IDPA Match Pic Thread

Here's Rvrctyrngr on the same stage...



and on another one where you have to engage multiple BGs through a window...



Here's Jay M. on the window stage; note the trigger finger alongside the frame and good muzzle control to keep from sweeping himself as he opens the window...

My son Randy at the picnic from Hell...he draws his S&W M586 from a pizza box of all things, and engages the three BGs seated in front of him, reloads and engages two more steel targets downrange...

Here's me while getting robbed trying to mail a letter, and then on the window stage...







OK, thus concludes my little vanity posts...I just wanted to give the folks new to concealed carry an idea of what we do at IDPA. :thumsup

Ok, here are my observations and comments.

First of all, you look menacing enough that I would not have robbed you but would have paid you to take the pizza. That doesn't mean I'm not going to still pick on you from the safety behind my computer screen.

Second, you use those ear plugs thingies instead of the ear muffs (or whatever you call that full coverage thing like your son uses). Does that really allow enough protection for your ears? I like that idea better than my head gear because it gets in the way of my glasses. I also have to pull my hair back and it just seems easier to use plugs. Is there a brand that is better over another one?

Next, you use regular glasses? or are those sun glasses?

Also, I noticed that everyone had on hats. I don't wear a hat while at the range. Too much going on between the ear things and glasses and hair bows. Is a hat really necessary to protect from flying cases and if so why does your son wear his backwards?

What was the guy in the red shirt's responsibility there? And what was in his hand?

Ok, those were first observations. If I go through these photos again I'll find something else.

Looks like a fun day all the way around. Beats shooting at a piece of paper.

MamaBear

MamaBearto2 said:

Ok, here are my observations and comments.

First of all, you look menacing enough that I would not have robbed you but would have paid you to take the pizza. That doesn't mean I'm not going to still pick on you from the safety behind my computer screen.

Click to expand...

Fire away! :laughing

MamaBearto2 said:

Second, you use those ear plugs thingies instead of the ear muffs (or whatever you call that full coverage thing like your son uses). Does that really allow enough protection for your ears? I like that idea better than my head gear because it gets in the way of my glasses. I also have to pull my hair back and it just seems easier to use plugs. Is there a brand that is better over another one?

Click to expand...

I just use the inexpensive ear plugs that you can get at Wally World or anywhere else...they're OK for outdoor use with handguns or shotguns, but they're marginal for indoor use or while shooting centerfire rifles (which are much louder). I only really use the earmuff type when it's cold outside to keep my ears warm...they make my ears sweat in warm weather.

MamaBearto2 said:

Next, you use regular glasses? or are those sun glasses?

Click to expand...

They're my regular prescription eyeglasses with Transitions lenses.

MamaBearto2 said:

Also, I noticed that everyone had on hats. I don't wear a hat while at the range. Too much going on between the ear things and glasses and hair bows. Is a hat really necessary to protect from flying cases and if so why does your son wear his backwards?

Click to expand...

We wear ball caps because guys wear ball caps. And Randy wears his hat backwards to look cool. :rolf They're not necessary as protective gear.

MamaBearto2 said:

What was the guy in the red shirt's responsibility there? And what was in his hand?

Click to expand...

The red hats are Safety Officers...they ensure the safe running of the shooters and act as referees and scorekeepers. The object in his hand is a timer, which detects to sound of the gunshots and records the shooter's time.

brownie said:

Good pics Deadeye,

See your a southpaw no less. Line of sight/Modern Technique shooting at those distances?:rolf

Hope you don't use that old two handed hold on the autos like you are in the pics with the revos!!!!!!!!

Brownie

Click to expand...

Is this more to your liking?

Ear Protection:
I used to use ear plugs. I thought they were adequate. I then got a pair of inexpensive muff-type hearing protection for Christmas. BIG difference for me. The cheap muffs provided so much more hearing protection. I actually had to partially remove them to hear points down if I was scorekeeping, which I never had to do with my old ear plugs. I'm guessing the old plugs never adequately filled my ear canal to provide full protection.

Another advantage with muffs is that, if you're shooting at an indoor range, you can use plugs + muffs. I've found that indoor ranges are louder for me. More surfaces for the sound to bounce around and amplify.

There are oodles of hearing protection manufacturers with a WIDE price range. For what it's worth, the half-dozen or so women I saw shooting at my last match, all wore the muff-type protection. All who had hair long enough wore it in a ponytail.

I wore my hair in a ponytail, too. Yeah, I'm a long-hair guy. The muffs didn't bug me at all.

Eye Protection:
My shooting glasses look like a pair of cheap mirrored sunglasses. I got them at Wally World real cheap. They have Remington branding, and double as my everyday sunglasses, and they're very inexpensive.

I do have a pair of shooting glasses with the yellow lenses, but I've found that they're lousy in bright sunlight. This being FL, they kinda suck at outdoor ranges. I do use them on the rare occasions I shoot indoors, though.

Hats:
Hats can be worn for ejected brass protection as well as sun protection. Our matches are in the morning, and bright sun in your eyes can get old real quick. Also, depending on sun brightness and angle, having a hat shade your eyes can help you pick up your sights easier. I tend not to wear hats, as my misshapen head causes me to look freakish with anything but a sombrero.

Don't ask.

Red Shirts:
Duh...red shirts are the first to die in Star Trek episodes.
Our club doesn't distinguish the Safety Officers (SO) by dress or headwear. Our SO's are identified at the beginning of the match, so everybody on the squad knows who the SO's are.

As mentioned, the object he's holding is a shot/par timer. If you can spare the money for one, it can be a tremendous help in improving your shooting, and not just for competition.

-JT

Deadeye, is that a .45 acp Government model 1911?