In the darkest depths of hell the Texas Star was born. With its tentacles of death, it holds five steel plates. The mere sight of this metal beast is enough to make competitors weak in the knees. Of all the common USPSA props, this is the one that defeats shooters before they ever set foot on the line.

The key to slaying the beast is to stay confident, even if you have to lie to yourself. The Texas Star is your Bitch! Live it. Breath it. Believe it.

Now that I’ve over-dramatized this simple prop and given you a little confidence boost, lets take a more realistic approach.

Understanding The Texas Star

First and foremost, let me be clear that I am no super-shooter or whiz-bang instructor. I am a B Class Production Division Shooter that learned an important lesson early on. If you want to do well on a stage that contains a Texas Star, you can’t be afraid of it.

There is nothing to be intimidated by, the prop is predictable and manageable. Basically, you have a wheel with five arms. On the ends of each of those arms you will find a steel plate. When a plate is struck it falls from the arm and the prop becomes unbalanced. When the prop is unbalanced, it turns.

When you shoot off a plate, the now heavier side of the star will be pulled down by gravity. If you shoot the plate that mirrors the one you knocked off, the Star becomes balanced again and begins to slow down. The more momentum you allow the prop to gain, the faster and longer it spins

Simple, right?

Shooting The Texas Star

When you step up to shoot a Texas Star it will be oriented on one of two ways. Imagine it as heaving a head, two arms, and two legs. The Star will either be oriented with the head in the 12 o’clock position or with the head in the 6 o’clock position.

The idea is to disrupt the balance as little as possible. To do this you are going to shoot the head first, in either position. If the head is in the 12 o’clock position you should see virtually no movement when the plate falls off. If the head is in the 12 o’clock position, you shouldn’t see any movement but in some rare cases it may invert.

Once the first plate is down, I like to shoot it as outline in the image below. Some people prefer to shoot the arms and legs in a different order, your milage may vary. Whatever you decide, just remember to try and keep the star balanced so that movement is minimized.

Shoot To Your Strengths

One of the reasons shooters get intimidated by the star is that they allow panic to set in. Imagine stepping up to the line, shooting a plate or two off, then missing a shot. Suddenly this thing has so much momentum that it is spinning full rotations. Panic sets in and shooters beging slinging lead down range in hopes of getting lucky.

It is important that you know your skill set and keep calm. For instance, I know that I struggle with chasing targets. I do much better if I just take a little time and setup an ambush. If I get caught up in the moment and start chasing targets round and round, I’m going to be in trouble. The Star is predictable, setup where the plate will slow down and change directions, then wait for it to come to you.

Plan Accordingly

Las year I shot a stage at Lower Providence Rod and Gun Club that had walls setup like a “V”. We started at the base of the V where there was a break in the wall. Downrange was a Texas Star and you could either engage it first or run down one of the lengths of walls to engage another set of targets.

The stage boiled down to either shooting the Texas Star from the first or second position. There were a couple of shooters who were afraid of it and shot it last. This meant running down one leg of the V, coming back up range to go down the opposite leg, then coming back up range one last time to engage the Star.

The most common reason for this was “I didn’t want to run out of ammo shooting at the Texas Star”. Even if they cleaned the Star in 5 Shots thier time still wouldn’t have been good enough to beat someone that didn’t backtrack for insurance.

These types of shooters need to stop, take a breath, and make each shot count. Even if you clean the Star in twice the amount of time as the average shooter, you’ll give yourself a confidence boost and the target will be easier the next time around.

The key to the Texas Star is to be confident, even if you have to lie to yourself.
The Texas Star is your Bitch!
Live it. Breath it. Believe it.

You're reading You’ve Got to Make the Texas Star Your Bitch by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

In just a few short days, the 2013 Burt Shaffer Memorial – Sanctioned IDPA Match will get underway at Ontelaunee Rod and Gun Club. Match staff is scheduled to shoot on Saturday May 18th with AM and PM Shooter Squads the following day.

Earlier this afternoon Dave Bair, Ontelaunee IDPA Match Director, posted the Stages to his Facebook Profile. I’ve spent the last couple of minutes looking over them and, for the most part, I like what I see. With the exception of Stage 10 – 6 Round Skill Drill from the Smith & Wesson Indoor Nationals, it looks as if our 8 Person Squads should make quick work of this match.

Stage 2 Prop Preview

You're reading 2013 Burt Shaffer Memorial Sanctioned IDPA Match Stages Have Been Posted by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Pre-News:

• Upcoming Burt Schaeffer Memorial Match (Sanctioned IDPA Match)
• Featuring the Angrypig Shooting Team in the next Podcast

In The News:

• Two Houston schools cancel NRA gun safety classes
• Pro-gun billboard featuring Native Americans draws ire

Featured Content:

• Practical Pistol Show by Ben Stoeger
• When The Balloon Goes Up Interview with Joyce Wilson

Cigar Recommendation:

• Cigar: 601 Maduro (Blue Label)

Phone: (404) 844-0400 | Twitter: @BuckheadCigar | Web: AskTheCigarGuys

If you are interested in trying this cigar
Pick up the phone and order from my preferred retailer.

Discussion Topic:

Current Ammunition Availability and what it means for my shooting.

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You're reading Shooting The Breeze Podcast: Episode 60 by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

I like to think of myself as one of the few USPSA Shooters that can discuss IDPA without a negative bias towards my sport of choice. I am a USPSA Shooter first and an IDPA Shooter second. I tend to shoot IDPA for fun and to practice with my carry gun. This approach allows me to enjoy the sport for what it is without getting too caught up in the USPSA vs IDPA debate.

Much like I am competitive in USPSA and tend to shoot IDPA for fun, I have friends that do just the opposite. One such friend is Kerry Woods from the AngryPig Shooting Team. Kerry shoots the occasional USPSA Match but has become a fixture at area IDPA Matches. When Kerry talks about IDPA, you can see it in his face, he is passionate about the sport.

Even though I’m not a big IDPA Shooter, I got caught up in the hype of the new IDPA Rulebook. I enjoyed the drama that surrounded all of these mysterious changes and what they might mean for the sport. Who would benefit most, the gamers or the traditionalists? As the release date grew near, I wondered how people such as Kerry woud react to changes that could dramatically affect how the game was played.

As the rulebook unveiling grew closer and closer, I saw that Joyce Wilson, Executive Director of IDPA, was making the rounds on Podcasts to spread the word. I listened to the Shooting USA Podcast and was intrigued. I learned of a couple rules we could expect to see and pretty much assumed that each podcast thereafter would be more or less the same. Boy was I wrong in that regard, the When The Balloon Goes Up Podcast was loaded with information and made me all the more interested in getting my hands on the new rulebook.

When the new IDPA Rulebook was finally released to the public, I was underwhelmed. Leading up to the release we were told that Safety Officers would be making less judgement calls. This would allow matches across the county to become more consistent. There were a few new rules that seemed to do just the opposite.

It didn’t take long for concerns to begin spreading throughout my Facebook Timeline. The most diverse came from Kerry as he stepped through a variety of concerns and what they meant for everyone involved in the sport. Kerry has done a wonderful job outlining those concerns which have been included below.

How is this the Result?
Written By Kerry Woods

Just to be clear I am not a USPSA shooter taking advantage of the new RB to trash IDPA. I am an IDPA shooter. I shoot 3-4 matches a month with my two teenage sons. I immensely enjoy this game and am a huge advocate for it, there is rarely a month that goes by that I am not bringing 1 or 2 new shooter to a match. I do shoot USPSA occasionally, but being an old fat guy IDPA is more my speed, and it suits my mindset much better than USPSA. I am not advocating one game over the other, just setting up what my perspective is in writing this.

First off I appreciated the fact that there was a significant volunteer effort in developing the new RB and I am sure that the TT members worked diligently during this process. However that does not change the fact that IDPA is a for profit organization that every customer pays for the use of their product. Including each host club, which becomes a registered IDPA club with the expectation that the product produced by IDPA will attract shooters and provide a revenue stream for their club (well at least not result in a loss).

What is IDPA’s product?

The Rule Book.

It is the intellectual property that IDPA sells to every paying customer, and defends when local clubs run matches, using this intellectual property without becoming a registered club.

The customers of IDPA over the years, have identified several issues with the current product, so IDPA set out to address those issues. 18 months, and many man hours later that revised product is falling very short of at least a vocal subset, of the customer base’s expectations.

The new RB does address some issues that were essential unenforceable elements of the old RB, like the “round dumping” rule. As well as the ability to initiate a reload in the open if a shooter goes to slide lock in the open, the addition of the 180* rule and providing a non-subjective definition of what is cover.

However the things that are wrong in the new RB are very wrong. Each rule in the new RB was supposed to be vetted by asking the following 4 questions:

1. What is the purpose or history of the rule?
2. Is it still valid?
3. Does it support the founder’s principles or values?
4. Does it require the Safety Officer to make a judgment call?

The assumption is that if you could not answer “yes” to questions 2&3, “no” to question 4 and somehow determine the application of question 1, then the rule would not make it into the new RB. However the result of this process, where new rules were added, seems to in many cases go directly against the vetting requirements. Let’s take look at just a few:

---

S8. If the muzzle of the shooter’s firearm points further up range than a “Muzzle Safe Point” the shooter will be Disqualified from the match. The shooter will be given the command “Stop.” The shooter will stop immediately, place the trigger finger straight alongside the frame of the firearm, and wait for further instructions from the SO.

If the muzzle of the shooter’s firearm points near to a muzzle safe point but not past, the “Muzzle” command will be given. The first occurrence in a match will be a warning. The second occurrence in a single match will result in a Failure To Do Right (FTDR) penalty. The third occurrence in a single match will result in a Disqualification.

Let’s apply the 4 questions to this rule:
Q1 – No Application
Q2 – No Application
Q3 – No Application
Q4 – YES

Based on the YES answer to Q4 this rule should not have made it through the vetting process – the shooter is punished for not breaking a rule

---

S14. The SO will physically stop a shooter when possible, most likely by grabbing his/her arm, if the shooter is about to do something unsafe. If the shooter would have received a Disqualification for the action, even though the action was stopped the shooter will still receive a Disqualification.

When a shooter is about to run into a barricade, potentially trip or fall, or do something unsafe, the SO will physically intervene when possible, to prevent a potential accident. Because the SO kept the shooter from having a safety issue due to a shooter’s error, there is no reshoot.

Let’s apply the 4 questions to this rule:
Q1 – No Application
Q2 – No Application
Q3 – No Application
Q4 – YES

Based on the YES answer to Q4 this rule should not have made it through the vetting process – the shooter is punished for not breaking a rule

---

R9.1. If the shooter runs the firearm empty behind cover, the shooter may not advance in the stage (move toward the next shooting position) until the weapon is deemed loaded.

R9.2. When performing a Loaded Cylinder/Loaded Chamber reload, the shooter may not advance in the stage (move toward the next shooting position) until the weapon is deemed loaded.

Let’s apply the 4 questions to this rule:
Q1 – No Application
Q2 – No Application
Q3 – NO
Q4 – No

Based on the NO answer to Q3 this rule should not have made it through the vetting process – If you’re interested in using truly practical pistols to solve challenging and exciting defensive shooting problems, then IDPA is the sport for you. How does requiring static reloads behind cover support this statement about what IDPA is from the “About IDPA” section of the website.

---

Equipment Rules: Continuing the restriction on weapon mounted lights, appendix carry, full length dust covers (unless you play the SSP to ESP circular logic game), .45 acp only in CDP, stippling in SSP, knee braces with shorts.

Lets apply the 4 questions to these rules:
Q1 – No Application
Q2 – NO
Q3 – Yes
Q4 – No

Based on the NO answer to Q2 this rule should not have made it through the vetting process – Technology and tactics have evolved since 1996, this is a game based around defensive CCW, these equipment restrictions serve no purpose. There is no competitive advantage that would merit continuing these restrictions.

---

These are just a few of the what I consider glaring issues, and does not include the typos, grammar issues and the completely inexplicable use of the term “slide down”.

In my opinion while the new RB gets some things right, the massive increase in the subjective calls that SO have to make, the protectionism of aged equipment and tactics, the and paranoia of acknowledging that IDPA is a game, has resulted in a product that is simply unacceptable.

I have said many times, when folks complain about the rules of IDPA, “if you want to play the game, you gotta play by the rules”, but the product that is under review now specifically punishes the customers of IDPA for following the safety rules, and isolates a number of current and potential customers by not recognizing that times have changed since 1996.

I sincerely hope that the IDPA organization takes this review period to listen to it’s customers and address these issues.

Kerry Woods
www.facebook.com/Angrypigshootingteam

What are your thoughts
on the new IDPA Rulebook?

Kerry was kind enough to allow me to re-post his writing in its entirety. As a thank you, do me a favor and Like the Angrypig Shooting Team Facebook Page.

You're reading Concerns Surrounding the New IDPA Rulebook by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

A couple of weeks ago I put together a blog post introducing you to my family’s new hobby, Square Foot Gardening. To be honest, I was rather surprised by the feedback I recieved. I mean, for a blog filled with these sort of many-man hobbies of guns, cigars, and booze, I wasn’t expecting much the post to get much traction. Since that post did so well, I thought I would continue to provide updates of our progress.

At this point our Square Foot Gardening Raised Bed Planters have been filled with a soil blend. As I said before, I had to cut costs due to an impromptu design change and went with plain old top soil blended with two types of compost and peat moss. The end result is dark, loose, and smells great.

I’ve installed a couple of string grids in one of my raised bed planters (I grossly underestimated how many hooks I would need) and began getting plants into the ground. So far I’m growing Baby Romain Lettuce, Red Onion, White Onion, and Garlic.

I was also able to install and hookup a rain barrel so that we were a bit more environmentally friendly when it came to watering our garden. After one day of light to moderate rain, our rain barrel is full and bloated. I have mixed feelings about adding another one to catch overflow but I don’t necessarily have the room and it may look a bit odd.

Because we have so many animals in the area, I’m thinking about putting in a Compost Tumbler when funds allow (they seem rather expensive for what they are). Ideally it will work faster than a typical compost pile and won’t attract animals looking for kitchen scraps.

You're reading Square Foot Gardening Update by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

I didn’t have anything in the draft stage but I came across a YouTube video that used a trap door triggered by a series of poppers. I loved the idea as soon as I saw it and thought the 75 Yard Range might offer the opportunity to give it a try.

The basic premise was that the shooter has two positions to engage a series of steel poppers. One position allows the shooter to take a big risk for a big reward while the other is low risk but requires more time on the clock.

My interpretation of the situation starts the shooters in a Shooting Box no less than 30 Yards away from three steel poppers. Behind those poppers is an elevated cable that triggers an out and back. From the shooting box, the cable setup is irrelevant and shooters may engage them at their leisure. The second position, roughly 10 yards away, is where the activator comes into play.

When any of the poppers fall onto the cable an out and back is tripped. The out and back will be covered in a black plastic bag and act as soft cover. I want to tie off the weights so that the out and back drops but does not return to the upright position, blocking the port.

I mocked up this stage and sent it off to the Match Director for consideration. We went back and forth a couple of times to break down the design intent of the stage. I was given the approval but was warned that if it failed it was on me.

A Plea For Help

I’m a big fan of USPSA Stages that require a little finesse and offer risk vs reward. I’m completely behind the concept and think that it will be well received. The issue I have is that I’m going out on a limb here and it must work. Flawlessly.

There are two areas of concern, the first of which is the Out and Back. I need to set it up in such a way that it triggers like usual. A break away leg falls and the prop becomes out of balance and swings out to one side. Instead of the weight falling off and the prop flinging itself back into a vertical position, I need to it stay in the down position.

My thought was to tie the weights to the frame. I need the weights to fall off, as usual, but have enough slack on the rope so that the weight hits the ground and holds the prop in the down position.

Will this work or is there a better way?

My second issue is the elevated cable. I’m thinking that it needs to be between 6 and 12 inches off of the ground. One end needs to be anchored so that the break-away leg is pulled free from the far end of the cable.

The ground at Southern Chester is loaded with rocks. I don’t know that I’ll be able to drive enough stakes into a small framework so that it won’t move after the popper falls onto it ~100 times throughout the day.

I spoke with a friend and Match Director elsewhere and he recommended possibly using some all-thread and a cinder block. I don’t know if the cinder block would be heavy enough unless I filled it with concrete (which I certainly could do but it would wind up being one very heavy prop that would be used sporadicly).

What is the best way to setup the elevated cable so that it works consistently from shooter to shooter?

Help Me Out
How Do I Make This Work?

You're reading A New USPSA Stage and a Plea for Help by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Being told “Good move at the end, though” was the only good thing to come out of my Stage 1 run at yesterdays USPSA Match. Realizing that I was going to get whacked for 2 Mikes at the end of the stage, I made a quick decision to spread them out over two targets to avoid a Faulire to Engage penalty as well.

So, what the hell happened?

The short version is that I ran out of ammunition on a 30 round course of fire. The long version is a complex blend of shooting too fast, poor planning, and excuses. Since this wouldn’t much of a blog post without them, lets get into a step by step breakdown of the situation.

Shooter Ready, Stand By:

With the USPSA Revolver Nationals coming up, Lower Providence decided to put together a match that would be revolver friendly. Being a Production shooter, I tend to see revolver friendly stages as being a bit simpler in terms of creating a stage plan. This leads to a bit of overconfidence that can be especially problematic on my first stage of the day.

Over the last couple of months I have developed a very bad habit of shooting poorly on my first stage of the day. The idea of setting a comfortable pace never crosses my mind. Instead, I try to burn it up and wind up running through the stage frantically and reaping the benefits of rushing everything.

After the stage is complete and reality hits me, I back off the throttle and find my rhythm for the rest of the match.

Beep:

The plan was very simple. Since each target array was roughly 6 rounds, I would reload between each position. The only tricky part of the stage would be to avoid sweeping my hand when opening props (judging by the video I came damn close at the port).

The buzzer sounds, I move to the left side of the bay and engage three paper targets. I advance to the next position and start reloading. As the magazine comes out of the mag pouch, I can feel the second magazine on my belt get hung up on my wrist. When my reload clears the mag pouch, I’m not sure if the second magazine falls onto the ground or if it settles back into my mag pouch.

I don’t have time to worry about the second magazine, so I push open the port and engage the next array of targets. Once complete, I advance to the next position and perform another reload. As my hand sweeps past where the second magazine should be, I have a fleeting thought that I may run into a problem. No time to worry about that right now, so I get the gun up high and pull open the door to engage the third array of targets.

Moving to the fourth target array, I perform another reload and realize that I just grabbed the last magazine from my belt. I pulled open the port and began engaging another array of targets. I fire my first shot and the magazine falls out of my gun. With no other choice, I pick up the magazine and try to salvage the remainder of the stage.

Trying to save a little time I shoot the remaining shots, trough the port, while retreating to the final position. After I engage the last target, I double check my belt and realize that I just screwed myself.

The stage requires six more rounds and I only have four in the gun. I do the only thing that I can think of and put two rounds on one target and one on each of the remaining two. This allowed me to avoid a costly FTE penalty in addition to my two Mikes.

I could have ran back across the stage to retrieve my dropped magazine but I thought it would probably hurt my Hit Factor more than if I simply ended the stage with the misses.

Range is Safe

You are probably wondering, why didn’t I have another magazine on my belt in case of emergencies? I used to carry a fifth magazine but in all the times I had it on me, I never needed it. Ah yes, the old gun adage of I’d rather have it and not need it. Lesson learned.

If I knew that I was going to run out of ammo before I got to the end of the stage, why didn’t I adjust my plan to maximize the rounds that I had. The honest answer is, I don’t know. I didn’t have the full blown Oh Shit moment until I double checked my belt moving into the last position. By that time it was too late.

One of my squad-mates shooting the stage

You're reading The best part of this USPSA stage was a pat on the back for only getting 2 Mikes by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the Shooting The Breeze Firearms Podcast has been on hiatus as of late. I had some issues crop up which left me little time to work on the show. On top of that, I learned the hard way that producing a weekly podcast, running between 45 and 60 minutes, was more than I could handle alone.

It was a struggle to not only put together a show but finding time for recording, editing, and publishing was next to impossible. Not wanting the podcast to go away, I’ve decided to overhaul the format in an effort to ease the burden on me.

In my mind, I see this as Shooting the Breeze 2.0. It will be a blend of the old format with the new. Going forward I’m going to back down to a bi-weekly format. Once per month I’ll produce a show that is virtually identical to the old format. The second episode during the month will be competitive shooting based.

For more information, check out the video above or the audio below. In the meantime, I’d better get busy contacting local shooters.

If you would like to join me for an episode of Shooting The Breeze, please get in touch with me. I’d love to discuss having you on to for either a general firearms or competitive shooting discussion.

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You're reading Shooting The Breeze Podcast Update by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Like most families, my wife and I are feeling the pressures of the current economy. Things like groceries, which we’ve never put a whole lot of thought into, are getting more expensive. When we decided to start living a healthier lifestyle, we were a bit surprised at how much fresh vegetables cost as opposed to pre-packaged meals (salads and such).

In an effort to invest a little up front to save money and eat healthier over the long term, we decided that we were going to start growing our own vegetables. In addition to the health benefits of this new hobby of ours, it would be one more thing that we could do as a family.

The decision was made and we set out to construct a couple of raised bed planter boxes. The idea was to try to maximize our limited space by adopting the square foot gardening method. On the surface it all seemed so simple. We quickly learned that our situation would require a lot of work upfront. Confident that it would pay off in the end, we got down to business.

Selecting a Location

The Square Foot Gardening method is very simple. The idea is to create a raised bed planter box then fill that planter with a nutrient rich soil blend. By doing this, the would-be gardener doesn’t have to worry about the condition of their current soil. In most cases the raised bed planter is placed directly on top of the ground.

Our situation complicated things slightly. While we have a decent sized lot (3/4 acre), our house is cut into a rather large hill. The flat sections of land that we have, which are close to the house, we already use. If we were to use a space in our very hilly backyard, deer and other animals would surely eat anything we plant. If we were to use our front yard, the garden would be too far away from the house to be practical.

This meant cutting into one of the hilly sections around our house and inserting a raised bed planter. Sun exposure wouldn’t be ideal, due to trees, but a stretch of hill near our porch seemed like the best place for our garden.

Digging the Trench

Square Foot Gardening is typically done with a raised bed planter that is 4 feet by 4 feet. This is ideal because it allows the gardener to easily reach in from all four sides. Larger planter boxes can be used but the magic number for width is 4 feet.

Since we would be terracing into a hill, we would be limited to roughly two feet. This would allow us to comfortably reach the rear of the planter from the front. Since 2 feet seemed a bit too shallow, I opted to stretch it to 30 inches deep. I then planned to build a series of boxes that would span 24 feet long. Essentially, this gave us a planting area of 60 square feet.

In order to fit the raised bed planter in this location, we would need to cut a trench that was about 18 inches deep in the back and 25 feet long (I added an extra foot so give us some room to work when installing the raised bed planters).

My wife and I spent a Saturday swinging a mattock to break up shale and shoveling out sand, clay, and dirt. By the end of the day we were exhausted but our trench was cut and ready for raised bed planters.

Building the Raised Bed Planters

There are two schools of thought when it comes to constructing a wooden raised bed planter. The first is to go all-natural and use an untreated wood. The other is to use a treated wood so that it will not rot away as quickly.

Some say that using treated wood is safe while others say that over time chemicals could leech into the soil. Because I didn’t have the money to put out on cedar or redwood, I opted to go the pressure treated route. I did this because much of my raised bed planter would be surrounded by dirt. I was afraid this would accelerate the rotting process and typical 2x lumber wouldn’t last more than a couple of years in the ground.

I borrowed my father in-law’s pickup and loaded it up with 2×4 and 2×6 pressure treated lumber. The plan was to create 3 sides of the box using a 2×6 and stacking them two-high in the back. I would then use the 2×4 material as cap so that we could comfortably sit or kneel on the raised bed planter.

After the boxes were in and level, I discovered that I didn’t account for the natural slope of the ground when digging the trench. Having dug the same depth all the way across, I had to raise one end and fill the empty space. I opted to add a couple more 2×6 pieces to the face of the planters, treating it like trim. This resolved my problem and gave the box a beefier appearance which I preferred.

Progressing into the Growing Season

Square Foot Gardening calls for a rich soil blend that is made up of 1/3 Compost, 1/3 Coarse Vermiculite, and 1/3 Peat Moss. Since I went with a fairly large raised bed planter, I got a serious case of sticker shock when I began pricing the material to fill our planters. The planned 30 cubic feet of bagged material was going to put the project out of our budget and we needed a cheaper solution.

We opted to get a bucket full of topsoil to create our base (it was leaps and bounds better than what we had in the ground). I spread it out equally between our raised bed planters then supplemented it with compost and peat moss. While I don’t really know what I’m looking at, the blend looks, feels, and smells great.

We currently have Lettuce, Onions, and Garlic planted. We are still in the process of planning what else to add when we are clear of any unexpected frosts. In the meantime I’ve been playing with GrowVeg.com to come up with a crop plan for the growing season.

You're reading Getting into Gardening: Raised Bed Planters and Square Foot Gardening by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

While I don’t have a ton of IDPA experience, I noticed a trend develop in the matches that I shot. The scenarios, which sprinkle a bit of realism on the sport, tended to be a bit generic. You’re at an ATM, at home lying in bed, or out for a casual stroll when suddenly the bad guys attack. This is all fine and good but seldom did I feel any sort of connection with the scenario. I wanted to change that, but how?

What if I crammed an overly-detailed and amusing story into the scenario? Would shooters see it as dumb and ignore it or would it be a nice change of pace? The only way to find out would be to try my hand at crafting a story in order to find out first hand.

Coming up with a base to build the story on wasn’t too difficult. Most people can relate to the economy, so I started off with that. Our character needs to get a second job, which people can also relate to. At this point we are already getting pretty thick in description, especially for a club level IDPA scenario, but why stop there? I introduced a non-lethal means of defense, whipped up a villain (with a name) and drove the story forward with a dash of dialog.

When it was all finished and the written stage briefing was complete, I chuckled a the finished product. Even if no one liked it and the stage never saw the light of day, I amused myself and would consider it a victory. I posted the scenario on my Walt In PA Facebook Page and didn’t expect what happened next.

A few comments were posted and a handful of people Liked the scenario. Things were going well and I stepped away from my computer for a little while. More comments and likes began rolling in and I was shocked by how well it was received. By the time I got back to a computer, I was astounded to see that the scenario had reached over 3,000 people and was picking up speed.

The IDPA Facebook Page was kind enough to share the scenario, along with some kind words, and made the scenario my most popular Facebook Post, by a huge margin. As of this morning the scenario had reached over 7,000 people, generated 37 Likes, 42 Shares, and over 25 comments (this doesn’t include the interaction on the IDPA Facebook Page).

A Run In With Milly has been far more popular than I had imagined and a number of people have commented that they plan to run the scenario at their home club. This begs the question, should Milly return to seek revenge or do we go down a new path?

Using the IDPA Scenario

A couple of the comments on this scenario have recommended a few changes. I have left the finished product as originally designed but please feel free to adjust it as needed.

Some of those suggestions included swapping out the car with a low port and a chair (to simulate a car) and others recommended using the car as low cover (to avoid any potential sweeping issues while entering the vehicle).

The files for this IDPA Scenario have been included below. Please feel free to make adjustments and run the scenario ar your local IDPA Club. I would love to hear how the stage worked out for you and any video shot would be a huge bonus (I’d love to share that both here on the Blog and on my Facebook Page).

Downloads:

• A Run In With Milly in PDF Format
• A Run In With Milly in PPT Format

You're reading IDPA Scenario: A Run In With Milly by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

A couple of weeks back there was a bit of a stir in the local IDPA scene. News broke that Guthsville Rod and Gun Club was canceling their IDPA Program and attendees were upset. The information being spread pointed to the Guthsville Board of Directors being behind the cancellation of the program.

About a week after I wrote a long winded post making villains out of the Guthsville Board of Directors, I started to hear tid-bits of information that things may not be all that they appeared to be. This was confirmed at the March Ontelaunee IDPA Match when Dair Bair pulled me aside to talk.

Despite the the rumors, Guthsville IDPA was in jeopardy because there was no one to run the program. Dave Bair decided to step up and take on the roll as Match Director. Dave went on to tell me that it was very important to him to keep the program alive, in memory of Burt Schaffer.

Dave will continue to run the Ontelaunee IDPA program as well as the Intro to IDPA program at Ontelaunee.

Guthsville IDPA Matches will resume on April 7th 2013

You're reading Guthsville IDPA to Return with Dave Bair as Match Director by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

As a member of both USPSA and IDPA, I am familiar with the websites of both organizations. While the USPSA Website could use a bit of improvement, it was leaps and bounds better than the old IDPA website. When I first heard that IDPA would be working with Range Log to overhaul the site, I was eager to see how it would turn out.

Being a bit anal about tracking my shooting, the thought of the IDPA Website handeling that for me was very exciting. I would no longer have to transfer numbers over from NEPA IDPA Scores into a spreadsheet to collect data. Granted, I’ll probably still do the data transfer thing but it should be much simpler going forward.

I didn’t get a look at the New IDPA Website until tonight. I happened to see a friend and fellow shooter, Annette Evans, comment on the IDPA Facebook Page asking a question about the new site. I hopped on over to take a look and was pleasantly surprised. The new site has a modern look and feel which is a nice change from what it was previously.

I spent a little time poking around then updated My Shooter Profile. At this point I like what I see and am eager to see scores entered into my account. If you haven’t updated your Shooter Profile yet, I’d suggest taking a minute to do that. Once your finished, drop a link in the comment section so that we can connect.

You're reading The New IDPA Website Is Here by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

This morning I was perusing my Facebook Timeline when I came across a post from Shall Not Be Questioned which pointed readers to their Pinterest Account. Since I’ve been using the service more and more, as of late, I thought I would follow suit.

While I don’t have a WaltInPA Specific Pinterest Account, I have my personal account broken into Interests (imagine that!) so that Following me won’t necessarily lead to an all out mess on your own home feed.

Please feel free to poke around and follow whichever boards float your boat. Don’t be afraid to Like, Pin, and Re-Pin items as I could always use a little extra exposure.

You're reading Follow Me On Pinterest by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

I needed a system that would allow my wife and I to keep track of both personal and family plans. There was a catch, I didn’t want to have to be standing in our kitchen, infront of the family calendar, to see what was going on.

The solution was so simple that I couldn’t believe we hadn’t incorporated it sooner. We both have smartphones and we both use our respective calendars to keep track of personal plans. All I had to do was whip up a shared calendar which both my wife and I could edit. This would, in essence, digitize the Puppies and Kittens calendar hanging up in our kitchen and there would be no more confused looks when either one of us forgot to check it.

So that our family calendar didn’t get cluttered up with all of the Eastern Pennsylvania USPSA and IDPA Matches, I setup a separate calendar made up of just those. I included all matches with a 1.5 hour drive from home. When I planned to attend a match, I would simply copy it to the Family Calendar. This caused duplicates on my combined calendar but it was well worth the trouble.

Creating the calendar was a snap with Google Calendar. I could enter one instance of a match and set a recurring date. With one entry I was able to take care of all of one club’s matches for the year. I included general information about the match and, most importantly, the physical address for GPS purposes.

My Eastern PA USPSA Calendar and Eastern PA IDPA Calendar have been combined and embedded below. If you are in the area, feel free to use it. If you find any mistakes or would like to see a local event added, let me know in the comments section and I’ll see what I can do.

You're reading Keeping Track of Local USPSA and IDPA Matches by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Yesterday I put together a blog post outlining what I did to Make USPSA Production Division B Class. The post focused mainly on my mental game and how I went about changing it throughout the USPSA Offseason. This post takes the original a bit further and breaks down each classifier stage.

Once you are finished watching match video and reading over my thoughts, head down to the comments section and share any words of wisdom you may have for an aspring A Class Shooter.

Melody Line: CM99-08

Melody Line is a very straightforward classifier stage. The shooter turns, draws their gun, and puts a single round on each target. A mandatory reload is performed and then one more round is put on each target. The number of rounds is limited (Virginia Count) to twelve and the use of hard cover can lead to some problems if a shot misses the mark.

Due to rain prior to the match, I think the thick mud may have slowed down my turn slightly. I don’t think a slightly faster turn would have made much of an impact on my score. I got on the first target quickly (in terms of my skill level) and felt like I set a comfortable pace.

The one thing that stands out most to me is my reload. It isn’t as high as I would like it to be, nor was it as smooth as I would have liked. I’ve been watching video of Sean ‘Scooter’ Roberts, who shoots frequently at Lower Providence, and I would love to model my reload after him. Rather than bring the gun down and in, he goes up and in. This puts the magazine well in better position for getting the eyes back on target. He also does something with his body, almost as if he uses his torse to index the reload.

I have a long way to go and may hours of dry-fire ahead of me if I want to reload as smoothly as Sean but the end result will be well worth it.

A: 8
B: 1
C: 2
D: 1
Time: 8.66 Seconds
Hit Factor: 5.7737
Classifier Calculator: 71.6476%

Fluffy’s Revenge 1: CM06-04

After coming off of what felt like a solid run on Melody Line, it was time to shoot Fluffy’s Revenge 1. This particular stage shoots as though it were meant for raw speed. Transitions from Paper to Steel flow nicely and the only major issue that I see is the potential to move too fast and clip a penalty target.

I’m most proud of this classifier as it is my best to date. Had I slowed down just a touch, I think I may have been able to shoot the stage clean. Aside from that, there really isn’t anything that stood out to me as being problematic.

A: 6
C: 2
Time: 3.55 Seconds
Hit Factor: 10.1408
Classifier Calculator: 79.8485%

Times Two: CM99-10

Times Two was the first classifier stage that I had a mental lapse on. Old habits came roaring back to mind and I had a moment of panic where I felt as though I should speed up to make up for lost time.

In my mind, I had a perfect stage plan. All I had to do was put it all together on the clock. When the buzzer sounded, I would put the necessary rounds on target and move to the next box. On the way, I wanted to complete my reload and have the gun up and on target as I stepped foot in the shooting box. From there I would put six more rounds on target and call it a stage.

As I moved from one box to the other, I botched my reload. Just like Melody Line, it was lower than I would have like. I didn’t get a clean insertion on the magazine and had to sort of double pump it. By the time I completed the reload, I was standing in the box. Suddenly my stage plan hit a speed bump and panic set in.

I broke the first four shots before realizing that I needed to settle down into a more comfortable pace. The end result was a solid C Class Score, which fell below my B Class goal.

A: 7
C: 3
D: 2
Time: 9.58 Seconds
Hit Factor: 4.8017
Classifier Calculator: 53.2044%

Bang and Clang: CM99-62

Bang and Clang was the one classifier of the day which seemed to have varying opinions on how to go about shooting it. As you’ll see in the video, I engaged the far left steel and progressed to the right. Other guys on my squad were making the case for drawing on the largest target, Paper in the middle, then picking up the steel. The idea was that you would be shooting the paper faster than you could the steel, due to its size, thus speeding up your overall time.

I’m not sure what the correct way to shoot the stage really was, but I was happy with my stage plan. I missed the second piece of steel and had to make it up at the end (when engaging steel I try to go from one target to the next and not stall taking multiple shots on a single target). Matt from Super-Tactical took a look at the video and thinks that the miss cost me about 6/10 of a second and could have pushed my classifier percentage up closer to 80%.

A: 5
C: 1
Time: 3.62 Seconds
Hit Factor: 7.7348
Classifier Calculator: 66.7368%

Fluffy’s Revenge 2: CM06-05

Fluffy’s Revenge 2, much like Bang and Clang, is made up of steel and paper. I took the same approach when shooting both stages and engaged the far left steel first. Perhaps the guys on my squad were on to something in terms of engaging paper first. I missed my first shot and had to make it up at the end of the string.

Even with the missed shot, I still came out with a B Class score but I can’t help but wonder where I would have landed with the first shot hitting the mark. I’m also seeing a pattern develop at this point with an A and C on paper. I think my second shot is happening too quickly and I’m not getting a clear enough sight picture after the recoil of the first shot is complete.

A: 7
C: 1
Time: 4.60 Seconds
Hit Factor: 8.2609
Classifier Calculator: 70.6766%

El Presidnte: CM99-11

El Presidente is a classifier that I’ve struggled with for a long time. I can’t seem to pace myself and always earn myself a terrible score. It has gotten to the point where it defeats me before I even step foot into the shooting box.

The Classifier Match was no different. Before shooting I knew deep down inside that I was going to struggle with it. Even knowing that vital piece of information didn’t slow me down. It was as if something inside me had something to prove. The buzzer sounded and I started shooting faster than my skills permitted.

When I botched the reload, I panicked and shot even faster. It was the only stage where I didn’t walk down range to check my scores (something I always do). I knew it was going to be bad. It was worse than I thought.

A: 5
C: 5
M: 2
Time: 4.60 Seconds
Hit Factor: 2.7322
Classifier Calculator: 26.6267%

Where to go from here

If I continue to shoot like I did for the better part of this match, I expect to see my lower classification scores from last year drop off. This will ultimately raise my score on record and I should find myself somewhere in the middle of the pack for USPSA Production B Class.

One of my goals this season was to reach B Class. Seeing the scores come in, I’m wondering if a new goal of reaching A Class by the end of the season might be too lofty? I have a lot of work ahead of me but I’m looking forward to it.

I’m going to formulate a better dry-fire routine to focus on small aspects of shooting. I think this, paired with decreasing par times, will help me refine the areas where I feel I need the most work.

I have purchased the two most recent Ben Stoeger Books (Practical Pistol: Fundamental Techniques and Competition Skills and Champion Shooting: Guaranteed Results in 15 Minutes A Day: Champion Shooting: Volume 2. I already own a copy of Champion Shooting: A Proven Process for Success at Any Level (Volume 1) and will probably re-read it before getting into the others.

Do you have any advice for an aspiring
Production Division A Class Shooter?

You're reading How I Made B Class in USPSA Production Division by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Last year I set a goal for myself. Before the 2012 season came to a close, I wanted to make USPSA Production Division B Class. I came close to reaching that goal but ultimately failed. I am convinced that the problem wasn’t that I lacked the skill, instead I think it was an issue with focus. Instead of seeing the whole picture, I was intensely focused on the immediate result.

Compounded Problems

Last year I had an incredible problem with classifiers. I was very competitive within Production Division C Class but the moment I stepped up to a classifier, there was trouble. The problem was a weak mental game and was a result of pressure.

As the end of the 2012 USPSA grew near, I felt more and more pressure to score high enough on a classifier to push me into B Class. I was hovering about 3% shy of my goal and thought that if I could just crush one classifier I would be set.

I was trying to force it and it wound up hurting me in the end. Because I was shooting faster than my ability allowed, problems would arise. I would throw a shot here, botch a reload there, lose track of my front sight during the press out. You know, all of those stupid little things that come about when trying too hard.

When one of those issues popped up, the problems compounded. While I wasted precious time correcting an issue, it felt like I was taking two to three times longer than it actually did. This only caused me to go faster to make up for the first problem. If going too fast caused the problem in the first place, what do you think happened next? Thats right, one stupid little mistake after another.

Towards the end of the 2012 USPSA Season I actually began to slide backwards. I went from just 3% shy of reaching my goal to around 6%.

Owning my Problem

When the 2012 USPSA Season ended, I was bummed that I didn’t make B Class. In the offseason I would need to make some changes if I wanted to reach the same goal in 2013. The allure of a quick fix, shooting one solid B Class score, was difficult to overcome. I was well aware of what my problem was, I just wasn’t owning it.

While Pennsylvania USPSA was on hiatus for the winter, I turned to IDPA to keep proficient with my gun handeling skills. When USPSA started back up, I wanted a minimal amount of rust to have to knock off before I got back into some sort of a groove.

I decided to try something a little different for the standard stages. Rather than try to burn it up like I was unsuccessfully doing with USPSA, I would relax and stay focused on the big picture. While I wasn’t setting any speed records, I could see my accuracy improve and my time come down. I found that I was more competitive by shooting only as fast as my skill allowed.

Making USPSA Production Division B Class

The 2013 Pennsylvania USPSA Season, for me, kicked off on a brisk March morning at Lower Providence Rod and Gun Club. The match would be a Special Classifier and allow me to put my new mental game to the test with five Classifiers and two Field Courses.

Things started off great. I felt relaxed and shot at my own pace. I hit a speed bump a couple of stages in and posted a C Class score as a result. Old habits came roaring back to mind as I rushed a couple of shots to make up for lost time. I was able to get back on track for a couple more stages but bombed the last classifier in epic fashion.

When the official scores were posted to USPSA, I headed over to the Classifier Calculator to see how it would work out. If my calculations are correct, I should be getting a new USPSA Production Division B Class Card in the mail, next month (scores didn’t make it in to HQ in time to be included in this months classification run).

I have plenty of video from the match, which I’ll share in the next post. I’ll also outline how I think I performed in each Classifier. If you would like to get a head start on the next post, you can Check Out My YouTube Channel for Match Video.

PS – You’re probably wondering why the photo at the head of this post makes no sense in terms of Making Production Division B Class? As the guy behind the camera, I never come away from a match with photos of myself. The image above features James Graziano Shooting in Limited 10 Division (C Class). I just happened to like the photo.

You're reading Making USPSA Production Division B Class by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Sometime last week I was scrolling through my Facebook Timeline when I came across a status update by Dave Bair. Dave was concerned about IDPA Programs in Eastern Pennsylvania. As the Match Director for Ontelaunee IDPA, he has been hearing that some clubs are planning on slashing minimum round counts to ease the burden shooters are facing due to the current ammunition shortage. Even worse, some clubs are even considering shutting down programs altogether.

Having just gone through this sort of situation with the Southern Chester USPSA program, I didn’t give the status update too much thought. I imagined it would work itself out and perhaps people may be overreacting. With so much other stuff to keep track of, I shifted my focus elsewhere.

This morning I received a shocking email from Dave Bair. He explained that the Guthsville Rod and Gun Club has eliminated their IDPA program and asked that I write something up about it. I haven’t known Dave for a terribly long time but he is a laid-back guy with a pleasant attitude. To see him so upset was out of character.

I was happy to put something together about the incident but I found myself in a strange position. I’ve never shot a match at Guthsville Rod and Gun Club (or even been at the range), I didn’t know the previous Match Director (who passed away last year – more on this later), and I don’t know the current Match Director.

Killing the Program

To get up to speed on everything that was going on, I began digging for information. The first bit of information that I came across was the most telling. The IDPA Program at Guthsville wasn’t eliminated because someone wasn’t willing to run it. It would seem that the Guthsville Board of Directors opted to kill the program.

From the NEPA IDPA Scores Email Blast:

And finally, a bit of bitter news. IDPA at Guthsville is no more. I heard from Bill Kulnis today and to say that he is pretty disgusted with the management of Guthsville is an understatement. I’ll go no farther than that. So Guthsville IDPA was a great run started by a great man, Burt Schaffer, and continued by Bill Kulnis who did a better than average job as a Match Director. But apparently the people at Guthsville can look a gift horse in the mouth. So it is done.

Why Choose to Kill The Program?

The Guthsville Board of Directors must have had a reason for killing the program. My initial thought was that maybe the program wasn’t worth the resources. Perhaps it was a small program drawing very few shooters?

I turned to Google for some information and what I found was surprising. Guthsville Rod and Gun Club hosted both the 2007 and 2008 IDPA National Championship Matches.

The club seems to have been very active, running IDPA Safety Officer Seminars and helping with PA State IDPA Matches. Guthsville IDPA wasn’t just some rinky-dink little program, they were a tenured club that gave a lot to the shooting community.

A Dying Man’s Wish

Prior to Bill Kulnis, the Match Director at Guthsville was Bert Schaffer. While I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting Bert before his untimely passing, I have been reading about him for the past hour. Based on what I’ve learned, it would have been an honor to know him and he deserves a great deal of respect from the IDPA Community.

I came across an IDPA Forum post about Bert from another Match Director I have a lot of respect for, Ted Murphy. In addition, I also came across an obituary, of sorts, from NEPA IDPA Scores.

Ted Murphy on the IDPA Forums:

I am very sad to report that the Match Director of Guthsville IDPA Bert Schaffer, passed away this evening from Pancreatic Cancer.

Bert was one of the nicer people I have have ever met. He was very thoughtful, caring, and dedicated to both IDPA and the shooting sports. He was a tremendous help in helping organize and run several of the Pa State matches, as well as a great help for the 2007 and 2008 IDPA nationals. He once even took some time to help me with my Statistics homework, as he was a part time professor at the local College.

About 2 years ago, he became the president of Guthsville Rod and Gun Club and through his guidance and leadership, brought practical shooting back to the club, starting the IDPA @ Guthsville Club.

I got to shoot with Bert one last time at Guthsville, for the April IDPA match there. He had been recently diagnosed with his illness then, but on that day was more concerned with making long term plans for the IDPA program he had started than he was about discussing his illness.

I am glad to have met Bert and to have been his friend. People like him do not come around often, and I was truly blessed to have gotten to know him.

Ted

From the NEPA IDPA Scores In Memoriam Page:

Burt Schaffer
1941 – 2012
Left the Range on May 9th, 2012

This is truly a sad loss to our shooting community. The amount and number of responses to the initial notification was overwhelming. Burt was extremely well liked and one could almost say loved by many of us. He was a good friend, an intelligent and thoughtful man, and inspired everyone that he came in contact with his enthusiasm and joy for life.

His one request was that the IDPA program at Guthsville continue. That will remain to be seen since it will take quite a person to fill Burt’s shoes in that club. Burt’s last IDPA match was April 1st. He was obviously ill but he enjoyed the shooting and camaraderie nonetheless. Hopefully we will remember Burt as the fun loving and intelligent man that he was as time progresses. He left an indelible mark on us. He was truly one of the good ones.
Burton A. Schaffer, 71, of Allentown, died on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at Hospice House of the VNA of St. Luke’s. He was the husband of Ellen A. (Schwartz) Schaffer and would have celebrated 53 years of marriage on August 10th. Born in New York City, Burton was the son of the late Milton and Edna (Shapiro) Schaffer. Burton graduated from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute and received a Master’s Degree from Steven’s Institute of Technology. Prior to retirement, Burton worked as a Consultant for Thompkins Associates in Allentown. Previously he spent most of his career in the food industry as a Plant Manager for Purex, A&P, and Just Born Candy. Burton had begun his career as a chemical engineer with General Foods. Following his retirement he was employed as a tutor and adjunct professor at LCCC in the Physics Department. He was a member of Temple Shirat Shalom, Allentown where he served as a past treasurer. Burton was a volunteer at Hawk Mountain and was the Immediate Past President at Guthsville Rod and Gun Club.

So Burt is now gone to shoot the Matches with the Head Safety Officer. I’m sure we’ll recognize him when we too head to that range. He’ll be the one wearing the sun shade headgear he was so fond of and it will be a pleasure to shoot with him again. Rest in Peace, Burt. You will be missed.

Membership Backlash

While I am an outsider looking in to all of this, I find the actions of the Guthsville Board of Directors to be flat out disrespectful to both Bert Schaeffer and the IDPA Community. It doesn’t appear as though the program was in any danger of dying, the board of directors killed it.

Since the news came out I have seen calls for shooters turning thier back on the club. At least two members, at this point, have cancelled their membership and plan on going elsewhere. I would imagine that number is going to grow substantially as the word continues to spread.

For the life of me, I can’t understand how a club can cannibalize itself, especially in the current political climate. Rather than banding together as shooters, Guthsville has turned their back on the IDPA Community for no apparent reason. Rumor has it that the Steel League was also eliminated.

If you are a member at Guthsville Rod and Gun Club, or were just an IDPA Shooter at the club, I would suggest reaching out to Adam Wetzel, Club President, and voicing your opinion.

Update: March 11, 2013

A Guthsville member has sent me an email response from Adam Wetzel, Club President, regarding the IDPA Program. Ordinarily I wouldn’t share an email such as this (anything you tell me privately is between us unless you want me to pass it along), however, the sender of this email published it on Facebook. As a result, I’ve included the most important part below.

Email from Adam Wetzel:

We never decided to do away with IDPA. So who ever you heard that from is misinformed. We only stated that it is suspended until Bill Kulnis decided whether or not he was going to run it this year. The last we heard he wasn’t going run it unless he was able to find help. So no one is trying to run anything into the ground. We are only improving the club not taking away from it.

Update: March 12, 2013

I’m getting word from someone that attended the Guthsville Rod and Gun Club membership Meeting, last night, that some progress is being made.

While this isn’t official, I’m being asked to pass along the following….

The next match will be April 7th 2013, more information will follow in about 2 weeks

Update: March 30, 2013

Dave Bair has taken on the roll of Match Director for Guthsville. The program is to resume with the next match scheduled for April 7, 2013.

You're reading Guthsville IDPA Program has been Terminated by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Over the weekend I attended the March 2013 Special Classifier Match at Lower Providence Rod and Gun Club. The match ran very well and I hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary, until the very last stage of the day.

Mike, a junior shooter and the nephew of the RO, stepped up to the line and prepared to shoot. I situated myself off to the side to snap some pictures of the stage. When the buzzer sounded, the shooter drew his gun and got down to business.

The first target array was shot smoothly, at which point the shooter reloaded and moved to engage a separate target array. As the shooter began putting rounds on the third array of targets, the Glock 19 did something I’ve never seen a Glock do. Two rounds were fired as if it were full auto.

The gun belongs to the RO, who leant it to his nephew to shoot the USPSA Match. The ammunition was reloaded with a home-cast bullet. I don’t know if the trigger has any additional parts installed or if it is stock with polished components.

I’ve seen a 1911 act in a similar fashion (in that case it was firing two to three round bursts depending on where the shooter reset the trigger). I’ve heard stories of the 1911 that went full-auto but I’ve never seen a Glock perform in this fashion.

What would have caused this Glock 19 to behave this way? Based on the shocked expression of the shooter, and the fact that he looked over his shoulder at the RO, I seriously doubt that it was intentional.

The original video can be seen on Dave Bair’s YouTube Channel. I stole borrowed the video so that I could chop it up and slow down the incident.

You're reading What Would Cause a Glock 19 to Fire a Two Round Burst? by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

The next step in the evolution of my match photography was to ignore the written stage briefing all together. More often then that not it was an abused piece of paper that was either taped or stapled to a prop. I thought that it would be far more interesting to get a shot of the completed stage. While it was a more interesting photograph, it was missing something.

One day it dawned on me that a photo focusing on USPSA Shooters taking on the stage would be even better than just the stage, all by its lonesome. It took a match or two for me to realize that one photo per stage just wouldn’t cut it. I began to let loose and took dozens upon dozens of photos throughout a given match.

While a vast supply of photos was more work, in terms of editing and uploading, it gave me an abundance of options. Instead of a single photo at the head of a match recap post, I could also include a gallery showing some of the action that wasn’t caught on video.

At the most recent match, a Special USPSA Classifier at Lower Providence, I wound up with a series of photos featuring USPSA Shooters in Motion. I found myself going back to the album, over and over again, so that I could flip through the action shots and see the USPSA Shooters move through a particular stage.

This gave me the idea to try something a little different. I gathered up the series of photos and put it together in a sort of storyboard. I’m pretty happy with the end result and hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I do.

Jim Graziano in Motion

Kerry Woods in Motion

Steve Lockwood in Motion

You're reading USPSA Shooters In Motion by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

The day prior to the discussion, the Daily Times (Delaware County News) did a Live pre-discussion on their website. The moderator and four individuals spoke for roughly thirty minutes. I wasn’t aware of the live discussion but came across a link to the video.

Below are all three parts of the discussion. There were a number of facepalm moments but a few good points were made on the Pro-Rights side. If you live in the Philadelphia area, I think the video is worth watching.

You're reading Delco Times Presents: Guns Again by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Yesterday a mass email was sent out by Graham Smith, Match Director at Southern Chester USPSA, regarding the March USPSA Match. This email caused a bit of a stir among some of the local shooters (myself included). In a nutshell, Southern Chester would be reducing the round count of their matches to ease the burden of tracking down ammunition and/or components in the current market.

SCCPSA March Match

Our first match is scheduled for Saturday March 16.

I’m still working out the details but due to ammunition shortages, I am planning on putting some limits on the number of round required to keep it under 120 rounds. I’ll have a final plan shortly and will post the information on the match web site: www.formstack.com/forms/sccpsa-info

Pre-registration will be open the evening of Sunday 10 Mar and is recommended. This year we are limiting pre-registration to USPSA
members only. With the discontinuation of pistol matches at both Topton and York, we could be seeing even larger demand than last year.

Hopefully, all the storms will have blown themselves out by match day. But if not, check the web site for information on match status.

Graham Smith
SCCPSA Match Director

Leading up to to this email, I was under the impression that Southern Chester had an average round count that hovered at 180. Slashing that perceived round count all the way down to 120 came as a huge shock to me. As a shooter traveling roughly 90 minutes (each way) I suddenly worried that the ‘bang for my buck’ factor was going to be significantly reduced.

In all fairness, I was well aware that Southern Chester was going to be reducing their minimum round count. I briefly discussed this with Graham on a couple of occasions and the understanding was that each stage would have a target or two removed. This would break up some of the congested target arrays and allow targets to be spread out a bit more. In theory it sounds great, a target or two per stage shouldn’t dumb down the match and it will most certainly help ease the burden of finding ammunition and/or components. But how does one or two targets per stage equate to roughly sixty rounds!

This is where my ignorance came in to play. Remember that magic number I had in my head about Southern Chester hovering at 180 rounds, on average? That number was seriously inflated. In fact, in the past two years, Southern Chester has never broken a minimum round count of 160 (April 2012 was 158 round minimum).

Based on matches held over the past two years, Southern Chester has an average minimum round count of 138. The difference between the two-year average and the new proposed ceiling is 18 rounds. Since the club generally runs seven stages, that falls into the ‘target or two per stage’ that was discussed.

Value Engineering Stages

One of the main concerns with reducing the minimum round count of a match is preventing the stages from feeling too dumbed down. The nice thing about taking out a target or two per stage at Southern Chester is that stages usually have a little wiggle room in this area. One of the things that Southern Chester does, which I haven’t seen at too many other clubs, is use low angled targets within a foot or two of the shooter.

These angled targets can be viewed as a ‘gimme’ and typically make the sure the shooter advances to a pre-determined area of the stage. For example, a low target might be put just inside a ported wall so that the shooter has to come all the way into the port instead of shooting through it from afar.

In the case of my most recent stage design, I had a low target situated behind a low wall. This particular target presented problems due to range conditions (lots of rock in the ground which could cause a potential ricochet). This target wasn’t critical to the stage so rather than re-work its position, it was omitted to save a couple of rounds.

I would imagine Graham will take a look at stages going forward and value engineer them, for lack of a better word, to cut out any unnecessary targets, without dumbing down the stage.

Emailing My Concerns

Shortly after reading the original email from Southern Chester, and hearing grumblings online, I drafted a response outlining my concerns. At this point I was still under the impression that the average round count at Southern Chester was much higher than it actually was.

In addition to my concerns about the change in minimum round count, I was worried about the way registration was going to be handled going forward. Graham is predicting that the loss of USPSA at both Topton and York will result in an increased shooter turnout. Since the club can only handle a limited number of shooters, the pre-registration system would only be opened up to current USPSA Members.

The reason for my concern is simple, new shooters have just been shut out of attending matches at Southern Chester. Last year there wasn’t more than one or two new shooters showing up periodically. This year, however, there was a whole bunch of them at the Lower Providence match. This makes me think that some of the people that went out and ‘panic purchased’ a gun wanted to get out and put it to good use.

In addition to my email, I would assume that Graham received a couple more. This resulted in a second email being sent out, addressing both of my concerns.

SCCPSA March Match – Q & A

Some questions have come up about the changes this year so rather than trying to answer them one by one, I’ll try and cover the major points here.

The decision to reduce the round count was not taken by me alone. This came up at the Mid-Atlantic section meeting and several clubs stated that they were going to cut back a bit at first until it could be determined just how people stood on ammunition.

The planned change is not drastic. Round count for an average match in the past has been in the 140-150 range for 6-7 stages. What is being done is removing a couple targets from each stage and spreading the targets out a bit more.

Regarding the limit on pre-registration to USPSA members… Registration is a balancing act. For every new shooter allowed in, one slot is removed that might otherwise go to a regular shooter. As we have done in the past, there will be some slots held open till match day.

Not to put too fine a point on this but there is an open invitation to anyone who wants to become involved with running a match. I would be more than happy to turn over the entire process of registration to someone willing to do the job.

Graham Smith
SCCPSA Match Director

Pre-Registration at Southern Chester

Despite Southern Chester being a popular local match, the USPSA program has parameters to stick to. A township ordinance prevents shots from being fired before 11:00am and the Club requires that all ranges be cleared by 4:00pm to allow the membership use of the ranges (before the pm township ordinance kicks in). This five hour window limits the number of shooters which can attend the match.

I’m not sure where the number originated but Graham once told me that the club tries to create stages that can be shot and reset in no more than three minutes. This has caused issues with some of the more elaborate stages I’ve tried to get entered into a match but without this number in place, the match runs long and problems arise (I can remember seeing people waiting for USPSA to finish so that they could get on the range and shoot).

As I understand it, a cap of roughly 75 shooters is in place for registration. An allotment is set aside for the setup crew (which is guaranteed a spot), an allotment is set aside for pre-registration, and a few spaces are set aside for walk-ons. I don’t recall anyone having ever been turned away. Between no-shows and walk-on spaces, everyone who shows up seems to be squadded.

If Graham is correct and there is a spike in registration, due to Topton and York eliminating their USPSA Programs, and if this months Lower Providence match is an indication of what is to come with new shooters, there will most certainly be a problem. Spaces will fill quickly and the program may actually exceed its capacity and begin turning shooters away.

Screw the Maximum Capacity!

If registration becomes a problem and shooters begin arriving at Southern Chester in record numbers, why can’t the club simply raise the ceiling from 75 shooters to something like 100? They could expand and use the 100 Yard Range too! That would be awesome!

While I would love to shoot a challenging eight stage local match for $20, I just don’t see it happening. I took that magic 3 Minutes per Shooter number and applied it to the USPSA attendance records at Southern Chester.

On paper Southern Chester has averaged 69 shooters over the past two years. If you allow 3 Minutes per Shooter, that comes out to roughly 3.5 hours to shoot the match. Add in a five minute walk-through for each stage, unexpected stage backups, the occasional prop failure, and the squad moving from bay to bay, and that original 3.5 hours quickly draws closer to the maximum 5 hour mark.

But what does all of this mean for me?

To be honest with you, I don’t know. With the gun environment being as turbulent as it is, we could be facing an entirely new problem in no time at all. If you plan on shooting regularly at Southern Chester (which I’m planning on doing) I would take a few steps to ensure I’m shooting.

Register as Early As Possible:

I realize registering as early as possible is a given but it is worth emphasizing. If you can’t pre-register to guarantee yourself a spot, arrive early and get on the walk-on list. If you arrive early enough to help with setup (and actually help with setup), I’m pretty sure you’ll be shooting the match.

Bring Plenty of Ammo:

Reduced Round Count isn’t nearly as reduced as I had originally thought. If the plan is to spread targets out a bit, I would not be at all surprised if targets got further away and shots became more challenging. This could mean a lower round count on paper but shooters firing more rounds. Plan accordingly.

Offer Feedback:

After a match is finished, spend a few minutes talking with Graham. He seems open to shooter feedback and has listened to a variety of my suggestions. Knowing what shooters are enjoying (or not enjoying) helps mold the following months match.

You're reading As I See It: Southern Chester USPSA by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Over the last couple of months I have been seeing a lot of videos cameras on the range. Unfortunately, hitting YouTube in search of local Match Video has yielded fewer results than I would have liked. This could mean a few different things. I’m not searching properly, shooters aren’t tagging the club in the video title, or shooters aren’t sharing their videos with the public.

Any of those things are all fine and well but it hasn’t stopped me from actively searching for local video. Shortly after the Lower Providence USPSA Match this weekend, I hit YouTube once again in search of video. This time I found a video by YouTube User ORTBACH.

There are a couple of cool things about this video, besides some good shooting. First, It appears as though Ken was squadded right behind me, so I know the stage conditions he faced (some started very muddy but dried out a bit as they day went on). Second, while I didn’t talk to Ken on the range, I’m pretty sure I have conversed with him on the WaltInPA Facebook Page.

The video at the head of this post shows Ken and Joanna shooting the March 2nd Special Classifier Match at Lower Providence USPSA. I’ve developed a strong curiosity for revolvers, so seeing a pair of shooters going at it with wheel guns was very interesting for me. With limited rounds in the gun, some stages are shot entirely different from the way I attacked them in Production Division.

You're reading Lower Providence USPSA: Revolvers out in Force by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

During the January Ontelaunee IDPA Match there were some issues with wind gusts. On several occasions props had to be pulled out of the mud and re-set so that shoots could continue with the match. With weather forecasts for the February Ontelaunee IDPA Match calling for similar wind conditions, changes had to be made.

Dave Bair, Ontelaunee IDPA Match Director, slashed the round count for the match and opted to shoot six stages instead of the usual eight. All moving targets were eliminated and the chance of wind related prop failure was reduced to practically zero.

When I got word of what was going on, I was a bit skeptical. In the past, I haven’t had the best of luck with low round count stages – typically feeling as though I didn’t get my monies worth. Despite my skepticism, I packed my gear and made the trip on a rather brisk Sunday morning.

Even though the round count was slashed to a little more than sixty rounds, I had an absolute blast. Dave put together a series of stages that were both fun and challenging. The most notable stage contained the Earthquake Chair, which everyone seemed to love. One shooter walked away from the stage yelling “Every stage should have one of those chairs!”

I shot what felt like a very consist match. Each stage was shot in a manner that was comfortable, not too fast (favoring speed) and not too slow (favoring accuracy). I was very surprised to see that the Unofficial Overall Scores had me in 2nd Place.

You're reading Ontelaunee IDPA: Wind Gusts and an Earthquake Chair by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

With Winter almost over, the USPSA Season in Pennsylvania is just a couple of short weeks away. To kick off my season, I’ll be attending the Lower Providence USPSA Special Classifier Match on Saturday, March 2, 2013. The match will consist of 5 USPSA Classifier Stages and 2 Field Courses with an approximate round count of 150.

After shooting a Winter full of IDPA, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a positive performance. I would hate to begin shooting and suddenly stow a magazine during a reload, or worse yet, run the gun dry and perform a slide-lock reload. Neither instance would be good for my already sliding C Class Percentage.

Hello,
We hope that you had a nice break but it is time to get back to USPSA at Lower Providence R&G Club!

Our first match of 2013 will be this Saturday, March 2. Registration will begin at 0800. Hammer down at 1000. New shooters need to arrive by 0900. If you have group squadding requests, please arrive before 0915.

This match will be a Special Classifier Match. We will have 5 classifiers and 2 field courses for you to enjoy. I will be posting the classifiers Thursday night on our Facebook Page.

We will have set up starting Friday at 4:00 PM. Saturday Setup will begin at 0700. We appreciate any and all help you can give us.

We are looking at hosting an NROI Level I Range Officer this Summer. We will have more information as this develops.

Thank you and I hope to see you on the Range Saturday!

Ted Murphy
LP USPSA

You're reading Lower Providence USPSA: Special Classifier Match by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

On the weekend spanning May 18th and 19th of 2013, I will be attending the Burt Schaffer Memorial Sanctioned IDPA Match at Ontelaunee Rod and Gun Club. I am pleased to announce that I will be shooting this match as a Stogie Review Sponsored Shooter, much like I did the 2012 Liberty Match at Valley Forge.

Having shot a handful of matches at Ontelaunee, I know that Match Director, Dave Bair, puts on an excellent monthly match. I am very eager to see what he can do with his first Sanctioned IDPA Match.

Dave has been a good friend both as a shooter and a supporter of WaltInPA. I would love to be able to volunteer my time to help as a member of the staff but, I have prior USPSA commitments which prevent that.

Once my registration check is received and I am allowed into the self-squadding system, I’ll be looking for a slot on Sunday (preferably in the afternoon). I’m going to keep my fingers crossed and hope that the USPSA Match I’m shooting on Saturday plays out to my benefit and has me loose and ready to shoot the following day.

If you are planning on shooting, drop me a line. Perhaps we can arrange to be on the same squad. I’ll be recording my shooting and may need a hand running a third person camera. If I have a shooter that is willing to lend a hand, I would be happy to return the favor and put together match video for them as well.

You're reading Ontelaunee IDPA: 2013 Burt Schaffer Memorial Match by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Shooting The Breeze
The Formal Gun Podcast of WaltInPA.com
Episode 59

Pre-News:

• Update on Ontelaunee IDPA – Team Down Zero
• February IDPA Match at Ontelaunee Rod and Gun Club
• Working on USPSA Stage Design for Southern Chester Rod and Gun Club

In The News:

• School ‘safety’ logo contest illustrates utter hypocrisy on gun imagery
• Pregnant Mother Saved by 87 Year Old Landlord Who Shot Man Who Chased and Beat Her

Featured Content:

• The Usefulness of Gun Control
• When The Balloon Goes Up Store & Podcast

Cigar Recommendation

• Murcielago from Espinosa Cigars

If you are interested in trying this cigar
Pick up the phone and order from my preferred retailer.

Buckhead Cigar

Phone: (404) 844-0400 | Twitter: @BuckheadCigar | Web: AskTheCigarGuys

Discussion Topic:

USPSA Stage Design as it applies to me at Southern Chester County Sportsman’s and Farmers’ Association.

Stream or Download Audio Below

You're reading Shooting The Breeze: Episode 59 by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Shooting The Breeze
The Formal Gun Podcast of WaltInPA.com
Episode 58

Pre-News:

• Have an article on Competitive Shooting coming up on a popular Cigar Retailer Website
• Update on last weeks reloading topic – Dillon is backordered 8-12 weeks

In The News:

• PA Store Owner Defends Wife, Shoots & Kills Armed Robber Who Shot at Him
• Pennsylvania Attorney General Ends Gun Loophole with Florida

Featured Content:

• Shooter 2.0 Females (H/T Miguel @ Gun Free Zone)

Cigar Recommendation

• Viaje Summerfest

If you are interested in trying this cigar
Pick up the phone and order from my preferred retailer.

Buckhead Cigar

Phone: (404) 844-0400 | Twitter: @BuckheadCigar | Web: AskTheCigarGuys

Discussion Topic:

In this episode I discuss grip trainers to help firm up my shooting grip.

Stream or Download Audio Below

You're reading Shooting The Breeze Podcast – Episode 58 by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

A while back I was on one of the local PA Firearm Forums when I came across a YouTube video on lock picking. I didn’t particularly have an interest in learning how to pick locks but there was a segment on gun safes and trigger locks that I wanted to see.

As it turns out, the video was interesting enough that I now watch them whenever I stumble onto a new one. The videos do a great job of showing vulnerabilities in security and I find that aspect fascinating. While watching the latest video on lock picking, during the gun security section, there was a brief mention of a firearm discussion from a previous conference.

After the video was finished, I quickly looked up the firearm discussion video, entitled Boomstick-Fu, and checked it out. The quality of information in that video wasn’t even close to that in the lock picking videos and I was left disappointed.

The discussion reminded me of a pickup game from childhood. It was as if the panelists were picked out of the crowd attending Defcon 15 (Which is a bit dated – 2007). None of those individuals sounded like firearm experts and the advice given and statements made were hit or miss.

While I like the concept of the video, I think it contains some bad information that wouldn’t be noticed unless the viewer is a firearm enthusiast. The video also contains some good information but it may be difficult to pick out for potential new gun owners.

Some of the Bad:

At one point during the video a question is raised about what type of ammunition to load into a home defense shotgun. One panelist talks about being at a crime scene (LEO) where a slug went through a wall, hit an innocent bystander (killing them), then “continued through like four other walls”. While I’m no expert on shotgun slugs, that just seems like a rather large feat.

The same panelist then goes on to talk about being at another crime scene where an attacker was shot with #7 Birdshot and “dropped like a sack of potatoes”, acting as a one shot stop for the situation. While using small shot does reduce the chance of over penetration, I’m much more comfortable with the idea of using something more substancial, such as buckshot.

Some of the Good:

Towards the end of the video, one of the panelists (an attorney) makes a statement that any sort of training will hold you in a higher standard in a court of law. The way the statement was delivered almost sounded as though he was hinting that training was a bad idea.

I’m not claiming to be a legal expert but I think that this piece of advice was inadvertently good. In the event that you have training and become the victim of a life-threatening attack, I believe that training shows that you have a better understanding of when deadly force is necessary in order to protect yourself.

One of the last questions from the audience involved what to do if you have to defend yourself if you are out of state or do not have an attorney. The advice was to request a public defender to get the ball rolling then to contact a local gun range to seek advice on a local attorney specializing in the field of self defense and/or firearms.

You're reading Boomstick-Fu by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Shooting The Breeze
The Formal Gun Podcast of WaltInPA.com
Episode 57

Pre-News:

• Team Down Zero at Ontelaunee Rod and Gun Club
• John will be on a future show discussing his first Tactical / Practical Match

In The News:

• Walmart Rationing Ammunition
• Shotgun Wielding Ex Boyfriend is Disarmed, Comes Back With 2nd Shotgun, Is Shot & Killed

Featured Content:

• Community Consensus on BCTV

Cigar Recommendation

• Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial 2012

If you are interested in trying this cigar
Pick up the phone and order from my preferred retailer.

Buckhead Cigar

Phone: (404) 844-0400 | Twitter: @BuckheadCigar | Web: AskTheCigarGuys

Discussion Topic:

In this episode I discuss my current reloading predicament and explore options to ease the strain of limited components.

Stream or Download Audio Below

You're reading Shooting The Breeze: Episode 57 by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Shooting competitively in the winter is something that I’m still getting used to. On the surface it seems simple but having to deal with multiple layers, just so that you can stay on the range for 3 to 5 hours, can be a real challenge. Add a little snow and some ice into the mix and things become even more challenging.

Driving out to the February 2013 New Holland IDPA Match was pretty nice, despite the snowfall the night before. I was a bit concerned that I wouldn’t make it up the club’s driveway but my car was up to the task (I had serious doubts though). Before long I was walking through a snowy parking area to get registered.

The turnout was pretty good and each squad filled out with eight to tend shooters. This month there were seven stages which made for a fun and challenging match. My total points down were better than they were in the last few matches but a Swing Through and a a cluster of 30 yard shots left me with 3 missed shots on the day.

I came away with 2nd Place in Stock Service Pistol (Sharp Shooter Class) with a time of 109.50 and 28 points down. This wasn’t me best performance but I enjoyed myself.

You're reading New Holland IDPA In The Snow by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

My first practical shooting match was held at Topton Fish & Game. The club no longer shoots USPSA but at the time it was known for its use of vast amounts of steel. It would be no surprise to step onto a stage and find a Texas Star waiting for you. Imagine my intimidation when facing one at my very first match.

In the roughly two years that I’ve been shooting competitively, I’ve come up against a variety of evil idpa props. The intimidation factor has disappeared, for the most part, and I trust in my abilities to get through each stage. That changed a bit when I shot the January 2013 New Holland Rifle and Pistol Club IDPA Match.

I was introduced to a devilish prop that is best described as a Swing Through. It is made up of standard paper target attached to a steel popper. As the popper falls, the paper target swings through, in an arc, and falls with the popper. The window in which a shooter can engage this target is small. In fact, in the two matches that I’ve faced it, I have yet to put a single round on target.

To make matters worse, I’m told that this particular prop has been slowed down considerably. The Match Directors at New Holland plan on cranking up the speed in the coming months. It has become the single prop that I love to hate.

You're reading Swing Through: An Evil IDPA Prop by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Over the weekend I took a ride down to New Holland to shoot the February 2013 IDPA Match. Before things got under way, I was standing in the clubhouse talking with Dave Bair, Match Director at Ontelaunee. Dave asked me if I could post a question here at WaltInPA.com to solicit some feedback.

Dave has a Sanctioned Match coming up in honor of Burt Schaffer (Former Match Director at Guthsville IDPA). The match will be a one day format with morning and afternoon squads. The usual prizes will be awarded for match placement, as well as lunch and a shirt, however, there will be no prize table.

Dave went on to explain that he was not comfortable charging the going rate for a Sanctioned IDPA Match since he won’t have a prize table. He would like some feedback as to what you would be comfortable paying for this type of match?

You're reading What Would You Pay to Shoot a Sanctioned IDPA Match Without a Prize Table? by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

A couple of weeks back I had the pleasure of shooting the January 2013 Ontelaunee IDPA Match. Shortly after the match, I came down with the flu and got a bit behind in putting video together. This post contains video from the event as well as a bunch of photos of Corey shooting his first IDPA Match.

I had a great time shooting, despite having a rather miserable second half. The match started out great and my shots were on point. When the wind began picking up and blowing over props, I lost focus. When that happened, my match fell apart and I began dropping shots left and right.

In the end, my solid fist half of the match balanced out my poor second half and I didn’t do too bad. I came in 1st Place in Stock Service Pistol – Sharpshooter with a time of 140.59 and an abysmal 49 points down.

Ontelaunee IDPA Matches are always a good time and I look forward to what Dave Bair has in store for us in February.

You're reading Ontelaunee IDPA: January 2013 by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

I’m sorry to say that I’ve never been able to take a class offered by Massad Ayoob but it is on the list of things that I would love to do. Training isn’t cheap (I wouldn’t consider it out of line either) and spans four ten-hour days (for the MAG 40 Class) split between classroom and range time.

If this type of class sounds like something you would like to take advantage of, I have some good news for those of you in the general area. I got word from Paul Bissman, a friend from the Walt In PA Facebook Page, that Mas and company will be in Maryland in August to put on a class.

After attending the MAG-40 class in Utah (Sept 2012) with the Gun Dudes, I knew that I had to bring the class to Marylanders and those close to the Eastern Shore. With the help of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department, the class will be held at their range in August 2013. I’ve attached a flyer that I have created for this class.

If you, or anyone you know would like to attend, there are instructions and contact info on the flyer.

This is a phenomenal class especially in today’s environment when the MD GSA is trying to impose new laws on gun owners. The potential ruling about conceal carry licenses may open up the possibility for everyone to carry in Maryland. However, our left-leaning politicians will certainly have a training requirement implemented. There is no denying that Massad Ayoob is one of the best trainers in the world.

My delegate, Mr. Mike McDermott (38-B), is also a LT. Worcester County Deputy Sheriff. He is very pro-gun and is the rangemaster at the Newark, MD Sheriff’s range where the event is being held.

We appreciate your help. Currently we have 7 paid attendees and 13-15 spots available.

Thank you,

Paul Bissman

You're reading Massad Ayoob and MAG-40 Coming to Maryland by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Dear Mr. White:

Thank you for contacting me regarding gun control. I appreciate having the benefit of your views.

The kind of violence that took place in Newtown is horrifying and hard to understand. Six years ago, we experienced the Nickel Mines School shooting. I was deeply affected by that incident. Shortly afterward, on June 13, 2007, I voted for a bill, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Act, that prohibited firearm purchases by people deemed by a court to be mentally ill or dangerous.

On December 19, 2012, President Obama announced the creation of a White House Task Force on Firearms. On January 16, 2013, the President announced the results of the Task Force, a series of 23 proposals intended to reduce gun violence. These include adjustments to information sharing for background checks, “launching a responsible gun ownership campaign,” conduct research at the Center of Disease Control and Prevention about gun violence, “challenge the private sector” to come up with safety technology, and “launch a national dialogue” on mental health.

I’m a former teacher, a father, and a grandfather. The issue of violence in schools is personal for me, and I take it with utmost seriousness. There are no easy answers and there are no quick fixes. We need to take an honest look at how we address mental illness in our country, and, as Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, I am doing that. We also need to question why so much of our entertainment seems to revel in violence, and why families, communities, and faith are weaker than they once were. We should look at gun laws too, particularly at how we enforce them, but we need to recognize, though, that no law can prevent insanity, and that criminals and madmen do not obey the law.

We in Congress also are bound by our oaths to support the Constitution. I believe the Second Amendment means what it says, and I will continue to support it as law.

Rest assured, I will keep your views in mind. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts with me. Please don’t hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of any help to you or your family.

Sincerely,

Joe Pitts
Member of Congress

You're reading Gun Control: A Response from Congressman Joe Pitts by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Dear Walter,
Thank you for contacting me about gun control. I appreciate hearing from you.

As you may know, January 16, 2013, President Obama announced a variety of gun policy measures in response to the Newtown, CT killings. I therefore value knowing your views on this important issue, which is important to me as I carefully review the President’s proposals. Like many Pennsylvanians, I believe that Second Amendment rights are important and must be protected, but there may be areas of agreement with the White House that can be addressed to improve public safety. I also believe that people who use guns in an illegal manner or harm others with them should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

That said, we have consistently observed that mass killings are the result of serious mental illness. We therefore need to better protect ourselves from mentally ill individuals who seek to carry out such atrocities, including improved background checks. We also need to review and improve how we take care of the mentally ill. As I continue working with my Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle on public safety, please be assured that I will keep your views about firearms in mind.
Thank you again for your correspondence. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of assistance.
Sincerely,

Pat Toomey
U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania

You're reading Gun Control: A Response from US Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Last the weekend I set out to Ontelaunee Rod and Gun Club to shoot their first match of 2013. In addition to this being the first match of the year, it was also the first match that would earn points for Team Down Zero Members. Dave Bair, Match Director of Ontelaunee IDPA, did a great job of getting the scores out quickly and updating the Team Down Zero Standings.

I was a bit surprised to find my name on the top of the list. My match started out fantastic then completely fell apart. I suppose that, in the end, it all averaged out into a decent match. I earned 19 points for finishing 1st among the Team Down Zero Members (9th Overall). I can already see that this is going to be a close race with people battling for position all year.

Being a rather competitive person, I couldn’t leave well enough alone. I took the very basic standings, which consist of names and points, and set out to see where everyone stood based on time and points down. This effectively let me know who I would have to keep an eye on if I want to stay on top of the standings.

You're reading January Team Down Zero IDPA Standings Updated by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

As it turns out, my dead finger wouldn’t be the deciding factor in my being able to shoot. On Wednesday morning I began feeling under the weather. It was a task to make it through the entire work day. By the time I arrived home, my fever had reached its crescendo. I climbed under the blankets and did not start moving around again until Friday.

Feeling optimistic, I grabbed my Glock 17 and checked to see if I could grip it without discomfort. I was able to grasp the gun with my strong hand but when I laid in my weak hand, to complete the grip, the pressure on top of my damaged finger was uncomfortable.

Even if I were able to make the grip work, I still wouldn’t have been able to shoot. While my fever may have been gone, I couldn’t move with any sort of haste without bursting into a coughing fit. A Weak grip in addition to no stamina whatsoever meant that the monthly IDPA match just wasn’t in the cards.

I was a bit bummed out about missing the match on account of being sick. As it turns out, the match was canceled due to weather conditions. The good in all of this is that I now have an extra week to recover before the next Local IDPA Match at New Holland Rifle and Pistol Club.

You're reading No IDPA This Weekend: Even If I’m On the Mend by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

In the gun community, there is a common piece of advice that applies to survival and preparedness. Any vehicle you own should have a Get Home Bag inside. A very basic bag may contain a first aide kit, change of clothes, food with a long shelf life, and a flashlight. Get Home Bags can become complicated and carry a wide assortment of items but the idea is to have the supplies needed to get you home in an emergency.

Not every emergency needs to be an attack on your life. Your car could break down in the middle of nowhere, in a place with no cell servie to speak of. These Get Home Bags are designed to help you make it through the night(s) until you can get back home (or get somewhere to find help).

Putting together a Get Home Bag is something that I’ve wanted to do for some time now. Unfortunately, it has been one of those things that I just haven’t gotten around to doing. Yesterday I had a minor incident and having at least a first aid kit in my car woud have been a big help.

Car Door vs Finger

After work, I headed out of the office, arms filled with miscellaneous items I would need for the following day. As I crossed the parking lot, I fished around in my pocket for my keyless entry fob and unlocked my car doors. I opened the rear driver side door and unloaded various items onto the back seat.

While closing the door, I managed to get my middle finger caught in the jamb. At the flash of pain, I pulled my finger free and gave it a quick shake while muttering curses under my breath. I looked at my finger and could see tiny little droplets of blood forming around my cuticle.

The first thought that crossed my mind was “I hope that doesn’t affect my shooting grip this weekend”. That thought was quickly followed by “Wow, my finger has a heartbeat”. Each beat brought forth a wave of pain. That is when the blood began to flow.

Getting Cleaned Up

When the first drop of blood fell from my finger and was blown onto my white car, I knew this was something I should take care of right away. Unfortunately, I did not have a first aid kit in my car. I didn’t even have anything to wrap my finger in until I got back home.

Fortunately, I work for a company that keeps a fully stocked first aid kit. I proceeded to head back to the building, leaving a trail of blood droplets behind me. When I got inside, I elevated my hand (trying to avoid getting blood all over the floor) and made my way to the bathroom.

I was able to clean the wound and get a look at the problem. A chunk of skin, above my cuticle, looked like ground meat and below my nail was turning purple. I pushed the partially attached skin back in place, wrapped my finger in a paper towel and went to the first aid kit.

I cleaned the wound a second time, this time with alcohol, smeared on some antibacterial ointment, and applied a bandaid. I began bleeding through the first one, so I backed it up with a fingertip bandaid then applied one more just to keep everything secure.

I did the best I could with one hand then headed home. My wife pulled the bandaids back off, re-cleaned the wound, and did a much better job of treating it. It has been less than twenty-four hours since I mashed my finger in my car door. The finger is sore (and will definitely affect my shooting grip this weekend) and it looks like I may lose the nail.

Lesson Learned

This incident, although minor, has been an eye opening experience. What would I have done had I not been able to get back into the building? Driving down the road, looking for a pharmacy, while bleeding all over myself doesn’t sound like a good plan.

I have learned my lesson and before I leave for work tomorrow, both family vehicles will have at least a very basic first aid kit. Get Home Bags have just moved up on the priority list.

For those of you that are curious about what my finger looks like under the bandaids, you can see that here and here.

You're reading Learning The Hard Way: Every Car Should Carry a First Aid Kit by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

It has been roughly two years in the making but yesterday I was finally able to get Corey out to his first IDPA Match. We met up early Sunday morning and began the hour drive to the January 2013 Ontelaunee IDPA Match. Even with a wrong turn that took us out of the way, we arrived with plenty of time to spare.

I was expected a low turnout due to a Sanctioned Match being held the day before, in the relative area. It would seem that a number of people decided to take advantage of the warm weather and shoot both matches. Even with a high turnout, we finished eight stages in about three hours.

Corey did great at his first match. He was safe, took it slow, and asked plenty of questions. He wound up with one procedural (that I know of) which can be seen in the video (bonus points if you can spot it). I’m not sure how often Corey will shoot IDPA but he seemed to enjoy himself.

Head down to the comments section and tell us about your first IDPA Match. Have you learned any important lessons, as a shooter, that you would care to pass along?

You're reading Ontelaunee IDPA: Corey Shoots His First Match by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

My patience was waning and, after a while, I gave up on waiting for the alarm to sound. Being wide awake at this point, I decided to turn off the alarm and get an early start on the day. I rolled over, reached for the clock, and realized that it wasn’t quite 2:00am. Getting an early start on the day was one thing, but this? I spent another half hour tossing and turning, trying to get back to sleep, before I finally gave up.

After getting cleaned up, making a steaming cup of coffee, and a retrieving a cigar from my humidor, I headed for my laptop. I spent a little more than an hour taking care of things for work then turned to the news to see what was going on in the word around me. That was when I learned what happened on the New York Gun Front. Reading restriction after restriction left me feeling like I was punched in the stomach.

New York residents have a long fight ahead of them. What makes matters worse is that I don’t foresee any of the items signed into law doing anything to combat violent crime. Lets face it, anyone determined enough to do a thing will do whatever they need to do in order to meet their goal. If that goal involves hurting innocent people, feel good legislation is a speed bump, not a road block.

While I take issue with the vast majority of these new New York Gun Control measures, there were two items which bothered me more than the rest.

Mental Health Restrictions

Preventing someone with a mental illness, that poses a threat to self or others, from owning a firearm is a good thing. I don’t think there would be much of an argument against that, even by staunch Second Amendment supporters. The issue that I take with this portion of the New York Gun Control measures is that I believe it has the ability to be counter-productive.

I read an article published on USA Today that I think makes a variety of great points. It starts off by laying out how reports of mental illness would be reported to the Department of Criminal Justice Services.

The law would require therapists, doctors, nurses and social workers to tell government authorities if they believe a patient is likely to harm himself or others. That could lead to revoking the patient’s gun permit and seizing any guns.

Imagine, if you will, developing a bout of depression (it shouldn’t be difficult with the state of the economy and current events). Knowing that anyone in your Family Physician’s office could get a little overzealous and prompt an investigation, how much would you be willing to tell them? Perhaps you aren’t the type of person that worries about such things. Even so, I’d be willing to bet you could name at least five good, honest, wholesome people that would have serious reservations about opening up.

This could lead to people who need help not getting it in fear their rights will be stripped away. Once those rights are taken away, how would they go about getting them back after the problem has been treated and resolved?

As I understand it, there are no repercussions for not reporting a serious mental health issue. Why would a health professional, mental or otherwise, risk violating doctor-patient confidentiality? Sure, there are always morals but as you and I both know, morals don’t always win when the decision could be bad for business. Would you be willing to see a doctor with a reputation for tattling to the government?

Magazine Limitation

If there is any aspect of the New York Gun Control measures that incites anger, magazine limitations should be it. New York is telling their law abiding citizens, who have jumped through unnecessary hoops to obtain their guns in the first place, that they must sell their legally obtained standard capacity magazines or be branded a criminal and face charges.

I recently watched a video presented by the CATO Institute which featured David Kopel as an analyst. In that video, Mr. Kopel explained that the District of Columbia vs Heller ruling laid out guidelines for what is protected by the Second Amendment. He went on to explain that weapons currently used by law abiding citizens fall into that protected category. Furthermore, he expressed his opinion that police officers make a for a great example of what is commonly used by for the defense of self and others.

With the vast majority of police officers using standard capacity magazines, holding between eleven and nineteen rounds, even a ten round limitation could be deemed unconstitutional. To go from bad to completely absurd, New York has reduced that limit even further, down to seven rounds.

There have been reports of police officers having to use far more than seven rounds to stop an attacker. In the unfortunate event that multiple attackers break into your home, what are you supposed to do if seven rounds just isn’t enough to stop the threat on your life? Somehow, I doubt those endangering the life of you and your family are going to play by the rules and limit themselves to seven rounds.

Fighting Back against New York Gun Control

It is clear that I feel these recent New York Gun Control measures do little to prevent crime and only act as a burden (a potentially life-threatening one at that) to law abiding gun owners. Fortunately, some people are fighting back.

If you are a New York resident and want to fight back, I would strongly suggest taking a look at NYSecond.org. If you aren’t a New York resident and still want to do something, Ruger has a great tool for contacting your representatives.

You're reading New York Gun Control Measures by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Who in their right mind would want a Derringer with a laser? I know just the person, but first, I’d like to tell you a short story.

Four or five years ago, a friend of a friend owned a gun shop located out in the Philadelphia Suburbs. Every once in a while I would get a phone telling me all about this great new deal. You see, the gun shop owner would offer specials on products ordered in quantity. So, if this friend of mine could find two other friends, he could work out a decent deal on various guns.

It wasn’t uncommon for me to get phone calls about these odd deals (they were never modern guns and always something off the wall). The prices were appealing but I always found myself wondering “What the hell would I do with one of those?”

One day my phone rang, I picked it up and my friend was on the other end. The conversation went something like this….

Friend: Hey, I just got off the phone with my buddy and he has a great deal for us
Me: What is it this time?
Friend: If we each buy a Derringer, he’ll give them to us for $200 a piece
Me: What am I going to do it a Derringer?
Friend: We’ll shoot them up the mountains. Come one, it’ll be fun
Me: Nah, I’ll wind up shooting it once then it will sit. I don’t want a novelty gun
Friend: C’mon these things are great, They shoot .45 and .410!
Me: Seriously, what do you want with a tiny little gun that shoots shotgun shells?
Friend: I want to shoot clays with it.
Me: ….
Friend: You still there?
Me: Nah, man. I’ll pass ::laughing::

As you can see, ‘that guy’ that would love a Derringer with a laser is a friend of mine.

You're reading Derringer with a Laser: Baddest Gun of All Time or Still a Novelty? by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

When I was a kid, I was a big Hulk Hogan fan. One Christmas I received a Hulk Hogan Hulkamania Workout Set and I was so excited. In that workout set was a hand gripper and I would click that thing closed constantly.

When I think of grippers, for hand strength, I can’t help but think of that old workout set. It made it difficult to take the Captains of Crush Grippers seriously, despite a variety of gun bloggers speaking highly of them.

One of my weak areas has always been grip strength. It is not quite like getting a dead-fish handshake but I tend to be kind of gentle on the gun. To continue with the handshake comparison, I exert about the same amount of force I would when shaking a woman’s hand. It has gotten me by but I know that a stronger grip would help with recoil management.

I decided that I would place an order and get myself a Captains of Crush Hand Gripper. Perhaps using it a few times per week would increase my strength and inadvertently cause me to hold onto the gun tighter? Not wanting to hurt myself, I ordered the Trainer which is rated at 100 pounds.

Closing the gripper isn’t very difficult, even with my weak hand, but doing ten reps is much more difficult than I anticipated. Three sets of ten reps left my forearms tired. Like any workout, when I was finished I had a sense of satisfaction wash over me.

I’m going to continue using them, multiple times per week, to see if they help improve my grip. I’ll be moving up incrementally as I progress but will probably skip the half sizes (at $25 each the cost adds up quickly).

Ask The Readers

When it comes to shooting a pistol, how much force do you exert on the gun? Do you do any training to increase grip strength, and if so, what does your regiment consist of?

You're reading Captains of Crush: Improving Shooting Grip Strength by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

A few days ago, I was browsing Google Reader and a post from Barron of The Minutemen caught my eye. The post showcased a video of Alan Gura speaking at the CATO Institute. At the time, I wasn’t able to watch the video but finally got a chance to watch it this morning.

Alan Gura is an attorney that has been in the Civil Rights spotlight for his work in the cases of the District of Columbia vs Heller as well as McDonald vs Chicago. His performance in those cases has elevated him to the status of Gun Rights Rockstar, for lack of a better description.

I watched the video from the CATO Institute and was impressed. So impressed, in fact, that I went back and watched it a second time to make sure that I didn’t miss anything. What I found most appealing about this video was the tone that Mr. Gura used. He was firm on the stance of firearms but spoke in a way that didn’t seem to be agressive or off-putting to those outside of the gun rights circle.

The primary point of discussion in this video was how the NRA handled the Newtown tragedy. Mr. Gura went on to explain why he thinks that the organization’s approach was damaging to the cause. He states that had the NRA directed thier attention to the general population rather than their mailing list, they may have been much more effective in sending a message.

The video runs about nine and a half minutes and is well worth the time to watch. The volume is a bit low so you may have to crank up the volume.

You're reading Alan Gura Speaks at the CATO Institute by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Sometime last year, I picked up a copy of Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun by Paul M. Barrett. My intention was to read through it and then put together a review for the Shooting The Breeze Podcast, much in the same way I reviewed SHOOT: Your Guide to Shooting and Competition by Julie Golob.

While I did finish reading the book (and enjoyed it), I never did get around to actually reviewing it. By the time I sat down to put together a review, too much time had passed and the finer points of the book were getting fuzzy. Rather than re-read it and do a proper review, I just set it aside and let it collect dust.

I completely forgot about that book until I came across a contest on In Jennifer’s Head. It would seem that the publisher has released a paperback version of the book and Jennifer has a copy to give away, to one lucky reader.

Over the past 8 months I have been running various contests, giving away signed copies of SHOOT. Some months have been an absolute struggle to draw in entries. I don’t know if it is just bad luck on my part or if sometimes it is just tough to give away a book. Whatever the reason, I’d like you to do me a favor and help Jennifer out.

I don’t know Jennifer, nor do I have any stake in her contest, but she has always been pleasant with me in passing (Twitter, Blog Comments, etc.) and I would like to help her out. The best way I know to do that is to unleash the hoards of Walt In PA visitors on her contest…. All the both of you!

You're reading Win a Copy of Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Last week I put together a blog post which asked about a Potential IDPA Disqualification. The post stirred up some interesting discussion on the Angrypig Shooting Team Facebook Page. One of the responses focused on the location of the Safety Officer and suggested that they should have also moved the crowd into a safer position.

That would be a tough one to SO. I’d also make sure the peanut gallery was standing on the left side of the bay if the shooter was turning to the right (as in this video), so there’d be no one standing in the line of fire, just in case something bad did happen.

This response got the wheels of my mind turning. I have seen the Safety Officer move the crowd on a bunch of occasions. The part that picked at my brain was that I could only recall it happening at one particular club (the very same club that the responder is from).

I decided to do a little digging and see what I could turn up from my videos. I went back eight months, looking for up range starts while using my Coutour POV Camera. What I found was far less consistent than I was expecting. While the practice is more common at one club, it doesn’t happen all the time.

Common practice is for the Range Officer or Safety Officer (depending on the sport I’m shooting) to ask me which direction I’ll be turning. Upon hearing my response, they generally step to the opposite side to avoid being swept if I draw early. Sometimes they turn to the crowd and move everyone away from the direction I’ll be turning.

When I’m part of the crowd being moved, I really don’t mind. I have heard grumblings that it isn’t safe to heard everyone together. I don’t really have an opinion either way and just do as the RO/SO asks.

I would like to hear your thoughts on the practice of moving the crowd. Do you feel that bunching up the squad is a safety issue or is it merely something to grumble about? If you were the RO/SO on the stage, would you move the crowd every time or make the call based on the experience of the shooter?

You're reading Do You Believe in Crowd Control at Shooting Matches? by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

These days I seem to have a constant flow of firearms related information coming at me in various forms. Between Google Reader, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+, it becomes difficult to keep track of where interesting information originated. I find myself in that position right now as I present to you an excellent piece of video from the CATO Institute – The Second Amendment in 2013.

If you aren’t familiar with the CATO Institute, it is basically a non-biased think tank which looks at public policy. What I find so appealing about CATO video and podcasts is that the discussion is not driven by a host / moderator with an agenda. In the handful of discussions I’ve digested, I always come away feeling as though I learned something, even if I don’t agree with the analyst being featured.

In this particular video, David Kopel discusses the Second Amendment in 2013. The first question, right out of the gate, deals with the recent fear that President Obama will use an Executive Order to put Gun Control measures in place, without the support of Congress.

This particular question was very interesting to me because I’ve read a variety of things. Some say that an Executive Order could destroy the gun culture in the blink of an eye. Others say that it won’t mean a thing because citizens don’t follow Executive Orders. Mr. Kopel’s response is both informative and frightening.

As the video progresses, David Kopel discusses his thoughts on magazine restrictions, as it applies to DC vs Heller. Towards the end of the twelve minute video, the host asks Mr. Kopel about his thoughts on the NRA’s reaction to the Newtown Shooting.

I found this video from the CATO Institute to be very interesting and informative. It is most definitely worth the price of admission (12 Minutes, 54 Seconds of your time). If you would prefer to listen to the audio instead, The Second Amendment in 2013 (David Kopel) is also available in MP3 format.

You're reading CATO Institute: The Second Amendment in 2013 by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Back in December I put together a blog post outlining my thoughts on Local IDPA Clubs Raising Match Fees. Since that post was published, I’ve been going back and forth on how I want to handle the situation.

A part of me felt that I voiced my displeasure and should just suck up the $5 increase and get on with shooting. Another part of me wanted to stick to my guns, no pun intended, and take my money elsewhere. There is no shortage of IDPA Clubs in my area and finding another club that presented a better value shouldn’t be all that difficult. The biggest downside to turning my back on these clubs would be that I would also be turning my back on the people that I enjoy shooting with.

After thinking long and hard, I decided that I needed a little variety in my shooting. Rather than going to the January New Holland IDPA Match, I would instead take a drive out to Guthsville Rod and Gun Club and see what their IDPA program had to offer. Both matches were held on the same day and NEPA IDPA Scores listed a similar average stage and round count. On paper it looked as if I would be shooting the same match but only paying $15 to shoot at Gusthsville.

I was genuinely bummed out when I made the decision to pass on the New Holland IDPA Match. It meant that I wouldn’t be shooting with the Angrypig Shooting Team, Matt Olinchak, or Mark and Annette Evans. The part that stung the most was the thought of walking away from Mark and Annette’s program. I’ve shot USPSA with them, respect them, and want to support their program at New Holland.

My decision was made and I was going to shoot IDPA at Guthsville Rod and Gun Club. That was the plan right up until I received an email alert from NEPA IDPA Scores which explained Guthsville would not be running any IDPA Matches until their Spring Classifier. this meant that if I wanted to shoot a match that weekend, it was going to be New Holland or no match at all. I buckled and handed over $20 to shoot the New Holland IDPA Match.

Icy spots in the pistol bays meant stages with minimal movement. There were eight stages in all with what I believe was a ninety round minimum. After the match there was discussion of adding regularly occurring side matches, as result of positive feedback from the Rifle Side Match held in December. I’m glad to see that New Holland is offering more for the money and I hope that 8 Stages (Before the side matches – pretty please?) becomes commonplace.

I realize that I’m making a big deal out of a $5 increase but as I said before, it is the principle of the matter. New Holland has a good program with very little to complain about. The Match Directors pay attention to the wants and needs of their shooters, scores are generally posted within 48 hours, and there is very little in the way of standing around at matches. If the stages continue to be as fun as they were this month (and as plentiful – before the side matches that I’m not sure I’ll participate in due to lack of long-guns), you won’t hear another complaint out of me about the price of admission.

More Photos can be found in the Walt In PA Facebook Page

You're reading Handing Over $20 to Shoot the January New Holland IDPA Match by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

IDPA is a Practical Shooting Sport which is modeled after real life scenarios. One of the common actions in this sport is a reload with retention. The objective is to eject a magazine, with ammunition still in it, and stow it on your body. A fresh magazine is then inserted into the gun so that you can get back into the fight.

I don’t like to perform this type of reload. More often than not, I feel as though I can run my gun dry and reload from slide-lock faster than I could perform a reload with retention. Every now and again that choice is taken away from me and this type of reload is mandatory.

During the January New Holland IDPA Match, I stepped up to the line and faced a stage which required not only one, but two reloads with retention. While I have seen a couple of different techniques, the reload itself isn’t very complicated.

When the buzzer sounded, I drew my Glock 17 and got down to business. I was off to a great start and began the reload process in short order. The magazine cleared the gun, just as it should have, and then things went downhill. I wasted over five-seconds completing the reload. Feeling as though I had to make up time, I picked up the pace a bit. The second reload was even worse than the first. All said and done, I spent over 10 seconds performing two reloads that should have been done in half that time.

The issue was that rather than use my cargo pants pocket to stow the ejected magazine, I opted to use my vest. I hadn’t practiced using my vest in this manner and I spent what felt like ages just finding my pocket. Things got so bad that I actually had to take my eyes off the gun and look down to see what was going on. The only way that things could have been worse is if I had dropped the magazine onto the ground, kicked it down range by accident, and been penalized for not being able to retrieve it.

The moral of the story is simple. If you are shooting a standards stage, try not to deviate from what you’ve done in practice. It also wouldn’t hurt to develop a little experience in using various pockets to stow magazines.

You're reading How to Bomb an IDPA Reload with Retention by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Last week I was cruising around on Facebook when I came across an update from the Second Amendment Foundation. This particular update shared a video featuring Marc Heim of the Swiss group ProTELL. Marc goes on to explain why his country maintains the right to keep and bear arms.

The video is far too short for my liking, I found it absolutely fascinating. While I was aware of the Swiss stance on guns, I wasn’t aware of the root reason. It would seem that the country mandates training and provides a rifle to male citizens coming of age. The purpose is to create an army that could be mobilized, in a very short period of time, given the county ever came under attack.

It looks as if the three minute video is part of a longer documentary. I did a little poking around and came up empty handed. If anyone is familiar with the remainder of the piece, I would love to watch it in its entirety.

You're reading Swiss: Terrible Cheese but an Interesting Take on Guns by Walt White, originally posted on Walt in PA. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Walt on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!