I had no intention of shooting a match. Really. There was snow on the ground! I think the last match I shot was back in May of 2016. I needed to practice with the new gun and the new holsters. I wasn’t sure I even remembered how to do a reload on the clock.

But an hour later I arrived and the weather had turned beautiful. It was 50 degrees and warm in the sun. I ran into friends I hadn’t seen in months. Everyone of them encouraged me to shoot. The holster I picked up fit the gun with a minor adjustment and the mag pouches were perfect with no adjustment.

I was short on ammo since I was sure it would be much too cold for to shoot. A friend filled that gap and said he’d give me what I needed if I ran short.

• Was I ready to compete? No.
• Was all my gear the way I wanted it it? No.
• Was my gear sufficient? Yes.
• Could I be safe? Yes.

I sighed up and shot the match. I was a good decision. Thanks to everyone who badgered me into it!

I had chosen a down vest that morning due to the cold so this was my first match using a down vest as a cover garment. It worked fine.

I remembered what I liked best about shooting a match: spending time with friends. I’m not competitive. I always place near the bottom of the list. But I really enjoy the sport and I’m a safe.shooter. They asked me to help out with scoring so I pitched in and did that as well. Once the match was over I checked in with the guys who were running the timer to get feedback on how we worked together. I’m glad I did. I’ll be able to do the job better when I’m asked again.

The timer keeper is responsible for ensuring no one wanders into the line of fire as well as recording the time, the points down and any penalties. I was focused on the scoring part of that list. I was aware of where the rest of the squad was subconsciously but I’ll be looking more actively to keep other shooters safe if/when asked to help again.

We shot moving targets, we moved and shot stationary targets, we shot both paper & steel, we shot through walls and had to back down a hallway and make a right to get yet more “bad guys” (targets) in the shoot house. It was sunny and warm. It was absolutely a good decision to participate. It was an excellent day.

I’m working on making peace with my poor scores and enjoying the good parts of the day. Like the triple hit I made on a target from my first stage (above). The requirement was 3 shots per target. This was at t 15 yards, I think. That’s a sweet grouping and really made me smile. I have much to work on but I’m really thrilled when I see results like this.

Stage start with magazine and empty gun on the barrel.

I shot the IDPA match in Oxford today. Frank let us opt out of cover garments due to the heat. That was a great start to the match. Our squad started on Stage 2 so shot Stage 1 last and I got a treat: something totally new. We started the stage with the gun unloaded and both the gun and magazine lying on a flat surface (barrel top).

When the buzzer went off, I picked up the gun and the magazine, loaded, racked a round into the chamber and got buzy shooting. The video clip shows the first half of the stage with 2 shots on each cardboard target and one shot to knock down the plate.

New challenges are the #1 thing I like about shooting matches. This isn’t a difficult way to start a stage but you do need to try to get the parts together and get it loaded quickly to get to the actual shooting. Here’s how it went:

Home of the Carolina Cup! With owner Frank Glover to the left – working hard the entire match.

June 20th: Saturday is the final day of shooting and the awards ceremony. The staff was onsite early again and the traditional photo of the volunteer team in matching t-shirts was taken around 7:30am.

Here are the people who host the match and make everything run smoothly, Frank and Paula Glover:

Paula Glover, who handles registration and the stats team behind her on a well deserved break.

Frank Glover handling the dirty work but still smiling!

Safety is a serious concern. Around 8am one of the RSOs wasn’t looking very well and even though he said he’d be fine, someone alerted the EMT on staff that the gentleman appeared to be in pain. The EMT asked him to sit and started asking questions.  It’s a damn good thing he did. An ambulance was called and, once assessed at the hospital, he was sent via Life Flight to Duke Hospital. Turns out he had an abdominal aneurysm and underwent surgery before lunch time. His prognosis is good. If he had been at home I have to wonder if he’d have called 911 in time.

Ambulance on site around 8am Saturday.

After the ambulance left, I wandered by to talk to the chrono team before we got busy with scores. I asked what they did and a bit about the process. They ask each shooter for 6 rounds. Two of the 6 must pass the power requirements per the IDPA rules. Note: my comment yesterday that a shooter was DQd for not making power factor was incorrect. As far as I know, no shooter was DQd for this reason.

A lower powered round will create less recoil, but may also cause the gun to malfunction. Serious competitors reload and will try to hit the sweet spot of a round that meets the minimum requirements but creates as little recoil as possible. Per wikipedia, “The power factor is calculated by multiplying bullet weight (in grains, 7,000 to the pound) by muzzle velocity (in feet per second), then dividing by 1000.”

For this match, two chronographs were used and the higher number was always selected (to favor the shooter). In the photo below, you can see the scale used to weight the bullets (lead portion of the round) and the two chronographs directly in front of the shooter (both are surrounded by a red box).

Chrono Team at the 2015 Carolina Cup

Other trivia from the last day of shooting:

• At least one RSO was wearing a kilt!
• Lunch was a choice of hamburgers, fried bologna on a bun, or hot dogs.
• Over 10,000 score sheets were entered for the match: 328 shooters with 16 stages entered twice into the scoring system for error checking purposes.
• Final scores were posted by 5:10pm Saturday.
• Dinner was served starting around 5pm. All attendees were treated to a traditional southern pig pickin’ and some of the best BBQ pork I’ve had in quite some time.

Awards started at 6pm. The volunteers (stats team, RSOs and the buggy drivers) were acknowledged as “the people who make this match possible”.  Several guns were given away (either based on skill or random drawings). The top 5 placements in each Classification/Division were awarded plaques or trophies. And the top finisher in each of several categories were announced: High Military, High Law Enforcement, High Lady, High Junior, High Senior (Age 50-64), High International, and High Distinguished Senior (65 or older).

I think that last award is pretty special. These are shooters that are no longer in their prime who are still at it, doing their best even with the issues age can deal out: bad joints, accidents that have left damage, tremors, degraded eyesight, etc. They may be fighting a losing battle as far as improving their shooting over time – but they never give up. I seriously admire that mindset and I like the fact that shooting can be a lifetime pursuit.

The final announcement of the award ceremony: There will not be a sanctioned IDPA Match next year. However the Carolina Cup will be held as usual and will be the best match Frank has to offer.

Shooters who shoot on Friday and Saturday do not shoot the match all in one day. They either shoot Friday morning/Saturday afternoon OR Friday afternoon/Saturday morning. So by 12:30 pm today, every shooter had checked in for the match. Of the 346 registered shooters, we had 328 competing.

At the morning shooter’s briefing, Frank asked for a moment of silence for two long time friends/shooters who passed away since the last Cup. After the moment, Frank said, “The world is a sadder place without them. Go shoot.” The two men remembered:

• Bill Shellhammer had attended every major match at The Range until he was too sick to shoot.
• Kelly Howard designed the original scoring system used for matches at The Range.
• In both cases these men had been in involved with The Range for well over 15 years and were valued friends.

More Cup trivia:

• Six countries are represented this year: Finland, Austria, Italy, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Poland (possibly), as well as many U.S. shooters.
• Lunch was a choice of hamburgers and hotdogs.
• One RSO was benched due to the heat. There is an EMT on staff and he ordered a cool down and rest before returning to volunteer duty tomorrow.
• We had at least 4 shooters DQ’d today. In one case the shooter’s ammo didn’t pass the chronograph test. The ammo was underpowered to reduce recoil and was outside the specifications required to shoot IDPA (DQ mean disqualified).

Side Matches

I shot both the Glock and S&W side matches to be entered in the random drawings for a gun. It was the first time I’ve gotten my hand on a Glock 43 (the new 9mm single stack) and I liked it! I told the guy not to bother to run the timer. There were 5 steel targets and 6 rounds. I tried it twice and hit all the steel each time.

Glock Tent / Side Match at the 2015 Carolina Cup

The S&W side match was with a gun (M&P 9mm, I think) using a new green laser. To enforce the use of the laser, the sites were taped over. I’d never shot with a laser so I wanted to give it a try. I hit every target but had a heck of a time getting the laser on the targets. I don’t see the appeal but I was really happy to have the opportunity..

Vendors

There were vendors onsite. The local gun shop, 9 Forward, shut down shop to shoot the match with the volunteers, then be available onsite for shooters during the match.

Gun Shop onsite: 9 Forward from Oxford, NC

And finally: custom ear protection while you wait from EAR Inc.

Stage 4: Thornton’s Thugs. Art work by Hannah G

June 18th: There was a serious storm in Oxford last night, so this was a humid, hot day to compete. The day started by repairing stages that were damaged by the rain and high winds. The parking area had puddles. It was quite a change from the last two days.

Thursday competitors shoot the entire match in a single day. I arrived at 7am and helped Paula with rush hour registration. Shooting started at 8am so everyone needed their packets. Here’s how it works: The shooter receives

• 17 labels with their name, #, classification and division. 16 are for score sheets and one is for the chronograph.
• 16 score sheets (labels to be attached at the top, stage numbers to be written in)
• a badge and a clip for the badge (self assembly)
• a match booklet with sponsors and stage descriptions
• a T-shirt, this year in “brushed denim”
• a goodie bag that may, or may not, contain a prize certificate

Shooters may or may not receive a prize that they want or can use. If not, they are free to sell, gift or trade with other shooters. The sponsors are listed on the Cup website.

There are two side matches: one sponsored by S&W and one sponsored by Glock. In each case the winner will receive a free gun. Another free gun will be given away to a random participant.

Other random details:

• There are 346 registered shooter although there will be some no-shows. So far two shooters have been DQ’d.
• The stats team entered scores for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. This is our longest day.
• Lunch was fried bologna on hamburger buns and hot dogs.
• I was onsite from 7am till 6pm.

At times I was the only one in the office and covered registration for Paula when she went after more ice. At other times it was loud with voices asking questions, looking for supplies and cracking jokes. The Italian team will be shooting tomorrow but stopped by around 5pm to pick up shooter packets to avoid the wait tomorrow. At that point multiple languages added to the chaos. Through all of this, the stats team is pretty much heads down, focused on getting the scores entered and the score sheets sorted and filed.

I spent most of the day inside, with air-condition. The Range Safety Officers I shot with Tuesday and Wednesday were out in the heat and humidity, running shooters. Remember to thank them for their time and attention to everyone’s safety.

For a deeper dive on how scores are entered and accuracy is kept to a high standard, see the article I wrote when I worked the Cup in 2013.

Stage 16 Start: “Old Office”

June 17th, 2015: The heat continues in Oxford, NC. We shot in smaller squads today and I finished the last 8 stages in 4 hours. The photo above is the start of Stage 16. The gun and magazines are in the inbox to the left of the laptop. There is a nasty moving target set off by shooting a popper behind cardboard. I knocked that down first try today. That was a moral victory after yesterday’s full magazine experience.

I’m tired and I’ll be back in Oxford tomorrow at 7am to help in registration before I start with entering scores so I’ll keep my comments short:

• The boys making water deliveries were diligent and cheerful.
• On the camping stage, load your gun before you pick up the firewood for the stage start. There is a story behind that comment but you’ll have to ask me in person.
• It’s seriously hot. Plan for the weather.
• The weeds and poison ivy have been mowed down for the stages in the woods. I wore shorts and wasn’t worried about the vegetation.
• I swapped from sunglasses to clear glasses again today. This time it was for the two stages in the woods.
• I shot 123 rounds yesterday, 110 rounds today for a total of  233 rounds. I did shoot an extra mag or so into “the popper that would not fall”.
• I was stung by a small wasp on the garage stage. I’m not allergic to stings, but if you are, bring an epi pen or whatever works best for you to battle the reaction.
• I’m not really aiming at close targets any more. I used to slow down for site alignment, but no more if they are close. It’s point & shoot. Finally. I’m still kind of amazed I can hit them this way, but it’s working for me.
  

  Loaded H&K mags the night before the match

• My H&K is a work horse. It worked flawlessly for the entire match. I shot Lawman 124 gr. rounds with zero issues.
• I used a tactical reload on Stage 16, the office stage. I dropped the magazine onto the desk because I have always practiced reloads by dropping the magazine. Duh! I need to work in some tactical reloads and stow the magazine since IDPA requires that per the rules.
• In some places there are both Men’s and Women’s PortaPotti’s. They think of everything!

More photos from both days:

Water crew! They even pose for photos.

Stage 13: Not my Garage! Shooting through the back of the NC Moonshine car

Stage 15: Get off my Deck!

Today, in 90+ degree heat, I shot 8 stages of the Carolina Cup. Volunteers shoot on Tuesday and Wednesday to be available to run the match Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Most of the volunteers are RSOs. I will be working on the stats team (entering scores).

The photo above is from Stage 1, “The Library”. From what I understand, it’s taken quite some time to collect all the books on these shelves and it was a family effort.

I didn’t run video as I was focused on shooting today. I will share a few observations:

• There was plenty of water and everyone was encouraged to stay hydrated.
• There were moving targets on 5 of 8 stages. I need much more practice shooting at targets that move: swing, drop or pop up then disappear.
• After being out in the sun for 4 stages, the shoot house appeared dark to me. I swapped out sun glasses for clear glasses to shoot “inside”.
• I’d never shot at poppers behind cardboard before. They are set up that way to require 2 shots on the target while dropping the popper starts other targets in motion. On stage 6, my worst stage of the day, I unloaded 11 shots into one target trying to set off the popper. Persistence prevailed but it did add insult to injury to hear a call for a “roll of pasters” to paste up my shots. There is always something new to learn. Never give up!
• On every bay, shooters were squeezed into every bit of shade that could be found while waiting to shoot. Wet towels and battery powered fans were used to help shooters stay cool.
• We took a break for lunch and had build your own sandwiches and delicious watermelon. It’s nice to be able to have a conversation with other shooters where you can actually hear the responses.
• Shirts this year are denim blue T shirts with actual denim caps. I’ll be wearing my new hat tomorrow when I go back to shoot the last 8 stages.

Vehicles on Stage 5. Photo taken last week. Targets this week are in a different configuration and we shot from the driver’s seat of the center vehicle.

Sunday June 7th I shot another IDPA match up in Oxford. We had the opportunity to shoot from a vehicle and through the open windows of a car on the left and an SUV on the right. You just don’t get this kind of experience at a typical shooting range.

Stage Scenario: 6 targets, 2 shots each, shot in tactical priority (near to far). Start with the gun on the passenger seat. For IDPA purposes, the two targets shot through the windows of the adjacent vehicles (one on each side) were considered equal distance. The next two targets in front of the vehicle (one seen from the driver’s window, one seen from the passenger window) were considered equal distance. With the last two targets there was clearly one that was much farther away and had to be shot last.

Shooting the stage required quite a bit of movement back and forth, from driver side window to passenger side window. You have to think about moving up and over the steering wheel and taking your finger off the trigger with each transition. I found myself extending my arms through the windows for the first 2 targets but hanging an arm over the door for the 3rd and 5th targets.

The stage also required a reload and I ran into issues. I popped out a bit of profanity during the process of correcting the issue. All captured on video. Sigh. So what happened? I was testing out some reloads (147 gr) with a lower power factor (ie: lower recoil) and they were just too low power. With 50% of my reloads, the slide would lock back but the brass would not be ejected, so the reload resulted in a jam each time. This was the first one. The bad news: I let fly with my frustration. The good news: I never gave up. And I know I shouldn’t shoot these rounds in this gun.

I shoot slow. When I watch the video, it appears painfully slow to me. The final target was quite some distance so I put a third shot in it. Final accuracy count for the stage: down 2. If you are not familiar with match scoring that means I hit the zero zone on all but two shots. For each of those I hit outside the zero zone in the 1 point penalty area. I was accurate, but I was very slow and placed dead last for the match.

So once again, this isn’t about what a great shooter I am, but what a great learning experience shooting matches can provide.

Here’s the video, profanity included:

I shot the match on May 24th and stuck around for a classifier after the match.

We shot 6 stages on a beautiful spring day. We started with a car scenario. We shot these 4 targets through the passenger window, then exited the car and shot one target while backing away from the driver’s door, moved to the rear of the car and shot a few more.

When we shot in the shoot houses, there was no way to really get good video. The other 3 are included below. I’m very new to video editing so this was the result of playing around with new video editing software.

A few comments:

• I am painfully slow at shooting one handed. But I am fairly accurate. The first shot is double action and a longer pull, but even so, that’s WAY too long. These were all headshots and some only part of a head, but even so…. Since it’s not on the video, I included a photo of the targets.
  

  Headshots Only. One hand only. Are you kidding me?

• I need to learn to transition the gun from hand to hand better. When I moved from strong hand to both hands, I hand a lot of extra thumb action.
• I don’t have my supporting hand positioned correctly – the thumb is way too high in most cases.
• I need to stop pulling the magazines out of the gun. They will drop. That’s bad habit I picked up from my XDS.
• On the second stage I needed the front magazine (loaded to 3 rounds) but grabbed the back magazine, realized the mistake, and fixed it. I’ve never grabbed the back magazine before. So, something new to focus on during dry fire practice.
• On the positive side, I started the last stage looking at the first target.

Thanks to Rusty for running video for me!

H&K USP Compact vs. XDS (both in 9mm)

In April 2015, I shot 4 different pistols. All were 9mm but for the most part were very different guns.

• I started the month shooting the 1911 at an IDPA Match in Oxford.
• I was so frustrated with the 1911, I decided to give CCP(concealed carry pistol division of IDPA) a try and switched to the Springfield XDS. I shot a match and an IDPA Classifier hosted at the Wake County Range the 3rd Saturday with this gun. I like the way it shoots, but I find it difficult to get the magazine to drop and I pinched my palm when reloading to the point of bruises. The grip is the “perfect” height to make that an issue.
• I volunteered for a WOT event and had the opportunity to shoot a S&W M&P in 9mm. Not much shooting here, but enough to knock down 8 steel targets.
• Finally,I switched to an H&K USP Compact after I shipped the 1911 to S&W. I didn’t know how long the 1911 would be gone or how well it would work when it came back. I have plans to shoot the Carolina Cup, so I needed to pick a pistol, stick with it and continue to practice. I bought the H&K about 3 years ago because it was a deal I just couldn’t turn down, however I really haven’t shot it much. It’s supposed to be reliable and after my experience with the 1911, that was appealing.

I could shoot the H&K in SSP (Stock Service Pistol) if I decock it and ensure the first shot is always a double action pull. Or I can shoot it in ESP (Enhanced Service Pistol) if I put on the safety and include taking the safety off each time I draw from the holster.

Since I can’t consistently reach the safety, I opted to start shooting SSP and learn how to deal with the double action trigger pull. I’ve found that to be challenging.

I made the switch May 6th when I took a half day off work to work on the IDPA Classifier. I worked on that again May 9th and shot another classifier, in Oxford this time, with the H&K in SSP on May 10th (Mother’s Day). I missed qualifying as Marksman by 3 seconds. My first trigger pull is painfully slow to avoid slapping the trigger and dropping the shot. So once again, something new to work on. I also am a bit too quick with the second shot due to the contrast in the trigger weight. I haven’t measured, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find that the H&K single action pull is as light as my 1911.

A final comment: When I got the 1911 back I shot it then shot the H&K. I didn’t think the H&K had much recoil until I shot them back to back… the 1911 makes it feel as if the H&K kicks. But I’m sticking with it for now.