In the course of seeing how bad the video quality was from the Memorial Day Steel Match, compared to the HD video I shot earlier, I edited my Match Checklist this morning to add my HD camera. I use this checklist to remind me of what I need to do, and I typically start it a few days before the match.
I thought I would share it with you. Here’s the checklist. Feel free to copy it for your own use.
As I've related before, on Memorial Day the Creekside Firing Range in Cartersville, Georgia, hosts an annual Memorial Day Fundraiser. Consisting of a pistol match, and auction, and a tactical rifle match, all proceeds from the match this year went to the widow and two children of a soldier from the Chattanooga, Tennessee area, who was killed in Afghanistan this past year.
I shot in the morning Steel Challenge match, which attracted about 40 competitors. I didn't stay around this year for the auction or the rifle match, mostly because I don't own an AR-15 - yet. (More on this later.)
The shooters were split into two sqauds, and we shot 5 stages.
STAGE 1
Stage 1 was simple enough. The shooter started out seated at a table, with the gun loaded and lying on the table facing downrange. At the buzzer, we engaged five 4-inch targets at 20 yards, then moved to the second shooting area, where we engaged another five 4-inch targets at 20 yards.
Sounds simple, yes. Easy, no.
Four inch targets are small, very small at 20 yards. That's the X ring on a NRA D1 target, or half the center "-0" ring on the IDPA target.
Couple that with being the first stage of the day, and it wasn't pretty. I shot it in 32 seconds, and I was in the upper half of results if I had to guess. I bet I took 25 rounds.
STAGE 2
Stage 2 was just Stage 1, reversed. Start standing, shoot with the opposite hand, and progress to the seated position.
Okay, I had practiced drawing with my right hand and moving the gun to the left hand, and I had done some dry firing left handed, but not enough. As I tweeted at the time, I found out that, shooting left handed, I flinch in a way totally different from how I flinch right handed.
All stages carried a 90 second par time, and I ran out of time on this one, with only 4 targets knocked down. Since each target missed added 10 seconds, my score was 140 seconds. Yuck.
The best way I can describe my performance on this stage is to compare it with a drunk Kid Shelleen in the movie Cat Ballou. Only, I wasn't drunk.
STAGE 3
Stage 3, for me, was a lot easier. From left to right there were two full size pepper poppers, then five groups of two smaller poppers, set in front of each other. The shooters were allowed to move along a fault line, set 20 yards from the targets, that ran the length of the targets. Some shooters moved along the line, Sundance style, while I prefered to stand and deliver.
I shot the stage in under 20 seconds, using fifteen shots. Now we're talking.
One observation was that I was actually able to call my shots on this stage. Rather than wait until I saw the target fall, I knew when I broke the shot that my sights were aligned, so I trusted that the shot was made. I even knew when I had made the three misses.
STAGE 4
Stage 4 is shown above, from a little left of the shooting area. It consisted of two Texas Stars and a popper. One plate on each Star was painted yellow, and the rules specified that these two plates had to be shot first, or there was a 10 second penalty. The problem was, the yellow plate on the back Star was in line with one of the plates on the front Star, so that you had to hit the yellow plate on the front Star first, and when the front Star started spinning, you had a shot at the back Star's yellow plate.
Once the two yellow plates were down, you could then engage any plates you wanted, in any order. Of course, with a Texas Star, that's is about a hundred times easier said than done.
I managed to clean the stage in under 70 seconds, although I did knock off a non-yellow plate from the front Star before I hit the yellow plate on the back Star, so I incurred a ten second penalty.
STAGE5
Stage 5 was a mix of twelve targets, 4 inch plates and poppers, all at about 15 yards. I kept things simple and engaged them left to right. Shot it clean, with a decent time, again calling my shots. On this one, I asked a fellow competitor to take some video.
Sorry for the crappy video quality, I left the HD camera at home. I've got to add that one to my checklist.
In all, I enjoyed the match, even if I didn't shoot as well as I could on the first two stages. I like shooting steel matches because the feedback is definite, and the scoring is simple.
As soon as I know where I placed I will let you know.
This Monday is Memorial Day, and I plan to spend the morning as I did last year, shooting the Memorial Day Fundraiser pistol match at Creekside Firing Range in Cartersville, Georgia. Each year for the past seven years, Joe Harris at Creekside has donated all the proceeds of the Memorial Day Fundraiser to the family of a fallen serviceman in the Atlanta area. The Fundraiser includes a steel challenge pistol match in the morning, an auction of shooting gear, and a tactical rifle match in the afternoon.
In addition, at 12:01 PM, I plan to go silent in honor of a fallen US serviceman.
I choose to remember two people - SSG Jordan Bear, age 25, of Denver, Colorado, and PFCPayton Jones,age 19, of Marble Falls, Texas.
Both served in Bravo Company of the 2nd Batallion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, and were killed March 1, 2012, at COP Sangesar, Afghanistan. You can read about their encounter in this New York Times article.
These men, this incident, and this newspaper article hit home for me, because my youngest brother is a SFC in the same unit. In fact, Lieutenant Davis, pictured in the article, is my brother's Platoon Leader. He has spoken at length with the NYT reporter who wrote this story.
Please consider going to this site and pledging to remember a fallen American.
I was privileged to spend yesterday evening in the company of a number of other bloggers, for dinner and drinks and discourse, all arranged by Mr. and Mrs. Borepatch. The catalyst for it all was Sean Sorrentino's visit from North Carolina on business. We were joined by Robert of the Second Amendment and Liberty blog, and his wife, and by TerriLiGunn of the ReloadNRetry blog.
As you can imagine from such a diverse crew, the conversation was literally all over the place. Some of the topics included:
Sean's recent vacation in Europe. Suffice to say I am glad I live in the USA; how we got into shooting, and he we got involved in blogging; military experience, some overt and some covert; the absurdity of languages that assign gender to nouns; hair and lack of it; and how to deal with anti-gunners' apoplexy over why we choose to carry a gun (thanks to Tam for supplying the consensus approach).
Interestingly absent from the discussions was any kind of caliber preference, either via rifle or handgun. I think we agreed tacitly that the best gun is the one you have.
We are starting to plan some kind of Georgia Blogger Shoot later this spring or summer. We are looking for suitable outdoor venues, and will be exploring them. In the meantime, suggestions are welcome.
Competition is good. It helps you practice your gun handling skills, and it exposes you to a stressful environment which at least simulates a real world encounter. In the world of pistol competition, there always seems to be a lot of discussion about which pistol sport is more "defensive based" and more "real world" - USPSA or IDPA.
IDPA is the International Defensive Pistol Association, and it was founded in 1996, as a response by some who felt that IPSC competitions were getting too far from the intended purpose. Namely, the founders didn't like the IPSC trend toward "race guns," or guns purpose built for competition, and felt that there should be a sport that required the use of normal carry guns, with stages based on more real world scenarios.
The object of practical pistol skill is not to win trophies, but rather to stop fights. Muzzle brakes and reduced loads are backward steps and not to be regarded as progress. When we see the terms "race gun" and "carry gun" as representing two different instruments, we learn that some people at least have lost sight of the object of the exercise.
This comes from none other than the founder of IPSC and its first president, Jeff Cooper.
Interestingly, he goes on.
It is important not to become dogmatic about this.
Whoa. Dogmatic doesn't even touch some of the "discussion" I hear.
He concludes:
If there is a better way or a better weapon, let's have it. But I have not seen this developing in pistolcraft, at least not recently. Those of us who have studied the matter deeply understood this a good many years ago. We will change when we are shown why we should, but not until then.
In this light, the recent trend in USPSA toward the Production division is certainly welcome.
So, if you're serious about shooting, you should be competing, both to build defensive skills, and to do so in a stressful environment. It seems clear that it doesn't matter which sport you choose, as long as you keep your goals in mind. The rules may be different, but the goal should be the same.
If we get away from the original intent, however, we risk making it into something it isn't suited to be, and something it wasn't meant to be.
I've had the pleasure to meet a lot of very good people in the shooting community. I won't name names, but I've written about them in this blog before.
Today I was participating with the guys at Gear Patriot in a conversation on Twitter, visiting my post on the Twitter Accounts Every Shooter Shoud Follow. I thought of a couple of people who should be on there, even though they are not normally thought of as being in the shooting community - David Feherty, pro golfer and host of the talk show Feherty on the Golf Channel; and Alton Brown, recovering chemistry major and host of Good Eats. Both of them are avid shooters, and tweet about their shooting regularly.
Last summer, I posted a wish list of guns I planned to buy next. A lot of interesting things have transpired in the meantime, and I use the word "interesting" in the full sense of the old Arab curse, "May you live in interesting times."
The first gun on my list was an AR-15, and I'm happy to report the kickoff of what I am calling Project Vera.
The first step, and really the one that kicked it all off, was getting a great deal on a stripped aluminum lower made by Northern Frontier Armory, from Mike at Dog Leg Arms. Once I had this, I read a bunch, and tweeted some, and came up with a plan to build a home defense gun with the following general specs:
Flat top upper, maybe a Sporting version without forward assist.
16 inch barrel, 1:7 twist. Chrome lined.
Red dot optic with co-witnessed iron backups - either 1x or 1-4x.
Multi position stock.
Single stage military trigger.
Weapon light, possibly with a laser.
Later, as finances allow, I plan to get a shorter barrel and a suppressor, since this will likely be used indoors in a defense situation.
I did some research on trigger groups, and looked at some on the interwebz. On Saturday I happened to be at Lakeside Guns in Acworth, Georgia, and saw a DPMS lower parts kit, for just a little more than what I've seen. I had no problem spending it, since I not only saved shipping cost, but I got it right now, and I supported a great local business.
Of course, the best part of all is that the lower receiver, the part with the serial number, is the only part of the gun that I have to buy through an FFL. The rest I can buy from Lakeside Guns, or over the Interwebz, or gun shows, or wherever I want. And, not coincidentally, it's the only part that's subject to the Ad Valorum tax. This means, if nothing else, I'll save a little over buying a complete gun then making the mods I want.
So, I decided to offer here the original 88, plus 32 more. These are accounts I follow, and I find consistently tweet about shooting, even if they also tweet about other things from time to time. I have even had the good fortune to meet some of these folks, and those are underlined.
DISCLAIMER and up-front apology: To my Twitter friends, if I left you off my list, please don't be offended. I tried to list all the accounts that consistently tweet about shooting, that I thought every shooter would like. If I left out someone who should be there, please let me know in the comments, or, on Twitter at @FillYerHands.
ALSO: Some of the Twitter accounts are of bloggers, but I have left off the addresses of the blogs they write, to save time and space. However, if you go to the Twitter bio, they will have their blog link there.
The Original 88:
ITS Tactical@ITStactical - ITS Tactical is dedicated to showcasing the everyday gear and DIY projects that can help you live better on the tactical side of life. In a very short time they have built up one of the largest online networks for gun, gear and survival buffs across Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and their awesome website. If you haven’t visited ITStactical.com recently, then you are missing out.
Julie Goloski Golob @julieG1 – This is the official twitter profile of Julie Goloski Golob. Julie describers herself as, “World & national shooting champion, author of SHOOT, veteran, foodie, wife & proud mom with a passion for hunting, photography & the outdoors.” Julie is an active tweeter who always shares fun and informative information.
Dustin Ellermann@TopShotDustin – Dustin Ellermann was the Top Shot season 3 Champion and is an active tweeter about guns, parenting and life in general. His tweets are fun and let you connect with the real person behind the tweets. Check him out…
Epic Tactical - @EpicTactical - These guys are having a lot of fun as one of the most active tweeters in the tactical guns and gear community. They offer lots of great firearm reviews and gun talk via both Twitter and their popular website EpicTactical.com.
F3 Tactical - @F3Tactical - These guys are pretty new on Twitter but so far they look like they are going to build a strong reputation for themselves here. Based on their profile, they are a tactical gear shop dedicated to providing quality kit to public safety professionals, military, security and responsible, armed citizens.
Guns & Ammo - @GunsAndAmmoMag - This is the official twitter profile for the popular magazine and website. Guns & Ammo is one of our favorite website for their combination of gun reviews and interesting entertaining news and commentaries for gun lovers.
USA Carry - @USACarry - USA Carry is a great resource for gun information related to Concealed Carry, Permit Info, Reciprocity Maps, Firearm Forums, Instructor Lists. They also have frequent Free Giveaways that make them a favorite among the shooting community on Twitter.
The Ready Nation - @TheReadyNation - With over 16,000 followers, Jeff Davis is one of the most popular survival tweeters on Twitter. The Ready Nation shares information from across the web on topics such as Food Storage, Emergency Preparedness, MRE’s, Freeze Dried Food, Water Storage, Dehydrated Food, Expert Survival tips.
Rebecca Hauptman @RebeccaGuns – Guns mostly, with a side of DIY and a sprinkling of awesomeness.
Stephanie Hayden @StephanieRJF – Mother of 2 with a kick @ss hubby and amazing job, oh yea and Im that chick on that show #sonsofguns
NRA @NRA – National Rifle Association of America
Col Cooper’s Ghost @ColCoopersGhost - It’s just FOUR RULES! How hard could it be?
GunNoob @GunNoob – Gun Noob is a resource for the beginner to intermediate shooter. If you want to learn about firearms, give us a look.
Andrew Tuohy @VuurwapenBlog – I run VuurwapenBlog, which is a fact-based firearm and gear resource. I also work in the firearm industry.
FourGuysGuns @FourGuysGuns – Gun tips, advice and reviews for n00bs. Because you shouldn’t have to dress in Real Tree to appreciate Firearms and not be judged. America Wins.
Team Gun Blogger @TeamGunBlogger – Team Gun Blogger aims to help introduce new gun owners to the benefits of daily carry, competitive practical shooting, firearms training, and practice shooting.
Chuck Johnson @gunexpert – Former officer, antique gun collector, avid hunter, family man.
Michelle Viscusi @MichelleViscusi - ”Im a badass independent woman.” Errr… wait thats not me
Paige Wyatt @Paigeewyatt – Make sure to watch American Guns on Discovery Channel! EverythingWyatt.com
Kurt Wyatt @kurtneilwyatt – i love my job almost as much as i love my fans.
Packing Pretty @packingpretty – Assistant Director of CRPC firearms training dept, NRA instructor, action pistol competitor, martial artist, animal lover, writer, cook, wife
Bruce F @Mousegunner – A blog about mouse guns and shooting gear. We cover a wide range of topics.
AllAK47 @AllAK47 – We want to be your primary resource for anything AK-47 or Kalashnikov related. Check us out on AllAK47.com
Gears Of Guns @Gearsofguns – We are here to talk about firearms only. Please leave your political views at the door.
Glenn fleming @flemgunner – Welder for red jacket firearms and one of the guys on sons of guns
Charlie Watson @CWSonsofGuns – from Red Jacket Firearms. Appearing on Sons of Guns
Allen Forkner @GrumpyGunner – I’m the PR dude for several shooting and outdoor sporting goods companies. I get paid to talk about my favorite things in the world. Living the dream kids…
SHOT Show Media Day @SHOTSh_MediaDay – Follow me, Kelsey Williams, to get the latest updates on SHOT Show Media Day at the Range 2013 taking place on January 14,2013
Outdoor Life @outdoorlife – Outdoor Life magazine, your source for hunting and fishing adventure!
Shooting Times @ShootingTimesUS – Official Twitter for Shooting Times™ magazine.
Nick Leghorn @NickLeghorn – Staff Writer for the firearms blog The Truth About Guns focusing on long range rifle and competition shooting.
Regis Giles @RegisGiles – Creator/Owner of Girls Just Wanna Have Guns.com, NRA columnist, self-defense activist, hunter and conservationist.
Tactical Life.com @TacticalLife1 – Guns & Weapons for L.E., Special Weapons for M&P, Combat Handguns, Tactical Weapons, Tactical Knives, Guns of the Old West, Pocket Pistols, Black Guns…& more
Jerking the Trigger @jerkthetrigger – Tactical gear news and reviews for the regular guys.
SHOT Business @SHOTBusiness – SHOT Business is the modern magazine of the shooting sports industry. It is the official publication of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).
Second Amendment Foundation (SAF)@2AFDN – Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is a non-profit working to protect 2nd Amendment gun owner rights. MOLON LABE!
Dan Hall @danmhall – Founder / CEO, GunUp.com | Passionate about using technology to add value and create efficiency within organizations.
glam gun girl @GlamGunGirl – A mom, a wife, a cook, a shooter, a Bible teacher and a shark tooth hunter.
Savannah @SavannieOakley – Dancer, shooter (usually not at the same time), and writer with an interest in all things tactical and elegant.
The ZSA Team @ZOMBIESHOOTERS – ZSA is a new fast paced shooting sport that provides safe, competitive, firearms fun. So many Zombies, so little time. Raleigh NC
Kristen Williams @TheGunChick – I heart handguns. Graduate of Gunsite Academy’s 250 and 350 classes. I’m also @TheGolfChick. Aiming for pars, birdies & bad guys.
Charlie Pratt @charliepratt – I work at @bold. I co-founded @gunway. I love@katieshootsit. I like to make things, and make things go.
Yankee Gun Nut @YankeeGunNut – Sporadic fire from a couple of big bores. We’re a couple of gun nuts behind the lines in Connecticut, bloviating about topics that interest us.
Shannon Salyer @SMSalyer – I do PR & marketing for the hunting & shooting industry. Dressage rider & beer snob when I’m not working!
Rooster @FillYerHands – Just a normal guy who likes shooting. USPSA, GSSF, NRA life member, GeorgiaCarry.org. GA Tech grad and engineer. I will question you on your BS, left or right.
Haus of Guns @HausofGuns – Practical Gun & Gear reviews, advice, safety and tips for the Average Joe Shoote
Gunway @gunway – A place to share your firearms & outdoor life with others.
RomeoTangoBravo @RomeoTangoBravo – Stay current on the ever changing landscape of firearms related issues, products, and events.
Shelley Rae @ShelleyShooting – Writer & Social Media Consultant for the firearms industry.
Heidi – Lucky Gunner @LuckyGunner – Fanatical about selling cheap ammo & providing stellar customer support. We only display what we’ve got in-stock & we ship FAST.
LauraBurgess @LauraBurgess – Public Relations Firm for law enforcement/military/shooting sports/fishing/boating/outdoors
Tom Gresham @Guntalk – Host of Gun Talk Radio, Gun Talk TV, Guns & Gear. Talk about guns and sometimes airplanes! When seconds count, the police are only minutes away!
Weapon Blog @WeaponBlog – The official Twitter page for the Weapon Blog.
Shooting Illustrated @ShootingIllustr – The Internet’s Definitive Source for the Modern Shooter. Gun Guides, Videos and Articles on Firearms.
GunUp @GunUp – The Leading Gun Blog Network. Gun Pricing, Product Info, News, Articles and More! Vet owned. #2A #SOT
AmmoLand @AmmoLand – AmmoLand.com – Shooting Sports News Service for the Ammunition, Firearms, Shooting, Hunting and Conservation communities.
NRAblog.com @NRAblog – The Official Blog of the NRA’s training, competitions and National Firearms Museum. www.NRAblog.com
Gun Nuts Media @gunnutsmedia – Gun Nuts Media: the leading online provider for information on the guns and gear of the action shooting sports!
Chris / Alicia Irwin@GunStoreChris – Business Man (Autodidact) Innovator w the hardest working wife by his side, Husband, Dad, Firearm Cognoscente: celebrities, athletes & everyday people @Gunstore
Panteao Productions@PanteaoVideos – Panteao Productions produces instructional videos taught by the top instructors in the firearms and tactical community.
Ladies-Shooting @LadiesShooting – Fabulous shooting & lifestyle website, just for the girls. *LAUNCHED 1.08.11* New content every other day. Contributers always welcome. Home of the S&CBC.
ArmedDiva @ArmedDiva – the Armed Diva Community. Stop by and join us on Facebook.com/ArmedDiva and follow my blog ArmedDivanista.com & ArmedDiva.biz for the Armed DIVApreneur!
SHOT Show @nssfshotshow – The official Twitter home of NSSF’s SHOT Show.
WomenGunOwners @WomenGunOwners – Proud American born in Texas. Texas State HQ Director for Americac2c, #tcot, love smooth jazz, hunting, & great people. God Bless America!
Shooting Divas @shootingdivas – Shooting Divas believes that women should not fear having a sense of security by caring a firearm.
G G @girlsloveguns – I’m a fledgling gun-lover : D who writes about her experiences transitioning from a girl afraid of guns to a girl in love with guns.
YouCanCarry @YouCanCarry – Providing information about firearms and concealed carry around the United States. Follow us on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/yjpsraa
BugOutBlog.com @bugoutblog – Making survival a practical matter.
Armed American @USP_Compact – I’m a proud responsibly armed 1st generation American Citizen. Became a Citizen of these United States in 2010, and forever humble to be welcomed here.
TheHomeDefender @TheHomeDefender – An extension of my youtube and facebook pages. Sometimes I have opinions or events that don’t warrant a video. I’m a husband and father and will defend my home.
Rob Leatham @RobLeatham – Champion Action Shooter, World-Class Firearms Instructor, 6-Time IPSC World Champion, 24-Time USPSA National Champion, 16-Time Single Stack / USPSA Champion
97.@jpr9954 – John Richardson of the No Lawyers Only Guns and Money blog
98.@9mm_glock – Pistolero, he’s a shooter and a reloader. His tweets are protected but tell him you know me.
99.@ChrisZump – Her bio says “Yankee Born, Rebel Heart miss little ignore a lot with my CZ by my side.” She shoots CS-SA and blogs at AK’s and Cupcakes.
100.@jea_nine – J9TM, The only person I know whose name is a trademark, except maybe Chaz The Unnamed Trucker. She shoots and lives it, since she works in a gun store.
101. @DogLegArms - Mike, my favorite FFL. He used to be RKBArms, but he likes to keep us guessing.
102.@BalloonGoesUp – Ron* of the When the Balloon Goes Up blog.
103.@michaelbane – Michael Bane, TV host and mastermind behind most of the Wednesday night shooting shows on the Outdoor Channel. (Can we please have a contest to pick him an avi picture? An egg does him no justice.)
105.@sdsorrentino – Sean Sorrentino of the NC Gun Blog, who admits he was the second best shooter in my lane at my last Tom Givens training class
106.@RangeMaster – Tom Givens’s training house in Memphis
107.@kennblanchard – Ken Blanchard, pastor and Black Man With A Gun, from the blog and podcast The Urban Shooter. Note that there are TWO "N"s . . . . if you leave one out you will follow the management guru, which isn't a bad thing, but he doesn't shoot nearly as well.
108.@Trailerdays – Thirdpower from the Days of Our Trailers blog
115.@Gunservatively – His bio reads “Jesus is LORD! • ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ! • The right of Citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves & the State shall not be questioned.” ‘nuff said.
116.@Gunsncoasters – Steve, of the website Glocked and Loaded. The man loves Glocks and roller coasters.
117.@TamSlick – Tam of the View From the Porch blog, and one of the most outspoken people in Gundom.
Thanks to my actually clicking on some links on Twitter today, I discovered a coupl of new blogs, which you can find on the Blog Roll list under Blogs I Read:
Hot Dogs and Guns - a great mix of all things American, including Hot Dogs and Guns.
Glocked and Loaded - Steve writes about Glocks, roller coasters, skydiving, and a bunch of other stuff.
What started out as an April Fool's Day posting by 5.11 has gone live. You can place an order for the Tactical Duty Kilt, or TDK, from the 5.11 website, for delivery by September 1.
I have a friend who offered to make me one, so I may have one before then.
#sonsofguns 