IPSC66 – Practical Shooters

Archive for the ‘Club Updates’ Category

Now that (most of) the snow is gone and the temps are warm enough to shoot outside without a heavy coat, the practical shooting season is starting at WCRH.

April 4th Work Day

Actually, things get into full swing tomorrow, Saturday April 4th about 0900 when the IPSC & IDPA gang will get together to build more walls and a new shed to hold them.  I know right; what is it with all these walls?  Seems like we add 20-30 new walls every year.  Probably because we do.  The “see through walls” are safer, more durable, and certainly more esthetic than stacked barrels.  Jason P and Shawn D are going to be busy making all those heavy duty stands.  Hours helped count towards the membership requirement and something interesting is sure to happen with so many power tools, hot glue, and pocket knifes in use.

Thursday Practice Resumes

One of the nice things about USPSA at WCRH is the free practice on Thursday evenings.  If all holds up, we are planning to start practice nights again Thursday, April 9th at 5:30 PM.  New shooters can come out and learn about USPSA practical pistol shooting in a low stress environment.  Experienced shooters can get some real rounds down range before Battle in the Bluegrass and Indiana Production/Single Stack/Revolver match.

Oak Hill RO Class

Practical shooting is a such safe sport in-part because of the people that run matches. ROs issues range commands, oversee competitor compliance with the written stage briefings, and closely monitors safe competitor action.  While NROI certified ROs are not mandatory at level I (local) matches, we generally like to have a minimum of one RO assigned to each squad and usually have two.  The first step to certification is maintaining your USPSA membership.  Next, you take a class put on by NROI.  Oak Hill Gun Club in Portland, MI is hosting an official RO (level I) class on June 20-21.  ROs that assist at IPSC66 matches receive a discount on match registration and there is no better way to learn the rules.

July 4th Fund Racer Match

If you have not heard, we’re having a two day, 18 stage, 500 round match over the July 4th weekend to raise money to improve the berms.  Also, if you have not heard, the match registration of 100 people is full.  Match participants will have a chance to win one of fourteen guns from Glock, FNH USA, Sig Sauer, and Springfield Arms.

It may not seem like spring with snow falling and temps dipping into the 20s but…

Rain, shine, sleet, or snow; the outdoor pistol shooting season is upon us. There is only five weeks before the first IPSC66 match of 2013 on April 28. To be ready for another amazing season of safe shooting fun please remember the following dates and events:

March 28-30: RO/CRO Class

If you registered for the class plan to attend. These classes were open to all USPSA members and invitations extended to many Michigan and Ohio clubs. South east Michigan will have no shortage of level I and II certified range personnel for any USPSA matches in the area.

April 4: Thursday Night IPSC/USPSA Practice begins

All shooters (including non-members) that attend IPSC66 are encouraged to attend practice nights. The road gate into Wayne County Raccoon Hunters is opened approximately 5:30 PM and shooting goes until 8:00 PM. The group will set up one to two practice stages designed to simulate conditions encountered at a sanctioned USPSA match. Practi-Score system is used so you can see your scores improve.

New shooters are strongly encouraged to attend at least one practice night before attending a USPSA match. Safety is priority one. Attending a practice night will allow a reduced stress environment and one to one instruction with a certified range officer to learn the range commands and gear requirements.

April 6: Wayne County Raccoon Hunters spring work day

The IPSC/USPSA group has a list of items they plan to do including: building new walls, fixing old walls, repairing target stands, and building dog houses for steel. Members with building skills and tools should plan to help as possible. Other members assistance will be needed to “spring clean” the equipment storage. In Roy’s usual, he plans to take everything out, sort, and return to its designated place. Other work day jobs are needed for members with all physical levels. This day will give the USPSA practical pistol group a chance to work with other club members for betterment of everyone’s WCRH experience.

April 27: Set up for USPSA match

Last year the organization and cooperation shown by club members and non-members alike to set up matches was amazing. With Roy’s announcement, it would be great if interested members would like to get involved with the match planning meeting that occur earlier in the week. Help is always appreciated and counts towards club hours.

April 14 was a busy day for the USPSA club members at the raccoon hunters. About a dozen people showed up with tools in hand to prepare for the 2012 shooting season.

The response to the new walls (and stands that hold them) was positive last year so a new batch of walls with the same design were built. The design uses a heavy duty screen along with a bright orange mesh to allow ROs and observers visibility down range. The screening is heavy enough to stop most splatter from steel while allowing the wind to pass through. Building walls of this type is far less expensive than the solid walls previously constructed allowing the club to build many more than previous years. Most importantly, more walls and durable stands allows Roy, Rob, and Brian to build stages with fewer barrels. Barrels will not be eliminated entirely but shooters can expect fewer wind/barrel delays this season.

Another group concentrated their day to repairing steel. The steel targets have a few years of heavy use behind them and were in need of some care and maintenance. Everything from hinges to the wooden bases were looked at on every piece of steel owned by the club. When possible, targets were repaired on site. Steel that was beyond minor repair was inventoried for incremental repair or replacement through the year.

Setting up should be easier this year as the storage unit was emptied, cleaned, and restocked in a way to maximize space while allowing storage of the many new walls and stands. With a little effort after matches and practice sessions the storage unit should be kept organized for the season.

Members have discussed moving to an electronic scoring system for a few years. Brian and Rob work very hard after a match to enter scores by hand from paper into the computer for upload to USPSA. Even with 70-80 shooters a match, the guys have done an amazing job getting scores in to USPSA the day of the match. That will be an easier task this year as a very generous member purchased a complete scoring system for the club’s use. The new system uses the PractiScore software from MGM Targets and Nifty Bytes and operates on the Nook. This will allow for even faster upload of scores after a match and decrease the number of issues experienced with the two sided paper scores. The PractiScore will work on any mobile device with iOS or Android. A few shooters already use versions of this to keep track of their scores during matches.

So, with more walls, fewer barrels, functional steel, an organized shed, and electronic scoring; this is going to be a great year for pistol shooters at the raccoon hunters.