Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Different Disciplines and Revolvers....Part 4

Zombie shooting is a relatively new sport on the scene. Contestants are challenged to engage Zombies with a shot to the head and Infected People with three shots to the body. This is a never stagnant pace changing game that constantly demands excellence of the shooter. Whether it's a time saving bonus head shot at 20 yards or a fast burst into a target before it gets too close (a 3 yard buffer is enforced on all unneutralized targets jeering the shooter with a warning about getting bitten). This sport hones the revolver shooter to the max emphasizing speed and accuracy and when each is needed. Power factor is not a concern here as the shooter is self governed by the use of steel targets and a simple "If it won't knock down steel too bad."

The equipment is up to you as the weapons compete based on regular sights and not regular sights and round capacity. The divisions go 6, 8, 15, 24 with no topping off in the beginning of the stage. This speeds the match up a lot. People actually compete with what they carry in real life and aren't disadvantaged by it in the least. I personally watched a gentleman use an M&P 40 compact with great success until his limited supply of magazines ran out on a long stage and like in real life he had to retire from the fight. The revolver however really shines here with the use of three shot bursts and head shots. The math is right and the accuracy is there too.

I found that my approach to this was to shoot the stages from one side to another taking the change of pace in stride. Trying to build sixes and finish the cylinder is pointless when you can reload anywhere and may miss at anytime. The constantly changing pace left my mind feeling like a stripped gear by the end of the match. I can't wait to try it again!

Different Disciplines and Revolver.....Part 3

ICORE was created especially for the revolver guys and gals. Target arrays that are six round neutral, no head shots, and a scoring system that rewards accuracy over speed more so than the others. Unfortunately this particular game isn't popular in the area where I live and so I have only shot a handful of matches. The accuracy needed to win this game is painstaking for me and so far I have only pulled out a single match win.

The gear is very necessary for this game as all reloads must come from the belt so invest in a nail pouch or plenty of speedloader pouches.  Holsters can be race holsters or IDPA legal your choice. Six shot revolvers are the norm here with eight shots being allowed also.

Divisions are open with optics and compensators, limited with moonclips and eight shot cylinders, and classic with six shot cylinders and speedloaders.

The target poses its own challenge in that it's desired impact zone is further down than the average USPSA or IDPA shooter is accustomed to. The X ring on the NRA D-1 is about four inches in diameter and serves very little purpose for ICORE other than not hurting your score with time penalty. The next ring out is the A ring and it's the last stop on the target before time penalty land. The B ring and C zone carry heavy penalties of 1 and 2 seconds respectively. Figuring an array with six or more targets and a few B's and C's really make life hard fast. A shooter can shoot themselves into the bottom of the score sheet very easily. A good shooter can really distance himself  with quick A's while foolhardy competitors try to follow. Risk and reward are a constant balancing act here.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Different disciplines and revolver...Part 2

USPSA is an interesting game to play with a revolver. Depending on where you start you will either be among a few friends or on your own.

The equipment is wide open for revolver shooters except for compensators and optic sights. Placement is as the shooter sees fits with minimal holster angle and gear distance off the body restrictions. I run my gun muzzle forward in the same safariland 568 custom fit design except it's a five inch model. I have yet to try a race holster and am waiting for my skill set to develop more before pursuing it as a reward to myself. My ammo carrier is a North Mountain four short post model. I position this right in front of the holster and it works out to be a bit right of where my belt buckle should be. It's plenty fast for my taste and I like the ability to grab more than one moonclip from a single spot.

The stages here are longer both in distance and round count which really makes it a mental endurance game. Disciplining myself to take my time and not blow the longer shots was difficult at first and 32 rounds seemed to take forever to finish. Marksmanship is not the only thing to consider in this game as speed is also rewarded. Learn to make quick hits and efficent reloads, for as the stage gets longer these things add up.   Points earned divided by time gives you a hit factor and that is the goal here. Decent shooters run 4 to 6 depending on the complexity of the stage which is more or less an A hit every second elapsed.  Changing gears from speed to precision is very key as the target arrays can shift from near to far at will and hardcover can really challenge your front sight focus. The ability of the shooter to choose the order of engagement is a nice plus as is reloading anytime anywhere. Reload wisely as you can run out of ammunition depneding on your loadout. Again you will find yourself at a disadvantage in capacity versus target array, but this is an aspect of the mental game to be embraced.