Although I wasn't able to see you guys stretch out your long guns, I was graced with watching some interesting pistol shooting for sure.
After the "load and make ready" command, I received the strangest looks for asking you guys to re-holster. Buzzer went off and brains and boogers flowed from everywhere. The greatest part was the end for sure at the fault line, re-holstering a safe clear gun was ok, but the fastest guys just set them down and moved on to the rifle problem. I did see some amazing shooting and a couple of yard sales, and by far the fastest ones were the ones who went 1 for 1 on the pistol. Also, there was a top 10 finisher who just shot "strong handed" and set his rifle down where he needed to. I did notice a lot of slings were not tight, with the rifle loose and swinging while the shooter was engaging pistol targets which greatly enhanced the pistol times substantially.
The most popular carry for the rifle was muzzle down, which in turn scraped (with suppressor) every big rock and got caught up in the bushes as well. I would say a third of the shooters carried muzzle up which was a better choice and they deployed their rifle much faster as well.
Everyone had a chance to spot the rifle target, it never moved, and a good 50% of the shooters got to the end and could not find it. It seemed hard for the ones who struggled to find it, and reference it from where they were in relation to their surroundings . It was not hard by any means, and if anything we moved you right to it. The spacial awareness of most of the shooters in relation to where the target was located was very evident. The others struggled and were scanning way too fast with their rifle.
The rifle was exactly 235 yards away. 3 hit from prone, before plowing their way through the weeds, a bunch made hits from kneeling and sitting. But for sure the best shots were the "well aimed snap shots" hit or miss. As well as 4-5 guys shooting off of sticks.
So in the future, treat the pistol stage like any another stage. Just because it's pistol with 1 rifle shot (or more) doesn't mean it's going be any easier. This stage could have been the determining factor for a substantial jump in the scores. I would say the most popular pistols were the Glock, Sig and the M&P. Some STI's, 1911 SS's and 1 Ruger.
Pistol shooting is even more perishable than rifle shooting by far. In the future I would recommend some dry practice, and knowing where your mags and how they are faced on your person. Sure running a 4 pound trigger on a pistol, might be easy...but the transition to your rifle always makes things interesting. And again, the guys that did well, streamlined their gear, and only took what they needed. Even 200 rounds of pistol shot before the match would make a huge difference.
I had a great time with everyone, there were a few issues I caught, but overall you guys were super safe and a blast to be around.
Thanks again for the help in tearing down, I greatly appreciate it.
A1
Jimmy
