Some observations about my shooting experiences from the last week
On August 16th I shot the Area 5 match in Barry, IL. This was a large USPSA competition that required 317 rounds to complete. On August 23rd I completed a Vehicle Tactics course at Sand Burr Ranch in Rochester, In. Henk Iverson was the lead instructor and I estimate that I shot 350 rounds through my gun.
I shot the Area 5 match in one day, in oppressive heat, and in a bug infested environment. I found ticks in places that made me uncomfortable. But I did not have to kneel or go prone as far as shooting positions.
The Vehicle Tactics course was mild for temperature and bugs were not noticeable once we started and no ticks were found later. However, my legs are raw from mid thigh down from “rolling” out of cars and using them for concealment.
Out of 317 rounds fired at Area 5 in a very difficult match I had five misses and I shot one no shoot target or hostage. I was not real happy with this lack of accuracy but it is what it is. Everything in USPSA is on the clock and most of my times were good. The pressure of competition and the clock were present. Most targets were paper, some were steel and some were moving targets that opened and closed or swung from side to side. Some of these swingers were incredibly fast. Distances ranged from three yards to 30 yards with most in the 7 to 15 yard range.
Out of the 350 or so rounds fired today I know of one miss on steel, and it was fired two handed but with the gun in my weak hand. I may have had one other miss on steel but no more than that and I really think it was only one. The targets in this class were either steel targets roughly 8x10 inches or a small rectangular box situated on a high center chest area of a paper target. The target on paper was considerably smaller than the steel target, probably less than half as big. I never hit outside of this box that I can recall.
At Area 5 I shot my custom Limited gun from Brazos Custom and it ran 100%. Not a single problem mechanically. I cannot complain about the function of this gun at this match.
At the Vehicle tactics class I shot a 1911 Colt 1991A1 which has had some work but not an extensive amount. I had one malfunction when it failed to go into battery once. There was an incredible amount of dirt and sand on the gun, mags and my hands. I was not surprised by the malfunction but rather that only one malfunction occurred. I was pleased with the overall performance.
After spending the day on the range at Area 5 in extreme heat, battling the hills of PASA Park I was far more tired than I am tonight.
After rolling out of a Honda Civic and an Eagle Talon dozens of times and scrambling around on all fours I am far more beat up and raw than I was after Area 5.
USPSA is a game, and I do it primarily because it is fun and I like to compete against others. I finished 24th out of 123 shooters in the Limited Division. Respectable but not what I was hoping for to be honest.
The Vehicle Training course was touted repeatedly as being real world and gun fighting and not competition, and I believe it. I feel like I more than held my own against the rest of the class. I did not find the shooting to be all that difficult, but I did not have someone shooting at me even with simunitions. Won't really know until the moment of truth presents itself.
At Area 5 I shot my way, and with the technique that I think is best.
At the class I was asked to change my grip, and I tried with limited success to do that. The change in grip was to correct a flaw in shooting that is common, and I like to think I have trained and gotten past that flaw. My hits on paper today said so.
At Area 5 I was surrounded by shooters playing a game and concentrating on their skills and improving those skills.
At Area 5 all reloads were done as speed reloads. Meaning not retention of magazines.
In the class there was never a mention of retaining a magazine during a reload, and in fact at times empty guns were left on the ground in favor or ones with rounds in them.
In competition the 180 degree world is sacred for the sake of safety.
Today in class the world was 360 and yet safety did not go out the window. There was no sabrina techinque in this class.
At the class I was surrounded by people wanting to build their skills and preparing to persevere in a gunfight that they did not start. Both are worthy goals. Today at the class I repeatedly heard about the short comings of competition and how it is not realistic. I expected that and was not offended in the least. I don’t agree with much of what I heard in that regard but I was not surprised. This competition guy who is well past his physical prime kept up today in the real training world, which suggests to me that there may be some overlap between the two worlds.
In summation it was two vastly different experiences in the shooting world, but I am very glad that I did both. They were in many different, but yet they were both about shooting. Henk Iverson and Frank Sharpe are very good instructors and I am glad I have trained with them both. USPSA is a fun game that build skills such as shooting fast and accurately.
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