, philosophy and current event reporting and evaluation of a wide range of national and international defense topics.

And so I want to take time to acknowledge and thank those who made Salute Targets “a great ride”. First, my wife Lynn of 46 years, helped me follow through from the beginning to make a product that was different and would help our troops and coalition allies overseas. She handled the artwork and the finances and a wide array of choices about who to partner with, trust, employ, and when and when not to lean forward. She was there for the tough times when we were lied to cheated and stolen from and had to move on trusting in God (Genesis 50:20 “… what the world means for evil, God means for good.” I want to thank the great welders and innovators like Brett Eggiman, Nick Shimmel, Doug Bohlmann and Robert Estep. They took good ideas and made them better. And Chris Granat, our exceptional welder and strategic thinker who stepped up in tough times to show his faithfulness and brilliance at research from steel types to mechanical designs and solutions (the fact that he now heads up a special section at Lockheed says it all about his dreams). I also want to thank my dear Israeli friends General Eitan Lidor and Col David Noy for their experienced critique and help in networking not just support during our Global War On Terror, but also including me in their MIFRAM connections and network from military exhibitions (even within the Israel nosiness pavilion) Washington DC, Quantico, Fredericksburg, Las Vegas and Anaheim for the right exhibitions. And to Amos Klein, owner of MIFRAM who provided the special El Al trips to and from Israel. There is a special song sung in the IDF from Psalm 133:1 “Hine Ma Tov” (Behold how good and well it is when brothers dwell in unity).

Salute Targets will no longer manufacture steel targets, but it will focus on “manufacturing” new ideas and networking with others who are like-minded.

Every day is a gift.

Mike Howard
Helvetia, Oregon