Jerry-Atrics 1

The March 12, 2007 match at Albany Rifle and Pistol club is unofficially called the "Mothers Day" match. The squad I shot in is unofficially called the "Geriatrics Squad", because there were only a few of the 12 squadmembers who didn't fit into a Senior or SuperSenior category.

One of the non-senior shooters, John, is featured in several of the videos I plan to present and I gave him the URL for this website so he could watch his performance objectively.

There are a lot of videos of his shooting in this six-part series (officially completed as soon as YouTube comes back online and I can upload this video), but this one is especially interesting.

John ... seemed to have broken the rules.
The rules are, shoot the paper targets over the bar, shoot the steel under the bar.
He took a shot over the bar after he had APPARENTLY completed engaging all paper targets. Worse, the round hit the berm just over the steel target array.

Go look at the video. You be the RO. What would you do?


Music ("I Shot The Sheriff") by Mr. Eric Clapton.

The videos for this and all other stages in this match are available at Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery. The video for this particular stage (a 16mb download) is here.

Stage 1: Better Make Sure (CM99-50)
(Click the link to view the Stage design and procedures in PDF format.)

The designer of this 8-round Comstock Classifier has not been identified. by USPSA.

You can see the original YouTube video here.

Jerry-Atrics 2

Stage 2: Stupid Donut
(Click the link to view the Stage design and procedures in PDF format.)

Music ("Knockin' on Heaven's Door") by Mr. Eric Clapton.

The videos for this and all other stages in this match are available at Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery.

Mr. Mike McCarter is the designer of this 23-round Comstock stage, which includes 11 IPSC targets and 1 steel target.

Shooter starts in shooting box "A", and can engage all targets from that box and/or Shooting Box "B".

Shooting the Pepper Popper through the 'donut' activates the sliding window, which allows shooter to engage targets T1-T4 (not legally accesible from outside Shooting Box "A".)

Moving downrange through Shooting Box "B", targets T5-T6, T11 - T12 may be engaged.

Stepping on the activator box at the forward lateral wall activates bobbing target T8, as well as a no-shoot penalty target just behind the port (which is not an obstacle for tall competitors.)

Through the port, the shooter may engage moving target T8 as well as static targets T7 and T9. Note that the moving target is repetitively obscured by a steel-plate representing an IPSC target, and is considered "Hard-Cover".

All in all, it's a nifty little Mac McCarter Special stage design. Neat, but not gaudy.

You can see the original YouTube video here.

The 2006 Hostility To IPSC Award

We interrupt this series of actual USPSA Shooting Match articles to bring this Breaking News to your attention:


Jerry the Geek has been awarded 2nd place in the prestigious "Hostility to IPSC" competition. (Click on the title of this article to see the original award webpage ... as long as it remains available.)

I take great pride in this award, and I vow to continue my efforts in hopes that I win first Place in the 2007 competition.

There's a chance that it will actually happen. I draw your attention to my 2007 May Day post: "Target Control".

If that doesn't do it, I don't know what will.

Quality, not Quantity.

In the meantime, I offer my heartfelt congratulations to Jim Norman, the winner of the "2006 Hostility to IPSC" award.

Jim, I've watched your work for years and I have the utmost admiration for your accomplishment.

(Click on the image to see the full-size version. Click on the resulting image again to see a 'clean' version.)

Note that, according to the "Page Info" option, this page was last modified "Sunday, May 13, 2007 12:11:30 AM", and it expires "Sunday, May 13, 2007 12:11:30 AM".

I think that means I'm fortunate that several of my friends cared enough to forward this link to me before it expired. Otherwise, you may have missed this little hissy-fit expression of appreciation compiled by the self-described "IPSC Secretary", creator of the "Official IPSC Forum" (Global Village), and member of the "IPSC Inner Council".

I'm sure you share my joy in this achievement, as well as my hopes that I can do better in the 2007 competition. IPSC must be very proud of the way in which the IPSC Secretary represents the International Practical Shooting Confederation!

Jerry-Atrics 3

Stage 3: Up And Back
(Click the link to view the Stage design and procedures in PDF format.)

The videos for this and all other stages in this match are available at Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery.


Mr. Mike McCarter is the designer of this 22-round Comstock stage, which includes 9 IPSC targets and 4 steel targets.

Shooter starts in the large shooting box, hands are touching a "X-marked" spot on the lateral vision barrier. (Note: original requirement for toes to be touching the vision barrier were deleted due to safety considerations.)

Targets can be engaged from either end of a lateral wall, or from a port in the center. Shooting positions at the wall ends require backward movement to get around the arc of the v-shaped lateral wall to engage targets on the other end of the array. Steel targets are backed by no-shoot penalty targets.

Music: Eric Clapton - "Cocaine"


(Ignore the "Image Coming Soon" message. Push the button on this and all prior posts. It's a YouTube problem, the video(s) is/are UP!)
You can see the original YouTube video here.

Jerry-Atrics 4

Stage 5: Crap!Weak Hand!

(Click the link to view the Stage design and procedures in PDF format.)

Music will be provided by Mr. Eric Clapton, "Willy and the Hand Jive".

The videos for this (15mb) and all other stages in this match are available at Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery.

Mr. Mike McCarter is the designer of this 21-round Comstock stage (Originally 'Virginia Count', but changed due to the presence of steel targets), which includes 9 IPSC targets and 3 steel targets.

There are 3 strings:
String 1: starting with hands resting on window sill, pistol unloaded and resting on barrel, on signal load and engage 3 IPSC, 1 PP Free Style.

String2: starting with hands resting on window sill, pistol loaded and resting on barrel, on signal load and engage 3 IPSC, 1 PP Strong Hand Only.

String3: starting with hands resting on window sill, pistol loaded and resting on barrel, on signal load and engage 3 IPSC, 1 PP Weak Hand Only.

You can see the original YouTube video here.

Jerry-Atrics 5

Stage 5: Dundee Dang It

(Click the link to view the Stage design and procedures in PDF format.)


Music ("Swing Low, Sweet Chariot") is provided by Mr. Eric Clapton.

The video (10mb) for this stage is available at Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery.

Mr. Mike McCarter is the designer of this 24-round Comstock stage, which includes 6 IPSC targets and 12 steel targets.

Shooter starts anywhere in the large shooting box, as long as toes are touching a fault line.

Targets can be engaged from either end of a lateral wall, or from a port in the center. Shooting positions at the wall ends allows engagement of targets in front, or at a diagonal to the opposite side of the bay. Targets are placed behind vision barriers so that some targets must be engaged at a diagonal. A plate rack can only be engaged from the port in the center of the lateral wall.

(Ignore the "Image Coming Soon" message. Push the button on this and all prior posts. It's a YouTube problem, the video(s) is/are UP!)
You can see the original YouTube video here.

Jerry-Atrics 6

The March 12, 2007 match at Albany Rifle and Pistol club -- the "Mothers Day" match.
Stage 6: Emmit's Best (Click the link to see the Stage Procedures and design.)

The videos for this and all other stages in this match are available at Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery.

Mr. Mike McCarter is not only the Match Director but also is the designer of this 18-round Comstock stage, which includes 8 IPSC targets and 2 Pepper Poppers.

Shooter starts at the forward vision barrier, shoots through a low port and then backs up while engaging 3 IPSC targets. At the uprange edge of the large shooting box, 3 other IPSC targets may be engaged after moving to the other side of a fence which breaks the box into 2 lanes. Finally, having moved back to the downrange vision barrier, complete the stage while shooting through the other low port.




You can see the original YouTube video here.

Pistol Caliber Carbine Match - TCGC May 5

Tri-County Gun Club in Sherwood, Oregon, has lately been attempting to put on either a "Practical Shotgun" or a "Pistol Caliber Carbine" during most months. This month was a "Carbine" match on the first Saturday of May - Cinco de Mayo.

I had planned to shoot the match with my Mech Tech in .45acp caliber, but my Tasco Pro-Point I scope came up croppers the morning of the match with dead batteries. I had used it last month to show off to a co-worker, and neither of us had thought to turn the scope completely off when we were done. This is illustrative of the One Good Reason why battery-driven sights are Not Good.

When you really need them, they are invariably Toes Up.

I realized this at 7am on the morning of the match, and spent 2 hours driving 85 miles because I stopped at every convenience store on the way looking for a place which stocked these very different batteries. I didn't find one -- ONE -- on the trip.

What the heck, I decided to complete the trip so I could at least watch the match, maybe even get some pictures.

When I arrived at 9:30 am (a half-hour after the match was scheduled to start), I discovered that they were still setting up the six VERY challenging stages and nobody had started shooting yet.

I talked to The Hobo Brasser and explained my quandary. He replied: "I have plenty of ammunition, why don't you just use my gun?"

I accepted his generous offer before he had a chance to change his mind, and signed up for the match (and paid my $17 fee ... which included a 'tear-down' charge) immediately.

The 'tear-down' charge deserves comment.

In the Columbia-Cascade (CCS) Section of USPSA, match fees typically run about $15. Recently, the three clubs (ARPC, Dundee and TCGC) have established crews to tear down the stages and put away the targets and props. They charge an extra (not optional) two dollars to the match fees, adn when you're done shooting ... you can go home!
As it turned out, only about a dozen shooters showed up for THIS match, so the tear-down crew only shared $24 for their half-hour extra labor. But it encourages shooters to come out to the NEXT match, when they know that they don't have to work after the match has finished.

(Note that the last match in CCS, which was a Classifier match at Dundee, there were 70 shooters. This provided $140 to be shared among the two people who volunteered to tear down the stages. Not bad wages for a half-hour's work.)

The idea of a Pistol-caliber Carbine Match is that it provides a venue where you can use a notational rifle to shoot what is essentially an IPSC match, which is in turn an excuse to buy another gun.

Works for me.

I bought the Mech Tech last year just so I could shoot these matches. But I didn't count on the gun being hors de Combat in the actual event, which leads me back to the borrowing of Hobo's Beretta "Storm" CX4 9mm carbine.


The Beretta is currently available in 9mm, and is (supposedly) also available in several other calibers as well. To my surprise, the 9mm version using commercially loaded ammunition is entirely adequate to knock down plates and pepper poppers at 30 meters distance, and is still accurate at 50 meters distance.

Several of the people in my squad were using AR15 variants in 9mm, and although they had to modify their hi-cap (30+ round) magazines to fit the magazine well, they found that their carbines functioned reliably and got accurate hits at the distances involved in the stages designed by Gary "The Tool Man".

Note that Gary has been MD of several matches of this type in the past six months, and they are typified by high-round-count and accuracy-intensive designs. As an example, he puts a lot of bowling pins on the stages, at sometimes extreme distances. He also includes 4" square plates at distances out to 50 meters. This is an extreme challenge, and most of the competitors opted to use the electronic dot-sights to provide quick acquisition of tiny targets at extreme ranges.

Of the many minor events which (as is typical of IPSC matches) made the day interesting even for knowledgeable spectators, I note that Norm the Ungrateful quit after 3 stages. His own Beretta Storm was not retaining magazines reliably. The Hobo brasser faced the same challenge, but he had already learned from David (no nickname) that there was a 'fix' for this design oversight. The specifications for this are available at a previous post, here.



Ultimately, the story is that I not only got to shoot the match, but I now hunger for a 9mm Beretta 'Storm' of my own. The carbine is quick, accurate, reliable and user friendly.

It's also Star Wars sexy.


To illustrate what the Beretta "Storm" (CX4) can do in the hands of a Fat Old Man (in which category I definately claim membership), I offer this video of The Hobo Brasser shooting it in the first stage of the day:

This makes more sense when you realize that the Theme of the match was "Miami Vice", the 1980's Television show.

Guest Blog: CX4 Beretta Storm Magazine Adaption

Guest Blogger: The Hobo Brasser
(Click on the Image for link to Defense.com review of the Beretta CX4 Storm Carbine.)


It appears by disassembly and close examination, that Beretta may have forgotten a small bend in the magazine catch spring. The hole that the short end of the spring goes into is actually molded on an angle, and it appears that they forgot to bend the spring in the same approximate angle, and is not correctly seating into the hole.

I made a slight adjustment bend to the spring, and everything is working perfectly, and now has a very strong and smooth button, and NO slop and the mag is now being held properly. This will now let the catch properly grab the magazine for a sure grip.

When everyone's mag catch is not fully catching, the mags slip out and end up bending the catch.

While you have everything disassembled, slide out the little metal catch and turn it around for a NEW START.



Who Needs To do this?
Anyone who feels any lateral slop in their magazine catch button. Even if your magazines are staying in the gun at this time, eventually (soon) you may experience the dropping problem.

Disassembly pictures can be found at http://www.tacticalexcellence.com/ in the Gallery section.

http://home.wi.rr.com/drdanke/magproblem1.jpg



(http://svr20.thump.net/1190199/drdanke/images/magproblem1.jpg)

Geek Visual Additions, from the cited webpage:


Here's how the spring can be seen in the assembled state.


Here's how it looks in the removed magazine release

Click on the images for a close-up view.

My Generation!

A remake of The Who's hit, by "The Zimmers".


The average age of the band is 78 years.

"Hope I die before I get old!"

Hat Tip: Kim Kommando

Trigger Fingers: 1 is good, 2 is not-good

Somebody doesn't know much about guns.




Ian Rankin is not a bad writer. He's very big in the UK, I understand.

Well, they haven't had legal handguns there for ... what, a decade?

In the process, they've become even more out-of-touch with the principles of gun-handling than the American Main-Stream Media.

For those of you who are at a loss when presented with the question "What's Wrong With This Picture", the answer is -- if you need two fingers to pull the trigger, give it up. You won't hit anything anyway.

Oddly enough, this was the cover illustration for Rankin's 1993 book "Witch Hunt", about a female assassin. (This is actually the cover for the 2004 republished edition.)

Ah my, The Brits. I love 'em, but they don't have much of an IPSC program there any more, y'know.

It's a Whole Lot More Important

The Hobo Brasser sent me this video, and I'm including it here because ... well, the title says it all.

The story line of this ABC Television video is that a Texas man has made it his priority, "300 days a year", to go to the DFW airport every day with as many people he can talk into accompanying him, to meet the plane carrying American military service men and women as they return from active duty in a combat zone.

This video struck an intensely personal note in my heart, because when I returned from VietNam in 1969 the only person present to gladly greet me was my wife. Not that I didn't appreciate her welcome, but I remember thinking about the ticker-tape parades and brass bands of World War II veerans, and wondering whether there was something about my service which was less honorable than theirs.

At least these military men and women will not be haunted by this doubt, that their military service is unappreciated, for the rest of their lives.



This is also available in the original 6mb download here.

Target Control

We're all aware of the ongoing "Gun Control" movement. That is, an organized effort (at levels from municipal to the United Nations) to deprive private citizens from owning, possessing and [gasp!] carrying firearms.

But how many of us are aware of "Target Control"?

Well, those of us who are members, however removed, of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) are aware that some targets are just NOT acceptable to some individuals, some NGOs ("Non-Governmental Organizations"), and some governments.

As an example, there are governments in this sad world which WILL allow its citizens to shoot at paper targets ... reluctantly, and with many restrictions ... but will NOT allow its citizens to shoot at 'humanoid targets'. That is, any target which however vaguely represents the human profile.


And as a consequence, IPSC several years ago designed and published the design for a "Classic" target (left), which looks much like a stop sign, for use in countries where it is illegal to shoot at a "Metric" target (right), which looks much like a Human.


In point of fact, in IPSC it's not only a matter of human-shaped targets, it's also a matter of 'perceptions based on scale. There are two metal targets in common use at IPSC matches which have a vertically rectilinear shape with a circular extrusion in the top third of the target.


These are called "Pepper Poppers". They come in two sizes: large, and small. The small target (called the "US POPPER") was advocated to represent a (larger) Pepper Popper as it would be seen at a greater distance.

It's not "politically correct" to present the two sizes together on the same stage.

Why?

Because someone commented that it "looks like a momma and her children", and as soon as that comment became widely known, IPSC Management (either International, Regional or Local) began to make rules forbidding their consanguinity.

Or should that be "Propinquity". I often get these big words mixed up.

Apparently, IPSC Management doesn't know the difference, either.

__________________________

Now that we have established the tendency of IPSC Management to concern itself with Political Correctness, let us discuss the legitimacy of the Texas Star.

I've recently been featuring a new variant on that target, which I have dubbed "The Evil Oregon Star". It's a shameless steal from "Some Other Folks", you can see the trail of controversy in recent posts and the link to the original design is found here, with due credit to the original post found at the Brian Enos Forum.

This design was noted by local mad-man Evil Bill, who immediately set out to build his own version. It was featured in an article here called Evil Bill's Oregon Star, featuring a YouTube video of ten seconds duration.

I checked my blogstats the day after that article was posted. In the first 24 hours, I had over 600 hits on that article as the entry point. Over 520 of those entries came from a forum called Canadian Gun Nutz (registration required) under the title " The most Evil IPSC traget array to date" (sic).

In a word, IPSC people are "interested" in a new, challenging target.

Please don't assume that ANY of the following comments are intended as a reflection on the members of this forum. I've been a member of this forum since January, 2005, and while I haven't been a regular 'contributing' participant I have enjoyed 'lurking' until the discussion focused on this article which I posted in my own blog.

Early comments mentioned favorably the challenge of shooting what is essentially a Texas Star, with a 'windmill' array tacked on the back with four paper targets ... rotating in the opposite direction.

Within 9 hours, someone posted a reference to "carnival" stages, which I assume is a slightly derogatory reference to stages which are not purely 'practical' in nature. (Give that I've been competing in IPSC matches since 1983, and in the intervening years I have watched the sport veer wildly from the original 'practical' stages such as the venerable "El President" stage, I can only assume that this term refers to any stage which looks more like a carnival shooting gallery than a representation of the scenario which a person might reasonably engage when, for example, meeting the President of a South American Country and his two bodyguards and having to engage each with two rounds and then inexplicably having to reload even though I may have started with a race-gun loaded with a 25-round magazine.)

I know, that parenthetical comment was a run-on sentence. I don't care. The artificial restrictions on run-on sentences are discouraged because they are difficult to read, and the goal of good writing is to be easy to read.

But it does illustrate the difference between good writing and good shooting. Good shooting is not suppose to be easy. Whether a stage is colorful, challenging or looks like a small-scale Ferris wheel doesn't necessarily detract from the value of the stage.

Here's the deal:

As the dialogue continued (over 50 posts so far), the tone of the conversation changed from a tentative awe at the complexity of the shooting problem to the question of whether this target array or, in fact, the TEXAS STAR was legally permissible according to IPSC.

I posted to the forum, and mentioned my surprise that someone may question the acceptability of the Texas Star as a legal target. The first response:

"No suggestion. Fact. Try and submit a match with it to IPSC (NOT USPSA) for approval. You'll find out pretty quick.

USPSA picks and chooses which IPSC rules they want to use; so in the US, you're probably GTG."

My reply was a request for someone -- anyone -- to cite the rules by which IPSC had made this determination.

The next day, the only response I had received was:

There was a big discussion about this on the IPSC World forum. Vince Pinto had said that any L3 with a Texas Star would not be sanctioned.

I suggested that the source was not as definitive as a citation to the rule book, and subsequent responses indicated that they were not acceptable in Level III matches. Eventually someone stated:

I just received the word from our section coordinator. No t-star in any match above level 1 ( He just received the official notification) So the t-star must be pulled from the match.

Another member replied:

I'll double check my email when I get to work in the morning...but I'm pretty sure Level 1's would be out as well (any IPSC sanctioned match)

At this point (five days after the original post), nobody has been able to cite a rule which would ban the Texas Star (let alone the Evil Oregon Star) from IPSC competition.

You've got to question whether this is just local/section level decisions based on 'expectations', or whether someone is talking to IPSC Management. I know that's the big question in MY mind.

So I'm signing on to the IPSC Forum to see if I can find some reference to Texas Star.

I find "The Official IPSC Forum" is called "Global Village" with the URL of http://ipsc.invisionzone.com/

The progenitor of this forum?

Vince Pinto.

Here is the sequence of "authoritative" comments from The Official IPSC Forum. The topic:

Texas Star, Can I Use It In Level III Competition: (Registration Required)

When looking through some stage designes (sic)I have often come accross (sic) a target called Texas star. As I have never seen it in our region I would like to know something more about it.For example what is it like,how does it react when hit,is it still or moving,how can I construct such one ?

Source: Velilzar, 4 Apr 2006

• Nobody Important, from Bulgaria

Response from An Authoritative Source (IPSC Canada):

I understand that Texas Stars can be great fun to shoot.

However, they are unlikely to be approved for IPSC matches because they are more of a gimmick than a true IPSC "practical" target.

Certainly as the IPSC Shotgun Course Reviewer I wouldn't approve a stage that included a Texas Star.

If you want want a Texas Star for fun shoots at your club I'm sure you will get some useful feedback from other members.

Source: Neil Beverly - 4 Apr, 2006

• IPSC Shotgun Rules Chairman
• Resident of "UK"
• IPSC President's Council
• IROA Executive Committee
• USPSA member
• ... and other citations

I urge you, especially being a new Region, not to bother spending time and money making a Texas Star. Some people might think it's fun to shoot but, as Neil Beverley has already cautioned, you won't get IPSC Level III or higher sanctioning for any match which includes a Texas Star, because it's considered to be a "carnival" prop.

Vince Pinto, 6 APR 2006, responding to an IPSC member from Bulgaria

• IPSC Secretary
  

I can assure you swingers and gravity turners are found at Level III + Matches .. WSXIV had an assortment of movers, single swingers, double swingers, gravity turners ..

I shot a Level III Match in Feb, which had a total of 24 Swingers in 12 stages ..

In the context of an IPSC Stage, what does the Texas Star simulate ?

Kevin, 7 Apr., 2006

• Nobody special, just Member #63 from Singapore

Hey Kevin,

Did you notice how the Texas Star is being defended by ....... Texans?

Of course they're also responsible for the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, so I guess they're not all crazy! Must only be the ones from Austin & Houston?

Source: Vince Pinto, 7 Apr. 2006

• IPSC Secretary, from Hong Kong

Well, that was edifying. I didn't see any rules or 'interpretations' being cited. I must have read through it too fast, so if you found a citation I would be grateful if you would post it in the COMMENTS section.

Here's another thread from the Official IPSC Forum, only coincidentally started on 10 APR. 2006:

What makes a "Legal" target array?

The question put before this bunch of stalwart and true gentleman and gentlewomen is this:

What makes a legal target array?

In another thread the question was raised, but not answered beyond the famous American politician quote about pornography ("...I will know it when I see it").

Some think that a target array has to be "practical" (vice "carnival") to be legal. However, there is no definition of "practical" (or "carnival") target arrays to be found in the rule book. Either the one half the world's shooters use, or the amended one that the other half of the world's shooters use (sic)

Source: Alex, 20 APR 2006

• Nobody (apparently) important. Sorry ... Important! (From Ankara, Turkey)
  

.....the moderators edit fast around here. gif" border="0">

I thought Alex had a good question before his post was cut to 1/10 of what he wrote.

My reply to this thread is below as this issue has been bubbling for a while and I am no nearer understanding it.

I am sure I will be the unfortunate victim of some more swift moderating gif" border="0">

---------------------------------------------

I think I am just as confused as some others here to be honest about what EXACTLY is an IPSC suitable way of thinking, as compared to one that would not be in the 'SPIRIT' of IPSC. This is not written down or taught anywhere. We hear from our well informed and experianced (sic) Moderators as to their views, but without this being documented its very hard trying to gauge the mentality or the methodology behind this ethos.

On one hand IPSC is trying to distance itself away from non PC self defence scenarios but on the other hand phrases are used where we are trying to still use this basis: hence I am confused.

Source: Mike, 10 APR 2006

• Nobody "Important" (from UK)
  

The thread was closed because the IPSC Secretary stated the official IPSC policy in respect of the Texas Star, namely that proposing use of such a target will cause Level III or higher sanctioning to be denied, and a further statement was made explaining the procedure necessary for that policy to be reversed.

If you (or anybody else, for that matter) think the subject target is so fascinating, you're free to use it to your heart's content, but IPSC is also free to deny any application for Level III sanctioning. By the same token, if you want to host a match requiring that blackpowder (sic) guns be used exclusively, you're also free to do so, but that match will also be denied IPSC sanctioning.

Bottom line: Your "rights" do not trump IPSC's "rights".

Source: Vince Pinto, 11 APR 2006

• IPSC Secretary

Wait a minute, Vince Pinto (in his capacity as Official IPSC World Forum Moderator) quoted Vince Pinto (in his capacity as Official IPSC Secretary) as his justification for closing the thread.

Can he do that?

Well, I guess so.

Vince Pinto apparently not only owns the OFFICIAL IPSC World Forum, but also owns IPSC. It's his Forum, it's his International Practical Shooting Confederation, and it's his Big Dick. He can do anything he wants.

Three words immediately occur:

1. Arbitrary
2. Unilateral
3. Autocratic

Okay, Canadian Gun Nutz, here's the challenge. Who are you going to believe? Vince Pinto (who seems to consider his own opinion and office all the authority he needs), or the Official Rule Book (which was written by ... Vince Pinto)?

Even Vinny can't find a rule which will support his position, but still he seems comfortable with Rule by Fiat.

Dare we mention that he can't even agree with himself?

Vinny, my dear friend ... it isn't easy being you, is it?

__________________________________

Note: I offer my most abject apologies for not having noticed this situation earlier. I'm not doing my job. Fact is, I have avoided The Official IPSC World Forum for YEARS, because it is the love child of ... Vince Pinto.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Evil Oregon Star 0 - Presenting the Evil Oregon Star

The Evil Oregon Star is a new event on the horizon of Practical Pistol Competition in the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA), so you may have some questions about it.

This short video (also available as a 6mb download from Jerry The Geek's Video Shooting Gallery) may be a first step in understanding what's so Evil about this Star.

The first segment depicts the Match Walkthrough in the April 28, 2007, match at Dundee Oregon where it is first presented as a 'fun stage' in Dundee's annual Classifier match. Note the "Quote of the Day":

"Is this because too many new shooters are staying with the sport?"

The second (short) segment shows the response when it is first presented to the squads.

The third segment shows how to reset the target array, in its present configuration.



Note that this video is not only available through You Tube, but is also available in its full (6mb) WMV format at Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery.

Other links to this target are:

Evil Oregon Star 1: Geek's Bane
Evil Oregon Star 2: The Movie
Evil Bill's Oregon Star

.

Evil Oregon Star 1: Geek's Bane

An earlier article (Evil Oregon Star 2: The Movie) showed how ten competitors handled the Evil Oregon Star, creative brain child of Evil Bill.

The video below shows the entire stage. The purpose is to provide a context in which the Evil Star is only one element.

The competitor is Jerry the Geek, who hasnt' hit the plate on the first shot in six out of the last ten stages in which it was presented. Still, it's a short video.



This video is also available as a 6mb download from Jerry the Geek's Shooting Gallery, as are all videos and phots from this match and ANY video or picture displayed here.

Other articles in this series are:

Evil Oregon Star 0 (Presenting The Evil Oregon Star)

Evil Oregon Star 2 (The Movie)

Evil Bill's Oregon Star

(Note: links available at the last location will provide a deeper exploration of the Genesis of the Evil Oregon Star)

Evil Oregon Star 2: The Movie

It has been four days since I posted the 'breadboard' video of Evil Bill's Texas Star ... arbitrarily designated (by me) the "Evil Oregon Star". As anticipated, Evil Bill set it up as a 'fun stage' during the Dundee Annual Classifier match, we shot it, and we were indeed intimidated.

In truth, there are no significant differences between the Evil Oregon Star and the Texas Star, except that the Evil Star provides serious penalties for missing the plates.

Those of you who say the original post have already postulated the problems inherent in the design, and you have been proved right in many of your cautionary notes.

The lessons provided by the experience have been carefully noted, and the designer ("Evil Bill") was kind enough to stop by during the match and discuss them with me.

Early in the match ... while the second squad was shooting that stage, Bill mentioned:

"Yes, we're getting a lot of splatter from both the angle-iron on the part of the arm that holds the plate, and it's tearing up the paper targets in the background. We're also seeing a lot of hits on the two rods (leading from the axle to the plate) and that also tears up the cardboard IPSC targets. So far, we haven't had any problems with the plates hitting the cardboard. They're dropping clean to the ground. As for the weight (the blue-painted cylinder that initiates the movement), I never thought it would be a problem and it isn't."

By the time we got to that stage ... we were the fourth squad to shoot it, Bill's evaluation had changed significantly. Note that there were about 70 shooters distributed into six squads in this Club Match, so he had a lot of information from which to draw his conclusions. The product of this testing is an entire new design, which Bill was able to evolve while he was watching other people shoot the stage.

"There are two big problems with this target. First, we're getting way too much splatter from the rounds which hit the supporting arms. I'm going to take off the angle-iron and replace it with a mild steel plate. This should cause the bullets to bounce off instead of splattering the target. In fact, I'm going to weld this plate the length of the supporting arms so the bullets don't hit the rods, either. Most misses which hit the support arms should not hit the targets behind them."

"Second, I was wrong about the way the plates drop. I solid center-hit from a major-power bullet can push the plates back so they hit the targets behind them. This is tearing up the cardboard. I'm going to move the (windmill array, which supports the cardboard targets) back another foot. This will keep the plates from hitting them, and may reduce the effect of 'splatter', too."

Bill said he will re-engineer the target so he has the new (version 2.0) design ready for the May match. If he says so, it will happen.

He also said that if anyone wants to build a similar target, they can "EM" (E-Mail) him and he will send them the parts list.

(You can email him here: billmarrs at verizon dot net ... replace the "at" with "@" and the "dot" with ".")

You can also reach Evil Bill by sending an email to me, at the address shown at the bottom of this page, and I will forward your mail to him. But I really hope you contact him directly!

He said that before he realized that it required an extensive re-design, so if you are inclined to build your own Evil Oregon Star, you may email him but don't be surprised if it takes him a while to evolve an updated parts list. This is a project in development, and sometimes it takes a lot of field testing before the best design is available. (Bill didn't say that; I said that.)

I plan to provide three articles based on the Evil Oregon Star.

Evil 00: Presenting The Evil Oregon Star
This features a video of the Match Walk-through, including comments from the competitors (note especially the "Quote Of The Day". Also, there is a short vignette when the squad I was in walked through the stage, and a third part where the squad is taping targets, replacing plates and setting up the initiating mechanism on the star.

Evil 01: Geeks Bane - The Evil Oregon Star Stage
This is a short video showing the entire stage in which the Evil Oregon Star is only another target array. It provides a perspective for those who wonder how important the Star might be compared to the other targets. In the actual event, you may decide that this is not the part of the stage which slows the shooter down.

Evil Oregon Star 2: The Movie
That would be THIS article. I've included a (YouTube) video which suggests that some people can get past this stage without many more problems than would be presented with just a Texas Star. Others may find that the Evil Oregon Star is ... I hesitate to say "more intimidating", but at least "more confusing" than the Texas Star.

Now that you've read the preamble, here's how ten competitors fared on The Evil Oregon Star.



Note that this video is also available as a 15mb download from Jerry the Geek's Shooting Gallery. The other videos presented in part 1 and part 2 are also available there.

These videos, and accompanying still photos, may not be available for a couple of days due to the delay in editing and publishing them.



.

Book teaches boys how to be 'Dangerous'

Book teaches boys how to be 'Dangerous' - CNN.com



I want to get me one of these!

In fact, I'll get one for each of my children.

They will have it, then, to share with THEIR children, as they get old enough to appreciate the lore.

But I don't think it's just for boys. My grand-daughters are going to enjoy it just as much, I bet.

In the meantime, maybe they'll let me borrow it.

It is available May 1 from Amazon.com for $14.97

Evil Bill's Oregon Star

Last Week (in "Geek's Bane") I warned my fellowIPSC shooters in Oregon's Columbia Cascade Section that our good friend and competitive benefactor, Dundee's "Evil Bill", had taken to heart my warning against the "Evil Star". (NB: this video does NOT show up inNetScape browser, but seems to work in Firefox and IE browsers.)

In return, Evil Bill vowed to modify an existing Texas Star to include added Evil Features.

Okay, it's a done deal and here is what it looks like in Evil Bill's workshop.




You can see the original video provided by Evil Bill here.
(3.02mb download) After this weekend's IPSC match at the Dundee range, I'll set up a sub-album in Jerry the Geek's Shooting Gallery showing how the Evil Oregon Star actually works in a
match.

I note in passing current (IPSC Handgun Competition Rules, USPSA Version, January 2004) USPSA rules include this restriction on target presentation:

2.1.8.4 - Static paper targets must not be presented at an angle greater than 90 degrees from the verticle.

This was proposed by IPSC (and subsequently accepted -- egregiously, I think) because the "Classic" target is roughly symmetrical in outline although the higher-scoring zones (eg: the "A-zone" are vertically asymmetrical.

This rule was imposed to the benefit of the competitor, who is often unable to determine the placement of this higher-scoring zone at a sufficient distance from the target. The "Metric" target, typically used inUSPSA competition, does not suffer from this design flaw.

For those who are wondering whether this target is legal under current IPSC / USPSA rules: yes, it is. As presented here, it is not a "static" target. That is, because the targets are moving, the rule does not apply to this target array. (One wonders what outrage would be generated if this target array were presented in anIPSC match when fitted with "Classic", rather than "Metric", targets.)

We in USPSA are encouraged by the recent publication of the draft 2008 USPSA rule book, which corrects this flaw as well as several others which are in the 2004 rule book and which have caused so much confusion and discord inUSPSA matches.

Liberal Americans Think ....?

Liberal Americans think Harry Reid is a Great American, when he's really just a cheese-eating surrender monkey.

Liberal Americans think Alec Baldwin is a fine actor, when he's really a child abuser.

Liberal Americans think Partial Birth Abortion is a legitimate birth-control measure, when it's really murder of a child in the very act of being born.

Liberal Americans think Sheryl Crow is an entertainer, when she's really a barking moonbat who believes using a single sheet of toilet paper to wipe your bottom should be enough for everyone.

(BTW, does anyone know her shipping address? I would like to send her a year's supply of toilet paper - in a #10 business envelope. What? It will only hold 150 sheets of Charmin? That's okay, as long as she doesn't offend herself.)

Liberal Americans think ....?

I think not.

A Case for Fruit Control

San Mateo Daily Journal

In keeping with my unfortunate tendency to equate gun-control messages with those which support ANY kind of 'hateful' weaponage, I give to you the Case for Fruit Control.

Tiffany Adler, 20, appeared in court Friday for the first time since being arrested on two misdemeanor counts of each crime. She pleaded not guilty and asked the court to appoint an attorney. She and her lawyer return to court July 2 for jury trial and she remains free from custody on her own recognizance.

On March 4, Adler reportedly lobbed apples and asparagus at a gay couple walking on the 500 block of Esplanade Drive. The van in which she was riding then turned around and Adler yelled “faggot” at the men, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Pacifica police reported finding asparagus in Adler’s purse at the time of arrest.

Adler reportedly said the couple frequented the grocery store at which she works. She told police she was unaware the victims were gay and her actions were based on a prior conflict rather than discrimination.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe sees it differently.

“We definitely think this is a hate crime,” he said. “This one is pretty offensive.”

If convicted, Adler faces possible jail time and probation.

(Emphasis added)

The two high-lighted sentences are probably the most telling:

Pacifica police reported finding asparagus in Adler’s purse at the time of arrest.

Of course, that's prima facea evidence of intent, or ... uh ... something.

“We definitely think this is a hate crime,” he said. “This one is pretty offensive.”

Oh, dear! This one isn't a cross-burning, it's an ingenue with an itch.

"Pretty offensive"?

Please, spare me. The recent events (the VT massacre) provides a standard by which 'offensive' actions may be compared. This one event doesn't even deserve mention, let alone criminal prosecution. I'm sure the Pacifica police department has better things to do.

A Babe with Broccoli ("... and I'm not afraid to use it!") is a joke.

Why do I think that Zero Tolerance has gone mad in Pacifica?