Apparently, I am still suffering from flusters from the Comish's silliness this past summer. At the last jackpot shoot I finished last losing every match. If this keeps up I will be too embarrassed for either of my personas to show up at any titled match next year. One commentator recently opined that my "poor" shooting was the result of "buck fever" even though I harvested a bull at considerable distance, bulls apparently equating to bucks. The truth be known the unfortunate bull just happened to wander into the path of my stray bullet, it being fired by chance probably in a fit of flusters according to the commentator.
Western hunts allow much time for analytical thinking. I can recognize an Oswald shot when I make one. They are not particularly difficult because the lead required by the target moving away is offset by the lead required by the downward angle of the shot and if the shot is straight away then distance is irrelevant. I learned this some 60 years ago from Nebraska coyote hunters who took great care to set their shots up so that the target was running straight away with the lead required for the movement away being cancelled by the lead required by the downward angle, much like Oswald on JFK. Remember to turn the engine off so there is no motor vibration. Learn by watching. Any way maybe a good shot or maybe as the commentator thinks the poor animal ran into the path of the bullet.
Getting back to fast draw, maybe my poor shooting at the Camp was the remnants of "buck fever" or the result of the pain and suffering of the hunt, or as I want to think, the lingering fluster of the Comish's silliness. Cutting comments can cause one to bleed and if I have done so in the past to anyone I am truly sorry and apologize to all. Any cuts I may have received I hope I can look upon them as scars of banter and fodder for humor.
"....is a jackass, but he is our jackass!" Devil Anse Hatfield
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Ice in the Veins!
That ice in the veins shoot for blood shooter has prohibited me from mentioning her by name, but that did not prevent her from being critical of me for not mentioning that she she was shooting .37s at a 80% clip, so here goes, last Sunday that ice in the veins shoot for blood shooter was shooting consistently in the .37s at a accuracy rate of 80%. I mentioned to her that I thought she was getting to be a 4 flat shooter which I don't think she took as a compliment although it is the highest compliment I give to any shooter.
A 4 flat shooter is a shooter that shoots consistently between .35 and .45 with routine accuracy of 60% or better. Good examples of 4 flat shooters are Buzzard Cooper, Short Keg, Powder Keg and The Draw. These shooters are normally in the Magnificent shoot off in any event they are in because they do not lose except to other 4 flat shooters. They have the rare combination of quickness, accuracy and mental toughness that make them almost unbeatable. There are lots of mid 3 and low 3 shooters out there but generally they are of no concern because they are shooting between 20-40%. They are just another easy draw.
I think we are making progress in getting that ice in the veins shoot for blood shooter converted to a gunfighter. Today on Shady Mountain she was determined and on the last shot of practice she put a .338 on the plate. She may become a 4 flat shooter. There are no 4 flat shooters among the ladies. Slow Poke is a pretty good 5 flat shooter. The field is wide open among the ladies. If you shoot between .35 and .45 at a 60% or better clip, why would you ever slow down.
I have to mention it was a fun and great time on Shady Mtn today. Hi Strung hit a ,281 which he considered an anticipation although mathematical he drew at least 50 mls after the light came on, May be it was not anticipation but really was what he is capable of. Trouble Maker finished the day hitting 9 out of 10, and Shady got 4 of my marbles.
Happy Thankgiving to all, I am fleeing to the mountains to chase elk just in case this blog offends anyone,
A 4 flat shooter is a shooter that shoots consistently between .35 and .45 with routine accuracy of 60% or better. Good examples of 4 flat shooters are Buzzard Cooper, Short Keg, Powder Keg and The Draw. These shooters are normally in the Magnificent shoot off in any event they are in because they do not lose except to other 4 flat shooters. They have the rare combination of quickness, accuracy and mental toughness that make them almost unbeatable. There are lots of mid 3 and low 3 shooters out there but generally they are of no concern because they are shooting between 20-40%. They are just another easy draw.
I think we are making progress in getting that ice in the veins shoot for blood shooter converted to a gunfighter. Today on Shady Mountain she was determined and on the last shot of practice she put a .338 on the plate. She may become a 4 flat shooter. There are no 4 flat shooters among the ladies. Slow Poke is a pretty good 5 flat shooter. The field is wide open among the ladies. If you shoot between .35 and .45 at a 60% or better clip, why would you ever slow down.
I have to mention it was a fun and great time on Shady Mtn today. Hi Strung hit a ,281 which he considered an anticipation although mathematical he drew at least 50 mls after the light came on, May be it was not anticipation but really was what he is capable of. Trouble Maker finished the day hitting 9 out of 10, and Shady got 4 of my marbles.
Happy Thankgiving to all, I am fleeing to the mountains to chase elk just in case this blog offends anyone,
Monday, October 3, 2016
So what was the differrence?
Before 2016 I had never placed in a titled match. In 2016, I scored points in every titled match I entered and was in the top 7 in the majority of the matches even though I was 50 milliseconds slower in 2016 than 2015 due to Cal's silliness. What was the difference? Before I get to that let me give credit where credit is due.
All of the credit goes to the Lord. Each day he gives me tasks and it is my job to do the best I can. He blesses me with wins and losses, with pain and joy, with adversity and successes. All the glory is his. Alleluia Ruah in Hebrew is "Praise God's Spirit."
I credit my draw to Miss Kitty. Three years ago I had hand surgery and could not shoot. As I recovered, I watched and copied Miss Kitty's draw.
I credit my accuracy to Rodeo Romeo. We started out about the same time and his mentor lead him to believe that you have to learn to be fast before you learn to be accurate. That never made sense to me. Seems like a lot of wasted wax so my training regiment is to learn quickness and accuracy at the same time. He needles me that I am just a good 2nd place shooter and I recant that if he ever can get to me we will see who the best gunfighter is.
I credit my mental toughness to No Daisy and Shady Mike. About 18 months ago No Daisy wrote a post about making adjustments. Prior to that I believed you should never adjust during a match. No Daisy's post lead me to change my mind and now adjustments are the main part of my pre-shot mental and physical routine. That Shady character up on the mountain is always taking my marbles (gold coins) and toughening me up for the matches that count.
So what is the difference between 2015 and 2016? The difference really comes down to mental toughness. My last match at world really illustrates what I am talking about. It was against Holli Day in the master gunfighter bracket. I have tried to mentor her without success and I believe she considers me a thorn or burr. Anyway, prior to the match I say to her "Play for blood?", she says "sure", phrases from her favorite movie. Her first shot nicks the plate low left, her second shot is 3 inches closer to the light, I say to her "next one in the light", which she does, all in 4 flat speed. Three shots and I sit down eliminated from the match. I have not been able to beat her in months. Whenever we meet she gets that cold gunfighter toughness and puts me down in three. Whatever she is thinking, whatever is her attitude, she needs to replicate that for every match. If she would do that she is unbeatable, men or ladies.
I shot poorly at World and I know the reason why. It will be fixed prior to next season. The only time I shot average was towards the end of the resurrection match which had a lot of speed in it and 75 shooters. I knew I was going to win after 60 shooters were eliminated even though three Arizona Gunslingers were left including two multi-champions. I was in that "I ain't missing, bring the next shooter" zone. Loverboy may say I am just a good 2nd place shooter, but as I say, "get to me and we will see."
The difference between 2015 and 2016 was mental toughness. You can practice it. You can develop it. There are club wide drills for it. Arizona Five is a great mental toughness drill. How you train matters. Don't practice missing. Develop that cold hard gunfighter attitude.
See you in 2017. Think Ruah coming back with the short gun and Everett again will try to master the long gun. As Noah says, real men shoot the long gun.
All of the credit goes to the Lord. Each day he gives me tasks and it is my job to do the best I can. He blesses me with wins and losses, with pain and joy, with adversity and successes. All the glory is his. Alleluia Ruah in Hebrew is "Praise God's Spirit."
I credit my draw to Miss Kitty. Three years ago I had hand surgery and could not shoot. As I recovered, I watched and copied Miss Kitty's draw.
I credit my accuracy to Rodeo Romeo. We started out about the same time and his mentor lead him to believe that you have to learn to be fast before you learn to be accurate. That never made sense to me. Seems like a lot of wasted wax so my training regiment is to learn quickness and accuracy at the same time. He needles me that I am just a good 2nd place shooter and I recant that if he ever can get to me we will see who the best gunfighter is.
I credit my mental toughness to No Daisy and Shady Mike. About 18 months ago No Daisy wrote a post about making adjustments. Prior to that I believed you should never adjust during a match. No Daisy's post lead me to change my mind and now adjustments are the main part of my pre-shot mental and physical routine. That Shady character up on the mountain is always taking my marbles (gold coins) and toughening me up for the matches that count.
So what is the difference between 2015 and 2016? The difference really comes down to mental toughness. My last match at world really illustrates what I am talking about. It was against Holli Day in the master gunfighter bracket. I have tried to mentor her without success and I believe she considers me a thorn or burr. Anyway, prior to the match I say to her "Play for blood?", she says "sure", phrases from her favorite movie. Her first shot nicks the plate low left, her second shot is 3 inches closer to the light, I say to her "next one in the light", which she does, all in 4 flat speed. Three shots and I sit down eliminated from the match. I have not been able to beat her in months. Whenever we meet she gets that cold gunfighter toughness and puts me down in three. Whatever she is thinking, whatever is her attitude, she needs to replicate that for every match. If she would do that she is unbeatable, men or ladies.
I shot poorly at World and I know the reason why. It will be fixed prior to next season. The only time I shot average was towards the end of the resurrection match which had a lot of speed in it and 75 shooters. I knew I was going to win after 60 shooters were eliminated even though three Arizona Gunslingers were left including two multi-champions. I was in that "I ain't missing, bring the next shooter" zone. Loverboy may say I am just a good 2nd place shooter, but as I say, "get to me and we will see."
The difference between 2015 and 2016 was mental toughness. You can practice it. You can develop it. There are club wide drills for it. Arizona Five is a great mental toughness drill. How you train matters. Don't practice missing. Develop that cold hard gunfighter attitude.
See you in 2017. Think Ruah coming back with the short gun and Everett again will try to master the long gun. As Noah says, real men shoot the long gun.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Average shooters, Motivation and 6x!
Going to titled matches around the country I see about the same 150-200 shooters at these matches out of our 5,000 or so members. It seems that the titled events are not that well attended by the average shooters, even when the shoot is local. What can we do to make these events more appealing to the average local shooters? Is there a problem?
At the Four Corners held this year in Phoenix there were a group of snow birds that always shoot with us all winter long that came and shot in the warm-up jackpot shoot and then again in the second chance shoot on Sunday but not in the main event. I don't know if it was the cost or the level of competition that kept them away from the main match. I just don't know, but suggest that it would benefit us to try to make these events more appealing to them.
My pet project is a 6x three day shoot. Every shooter would get 6 x s, 4 in the main match and 2 in either a resurrection or category shoot. No one is eliminated until they get 6 x s. I have suggested that if someone can't come on Friday they could still come and shoot in the Resurrections shoot at a reduced entry fee, maybe 33% of the full fee. The shoot then becomes a 2 x shoot for them and they could still win it all. This would do two things for maybe some of the shooters, reduce the cost and allow them to compete with the bottom half of the field. What do you think? If you tell me that it will not work or violates the rules, I don't tolerate that very well because I got an answer for most of the "can't" reasons.
We use the Arizona Bracket shoot a lot and our members love it. I recommend it to other clubs. I see that some clubs are having a no x shoot followed by a Magnificent 5 2x shoot off as a Halloween shoot. Try the Arizona Bracket shoot. You can shoot three Magnificent 1X shoot offs in the same time that it takes to shoot a Magnificent 5 2x and every shooter qualifies for the shoot off. I think this is why we get 30-35 summer time shooters and 60-70 winter time shooters at our monthly shoots. Everyone qualifies and has a chance to shoot their way to the top. It is about having fun and winning your bracket can really be fun, especially for those that normally don't get to a magnificent shoot-off. All Arizona gunslingers experience a magnificent shoot off even it is just 1x.
We did try the Magnificent 2x shoot-off for all shooters. It works but is too time consuming for the number of shooters we have. It takes about 8 minutes per number of shooters in a bracket, so if you have 30 shooters, it takes about 80 minutes to shoot three brackets of ten. But for smaller clubs, it would be great. If you had say 18 shooters, it would take 48 minutes to shoot three Magnificent 6 2x shoot offs at the same time. I think you will find that your shooters would love this because it allows the average shooter the opportunity to experience the Magnificent shoot off.
If any one wants more information or forms for any of these, just say so I am happy to help.
I am also a big fan of the Arizona Five. A lot of our shooters don't like it, but they are the ones that need it. It is really nothing more than a mental toughness drill for the whole club. It is also somewhat bias towards the accurate shooter and hence maybe bias towards the average point and aim shooter. It is really good for the speed, even though they don't like it, got to hit and hit now, not later. Our National Champion won on mental toughness!
We are blessed by large numbers and therefore have the the ability to try new things in a major shoot environment monthly. If you want to discuss any of our trials just call, e-mail or talk to us. Just remember some of us are can people and some of us are can't people. I say that because we tried something new and I got nothing but positive feedback and I overhear my fellow board member telling folks that nobody like it. Mostly I am a pain in the rear, but they tolerate my hair brained ideas.
At the Four Corners held this year in Phoenix there were a group of snow birds that always shoot with us all winter long that came and shot in the warm-up jackpot shoot and then again in the second chance shoot on Sunday but not in the main event. I don't know if it was the cost or the level of competition that kept them away from the main match. I just don't know, but suggest that it would benefit us to try to make these events more appealing to them.
My pet project is a 6x three day shoot. Every shooter would get 6 x s, 4 in the main match and 2 in either a resurrection or category shoot. No one is eliminated until they get 6 x s. I have suggested that if someone can't come on Friday they could still come and shoot in the Resurrections shoot at a reduced entry fee, maybe 33% of the full fee. The shoot then becomes a 2 x shoot for them and they could still win it all. This would do two things for maybe some of the shooters, reduce the cost and allow them to compete with the bottom half of the field. What do you think? If you tell me that it will not work or violates the rules, I don't tolerate that very well because I got an answer for most of the "can't" reasons.
We use the Arizona Bracket shoot a lot and our members love it. I recommend it to other clubs. I see that some clubs are having a no x shoot followed by a Magnificent 5 2x shoot off as a Halloween shoot. Try the Arizona Bracket shoot. You can shoot three Magnificent 1X shoot offs in the same time that it takes to shoot a Magnificent 5 2x and every shooter qualifies for the shoot off. I think this is why we get 30-35 summer time shooters and 60-70 winter time shooters at our monthly shoots. Everyone qualifies and has a chance to shoot their way to the top. It is about having fun and winning your bracket can really be fun, especially for those that normally don't get to a magnificent shoot-off. All Arizona gunslingers experience a magnificent shoot off even it is just 1x.
We did try the Magnificent 2x shoot-off for all shooters. It works but is too time consuming for the number of shooters we have. It takes about 8 minutes per number of shooters in a bracket, so if you have 30 shooters, it takes about 80 minutes to shoot three brackets of ten. But for smaller clubs, it would be great. If you had say 18 shooters, it would take 48 minutes to shoot three Magnificent 6 2x shoot offs at the same time. I think you will find that your shooters would love this because it allows the average shooter the opportunity to experience the Magnificent shoot off.
If any one wants more information or forms for any of these, just say so I am happy to help.
I am also a big fan of the Arizona Five. A lot of our shooters don't like it, but they are the ones that need it. It is really nothing more than a mental toughness drill for the whole club. It is also somewhat bias towards the accurate shooter and hence maybe bias towards the average point and aim shooter. It is really good for the speed, even though they don't like it, got to hit and hit now, not later. Our National Champion won on mental toughness!
We are blessed by large numbers and therefore have the the ability to try new things in a major shoot environment monthly. If you want to discuss any of our trials just call, e-mail or talk to us. Just remember some of us are can people and some of us are can't people. I say that because we tried something new and I got nothing but positive feedback and I overhear my fellow board member telling folks that nobody like it. Mostly I am a pain in the rear, but they tolerate my hair brained ideas.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Elitist Survey
Rodeo Romeo posted a survey for input for the muster. The topics suggested lean toward the elite shooters. I write this post as a response for the average shooter. Our sport exists because of the average shooter.
People join CFDA because it is fun, the people are nice (although lately not all have been nice), and new shooters can have some immediate success. We all start out as draw, cock, aim and fire shooters. Some change as they get faster, some stay as draw and aim shooters. The .5 to 1.0 shooters are the backbone of our sport. Without them there will be no CFDA.
Entertainment, spectator enhancements, purses have little meaning for the average shooter. What the average shooter needs is for the competitions to continue to be fun, to be free from needless rules, to be free from petty criticism of techniques and quickness, and to allow the average shooter to have some success. Too often we think about what would be good for the elite shooter or the wannabe elite shooter and forget about what makes our sport strong, the average shooter.
This needless bickering about technique and slow shooters hurt the sport. There is a reason why 4 of the top 8 at Nationals were from Arizona. It has nothing to do with quickness. It has nothing to do with accuracy. It has everything to do with our average shooters. We have a lot of draw and aim shooters, a lot of slip cocking and recover youth, a few tenderfoots that do not miss, all of whom compete and compete with a high degree of success in our Arizona Bracket shoots. We welcome and appreciate all styles, techniques, times of all shooters. When we meet a "slow shooter" or a slip cock in a titled match we put three on the plate and sit down.
This nonsense about sportsmanship needs to been put to rest. There is an easy solution. The requirement should be that every competitor must fire his weapon in each contest except for malfunction and use his best effort to hit the target. There should be no room in an athletic activity for the question "Will you intentionally miss, if I miss?" The Irishman's data clearly shows that our accuracy has gone down in recent years. Part of that problem is that we have come to accept missing as acceptable in our chase of speed. Like the good old days, it should be "if you miss, you lose!"
This is Fast Draw! All matches should be determined by quickness. If it is acceptable to miss, acceptable to hit 30%, then all matches and our championship are determined by chance, not by quickness. Let's get back to the matches where if you miss you lose.
People join CFDA because it is fun, the people are nice (although lately not all have been nice), and new shooters can have some immediate success. We all start out as draw, cock, aim and fire shooters. Some change as they get faster, some stay as draw and aim shooters. The .5 to 1.0 shooters are the backbone of our sport. Without them there will be no CFDA.
Entertainment, spectator enhancements, purses have little meaning for the average shooter. What the average shooter needs is for the competitions to continue to be fun, to be free from needless rules, to be free from petty criticism of techniques and quickness, and to allow the average shooter to have some success. Too often we think about what would be good for the elite shooter or the wannabe elite shooter and forget about what makes our sport strong, the average shooter.
This needless bickering about technique and slow shooters hurt the sport. There is a reason why 4 of the top 8 at Nationals were from Arizona. It has nothing to do with quickness. It has nothing to do with accuracy. It has everything to do with our average shooters. We have a lot of draw and aim shooters, a lot of slip cocking and recover youth, a few tenderfoots that do not miss, all of whom compete and compete with a high degree of success in our Arizona Bracket shoots. We welcome and appreciate all styles, techniques, times of all shooters. When we meet a "slow shooter" or a slip cock in a titled match we put three on the plate and sit down.
This nonsense about sportsmanship needs to been put to rest. There is an easy solution. The requirement should be that every competitor must fire his weapon in each contest except for malfunction and use his best effort to hit the target. There should be no room in an athletic activity for the question "Will you intentionally miss, if I miss?" The Irishman's data clearly shows that our accuracy has gone down in recent years. Part of that problem is that we have come to accept missing as acceptable in our chase of speed. Like the good old days, it should be "if you miss, you lose!"
This is Fast Draw! All matches should be determined by quickness. If it is acceptable to miss, acceptable to hit 30%, then all matches and our championship are determined by chance, not by quickness. Let's get back to the matches where if you miss you lose.
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Who we are!
We had our August monthly practice shoot at Pioneer with 33 gunslingers in attendance. It was a pretty tough bunch with 4 of the top 8 shooters from Nationals, and a World Champion, two World Category Champions, numerous other three shooters, a couple of old timers draw cock aim shooters, three youth shooters, a 7 year old who slip cocks and recovers 50% of the time, a 9 year old who slip cocks and recovers 30% of the time, a 10 year who is just quick and deadly and an assortment of other shooter all of whom are tough gunslingers.
We shot our Arizona Bracket shoot in near perfect weather. Most of the speed finished in 3rd to 10th place in bracket A, some in bracket B and a few in bracket C. A new shooter, a draw, cock, aim old timer shooter, was clean until the final match of the day, the final match of bracket A.
I sincerely believe that the Arizona shooters do so well in titled matches not because we shoot against quick shooters but because we shoot against tough gunfighters, whether that is a draw, cock, aim shooter or 7 year old slipping cocking and recovering to win matches. Generally we don't devalue misses.
We welcome all comers. Come shoot with us, whether you "slow shoot", slip cock and recover, flail and hit 30%, or are quick and accurate. We don't care. We need the practice. You can even come and whine and we will be nice to you, though we might poke little a fun at you.
Isn't this a great sport. Where else can a new shooter go through a field of champions and end up in second place. Where else can a 7 year old compete with World Champion and win. We like the sport as it is. It is a gunfight folks.
"Quick don't matter much in a gunfight." Little Bill
We shot our Arizona Bracket shoot in near perfect weather. Most of the speed finished in 3rd to 10th place in bracket A, some in bracket B and a few in bracket C. A new shooter, a draw, cock, aim old timer shooter, was clean until the final match of the day, the final match of bracket A.
I sincerely believe that the Arizona shooters do so well in titled matches not because we shoot against quick shooters but because we shoot against tough gunfighters, whether that is a draw, cock, aim shooter or 7 year old slipping cocking and recovering to win matches. Generally we don't devalue misses.
We welcome all comers. Come shoot with us, whether you "slow shoot", slip cock and recover, flail and hit 30%, or are quick and accurate. We don't care. We need the practice. You can even come and whine and we will be nice to you, though we might poke little a fun at you.
Isn't this a great sport. Where else can a new shooter go through a field of champions and end up in second place. Where else can a 7 year old compete with World Champion and win. We like the sport as it is. It is a gunfight folks.
"Quick don't matter much in a gunfight." Little Bill
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Be careful what you ask for! You may get it! The National Flap
I write this post not to be argumentative and not to criticize others but only to try to be helpful. Those who have strong feelings need to consider the flap at Nationals.
What I saw and what I heard: In the men's event we were down to the top 15 or so. It was a tough group, all quick, accurate and seasoned veterans. The round was shot without any unusual happenings. The Range Master was probably our best and most knowledgeable Range Master. After the round was over, an interloper of the opposite gender, confronts the Range Master in a verbally abusive tone and accuses him of failing to do his job by not calling "unsportsmanship violations" on a particular competitor. The Range Master in a calm but firm manner said he did not see any violations and the round was over. The interloper then storms off to take the matter up with an higher authority. Before the start of the next round Cal takes the mic and reprimands the competitors for making complaints about "sportsmanship" and to "stop it." The competitors are all bewildered, not knowing that anything had happened and none having made any complaints whatsoever.
That is what I saw and heard, now here is what was going on. There was a match between a high 3 shooter against a low 4 shooter. The low 4 shooter has a history of "slow shooting" apparently believing he is more accurate doing so. Apparently he was shooting in the 7s and 8s and he won. The low 3 shooter did not complain, he himself has a history of "slow shooting" in the mid 4s against 5 and above shooters. Both these gentlemen are seasoned veterans, credits to our sport, and great competitors. There was absolute no problem with the round and no complaints from anyone but the interloper which caused a public reprimand of the field. Is this really where we want to go?
To those thinking it would be good to just ban recovery shots, this same incident is informative. The Range Master is adamant that he never saw a slip cock or a recovery shot. A veteran spectator has said he heard a click and the "offender" did slip cock and recovered. So were these shots the hated "recovery shots"? Whose knows? Is not always easy to tell. I shot for the first time in three weeks last Saturday and did, on one shot, fumbled my draw, catching my trigger finger on the trigger guard. I did recover and hit the target. Would this have been a banned recovery shot? In the Mag 7 I took what appeared to be a recovery shot after an apparent "slip cock." After the event I find out that the ammunition was dimpled so it may have been host provided defective ammunition and a provisional shot.
Most of the anger on this issue really direct at the shooter who "slow shoots." Banning recovery shots will do nothing to alleviate this anger.
Some of the anger is directed towards the "aimed shot." If you are going to ban the aimed shot, remember that most of our new shooters start out as "aimed shot" shooters.
My suggestion is accept all shooters as they are. Be happy that you have an opponent. Welcome all shooters. If someone wants to shoot slower that should be fine with all in the sport, they are easier to defeat.
Thank you.
What I saw and what I heard: In the men's event we were down to the top 15 or so. It was a tough group, all quick, accurate and seasoned veterans. The round was shot without any unusual happenings. The Range Master was probably our best and most knowledgeable Range Master. After the round was over, an interloper of the opposite gender, confronts the Range Master in a verbally abusive tone and accuses him of failing to do his job by not calling "unsportsmanship violations" on a particular competitor. The Range Master in a calm but firm manner said he did not see any violations and the round was over. The interloper then storms off to take the matter up with an higher authority. Before the start of the next round Cal takes the mic and reprimands the competitors for making complaints about "sportsmanship" and to "stop it." The competitors are all bewildered, not knowing that anything had happened and none having made any complaints whatsoever.
That is what I saw and heard, now here is what was going on. There was a match between a high 3 shooter against a low 4 shooter. The low 4 shooter has a history of "slow shooting" apparently believing he is more accurate doing so. Apparently he was shooting in the 7s and 8s and he won. The low 3 shooter did not complain, he himself has a history of "slow shooting" in the mid 4s against 5 and above shooters. Both these gentlemen are seasoned veterans, credits to our sport, and great competitors. There was absolute no problem with the round and no complaints from anyone but the interloper which caused a public reprimand of the field. Is this really where we want to go?
To those thinking it would be good to just ban recovery shots, this same incident is informative. The Range Master is adamant that he never saw a slip cock or a recovery shot. A veteran spectator has said he heard a click and the "offender" did slip cock and recovered. So were these shots the hated "recovery shots"? Whose knows? Is not always easy to tell. I shot for the first time in three weeks last Saturday and did, on one shot, fumbled my draw, catching my trigger finger on the trigger guard. I did recover and hit the target. Would this have been a banned recovery shot? In the Mag 7 I took what appeared to be a recovery shot after an apparent "slip cock." After the event I find out that the ammunition was dimpled so it may have been host provided defective ammunition and a provisional shot.
Most of the anger on this issue really direct at the shooter who "slow shoots." Banning recovery shots will do nothing to alleviate this anger.
Some of the anger is directed towards the "aimed shot." If you are going to ban the aimed shot, remember that most of our new shooters start out as "aimed shot" shooters.
My suggestion is accept all shooters as they are. Be happy that you have an opponent. Welcome all shooters. If someone wants to shoot slower that should be fine with all in the sport, they are easier to defeat.
Thank you.
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