Squirrel 3-gun match
So the three gun match was sort of squirrelly. I was expecting a USPSA style 3-gun match. Much to my amusement I got a Steven Sigal/Chuck Norris 3-gun match. It used a time + scoring system that added time for bad hits. The thing was it was all or nothing. You either hit the head (and on one stage the circle on the chest IDPA target IIRC) or you got a full 3 second penalty. This was also the first time I had to use cover in a match. I have never shot IDPA so this whole cover thing was new to me.
There was three stages. We shot the shotgun-pistol stage first. The guy running the stage was hard-core intense as he explain the "scenario". He was a touch over the top, entertaining, but over the top. Basically you started with handgun loaded and holstered. For some odd reason you only got to load 8rds per magazine (probably a 1911 snob too) but could have as many magazine as you wanted. You started with shotgun in hand but unloaded and 12 shotgun shell on your person. At the start signal you had to load your shotgun and engage the 10 steel plate as they became visible and using cover on the stage. When all the steel was down or you had expended all your shot shells you transitioned to handgun to engage remaining steel and four paper targets. But they had to be head shots only.
Despite never having had to use cover and using a pump shotgun I manage to finish 3rd on this stage. Mostly due to the fact that I can actually load a shotgun in a timely manner. I have never seem more crap mounted on shotguns with more funky slings than this match. Despite all the gadgets stuffing shells seemed new to most of them.
The rifle stage was interesting. Five shooting positions at two arrays of paper targets and a final array of 10 small plates. The first position was prone at the first paper array, no problem. The second one was through a slot about two inches high 2 feet wide at the second array of paper targets. I had to lay my gun over pretty good just to see the sights through the narrow slot. Third location was kneeling behind a short wall back at the first array again. Position four was a ground level slot under a wall. About four inches high and two feet wide. I had never shot a rifle under anything this low. I had to lay down on my left side put the rifle on my left arm, butt stock against my left shoulder and used my left eye to aim the rifle. Very awkward to say the least. The final position was through a 55gal plastic drum at the 10 steel plates. Let me tell you that an AR-15 stuck in a barrel is loud, almost as loud as the guy at poker Saturday night.
The stage was 50rds but due to the small steel plates I ended up shooting a bit over 60rds in just over two minutes. The AR was smoking around the receiver and out the end of the hand guard when I was done. The aluminum forearm back by the receiver was almost too hot to touch. I had a good time on this stage but had a lot of miss time penalties due to not compensating sufficently for the sight offset at close range and the unfamiliar scoring circle on the targets.
Finally the handgun stage was rather disappointing, five targets, head shots only, at about 10 yards. There was three strings, one behind a barricade, one around a drum, one prone behind a fire hydrant. The only think that made it interesting was the RO loaded 10rds between two magazine and handed them to you so you had no idea how many round until your gun was empty. It was mildly amusing but could have been better, a lot better.
All in all if was a very laid back fun shoot. The subjective nature of the cover usage on the shotgun-pistol stage would not fit me well if I was being real competitive but it was fun to "roleplay" it out. There was a serious concentration of out of shape armchair commandos present. Again amusing but not something I would want to get too much of.
There was three stages. We shot the shotgun-pistol stage first. The guy running the stage was hard-core intense as he explain the "scenario". He was a touch over the top, entertaining, but over the top. Basically you started with handgun loaded and holstered. For some odd reason you only got to load 8rds per magazine (probably a 1911 snob too) but could have as many magazine as you wanted. You started with shotgun in hand but unloaded and 12 shotgun shell on your person. At the start signal you had to load your shotgun and engage the 10 steel plate as they became visible and using cover on the stage. When all the steel was down or you had expended all your shot shells you transitioned to handgun to engage remaining steel and four paper targets. But they had to be head shots only.
Despite never having had to use cover and using a pump shotgun I manage to finish 3rd on this stage. Mostly due to the fact that I can actually load a shotgun in a timely manner. I have never seem more crap mounted on shotguns with more funky slings than this match. Despite all the gadgets stuffing shells seemed new to most of them.
The rifle stage was interesting. Five shooting positions at two arrays of paper targets and a final array of 10 small plates. The first position was prone at the first paper array, no problem. The second one was through a slot about two inches high 2 feet wide at the second array of paper targets. I had to lay my gun over pretty good just to see the sights through the narrow slot. Third location was kneeling behind a short wall back at the first array again. Position four was a ground level slot under a wall. About four inches high and two feet wide. I had never shot a rifle under anything this low. I had to lay down on my left side put the rifle on my left arm, butt stock against my left shoulder and used my left eye to aim the rifle. Very awkward to say the least. The final position was through a 55gal plastic drum at the 10 steel plates. Let me tell you that an AR-15 stuck in a barrel is loud, almost as loud as the guy at poker Saturday night.
The stage was 50rds but due to the small steel plates I ended up shooting a bit over 60rds in just over two minutes. The AR was smoking around the receiver and out the end of the hand guard when I was done. The aluminum forearm back by the receiver was almost too hot to touch. I had a good time on this stage but had a lot of miss time penalties due to not compensating sufficently for the sight offset at close range and the unfamiliar scoring circle on the targets.
Finally the handgun stage was rather disappointing, five targets, head shots only, at about 10 yards. There was three strings, one behind a barricade, one around a drum, one prone behind a fire hydrant. The only think that made it interesting was the RO loaded 10rds between two magazine and handed them to you so you had no idea how many round until your gun was empty. It was mildly amusing but could have been better, a lot better.
All in all if was a very laid back fun shoot. The subjective nature of the cover usage on the shotgun-pistol stage would not fit me well if I was being real competitive but it was fun to "roleplay" it out. There was a serious concentration of out of shape armchair commandos present. Again amusing but not something I would want to get too much of.