IDPA match at MWDS 5-26-2012

Had a great time at the IDPA match at Mecklenburg Wildlife Defensive Shooters yesterday. Good and challenging 6 stages. Bit of a warm day with a high of 92 which definitely affected me. I did wind up with a pretty nasty migraine which I was lucky enough to have my wife with me to drive home. I had hoped with the new medicine, that I'd be able to get by, but it looks like I'll be done with IDPA for the summer until the weather cools off. Anyway, off to the stages.

Stage 1 has you starting off facing downrange, at buzzer, you turn to your left and engage 3 targets in tactical sequence with 2 rounds while retreating. After that, you engage 4 more targets from around the end of the barrier. See video below:

Stage 2 had you engaging a total of 6 targets with 2 shots. Three targets you engage from a window while slicing the pie. After engaging those, you go to low cover and engage two more targets. After that, you go to the end of the barricade and engage the last target. Lots of folks went to their knees for low cover. I went to a crouch. I was afraid at my age and weight, if I went to my knees, I might not have been able to get back up. Pretty good crouch for a 44 year old pushing 280lbs. See video below:

Stage 3 had the first of our moving targets. The premise is that you are taking out the trash with the trash in your weak hand. At buzzer, you open the trash can with strong hand which activates a pop-up target which you engage with 2 rounds. From there, you move to the right and engage a series of 6 targets shooting furthest to nearest. This simulates a drug addled target closing in on you taking a lot of damage. Unlimited round count, so you'll see me make up a shot at the end. I wound up getting two shots out of three onto the pop-up in the 3 scoring zone low and just outside the 1. Getting better, but I'm still pretty bad with moving targets. See video below:

Stage 4 had us shooting strong handed. Bleh. I don't shoot near enough one handed and it showed. From the barricade with briefcase in weak hand, you draw and shoot the first target around the left side of the barricade, then, while moving to the right, you must shoot each of the next 4 targets while moving. Each target must receive at least one shot before you reach the next barricade or you must retreat back to the left side and reload. Once you reach the right side, you can set down the briefcase and shoot two more targets using both hands around the right side of the barricade. Unfortunately, I did get a shot through the non-threat  high on the left shoulder. I should have waited half a second longer to get more to the right before I took that shot. See video below:

Stage 5 had 6 targets, from the buzzer, you draw and shoot in any order, 1 shot to the body strong handed, 1 shot to the body weak handed, and 1 shot to the head free-style (two handed). I decided to go with the head shots first, then strong hand, then weak hand, this way I could do a standard reload after 11 rounds with the gun in my weak hand. Well that was the plan anyway. Slide didn't lock back after the 11th round, so it threw me off. Anyway, excuse the video, it stops filming while I'm doing my head shots and picks back up when I transition to strong hand and works fine from there. 

Stage 6 had multiple movers. From the buzzer, you move right and shoot one target with two shots, then two steel poppers, the first activates a swinging target and the second a clam-shell. You must shoot both steel before engaging any other paper, so after getting the steel down, I engaged the clam-shell. After the clam-shell, I shoot another target behind the barrels you can't see, then move to the left side of the barricade and shoot the near target, 3 shots at the swinger, and 2 shots at the last target behind the barrels. As I approached the first target I shot for scoring, I was baffled, I saw only one hole, I couldn't have missed that badly, but the safety officer pulled me in close and you could see the hole was elongated by two shots. I had key-holed the shot. It looked like a side-ways eight. That was pretty cool. Never done that before. Anyway, see video below.

No scores yet, but I'm not really competing with anyone but myself. Other than winding up with a crappy migraine, I had a great time and really enjoy hanging out with the folks who shoot IDPA. Well, that's it for me. Remember, shoot safe, shoot straight!