my Area 1 3 Gun mishaps

[ErikW]

first stage, shotgun: 2.5 hours due to repeated range equipment failures and reshoots. After AROing seemingly forever, I laid down a solid run with no extra shots, no fumbled reloads, and no drama. The time seemed really good. It might be a stage win.

second stage, pistol: We're rushed due to the first stage clusterf*#k, sending shooters directly over from that stage to shoot this one in a split squad. I have a fast run but I never saw my front sights. Two Misses and three Deltas (one an overlay appealed Mike on the border). This is why I hate going from shotgun to pistol.

third stage, shotgun: We're still rushed, doing the split-squad thing. One of the first shooter leaves up a USP behind a tree. After my run, I do a goofy tactical threat scan. Just before I'm about to unload the round in my chamber (hmmm, why do I have an extra round?) I see a USP hiding behind a tree. I remount the gun but don't take the shot due to the long time it took me to realize there was a target still standing.

fourth stage, pistol & rifle: During LAMR, I have anxiety about the Texas star, which rests off-center and seemingly resists convential patterns. I'm trying to figure out how it's going to rotate while I'm standing there holstered hot. I nail the PP through the donut hole and nail the first few shots of the star, but take a bunch of extra shots on the last couple plates. I put a partially-loaded 30 round mag in the rifle and acquire the first close paper but see nothing but the rear sight aperture refocus to front sight, two Alphas, transition to 103 yard half-US Poppers, handguard braced against vertical 2x4 of orange-net wall. The wind is blowing the wall and I can't line up the front sight post with the steel guard in front of the first USP. I can't see the USP, despite its fresh paint (most of which is on my trigger finger) but I know it's above the dark guard, which I can see. Front sight still moving, wind still blowing. Yup, shoulda gone prone like we discussed. But it would sure look stupid to brace up against this wall and not even take a shot. Which I'll do any minute now as soon as things settle down. Yup, any minute now. Hell, might as well yank it off and go prone. Nah, stick it out. Then all of a sudden everything went still, the front sight lined up and the shot broke and I called it and was transitioning to the next USP while I saw the flash and the RO called hit and I did this again and again and again and again in quick succession. I can't freaking believe this I am mowing them down like they are 10 yards away. Then I spend several seconds missing the last USP before finally taking it down and transitioning to the last close paper. My second best stage.

fifth stage, rifle: The wind is really blowing. Six steel targets are at about 220 yards. Not far enough to break out the 77s; the 69s will do fine. A squad-mate with a windmeter says 7mph. Seven my ass, it's gusting twice that, easily. But it's quartering to the right. Half value? I consult the cheat sheet on my rifle, decide on four clicks, and dial them in. At the beep I run to the port and drop to my knees, placing the handguard in the lower right corner of the port. Crap, there's a hole in the sand and I'm not up high enough, so I have to mount the gun all weird. First shot takes forever and recovery is bad but I take the 3 steel with only 1 or 2 extra shots. Paper, paper, paper, port, paper, paper, paper, reload, go prone, smack the mag hard to make sure it's seated, paper, paper, and only 3 steel left. Dust flies and nothing's flashing, round after around after round. I hear somebody calling "right." I start holding left and finally hit them after many more rounds and 134 seconds. Squad mates say I was consistently to the right. I check my rear sight: four clicks right of zero. I corrected to the right for wind blowing to the right. Somebody just put me out of my misery.

sixth stage, rifle: A bunch of paper, not too far, but a memory test. Just when I've got a plan the squad leader/RO moves two of the tree props. Now I need a new plan. I run through it with the 45 round Thermold loaded with 55 FMJ. Something's not right in the middle of my run. I failed to engage two targets and re-engaged three or four targets. But my hits were good!

seventh stage, slugs: I aim carefully in the cloudy twilight but load an extra three or four rounds. Only two points down, but a few seconds slow.

eighth stage, pistol & shotgun: The fast way to do this is to shoot the shotgun at the eight US Poppers, fire the ninth round to unload it before quickly dropping it in its grounding box, then pick up the pistol from its box and finish off the Pepper Poppers. But I have this thing about going from shotgun to pistol, it really messes me up. So I start with the pistol, take a couple extra shots to start, then get moving on the PPs. Unload it and place it in its box, my this is slow, then pick up the shotgun. Aim carefully, only one extra round! After downing USP #5, I pick up the pace on #6 and really burn down the last two. Who says 1100s are slow? Unfortunately, the extra manipulations with the pistol put me down a couple seconds.

ninth stage, pistol: Why is it that my pistol jams only in Bend, Oregon? I wasn't even trying to run a 20 round magazine. Must be time for new mag springs.

tenth stage, pistol: Oh boy, I'm first. Three activating platforms and three swingers. Swingers + Bend + Iron sights + Erik = Low Hit Factor. I took a make-up shot on the first swinger, another on the second swinger. I needed a make-up on the third swinger. One Miss.