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Thanks. Our club only has 4 bays until we finish up some expansion so we really try to get creative with what we have. The group of stage designers really enjoys setting up the matches and I think it shows.

So I took the plunge and set up a long course with these targets in the first half. The way it was set up you had to take two from a medium distance and could take another two up close. Besides the obvious mind-f*!k of the stripes, I threw a texas star in at the end. I figured that between the star and either hosing the bars or taking make-up shots should destroy any reloading plan. It worked pretty well. The single stack guys caught the brunt of it and one unfortunate shooter put 5 in a row into the black bars. Overall, they were well received and people had varied approaches to them. Most open shooters just put 3 into each while L-10, Prod, and SS shooters usually took a little time to aim. Thanks to everyone for participating in this thread. I've enjoyed the dialogue and am really happy to have had the opportunity to try this out in a CoF. See the stage Jail/Heart Breaker at 0:35

Saw this was an older post, so I don't know if you ever got your answer, but here it is. I clarified this with Jay Worden at my RO class since I also shoot Walthers. Because it neither has an external hammer nor primary visible safety lever you are not required to decock. The rules that apply are 8.1.2 Self-loading Pistols: 8.1.2.1 “Single action” – chamber loaded, hammer cocked, and the safety engaged. 8.1.2.2 “Double action” – chamber loaded, hammer fully down or decocked. 8.1.2.3 “Selective action” – chamber loaded with hammer fully down, or chamber loaded and hammer cocked with external safety engaged (see Divisions in Appendix D). 8.1.2.4 With respect to Rules 8.1.2.1 and 8.1.2.3, the term “safety” means the primary visible safety lever on the handgun (e.g. the thumb safety on a “1911” genre handgun). In the event of doubt, the Range Master is the final authority on this matter. Appendix D4 Handguns with external hammers must be fully decocked at the start signal.

I'll admit that you could place the stripes in a way that it becomes a lucky shot if you make it in a narrow space. What can be interesting is if you use the stripes to obscure the position of the scoring zones. If you don't center the stripes, it becomes a challenge for the shooter to determine point of aim on an asymmetrical target. Also, you don't have to keep the target vertical. Tilting the target while keeping the bars vertical creates some interesting aim points, as does putting multiple targets in an array.

I'm just really lazy when it comes to hammering down fault lines, but I could enclose the shooting area so you can't shoot around those walls. It does say to "engage all targets through center ports" in the procedure, but I put that last bit in for added clarification. Forcing that quick movement and mixing up the shooter is definitely the intention of that. You're confirming my suspicion that more experienced shooters would bypass all the extra movement and confusion and sacrifice the possible points. I really want to make the shooters move between ports instead if just shooting it linearly. I'm thinking about putting a second turner and making them both appearing targets so that they must be engaged and no matter if you move from left to right or the opposite, at some point you'll have to go back to a port. Good call. This is a slim one, but I'll have to be on the lookout when I set it up. Thanks for the feedback y'all. Keep it coming!

I had that concern as well. I don't know of anything to do about it other than maybe put a note in the course description for the RO's to be on the lookout and to try and remember what target was being engaged, if they notice a shoot-thru, to look closer at during the scoring. Maybe a dumb question, but is there any kind of paint or anything that if a bullet passed through it, the bullet would pick up the color and leave a some kind of mark on the target? I know the lack of a carbon ring around a hit would also be an indication of a shoot-thru, but could be kinda cool if there was a way for the bullet to leave some kind of colored mark if it passed through the wall and into the target.

I had this idea for a stage that I had to lay out in 3D to really picture how it would work. My goal was to make the stage pose a couple challenges: - Accurate shooting through ports that you can't run up into. - Remembering which targets you've engaged since some are visible through 2 ports - Quickly moving from one port to another to activate, then engage the drop-turner. - Planning efficient reload points. I'm looking for comments/suggestions on whether or not this is a good stage. My major question is, as a shooter would you take the time to try to pick up the points on the drop turner or just activate it and take the no penalty mikes to save time? Here's the 3D model walkthrough:

I've been using the free IPSC Shot Timer on Android while i save up to see if I want a real timer. So far I'm happy with it. Its as accurate as it needs to be and I haven't had any issues with it picking up wind or anything after I calibrate it. If I had one complaint its that it only does par times in whole seconds.

Same question. I've got a stage design I'd like critiqued and want to link to the course description and a mockup on youtube. Thanks

We use "punch plate" shaker screens in our crushing plant that would give you that exact target presentation...and it's made up of steel that's AR500 or better...I could send you one of our discarded ones, but the shipping might be prohibitive.... Hmmm...I am running the matches this month.... I think it'd be awesome to have real steel hardcover in that pattern, but at 23 feet that might be really difficult. I think the trick would be to make it a virginia count stage where the mikes and penalties of saying f-it or extras from hosing it would be enough of a deterrent so you have to take the time to thread the needle. I'm the kind of a_-hole that loves to hear that heartbreaking ping sound of real hardcover though.

Just for kicks (and maybe if I'm feeling especially evil), what do you guys think of a "hard cover lattice fence." 25% of the A zone is available. It never says it has to be all in one section. I know pasting and scoring would be kind of a pain in the ass. I figure if you paste then tape the lines it wouldn't be too bad. Just an extra step and a bunch of tape. How would you guys shoot something like this? I think if they were far enough that you couldn't clearly see your hits a lot of people would hose them and totally destroy their reload plan by running dry early from makeup shots. I might have to consider taking the time to pick a square and aim 2 good hits in it vs blasting it with 4 rounds and hoping for the best. Now that's a BS target. Thoughts?

I've just finished my first season of USPSA and IDPA with the PPQ's older brother, the P99. I picked up a PPQ this winter and plan to run it in Production and ESP in the spring. Personally, I love the Walthers and would recommend them to anybody looking to get into the sport. You'll do a lot better with a pistol you're comfortable with and enjoy shooting than just going with what everyone else is doing. I'm also the kind of person that likes the challenge of uncharted territory. Here's my major pros and cons of the PPQ based on what I learned with the P99 which is almost identical: Pros: Reliability: The Walthers, like many other striker-fired pistols are extremely reliable. In an entire season of shooting 3 weekends out of the month, I only had two malfunctions. One was a bad primer and the other was a fail to feed. I've seen more malfunctions from Glocks than most others mainly because people tinker with them too much to make them feel right. Comfort: The ergonomics of the PPQ are superb to every other pistol out there. If a pistol points well for you, you'll be faster and more accurate. Ambidextrous Magazine and Slide Release: Being left-handed this is a big deal for me. Even if you're righty, the PPQ's controls are well designed for ease of function no matter what hand it's in. Many people have an personal issue with the paddle style magazine release, but once you try it, it makes a lot more sense than the button. Activating the magazine release with your trigger finger ensures you'll never get DQed for having you finger in the trigger guard while reloading. It also allows you to keep your grip and not have to adjust your hand position to reach a button. The Trigger: As others have stated and probably the most notable feature of the PPQ is the crisp trigger and very short reset. To be honest, the gun is faster than me. Coming from the P99, I'm still getting used to it, bit I definitely see it as an advantage and with a bit of practice, I'm confident that I'll see an improvement in my splits this season. Accuracy: It's spot-on with all the ammo I've run through it. Accessories: Because the PPQ is an evolution of the P99 many accessories such as sights and mag pouches will fit both. Many holsters do as well, but not all. Cons: Muzzle Flip: If there was one thing I would change in this gun it would be to make a 5in model. This gun was designed for special forces where compactness is a priority. Because of the 4in barrel, the muzzle flip is more noticeable than longer models like the M&P or XDM. This is not enough of an issue for me not to recommend this gun, but I will be honest that it is its only physical flaw. Availability/Cost of Aftermarket: Since this gun is so new, there hasn't been enough time for a wealth of accessories to hit the market. More and more suppliers are recognizing the PPQs popularity and releasing holsters and other accessories, but you won't have as many choices right now compared to the more accepted models. Also, because this is a very popular import, magazines are in high demand and there are times when they sell out. A factory mag will run you between $35 and $50 which some consider to be too expensive, but they are extremely durable and well worth it. If you've got any questions about the PPQ feel free to ask. I also recommend checking out some of my P99 videos at youtube.com/withawalther or browsing through waltherforums.com