Somerset IDPA Match - 7/17/11

[Krdshrk 3,878]

Yeah - I'm going to get night sights now for sure.

 

Too bad we couldn't mount our lights on the gun itself... My TLR-1s would have been great that way.

[vjf915 456]

I didn't mind the flashlight stages, but the no light stages were the man-makers today. The score for the forth stage I shot (no shoot swinger, four targets with 2-body 1-head) REALLY dragged my score down. I was pretty upset with how I scored on that stage.

 

Nick, Bob and I had to run a little earlier after this match was over.

[Zell959 40]

Yeah - I'm going to get night sights now for sure.

 

Seriously, my hats off to anyone who had to go entirely without night sights on those last two stages. I have the front but not the rear and was really wishing I did. I had always figured just being able to see the front would be good enough, but I guess that's part of why getting this kind of shooting experience is so helpful, because it become readily apparent to me that just the front sight wasn't quite enough to stay on target.

[ronhonda 86]

Yeah - I'm going to get night sights now for sure.

 

Too bad we couldn't mount our lights on the gun itself... My TLR-1s would have been great that way.

 

Never liked night sites.

You should be able to index and be on target to point shoot it.

[Pizza Bob 1,488]

The score for the forth stage I shot REALLY dragged my score down.

 

 

Victor is just being modest. It was as I predicted - he had the best score in SSP Unclassified, but the kicker is that he shot the THIRD BEST SCORE OVERALL. That means he beat more than a few Experts, and indeed was himself shooting on an expert level - which if he keeps this up, is where he'll end up being classified. Congratulations!

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

[Krdshrk 3,878]

Never liked night sites.

You should be able to index and be on target to point shoot it.

 

I did...... didn't work. I had a complete miss on one target. My night vision isn't the best especially after the lights going on/off and the muzzle flash. I was able to get a sight picture but somehow pulled the shots or was just completely off. That no-shoot swinger really threw me off in terms sighting. In that light, my sights were completely black on a black target.

[Smokin .50 1,907]

I think nite sights are an expensive toy/crutch. Unless you're shooting a low-powered load outta a long barrel, after the first discharge, you're "night-blinded" by your own muzzle flash. Especially with hot defense ammo out of short barrels!

 

Point-shooting, developed with the old Cap & Ball revolvers more than 160 years ago, saved many a practiced Pistolero. The old Colts had a notch in the hammer that was only visible when the hammer was at full-cock. Developing muscle memory and knowing where the muzzle is pointed is the key to winning a gunfight, with the best scenario as not being in one in the first place if at all possible.

 

As long as we're on the subject....God forbid you actually have to shoot someone with a tricked-out tac-railed flashlight-mounted high-capacity tactical SWAT-type pistol. No matter how righteous the shoot may be, you may be looked-upon as some sort of "Gun Nut" by the Cops, the DA, or the Media. As IF you were the one looking for trouble instead of the Perp! Give me a plain-old GI .45 with a simple beaver-tail & a reliability job shooting just .45 Ball ammo and I'll look like a "poor victimized home-owner" instead of a member of some sort of home-grown Militia. Unfortunately, we do live in NJ after-all....

 

Dave

[vjf915 456]

Bob, you're making me blush!

 

As long as we're on the subject....God forbid you actually have to shoot someone with a tricked-out tac-railed flashlight-mounted high-capacity tactical SWAT-type pistol. No matter how righteous the shoot may be, you may be looked-upon as some sort of "Gun Nut" by the Cops, the DA, or the Media. As IF you were the one looking for trouble instead of the Perp! Give me a plain-old GI .45 with a simple beaver-tail & a reliability job shooting just .45 Ball ammo and I'll look like a "poor victimized home-owner" instead of a member of some sort of home-grown Militia. Unfortunately, we do live in NJ after-all....

I have to disagree to some extent. If anyone asks why I've got a pistol that has a light attached to the rail, the answer will simply be that it is my pistol designated for home defense. Home defense is legal, and I personally don't care how the media or anti gun crowd views me, as long as I'm not charged with anything for a legal shoot.

[Pizza Bob 1,488]

You should be able to index and be on target to point shoot it.

 

 

Point-shooting... saved many a practiced Pistolero.

 

 

Ron / Dave:

 

I think there's a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking going on here. Dave, I don't know you, but you seem a knowledgeable guy. Ron, I have nothing but respect for your competitive capabilities and know that you are a better shooter than I'll ever be. BUT, unless you were there, it's a bit condescending to tell those who were, how they should have done it.

 

Regardless of your personal feelings, those that shot the low-light stages all agreed that night sights were an advantage. The distances involved and the precision of the shots called for, in my opinion, made point-shooting not an option.

 

Me? I shoot equally well with the lights on or off. That should tell you a lot.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

[Krdshrk 3,878]

Yeah - I agree with VJF. Why would someone question a flashlight? Sights are sights as well.

 

I thought my night vision would be better but just seeing how black the sights were without the flashlight or any other lighting besides that red rotating one...

[Zell959 40]

God forbid you actually have to shoot someone with a tricked-out tac-railed flashlight-mounted high-capacity tactical SWAT-type pistol...

 

...Give me a plain-old GI .45 with a simple beaver-tail & a reliability job shooting just .45 Ball ammo...

 

That's a relatively arbitrary distinction.

 

Someone that assumes you're the criminal if you have this :

 

Is going to instantly cross over to your side so long as you were using this:

?

 

Also, you throw out the term "tricked-out" with the clear implication that it's bad to modify a pistol from stock, yet your own selection includes a "reliability job", which is far more involved that the process of installing night sights on a Glock/SA XD/Sig/etc and throwing on a rail mounted flash light.

 

If your own preference is to use a 1911 without night sights or a mounted light, that's fine. But this particular line of reasoning seem like it was reverse engineered to support a pre-existing preference.

[Smokin .50 1,907]

That's a relatively arbitrary distinction.

Someone that assumes you're the criminal if you have this :

 

Is going to instantly cross over to your side so long as you were using this:

?

 

Also, you throw out the term "tricked-out" with the clear implication that it's bad to modify a pistol from stock, yet your own selection includes a "reliability job", which is far more involved that the process of installing night sights on a Glock/SA XD/Sig/etc and throwing on a rail mounted flash light.

 

If your own preference is to use a 1911 without night sights or a mounted light, that's fine. But this particular line of reasoning seem like it was reverse engineered to support a pre-existing preference.

 

No need for "reverse engineering", as I've always felt a DA could be led astray by a gun-mounted flashlight. Too many media outlets showing cops or SWAT using them in an OFFENSIVE posture while doing their assigned duties like breaching a door and sweeping an apartment. I'll grant you that it's arbitrary! It's also just my opinion. But here's a little factoid: There are (21) Counties in the State and each Prosecutor can "interpret" the statutes to suit them in any particular situation. A member of the State Police told me so when he handed me the little blue Firearms pamphlet at the Expo Center a couple of January's ago! With all that has been done to law-abiding gun owners by the folks put in charge to protect US, I don't want to be the guy relying upon an official's good judgement as to what to do about my mounted light.

 

My original premise remains intact. A gun with a mounted flashlight will tend to raise eyebrows whereas a .45 with a (hidden) full-length guide rod, polished feed ramp and a flared ejection port won't get a second glance. That's all I'm sayin here.......NOT that the flashlight mount won't work, just that it could be "interpreted" as John Q Homeowner is now "lookin' for trouble". As for the comment about the instant cross-over, let's get real, this is still NJ and all guns are evil and need to be kept from us homeowners. But my .45 looks plain-jane next to the tactical "Commando Gun". I'm not sayin it's right for people to think that way, but IF the SHTF and your defense council wishes he didn't have to deal with "the flashlight" on the end of the gun, OH WELL!

 

Anyway, let's not side-tracked about how nice the IDPA Match was. Kudos once again to Somerset!

[vjf915 456]

Ron / Dave:

 

I think there's a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking going on here. Dave, I don't know you, but you seem a knowledgeable guy. Ron, I have nothing but respect for your competitive capabilities and know that you are a better shooter than I'll ever be. BUT, unless you were there, it's a bit condescending to tell those who were, how they should have done it.

 

Regardless of your personal feelings, those that shot the low-light stages all agreed that night sights were an advantage. The distances involved and the precision of the shots called for, in my opinion, made point-shooting not an option.

 

Me? I shoot equally well with the lights on or off. That should tell you a lot.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

Agreed. There's also another aspect to look at things. In a real HD situation, shooting off a couple rounds will sometimes be enough. "Oh **** I just got shot twice in the shoulder, I better leave" will be pretty effective. Therefore I feel pretty comfortable not having night sights, as I know I can hit a COM man sized target in quick succession. In IDPA, two shots in the shoulder equals down 6, and 3 seconds added to your score. Having night sights would have been pretty good for this no/low light match, but I don't think they're necessary on an HD gun because most times you won't even have time to aim.

[ronhonda 86]

I was not necessarily telling the guys how to do it, it was more of HOW I would have done it.

Yes I was not at the match, so it does sound like armchair quaterbacking.

But I have shot several indoor stages with no/low light in the past so I have an idea of what goes on.

What I can say is when I had night sights shooting those stages, I focused way too much and wasted too much time trying to acquire a perfect sight picture.

[RecessedFilter 222]

Looking at the scores, I actually didn't do too bad, or at least as bad as I thought I did.

[vjf915 456]

Looking at the scores, I actually didn't do too bad, or at least as bad as I thought I did.

Forgive my ignorance (we don't walk around the match with our usernames on our shirts) but who were you? Did you start on the stage with the door first, or the "El Presidente" style stage starting in a chair?

[Krdshrk 3,878]

Forgive my ignorance (we don't walk around the match with our usernames on our shirts) but who were you? Did you start on the stage with the door first, or the "El Presidente" style stage starting in a chair?

 

That's Andres. Tall guy that was wearing the black NJGF shirt.

[RecessedFilter 222]

Forgive my ignorance (we don't walk around the match with our usernames on our shirts) but who were you? Did you start on the stage with the door first, or the "El Presidente" style stage starting in a chair?

 

I don't remember haha. I'm pretty sure my first stage was the door/hallway clearing stage.

 

Nick's right. I am pretty tall and was wearing a CZ hat with my NJGF tshirt, representing!

[Krdshrk 3,878]

Yeah you were pretty much right after me - first stage was the room clearing one on the left.

[vjf915 456]

I don't remember haha. I'm pretty sure my first stage was the door/hallway clearing stage.

 

Nick's right. I am pretty tall and was wearing a CZ hat with my NJGF tshirt, representing!

With the camo pants, and you came on a bike?

[Zell959 40]

With the camo pants, and you came on a bike?

 

 

Yup, that was RF.

[Krdshrk 3,878]

With the camo pants, and you came on a bike?

 

That was him.

[vjf915 456]

Gotcha. Thanks guys. I've got to start introducing myself a little more often. Maybe we should just wear name tags