I shoot mainly IPSC with about two speed steel matches and the same number of cowboy matches a year.
To my way of thinking there are three types of shooting stages. Close, fast and dirty, distance, time and clean and intermediate.
The fast close and dirty stages are owned by the run and gun shooters. Targets are usually under 10 meters distance and speed will always be an advantage, but if you’re like me and will never match their speed, better gun skills will be an advantage. I was reminded of this last weekend when 19 A’s and a single C on a 20 round stage saw me third in the stage rankings with several speed freaks who shot mainly ‘C’s on the 8 paper targets below me.
The distance, time and clean stages usually run from 15 to 30 meters, but I have seen targets out to 45 meters at our Island and National events. Unless you are very fast and willing to take penalties by leaving some of the further targets standing, gun skills can give us slower shooters a bit of an advantage. But the “I must hit this target before I can move on” way of thinking still prevails. I have seen fast shooters empty a whole 1911 mag and still not hit the far targets losing time as well as points.
I once allocated two rounds each to three plates staggered at 40 and 45 meters. I was using a borrowed Colt Series 70 as my Springfield had broken down at an earlier stage and I did not know where it would shoot at the longer distances with my ammo. I dropped the first plate on the second shot. The 45 meter plate did not drop after two rounds. Knowing I had budgeted two rounds per plate and two rounds on a much closer paper target before reloading, with a round left in the chamber, I made the instant call to fire a third shot and reload from slide lock. The third round sent the plate tumbling while the second 40 meter plated dropped at the first shot putting me “back on budget”.
Then there are the intermediate stages with targets from 10 to 25 meters away. For these you need both speed and accuracy.
I enjoy shooting the fast and dirty stages, as I recalled last Saturday, but take some pride in hitting targets further out that others leave standing. And I also enjoy coming up with some unconventional way to shoot the stage. On Saturday’s stage there were three single targets hard to the right around a wall out to 5 meters and two double targets hard to the left out to 4 meters. It was possible to shoot two handed around both sides but quite tight for someone like me who is not a “fit lean machine”. I decided to shoot strong and weak hand only starting on the right. It also meant I did not have to open a door hinged on the right with my gun in my right hand where it could either be hit by the door or I could cross the muzzle while pulling on the handle.
After shooting weak handed I used my left index finger to drop the mag while moving to the door. With the door safely open I changed the gun back to my right hand and used my left to reload while moving down range to the next bank of targets.
And that single C? It was the 5 meter target on the right side of the wall.
So what are your stage preferences?
To my way of thinking there are three types of shooting stages. Close, fast and dirty, distance, time and clean and intermediate.
The fast close and dirty stages are owned by the run and gun shooters. Targets are usually under 10 meters distance and speed will always be an advantage, but if you’re like me and will never match their speed, better gun skills will be an advantage. I was reminded of this last weekend when 19 A’s and a single C on a 20 round stage saw me third in the stage rankings with several speed freaks who shot mainly ‘C’s on the 8 paper targets below me.
The distance, time and clean stages usually run from 15 to 30 meters, but I have seen targets out to 45 meters at our Island and National events. Unless you are very fast and willing to take penalties by leaving some of the further targets standing, gun skills can give us slower shooters a bit of an advantage. But the “I must hit this target before I can move on” way of thinking still prevails. I have seen fast shooters empty a whole 1911 mag and still not hit the far targets losing time as well as points.
I once allocated two rounds each to three plates staggered at 40 and 45 meters. I was using a borrowed Colt Series 70 as my Springfield had broken down at an earlier stage and I did not know where it would shoot at the longer distances with my ammo. I dropped the first plate on the second shot. The 45 meter plate did not drop after two rounds. Knowing I had budgeted two rounds per plate and two rounds on a much closer paper target before reloading, with a round left in the chamber, I made the instant call to fire a third shot and reload from slide lock. The third round sent the plate tumbling while the second 40 meter plated dropped at the first shot putting me “back on budget”.
Then there are the intermediate stages with targets from 10 to 25 meters away. For these you need both speed and accuracy.
I enjoy shooting the fast and dirty stages, as I recalled last Saturday, but take some pride in hitting targets further out that others leave standing. And I also enjoy coming up with some unconventional way to shoot the stage. On Saturday’s stage there were three single targets hard to the right around a wall out to 5 meters and two double targets hard to the left out to 4 meters. It was possible to shoot two handed around both sides but quite tight for someone like me who is not a “fit lean machine”. I decided to shoot strong and weak hand only starting on the right. It also meant I did not have to open a door hinged on the right with my gun in my right hand where it could either be hit by the door or I could cross the muzzle while pulling on the handle.
After shooting weak handed I used my left index finger to drop the mag while moving to the door. With the door safely open I changed the gun back to my right hand and used my left to reload while moving down range to the next bank of targets.
And that single C? It was the 5 meter target on the right side of the wall.
So what are your stage preferences?
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