Winter IPSC is cool

Yes, we do shoot IPSC in the winter. In Oregon, there's an advantage shooting when it's sub-zero and snowy; at least you're not trying to shoot in slanting rain, with wet targets and wet shooters.

People at work can't believe that we deliberately choose to spend four hours in the coldest part of the year at a shooting range. But when you've spent all week watching winter outside the window, and especially when the Holiday season has cancelled the regularly scheduled matches. it's a joy to get out and experience the change of season.

Spring and Fall are essentially identical. Everyone is wet, the wind is blowing, the targets are at best encased in plastic bags in a failed attempt to keep them dry enough that the tape over the old bullet-holes will stay in place.

But imagine a cold, calm day dimly lit by the weak rays of the Winter sun filtering through an overcast. It may be cold, but it's a dry cold. (Credit to our friend AJ, who cannot get through entire summer match without explaining how 100 degree August is a good time to shoot because" it's a dry heat.")

Most folks prepare for the cold weather. We wear layers of warm clothing, including gloves and hats and boots with two pairs of socks . Some people bring propane heaters with them, which helps to thaw cold-stiffened fingers before it's their turn to shoot. (People who bring heaters are VERY popular!)

When I got to the Albany Rifle and Pistol Club range at 8am last Saturday, the thermometer in my truck read 23 degrees. When I left at 1pm, after the end of the match, that same thermometer read 22 degrees. The "Action Range" at ARPC is on the North side of Saddle Butte, and no sun reaches the shooting bays from November through February. When there's no wind, as this weekend, nothing replaces the frigid air with that warmed by the sun.

Properly clothed and prepared, it's possible to not only function at a snow-day IPSC match, but to enjoy it. I bundled up with four layers of shirts (t-shirt, mock-turtle neck shirt, golf shirt and collared sweat shirt) PLUS a winter-weight jacket. I had a wind-and-rain resistant pants shell over my denim pants. I had a thin pair of socks inside heavy wool socks tucked into six-inch height waterproof boots. I wore a cap, and gloves except when shooting. (In this picture, I'm the Range Officer; the shooter is The Hobo Brasser, who chose to dress much more lightly.)

When it was my turn to shoot, I removed the jacket and gloves. There was full availability to my pistol and reload magazines, and there was no restriction in movement.

Here's what it looked during shooting. Note that the only sign of impaired movement was a slight clumsiness in running with boots on. Give more practice, I would still be clumsy. This has nothing to do with either the weather or the footwear; I'm a Geek, I'm expected to be clumsy.



see the original here
Note: Yes, the white-painted steel targets are difficult to see against a background of snow. In IPSC, no shooting problem may be protested as being "too difficult". It's in the rules. Look it up.

There's more to keeping warm than what you wear, though. This picture shows the 'stuff' I brought to the range to help keep warm.

The red Range Bag and green ammo box (and the camera on top of the ammo box), along with the supply of water are in the truck at every match.

This day, I included the following:

• a case of hand warmers ... I only used two, but I had more in case somebody needed them
• a thermos of hot coffee. Tea, hot chocolate, or other hot drinks are equally welcome
• a box of chocolate chip cookies. Energy bars, etc., may be your choice but I love Famous Amos cookies.
• A 'lunch' consisting of a frozen "Hot Pockets". The range has a microwave; two minutes nuking the sandwich gives me solid food to mellow out the Sugar High I can get from the cookies. I didn't need it today, but I might have.
• In a purple box (not shown in this photo) I have rain gear and a change of shoes and socks in the event that my feet get wet during the day. Also, a couple of towels and a full change of clothes. Driving home 'wet' is the best way I know to ruin an otherwise ideal shooting day.
• The big black box holds spare gun parts, a cleaning kit, and the usual tools and emergency supplies I carry in the truck all the time.

The bottom line is, it's possible to spend the day in the snow and still have fun, even if you expect to spend a lot of the time just standing around waiting for your turn to shoot. I don't spend a lot of time spending around, usually. When I'm not taking pictures I'm working the range. I RO, tape targets, reset moving targets and steel targets. Sure, I spend some time BS-ing with the guys. But when you only have 7 people on the squad (as was the case this day), we all manage to stay busy.

One other point.

I've spent a lot of your time on this blog bragging about the three-sided metal buildings which ARPC has erected to make the range 'bad-weather friendly". When you have enough people on the bay, and the doors are closed, the buildings actually allow the body-heat to accumulate so that the perceived temperature is much higher than the outside.
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