2006 Croc Match: Revolver Division

Thanks to the generosity of Jerry Vanderwerth, I have just come into the possession of videos which show all FOUR (4) of the Revolver shooters shooting the same stage at the Croc Match.

The videos you see will feature Jon, Teddi, Jerry and Roger shooting the same stage. I can't find my Croc Match Shooter Book, so I'm not absolutely certain about the name of the stage. But according to the Croc Match results, and my memory, I'm pretty sure it's Stage No: 1 CROC BARREL BLUES.

(The match was themed "Still Crazy after All These Years". Each stage was designed and named according to the theme from a previous year. I don't know what theme this stage is emulating, but it's clear that it was suggested by the requirement to shoot at blue-painted plates through a blue barrel prop. Was there a year when the theme was "colors"? Check the comments, I'm sure that either Bill Marrs or Paul Meiers, the driving force behind this stellar match, will read and comment on this point eventually.)

JON
The first thing you will notice, as you watch these videos, is that ... for Revolver shooters, every stage is a memory stage.

You have six rounds in the gun, and OVER 25 targets to engage. That is, there are 8 steel plates, so you have 22 IPSC targets and 8 plates. If you miss, it's going to enirely screw up your shooting plan -- which is to make as few reloads as possible.

That means that instead of starting at the beginning (as Winnie the Poo might have said), going all the way to the end, and stopping, you have to engage targets somethat out of order, sometimes. And always ALWAYS allow yourself to screw up without letting it ruin your stage.





TEDDI
The second Revolver competitor is Teddi, also from California. (She and her husband Roger car-pooled to the Oregon match with Jon. There they were squadded with our 'local Revolver Nut" Jerry, who kindly introduced me to them before the match and provided these lovely pictures and videos for our enjoyment.

You will note that Teddi's game plan is a little different from Jon's. She engages different "Bonus Targets" to finish off a cylinder of ammunition. The difference in Bonus Target selection may save some time later in the stage, by virtue of saving steps OR by allowing the competitor to shoot an entire 3-target array without reload.




Jerry
The third shooter is Local Hero Jerry. His approach is similar to Teddi's, with minor variance in the way he chooses to shoot the 8-round plate array through the barrel. This was the stage bottleneck, for both Revolver and Pistol shooters, and a competitors score on this stage was often determined by the ability to navigate the rocks and shoals of the barrel.




Roger
The fourth and final shooter is Roger, Teddi's husband, from Washington.

When you watch this video, pay attention to the quick movement between shooting position and the sense of urgency. Roger obviously understands that they place to save time (assuming that reload times are approximately the same over the course of several reloads .. on this stage, idealy, seven reloads) is in movement.

Also, if you're a revolver shooter, the primary focus is on accuracy. If you miss ONE shot, you will probably find yourself making an extra reload. Miss two shots, add another reload. The accuracy of the shooter is most obviously paramount when shooting the 8 plates through the barrel. You will notice that Roger made NO make-up shots, especially through the barrel. He then shot a cylindar at the next three targets, reloaded while moving, and shot the last target with two rounds of the six available.

He had to slow down a few hundredths of a second on each tight target (read: plates) to make sure he got his hits. But through the entire course of fire, he shot exactly 50 rounds on this 50-round stage. The result was that he made more points, in less time, than his nearest competitor (Jerry, who earned 93+ stage points as compared to Roger's 101+ stage points.)


Roger placed first in Revolver Division for the match, and judging from this one-stage demonstration it was probably because he tended to speed up when shooting easy targets and moving, but slowed WAY down when accuracy was needed.





I wasn't able to watch this squad (which included another 11 shooters, but they were all using auto-pistols) shoot, so I'm grateful for Jerry's generosity in making these videos available.
For those of you who want to see the full video in better definition, you can find them at Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery.