Match Prep 2.0

On February 23, 2024 By Tom LindsayIn Competition, GSSF, Planning, USPSA

Some time ago I wrote a concise piece on what I do to prepare for matches. Since then I have added a few things to my to-do list, and it occurred to me that I haven’t shared them.

First, I still do the same gun prep, including changing to connector, and lubricating. I also load magazines, only now, since I shoot Limited and not Production, I load to fully loaded, which with my magazine extensions, is 22 rounds per magazine. (Of course, if I am shooting GSSF, I only load to 11 rounds.)

One other thing I did was to create a Match Prep Checklist:

As you can see, this lets me be sure I am doing all the things I need to do. Basically there are four stages: Clean and inspect, Prepare, Pack, and Load. There are a few things on there that I didn’t do back in 2011, like adding an extra phone battery and USB cord. I print this 2 to a page, and complete it before every match.

This also gives me a chance to mention a couple of additions from the past few years, both in the Load section. First, I have a pair of football cleats that I take, as I have found they are very useful if I am shooting in the rain, or on a wet range.

The last is” Bourbon bottles,” which takes a little explaining. But I will leave that for another time.

Taking it to the Next Level

On February 16, 2024February 16, 2024 By Tom LindsayIn Competition, Range Officer, USPSA

Having been a USPSA Certified Range Office since 2013, for many years I have acted as RO in local matches. After some time, I felt like I wanted to do more, and when the USPSA Georgia State Championships came to River Bend Gun Club in 2020 and 2021, I took the opportunity to act as RO for those matches.

ROing the State matches was a wonderful experience, as it gave me the opportunity to engage with other excellent competitors, as well as see the top tier shooters in a very close fashion.

Then, in 2023, I got the opportunity to act as RO at the USPSA Open / PCC National Championships, over at the Talladega CMP Range, and wow, was that an awesome experience. While the ROs and shooters at the State matches were a great experience, working with the next levels at the Nationals was something else.

So, this year, I am planning to do both the State Championships in Savannah in October, and the Handgun Nationals in Talladega in September. And, since I shoot Limited, I will get to shoot in the Nationals, something I didn’t do last year, since I don’t shoot Open or PCC.

On the next tier of this, I got to watching some Steel Challenge videos, and it occurred to me that this would be a wonderful next step for me, shooting my 10/22 Captain America. So, look for this next step in my shooting travels.

Stay tuned!

If Clear, Hammer Down, Holster, and Mask Up

On May 20, 2020 By Tom LindsayIn Competition, Range Officer, USPSA

I finally got my USPSA RO certification renewed, the week before the governor closed down Georgia. So, the matched for the last two months have been cancelled, leaving me to have to settle for dry fire practice in the office.

But finally, the River Bend Gun Club, where I shoot most often, has decided to re-open, and I have volunteered to RO this new match. And given the Most Recent Unpleasantness, we will be subject to a few new rules, which will certainly make things a lot more interesting.

First, squads will be limited to ten people, made up of 8 shooters and 2 ROs. Since RBGC normally has 125 plus shooters, this means there will be a morning run and an evening run, and I and set to shoot in the morning and RO in the afternoon.

Now, at first, all competitors were going to be required to bring and wear a mask, but this requirement has since been relaxed to an encouragement. As a cancer survivor, I wear one all the time when I go out, so I will then, too. We will also be limited to social distancing to no less than 6 feet, and because of this, only two competitors will paste targets and reset the stage, and this will rotate. This minimizes the chance of getting too close to others.

I welcome the return to shooting and I will keep you updated.