Match gear vs. reality

[Glenn E. Meyer]

This weekend I shot the River City hosting of the Fiesta Regional IDPA match. It was great fun and I met a great set of folks. Hi, Dave - if you read this!

Some of the stages were interesting for the following reason. You had to start sitting down with your gun and mag separate. At the beep, you had to retrieve said gun and stow the mag and then get into the fight.

Thus, folks threw them into pockets, stuff into belts, etc. When they needed them - they couldn't find them in their pockets, they felt out of belts or down your leg, etc.

Some complained a bit about that as they preferred a classic stage where you are set to go in your full gear - which you never really wear outside or if not at a match. I thought it was a great idea. I stowed my mag deliberately in my mag pouch as the RO said it was OK. Some folks thought that would slow you down. I don't care as my purpose is to have fun and shoot somewhat realistically.

I had to laugh at folks who arranged the mags on the table in a manner to grasp them quickly. I guess I would worry if I were in there to win.

One guy had a mag well that looked so huge on his 1911. I don't think he carries that everyday.

But it was a great day and a great time. I would have won if there was a division for senior, full professor, cognitive psychologists shooting SSP.

 

[HSMITH]

I would have won if there was a division for senior, full professor, cognitive psychologists shooting SSP.

THAT is a great philosophy for approaching a match!!! Expectations cause more crashing and burning than anything on match day. Just let the gun come up and watch it shoot the course, times and scores that way are amazingly good.

The guys that are there to win the match aren't using the same gear they would for every day carry, if they are they are VERY rare. IDPA is a game, just like IPSC is a game. Different rules, but both are just a fun way to spend some time with a gun and a REALLY nice group of people.

 

[RickB]

We've run a stage, a few times, where the shooter starts in a normal start position, but with three strings of differing numbers of rounds, the shooter is required to perform a couple of tac loads, then fish the partial mags out of their pocket as the stage progresses. Each shooter has enough ammo to complete it, but depending on which partial mag is drawn, there may be three rounds in it, and there may be one. It is something of a memory stage, in that the shooter has to remember where they left off just prior to the reload, but you will find that little consideration is given, by most people, to actually having to use the mags stowed during a tac load.

 

[Delta Dave]

Great Match

Hey Glenn:

The Fiesta Regional was a good time. I didn't hear any gritching about the two stages requiring starting from non-traditional positions, but then I was stuck down at the car jacking stage. It's been my experience that there will always be some amount of grumbling, oh well...

For those that are curious the stages in question weren't really all that far fetched. One required you, the good guy, to rescue a fallen security guard and retreive his (your) weapon and extra mags defend the office complex before help arrived. The other had contestant watching TV with weapon and mags sitting the the TV, then all of a sudden, completely out of the blue, your unsecured homestead is set upon by untold hostile miscreants...and well you get the picture.

All in all, it was a good match and I'm looking forward to the next one. One in which there will be an additional class for overweight, bifocal wearing, over-the-hill graphic artists shooting CDP.

Be Safe...