What's the most unsafe thing you've seen at a match?

[Lucreau]

And mag changes with the finger on the trigger, muzzle pointed up range 

[JayDee]

Once I saw a shooter break the 180. Actually, he broke the 360 and swept the entire squad, right to left. 

[Sparky]

A friend in our squad had to reshoot a stage 2 times because of range malfunctions.   After he finished his last reshoot and the range 

equipment worked properly, he turned and told the RO "it worked that time", but was also pointing his gun at him.

[floater]

Was setting steel last Saturday at an IDPA match, was an unloaded table start, after setting the steel walked back up range  and the next shooter already had pistol and mag on the table, the whole squad was down resetting. 

[DKorn]

40 minutes ago, floater said:

Was setting steel last Saturday at an IDPA match, was an unloaded table start, after setting the steel walked back up range  and the next shooter already had pistol and mag on the table, the whole squad was down resetting. 

 

At least it was unloaded. 

 

Table starts and facing uprange starts seem to cause the most problems with new shooters doing something unsafe and DQable at or before make ready. At a local match when’s I’m ROing a squad, I always ask at the beginning if anyone is new. If there are any new shooters, I always talk to them after the stage briefing on stages with stuff like table starts, facing uprange, etc. and tell them what they need to know to stay safe.

[JonasAberg]

My first year of shooting, participating in one of my first club matches. Table start, all magazines flat on table, lots of targets. A(nother) new guy started his run, went around the table and as he went for a spare magazine he turned completely around, sweeping the whole squad. Got sent home and haven't seen him since.

[MikeyScuba]

ICORE regional match this summer a shooter runs to the the far right of the stage.  There is an easy to see target and one that's hidden behind a barricade forcing you to the edge of the stage.  Instead of shooting the easy target then going left to take the hidden one he takes the hidden target then goes right to take the easy one.  And keeps going right to where we can all see the muzzle.  To his credit as it's sweeping us he swings the gun down.

 

Now this is where it goes from bad to utter %&*%*.  He then proceeds to face uprange , throws his loaded gun on the ground while swearing up a storm and storming off.  The RO's bring him back, unloads and off he goes.  Thing is I talked to the MD last week and he still doesn't understand why that is such an issue.  And he's not a dummy either.

[JonWayne]

Local match with morning and afternoon sessions. During the morning they run an intro to IDPA class at the clubhouse. Then the class and instructors form a squad for the afternoon session. We are completely done shooting for the day, broke down all the stages and people are packing up their gear at the tables uprange of the shooting bays. One of the intro class shooters then proceeded to unholster and stick his pistol in his range bag sweeping about half the squad and one instructor. When the instructor questioned him and said it was a DQ the offender proclaimed “but it was unloaded”. 

[GOF]

Saw a RO DQ the Match Director once.

[Malarky112]

Recent big IDPA match they had a tight course with 18 targets 1 shot each.  Targets on both left and right at the start.  Made it real easy to want to turn towards the 180 to go around fence to next target array,  Saw a very experienced and shooter (also a RO himself) turn the wrong way and muzzle the whole squad.  He knew right away.  Finger out of trigger guard but it was a wake up call to see such an experienced shooter do this.

[BoyGlock]

Saw up close a shooter literally shot his foot. Was holding the timer for him. 

[Denato1]

I have RO'ed a few bad ones.

      Had a guy bring his wife to her first match. I was assisting as an RO and when she reloaded she turned and pointed the gun right at my chest. 

      Several Bad 180 Break sweeps, a guy blame me for an AD after "Hammer down Holster", turned with the gun in hand and pointed it Right at me.

     

[Intheshaw1]

Was at a club match where after the gun was cleared he holstered it and the holster broke and the gun swung around on his belt flagging the whole squad behind him there were about to tape. 

 

Luckily it was just cleared but no one likes staring down a barrel.

[wolffy1876]

Any AD over a berm.   

[TacticalG34Tupperware]

I got left downrange on a particularly large stage with lots of barricades and walls while I was resetting a flasher target. I started back to the shooting line, and the shooter had a mag in his gun and was ghosting the beginning of the stage which was where I was standing. The RO failed twice, once by leaving me, a first timer at this particular match, and again by allowing the shooter to ghost the stage with a loaded gun. Very not fun introduction to that match and I haven’t been back since. 

[DKorn]

12 hours ago, TacticalG34Tupperware said:

I got left downrange on a particularly large stage with lots of barricades and walls while I was resetting a flasher target. I started back to the shooting line, and the shooter had a mag in his gun and was ghosting the beginning of the stage which was where I was standing. The RO failed twice, once by leaving me, a first timer at this particular match, and again by allowing the shooter to ghost the stage with a loaded gun. Very not fun introduction to that match and I haven’t been back since. 

The second part isn’t a failure on the ROs part, but the first part is scary as hell! 
 

At least at USPSA matches, you can do anything you want as far as air gunning or dry firing the stage after you’re given the “make ready” command, as long as you don’t fire a shot, break any other safety rule, or move more than one step from the start position. Of course, that’s all after the RO has made sure nobody is down range and given you the make ready command so you’re allowed to draw and load your gun!

[TacticalG34Tupperware]

35 minutes ago, DKorn said:

The second part isn’t a failure on the ROs part, but the first part is scary as hell! 
 

At least at USPSA matches, you can do anything you want as far as air gunning or dry firing the stage after you’re given the “make ready” command, as long as you don’t fire a shot, break any other safety rule, or move more than one step from the start position. Of course, that’s all after the RO has made sure nobody is down range and given you the make ready command so you’re allowed to draw and load your gun!

I was under the impression that once the gun was loaded ghosting or air gunning was no longer allowed? 

[Powder Finger]

13 hours ago, TacticalG34Tupperware said:

I got left downrange on a particularly large stage with lots of barricades and walls while I was resetting a flasher target. I started back to the shooting line, and the shooter had a mag in his gun and was ghosting the beginning of the stage which was where I was standing. The RO failed twice, once by leaving me, a first timer at this particular match, and again by allowing the shooter to ghost the stage with a loaded gun. Very not fun introduction to that match and I haven’t been back since. 

what town?

[regor]

3 hours ago, TacticalG34Tupperware said:

I was under the impression that once the gun was loaded ghosting or air gunning was no longer allowed? 

IPSC does not allow air gunning, period, but for USPSA that's not correct. Many people will still avoid it for fear of accidentally getting too into the moment pull the trigger and get DQ'd, but there is no rule prohibiting it.

 

On classifier type stages with a mandatory reload I always do a quick dryfire draw, reload to my starting mag, and dry fire the remainder, then rack the first round into the chamber. 

[nikdanja]

Area 8 2 years ago my buddy made ready for a seated start. When the buzzer went off he missed his draw and the gun flew out of his holster aNd flagged everyone behind the line! That was a crazy situation that I hope never happens again. 

[ima45dv8]

On 10/29/2019 at 10:22 AM, Powder Finger said:

what town?

I removed a couple of posts that answered that question.

It's best not to call out specific places or people when in discussions like this.

 

Thanks,

Admin

[Powder Finger]

Sorry bout that just curious since I used to live in San angelo

[Salsantini]

The worst thing I've seen is someone pointing a pistol at my stomach!  Not a very nice feeling.

[hankdiesel]

Had an older guy in the squad who had a squib on 3 out of the first 4 stages...

[gerritm]

Was at a steel challenge match over the weekend. An older experienced shooter in our squad was shooting .22 pistol irons. First 2 stages he would only shoot 5 shots and would only hit 1 or 2 plates and go on usually missing the stop plate. Had 10 round mags. Kind of strange.

 

Got to the 3rd stage and 2nd string reloaded reached over to move a mag & had an AD about 6" from his hand into the ground about 5 feet ahead. Mumbled something about the mainspring,  ULSC packed up and left. We all looked at each other & one of the guys said not unusual for him, this was the 3rd SC match he has had an AD and been DQ'ed with the same pistol.

 

gerritm