No I’m not talking about dancing or sex, although I can dance a fabulous east or west coast swing. I’m talking about moving targets.
When I complete in IDPA most matches have a few of these and that is the only time I get the chance to attempt to shoot them. So I took Frank up on the offer to come shoot at The Range over the July 4th holiday. There was one stage at the Carolina Cup that had two swingers and no electronics. I was hoping they were still in place and I was in luck. I also wanted to spend some time with the XDs 9mm I bought just before the Cup.
Single Swinger before
In the photo above and below, look for the “L” shaped metal boot .Step one is to hit the boot. That sets the target swinging.
Double Swinger before
I remember during the competition shooting through the straw bails to hit the target as it was swinging and seeing straw go flying. This time I wanted to be able to set it up, try shooting, see the results and try it again to see if I could figure out how to hit these.
Single Swinger after
I tried this several times and never did figure out how to go about hitting the moving target. I got some lead on the targets but I have to admit it was a stroke of fortune, not skill.
I also realized that once the target stopped swinging, I could continue with the current magazine by switching to head shots. I seemed to do worse with the double swinger than I did with the single swinger, but possibly that was because i had twice as many opportunities to miss.
Double Swinger in motion
It was very muddy after all the rain we have had and I managed to show up at a cookout later that afternoon with red mud on my jeans but I was really happy to have to opportunity to give this a try. Also, the more I shoot the XDs the more I like it.
Double Swinger back behind cover
One other note: Frank says he knows the website is down for the Range and they are working on getting it back up. You can find contact info here if you want to check the schedule while the site is down.
I have been told that most swingers will swing the equal distance as they are set during the first swing…The trick is during your walk through or initial observation look at the angle they are set at and try to estimate that distance in the opposite direction. That’s where the target will be when they are triggered. This theory works most of the time. Be quick and good luck!
Thank you so much for replying! I’ll give this a try: aim where you expect it to be, don’t try to follow it or lead it.