Review – Hunters HD Gold Shooting Glasses

On By Tom LindsayIn Eye Protection, Range Officer, Review, Safety, USPSA1 Comment

In 2021, I got the honor to serve as Range Officer for the USPSA Georgia State Championships. As they do in many higher level matches, I got to choose from an awards table, and I got awarded a pair of Hunters HD Gold shooting glasses, and I must say, they have been the best pair of safety glasses, shooting or otherwise, that I have ever had the pleasure of wearing.

First, what makes them so usable is the glasses designed so that no matter how bright the day is, or how dark, I see the same view through the lenses. This is a wonderful feature that lets me wear them in the brightest day, or in stormy weather.

Second, the frames are very comfortable, with side shields. They are very sturdy, and easily cleanable.

Third, they adhere fully to ANSI standards, making them the safest glasses I own. For those who may not know, I am a degreed chemical engineer, who spent over 20 years in the petroleum and specialty chemicals industry, before moving into engineering recruiting. One of the earliest things I learned in industry is the first thing that new shooters should be taught – SAFETY COMES FIRST. Never enter an operating area with wearing the appropriate safety gear – eyewear, hearing protection, safety boots, hard hats, and the like.

Likewise, in shooting, we have safety rules we follow, the most well known being Jeff Cooper’s Rules. To the Four classic rules, I added Rule Zero: Eyes and ears! In other words, always wear safety glasses and hearing protection.

The American National Safety Institute – ANSI – sets the standard for safety glasses under code Z87.1.

So, when I got my glasses, I noted they are code Z87-2+, meaning they are specified as impact resistant.

As a side note, I reached out to the safety manager at the company where I work, and he agreed that in addition to being shooting glasses, these would be very good for me to wear as working safety glasses, were I to go into an industrial environment that required safety glasses.

Also, I must say that working with Brian Conley at Hunters HD Gold was one of the easiest order processes I have had the pleasure of having.

In summary, I have found my Hunters HD Gold shooting glasses to be the safest, most visually appealing, and most comfortable shooting glasses I have ever used, and I highly recommend them to my fellow shooters, and to those who need eye protection.

The Real Agenda Behind Universal Background Checks

On By Tom LindsayIn Gun Rights, RKBA

It occurred to me recently that the gunsense crowd know full well that the father of the recent Apalachee school shooter, who bought the gun his son used, passed his background check to purchase the gun.

They also know that criminals who buy guns illegally will never go through a background check.

Yet they insist that Universal Background Checks are the answer. That if only we would require them for all purchases of guns (and ammo and holsters and cleaning brushes), the world would be safe.

Why do they persist?

Because this is merely one step in their plan.

Consider:

One bright sunny day, the ebil NRA has some kind of stumble, and we get a Universal Background Check law.

There is dancing in the streets. Holidays are announced in California and Massachusetts. Children spend the day in the park, reading essays about the bright future ahead.

Yet over the next few months, there is no increase in the number of persons denied guns because of a background check. Legal sales of guns do not go down. Any.

Worse, another well-publicized shooting happens, done by someone who passed a background check.

Crime does not decline.

So, finally, the gunsense crowd admit, with stern faces, that they were wrong, that Universal Background Checks were not, in fact, the answer to all the world’s problems.

And they announce, instead, that since it is obvious that no one can be trusted, even with a clean background, that they will be announcing their plans to move forward and call for universal confiscation of all firearms.

“Turn them all in, Mr. and Mrs. America.”

 

Prove to me I’m wrong.

Match Prep – For Once

On By Tom LindsayIn Competition, GSSF, Practice, Training

Coming up in a week is the GSSF Annual Shoot XXXI, at the Talladega CMP Range in Talladega, Alabama. For those not familiar, this is essentially the GSSF National Championship, as it will include the Gunny Challenge, where the winners of all the GSSF matches in the past year get to have a shoot off to see who is the best.

So next Saturday I will be driving to Talladega, and I will compete with Liberty, my G19, and Bruce, my G17. I am also planning to go to a nearby range this week and practice with both.

Now, I will be honest, pre-match practice has not been a consistent thing for me in the past, which is unfortunate, because when I do at least dry fire in the office, I can tell I do better.

Now, I already shot the River Bend Ballistic Challenge back in March, and I came in 96th out of 156. So, after I add practice, let’s see how this improves my outcome. Stay tuned.

Sometimes You Notice Something

On By Tom LindsayIn Competition, USPSA1 Comment

Saturday July 27, 2024, I shot in the monthly USPSA match at River Bend Gun Club. I have been shooting USPSA for 16 years now, and I have managed to improve my scores some from the early days, mostly by moving from Production to Limited.

But I must admit, I have not done as well as I would like. I mean, who really does?

This week, I noticed something that, to be honest, had been somewhat in my mind as an advantage, but really isn’t. I noticed that on short range shots, I was able to shoot rather accurately, without actually aiming. My arms and brain were able to point the gun well enough that I could shoot two Alphas out to about 7 or 8 yards, without actually aiming.

The problem with this, though, is that I noticed that in the last couple of years, I have tended to move that range out some, and I was now in a mode where I very rarely actually used my sights. This led to a lot of misses, but the thing that really made me realize it was how difficult it had become for me to knock down steel with just one shot. In fact, steel became quite an annoyance to me.

But what happened this week was we ran a Classifier, where there were six steel targets in the middle, and a paper target on each end. When the RO said “Make Ready,” I drew my pistol, and actually took a good sight picture of all the targets. Then, when I shot, I actually aimed at each target.

My results: 4 Alphas, and 6 steel, all on the first shot.

I know . . . what a concept!

So then I decided, what if I did this on all the stages? Well, the video above is the next stage, which was the last stage. Scoring: 3 Charlies, the rest Alphas, and . . . the most awesome part . . . all the steel down on the first shot.

So, now I am planning to do some dry fire practicing, and to go to the range and practice, and move myself back into better scoring.

Next up: how do I lose my catcher speed?