In my inbox this weekend, a video and story from Walt:
THE...Correct way to arrest a terrorist. I just love the way the police in Spain deals with this guy! If this happened in the USA the cops would all be suspended and fired. The terrorist would get a lawyer, a new motorcycle, $500,000 compensation, an apology from Obama & Holder,and his family would be brought over from Pakistan , and housed on Fifth Avenue .
This incident took place in Spain . Apparently the Spanish police agreed to placate a 'bank hostage' situation by allowing the radical to 'escape' uninhibited. He was allowed to walk out of the bank in the company of 2 hostages. The police provided him with a motorcycle and free access to the motorcycle. Then, leaving the hostages behind, he was permitted to ride away down a clear roadway to make his 'escape.' This whole incident, shown on CBS television, complete with news reporting in English, can be seen on this 55-second video clip.
The concluding few seconds of this video shows the result of the Spanish planning.
Now Watch the video .....
Strange, this is the same Spain which bowed to Al Queda terrorists after March 11, 2004, when a train was bombed in Madrid. This occurred 3 days before the general election and was supposedly in opposition to Spanish involvement in the Iraq War. As a consequence, the incumbent party was voted out and all Spanish involvement was discontinued ... as a sop to the Terrorists who had threatened more bombings.
It would be nice to interpret this as a new Spanish approach to terrorism. But it probably won't become official international policy until Spain replaces its current dhimmi government.
I've been teaching the Introduction to USPSA class at Albany Rifle and Pistol club for a while now, and I'm surprised that I have yet to hear a participant ask "why do we need to do this?"
The short answer is: "you need to know the rules before you compete. And frankly, I don't want to be on the range when someone who hasn't been trained is running-and-gunning."
But there's more than my personal timidity involved. There are other action shooting sports (besides IPSC/USPSA) that also require a higher-than-average skill set when competition involves moving around with a loaded gun, engaging targets in a variety of venues, and time is one of the deciding factors.
For some ranges/clubs ... if you have proven that you are qualified to compete in USPSA matches, they will accept your participation in other shooting sports.
Tri County Gun Club is one of these clubs. They have just released their first-in-a-decade update to rules and regulations for "Tactical Action Shooting".
I'm not going to get into a detailed discussion about exactly what Tactical Action Shooting is. For the purpose of this article, it's enough to understand that it's another shooting competition which involves "Running-and-Gunning".
Here's the latest update, in full. The portions which specifically address the opening question are highlighted in italics.
TRI-COUNTY GUN CLUB
TACTICAL ACTION SHOOTING
RULES AND REGULATIONS
November 15, 2000
Updated: March 25, 2010
The Competitor:
Tactical Action Shooting is open to all civilian and certified law enforcement persons interested in the safe and effective use of defensive firearms. While no longer required, it is recommended that civilians obtain a concealed carry permit, so that experience gained during matches can be transferred to the street. All civilians (non-law enforcement personnel) need to be approved for use of the TCGC action range. This can be accomplished in one of three ways:
1.IPSC/USPSA certification at TCGC or other USPSA sanctioned club. Proof of certification may be required of a new shooter unknown to the discipline chair and not a TCGC member.
2.Completion of “Wild Bunch” certification in the use of 1911 type automatic pistols by the TCGC Cowboy Action Shooting group. This certification does not preclude a competitor from using other types of semi-automatic pistols.
3.A person who has tactical shooting experience with another club and is familiar with the range commands in use by IPSC/USPSA. Proof of prior shooting experience may be required.
All certified law enforcement personnel, whether active or retired, who have completed their department’s firearms training program are welcome to participate.
Military personnel that can show firearms training are also welcome with approval from the discipline chair.
The Equipment:
Any legal carbine, revolver or semi-automatic pistol which could be used in a defensive capacity is approved for use with certain restrictions. Only calibers 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP may be used in semi-automatics. Revolvers in .38 Special, .357 Magnum (using .38 Special ammunition), .40 S&W, .44 Special, .44 Magnum (using .44 Special ammunition) and .45 ACP or Colt are also approved. Additional calibers may be approved by the discipline chair. (Currently .30 carbine, FN 5.7 and 7.62x25 have been approved.)
Optical sights are not allowed on handguns or shotguns. Optical sights are allowed on carbines. A laser sighting device that does not alter the concealability or carryability of the handgun may be used. For civilian competitors, all handguns will be concealed from view along with ammunition carriers. Those electing to use law enforcement duty gear may wear their gear openly. Duty gear must be of a type approved by the individual’s own department.
Shotguns may be semi-auto or pump action, with or without extended magazines, in 20 or 12 gauge. Magazines cannot be loaded with more than 8 rounds at any time.No form of optical or laser sighting device is approved for use on the tactical shotgun. Speed loaders or any device that allow the loading of more than one shell at a time into the magazine are not allowed. All spare ammunition for the shotgun and carbine may be carried openly, on the weapon itself, or in any manner deemed appropriate by the discipline chair. As the tactical shotgun and carbine are not normally concealable, spare ammunition need not be either. Ammunition approved for use in the shotgun must be bird shot of number 4 or smaller, standard slugs, and standard power buckshot.
The Course of Fire and Targets:
All courses of fire will specifically emphasize the use of proper firearms tactics in relation to the use of cover, magazine changes and retention, movement between shooting positions, etc. The only time sound tactics may not be required is a particular course of fire that is designed to teach or practice a specific skill such as shooting on the move or shooting from the support side.
Courses of fire should not be designed so the competitor has a risk of failing or committing and error which would require a stage or match DQ. As safety conscious individuals we must all endeavor to compete well, but do so within the limits of our own limits and abilities. If at any time a competitor feels that performing a particular task called for in a match stage is beyond his or her abilities, it is that person’s responsibility to bring their concern to the match director before the course is shot. Appropriate steps may be taken at the discretion of the match director to lessen the requirements of the stage for that person with appropriate time added to their score, so as to negate the possibility of a DQ or other dangerous situation.
All targets will be standard IPSC cardboard. The scoring rings on the IPSC cardboard target will have the following values: A zone - 5 points, C zone -4 points, D zone – 3 points, Upper A/B zone – 8 points.These values apply to handgun and carbine hits only. Eight points are required on each target to be considered neutralized. One shotgun slug within any scoring zone will be considered neutralized (unless designated differently by the stage design.)
Additional paper and steel targets will be designated by the discipline chair. Stationary steel targets which ring when hit will require two hits to be considered neutralized unless designated differently in the stage design.All falling targets must be knocked down to count as neutralized, unless a particular target fails to fall with what is deemed by the range officer to be a fair hit. Steel targets must be shot from a minimum distance of 10 yards.
Stage or Match Disqualification:
Errors that would require a match DQ would be firing a round out of the shooting bay, dropping a loaded firearm, unintentionally firing a weapon, or any other act that puts the competitor or others in danger. All shots will be aimed fire at an appropriate target.
Stage DQ’s can occur if: the 180 degree line is broken horizontally, a firearm is pointed above the shooting bay berms, a competitor proceeds in front of a downed weapon that is not properly cleared or in violation of the stage design, dropping of an unloaded firearm or any other unsafe gun handling that does not put the competitor or others at risk.
There are other scenarios which may occur that would require a stage or match DQ. These will be at the discretion of the discipline chair or match director.
I received a (slightly changed in a few words) in an email today. It's an editorial on the Robert A. Hall blog from February of 2009. Briefly, Hall is a retired Marine (4 years, Vietnam, Khe Sanh) who served in the Massachusetts State Senate.
It's a commentary from the conservative viewpoint of current U.S. Liberal policies.
It took only 5 minutes to track down the original, so I'm including the link to his exact words for the sake of accuracy, and to give him credit (and the traffic).
While I don't exactly agree with everything Hall says, I certainly sympathize with his growing concern for the direction in which the current administration is taking this country.
Actually, not everything he has to say is specifically directed to the administration per se, but rather to the increasingly liberal trend of the people whom we have chosen as America's Leaders. My personal take on the article is that the trend is disturbing; Obama has only served to spark an increasingly sharp upturn from the path of Liberalism to the path of Socialism.
Yesterday's "Yae"vote in the House should, and likely will, be the final nail in the coffin for America's chance to see the two ruling parties work together on future policies. Even if the Senate somehow, miraculously, kill the bill (and I have no more expectation of that happening than I did that the House would kill it), there is now a deep wound in American political thought which won't heal for decades. If then; and at best it will leave an ugly scar on the body politic.
Two of the three branches of government -- the Executive and the Legislative -- have been bullied and bought to serve the ambitions of Obama and Pelossi. What you really want, and what I really want, don't mean as much as a bucket of warm spit.
That's what you get sometimes, with a Republic. And it's our fault for letting it happen. French Philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville, who marvelled at America's "great experiment" (democracy), said two things about us.
America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.
In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve.
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses.
Are we now in that deadly downward spiral?
I hope not. And I'm too old -- I hope -- to be around when it hits bottom. But as Hall said:
Ever have one of those nights when you just want to do mindless mind-games on your computer?
No? Is it just me?
Well, I guess that says something about me, doesn't it.
On the other hand, if you're one of those people who are similarly afflicted with Internet Escapism-itis -- nobody else need ever know.
Here's one site I tripped over while I was surfing the net tonite: Mental Floss.
Mostly comprised of trivia, factoids and quizzes, it's one of those all-purpose online utilities which attract a certain class of bored geeks. We call them ....
"TIMEWASTERS"
Under the tagline "Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix", Mental Floss provides information about things you never knew you wanted to know.
And, there are QUIZZES! Do you like to take tests? Do you secretly complete dating quizzes in Cosmopolitan magazine, just to find out if you a "A Good Lover"? Well, perhaps not that, but still ...
Mental Floss includes "Name All The Presidents In 8 Minutes". Well, no, I didn't take that one. I couldn't name all the presidents in eight years. But that page includes links to a lot of OTHER tests which I found more interesting. That means, I thought I knew something about the topic. Like, name the state by the license plate, and guess the state motto, and ... um ... some other stuff that I didn't do so well at.
(I am NOT going to take the "Troy McClure Film or Actual Terrible Movie" quiz, in part because I don't think I know anybody named Troy McClure -- or "the filmography of Springfield’s favorite screen icon" -- and if I do, I don't want to find out about it. I think it's a character from "The Simpsons", and that's already more than I care to know. Or guess. Especially Question 1, which asks about "The Erotic Adventures of Hercules". Eeeyewwww! )
If you have read this far and NOT clicked on one of the Mental Floss links ... okay, go ahead and stand on your pride. I'm gonna put the link on the sidebar, too, under "Hot Link(s) of the Week". That way you can secretly click on the link in those wee small hours of the night.
Nobody needs to know. I sure won't tell.
Oh, and did I mention that Mental Floss is a magazine? And you can subscribe to it? Heck, you can even subscribe to a Digital version of the magazine for only $29.97, and get a free t-shirt, too.
Just don't show up at the next match wearing the t-shirt. I'd be so embarrassed for you.
Jerry, We WILL have a March match at Dundee. It's going to take a little shuffling, and a quick re-configure on a couple of stages in the middle of the match, but we will have six stages, 100-110 rounds, and do it all in three bays. That's the plan anyway. Bill
Bill, this is exceptional good news. Thank you for updating the news, and so quickly.
I'm so glad to learn that Dundee is able to respond so promptly to adversity, and especially because the stages at that range are so consistantly ... inconsistent. That is to say, challenging and innovative.
It may seem petty to assert that Evil Bill's influence on stage design and construction add spice to what might otherwise be a bland reincarnation of stages which we've all seen before, but the fact is that originality is the keyword at Dundee. Evil Bill (and Paul and Marty) see to be without peer in designing stages which are unlike any we've seen in club matches within the section.
Yet even Section and Area (Level III?) matches fall short of the stages which we have learned to expect from Dundee matches.
Not that I feel comfortable with Dundee stages; but I always feel challenged. Even when I don't perform to my own expectations, Dundee matches give me pause to reflect on the competitive talents which I have NOT developed fully.
Besides that, they are fun to shoot!
So I'm looking forward to the match next weekend. It may be dramatically constrained by the available range-space, but I know I will crash and burn on at least one or two of the stages.
Just got a call from Jonathan U. Knudsen vineyards is logging to the property line behind the pistol bays. Evidently it has created a possibly unsafe condition, and effective immediately the pistol bays at Dundee are CLOSED.
Doesn't sound like there is going to be an easy or quick fix to the problem, so for now I guess USPSA matches at Dundee are uncertain. We couldput on a 3 or maybe 4 stage match down in the hole, but that's about it until things get resolved up on top. Is it worth the effort to even do a shortmatch? I'll find out more at the members meeting on Saturday.
Hopefully this will not be a permanent problem.
For now, it sees clear that the March match at Dundee is not a happening thing.
That is, of course, subject to change; Bill's suggestion that they could put in a few small stages "down in the hole" means (I assume) in the huge Rifle Range and in the small 'pit' near the bench rests overlooking the Rifle Range.
The 'berm' there is over 50 feet high, and it might be relatively safe if people are not actively working in the immediate vicinity.
I wonder if the logging operation is expected to continue over the weekends, and how long the process will continue.
This is extremely short notice, and I'm personally disappointed; I was looking forward to shooting my first match there since last summer.
For more information on the Dundee "Crocodile Dundee" range, see their website at the "Team Croc" website.
WASHINGTON — Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, had a little political advice last week for President Obama and the Democrats: Don’t pass the president’s health care legislation because you would risk losing in the midterm elections.
Mr. Obama laughed about it afterward. “I generally wouldn’t take advice about what’s good for Democrats” from Mr. McConnell, he told an audience in Pennsylvania. But he conceded that “that’s what members of Congress are hearing right now on the cable shows and in sort of the gossip columns in Washington.” He went on to argue that the issue should be what’s right, not the politics.
But this is Washington and politics are never far from the surface, especially at a decisive moment like this. If the schedule being mapped last week holds – and Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, said on Sunday that it would — the fate of the president’s health care plan should be decided within the week. “I believe we will have” the votes, Mr. Axelrod said on ABC’s “This Week,” though Republicans and even some Democrats have questioned whether the votes are there now.
But the plan’s fate could depend on how a couple dozen Democratic congressmen answer the questions Mr. McConnell and Mr. Obama raised: Would passing health care devastate Democratic chances in the fall? Would rejecting it devastate a Democratic presidency?
Oh yes, we've progressed as a civilization. We now have laws which forbid us to hate each other.
More specifically ... we haven't quite got to the "Thought Crimes" as described in Orwellian literature.
Or have we?
Case In Point England, March 10, 2010: a five year old child (or here a ten-year-old boy, depending on the source and the incident) may/will be "reported", and an entry is made in his semi-permanent academic record because he called a school-mate a "gay boy" in the schoolyard.
The scale of the effort to stop children using homophobic or racist language was revealed after the parents of a ten-year-old primary school pupil in Somerset, Peter Drury, were told that his name would be put on a register and his behaviour monitored while he remained at school.
The boy was reported after he called a friend 'gay boy'. His parents fear the record of homophobic bullying will count against him throughout his school career and even into adulthood.
... blogged at turnerradionetwork.blogspot.com that the three judges of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit of Appeals should be “killed” for upholding a Chicago handgun ban in June.
“Let me be the first to say this plainly: These judges deserve to be killed. Their blood will replenish the tree of liberty. A small price to pay to assure freedom for millions,” the 47-year-old blogger wrote.
He also posted addresses, photos, maps and other identifying information about Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook and Judges Richard Posner and William Bauer.
American Muslims are banned from helping U.S. soldiers deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq and other "Muslim lands," according to a shocking fatwa, or religious decree, recently issued by American-based Islamic jurists.
One of the most respected Islamic law authorities in America has decreed it is "not permissible" for even Muslims who are citizens of America to send food or other aid to American troops serving in those Muslim countries.
The Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America, or AMJA, ruled it is a "sin" to help the U.S. military in its multi-front war on terror.
These are only three examples of "Hate Crimes" in the world today.
A child -- even those hardly past toddler stage, and placed in school supposedly to help him learn social skills -- uses a socially unacceptable epithet in reference to a schoolmate, and must live with the consequences of that momentary laps for the rest of his academic life.
A blogger not only excoriates members of the American Judiciary System for their legal decisions; not only encourages others to kill them; but even includes their photo, address, and personal information.
And an "Islamic Jurist" (speaking under the umbrella of a national society of Islamic Jurists) states that ANY support of American Troops fighting overseas -- even to include " the sending of food ..." -- is a sin.
Which of these three incidents are legitimately "Hate Crimes"?
In America, the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States protects public expression of personal opinion, no matter how hateful or how heinous, no matter how distasteful or how outrageous. The principle is that those expressions which are most unpopular (or even those which are most 'politically incorrect') are specifically protected.
But if a little boy uses an epithet in England, is he protected? Apparently not.
And if an American Blogger encourages others to kill judges, is he protected? Perhaps not.
And if an American Muslim Jurist declares it a sin to support American troops overseas, is he protected?
Damn right!
What can we conclude from these examples?
I don't know the answer.. The main stream media, and our governments, swing so rapidly from left to right that I have no idea how to interpret the information provided.
Am I the only one who can't keep up with the difference between Right and Wrong?
The subject was a demonstration at Blackwater where Todd Jarrett fired 1000 rounds as fast as he could through a brand new Para .45acp (using hardball ammo, mixed 8-round and ten-round magazines reloaded by his assistants).
The upshot (sorry) of the exercise was that (a) the gun endured shooting an entire case of ammunition without a malfunction, and (b) ten minutes later, when it concluded, the pistol was literally too hot to handle.
['Official' time was 10 minutes, 44 seconds. Lots of delay when the people reloading the magazines couldn't keep up with the demand.]
I've just discovered that the whole thing is available on You Tube, so it seems appropriate to provide the videos here.
Note that toward the end, because the pistol was so overheated (and perhaps the shooter was overheated' as well) "normal mode of shooting" was victim of the exercise. Jarrett completed the test only by using his 'strong hand' to hold the pistol, and used the trigger-finger of his left hand the 'fan' the trigger.
If it needs to be said, this is NOT something that we want to do. Only the consumate professionalism of this World Champion shooter kept the test on-track without violating any safety rules.
Note for you at home: even the most experienced shooter can, in time, become so distracted by extraneous circumstances that he forgets to pay attention to the business of shooting. Under normal circumstances, when we 'mere mortals' allow ourselves to be distracted by the perceived need to carry on a conversation, the result can be that gun control is rendered secondary to the distraction.
This is NOT A Good Thing.
You may want to write that down.
In the immortal words of Colonel Jeff Cooper: "Thus Endeth The Lesson".
Let me make this perfectly clear, if it isn't already:
When I teach new Practical Pistol shooters, I make it a point that a stage starting the shooter "Facing Up-range" means: Turn, then draw.
That's a common error, and an entirely unsafe situation, in Practical Shooting. I have seen Grand Masters violate this elementary safety rule, even after decades of experience.
Here, we see a shooter who turns to move out of the second shooting position, and his body faces uprange. He is (as is proper) "Match Disqualified".
Even though his pistol is pointed up in the air at the time.
Rule of thumb: if your pistol is out of the holster, and you face up-range, you WILL be DQ'd.
Don't do this at home, and for sure don't do this at a match.
After work, I had made a shopping trip to the grocery store, already worn out from a full day of programming on The Job, and perhaps not as situationally aware as I should have been.
When I got to Chez SWMBO, I saw that the Guest Parking Spot was already occupied by SWMBO's neighbor, who had bought ANOTHER car (his 3rd, as nearly as I could tell.)
It was "Trash Day"; I had to move the trash can from the curbside back to the patio, and I was reluctant to park in my alternative behind-her-car location just in front of the carport, because I would have had to drag the trash can around my car to the patio entrance.
So I stopped a bit short of the patio gate, racked the steering-column mounted gear selector to "PARK", opened the door and bailed out to move the trash can to it's normal place on the patio.
Suddenly I had a vertigo moment; it seemed as if the world was moving and I was standing still.
But that was wrong. I was standing in one place. The car was moving.
And I was not 'standing'. I had been swept off my feet. I was hanging onto the door, one hand on the front seat, trying desperately not to lose my grip on the moving platform.
I immediately perceived that I had NOT move the shift lever to "PARK". Instead, I had not moved it past REVERSE.
The truck (a Ford Explorer ... "Big Ol' Truck!") was slowly rolling backwards, sweeping (dragging!) my body backwards by the open car door. I was shuffling my feet to keep up with the moving truck; but this was obviously a temporary expedient which I could not maintain for more than another few seconds until I lost my balance and fell under the front wheel.
A moment of panic; a moment of realization; and another moment of realization that if I lost my tentative grip on the door the truck would drop me on the ground and the front wheel would roll over various non-expendable portions of my anatomy.
In an uncharacteristic instant of clarity, I realized that my only option was to stop the movement of the truck.
Unable to reach the brake (or perhaps it didn't occur to me to push the brake pedal with my hand), I threw my right hand up and over the steering wheel, fortunately grabbing the gear-shift lever and bumping it UP to the "PARK" position.
The transmission ground for a second, and then kicked up into PARK.
Giving a profound sigh of relief, I regained my feet and stood on wobbly legs.
Then I went back to "normal" mode. Closed the door, moved the trash can back to the patio, and painfully (I had scraped my knee somehow) moved the truck forward to finally park behind SWMBO's car, which was under the carport.
---
When I went inside, I recounted my brush with death (or maiming) to SWMBO, who was properly horrified.
She has since moved her car to the GUEST parking sport, leaving the carport available to me.
Sure it's only reasonable. She rarely is able to drive, and I park in her apartment lot six nights a week.
But I am disappointed that my lack of Situational Awareness had caused her to inconvenience herself in the rare moments when she has need to drive her car.
On the other hand, I'm incredibly thankful that I don't have to search for a parking spot at Chez SWMBO any more.
It's not just a convenience; for a worn out old Geek, it is an acknowledgment that I'm getting too old for this sh*t.
My friend Walt (Demonstrator on last week's "Introduction to USPSA" class) enters here with a "Guest" post about Phishing:
To all my friends. DO NOT respond to an e-mail from Bank of America.
Their e-mail address is officesecurity85@bankofamerica.com [The address is deliberately rendered "non-link" for your safety. jB]
Mine said that they were having problems with my ON-LINE ACCOUNT. I have not had an account with BofA for over 40 years.
If you open anything in the e-mail, who knows what you will let into your computer.
I called BofA and was told that I had received a fraudulent e-mail. It DID NOT come from BofA. They are well aware of the problem and HOPEFULLY DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
Be safe, Walt
There is nothing new about this, but it serves as both a reminder that The Bad Guys are still out there, and also they're still trying to (a) get your personal information; or (b) dump a virus on your computer; or (c) all of the above.
Thank you, Walt, for keeping us aware.
And for all of us --- be careful out there.
Be aware of the links that show up, and remember that banks and other financial (and governmental) institutions almost NEVER send you an email except in response to an email which you have sent to them.
If in doubt, contact your institution by phone or, if its someone with you have an established relationship, go to their home website (do NOT click on links you find in the email!) and follow up on their "Help" or "Support" link.
And always, ALWAYS report an apparently 'bogus' email ... again, by going to their official website. Most have a link specifically designed to "report suspicious email" or similar wording.
Last Saturday, friend Walt wandered down to ARPC to act as "Demonstrator" at the monthly Introduction to USPSA class which I teach for the club.
Walt regularly assists "Iron Fred" at the Tri-County Gun Club "certification course". The purpose of that course of instruction is the same as the ARPC course: to introduce new would-be competitors to the rules, regulations and SAFETY PRIORITIES involved in USPSA competition.
He had asked me last month how I could teach the course in three hours, when at TCGC it requires an eight-hour day to perform the same function. So I invited him to come down and watch the March class so he could witness first-hand how the the class was conducted.
Sometimes Demonstrators volunteer; sometimes they are drafted!
Incidentally, the Demonstrator's function is part of the three-step Theory of Training:
Describe to the students the exercise which they will perform;
Show them what to do;
Let the students perform the exercise.
Walt was doing the 2nd step. And he threw in a lot of unexpected frills, such as multiple failure-to-feed situations which allowed him to demonstrate the "Slap/Rack/Bang" drill.
I still don't know how he managed to get his 1911-style single-stack pistol in .38 Super to jam so consistently! Nice job, Walt.
But I digress.
At the end of the day, Walt and I took a few minutes so he could brief me on his conclusions.
He said that the difference was not so much the course syllabus, format, or style. It was in the experience level of the students who attended the classes.
As soon as he said that, I immediately understood exactly what he was saying. I had the same problem when I first began to instruct the course.
For those first few months, I found that the class was repeatedly and consistently slowed down because so many of the students demonstrated only primitive, if any, understanding of safe gun-handling. Some showed up with brand new pistols which they may not even have fired. (I've already told the story about the student who didn't realize that his brand new 1911 had a safety!)
Still others were suffering from 'beginning shooter' issues: They didn't know how to hold their pistol, they tended to be easily distracted from the serious business of firing a deadly weapon, or they were afraid of recoil of even of the firearm itself.
I had discussed this issue with Club Competition Director Mike McCarter, and we came to the agreement that he would 'filter' the class list. He would insure that they were already trained in Basic Firearms Safety -- either by virtue of having taken the class which is offered at ARPC, or by their own level of personal experience -- before they were allowed to take this "advanced" class.
Apparently TCGC does not perform this function, so the lead instructor (Iron Fred) and his assistants (Walt, and others) never knew what level of expertise they could expect from their students.
A second difference between the two courses is that the TCGC spends the morning (3 to 4 hours) going over the USPSA rule book, and after lunch they adjourn to the shooting bays for another 3 to 4 hours in the Live Fire Exercise.
At ARPC, students are directed to download a manual (written by Mike McCarter) explaining the basics of USPSA competition, covering briefly the safety rules, the practices and the principals of Practical Pistol competition. They complete a simple 20-question test and are required to bring the completed test to the class. That test is the basis for the hour of 'classroom' instruction. The entire class works their way through the test as I re-ask the 20 questions and require some class member to answer the question verbally. Then we take one to 5 minutes to discuss why the question is on the test, define the terms, and branch out to related subjects ... which allows us to both structure the class, and answer questions which may or may not have occurred to the individual student. This process takes only a single hour, most days, although it may extend to an extra half-hour if there are many questions. (This has the unfortunate effect of cutting into the two-hour time allocated for the Live Fire Exercise; I generally offer to stay for an extra half-hour if any students seem to be struggling, or are interested in expanding on the exercises we have taken.)
I'm satisfied that the 3 hour course is both feasible and adequate, if the students are sufficiently familiar and competent with their firearms and the principles and practice of safe gun-handling.
Walt has told me that he will be writing up a report, or a review, of his observations and experience last week, and he will send me a copy to read and comment on before he submits it to TCGC. I do not expect that I will ask him to change the report; I know Walt and I can't imagine him turning in a report which is not factual, accurate, complete and fair. But I'm still anxious to read the report if only to see what his evaluation is going to look like after he has had some time to consider his impression.
-----------
You ask: "Hey, is that it? We expected you to talk about Glocks here, and you haven't mentioned them in the entire article! What gives?"
Right.
After the class was finished, Walt trotted out his new pistol and invited/encouraged me to try it out.
Walt has just bought a .50 caliber Glock! Not just any Glock, but one of those with a short barrel and a silver-colored slide. (Silver Plastic? Or paint?)
Walt knows full well that I am no fan of the Glock; it has been a running joke for over a decade how little love I have for the Glock Pistol. Given sufficient encouragement, I will grudgingly admit to some of the positive aspects of the Glock.
These usually are in the general vein of "That is one UGLY gun!" Or, "how many rounds can you get between "Ka-BOOM! events?"
But in the spirit of good will, and in full appreciation for Walt's contribution to the class, I agreed to shoot a magazine full .... which turned out to be six rounds. (Walt wasn't saying how many rounds the magazine would hold, I assume 9 rounds. See the specifications at the bottom of this article.)
The first thing I noticed was that the trigger was really quite good. I didn't like the 'creep' of the trigger, but it was quite crisp and I assume that with practice one would become quite comfortable with such a long trigger pull.
The second thing was the excellence of the sights. Very crisp, easy to see (they had the little light-green dots on front and rear sights, which helped a LOT; I assume they are night sights). Every shot went right in the center of the A-zone, with no "flyers" at all.
The third thing was that the grip angle was not as 'foreign' feeling to my 1911-spoiled hands. I don't know that it was because it has changed from earlier models I have fired, or I'm mellowing with age.
The fourth thing was that the construction was really rugged! This is a whole hunk of oughta-be metal, even though I know it's mostly polymer, and the grip filled my large hands we enough that I was confident I control the recoil.
The fifth was that the recoil was not as bad as I expected. A little explanation of terms: the actual "felt recoil" ... the gun pushing back against my grip ... was entirely comfortable. I had wondered if the .50 caliber bullet would see excessively punishing, but it was very soft. On the other hand, what I would normally call "muzzle flip" was similar to that which I have experienced when shooting my .41 magnum Ruger Blackhawk Revolver. The Blackhawk , of course, has a single-action configuration which expects that you will soften perceived recoil by allowing the momentum to translate to vertical movement as the slick stocks allow the rotational energy to be ignored. That requires that the shooter re-acquire his grip on the pistol for each succeeding shot, of course.
The Glock didn't slip in my hands, but I had no sensation of the pistol trying to 'twist'. It was very comfortable .... but there was no way I was going to get good split times and still keep the sights on the A-zone. Comparing it to a full-power 10mm load in my STI Edge ... the two are actually quite similar. That Glock ROCKS! ... literally.
Not suitable for USPSA or IDPA or Speed Steel competition? No, not really. But it wasn't as bad as one might have expected from the "Fifty Caliber" designation. Still, it isn't a bruiser, and as long as one avoids anticipation of recoil it's not a bad shooter.
The sixth, and final thing I noticed about Walt's 50 Glock was ... that ever-to-be-cursed trigger safety!
Every shot ... I repeat, every shot ... I took with this pistol hurt. How? That sucker bites; hard.
Somehow, on the recoil (not before the shot) that trigger safety managed to pinch just enough of the skin on my trigger finger between the trigger and the safety. Yes, the recoil is not bad. But I can see how repeated shooting (such as the 150 - 200 rounds fired in a typical USPSA match) would constitute a form of aversion training. That is, one would learn through experience to expect the uncomfortable sensation of being pinch with every shot, and eventually the anticipation of that "punishment" would cause the shooter to react as badly (eg: the "flinch" phenomenon) as fear of recoil.
Arguably, this particular Glock may be an exception. I've fired (often reluctantly) several Glocks and, while I don't care for the ergonomics, I've never been pinched by the trigger safety. I don't know if the trigger assembly has been fitted incorrectly, or it is a design flaw. Also, in full disclosure, I have been suffering from eczema on my fingers for the past two years, and it may be that my skin is just a little thinner than it should be (although the eczema never directly affected the tips of my fingers). Which is to say, I just may be too sensitive; this may not happen to other shooters.
Overall rating, this is just about the nicest shooting, and easiest to shoot, of the half-dozen or so Glocks I have fired, including the 10mm Glock shooting full-power loads, the 9mm, and the .40 S&W. Taking in consideration, of course, that the power factor is significantly higher. Other than the safety, I liked the safety, I liked the sights, and I even almost liked the way it handles.
I just wish I had the foresight to take a picture of the pistol. Maybe Walt will be able to furnish me with one. Depends on how long he keeps it, I guess.
Here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, we have something like a half-dozen clubs and shooting ranges where you can go on almost any weekend of the month to shoot a Practical Pistol match.
One of the most innovative has been Douglas Ridge Rifle Club.
At DRRC, a small group of experienced IPSC/USPSA competitors decided to try something new: instead of joining in the list of clubs who provide monthly matches for other 'experienced competitors', why not establish a venue for "new shooters" to try the IPSC/USPSA competitive format?
If the shooters didn't like it, at least they knew WHY they didn't like it.
And if they discovered that they liked IPSC/USPSA competition, then they already had sufficient experience (and training) to segue neatly into the regular match schedules provided by other clubs?
It was a bold concept, but unfortunately -- like many other innovative concepts -- it was dependent upon the energy and efforts of a single "key man".
And almost inevitably, when the Key Man found that the effort required to continue the program could not be turned over to a successor, the concept foundered, withered, and eventually died.
Here is the letter announcing the death knell of A Good Idea, from that Key Man .... Paul:
6 years ago I started with an idea that we should provide new shooters with an opportunity to try our shooting game in a setting more relaxed and with less pressure than a regular sanctioned match. New shooters could bring minimal gear and test the game and their gear and see if they wanted to follow on with our fun style of shooting. At the match they would receive shooting training and help following all the safety rules that we live by. In the last 6 years we have started and trained a lot of new shooters. Many have moved onto the sanctioned matches and are doing very well, others decided that the game wasn't for them but they had the opportunity to test the waters and not be out a lot and not be intimidated by large crowds of 70 or more shooters.
Phase 1 of my dream has worked and worked well. Phase 2 was a little more difficult as our section is always needing match directors. Phase 2 was to bring in a few shooters who wanted to step up to the match director level and help our section out. They could train on matches at DRRC, I would help them with what little I knew and they could gain confidence and skill in a small relaxed setting. When the candidate was ready they could step up and be a MD at Dundee and be watched and helped by Bill Marrs and myself along with Mike McCarter and given a chance to learn the MD duties and still be helped along the way. This would be a great learning experience, as opposed to being thrown into the fire style, and would help the section tremendously as we are always looking for help.
This is where my idea stopped. I asked for interested people to train for the MD position and nothing happened. Not finding help there I started asking for help in running these matches as I was hoping this was a growing project and I wanted to be able to get out and do a few outings with my family and friends.
After over a year of no response I decided that it was time for me to part and if nobody wanted to take over the project would have to die out. Sat will be our last match at DRRC until someone decides to resurrect it. It's been a good run, we have trained more new shooters than any club around and the new shooters have experienced beginning stages and have shot some stages that are way over their heads in difficulty. We have also designed stages that we have been able to shoot in the down pours of winter rains by pulling them in and shooting them from under a tent top cover. I can remember a few of those matches would have had everyone walk off at other clubs but we shot them dry.
Most of the time our crowd has been in the 15-20 shooter ranger, just right for new shooters but a few have been in the 30+ range which was a pretty good load for our range. Had we been able to build bays a few years ago as was my dream we would now have been a sanctioned club putting on a great show every month.
That was not to be, times change for some, some of us grow and move on, other groups stall and stagnate. That's life. We were able to put on a match of 6 stages on a flat field with no bays and pull it off. Our stages came close to matching club shoots with shooting bays so I was never embarrassed by our matches, they could stand on their own.
This Sat we'll have a stage or some stages, I'm not sure which or what at this time. My first idea was to put all the targets and props out on the field and everyone would shoot all their ammo together at the same time. Everyone would end with the same time and same score..... All winners on the last match. I had a dream and we got there.
See you Sat and I hope there are enough early birds to do the set up.
It's important to acknowledge that a six year effort is a laudable contribution. Nobody can fault him for losing heart when he has worked so hard. It's not his fault that the anticipated turn-over didn't happen.
And this is nothing new; in fact, it's almost axiomatic that a successful club is defined by the ability (and willingness!) of other club members to take over a successful program and continue it, to the mutual benefit of both the club and future participants who follow in the footsteps of the hundreds of folks who appreciated the unique opportunity afforded them.
It's also important to acknowledge that Paul has put at least as much time into the evolution of a 'standard' USPSA club, when he joined with a cadre of members to continue a successful USPSA/IPSC program at Dundee.
I don't blame him for eventually deciding that his life is too busy to continue bearing the burdens of more than one program. If I had the courage to attempt such an innovative program, I'm sure I would have bailed out the first year.
I am reluctant to label this "IPSC Burnout", but it's almost inevitable. We have see it so many times.
The common scenario is: A visionary person has an original idea, makes it work, and when he turns around to turn it over to his successor ... nobody steps up to accept the mantle of Leader.
We in the Columbia Cascade Section of USPSA have been exceedingly fortunate that we have so many dedicated and energetic people that we can 'usually' expect to find some other masochistic person to pick up the torch and run with it.
But when there is nobody there, the result is that the Key Man runs out of energy and the program dies, no matter how valuable the program may be.
This is the point at which the author (in this case, me) should offer a simple, yet effective, solution.
I don't have one.
There is a finite pool of energetic entrepreneurial people in any group, and like most people I am not willing to assume the responsibility ... and, yes, the burden ... of running an IPSC/USPSA program.
The Good Lord knows that I'm not personally willing to accept the responsibility to run such a program. It's a game for me, and about all I want to do is play The Game. I'm not the man that Paul is, and few of us are.
We all have a life to live, and we mostly don't have the urge, the energy, or the strong sense of responsibility needed to run such a program.
So ... we are all too much like those voyeurs who slow down when they see an accident of the freeway; we watch something of value turn into twisted shards of no value; we shake our heads and we say:
I received my copy of ISniper by Stephen Hunter on Friday, and I finished it on Sunday.
Why the delay in finishing the book?
No good reason, I just stopped to eat and sleep from time to time.
But here's some advice: If you want to understand all of the nuances (especially in the penultimate chapter 55), it is imperative that you listen to Marty Robbins' "Gunfighter Ballads". Especially cut#1 "Big Iron" (lyrics also available here).
I'm just saying, if you are a devotee of "Bob the Nailer", you won't be disappointed. But the Marty Robbins lyrics server to enhance the experience.
Oh, and Single Action Society members receive their just homage, as have reloaders, hunters, ex-military, IPSC and bench-rest shooters in previous Hunter books.
It's a good read. Buy it and read it. Encourage Stephen Hunter to write the next (and possibly last) BTN ... next year.
He has already sold the book. Now he must write it!
Stumble It!
