Tuesday, January 22nd
January Match Info
Don’t forget the match this Saturday. Starts at 10am at the Bullet Hole Range in Overland Park. SOs will be Joe Allan and Clint Ancker, assistants are Ryan Jacobsen and Jan Ancker. Hope to see everyone there.
Our annual membership drive is in full swing. Thanks to everyone that joined last month. If you plan on shooting more than 4 matches this year, it makes sense to join. So what do you need to join?
1. Current Bullet Hole Membership
2. Current NRA (or other 2nd amendment organization) membership
3. Current IDPA membership
4. Completed application form
5. Membership fee $20.00
6. Sign up to help with 2 matches
You can fill out an application online on the Club Information tab the website and print it.
Here are a couple of items to mark on your calendar. In February Jeff Herrman will be running another BUG match. If you have a BUG gun and want to compete with it, you will shoot it using the BUG rules. If you don’t have a BUG gun or don't want to shoot the BUG match, you can shoot it with your regular IDPA gun. The course will be slightly modified depending on which gun you use, but everything will be scored.
In March we will be running the IDPA classifier on both ranges. Everyone will be limited to one gun for this match. It is the only way we can get everyone thru the match in a reasonable length of time. Extra magazines or speedloaders would be very helpful for this match. Also a helper to load your magazines allows the match to flow at a faster pace.
Lastly please keep an eye on what is going on in the legislative and executive branches of our government. They are really apply pressure to pass and put into law a number of unacceptable restrictions on our ability to keep and bear arms. Don’t hesitate to contact them.
There is website that will generate individual letters to your elected officials from the President down to your state legislators. It can be accessed at www.ruger.com/protectyourrights As of today over 660,000 people have signed on and participated.
Stay safe, shoot straight.
jim
jhewins on 01.22.13 @ 01:17 PM CST [link]
Thursday, December 27th
Post Christmas Blues??
The Christmas rush is over, so come on out and enjoy a few hours of shooting this Saturday. Our regular scheduled match for December will be held at the Bullet Hole in Overland Park starting at 10am on December 29th. All KCSM members will not be charged a match fee this Saturday. Consider it a Christmas gift from the club.
The SOs for this month are Chuck Northcutt and Ron Dyer. Helping will be Jim Pappas, Scott Dyer, and Stever Messbarger.
Chuck Northcutt will be running a BUG gun match this month. If you don't have a BUG gun, someone will probably have one you can use. Be prepared to shoot factory ammo in a borrowed gun. You will need at least 10 rounds. If you don't want to shoot the BUG match, you can shoot your regular gun, but you will only load 5 rounds and it will not be scored. Check out the rules listed below for BUG guns.
Another year has passed and we are just about ready for a new membership year. We will start taking new applications at the match this Saturday. Please remember there are several items you will need to join or renew your membership.
1. Current Bullet Hole Range card
2. Current IPDA membership card
3. Current membership card in the NRA or another second amendment organization.
4. Completed membership application
5. Membership fee $20.00
6. Be prepared to sign up to help run 2 matches in the next year. (Feb 2013 - Jan 2014)
If your memberships in any of the above are expired we can take care of it at the match. You can renew your Bullet Hole card at the desk upstairs (Please tell us anytime you renew on match day. We don't have to pay the Bullet Hole a fee for anyone renewing on the day of a match.) We will have IDPA membership applications and you will be able to renew your NRA membership at the match (and save a few bucks while you are at it).
Please don't hesitate to ask questions.
BUG GUN RULES
All CoF for the Back-Up Gun Division must be limited to five (5) rounds maximum per string (no reloads on the clock) to allow autos and revolver shooters to compete equally. Handguns permitted for use in this division must:
A. Be single or double action.
B. Be either pistol or revolver.
C. Be .32 auto or larger.
D. Have a barrel length:
1. Semi-automatic, 3.8” or less (factory installed cone style
barrels with or without a barrel bushing are permitted).
2. Revolver 3” or less.
E. Maximum (total) number of rounds that may be loaded into the handgun is five (5).
F. Holsters will not be allowed
jhewins on 12.27.12 @ 07:42 AM CST [link]
Tuesday, March 13th
Changes for KCSM
As our club grows, I think it is important for us to look at the IDPA rulebook and make sure we are running our matches in accordance with the current IDPA rules.
A couple of issues with a potential large impact need to be addressed. First concerns our members. While a first time shooter does not have to be a member of IDPA, the second time he shoots he is suppose to be a member or have applied for membership. Secondly the club is suppose to run the IDPA classifier as a monthly match at least once a year and be available to new shooters at least 4 times a year. Additionally every IDPA member is required to shoot the classifier once a year (except for Master class shooters).
These are not unknown issues. I have been aware of them since day one of our club. In the early days we didn’t make folks join IDPA because we didn’t want to drive people away from the club. We now have about 30 shooters competing with us in a given match. While I don’t want to lose any shooters due to the IDPA membership requirement, the board feels it is time to make sure all of our shooters belong to the national organization. The reason for shooters to be IDPA members is because this is the sole source of money from the clubs to support the national office. In IPSC/USPSA the clubs pay headquarters for each shooter everytime they hold a match, it’s called “mission count”. IDPA doesn’t do that.
The classifier has been held when we get a demand for it, but it hasn’t been shot as part of a match for a number of years.
As part of our affiliation with IDPA, we agreed to run matches according to IDPA rules.. Again we think it is time we bite the bullet and start following all the rules, not just the ones we agree with. In the rulebook contains definitions showing the responsibilities of the shooter, the club and the Area Coordinator, as well as the requirements for IDPA affiliation for our club. While I am not the AC for Kansas, I am the AC for Missouri and Iowa. I think my home club should be following the rules.
Here is what the board has decided. Starting with the April match all shooters (except those shooting their first match) will have to be a member, join at the match, or show proof that you have joined. Also the April match will be the classifier. It takes a while to run and is 90 rounds in length. We will be running the match on both ranges. No one will be allowed to shoot a second gun until all shooters have shot their first gun. The classifier can be viewed at www.IDPA.com.
I am planning to give a SO class in Kansas City. One of the qualities of a certified SO is they are experienced IDPA shooters, but the class is open to all IDPA members. Just like school, just because you attend doesn’t mean you automatically pass. New shooters will get a good background in the rules which will make them better shooters and better members of our club.
One last item, the Tiger Team process is still ongoing and there WILL be changes to our rulebook, most likely major changes. I would expect that all changes will be in line with our guiding principles listed in the front of our rulebook.
We know not everyone will like this plan and we might even lose some shooters, but we feel we need to come into compliance with the national office.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me to further discuss these plans.
Jim Hewins
President KC Shooting Masters
jhewins on 03.13.12 @ 01:36 PM CST [link]
Tuesday, January 24th
IDPA – What is it? Is it Safe? Why?
As we start the New Year it seems like a good time to review the principles governing our sport as well as some of the safety rules.
IDPA Principles:
I. Promote safe and proficient use of guns and equipment suitable for self-defense.
II. Provide a level playing field for all competitors to test the skill and ability of each individual, not equipment or gamesmanship.
III. Provide separate divisions for equipment and classifications for shooters, such that guns with similar characteristics are grouped together and people with similar skills compete against each other.
IV. Provide shooters with practical and realistic courses of fire that simulate potentially life-threatening encounters, or that tests skills required to survive life-threatening encounters.
V. Offer a practical shooting sport responsive to the shooters and sponsors, with unprecedented stability of equipment rules.
VI. Offer a practical shooting sport that allows competitors to concentrate on developing skills and fellowship with like-minded shooters.
SAFETY
Everyone needs to know the 4 universal rules of gun safety. These aren’t just for the range; they are to be used at all times, even in an armed conflict. If you aren’t familiar with these, commit them to memory.
1. All guns are always loaded
2. Never let the muzzle cover something you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4. Be sure of your target and what’s beyond it.
Sometimes we hear “All guns are loaded? I just unloaded this one and checked it.”
What the rule means is, treat ALL guns as if they are loaded. Yes the gun may be unloaded at the time, but anytime you pick up a gun or you are handed a gun by someone else, the first thing YOU need to do is check and make sure it is unloaded.
While checking it, be aware of where the muzzle is pointed. Have you ever been in a store and have someone who is looking at a gun point it at you? Most likely the gun is unloaded but it is uncomfortable looking down the barrel of a gun pointed at you, isn’t it? What if it was loaded?
One of the most common things we see in new shooters is the finger on the trigger when it shouldn’t be. You really can’t move the gun to a shooting position faster than you can put your finger on the trigger, so keep it off until the sights are on the target and you are ready to shoot.
Lastly bullets don’t magically stop just because it hit something. So we need to be aware of what is beyond our target.
Remember your first and most important safety is your brain – USE IT. When that fails, if you are obeying the 4 rules of gun safety, then no one will get hurt.
Safety is the primary job of our Safety Officers on the range, but Safety is everyone’s job.
Next month we will look at the IDPA safety rules for competition.
jhewins on 01.24.12 @ 09:17 AM CST [link]
Tuesday, December 13th
Course of Fire Rules Part 2
The following is part of our effort to make sure we are abiding by the rules as listed in the IDPA rule book. This is the rest of the course of fire rules. I have added comments on a few of the rules to help clarify the rule. The entire rule book is available on www.IDPA.com. ################################################################
CoF 12. Determine and clearly mark muzzle safe points. (jph – The 180 degree rule isn’t always safe. It depends on your range. Sometimes 180 degrees is too much and needs to be reduced to something less than 180 and sometimes it is safe to increase the safety margin to more than 180 degrees. If you increase the size safety line to more than 180, you must be very careful of where the rest of the competitors, range officials, and spectators stand. You can use orange cones or other easily identifiable objects to mark the location of the line. Since we shoot indoors in a concrete box, our line will always be 180 degrees or less, depending on the course of fire.)
CoF 13. Use concealment for scenario stages when appropriate. Exception: Police or military officers when using actual duty gear. (jph – they should wear all appropriate gear, not pick and choose which pieces they use.)
CoF 14. No “strong-hand only” strings of fire may require the shooter to engage targets more than ten (10) yards distant.
CoF 15. No “weak-hand only” strings of fire may require the shooter to engage targets more than seven (7) yards distant.
CoF 16. No “weak-hand only” reloading.
CoF 17. No head-box shots are to be required more than ten (10) yards distant.
CoF 18. No more than 25% of the shots required on any string of fire may be on steel targets and no more than 10% of the total shots required in the match may be on steel.
CoF 19. No string of fire may exceed a maximum requirement of eighteen (18) rounds. (jph – while any individual string may not exceed 18 rounds, the total for a stage may be more than 18 rounds.
CoF 20. No foot-fault lines may be used on any scenario stage. (jph- This is where the safety officer (SO) has to make the call.)
CoF 21. After the match has started, all course design changes are final. CoF cannot be changed unless all competitors that have previously completed the stage get to re-shoot it.
CoF 22. CoF should be “revolver neutral” whenever possible. See glossary for further details. (jph – from Appendix Eleven – Glossary - Revolver Neutral: A descriptive term for a CoF which does not call for revolver shooters to do impossible things. This does NOT mean that every CoF should require six (6) rounds or less. This does mean that, if a CoF requires a tactical reload, the tactical reload will be called for before six (6) rounds have been expended. You cannot ask a person with an empty gun to retain unexpended rounds. Think of revolvers when designating cover, reloads and stage requirements.
jhewins on 12.13.11 @ 07:50 AM CST [link]
Friday, November 25th
Course of Fire Rules Part 1
The following is part of our effort to make sure we are abiding by the rules as listed in the IDPA rule book. I have added comments on a few of the rules to help clarify the rule. The entire rule book is available on www.IDPA.com. Part 2 next month.
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COF 1. All COF must either simulate a possible real life scenario or test skills that might reasonably be used in a real life self-defense confrontation. If you cannot honestly say “that could happen,” it probably won’t make a good IDPA stage.
COF 2. Seventy-five percent of all shots required in a match must be fifteen (15) yards or less. Occasional targets out to thirty-five (35) yards are to be encouraged.
COF 3. Shooter movement of more than ten (10) yards between firing points and fifteen (15) yards total movement in a string of fire is not permitted.
COF 4. Only one (1) non-threat target may be used per every three (3) threat targets in any string of fire. (jph – 1-2 targets = 0 non-threat, 3-5 = 1 non-threat, etc)
COF 5. Avoid designing courses of fire that will substantially disadvantage senior and mobility-challenged shooters.
COF 6. At least 5% of all shots required in a match are to be fired on the move. A combination of shooting on the move and the use of moving targets is even more realistic. Statistics show that most shootings involve movement on the part of both good and bad guys.
COF 7. Any COF that requires the shooter to re-engage a target in two (2) or more strings of fire MUST be scored Limited Vickers or scored and taped between strings. (jph – Vickers and Limited Vickers defined in Appendix Four)
COF 8. No threat target shall be located so that it can be hit by shooting through another threat target. (jph – This doesn’t mean that the non-threat target can’t be in the line of fire, it means the shoot target can’t be placed so that a shoot target can’t be engaged without hitting a non-threat target. It is OK to make the competitor change elevation or angle of fire to keep from hitting the non-threat target.)
COF 9. When cover is available, it MUST be used both when shooting and reloading.
COF 10. Targets must be engaged in tactical priority unless tactical sequence is specified. Targets within two (2) yards of each other relative to the distance from the shooter are considered to be equal in threat. (jph – tactical priority and tactical sequence is defined in Appendix Eleven – Glossary)
COF 11. On stages that have a minimum round count one (1) round higher than the capacity of a competitors firearm, emptying the firearm and failing to reload so as not to engage the last shot in order to gain a competitive advantage will result in an FTDR. (jph – FTDR or Failure to Do Right is defined in rule PC-1 in the Penalties section
jhewins on 11.25.11 @ 08:36 PM CST [link]
Thursday, October 27th
"Cover, I was using Cover"
You may have noticed we are placing added emphasis on the proper use of cover. The following is from the IDPA rulebook. It tells us how we are to use cover while shooting IDPA matches addresses the issue of reloading while using cover.
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From Appendix Three - COVER of the current IDPA rulebook.
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More than 50% of the shooter’s upper torso must be behind cover while engaging threat targets and/or reloading. For low cover, one knee must be on the ground and for vertical cover such as a wall/barricade, 100% of the shooter’s legs and feet must be behind cover.
A general rule of thumb is that the shooter will have to lean out of cover more for each target he engages (slicing the pie). The distance between the threat targets will determine how much more the shooter must poke out in order to engage the targets. A shooter who engages more than one target from the same position has not been using cover properly.
When possible, having the scorekeeper stand directly behind the competitor (after the gun is drawn) will assist the SO in determining if 50% exposure was maintained. However, in most instances, the safety officer can position himself so both the shooter’s gun and relationship to the targets can both be observed. Safety Officers who observe a shooter not using cover properly should shout the command “COVER”. The shooter should immediately correct his use of cover. IDPA understands many shooters are often too fast in engaging targets for the SO to be able to warn the shooter in time. Therefore, if the Safety Officer did not have the time or opportunity to yell “COVER” before the shooter engaged targets without using cover properly, the shooter still earns a procedural error.
All reloads must be executed from cover (if cover is available) and must be completed before leaving cover. A shooter is deemed loaded and may move from a position of cover ONLY when the fresh magazine is FULLY SEATED and the slide is fully forward or revolver cylinder is closed. Shooters may not move from one position of cover to another with an empty gun. Reloads must be completed from cover, however this does not mean that a shooter must duck back completely behind cover to reload before reengaging targets from a stationary firing point. The contestant may keep his eyes on his next “opponent” as long as he follows the definition of cover and does not expose too much of his body to the next threat target.
jhewins on 10.27.11 @ 12:49 PM CST [link]
