The General, Part II

Six months ago I wrote of my friend, Michael R. Jones, who had passed away and who had left a legacy which will long be remembered by all of his friends.

This week another of his friends, Randy S., announced the First Annual Mike Jones Memorial Classic Battle Rifle Match. This well be held August 13, 2005, at Tri-County Gun Club.

Rather than clutter up the announcement with my own proselytizing, I'll just present the entire email message. You will find that it not only describes the match and sets the background, it includes many accolades the the United States Marine Corps. Well deserved, and thank you, Randy, for including it. jB)

[NB: the following is the entire, unedited text of the announcement]

Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2005 12:08 AM
To: practical-rifle
Subject: [Practical-Rifle] Classic Battle Rifle Match August 13th! (Modern rifles welcome, too.)

Classic Battle Rifle Match

This match is intended to honor the memory of our friend and warrior, Mike Jones.

The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!

Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States, 1945

Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem. Ronald Reagan, President of the United States; 1985

Marines I see as two breeds, Rottweilers or Dobermans, because Marines come in two varieties, big and mean, or skinny and mean. They're aggressive on the attack and tenacious on defense. They've got really short hair and they always go for the throat.

RAdm. "Jay" R. Stark, USN; 10 November 1995

On August 13^th, 2005, Practical Rifle will have the first annual Mike Jones Memorial Classic Battle Rifle Match. As you know, Mike Jones was a former Marine and was active in practical pistol, tactical and practical rifle shooting at Tri-County Gun Club for decades, actively competing until his death at age 76 earlier this year. He was truly an inspiration to all shooters who begin to feel the effects of aging.

The Marine Corps was very important to Mike. Every year, on November 10th, Mike organized a get-together of former Marines to celebrate the Marine Corps birthday. In a movie, R. Lee Ermy once said, "Marines die, that's what we're here for, but the Marine Corps lives forever and that means you live forever."

Mike was a man of incredible depth, intelligence and experience. I remember once when we were having lunch together at a Chinese restaurant when Mike struck up a conversation with the restaurant owner in Mandarin Chinese! Mike will live forever in the memory of all of us who knew him well. If you are connected to the Marine Corps in any way, contact me so we can continue the birthday tradition that Mike Jones organized for so many years.

You may shoot this match with either a classic battle rifle or with a modern rifle. A trophy will be awarded to the top battle rifle, and plaques awarded to the 2-5^th place battle rifles and top manually operated rifle. As usual, certificates will be handed out for the top ten, regardless of rifle type.

The Classic Battle Rifle is a military rifle that was manufactured and in service between the years of 1900 and 1945. For the purpose of this match rifles will be in unmodified service rifle configuration. There will be two categories: manually operated rifle and semi-automatic rifle. <>
NOTE: Modern rifles are welcome to compete in the Classic Battle match, but will be scored separately from the classics.

Examples of manually operated rifles are U.S. Springfield 03 or 03A3, Lee Enfield #1, #4, #5, any Mauser, Mosin/Nagant, Schmidt/Rubin K-31, etc. Examples of semi-automatics are U.S. M-1 Garand, 30 carbine SVT-40, G-41, Johnson Automatic, etc. I believe the SKS fits this description but the AK does not.

This match will use only cardboard targets. Therefore, our usual ban against steel-core or steel-jacketed ammo will not be enforced, as there are no steel targets to damage.

This match requires 76 rounds to complete if you don’t miss. Bring 84 if you plan to miss any shots. I don’t think anything will be over 50 yards.

Below are the stages as I envision them so far. They are subject to change, but I thought you’d want to see them in their draft form.

Classic Battle Rifle Match stages:

All targets are cardboard so steel core ammo is okay for this match only.

Stage One – Eight cardboard targets are 25-50 yards out. Two “step” barricades are placed 10 yards apart, with one 5 yards ahead of the other. Each barricade has five possible shooting ports. You must take at two shots only from only four different shooting ports at each barricade. Each target must have two scoring hits to be neutralized.

Score is your time, plus 10 second penalty added for each target not neutralized, plus 10 seconds for each procedural (less than four ports, or less than two shots from a port, or more than two shots from a port, etc.)

Stage Two – A table will be set up near the starting point so the next shooter can load and make ready while facing the rock wall (with the supervision of an auxiliary range officer.) On signal, you will run to each of 12 shooting areas and engage one target from each area. You must use any available cover. Each target must have two scoring hits to be neutralized. Extra shots are okay.

Score is time plus 10 seconds added for each target not neutralized and 10 seconds added for each failure to use available cover. (To avoid penalty for failure to use cover, do not expose your nipples to the targets.)

All targets will be quite close (5-15 yards). RO and scorekeeper will score and tape while returning to start position. Next shooter will be loaded at prep table, waiting for RO to return.

Stage Three – Eight targets face you at about 35 yards away. From standing, you will hit each target one time only from a standing position, move to a kneeling position, reload, and hit each target once more, then move to a prone position, reload again and hit each target a third time.

Score is your time, plus ten seconds for each target that has more or less than three scoring hits. Failure to reload when required is another 10 second penalty added to your time. If you have a bolt action, or any gun with a capacity less than eight, you may reload only when necessary, without penalty.

Stage Four – Start position is standing, fully loaded, behind a large barricade with six different shooting ports, numbered 1-6. On signal, you will pick up the two dice from inside a box, and roll them, inside the box. You will shoot the single target that faces you with one shot from each of the shooting ports designated by the dice. Repeat this sequence for a total of six times, shooting only 12 shots at the target.

Score is your time, plus penalty of ten seconds added for each hit more or less than twelve hits on the target, and each procedural, such as shooting from the wrong port, shooting more than one shot from port (unless you roll doubles), failing to remove finger from trigger guard while moving, etc.

The Marine as seen by.........

Himself:

A Stout, Handsome, Highly-Trained Professional Killer and Female Idol, who wears a star sapphire ring, carries a finely honed K-Bar, is covered with a crisp cammie cover, and is always on time due to the reliability of his Seiko Diver's Watch.

His Wife:

A stinking, gross, foul mouthed bum, who arrives home every 6 months or so with a seabag full of filthy utilities, a huge ugly watch, an oversized knife, and a filthy hat.

Headquarters Marine Corps:

A drunken Brawling, HMMWV stealing, women corrupting liar, with a star sapphire ring, Seiko watch, unauthorized K-Bar, and a screwed up cover.

His Commanding Officer:

A fine specimen of a drunken Brawling, HMMWV stealing, women corrupting bullshitter, with a star sapphire ring, fantastically accurate Seiko watch, finely honed razor sharp K-Bar, and a salty cammie cover.

Congress:

An over paid, over-rated, tax burden, who is however, indispensable since he will volunteer to go anywhere, at any time, and kill whoever he is told to, as long as he can, drink, brawl, steal HMMWV's, corrupt women, kick cats, lie, sing dirty songs, wear filthy cammies, big sapphire rings, over-sized knives, Seiko watches and really screwed up covers.

Ronald Reagan, former President of the United States:

"Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but the Marines don't have that problem. "

General Douglas MacArthur, U.S. Army:

". . . these Marines have the swagger, confidence, and hardness that must have been in Stonewall Jackson's Army of the Shenandoah. They remind me of the Coldstreams at Dunkerque."

Admiral Chester Nimitz, U.S. Navy, of the Marine Corps battle for Iwo Jima:

"Uncommon valour was a common virtue"

General Douglas MacArthur, US Army:

"I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer fighting organization in the world!"

Lieutenant Colonel T.R. Fehrenbach, US Army in "This Kind of War":

"The man who will go where his colors will go, without asking, who will fight a phantom foe in a jungle and mountain range, without counting, and who will suffer and die in the midst of incredible hardship, without complaint, is still what he has always been, from Imperial Rome to sceptered Britain to Democratic America. He is the stuff of which legions are made. His pride is his colors and his regiment, his training hard and thorough and coldly realistic, to fit him for what he must face, and his obedience is to his orders. As a legionaire, he held the gates of civilization for the classical world... today he has been called United States Marine."

An Anonymous Canadian Citizen:

"Marines are about the most peculiar breed of human beings I have ever witnessed. They treat their service as if it was some kind of cult, plastering their emblem on almost everything they own, making themselves up to look like insane fanatics with haircuts to ungentlemanly lengths, worshipping their Commandant almost as if he was a god, and making weird animal noises like a band of savages. They'll fight like rabid dogs at the drop of a hat just for the sake of a little action, and are the cockiest SOB's I have ever known. Most have the foulest mouths and drink well beyond man's normal limits, but their high spirits and sense of brotherhood set them apart and, generally speaking, of the United States Marines I've come in contact with, are the most professional soldiers and the finest men I have had the pleasure to meet. "

General Pershing, U.S. Army:

"The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle! "

General Mark Clark, U. S. Army:

"The more Marines I have around the better I like it! "

General Johnson, U. S. Army:

"I can never again see a United States Marine without experiencing a feeling of reverence. "

Richard Harding Davis, war correspondent (1885):

"The Marines have landed, and the situation is well in hand. "

An Anonymous U.S. Marine:

"I recently attended a Kansas City Chiefs football game at Arrowhead Stadium. It was their annual Veteran's day salute so members of all the services were asked to participate in the festivities.

A color guard for the National Anthem was provided by the Buffalo Soldiers Association. They looked very sharp in their 1800's era U.S. Army Cavalry uniforms. Following that the U.S. Navy parachute team put on an impressive display that brought great cheers from the 78,000 football fans in attendance. Shortly after that we were treated to the truly awesome sight of an Air Force B-2 Stealth bomber flyover as well as a few other aircraft. All of these sights were truly appreciated by the crowd (especially the B-2) who let it be known by their cheers. I expected that was all that we would see of the Military that day.

I thought we would see a high school or college marching band during halftime. Few watch these shows anyway because they have to use the head or grab another beer (or two) during the intermission.

Shortly before half time, however, I looked down on the sidelines near the end zone and saw the Silent Drill Platoon forming up. As the halftime started the players left the field and the announcer came on the public address system and advised us of the Platoons performance. Many of us Marines have seen these performances in the past and they are always awe-inspiring. I did not expect that the large "civilian" crowd of football fans would be as appreciative of the Silent Drill Platoon as they had been of the high-tech B-2, or the daring of the Navy parachute team. I however was on the edge of my seat. As the Platoon marched onto the field it was very noticeable that the crowd was growing quieter. Soon the Platoon was fully into their demonstration and the stadium was silent.

From high in the stands upper reaches where my seats were I was able to hear the "snap and pop" of hand striking rifle. Both big screen scoreboards displayed close ups of the Marines as they went through their routine. As they completed their platoon demonstration and lined up for the inspection the crowd began cheering as the Marines twirled their rifles in impossible fashion. Then came the inspection. Again the crowd fell silent and watched intently as rifles were thrown, caught, twirled, inspected and thrown some more. Each well practiced feat brought a "wow" or "did you see that?" from those sitting behind me or next to me.

I sat there in my silent pride as I watched my brother Marines exit the field. A young girl behind me asked her mother a question about how the Marines learn to do the things they just did. The mother replied "They practice long and hard and they're Marines, so they're the best."

Semper Fidelis!!!

I hope to see you all at the range!

Randy

An Armed Society is a Polite Society

Fish Bait

One of my shooting friends, a member of The Usual Suspects, is a little dissatisfied with the flack he has to take on a semi-regular basis.

Why is he criticized?

He's altitudenally challenged
diminuetively statured
just a meter less than eight feet tall

???

He's short.

Not tall.

Short.

The reason this came up in discussion is, we both attended an IPSC match at Dundee last weekend, and one of the stages (Bay 1) featured a close-array of IPSC targets which were protected by a four-foot vision barrier which had been designated as 'hard cover'.
This was an issue because ... no, I'll let him tell it in his own words:

Put a 4-foot wall in front of a 5'2" shooter and hide targets down behind it and I'll ask for a step up every time. I shouldn't have to hang over a wall up to my armpits to shoot targets. That does not present the same challenge to all shooters as should be the case.

Let me see:
Five Foot Two figures out to 62 inches. Subtract four feet (48") from that, and you have 14 inches 'overhang'. I haven't done the math in detail, but since I'm 6' tall (72") this is roughly equivalent to requiring me to hang my frame over a five-foot fence. Because the targets were within three feet of the barrier, a shorter person has to hang his entire upper-body, from armpits up, over the barrier in order to get a clear shot at the targets. My armpits are 57" from the ground, which is 4'9". Fish's armpits are approximately 11" lower than mine, which means that he can easily address targets behind a (4'9" minus 11" = 3'10") vision barrier which is two inches shorter ... but NOT one that is 4' high!

Okay, my math may suck and you think that I'm making a mountain out of a mole-hill, but the fact remains that a target array which is easily and comfortably available for me is neither for Fish.

In point of fact, it is similarly uncomfortable for juniors and lady shooters who of similar stature.

What, aren't we trying (in IPSC and USPSA) to encourage these 'minority groups' to compete?
If so, why aren't we trying to encourage them?

...

In the actual event, Fish requested a 'step-box' which would allow him to achieve the height necessary to compete at the same level of his taller bretheren. Nobody helped him on this ... he's a man, he can deal with his own problems ... but he showed up when it was his turn to shoot the stage with part of a vision barrier build on a 2x4 frame with what was effectively a 2'x3' shooting platform (board) on top of it. He placed this in front of the tall barrier, and turned in a respectable time on the stage.

If he hadn't been able to find his own 'step-box', which allowed him to engage the target array with the same height advantage which most of us enjoyed, he would have found himself at a considerable DIS-advantage. His score for the stage would have suffered accordingly.

Here's the bottom line:

If you are the stage designer for a match, you owe it to your CUSTOMER BASE to make sure that there is no significant advantage in being "tall". By "tall", I'm talking about, say, five and a half feet from ground to pate.

The reason that the vision barrier was 4' tall, is that it's easy to build a vision barrier by cutting an 8' support stick in half. I don't think that there was a conscious effort to make the barrier 'too high' for people who aren't tall. I believe that it was an oversight. A convenience to the setup crew.

But when a shooter has to drag a platform onto a stage just to let him shoot the stage without incurring a disadvantage, two things happen:
(1) He makes a big disruption to the stage and within the squad,
(2) some folks think he's a dork because ... well, because they're dorks and the only way they can understanding THEIR shortcomings is to make a big deal out of the other guy's shortcomings.

So to speak. (I've already decided that there is no way to avoid the word "short" in this blog, so I'm not even going to try. So much for Politically Correct speech, which is just another way of saying "You're DIFFERENT from us, and we're going to rub your nose in it by SEEMING to avoid the word.")

The bottom line is, if you're a stage designer and you want to put up a 'low wall' on your stage ... how about avoiding the four-foot wall? Do your friends a favor and make it a 3.5 feet tall instead.

How hard is that?

_____________________


BTW, Fish send me this link, which purports to represent grafitti found on a concrete support column near the 2005 USPSA Nationals "Off I-72). I haven't bothered to follow up the Thread on the source (the Brian Enos Forum), but I'm inclined to believe it if only because it perfectly illustrates the informal rivalry between Limited and Open-Gun users.

Dundee in July

Now that we have the administrivia out of the way (see previous post), I can tell you some of what I have been doing since we last talked.

The BIG thing is, I went to a club match at the Dundee range.

Yeah, I had a great time, and that ornery SOB named Barsoom beat me again. I don't understand it, I was BRILLIANT! Unfortunately for my ego, he was even more brilliant. Also more accurate, and faster. It seems as if no matter how good (and pure and true) I am, there's always someone who is better ... faster ... stronger.

At least, I'm prettier.

(In a better world, I would post comparison photos here so you could see for yourself. But because I'm too lazy to resize the hi-res photos so they load in less than a half-hour on your computer, as a courtesy to YOU I will allow you to take my word for it rather than require you to judge for yourself. No, don't thank me. It's just part of the service here at Geekistan Central.)

Where was I?
Doing ... Dundee ... fun ... loser ... Barsoom ... prettier ... Geekistan ....

Oh, yeah.

The thing about Summer is that it's hot. Even in Oregon, we're talking about 85 degrees. As an Old Guy, I find that I don't handle heat as well as I use to. This sounds like an excuse even to me, but it's just a fact of life. Unfortunately, it doesn't work as an alibi this time. It wasn't all that hot, I just got beat, straight up. I only mention it because a hot day, with no rain, is such an unusual phenomenon in Oregon that I thought it worthy of mention.

As we were going through the walkthrough prior to the start of the match, Prince Andrew walked up and introduced himself to me. "Hey, you're The Geek?"

No, not the Prince Andrew you're thinking about. This is another Prince Andrew, a guy from Hillsboro who has read some of my work. (As usual, nicknames are used rather than Real Names, to protect the innocent in case anyone I meet or talk about here happens to be innocent. Hasn't happened yet, but it could!) We've exchanged some emails, Prince Andrew and I. He is a pistol shooter, but hasn't ever been to an IPSC match. I had invited him to come out to one of our local matches, and his appearance was in response to this.

Apparently, he posts as "FreddyBoomBoom", but I like Prince Andrew better, don't you? It has such a ... regal ring to it.

I invited P.A. to stick with us so we could chat during the match, and I would answer any questions he had about the game of practical shooting. He chose to do so, and I enjoyed his company. He's not as pretty as I am, and FAR less pretty than SWMBO, but he's still prettier than Barsoom!

It's unfortunate that I was pretty busy during the match, but I had introduced him to the rest of the squad (The Usual Suspects, plus Bob; not Bob the Contrarian but a local shooter who, if I'm not mistaken, also beat me in the match.) Since everybody knew him, I wasn't the only one who was filling his head with IPSC trivia, lore and legend.

As P.A. followed us around, he was privileged to view some of the fun moments in IPSC History.

For example, Big Dog has recently bought a Hoser Cam from Nolan Smythe. We had played with this at the match the previous weekend at Tri County Gun club, and I'm sure we'll enjoy it when Big Dog finally gets the DVDs cut and distributed. In the meantime, we're taking turns wearing the hoser cam. The first time I tried it this match, I was looking REALLY good on the first two target arrays, but by the time I got to the third array I had become aware that I was "On Candid Camera" so I tried to go REALLY fast. The result was that it took me 15 shots to clear a six-plate plate rack and two Pepper Poppers. That's one DVD I would pay real money to suppress.

When we got to the Classifier Stage (Six Chickens, CM03-02) we learned that someone had worked out that the hit-factor necessary to accumulate a B-open score was to clean the 12-round stage in under 12 seconds. Most of us who tried to achieve this rediculous goal caught one of the many no-shoot targets; some of us crashed even more severely. But I bet it was fun watching us trying to catch up with this mythical standard.

I know that I took a lot of pictures, and when I couldn't man the camera, SWMBO took over and got some GREAT movies. In all, we took about 50 movies of the squad shooting the match, and a couple of dozen still photos of individuals. Due to limitations on acceptible bandwidth (and threats of bodily harm from squad members), we won't be showing any of them here. But someday, I'll get some online storage so you can download movies of Great Moments in Usual Suspects Competition. My life won't be worth a plugged nickle from that time on, but I'll be able to post some of Big Dog's Hoser Cam cuts, too, so maybe he will draw the fire for me.

Moving along, we found that Stage Four, "Mean Steal", was a stage which required you to START in Box "A", but all shots must be FIRED from "Box B". Every shot fired outside of "Box B" was penalized ten points. There was no advantaged gained by shooting from "Box A", but you would be amazed at how many people forgot to move to the adjacent "Box B" before they started shooting. Most of them had zeroed the stage before they took the first step on this 125-point stage. One of our squad had a very fast trigger, but a slow sight-picture. It happens, but it's always scarey. There was no Match Disqualification, because the gun was pointed in a safe direction. However, it rattled him and he didn't shoot the rest as well as he usually does. Too bad, it's a major distraction when you have to shoot a stage under such a handicap. But P.A. got to see that even experienced shooters suffer a phychological condition called "Brain Farts" and throw their whole match away in a moment or two of slight distraction.

This stage was such a disaster to so many people, the Section Coordinator decided to include it in the Columbia Cascade Section Match, which occurs on August 6 & 7 of this year. It will be presented on the same stage, so (parenthetically speaking) if you think you have the presence of mind to overcome cranial flatulance I would like to invite you all to shoot the match, which will be called "Keystone Kops".

By the end of the day, we were all tired and happy. Lots of shooting, everyone had the opportunity to make a damned fool of himself or herself (and most of us did), and I told P.A. that the club had arranged to hire a crew to tear down the stages. This is a pretty good deal. The club charges each competitor an extra two dollars ... match fees are $17 instead of the usual $15 ... and we don't have to haul heavy steel and props up the hill to the Conex storage units. We decided to celebrate by adjourning as a squad to Abby's Pizza in Newburg (home of the world famous Linguica Pizza and Blitz Weinhard "Heffeweisen" wheat beer). Then we got the word that the tear-down crew was a no-show. P.A. had already left, along with more than half of the other competitors, before we got the word.

When the remaining competitor list was finally shook out, we had a dozen workers left, including the entire CCS Junior Team (along with Mike McCarter, Section Coordinator and Junior Team coach.) Surprisingly, it took no more than a half-hour to tear the whole match down, and nobody was particularly unhappy about the experience. Speaking personally, the extra labor helped work out some thigh-muscle spasms I was suffering from having to go to a kneeling position on TWO stages in the match, and I felt pretty darned good.

Sure, we missed the Pizza Fest at Abby's, and I could have used a tall cool glass of Wheat Beer. Would have liked to meet P.A.'s wife, too. (Would she be "Princess Andrew"?)

But the best part of the day was when the Match Director (Barsoom, who turns out NOT to be such a bad guy after all) pulled the extra two-dollars-per shooter funds out of the cash box and donated it to the Junior Team. Well, it was only fair ... they did the most of the work.

I think that kind of leadership is an investment in the future.

After all, when I'm old and grey (next year?) I want to know that there's a new generation already on the path to being as devoted to IPSC competition as we are.

This is especially important, when the new generation demonstrates such a clear willingness to do my work for me tear down the stages after the match.

Is This Thing Turned On?

Father forgive me, it has been three days since my last post.

It's not that I haven't been doing 'wrong' things which require confession and absolution, it's just that I've been busy shooting and working on "other projects".

In the spirit of catching up, and in keeping with the basic philosophy of "It's MY blog and I'll talk about things that I think are important", I'll start with something near and dear to my heart:

Reader Interaction.
AKA, Reader Response, or "Is this thing turned on?"

I received an email today from my old pal Bob the Contrarian, the IPSC-list poster formerly known as Antipoda. At the bottom, he asked a sage question of universal interest. I think it's appropriate to take some of your time and attention to provide an answer to his question:

Bob
P.S. how does one post to your blog?

Ahhh, good question!

At the bottom of each article, you will find the word "0 Comments".

(If someone has already commented, it will read "2 Comments", or whatever count is appropriate to reflect the number of readers who have already commented.)

Click on that 'link' (you can choose to open it in another window, if you right-click it), the article replaces the blog and at the bottom you can read all of the numerous comments which have already been posted.

At the bottom of the page is another link: "Post a Comment". Click on THAT link and another window replaces it. You can write whatever you have to say in the "Leave A Comment" window, preview it to see what it will look like when it is posted, and when you are satisfied with the results click on the blue Login and Publish button.

If you choose to remain anonymous, that's your choice. However, it's more helpful to ME if you identify yourself by clicking on the "Other" radio button and filling in your name.

All of the comments are permanently posted when you publish them. After that point, you cannot change them. If you have more to say, or want to make a correction, you have to post another comment.

Also, all of the comments not only publish to the website, they are forwarded to me as emails.
That has the salutatory effect of permitting me (if I happen to know the email address associated with that name, or if your email address or website URL is available) to reply to you privately. Otherwise, I have no alternative but to cut you to ribbons in the public forum.
Your choice.

Easy, huh?

The AnarchAngel: Fatwah

A lot of bloggers have recently been writing about The AnarchAngel, a blogger who has offended some muslim dudes with an attitude (but I repeat myself!) to the extent that they have declared a "Fatwah" against him.

I haven't actually bothered to look up the comments which initiated this absurdity, but I've been reading a lot about it in the blogosphere lately. AnarchAngel has become something of a celebrity because of his recognition by some undocumented wannabe terrorists.

In response, there are a SLEW of RKBA bloggers clammoring to be included on the Hit List.

There hasn't been this much testosterone in the air since junior high school gym-class showers. Everybody seems to want to dare the supposed fatwah-issuing terrorists.

Ho.
Hum.

Look, folks, I know that Islamist Terrorists (have I got the terminology correct?) are the Guy to Go To if you're looking for Bad, but this is ridiculous.

Everywhere you look this week, there are bloggers bad-mouthing muslims in hopes that some bored Arab will deign to post an email or a website entry to the effect that a Fatwa has been declared, demanding their death. We see each blogger listing his qualifications for withstanding a terrorist attack, daring the imaginary Terrorist to "come and get some of this!"

Holy RPG's, Batman! Don't we have enough crap coming our way without turning it into a sideshow?

Threats are cheap. Internet threats are like a side-street whore. "Hey, sailor, wanna party?"
It doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Anybody can say anything on the net. Anonymity guaranteed, and there are are a million high-school sophomores from Pasadena lurking around, just looking for the opportunity to scare the supposed grown-ups.

Well, maybe they're not all in Pasadena. Probably half of them are in Portland, Puyallup or Podunk. The point is, the culture war isn't just a matter of bombs and bullets. It's also a matter of the mind games we play with ourselves.

I swear, I don't know what's come into folks nowadays.

There are no hat-tips to be awarded here. And there's no glory to be had in bold talk and pissing contests ... which this entire Thread From Heck is, essentially.

Fatwah.
Good Grief, Charley Brown! You can take it seriously and quit the chest thumping, accept it as a real personal threat, or you can write it off as fluff and find something better to do with your time than telling the world how your winkie is bigger than theirs.

In either case, PLEASE quit trying to build a tempest in a teapot. Imagine how embarassed you will be, in a couple of years, when (despite all of your expectant preparations) nothing happens. Will you be disappointed if there is no actual follow-up?

Betcha.

Oh, sure, I only HOPE it's all a sophomoric road show, but I don't really KNOW, do I?

Even if it's a real threat, right now all of you bloggers who are strutting and challenging look more like j-high classmates of the supposed fatwah-issuers than men.

Men don't strut. Unless, of course, they own a closet-full of Opera pumps.

I Hate Golf

I hate Golf.

For 20 years, I tried to play Golf.

I bought the clubs, both woods and irons. I bought the bag, and the funny shoes. (That old saw about "never join a game that requires special shoes" ... it's true!) I bought tees, and the little tools that repair the divot. I bought golf balls. Man, did I buy golf balls! I'm the guy they tell the joke about "why don't you use an old ball to chip over the water hazard?" I never had an old ball. I had new out of the package balls, or I had new in-the-water-and-I'll-never-see-them-again balls. When I went to the driving range, I had to sneak out because I left more rented golf balls outside the wire than inside. Yes, my slice WAS that bad. The only reason I left any golf balls on the driving range was that I skulled almost half of my driver hits ... the golf balls never got off the ground.

I once got a Birdie playing golf. The ball was a brand new (of course!) Titlist II; the birdie was a robin, I think. The worm he was trying to eat was probably grateful.

But my brother-in-law played golf, and when we went to visit him and my sister, this was the only way we manly men could get out of the house for a few hours. My sister indulged us both, and it was a difficult choice whether I would sit around the house discussing the most recent maladies afflicted upon relatives I hadn't seen for ten years, or go golfing. I admit it. Sometimes I was so appalled that I went golfing with my brother in law.

Even though I hated Golf.

However, I liked shooting.

I had a fair collection of guns, and even a couple of pistols. Trouble is, I had grown tired of hunting after my father got too old and half-blind to hunt any more, and I had NEVER found a good excuse to go play pistol-shooter.

One day a notice appeared on the bulletin board at work:

A PLACE TO SHOOT!

Someone had opened an indoor shooting range, and some brave (if anonymous) soul had brought one of their 5x7" billboards to the office and surreptitiously pinned it to the cork. That intrigued me: if it was an INDOOR range, you could obviously shoot pistols there even if it was raining.

I took my .41 Magnum Blackhawk there, and they objected to the noise. Besides, the rounds kept dimpling the 'armor plating' of their backstop. I took my .22 "Convertible Six" there a few times, but it was tepid stuff.

One day (this was in 1983) I met someone at the range who was talking about a new game played with pistols. He called it "Ip-Sick". He knew it was being played at a local club (Tri County Gun Club), and not much else.

I called the club, and they gave me a little information ... when the next match would be held, and how to get to the range.

I went to a match, where I learned that the game was called IPSC (for International Practical Shooting Confederation) and where I could stand around for several hours and watch other people shoot .45 ACP pistols and .38 Special revolvers very fast. The targets were great huge chunks of cardboard, and I couldn't see how ANYBODY could miss them. They also shot at big ol' steel targets, which I learned were called "Pepper Poppers". From where I was standing, it looked easy. I could DO that.

So after I chatted with a few people there, I discovered that they were all pretty sane, friendly folks. They told me to show up next month on a given Saturday and somebody would train me. Then I could go shoot a match, and if I didn't scare anybody too much, I could come back and shoot IPSC as often as twice a month.

On the appointed day, I was there. They gave me a rule book, and walked me through the drill. After a couple of hours of indoor instruction, they walked out to the range and started showing us how to shoot IPSC.

I was all ready for that. I had all of my gear ready. It was a .45 acp Colt, army surplus 1911 (not a 1911-A1; mine was built in 1913). I had an army surplus leather holster, the kind with a flap that fastened down. It was attached to an army surplus web belt, as were two army surplus canvas magazine carriers that snapped shut. I had five army surplus seven-round magazines, filled with ammunition I had loaded on my bright orange Lyman single-stage press using cast lead bullets I had cast myself.

I was ready!

The instructor inspected everyone's gear before we started. He looked at my belt and gear, stifled a smirk, and said "well, yeah, you can shoot with that. You maybe can't actually compete, but it's all safe and it's all legal."

So I passed the certification training and at the next match I was there EARLY and signed up for the match. Every time I started to shoot a stage, I made sure to tell the Range Officer that I was a new shooter and he should watch me carefully. Invariably, they said something to the effect that they had noticed I was new and they would certainly watch me carefully. This made me feel so accepted that for the next three months I told the Range Officers that I was a new shooter. (Eventually, this wore thin. They started saying things like "Come on, Jerry, I seen you here last month and the month before. You don't get no more free rides, either stoke 'em up or go sit down but I KNOW you know the rules by now.")

Eventually, they changed their tune.
Perhaps it was the fact that my handloaded ammunition wasn't very well crafted, but for some reason after I completed a stage they encouragingly said "You know, you wouldn't be half bad if you didn't have such crappy equipment."

Eventually, I got tired of hearing that.

I bought a brand new Llama in .45 acp, some more army surplus seven-round magazines, a Chapman Hi-Rider competition holster, and a few Bianchi magazine carriers. At gunshows, I looked avariciously at the 10, 11 and even 12 round magazines, but I had seen other people use them at matches and they caused a lot of jams. I was already getting a lot of jams. I didn't need any more.

That didn't work too well either, so in 1988 I sold the Llama and bought a S&W 659(9mm Crunch'n'ticker in Stainless Steel) for $700, 3 extra 14-round magazines, two Bianchi two-mag magazine carriers, and a Bianchi leather holster. Someone did me the great favor of burlarizing my house and stole my Lyman press and my bullet-casting setup, so I bought a Lee Turret Press and a set of 9mm Lugar dies for $110, total. I figured, I couldn't compete with a single-stack pistol because those great huge cardboard targets were FIENDISHLY hard to hit. Maybe with more rounds between reloads, I could make up all those misses without having to make TOO many reloads.

I didn't think about the "minor power" aspect of the 9mm, or that it would cost me a lot of points on every stage.

That didn't work out too well, and I dropped out of IPSC for a few years. Instead of shooting pistols on weekends, I played Golf.

Yech! Golf hadn't become any more fun, and I hadn't become any more skilled.


In 1991 I got back into IPSC, with my S&W. But I just didn't seem to be able to get the hang of it. I started bad-mouthing myself to my friends, who quickly tired of THAT little head-game I was playing on myself.

One day a friend (who was a Master Class shooter) took me aside for a little friendly counseling.

He said to me "You know, you shouldn't get discouraged about your shooting. You just have a different style. We go 'bangbang I think I got it!'. You go 'bang. bang. I got it.' It works for you, and who cares whether you win or lose. It's just nice to be out here shooting with your friends, right?"

That made me think about actually playing the game to COMPETE, so I started paying more attention to the things that weren't working for me. One of the problems was that I kept shooting at targets when I got a C-hit. I wanted to get an A-hit, so I took the time to make up perfectly good hits, and usually my make-up shots weren't any better. And I started practicing. The Lee Turret Press wasn't keeping up with the demand, so I bought a Dillon XL650 press, which came with a set of Dillon carbide dies in 9mm, and a case feeder! Man, I'm ready for the big-time now,

In 1995, I won D-Limited at a State Match. Then I got up to C-class (the next month) and stayed there for a couple of years. I decided I could go far with this game, if I just had the right equipment .....

In 1997 I learned that there was a computer 'user group' called "The Unofficial IPSC List", where people exchanged emails about IPSC competition. I subscribed to the list, lurked for a few weeks, then started asking questions ... very cautiously, and very respectfully.

What I wanted was to learn what was the RIGHT equipment, so I asked the list members to suggest a pistol which would cure all of my ills and wouldn't cost too much. Eventually, people said a lot of good things about a new American gun manufacturer called Kimber of America. I was surprised to learn that the factory was located in Clackamas, Oregon ... less than a hundred miles from where I live.

The good things about the Kimber pistol (in .45 acp) were that they already came with the extended beavertail, an adjustable trigger, a Commander-style hammer, etc. And they were cheaper than their competitors.

I'll say they were! The Springfield 1911 was being sold at prices between $700 and $1000, and they didn't have the extended beavertail, etc. You had to buy them extra at after-market prices, and then find a gunsmith to install them.

I contacted Kimber, and learned that the demand was so great for their pistols that none were currently available in Oregon ... unless I wanted to pay extra for such frills as adjustable sights and stainless or hard-chrome finish.

But I made some friends, and eventually I learned that Keith's Gun Shop in Gresham had been sent two Kimber Custom pistols, and could expect to receive them in the next week. I called the store, they said they would call me when the pistols came in. A few days later they phoned me. I said I had to work the next day in Corvallis, but could I come to their shop at 8am to pick up the pistol? They don't open until 9am, usually, but they agreed to open their store early for me.

At 8am the next day I was sitting in my car outside their door when they came to work early ... just for me. They let me in and showed me the pistols .. two Kimber Customs, consecutive serial numbers, and the price was $239. Each.

In one of the worst decisions of my life, I only bought ONE of the guns even though I had the cash to buy both of them.

I also bought 3 used Chip McCormick 8-round magazines, two new Chip McCormick 10-round magazines, and a thousand rounds of Giochi (sp) ammunition. I also had to buy a set of Dillon dies in .45acp (the old dies had disappeared with the Lyman press).

That gun worked so well for me, I made B-Limited with it in 1999. I started referring to it as "The Beloved Kimber". I have since used pistols which were AS reliable, but I never found one that was MORE reliable. What can improve on a gun that runs perfectly, every time you pick it up, and seems indifferent to gun cleaning? The only thing I have changed on the gun was to install a Smith&Alexander Mag-Well adaptor, and some hex-head grip screws.

In 2000 I got the bug for a 10mm, and when Dave Skinner of STI announced that the STI Edge in 10mm had a production run large enough to qualify for USPSA Limited Class, I ordered one the same day and paid $1650 for it. I also bought a set of Dillon 10mm dies. Then I learned that 10mm brass was much more expensive than 9mm , and that buying Glock brass off the range didn't work because the Dillon dies didn't size the brass down small enough to chamber in the STI. Bought a Lee sizing die, which was suppose to size 10mm brass down another couple hundredths of an inch, and ground down the cartridge holder so the die would size down a little closer to the base. Eventually I found a cheap supply of once-used brass; the FBI range in my state was littered with 'em, and I had a contact who could get hold of a few thousand rounds now and then. He resized them to original specs, solvent-cleaned the deprimed brass so it looked like new, and sold them to me for $45 a thousand.

Have you noticed that every step I took in looking for 'the right equipment' has got more expensive than the step before? Yeah, I noticed that, too.

I've made other equipment changes since then, but I never got out of B-class with the STI Edge.

This was my fault, not the fault of the gun. Due to the natural effects of aging, my eyes got so bad (far-sighted) I couldn't make out the iron sights. I now shoot open Class using a STI Competitor equipped with a C-More dot-sight. I have magazines which hold as many as 26 rounds. I carry up to 66 rounds on my belt every time I enter a stage, and most times I don't make a reload unless the round-count on the stage is over 24 rounds.

Somewhere in this chronicle of IPSC progression, I gave my golf clubs to my Brother in law. I also gave him the goofy golf shoes, the golf bag, the tool for repairing divots, a bag of tees and a box of brand new golf balls.

He gave it all to his grandson, except for the box of brand new golf balls and the graphite drive I had bought from him in 1993 (and only allowed golf balls to bounce a few more times when I topped them.)

I don't have anything against my brother in law. It's just that I'm so glad that I can spend my weekends shooting IPSC matches, and I don't have to resort to Golf just to get out of the house.


I hate Golf.

What can I say?:

There is so MUCH important 'stuff' going on in the world today, and I'm tired and I want to go to bed. I want to talk about something that is important to me, but I have not enough time to talk about EVERYTHING ...

Mr. Rove is under attack for things he might or might not have said, deliberately or as a casual aside, and he may have intended political conse
quences or it may have been a polite reply to a statement ... nawwww.

Front Page Magazine has a piece about Hanoi Jane and the lies she told. As a Vietnam Veteran I'm interested, but ....
.... no.

Front Page Magazine also reports that: The Palestinian Authority is NOT abiding by the roadmap to which they agreed to months ago, and the MSM (Main Stream Media) is reporting that"Isreal and the US insist" that the PA actively stop terrorists from attacking Israeli forces and civilians (instead of acknowledging that the PA agreed to this as one of the basic steps of The Roadmap), and Israeli counter attacks are being characterized as the response that
'... Effectively marked the end of a five-month truce ..."
... when it was Hamas which initiated the attacks.

Not.

No, I'm not going to talk about all of these world-shaking events.

Instead I'm going to talk about something a little bit more important:

How competitors and match directors really don't understand the way that IPSC rules govern the conduct of IPSC Competition in USPSA!

(Didn't I tell you, months ago, that this blogsite was going to deal with IPSC-related issues first?)
[NB: If you're not'in to IPSC rules', this article will hold very little interest for you.]

I attended a Level I IPSC Club Match in the United States Practical Shooting Association Region (USPSA/America) last weekend, and it was a very hot day. We all got a little cranky, and some of us lost track of what the IPSC/USPSA rule book said. Consequently, some really goofy things happened:

INCIDENT 1:

Stage four, with a bunch of steel and a bunch of cardboard targets.

Three shooting boxes; two close to the starting box, one far downrange.

Stage procedures: shoot the steel from a box, shoot the paper from OUTSIDE of the box.

Simple enough.

The scenario is, the shooter managed to follow the procedures for the first two boxes, but when she ran downrange she was suppose to shoot 6 steel targets from inside the box and 4 paper targets from outside the box.

When she finished her run to the general vicinity of Box "C", she stopped and enaged the paper targets.

Unfortunately, she began to engage the steel targets from the same position ... outside of the box.

The Range Officer stopped her, because it was ninty-five degrees in the shade and there was no shade.

Okay, brain fart. There was no safety issue involved, he should have kept his tater trap shut and let her finish the stage. As it happened, he HAD to give her a reshoot.

INCIDENT 2:

Same stage, same shooter, same RO.
On her SECOND run through the stage, the shooter did the same thing except that the RO didn't stop her. She engaged all of the paper targets in accordance to the Stage Procedures, then went back and engaged the steel targets from the same place ... outside the box.

She had engaged the paper targets 'behind' the box, and then had to step forward (closer to the targets) to engage the steel targets after engaging two of them from the 'wrong' position.

Again, she was standing BEHIND the box to engage the paper targets, and then stepped INTO the box to engage four of the six steel targets; which means that she did not engage the steel targets at a closer distance; no advantage gained.

The RO penalized her for BOTH shots at steel which were taken from a farther distance from the targets than the 'legal' shooting position.

I think this is a one-procedural situation:"per occurrence" rather than "per shot".

What do YOU think?

INCIDENT 3:

Same stage, different competior.

The shooter engaged all steel and all paper from the appropriate positions. However, he failed to knock down one of the steel targets from Box "B" (uprange of the"Box C" where the earlier problems occurred), and when he completed the course he declared that he had hit the steel target from Box "B" fairly but it had failed to drop; he called for a calibration on the steel target available from Box "B".

After some discussion, the steel was calibrated by engaging it with a 9mm pistol shooting 'factory ammunition'. The steel target was subsequently tested unofficially and found to be 'set really, really heavy!".

The competitor was informed that the steel failed calibration, which constituted Range Equipment Failure(R.E.F.). The competitor was informed that he was required to reshoot the stage due to R.E.F. but he demurred saying that he didn't have enough ammunition left to reshoot the stage and still complete the match.

The Match Director was called. He decided that it was acceptable that the overly heavy steel target could be judged a 'miss', the competitor was not required to reshoot the stage, and his (perhaps) legitimate 'hit' on that target should be ignored.

Discuss this MD ruling among yourselves. Consider that this was a Level I one match, and (according to rule 1.1.5.1 ) is "not required to comply strictly with freestyle limitations or roundcount limitations." Decide whether the MD made the correct decision. Don't forget to cite the applicable rules.

INCIDENT 4:

Stage 5: starting position is 'sitting in char, gun on barrel, hammer down".

Some competitors decide to start the stage with their first magazine in their hand.

The Match director, when the procedure is question, replies: "there are no references to ammunition in the stage procedures, therefore this start procedure is acceptable."

The current rules say:
8.2.3:
A course of fire must never require or allow a competitor to touch or hold a handgun, loading device or ammunition after the 'Standby' command and before the "Start Signal" (except for unavoidable touching with the lower arms).

Explain why the Match Director was allowed to ignore this rule, and why this is acceptable in a Level I match. Please cite specific rule references.

INCIDENT 5:

Same stage, different shooter.

The A-zone of one of the targets was 'edged' by a "No-Shoot" (penalty) target. The competitor's bullet hole was MOSTLY in the A-zone of the shoot-target, but it encroached upon the perforation of the overlapping "No-Shoot" target.

Upon examination, the Range Officer determined that the perforation of the no-shoot target had been infringed by the bullet-hole. (Note: the competitor was using Semi-Wadcutter bullets, which left an exceptionally clean demarcation of the bullet-hole on the targets.)

The competitor protested this call, on the grounds that the bullet did not 'cut' the perf on the no-shoot.

In support of this protest, the competitor cited rule 9.5.4:
Radial tears radiating outwards from the diameter of the bullet hole will not count for score or penalty.

Because the bullet hole was neatly incised upon both the shoot-target and the no-shoot target, and there was no evidence of a radial tear, this argument was ignored by the Range Officer.

The competitor was incensed by the Range Officer's decision, but offered no reason why rule 9.5.3* should not apply.

CONCLUSION:
It was hot.

We were stupid.

We need more 'guidance' on this rule that says Level I matches get a free ride. Who knows what it means? What a STUPID rule!
US1.1.51.:

Level I matches are not required to comply strictly with the freestyle requirements or roundcount limitations.

Because this rule exists, people are inclined to interpret it as meaning "you can do anything you want in a Level I match ... it says so in The Book!"

This is SO subject to misinterpretation, the rule ought to be excised from the next rule book version. The rule book should cite the rules which are specifically exempted from enforcement at this level of competition.

Well, it was a very HOT day, and we reacted to the environment by being exceptionally stupid.l

What can I say?


* 9.5.3:
If the bullet area touches both the perimeter of a scoring target and a penalty target, it will earn the score and incur the penalty.

Reloading for IPSC Competition

I was chatting with The Analog Kid tonight, and toward the end of my reply to the message he sent to me (he suggested I throw in with him and some other folks on an order from Cheaper Than Dirt, which retailer is offering a good price on ammunition orders over $150), I realized that I had just written a Blog Post.

Just for grins, here's a Geek-Length Post which proves that I inflict verbosity even on my friends. (Also, it is a fair description of the process by which we build ammunition for IPSC competition.)

Thanx for the ammo offer, but everything I shoot, I reload for. Even have a semi-progressive shotshell press (which I haven't used for almost 20 years ... shows how often I shoot shotgun.)

Usually Previously, several of us in the area get together twice a year to put in a large order for powder, primers or bullets. But one of the guys decided to start a little business, so he put a couple grand into the components that we usually use (Vihta Vourhi N-350 powder, Montana Gold 115gr .38 super bullets) and resells to us for just a few bucks a keg or case more than we would otherwise have paid for it. He saves more on shipping, so it's worth his effort. This arrangement allows us to spread our purchases out over the year. I don't mind a month when I find myself paying $70 a 4# keg for powder, or $190 for a 4000-count case of bullets, but I don't want to pay three times that amount for a six-month supply. My cash flow use to suck!

Yeah, we really do shoot up 4000 rounds every two months. Not as much during the winter, more during the summer. Of course, I'm using twice as much because I'm loading both for me and for SWMBO. I'm telling you, if I'm not shooting 1000 rounds a month, I get withdrawal symptoms something fierce!

About once a month, SWMBO comes down to my place and we load up a thousand rounds or so on a Saturday afternoon. I load ammo. She loads the primer feed tubes for my XL650, gauges and inspects the finished rounds, boxes them up, double-checks for hi-primers, separates the .38 Super rounds (which both of our guns will shoot) from the .38 Super Comp rounds (which only my gun will shoot), and marks the 'match ammo' so we get our own brass back.

She also separates out the 'fat' rounds ... those which don't fit in the chamber gauge. My gun has a looser chamber than hers, so I hang on to it (the 'fat' ammo) and later drop it into the barrel of my gun. If it drops in okay, I shoot it at practice.

A couple times a year, one of us sits down on the concrete garage floor with in inertial bullet puller and salvage bullets and powder from those rounds which are too fat for my gun, or the primer is either missing or not seated properly. Right now I have about a thousand rounds of .38 Super ammo waiting for this recovery effort. It's a real pain in the rear (literally ... that concrete is HARD), but it's worth it. I can even salvage some of the cases, which is a GOOD deal since brass costs between $90 and $100 a thousand ... I try to get along by buying a couple thousand new cases every year, and hope that I can find used brass for sale after one of the local clubs holds a 'lost brass' match.

Hey, I think I've just written another blog article. Thanx for the inspiration [Analog Kid], I'll use it tonite.

Jerry

Baboon Pirates: Carnival Of Cordite # 22

Baboon Pirates: Carnival Of Cordite # 22

The Twenty-Second Weekly Carnival of Cordite is UP!

Amazing, isn't it? This Thing Of Ours has remained a viable web meme for over FIVE ... count 'em, 5 ... months, and is still going and growing.

If you have any interest at all in RKBA issues or Shooting Topics, this is the to-go place every Friday night.

So catch the link, go there and just ... wallow!

You're among friends, you gun-hog people you.

A little historical perspective for the Moslems...

staghounds: A little historical perspectve for the Moslems...

At the risk of seeming Politically Incorrect, I am going to digress from my usual non-judgemental, quiet, unassuming and universally inclusive style.

A fellow who blogs under the nom de plume of Staghounds commented on my Wednesday article about "Assault Weapons".

I thought he had something interesting to say, so I wandered over to his website (which I will eventually add to my sidebar links) to see what ELSE he had to say.

There, I found an article which he had posted on July 8 ... the day after the terrorist assault on the London Tube.

The perspective he provided was something that I hadn't read anywhere else. I thought somebody ought to give him a resounding "Ooh-RAH!" The comments I added to his post were, I thought, inadequate. Maybe he can pick up a slightly different audience here. Surely, his thoughts deserve more exposure.

You should go read the whole thing, of course, and some of you may not agree with him. But here's the Money Quote:

We are nice and kind fat and soft and ridden with unearned guilt. We also have a history of savage bloodshed that makes the earth blanch.

We are horrified by what our own civilization did as recently as 1914-18 and 39-45. But we DID do it [ . . . ].

Forbearance and measured response are still what we are doing, but we might decide they aren't effective.

[ . . . ]

We are crazy. Maybe ought to not fuck with us too much.

I would never have said that. But maybe, just maybe, the reason why Western Civilization is being hammered by barbarians is because they see the "nice and kind fat and soft" side and have, like children, forgotten our bloody history.

One of the primary difficulties of fighting The War On Terrorists (note: NOT "the War on TERROR") is the difficulty of grappling with a Chimera.

It was a lot simpler in WWII. Japan bombs Pearl Harbor? Okay, we take four years to work ourselves into a position where we have access, and then we bomb them. We firebomb Tokyo, we NUKE Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Not nice, but at least we had a clearly defined target and it certainly resolved all of that imperialism nonsense.

This isn't an option in the current contretemps. We don't HAVE a clearly defined target. As the London bombings prove, we're not dealing with nations; we're suffering the Death of a Thousand Cuts, we're being driven away by gnats, we're being eaten one small bite at a time by ants. (But unlike John Leiningen, we can't seem to fill or fire our moat.)

Carpet bombing of capital cities and major industrial areas is clearly NOT an option. We're not being attacked by a nation; we're being attacked by an idea. The idea is that a group of individuals have the will to impose their theological mandates on the rest of the world.

That is to say, "extreme Islamists" want us to embrace their imaginary friend. If we don't, they'll kill us. They'll kill people who have nothing at all to do with any kind of dialogue ... which, I might point out, is NOT happening. They'll kill members of their own religion if the beliefs of these fellow Muslims aren't as extreme in their beliefs. And they'll even kill their own if there is any suspician that the committment isn't as great.

There is no way to deal with these people. We can't talk, we can't negotiate, we can't understand them. I'm not sure they understand themselves.

Maybe it's time that we quit trying "forbearance and rational response." Maybe we should accept a more aggressive stance.

We did that once before, over 200 years ago, and it turned out fairly well.

Because the true national symbol of America, rather than the carrion-eating Eagle, is truly and properly the Rattlesnake.


(image courtesy of Gadsden.info)

We might consider adopting Benjamin Franklin's "Don't Tread On Me" flag. (I think I'll buy me one of these.) It could be flown, just below the American Flag, at all public buildings. Most especially, it should be displayed at the United Nations building.

Of course, then we would have to act in accordance.

Well, nothing else we've tried has worked all that well.

What do YOU think?

July Blogmeat!

For those who haven't checked the links on the sidebar:

ON THE SIDEBAR:

PUBLICOLA has a serious case of the jaws over Columbus, Ohio.

First, Columbus is trying to re-institute the AWB. Publicola says that Columbus can go straight to hell! (Also mentioned Here.)

Then, in case he couldn't sufficiently vent his bile on just one state, he took on Indiana ... whose cops stole a gun from an Octogenarian!


Next Gullyborg presents a powerful correspondance between Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich.

It's worth the read. Gingrich has some things to say which appeal to this Geek.

Kim Du Toit informs us that BATFE has just enacted a regulation which would make it impossible to buy gun parts, if they can be assembled into a firearm which would be illegal. Doesn't matter if the part is for a legal firearm ... if it also fits an illegal firearm, you can't have it.

You have 60 days to think about his one. Kim recommends stocking up on parts, and parenthetically curses Georgh H.W. Bush for his Executive Order which legitimized the regulation. (H/T rivrdog)


Little Green Footballs shows Jaques Chirac gloating because He's Not British.
Well, Chirac is a Frog. You have to expect cheezy demeanor from a cheese-eating surrender monkey.


The Japanese are typically 'bosom challenged'. At least THEY think so.
Sondra K illustrates the latest Tokyo Fad ... The Nipponese Solution.

... and they wonder why they lost the war.

On the other hand (sorry), Michael Bane describes The American Military Solution.
What is it?
Guns.
Big Guns.
The American military is searching for a replacement for the issue handgun, the pathetic 9mm Baretta.

Now, that's what I'm talking about!

NOT ON THE SIDEBAR:

You know your TV?
I'll bet it's Analog, right?

After 2009 ... it won't work no more. You're gonna have to buy a new one, because broadcasters will no longer be broadcasting analog signals. They'll only be broadcasting Digital Signals.

The good news: if you're connected to Cable, or Dish, they'll probably translate the signal for you.
The bad news: otherwise, you'll either have to buy a $50 converter, or a new TV.

It's all about money, and pockets.
Your money, into their pockets.

The upside is that the signal will be clearer. Yeah, right.



You know your country?
Yeah, that's right. The United States of America.

ABC News reports that we probably already have terrorist 'sleeper cells' in place. Yeah, that's right. The same folks who brought us the London Subway Bombings on 7/7. You remember that they were reported as having used commercial (or military) explosives? Dig this, from ABC:

Tools of Terror Are Within Reach

For those willing to carry out attacks, there are plenty of explosives readily available.

From 2001 to 2004, more than 16,000 pounds of high explosives were stolen from construction sites and demolition companies, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Equally as alarming, more than 60,000 pounds of blasting agents like ammonium nitrate — the same chemical used in the Oklahoma City bombing — were stolen, as well.

One of the explosive materials preferred by terrorists around the world is a homemade concoction called TATP. An ABC News team today bought three of the primary chemicals used to make TATP at local hardware and drug stores.

(emphasis added)

And GW doesn't want to reinforce our borders.

But here's some good news!

Mexico's President feels our pain, and he's willing to help reinforce our southern borders!
Yeah Baby Yeah!

Oops! But there's a catch.
Like a war-zone whore, there's always a catch with this guy.

He'll tighten up the border ... but he wants amnesty for Mexican citizens who are already in the United Stages illegally.

In what is being characterized as international blackmail, the former foreign minister of Mexico has told a Senate committee his nation will not cooperate with the U.S. on border-security issues unless a number of immigration-related action is taken – including amnesty for illegal aliens.

On Tuesday, former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing: "No border security is possible without Mexican cooperation" and "there can be no cooperation [from the Mexican government] without some sort of immigration reform package."

So you gotta ask yourself, why do these ho-dads push us so hard? What's in it for them ... really. After all, they're leaking the part of their population with the most courage, the most initiative. Why do they want to send them to us?

The reason is that these folks are coming to America to find work, and they do find work. They send a huge chunk of their wages back home to Mexico.

Do you have any idea how much foreign currency this brings in to Mexico each year?

Hey, remember their petroleum reserves? Well, they get more Gringo Bucks from their citizens who cross the border illegally and send money home to their families, than they get from the TOTAL sales of all their petroleum.

And it doesn't cost them NOTHING! And they get to keep their petroleum reserves for their own use.

These folks are like ticks on a dog. They may serve a purpose, but they're sucking blood while they're clinging to America.

So Vincenzo Fox has America in a bind. If we can't control our borders, we have to ask our neighbors to do it for us .. and they're asking for blood.

If we don't quit scratching, they'll just let anybody who wants to pass through Mexico to America. This includes the MS-13 central american bandidos who are rumored to be helping pass contraband across the border ... possibly including nuclear weapons. This includes the "OTM" (Other Than Mexicans" portion of the illegal alien flow, which for the past half year has been a SIGNIFICANT percentage of the people who stroll across our southern borders.

What's America doing about it?
We're relaxing security restrictions on incoming flights.


I don't want to leave you with a lot of negative feelings, I feel obliged to contribute one last link to a light-hearted, frivolous article so you won't go away bummered out.

But I won't.

That IS the news of the day.

Deal with it.


Okay, okay, I'll relax the bummer-rules to this extend:

GIBSON ASHAMED OF GAY KISS IN CHEAP MOVIE

There.
Do you feel better now?

That's what I thought.

Assault Weapons Putting Safety in Crosshairs?

KDKA: Assault Weapons Putting Safety in Crosshairs?

Pittsburgh (KDKA) It's been nine months since President Bush lifted the national ban on the sale of assault weapons.

In that time, police say they've seen more and more of these deadly accurate weapons turning up in the wrong hands -- from gang members to other violent criminals.

"Deadly Accurate"?

IIRC, the traditional objection to "assault weapons" (note: undefined terminology) has been magazine capacity and semi-automatic firing mode. Now they're wrong because they're "Deadly Accurate"?

Hey Pittsburgh ... if you have a point, it would be good if you could stick with it.

But let us back up, and set the record straight:

First, President Bush did NOT "lift the ban on assault weapons".
(I have serious problems with this terminology, but let's ignore it for the same of argument. However, for more information about "types of guns", I recommend the excellent set of definitions available at the Guns & Crime website, which has long been resident on the sidebar.)

The Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) was a law which was enacted by Congress ONLY if it could be proved, after a ten year trial period, that it provided some kind of statistically significant reduction in crime. If this reduction could not be proven, the ban (according to the original bill) would automatically SUNSET (become null and void) unless the Senate re-enacted it.

This bill was established in 1995. In the ensuing ten-year period, no reduction in crime was attributable to the law.

When the law came up for re-enactment, President Bush stated that, if Congress chose to permanently re-enact the law, he would allow it to pass without imposing a presidential veto.

Guess what?

The phrase "President Bush lifted the national ban on the sale of assault weapons" is pure unadulterated bull-shit. The president had nothing to do with it. This source started the article with this sentence for sensational and/or political reasons ... the sentence is neither newsworthy, nor accurate.

Bad on them. We COULD ignore the rest of the article, based on the demonstrated unwillingness to present the information as a straight news-article, rather than an Opinion Piece ... which is it (though not readily identified as such.)

Bu that would be too easy, and no fun at all!

Let us get on with fisking the rest of the article:

Police say in so-called "straw purchases," drug addicts with clean records are legally buying these types of guns, then selling them to criminals for drugs and money.

Yes, that's a problem. If a person enters a gun shop and attempts to purchase a firearm, the FFL Owner will complete the purchase AFTER checking with the BATFE to insure that the purchase is legal.

So what do we do about "drug addicts with a clean record"?

It sounds very much like "What do we do with a problem like Maria?"
Only, of course, much the opposite.

Who is the Bad Guy Here?

How about we identify drug addicts ... people who are likely to take desparate measures for quick cash flow ... more promptly.

I'm sure the drug addicts will comply, if the Pittsburgh Police will cooperate in busting them more promptly.

Is this an extreme example? Why would a reputable MSM source report to that "drug addicts with a clean record" are acting as 'straw purchasers"?

Would it be in expectation that the situation, once identified, would automatically be corrected?

Or would it be ... to sell newspapers?

The AK-47 and the Soviet SKS Carbine have become weapons of choice for street criminals -- making the police under-armed and out-gunned.

"We don't carry those guns unless we have a SERT team or SWAT team hitting a house. They're more powerful than we are." -- Sgt. Mike Tracy, Pittsburgh Police

With the lifting of the assault ban, magazines and banana clips that can carry as many as 30 rounds of ammunition are now legal; as is an SKS rifle with a bayonet, pistol grip and a detachable magazine.

Sergeant Mike Tracy says that's just wrong.

"How can these be readily available at a sporting goods store? It's not a shotgun, it's an assault type rifle. Semi-automatic sure, but it can do major damage to everybody involved." -- Sgt. Mike Tracy, Pittsburgh Police

Yup, "That's Just Wrong" all right. Ownership of a shotgun is OBVIOUSLY less egregious than ownership of a semi-automatic rifle with a flash suppressor, and thumb-hole stock, or a bayonet grip.

Or is it?

Ten years of data gathering doesn't seem to have made the case for the Gun Grabbers.

The problem isn't the gun, the problem is the gunner. If these guys are so bad, what are they doing on the street? Why does Pittsburgh think it's the gun that's bad? Could it be a societal problem?

No, couldn't be. Well, it could be, but it's too hard to deal with societal problems. It's much easier to ban guns. Let's ban guns again. It won't help solve the problem, but it sure LOOKS like Pittsburgh is trying to solve the problem.

But the debate goes round and round.

While gun advocates say the answer is getting the criminals off the streets, police say it's harder to arrest people when they're armed with these types of weapons.

Yes, the debate Does go "round and round", doesn't it?

The "gun control advocates" want to get the criminal off the streets. Seems reasonable to me.
The "Gun Nuts" want to exercise their Second Amendment rights.
(Notice the difference in terminology? People who want to contravene one of our constitutional rights are "advocates", while people who insist on their constitutional rights are "Nuts".)

The police say it's "harder to arrest people when they're armed ...".

Seems to me that the answer is for the Pittsburgh police to get over the heebie-jeebies, and do their job. Get the criminals off the streets, regardless of what guns they may happen to possess.

The guns aren't illegal ... and shouldn't be.

The gunners are illegal, when they're using guns illegally. If they're not ... they are part of the solution, they're not part of the problem.

I have a great respect for cops, and I have no desire to try to arrest someone who is armed. But what are the citizens of Pittsburgh paying their police force for, if not to keep the peace and to protect the citizenry?

What ever happened to "To Protect and To Serve"?

Has it become too difficult?

Gee, it sounds to me as if Pittsburgh doesn't need more effective gun-control laws; they need more effective cops.

Am I seeing a trend here?

(Hat Tip: Geek With a .45)

UPDATE:

• Correct a few of the many typographical errors, awkward sentence constructions, poor word choices.
• Add a reference to terminology

Terror Inc: How best to blow up people on a bus

Telegraph | News | How best to blow up people on a bus - the chilling video circulating on terrorist websites:




You think these people aren't serious?

This is possibly the most disgusting article you will read on the Internet.

I don't like it, but we should know that this kind of encouragement is being offered internationally, and it can come to your hometown tomorrow.

Why aren't we as serious about stopping the people to instigate this murderous crap?

(H/T, regretfully, to Lars Larson)

The Sight: M1911-A1

"Hello. My name is Syd and I can't stop writing."

Welcome to the world of Syd Weedon, who just happens to have a life-long affection for the Model 1911.

Many of us share Syd's appreciation of John M. Browning's finest contribution to Western Civilization, but few of us express it so well, or in so many forums. Or for so long.

I've never met Syd, but I'm going to talk about him for a while as if he was an old, dear friend. In a way, because I've been reading his work for several years, that's just what he is.

I ran an Internet search on "M1911" a few years ago (1997, specifically). Number 1 and Number 2 hits were John Caradimas' excellent M1911 Pistols Home Page . Number 3 hit was The Sight's M1911 .45 acp Page, the internet home of Syd.

Here I found as much information about the M1911 as I could hope. Descriptions, history, legend and lore ... it's all here.

I kept coming back to visit Syd, answered his perennial survey (he mentioned compiling the results into some kind of report, but I haven't yet found it on his website ... a work in progress?), checked out his bookstore, and answered questions I didn't even know I had.

I even learned when when my own M1911 was built. (It's a "US ARMY" model, built by Colt sometime between January, 1913, and August 19, 1913.)




Eventually, I subscribed to Syd's newsletter. This is a monthly (approximately) collection of news articles generally relating to RKBA issues. It shows the headline or topic and an Internet Address (URL) which you can use to select and then read the entire text of the article at the original source. Sometimes, Syd includes some commentary; once in a while, the newsletter is mostly or even completely personal commentary.

Last month, after all of these years of commenting in a newsletter, Syd started a regular blog. He named it "Front Sight, Press". Well, of course; what could be a better name for a blog based on pistol shooting?
I'm delighted to report that he included the full text of his newsletter in his July 9 article.

For your convenience, and for mine, I've included the URLs for both the original webpage and his blogsite in my sidebar.

Not that this is ALL of Syd's writings. You can link to Syd's Page" , which in turn includes a link to his journal, and a BUNCH of other stuff (which I intend to spend the rest of the evening catching up on.)

[Whew!]

The Journal was the source of the quote I started out with, and I like it so much that I ought to steal it:

"Hello, my name is Jerry the Geek and I can't stop writing."

Nope. Just doesn't work as well as stolen property.

Going Postal!

A while back, I was looking for PNW (Pacific North West) gun bloggers, and I did find a few of them. You'll find links to their blogs on the sidebar, and I recommend you visit them often.

Today, I got an email from Phil at Random Nuclear Strikes. He reports that he and Mike at Mr Completely are setting up a series of Postal Matches, and invite you to participate.

Apparently you don't have to be a gun-club officer who is willing to schedule a special match every week. If you have access to a range (who doesn't?), a computer (to download match descriptions and report results) and a gun-safe or secure closet filled with dusty ol' guns, here's a reason and an opportunity to get some range time.

One week you'll be shooting a rifle, the next a shotgun, the next a pistol, and the following week you might be shooting Black Powder.

Don't have a Black Powder rifle? You've got friends, doncha? Find out who has one, and invite them along ... then borrow their equipment.

Here's the drill, as I understand it:
Go to the listed sites (more later) and find out what next week's postal match looks like. Download and print the targets. Grab a few friends and a few guns, go to the range and shoot the targets. Send the results into what for lack of a better word we'll call "Postal Match Central". Then keep an eye out for the results, and figure on spending a lot of time exercising your Braggin' Rights.

Phil (also known as "The Analog Kid") sent me some links, so here is more detail:

Phil has an introduction to the whole match schtick here.

The match specs for the 7/11 match are here.

Just to make it more interesting, Phil ... er, sorry, "The Analog Kid" ... sent a link to a photo of his new Darth Vadar shotgun. I suppose I'm stealing his thunder, but I'm a sucker for Gratuitous Gun Pictures, a la Kim de Tuit.


(Click on pictures for hi-res image)

If you decide to play with the e-postal guys, do us all a favor and tell them that Jerry the Geek sent you. That's the only way we're gonna know if this blog is getting the message out to the people who are interested in this kind of games.

NOTE:
For Oregon shooters, I have TWO good black powder rifles, including a .45 caliber Hawkens and a .50 caliber something-or-other, and would be willing to loan 'em out to people I know. In fact, if some local folks act interested, I'd kinda like to try this out myself! Here's a picture of the Hawkens.

The Day After, 9th Annual Single Stack Championship

I told you Friday that I didn't expect to place highly in the Albany Rifle & Pistol club's Ninth Annual Single Stack Championships.

Those expectations were well founded, as I started the first stage by accumulating FOUR misses in a stage which only scored the best 24 shots. Actually, I didn't do all THAT badly (although I was slow ... very slow) all day because I wasn't accustomed to handling the recoil. That meant that I wasn't waiting for clean slight-alignment on my second shot at each target, so that shot often went south. Or West, depending on how you look at it. Anyway, I missed to the left quite consistantly, thank you. I DID manage to slow down and hold it together until the last stage, where I did the same thing on one long-distance target and got another miss, and a D-hit.


(click on all images for enlarged views)

In this photo, I'm scoring someone else's targets on the same stage where I missed four of 'em. Seems difficult to believe that I could completely miss targets this close, doesn't it? A determined Geek can do ANYTHING! But I missed very very fast. The good thing is, after shooting this stage I knew that for the rest of the day I was going to be shooting for fun, not with the expectation of winning anything (as if I thought that before I started the first stage!)


I ended up in 43rd place out of 108 competitors. Well, nobody said it was going to be easy, and I had a LOT of fun so I'm not complaining.

(For those who care about the details, you can find a short write-up about the match and a link to the results at the ARPC IPSC website.)


The weather cooperated perfectly. Although we had to cover the cardboard targets because of a light rain during 7am setup, by the time the match started at 9am we could pull the bags off and shot dry the rest of the day.

FRIENDS AND COMPANIONS:
I saw some old friends whom I haven't seen lately.

My friend Zippy from Washington was there. Unfortunately, I was busy with setup in the morning and we weren't squadded together, so I only had a few moments of essentially meaningless conversation; not more than shake hands, good to see you, regrets that I had to change my plans to shoot with him at the NorthWest Challenge at the end of the month (work and family obligations), and "have a safe drive home".

Zippy was a D-L10 shooter when I first met him, and a friend of my friend Bumstead (another near-Seattle native and denizen of The Unofficial IPSC List.) We both were shooting Kimbers ... he had won a custom-built Kimber in the NorthWest Challenge, and I had my $279 Kimber nicknamed "The Beloved Kimber" because it ALWAYS works.

Today I discovered, to my great surprise, Zippy is a Master-Class competitor in Limited 10 Division.

I ... am ... IMPRESSED! Way to go, Zipster! (Sure wish I had been following his career more closely over these past five years! That's the way it goes, though. You meet somebody, you become friends, and you lose touch with each other for years. I think it's the "Tournament Circuit" thingie at work. You go to matches out of your area, you meet great people and make new friends, but the only place you ever see them again are at matches out of your area.)

Almost the first thing Zippy asked me when we met again Saturday was "So, you'll be shooting The Beloved Kimber?" I confirmed the rumor, and also that SWMBO would not be competing because she is so completely taken to The Dark Side that she refused to compete in a match which would forbid competing with the STI Tru-bore named SHIRLEY1.

Well, it IS a "Single Stack" match, and the MD had set the rules: Single Stack 1911's compete for plaques, non-1911 and non-singlestacks compete for ribbons. Every other handgun design is outside of the spirit of the game.

While we were setting up the props, steel and target stands on Friday, Willy and Sam (husband and wife) showed up. They also had just driven down from Washington in their VW van, and were looking for a place to park so they could camp overnight in the van. Mike McCarter, the Match Director, was happy to let them take the premium parking place RIGHT by the Stats Shack so they were in convenient proximity to the 'facilities', as their van doesn't have plumbing. Willy and Sam make it down to Oregon two or three times a year, taking in the Columbia Cascade Sectional (August 6 & 7 this year) and the super-high-round-count Crazy Croc Dundee Banzaii Ballistic "You Got Bullets?" match (Labor Day Weekend this year) at least. Willy use to shoot a 10mm Glock, and we became good buddies because I was shooting a 10mm STI Edge. When there was nothing better doing during a match, we chatted together in cheerful superiority over our benighted friends who chose to shoot the .40 Slow&Wimpy cartridge instead of the plainly superior Mighty Ten.

But I went to the Dark Side a couple of years ago, taking up a full-race STI in Open class, and Willy gave up the Glock in favor of a 1911 ... both for reasons which seemed reasonable to us both, but not without regrets.

MATCH ADMINISTRATION:
Here's a photo of our host and Match Director, the always-courteous (if sneaky match designer) Mac:



The stages were well designed and [ahem!] well constructed, and I spent much of the setup day remarking that "Gee, this sure would be a great match for an Open Gun!" Mac was amused, but not swayed. Here's an example. The stage contains not one but TWO Texas Star targets (one of which you can partially see over the visquine (sp) vision barrier.



The shooter in the start box is Rick. He seems to be praying. Good idea. It can't hurt, may help. The RO is Harold the Barbarian, he of February Fame in these pages. One surprising trend appeared on this stage: The Texas Star arrays included one 2-shot IPSC target, and the 5-shot Texas Star. We all started with 10 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, for a total of 11 rounds to get 9 hits (with the exception of Shirley A., who was shooting a .38 Super singlestack with 9-round magazines!) Several people didn't quite manage to get all of the hits on the first array, and had to do a standing reload. I saw THREE people in our squad reload on the first Star array, then turn around and get all 7 hits on the SECOND Star array without a reload! None of them shot the gun dry on the 2nd array. Apparently, they 'went to school' on themselves, and learned how to shoot the Star with no (0r few) misses. This is a credit to the determination and the ability to take risks and make it work which typifies IPSC competitors.

I wouldn't have chanced it. I just don't have the guts to go against the star and an IPSC target with fewer rounds than I can cram into the gun.


Here's a better picture of the star, along with it's creater. All of the clubs in the Columbia Cascade Section own, and use, a Star target.



JUNIORS
Mac has been working hard to develop a Juniors program in the Columbia Cascade Section. Toward that end, he has been actively seeking sponsorship. So far Glock America has provided a few Glock 17 pistols and magazines, and other sponsors have provided magazines and magazine carriers, for the Junior Program. I don't yet know who is providing ammunition, but these young people have been practicing HARD for this match. When I went to the range last Wednesday after work, I found Mac and a handful of the juniors at practice. I stopped in and watched them for a few minutes, and was impressed not only with the quality of the training which Mac is providing, but with the maturity and eagerness to learn of the students. I watched a few of them go through a simple field course, then Mac had them lined up at a shooting counter to practice the RIGHT way to do a reload ... with the pistol still mounted, instead of dropping it to waist level.

Not all of the Juniors attended this match, but SWMBO caught three of them waiting their turn at the Timed Fire exercise stage. Chris, Drew and Justin are impatient to shoot, and all three received special recognition at the awards ceremony at the end of the match.



I might mention that the Juniors managed to kick some Geek butt from time to time during the match, and it wasn't only on my disastrous first stage. Those young men are having a lot of fun, and they are enjoying the opportunity to play big games with the grown-ups, but they're also serious about their sport. But they don't let that keep them from the fun.

Chris' dad, Jeff, got his son into IPSC because Mac encouraged him. Jeff didn't shoot IPSC at the time, but after a few weeks of watching Chris have so much fun, Jeff got into the game too. It's an uphill battle for Jeff ... Chris is hard to beat! But they go to the matches together, and you never see either of them without a big grin on their faces.

Chris and Jeff help set up the match on Friday (Chris has already designed his first stage, which we shot at the ARPC match in June. It had not two, but THREE Texas Star targets! We don't like Chris much after that one! Okay, we do, but that young man has a mean streak, I think.)

While we were doing the setup, we were conscious of the need to insure that the same shooting challenge was offered to every competitor. Toward that end, all of the props, all of the steel targets, and the stands which supported the IPSC targets were fixed in place by driving ten-inch spikes into the ground, using a three-pound hammer. Chris was designated Official Hammer Guy, because he was so good at it. (Also, because us Old Guys didn't want to do the hard work.) As we were finishing with the last stage, Chris was spiking the steel target frames. ARPC President John (who also shoots IPSC) was watching Chris and finally said "Your arm is going to be SO sore tomorrow, you won't be able to shoot right; maybe I can FINALLY beat you!" Chris looked up at John, beamed a big smile at him, and said: "That's okay, I'm going to win a free gun tomorrow!"

Who can beat that kind of optimism?

IPSC WELFARE:
Oh, maybe I should explain that "win a free gun" comment.

EVERYBODY who shot the match received a ticket for a drawing. The match was sponsored by Springfield, which had provide FOUR hard-chromed Springfield Single-Stack pistols. The only restrictions were (a) you MUST be present during the drawing (at the end of the Award Ceremony) to win, and (b) you must prove eligibility to own a firearm via the usual BATFE process.

As it happened, Chris didn't win a pistol, and neither did Jeff.

However, my friend Fish ... did!

He had trouble with his Kimber through the match. No reason for the feeding problems have yet been identified, but the same ammunition and magazines worked just fine in the pistol he borrowed from another competitor. (Just one more example of how everybody supports the game ... we're all friends here, and nobody wants to win by making the other guy drop out just because he has equipment malfunctions. Heck, the MD, Mac, broke an extractor during the match; it took him about 5 minutes to find somebody at the match who had an extractor that would fit his gun, and who would not only loan it to him but stick around at the Safety Table while he fitted and tuned it.)

Because of his mechanical problems, Fish was clearly out of the running for winning an award, so it was entirely appropriate that he won a free gun 'just for showing up'.

As I remarked to Fish later, this is the only sport where you are awarded not only for doing well, but for being old (more later) and for showing up.

Some people refer to this "door prize" process derogatorily as "IPSC Welfare". I call it just one more way to make the game more attractive for people. I've been to so many matches which included prize tables, but only the very best shooters ever won the "Good Stuff". It's discouraging to the people who love to shoot, but don't have the skills (or time to practice) to get good enough to win. Everybody pays the same match fee, but the top ten percent get the goodies ... and they usually turn around and sell their prize, often before they leave the range. It seems appropriate to me that, since people who probably aren't going to win a trophy constitute 75 percent of the match fees, they should also be eligible for a prize.

I can't recall off-hand who won all of the other 3 guns, but I think only one of them finished in the top 25 percent. Seems reasonable to me.

WHAT DID I WIN?

Essentially, I came home with a T-shirt;



It's a very good shirt, as are all of the shirts available at ARPC SS matches. Emmanuel Bragg provided the trophies, the designs, and I don't know for sure whether he provided the shirts or not.

Here's a close-up of the design, which I think just about says it all:




Note the "No Yuppie Guns" icon. I love that, even though I usually shoot a 'yuppie gun'.


But that's not to say that I went home entirely empty-handed.


This is my trophy. I won SECOND Really Old Coot, which is a first for me. I've won Second Old Coot before, but I turned 60 this year and made the mistake of telling Mac about it.
Ever since, even though I tend NOT to register for the Super Senior category, Mac makes sure that I'm in the running.

I've talked to him about that. He just chuckles, doesn't say much, and continues to make sure I'm considered for the Super Old Coot award at every match.

WHAT DID MAC WIN?

He did NOT win a place in his class. Mac worked his skinny butt off during the match, before the match, and after the match. He was constantly called away from his squad during the match to solve problems, and he never complained. When he wasn't being called away, he was coaching the Junior Team. (He made sure that he was squadded with them, for just that reason.)

At the end of the awards ceremony, when it was time for the drawing for the guns, he had a special drawing ... one of the four guns was devoted to the people who worked the match either as Squad Leaders, setup crew, or match administration. This is just one of the ways that Mac insures that contributions are recognized.

The first drawing was for the Match Staff. Keith T., who won the match for the fourth year in a row, came forward to draw the winning ticket. He handed the ticket to Mac, who looked at it and laid it down on the table. Mac shook his head, laid the ticket on the table, then pulled a ticket stub from his pocket and laid it down beside the other half of the ticket. Then he told Keith to draw another ticket.

It was obvious that Keith had drawn Mac's ticket.

There was a pause, while Brian B. (who was helping with the ceremony) checked the tickets, then looked at Mac.

Then a voice from the crowd shouted:
"Mac, take the gun!"

The cry was taken up until everyone was chanting "TAKE THE GUN! TAKE THE GUN!"

Mac took the cased gun. Held it against his chest with both arms. Then put it down on a separate corner of the table. It was his, we all wanted it that way, and he accepted it.

We didn't all win a trophy, or a gun, or a Springfield hat. But nobody went home empty-handed.

Damn, I love this game.