Today I went to the range to compete although, if I'm totally honest, I wasn't feeling very enthused. Nonetheless, I shrugged it off took ownership and gathered my kit and off I went to the range. Being a lazy bugger isn't my style.
It was a run and gun handgun event today and there were about seventy competitors who enjoyed the event. There were some great shooting stages, a very fun one in particular on the village complex involving room-clearing, 'hostage'-situations and a load of strategy was required. It was 32 rounds and from start to finish I completed it in 21.86 seconds including the running, magazine changing and shooting. The fastest, a former 1 Commando (1st Cdo Regt) Major, was a time of 18.47 seconds but I was happy with my time considering most were in the 25-30 second area.
I've been having issues with my legs lately, nothing too serious (I hope) based around some operations I've had. So, I went to the range today and decided to take it easy, which is difficult for me, and I generally managed to do so. I operated at about 80% I guess. It was enough for a top ten finish (tenth) so I was pleased. I was pretty accurate today, a by-product of going a little more slowly, and I was content.
Anyway, earlier today someone asked me about my equipment so I thought I'd show a little which is the purpose of this post. All the images were taken today after the event with the exception of the cleaning image.
Above is my most basic kit for days like today. The event was not a major event and as such didn't really mean much to me at all. In these cases I generally take as little as possible emptying tool kits and things I just won't need from my pack. If I was to have an issue I'd simply pack up and go home to work it out. At an event that matters I'd take all of that gear with me so I could solve potential issues and keep operating rather than withdraw.
What's that stuff
Above is my range bag with a green towel attached and on the right side is a pair of UV-rated sleeves I pull on, the same as the white ones in the image at the top; I prefer them than sunblock. There's also my Salomon shoes, holster rig and gun rain-cover in the top row. Next is my Uplula speed loader, Oakleys and 5.11 shooting glasses, ear plugs, gun oil, hand grippy stuff, magazine cleaning brush, magazines and my CZ Shadow 2 9mm semi-automatic. Like I said - Basic.
Holster rig
I use a Double Alpha competition holster rig. This is not a rig one would use in the field.
It's designed for a fast draw of the firearm and magazines, to cover the trigger when holstered and to lock the handgun in place when one is not in a stage competing. One threads the inned belt with loop-velcro through one's shorts or trouser loops then the outer belt, which carries the holder and magazine pouches, with the hook-velcro, is attached to the inner. One can run around and do anything with it without fear of it coming off.
Above you see the outer belt with firearm and magazines in place. The hook-velcro runs right around it's length on the inside. You can also see the movable magazine pouches and how they attach.
In the larger photo above you can see how the Double Alpha holster covers the trigger and that small silver lock-mechanism just below it which locks and unlocks the firearm.
I carry six magazines for a total of sixty rounds and they slot into magnetised pouches for easy access. In a shooting stage one would change magazines on the run, very quickly hopefully. The expended mag is dumped from the mag-well and left on the ground and the new one slammed in - Time is always of the essence.
The round silver thing is a strong magnet which is situated on the very back of the belt designed to hold a mag also. I have one to the front as well, above lower left photo. All of these pouches and magnets are able to be moved and set as the shooter prefers as is the holster itself. There are regulations to placement though.
Above is me wearing the rig with firearm holstered, and with the rain cover on also.
What's that other stuff
Remember, this is a very basic kit designed for use at shooting events that don't really matter too much, just range-days like today. When I travel and compete everything comes with me.
Top row left to right:
- Oakley's (my prescription ones) and 5.11 shooting glasses. Sometimes we're required to shoot inside and in dim conditions and my Oakley's (my preferred glasses) are too dark. These 5.11 ones come with three interchangeable lenses being orange, clear and dark so I use them sometimes.
- Magazine cleaning brush. The magazines are dumped on the ground, usually dirt, during shooting stages so they get gritty. Sometimes they need to be dismantled and cleaned. At a State or National Title match I'd clean them before the match at lunch time on each day and again at the end of each day. At range-days rarely do I need to, but I like to be prepared.
- The firearm I used today. CZ Shadow 2 9mm semi-auto with lock-grips.
Middle row left to right:
- The magazines in their little storage pouch thingy.
- Ear plugs. These are purpose-made for my ears and are designed to let normal talking sound levels in but muffle high-decibel sounds like shooting. I also have electric ear muffs but prefer these as I always wear a hat and ear muffs get in the way.
- Uplula speed loader. This helps me load magazines a lot faster. I mean load with rounds between shooting stages. It saves the thumb a lot of pain also as loading 200-300 rounds in a short period of time can sort of hurt at times. I've done a post on how this operates before.
Above bottom row left to right:
- Salomon SpeedCross. shoes. These are trail-running shoes but are super good for running about when competing which is almost always done in sand, dirt, gravel and so on. These are grippy with good take-off, stopping and pivoting capabilities. I'll be honest, I use boots mainly, as I did today, but when I get serious, when winning counts, I use these.
- Hand grip fluid. This is a fluid that one shakes up then squeezes onto one's hands; not too much mind. When the hands are rubbed together it dries into a white chalk-like stuff which can mitigate sweaty hands and grip issues. It's similar to what a gymnast would use, just not as powdery.
- Firearm lubricant. Firearms need to be lubricated as metal on metal doesn't slide so well. Because the slide throws back each time the firearm is fired the slide needs lubricating against the frame and the barrel and various springs also. This little bottle delivers a very precise drop of oil where required. Sometimes I break the gun down and lubricate at a range day, but not often.
And then...
That's about it today. I mean, I could keep talking and explaining equipment and why it's required or desired but this is already a long, and probably boring, post. There's so much I've left out, the obvious being the actual rounds, although I knew this would be a reasonably long post as it was so yeah, I made it shorter.
However lastly, after one goes shooting there's always something that has to happen, unless the operator is a lazy bastard, which I am not. I refer to cleaning. Can I be honest and say I've never really liked this aspect? It's a smelly and messy fucken job. I'm good at it though, all legit operators need to be - guns don't work so well when dirty - so I'm diligent.
After shooting today I felt good to be honest, better than the reluctant shooter I was at the beginning. Keeping my skills sharp is important to me and there's nothing like range-time to do so. I drew quickly, got my grip right every time, acquired targets and got the first round off quickly and I hit the intended targets too. Overall, a pretty good day.
If you have any questions or comments don't hesitate to drop them below. I'm happy to clarify things if there's something you want to know.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
All of the photos are my own