The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

pax · May 10, 2001, 01:57 AM

I have to apologize in advance for what's going to be a longish post, but I do want to tell you all about the match. It really was a great day and I'll definitely be there the next time FAS hosts a tactical match -- in July? -- whether the rest of you people show up or not.

You guys missed a great time!

The basic match rules were set for realistic scenarios that a normal CCW holder might encounter. It wasn't designed primarily as a competition nor as a 'game,' but as a medium to help you think things through and improve your skills. There were seven stages; three of the staging areas were primarily thinking stages and the others were primarily shooting stages.

An example of a thinking stage was a scenario where you had just walked into the front area of a restaurant to pay the bill, when behind you in the dining room you hear shots fired and a voice cussing loudly and saying, "Let's just kill them all!" You are three steps from the front door and could easily escape ... but your mother is still sitting in that room. You have to figure out what to do and then do it. You could rescue your mom and escape without attempting to engage the goblins, or shoot it out with them. Walking out and leaving Mom to their tender mercies wasn't acceptable, though. (Yes, I asked. You don't know my mother.) I died on this one by exposing myself for more than 2 seconds. A friend of mine lived through it, but only by hiding himself behind innocent bystanders in order to sneak up on the bad guys ... he claimed that barrels LOOK like barrels, even when you're told they're people.

Another thinking stage was a low-light house. See http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...threadid=66197 over in general for a chance to look over my shoulder while I did that stage. Highlight: the instructor telling me, "No one's ever done it this way before."

The other stages were equally fun but not so hard on the adrenaline factory. There were a couple "shoot from behind a barricade" scenes, a moving target scene, and a shoot off against a randomly-drawn person in your group -- five red targets on either side of two black center targets. Knock over all your red targets, then knock over your black one
before your opponent knocks his over.

How'd I do? Well, I got 7 shots inside the kill zone on the moving target, but it took 10 to pass that stage. I was thrilled anyway because six months ago I couldn't have hit it even if it weren't moving.

Apart from the low-light scene, I flunked *EVERY* stage. Flunking a stage isn't as bad as it sounds; I was there primarily to learn and the group I was with was very understanding. The scenarios were all winnable, but not for a relative newcomer like me. I mean, I hit most all my targets, but never inside the time limit. I made stupid newcomer mistakes like getting killed by a sniper that I never saw because I'd never even seen a steel plate before, having only shot paper targets at informal ranges. Next time I'll do better -- or at least make a different set of mistakes!

I learned a lot and will definitely do it again. More than that, I left the range very excited about the class (FAS-2) that I'll be taking next weekend, because I now have some idea of what I need to learn in that class.

pax

Your fellow human rights activists request the honor of your presence at Seattle Center on May 12th for a very important gun rights demonstration around 11 AM. Join [email protected] for more information.

May 10, 2001, 01:57 AM	#34
pax Senior Member Join Date: May 16, 2000 Location: In a state of flux Posts: 7,520	I have to apologize in advance for what's going to be a longish post, but I do want to tell you all about the match. It really was a great day and I'll definitely be there the next time FAS hosts a tactical match -- in July? -- whether the rest of you people show up or not. You guys missed a great time! The basic match rules were set for realistic scenarios that a normal CCW holder might encounter. It wasn't designed primarily as a competition nor as a 'game,' but as a medium to help you think things through and improve your skills. There were seven stages; three of the staging areas were primarily thinking stages and the others were primarily shooting stages. An example of a thinking stage was a scenario where you had just walked into the front area of a restaurant to pay the bill, when behind you in the dining room you hear shots fired and a voice cussing loudly and saying, "Let's just kill them all!" You are three steps from the front door and could easily escape ... but your mother is still sitting in that room. You have to figure out what to do and then do it. You could rescue your mom and escape without attempting to engage the goblins, or shoot it out with them. Walking out and leaving Mom to their tender mercies wasn't acceptable, though. (Yes, I asked. You don't know my mother.) I died on this one by exposing myself for more than 2 seconds. A friend of mine lived through it, but only by hiding himself behind innocent bystanders in order to sneak up on the bad guys ... he claimed that barrels LOOK like barrels, even when you're told they're people. Another thinking stage was a low-light house. See http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...threadid=66197 over in general for a chance to look over my shoulder while I did that stage. Highlight: the instructor telling me, "No one's ever done it this way before." The other stages were equally fun but not so hard on the adrenaline factory. There were a couple "shoot from behind a barricade" scenes, a moving target scene, and a shoot off against a randomly-drawn person in your group -- five red targets on either side of two black center targets. Knock over all your red targets, then knock over your black one before your opponent knocks his over. How'd I do? Well, I got 7 shots inside the kill zone on the moving target, but it took 10 to pass that stage. I was thrilled anyway because six months ago I couldn't have hit it even if it weren't moving. Apart from the low-light scene, I flunked EVERY stage. Flunking a stage isn't as bad as it sounds; I was there primarily to learn and the group I was with was very understanding. The scenarios were all winnable, but not for a relative newcomer like me. I mean, I hit most all my targets, but never inside the time limit. I made stupid newcomer mistakes like getting killed by a sniper that I never saw because I'd never even seen a steel plate before, having only shot paper targets at informal ranges. Next time I'll do better -- or at least make a different set of mistakes! I learned a lot and will definitely do it again. More than that, I left the range very excited about the class (FAS-2) that I'll be taking next weekend, because I now have some idea of what I need to learn in that class. pax Your fellow human rights activists request the honor of your presence at Seattle Center on May 12th for a very important gun rights demonstration around 11 AM. Join [email protected] for more information.