A Sunny Day For IDPA

The Saturday morning sky was blue and bright as I drove to the monthly IDPA match at the Cavalier Rifle and Pistol Club. A light jacket was required while we waited for shooting to begin, but the air quickly warmed, despite an intermittent strong breeze. By the end of the day I would have sunburn on the back of my neck and legs. I guess it's time to dig out the sun screen.

Stage 1 had us starting with just six rounds in the gun, and facing a row of three close targets. Each target in this stage required a minimum of three hits. After shooting the first two targets, we reloaded and engaged the third before turning to move through the rest of the course. Since I was shooting CCP, with just 8 rounds loaded I had a decision to make at that point. In order to avoid a standing reload later, I opted to shoot 4 rounds on targets three and four, to set up for reloading on the move. SSP capacity shooters had a different strategy.

The next stage had a classic "seated at a table" start, with a twist. The unload gun was placed on the table, spare mags on the belt, and the third, starting magazine was "on the shooter's body." Some folks stuffed the mag in their waistband, others in a pocket. The first three targets were engaged in the open, either seated or standing. The shooter also had the choice of which side of the table they ran to, depending on which direction they were going to shoot the stage. There was also an array of three targets, that were engaged from either end of a wall, or depending on the shooter's confidence, from just one side of the wall. There were plenty of choices on strategy here. For some, there was also the decision to do a tactical reload while moving down their chosen path.

The third stage was the "standards" stage, shot in two, three target strings. A symmetrical course of fire was set up with a pair of open, partial targets to the left and right of the starting position, and a third target pair behind wall. For the first string, the gun was held in the right hand, at a 45 degree angle. The right two targets were engaged, then we moved to shoot the third around the right side of the wall. The second string was the same, but was shot left-handed using the left side targets. I had no misses, but I definitely need more practice shooting one-handed.

Stage 4 started us with hands on a wall, then turning to engage to open targets while on the move up range towards a wall set across the bay. The first shooting position center on the wall was through a narrow opening where we saw a couple of distant targets with non-threats menacingly placed midway to the targets. The final position had us shooting a couple more targets, again with dangerously located non-threats. The middle array of targets were also open to make up shots form the last position.

Walking through the stage I kept thinking, "Those are really tight shots." Heck, even if I planned to take the makeup shots at the end, there was still a good chance of hitting a non-threat. Interestingly, as I shot the course, those narrow gaps seemed less foreboding than they did during the walk through. At the end, I shot the stage clean.

The last two stages were quick ones, set up in the same bay. Stage 5 had two very close targets separated by a non-threat, each requiring two body and one head shot. This is one of those stages that can lure you into shooting too fast. I recently experienced that on a similar stage at the Virginia Indoor Regional. At that match I ended up pulling the trigger too fast and had a -1 hit on one of the body shots. This time I kept telling myself to slow down and shoot no faster than I could see the sights. Funny thing is, when it was all said and done I found I had shot really fast, but I recall seeing the sights on every single shot. My time of 3.26 seconds, and zero points down, ended up being a fifth overall stage finish.

Stage 6 began with just a single round loaded in the gun, the gun in hand at low ready. The initial target had only the head available and required one shot. Reloading after that initial shot, the stage finished with an array of three targets set up behind wall and fronted by two non-threats. That array offered options of shooting either from the left side or right side of the wall, or using both sides, depending on the shooter's comfort level. The non-threats all but forced head shots on two of the targets, at least from my perspective, when shooting around the right end of the wall.

This was just my fourth match this year. It was though, the first one at which I've felt truly comfortable and relaxed. I managed to just squeak in to the top half overall, finishing 19th of 40 shooters. The simple highlight for me was that I had no misses and hit no non-threats for the entire match. As I continue to recover from my "event," each outing is just a bit better than the last. I am not up to my previous performance level but it was certainly a most enjoyable morning spent shooting and visiting with friends. I can't wait for the next time.

Joyful Easter

On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
-- John 20:1-9

It's Easter. This is the fulfillment of Our Lord's promise of eternal life. It is the ultimate triumph over evil. We are reminded that our daily struggles are not for nought, that our final reward is eternal. However, the evil one refuses to give up. He knows that if we give in to despair we won't experience the promise of the Resurrection. He fears that we might reject his tricks and lies. Satan hungers for us to join him in his eternal torment. With his never ceasing attacks on our faith, attacks on our freedoms, attacks on the sanctity of life, it's a battle that evil has already lost, but continues to fight.

So on this most glorious of days, we are reminded that we must continue to face oppression and persecution head on. The Prince of Darkness is hard at work in this world. His minions do his bidding willingly, if naively, deceiving with false promises, and twisting the truth until evil is mistaken for good. We are led to believe that evil doesn't exist, and that material happiness outweighs the value of human life. Government fiat replaces personal responsibility. We are tempted to live like there's no tomorrow. But today, the empty tomb reminds us otherwise. The promise of Easter gives us the strength to persevere.

Here's wishing you a blessed and joy-filled Easter. May the joy of the Resurrection remain in your life all year long.

Mass at the tomb of Jesus
The Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem
Photo by Colleen, 2010

Simple Fun at the Range

When it's a busy week at work, few things beat a trip to the range to unwind. My first attempt in the week was interrupted by, well, work. (So I settled for a relaxing cigar break on the deck.) On Thursday my purposefully cleared calendar actually stayed clear, allowing time to shoot.

Since I've been shooting the Compact P320 a lot recently, for this outing I packed both the Compact and Full Size versions of the SIG P320. I had intended to split the ammo between the two guns, but in the end I stuck with the larger gun for most of my time.

For the first 100 rounds I shot at distances from 10 to 20 yards, pushing the target back every ten shots. I then set the target closer, at 7 yards, and activated the intermitted target exposure for 3 seconds each time. From low ready, I fired 2 - 3 shots each time. Often when using the turning target I end up just getting off the shots quickly. This time I concentrated on seeing the sights settle on target — a unique concept I know.

Finally I did some shooting with the Compact P320, working out to 20 yards. After I packed up my gear and started to leave the bay, I realized I had forgotten to retrieve the target carrier which was still sitting at 20 yards. I turned around and the RO said he'd get it, but I told him "I can't see it from here, so I should check the hits." I had felt I shot well, and indeed most of the holes where in the -0 zone.

This wasn't intended as a hard core "practice" session, but simply a diversion from a busy and slightly stressful work week. And you know what? It worked.

Limbo

A 3:00 thought for Good Friday.

The ancient greyness shifted suddenly and thinned like mist upon the moors before a wind.

An old, old prophet lifted a shining face and said:

“He will be coming soon. The Son of God is dead; He died this afternoon.”

A murmurous excitement stirred all souls. They wondered if they dreamed

save one old man who seemed not even to have heard.

And Moses, standing, hushed them all to ask if any had a welcome song prepared.

If not, would David take the task?

And if they cared could not the three young children sing the Benedicite,

the canticle of praise they made when God kept them from perishing in the fiery blaze?

A breath of spring surprised them, stilling Moses’ words.

No one could speak, remembering the first fresh flowers, the little singing birds.

Still others thought of fields new ploughed or apple trees all blossom-boughed.

Or some, the way a dried bed fills with water laughing down green hills.

The fisherfolk dreamed of the foam on bright blue seas.

The one old man who had not stirred remembered home.

And there He was, splendid as the morning sun and fair as only God is fair.

And they, confused with joy, knelt to adore

Seeing that He wore five crimson stars He never had before.

No canticle at all was sung. None toned a psalm, or raised a greeting song,

A silent man alone of all that throng found tongue — not any other.

Close to His heart when the embrace was done, old Joseph said,

“How is Your Mother, How is Your Mother, Son?”

-- Sister Mary Ada

Fratello Cigars & Adroit Theory Collaboration

Fratello Cigars and Adroit Theory Brewing joined forces to release a beer specifically brewed for pairing with the Fratello Bianco cigar. The new Imperial Stout, named Terminal Decent, is the result of a collaboration between Fratello owner Omar de Frias and Adroit's Mark Osbourne. Developing Palates reports...

Mark Osbourne owner of Adroit and Omar wanted to create the perfect beer pairing with the Fratello Bianco. “Fratello Bianco is all about earthiness, cocoa, coffee notes and liquor.” said de Frias “We felt like Bianco would be fantastic for this pairing as we brewed Terminal Descent with Chocolate Malt for sweetness and Chocolate Rye for a spicy bite without the normal astringency or bitterness associated with such a deep roast.” said Osbourne.

Terminal Descent will be available at some Virginia and Maryland Total Wine stores and Adroit’s tasting room in Purcellville, VA on May 1. I look forward to trying this cigar and beer pairing — as a public service for readers of these Musings of course.

See "Beer News: Fratello Cigars And Adroit Theory Brewing Announce Terminal Descent" for more on this upcoming treat.

UPDATE: As I published this post, I saw this tweet from Adroit Theory. The beer is now available at the brewery.

Terminal Descent - Russian Imperial Stout. A collaboration with @fratellocigars and one of 37 beers at the Tap Room this weekend

Draft | Growlers | Bottles#VaBeer #VaCraftBeer #BeerArt #Beertography #CraftBeer #Brewery #Brews #BrewedToDestroy #AdroitTheory #ConsumeLifeDrinkArt pic.twitter.com/Rl7poNLKCS

— AdroitTheory Brewing (@AdroitTheory) April 14, 2019

Mid-Week Range Trip

I've been thinking about getting to the range ever since my disappointing performance at last week's VIR match. I really wasn't happy with the number of points down, and a frustrating lack of trigger control. Competing with the compact gun exasperates any sloppiness in aiming and firing. My goal for my next range outing was to work at some longer distances which would emphasize the need for proper sight alignment and a smooth trigger press.

I had 200 rounds with me and a stack of targets. My intent was to shoot not just slow single shots, but also strings of 2, 3, or 4 shots. I warmed up with 50 rounds with the target at just 10 yards. Next I moved the target to 15 yards for another 50. The next 50 rounds at 20 yards really tested not only my shooting, but my ability to see the target. Finally, another 50 rounds back at 15 yards shot even more quickly made for a satisfying finish.

I typically start seeing more errant shots after about 150 rounds, so I had to concentrate on staying sharp as I fired the last groups, all from low ready. Needless to say I felt pretty good about the finish. The cardboard backer at the range was new when I started, and the RO commented on the decent hole I had left in the center after the 200 rounds.

I refreshed the target about every 25 rounds so I could better track the progress. I believe I counted just 7 hits outside of the -0 zone for the entire session. Now that I've got a few weeks before I shoot another IDPA match, I'm hoping for more time for continued "refreshment" after my health-induced break.

Of course, after all that fun, I had an hour's drive home. Some loud Blues coming from the car speakers eased the time spent on the highway.

VSSA Membership Promo

If you are a Virginian who enjoys shooting, hunting, or who simply cherishes your 2nd Amendment rights, now is a great time to get a membership in the Virginia Shooting Sports Association. If you join or renew VSSA for three years between April 1 - and June 30th VSAA will send you a knife with the VSSA logo engraved on the blade. A three year membership is just $60, which is a significant savings over the $25 yearly membership. And who can't always use another knife? You can read more about this promotion at the VSSA blog.

About the VSSA:

The goals of VSSA are to:

• unite shooters, hunters, sportsmen, collectors and all other law abiding firearms enthusiasts to promote the safe and responsible use of firearms

• promote the development of the shooting sports and the facilities necessary to the shooting sports; and,

• provide a united voice to all levels of government to defend the shooting sports, and firearms ownership.

Yes, I renewed my membership for three years.

2019 Virginia Indoor Regional IDPA Match

Last weekend I met up with a couple of my regular shooting companions, and we traveled down to the Norfolk County Rifle Range in Chesapeake, VA, to shoot the Virginia Indoor Regional IDPA match. Although this would be the third year I completed in this challenging match, I think I felt extra anxious as it would be my first sanctioned match in many months. My shooting of late has been limited. This would be a change from last year's match when I spent the two months prior practicing, specifically shooting with a flashlight. Still any day at the range…

The match consists of 10 scenario stages, plus a warm up stage. The scenario stages are made up of five courses of fire, first shot in the dark and then in the light. Minor modifications are done to the stages between the dark and light runs. At this match, dark means no light, not low light. IDPA rules require that flashlights be hand held, not pistol-mounted.

All of the stages were challenging and quite a bit of fun. Some offered unique tests, in addition to the whole "in the dark" thing. The course of fire descriptions are uploaded here for reference.

"Alley Oops" started with the gun loaded with just six rounds. Spare loading devices were placed in a grocery bag, which also held a five pound bag of flour. The bag, and our flashlight (for the dark stage,) was held in the support hand. The "puzzle" was to figure how to manage the flashlight, and get the magazines out of the bag after dropping it.

At the start of the lights out run, I dropped the mag, switched the flashlight in my strong side hand and used it to retrieve and stow the magazines from the bag. Then, switching the light back to my support hand, engaged the first target with the required six rounds, and reloaded on the move to the next target shooting position. That was entirely too many moves.

In the next, lights on, run, I started by setting the bag down, rather than dropping it. That left my magazines on top of the bag of flour where I had placed them. I then engaged the initial target. After shooting the first target, I grabbed the two magazines at once, stowing just one and reloading with the other. That seemed to work a bit better, and meant less juggling of items.

The starting position for another stage pair, "Shotgun Went Boom," was holding a shotgun, shouldered and aimed at a cone down range. For the first run, the flashlight was held also in the support hand. At the beep we placed the shotgun in a barrel and moved up range to cover, from where we engaged a round steel target through the -0 zone of a standard IDPA target. Any hits outside of the steel were considered misses.

The added challenge to this stage was that hits on the steel did not make the usual "ping" sound confirming a hit. In the dark run, the smoke from my pistol all but obscured the steel. The lighted run of this stage was my best finish of the match.

"Well Guarded Hostages" was the Standards stage of the match. Five threat targets were fronted by two non-threats. The height of the targets varied, and the non-threats allowed only a few inches clear on some of the targets. The dark version required simply two body and one head on each. Things got a little more complicated when the lights came on. The two body and one head requirement was joined with, "Each threat must be engaged with 1 shot each freestyle, strong hand only, and weak hand only. Shooter may choose what order to shoot each style (free / strong / weak) but once a style is started, shooters must finish all shots of that style before switching to the next style)." There was a quite a variety of executions observed for this one.

Shooting all eleven staes took just four hours, as the match is exrtemely well-organized. On our travel home, we stopped to enjoy a delicious BBQ dinner, adding to the fun of the day.

Despite the initial nerves, once shooting started I felt surprisingly relaxed. I felt no pressure to repeat my performance from last year, and simply allowed myself to enjoy being there. Surprisingly, I shot most of the stages better in the dark than in the lighted versions. Overall, I did not shoot anywhere near as well as I hoped. That was both disappointing and frustrating. I did however, enjoy myself immensely. That's the important part. I'm looking forward to next year, and being in continued good health, AND getting in more practice prior to the match.

Saturday Beer, Food, and Smoke

After our morning shooting outing, we headed over to 1781 Brewing to enjoy the pleasant spring weather. We claimed a table out back overlooking the vineyards. It was a pleasant view even if the fields were still barren. Both Colleen and I ordered pints of the brewery's Dunkelweizen. I am a fan of this style in general, and I enjoy 1781's version when I can. The low 4.7% ABV, the nutty, slightly sweet caramel and toasted bread flavors make for an easy sipper. I suspect it will be going off the tap list in the coming weeks as they bring on the summer selections.

Full disclosure, one of the motivating factors for the visit was a posting on Facebook about the weekend's food option; The Turkish Kabob & Gyro Food Truck. After a lengthy viewing of the menu decided on the Chicken Kabob Wrap and a Chicken Gyro Sandwich. The food was served promptly and warm. There was a mix up and I ended up with a Beef Gyro instead of the chicken, but I decided to try it instead. Both the meals were quite tasty. We'd certainly check out this vendor again.

I made the decision that it was time to finally enjoy a cigar, for the first time since December. I had brought along my travel case with three options, just in case the urge came. I settled on the Tatuaje 10th Anniversary Bon Chasseur, with another serving of the Dunkelweizen. The medium bodied smoke with cocoa and coffee notes was a satisfying "first" smoke.

It was such a pleasurable afternoon that we ended up sitting for a bit longer than we had planned. The evening's musician arrived and was setting up as I finished my beer and smoke. We listened to few songs before finally deciding we couldn't sit at the picnic table bench any longer — next time I'll actually bring the folding chairs from the car!

Therapeutic Range Time

On Saturday morning, Colleen asked, "Do you want to go to the indoor range this morning?" At first I wasn't sure I felt like making the drive. However, it's been several months since we used our membership, AND I did really want to shoot. The decision was made and we embarked on the one hour drive down to the Winding Brook Range. We arrived in the midst of the Saturday morning rush so we would have had to wait for two adjoining lanes, instead we opted to share a lane.

I first brought out the SIG P365 for a little more time with it. Colleen also shot a couple magazines through the gun. She then shot her S&W Shield while I loaded my P320 magazines. As I watched her shoot I thought, she sure doesn't lose any accuracy after extended absences from shooting.

When it was my turn again, I shot about 100 rounds at 7, 10, and 12 yards, while holding a flashlight. I figured I should get just a little practice before next week's indoor match. Even though drawing from the holster is not permitted, I practiced hitting the switch and bringing the flashlight to the gun as I got it on target. I also wanted to fire multiple round strings to test my grip, since I'm limited to only two shots at the local outdoor range.

For the final 50 rounds, I progressed through 10, 12, 15, and 20 yards, shooting 10 rounds at the first three target stops, then 20 rounds at the furthest distance. Though it can be frustrating, this is one of my favorite drills to test sight alignment and trigger control. It also enforces a bit of patience on my part as I have to bring the target in every few shots to confirm my hits at 20 yards.

I realized as we drove home that this was the most relaxed I've felt shooting in some time. Lately my time has either been under match pressure or at the local "conservation organization" ranges. I've realized that I am often somewhat on edge at the local range due to past range officer behavior and the occasional presence of unsupervised, careless strangers. This trip to the range was most therapeutic and I was very thankful that my wise wife suggested it as part of my healing. Hopefully future visits will be more frequent.

We treated ourselves to a couple of fresh baked treats from a local cookie shop for the ride home. The stress free shooting, tasty cookies, and the wonderful company made for a most delightful outing.