Again with the Bowling Pins

So this last weekend was the shooting competition that only happens every three to four months.  It is scheduled whenever a month has 5 Saturdays.  So when that happens it's time for Bowling Pins Concealed.

This is shooting at bowling pins from about 10-15ft away using a gun that you would normally carry on your person.  So I was using my Walther PPQ 9mm.  This is a gun that James Bond uses in the more current movies.

There were 10 of us and so the competition began.  I started out a bit shaky but with some luck and skill I ended up placing 2nd for the day.  Which is very good for me.  I felt confident when I approached the shooting line and it paid off mostly.  Frankly I lost to the shooter with way more experience than me so I call that a win!

On a semi related note I've also purchased a new gun. In my previous post I had said that due to the great costumer service I had gotten from Smith & Wesson that I would look seriously at their products if and when I decided to buy a new gun.  Well, today I purchased a new rifle and it was a S&W product.  I can't wait to shoot it!  I'm also planning on including it in my competition shooting.

This entire month I plan on shooting every weekend so we'll see how that goes.  First up is Falling Plates and Concealed Carry.  Two very different types of competitions.  One, Falling Plates, is with the 22LR which is my new handgun that I just got as a replacement for my broken gun.  It is basically shooting at metal plates the size of saucers from about 15ft.  The other, Concealed Carry, is moving and shooting thru scenarios designed to help you in real world situations.  This will be with a handgun that I might actually carry.

And then something different each weekend after that.  Should be fun.

A Tale of Two Guns

So last year my 22LR target pistol broke.  It cracked and seemed to not really work properly.  Could it be fixed?  When I sent it off to the manufacturer to see if it was fixable they said...no.  Didn't surprise me though as it was definitely looking dangerously broken.  So I spoke with David from Smith & Wesson (the manufacturer) and it was determined that they would send me a gun to replace my broken one.  This company has a lifetime warranty for their guns.  It surprised me but this made me very happy. 

So in Dec of 2015 the process of getting me this replacement started.  In Jan '16 I again spoke with David and he assured me that the gun would be winging my way shortly.  I gave him the name of a local store to send it to and figured that was it until I heard from them.  For those who don't know, S&W couldn't just send the gun straight to me due to the way the law works. I would have to fill out paperwork just as if I'd bought the gun from the gun store.  So I waited for the call from the store in anticipation.  I figured it would be a few weeks so wasn't in a big hurry.  I had a second gun that I could use for my competitions so no big deal.  Fast forward a month, still no gun.  So I called David again.  He informed me that the gun had been sent out at the end of Jan '16 and this was the third week in March.  Unfortunately there was a mix-up in where the gun was being sent and it had gone to the wrong store.  A store a state away.  So we started over. 

This time we both made sure that we had the correct store where it would be sent.  Cue more delay as the gun in question is a new model and it is very popular.  There was no inventory available to send me a gun, so more delay was inevitable.  David informed me that as soon as production caught up the gun would be sent out.  About a week later he called and let me know that it would still be a couple of weeks before the gun could be sent.  Well as you might imagine I was becoming a bit jaded at the fact that the gun was "on the way".  But it was a free gun so I felt that I would just have patience and not get all worked up.  So after another week of patience I stopped by the store.  Lo and behold there it was!

I'm now the proud owner of a brand new gun.  In hind sight the process was a bit disconcerting but in the end the customer service of Smith & Wesson and their representative David proved that this company stands behind it's product.  If in the future I'm in the market for a new gun (who knows?) I will certainly have no problem considering Smith & Wesson's offerings.  It just proves that if you treat your customers with respect and concern they'll give you their loyalty.  I know I have.

Oh, one more addition to this tale.  If my friends Larry and Cort hadn't pushed me to check with Smith & Wesson this story wouldn't have the happy ending it does.  Thanx guys!

I'm an assassin not a sniper

Okay here we go again.  Today I was privileged to get the opportunity to shoot the concealed carry competition.  I have described this in the past as a training exercise (based on time and accuracy) in which you pretend to encounter bad guys trying to shoot you and you shoot them first.  Of course it's not as pretend as you might assume.  We are using real guns and ammo that could hurt you if used in an unsafe manner. 

Each section (called a stage) consists of a scenario built around walls and hidden bad guys.  You move thru this "building" environment encountering bad guys and sometimes hostages.  Guess what?  Don't shoot the hostages or the "cops".

Of all the competitions I have done this is fast becoming my favorite.  Why you might ask?  Because it is training me to be comfortable with my gun in the case of encountering real bad guys in the real world.  It's not a video game where if I die or shoot a non combatant I just reset and try again.  No, there are no real people I'm shooting, but if I'm acting unsafe with my gun there are real consequences.

I had a good time and enjoyed all of the stages.  Even though one of them utilized a long gun (technical term for rifle) and I'm not a rifle person.  I prefer the hand gun as it's up close and personal. Seeing the face of your enemy in a small circular window from a distance takes the immediacy of it away.  If I have to shoot you I want to look you in the eye and make sure you know it's me who's pulling the trigger.  I will take responsibility for that action and not hide from that action. 

Hence the title of this missive.  Of course I don't expect that to ever happen but it's not a bad idea to be prepared, if I ever have to make that decision.

Back to the actual shoot.  I don't know how I did but I know that I did okay, nothing great but it's not a competition, okay maybe between my friends and I, at least in my head.  :)  I had some good runs and a couple of misfires (no pun intended).  At the end of the day I enjoyed myself and didn't embarrass myself.  Mission accomplished!!

New Year of the Gun

  So the new year has started and I've been to two shoots so far. The first is my latest adventure called Concealed Carry. This involves a gun, holster, and magazine holders. The idea is to get familiar with carrying your weapon and comfortable moving and shooting the gun. The scenarios are designed to help you learn to seek cover when you have to change out your magazines and look for the bad guys that are hiding from you.
 
 This is why I started shooting (or buying guns). I wanted to try something out of the ordinary and shooting guns, for most people, isn't rather ordinary. As a kid I was always pretending I was a spy or private detective trying to catch the bad guy and not get shot. As an adult I can indulge this fantasy in a safe and fun way. Plus learn some very important survival skills. Not that I expect to ever need them but in the mean time I'm having fun. Plus I'm meeting new people and expanding my social circle. Another important part of my life.
 
 So the other shooting competition is something I've been doing for the past year. Speed Steel is a competition where you are timed as you shoot metal plates set in different configurations. This is just pure fun. The competition part is really against yourself. Even though the times are set against all the shooters and you can see how you stack up against others, I find that the most enjoyment I get is seeing how I did versus the previous times I shot the steel.
  The real reason for doing these shoots, besides just having fun, is to familiarize myself with the guns I own. If I have to shoot a gun in a real life situation, then I want to know that I will be familiar with how the gun works and what to expect when I pull the trigger.  

It just makes sense.

Shooting the Breeze

So here we are again. Shot the Speed Steel competition this weekend. It was very chilly and so had to deal with that but no rain. I did okay as I had the new optic but still not there. My new year plan will be to improve my shooting thru practice and gym work. It's great that my trainer is on board with this and has been working me. We're doing lots of static holds ( arms extended with a lite weight ) and core work to build up my stamina. I'm also working at home on becoming comfortable in handling the weapon. Loading, unloading and trigger pull. Also grip. I just got a new holster and magazine pouch for the gun ( basically the same gun James Bond uses) I will be using for the Concealed Carry competition. That's going to be the new discipline I'll be shooting in the coming year. I will plan on shooting three different types of disciplines. The one I've shot from the beginning is Speed Steel. This is a series of steel plates (5) set up in different patterns and sizes. Some the size of a paper plate and some a large piece of steel two feet by three feet. You are basically shooting against yourself as it is timed. You shoot the same pattern 5 times. Then move to the next pattern and you do that a total of 6 times. The second is called Falling Plates. This is a rack set with six plates all the same size ( a bit smaller than a paper plate) at a distance of about 10-12 feet away. One of the plates is the size of a saucer, this is the start plate and you must shoot it first. You have to knock all the plates over. Also one plate is painted black and it is the stop plate. You must shoot that one last. You are shooting next to another shooter and whoever knocks all the plates over first wins. You shoot against each shoot three times in a row. The last one is the newest one for me and I haven't shot this one yet. 2016 is the year for this one. This is the one I got the new holster and mag pouch for. This is a shoot and move type of scenario. Also, again this is against yourself as it's timed and the targets have different values depending on where your bullets hit. I'm looking forward to this one especially as it will be quite different from the others. Also a bit more real world. So there is the plan for the coming year. I'll also throw in the occasional shoot with the Bowling pins as that one I will use a different gun for that won't get used much with the other competitions.

Wow I did okay

So Today was a good day at the range. I actually came in second! Of course there were only 5 of us but I still finished almost at the top. I'm thinking about retiring. I did beat my friend Larry but he was shooting a revolver and that is a bit different from the semi auto he's used to, but I'll take it! I will say that my pistol wasn't working perfectly though, so I had my own issues to overcome. I will be changing my optics (electronic sighting) for the shoot in two weeks and hope to improve on my previous scores. Tune in later for the Gun Report on that one?

Can't hit the broadside of a bowling Pin

So went to the range today for a shoot.  It's called Concealed Bowling Pins.  This refers to shooting a bowling pin with a pistol that you'd use to protect your family from home invasion.  So no fancy optics but otherwise a weapon you'd use in protecting your home.  It consists of five bowling pins set on a table approximately 15ft away and you shoot them off the table.  Your weapon is laying on the bench in front of you.  Buzzer goes off and you grab your pistol and shoot the bowling pins. 

I'm not the best at it but I can hit them just not in a very speedy fashion.  Today, out of five participants I came in last.  I've done better in the past but that's why I do this so I can get better and learn how to hit what I'm aiming at.  Today not so much.

Of course you may ask why I do this if it's frustrating.  I'm trying to learn how not to miss.  So every time I participate in this type of competition I'm learning something about the gun and myself.  Next time I expect to do better.  And hopefully I will.

The month of November will have a Falling Plates, Speed Steel, and possibly a Concealed Carry (different from the Bowling Pins) shoot.  Then I think I'm done for the year and possibly Jan/Feb '16.  We'll see.  The Speed Steel shoots continue through the year so I may keep doing those as I am really enjoying shooting those competitions.

Hopefully the next time a bowling pin invades my condo I will be able to do better than I did today.