Re: The Predator Tactical Lone Star Challenge
Results from the AAR (after action report)
We had 42 shooters respond to the AAR (After Action Report) form that we posted. Here are some of the results and comments:
Do you feel the points were distributed fairly? <span style="color: #FF0000">100% Yes</span>
Do you feel the match ran at a good pace? <span style="color: #FF0000">100% Yes</span>
Did you like the fact the Match directors gave shooters the opportunity to challenge inputting errors before final results? <span style="color: #FF0000">100% Hell yes, everyone should do this.</span>
How would you rank this match against other matches you have shot with 10=the best match I ever shot, 1=the worst match I ever shot? <span style="color: #FF0000">23 tens, 14 nines, 3 eights, 1 seven, and 1 five. </span>
Are you happy with the amount of rounds fired at the match? <span style="color: #FF0000">40-just right, 1-not enough, 1 too many</span>
Some comments of interest:
I would be happy with a few less stages and a little more time to shoot the stage. 1 minuet to shoot 10 shots at 5 different ranges is doable and should be included in some but not every stage, It would be nice to be able to dial turrets on at least half of the targets to lower the stress just a bit and make it a little more fun. <span style="color: #FF0000">This was intended to be a high stress match from the get go. But after reviewing the match, we could have had a few more relax, read the wind, and shoot stages.</span>
I thought the range booklets were brilliant and extremely helpful. <span style="color: #FF0000">Thanks. We have done that for a few matches and everyone seems to like the books.</span>
Control the weather. <span style="color: #FF0000">I'll invite Billy Graham next time!</span>
However, two very small things that I would change that would help substantially.... 1. Nail a few strips of wood on the rooftop for someone to put a foot hold. It would make it nice due to the elements and I could of done better had my fat ass not slid down from the mud for 50 out of the 60 seconds for the stage. LOL. If it was dry outside this would of been a mute issue. 2. At the barn, shooting from there was difficult, although very comfortable, it made it almost impossible to read the wind. I'd prefer to shoot out in the elements in order to read the wind than shoot from the barn or deck. Other than those two minor issues, everything was perfect!
<span style="color: #FF0000">Response to 1 - We thought about that but we thought it would make it too easy. Didn't calculate a metric ton of oily mud in that decision. We need to plan all COF's for all weather conditions. It will make the match easier in good conditions, but doable in bad ones.
Response to 2 - Shooting from the barn was an intentional act trying to mess with your ability to read the wind. Not much different than shooting from a deer stand. We wanted the shooters to "pre-plan their wind calls before they got on the deck and adjust from conditions that they saw in the field </span>
The 60 second format was new to me and is perhaps the #1 reason why I didn't shoot as well as I could have. Perhaps a few more seconds per stage would have been nice especially with the almospheric conditions. <span style="color: #FF0000">Again, our intention was to put pressure on the shooter and make him balance speed and accuracy. We did not expect anyone to get through all of the stages, but did expect most to have enough time to finish several of them. On many of the stages, if the shooter would have slowed down and hit the first couple of available targets and skipped the rest, he would have been in the top ten on that COF.</span>
Ok this is only on a personal level. I am left handed and there were a couple of others there also. But i have found that 99% of all matches are set set up for right handed shooters be it barricades, runs or shooting off a platform of whatever
<span style="color: #FF0000">Rich and I really tried to keep the lefty in mind when setting up the COF. However, I know we failed on some stages. I'll put a lefty on the COF design committee next time. BTW, Dustin is a lefty an was 3rd.</span>
I know it is difficult to find more ROs but smaller squads shooting more stages it would decrease the down time and people traveling could get home a bit sooner on Sunday. But even with this it may not be possible due to range layout inducing cross fire situations.
<span style="color: #FF0000">Hmm..... I'm all about no downtime and managed this entire match to get as many rounds down range as possible in 1 1/2 days. We had 15 RO's, basically 1 for every 4 shooters. Not sure what else we could have done. As it was, each shooter shot on the average once every 30 minutes. That included time for movement between stages, briefings, etc. We will see what we can do to move it faster, but I feel that the only way to do that would be to limit the number of shooters to 40, and we didn't want to go that route with this match. </span>
My only suggestion is to maybe have photo reference for the targets mentioned in the match book, which was an awesome tool. I wasn't familiar with a couple of the style of targets.
<span style="color: #FF0000">Excellent suggestion, we will do that, and maybe video each target in action and put it up on You Tube so the shooters can review them before the match.</span>
Other than having topless women serve me cold beer between stages, I really can't think of anything that would have made it any better. Hands down, this was the best match I've ever been to. I can't wait for the next one! Thanks again!
<span style="color: #FF0000">I'll have Ninja bring his girls to the next match!</span>
I know it's a safety issue and what ever needs to be done to keep everyone safe is obviously what needs to be done but the bolt back transitioning from target to target (from the same firing position) is really unnatural. First thing my strong hand does after follow through it run that bolt. Once I lift it's all one motion from there. This was hard for me to control.
<span style="color: #FF0000"> I know this was unnatural, but I believe a bolt should not be down until you see the target that you intend to destroy through your scope. I have NEVER seen an AD/ND when a bolt was up. I have seen a ton when the bolt was down. My intention was for no shooter to go "duck hunting" on my property with a high powered rifle. The rule worked, very few "bolt" calls, no one lost all of the stage points for 2 "bolt" calls. Again, the rule worked, and my opinion, should be a staple in every match. This rule evolved from my own ND, when during the TPRC, I slipped off a muddy hill after I was on the target with my bolt down. I went to reposition myself without opening the bolt, and torched off a round with my ring finger! That said, I am open to discussion on this matter.</span>
When each squad is split and shooting next to each other, alternate which side shoots. Let one side run a shooter while the other side is getting a shooter on the line and prepped, then go back and forth. This would eliminate confusion with the timer sounds and any "impact" call made by the RO.
<span style="color: #FF0000">Yes, something we should have thought of in advance. We will do this in the future, or move the shooters far enough that this won't be an issue.</span>
"The match books were a great idea and I like having timed stages ,but I dont trust shooting timers. It seems like every three gun match I go to there are discrepancies and more than once at this match it seemed like some people got the really shorted on the time thing. It wasnt me ,but it sure seemed like when I watched a couple other peoples runs they got a little shorted on time. Of course this could all be my imagination, but I have seen problems before with timers as I am sure you have also,Kevin.
<span style="color: #FF0000">We had 4 new CED timers and 2 others that I have had for a while. I don't think they had issues, but I will check them all against a clock before future matches. I am really against using stop watches in a match. There is too much room for error using them. Shot timers start exactly on the beep and beep again automatically at the set par time. Not much room to screw them up unless they are flat out not keeping time properly. I have had problems in matches with timed stages, but it always seems to be when there is a stop watch involved.</span>
The only improvable option in my mind is having all competitors shoot the same stages on the same day. I know its difficult but it is very doable. As a MD I have been down this road and it takes most of the weather unfairness out of the situation. Is it always perfect, no, but it is an improvement when you have overcast and 55 one day then 35 and pouring the next. I understand you cant control weather but doing what we can to minimize the impact is helpful.
<span style="color: #FF0000">I know this was an issue, but it was the only way we could do what we did in 1 1/2 days, where there is only 10 hours of daylight. We planned the tower, barn, and dam ranges to have about the same complexity, target distances, number of available points, etc. to prevent weather from becoming an issue. We threw out a stage on the dam for time reasons, that made the available points there less than the others. Trying to get everyone to shoot in the same conditions in Texas is nearly impossible. I have been at matches where the winds were zero for the first group of cold bore shooters, and gusting to 15mph 45 minutes later when the balance of the group finished! At Rifles Only this last match, we stood at the 100 yard line and observed the wind shift from the south at about 8mph to the north at about 10 in FIVE minutes! This said, we will review this and try to improve the balance.</span>
Give you RO's another pat on the back because they are the ones that had to present your plan to us and could have really presented a totally different experience if they got lazy, complacent, cocky, or just not really cared. That WAS NOT the case. A FUCKING PLUS for the RO's and a hell of a kick off to this points race series.
<span style="color: #FF0000"> I SECOND THAT MOTION!!! Thanks again brothers!</span>
