IDPA at Hamilton County Fish & Game

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  • JBLee

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    Copied from Jason at HCFG,

    IDPA at Hamilton County Fish & game this Saturday.

    We will be up to our usual fun and excitement in a safe manner this saturday August 9th. Everyone knows the drill by now and I won’t bore you with a long message. IF you are NEW to us let me know!!!!!! Send me an email ( e426c187@verizon.net ) and I will let you know the do’s and don’ts for HCFG

    I say this since we are now listed on indyracegun.com which lists all area matches of any kind and will soon be listed on INGO.

    You will need a dummy round for your pistol.

    Set up 8am
    Registration 9am
    Safety Briefing 9:15
    MATCH BEGINS After Safety Briefing
    Round count 59 plus
    Match Fee $15


    Jason
    HCFG Secretary
    IDPA Co-MD
     
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    Scutter01

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    I'm planning to go as a spectator. Is there anything I need to know? What's the starting time?

    Actually, you might as well go ahead and post the do's and don't here anyway.


    Edit: Never mind, I just saw the safety briefing and starting time part.
     
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    JBLee

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    Here is a good place to start, the IDPA main page:

    International Defensive Pistol Association

    And a link to the Rule Book:

    http://www.idpa.com/Documents/IDPARuleBook2005.pdf

    On a more personal level I can tell you IDPA is a LOT of fun and very educational. The P in IDPA stands for "Practical" and in my opinion that is the most important part. IDPA will teach you the practical use of your personal protection firearm using various live fire scenarios, i.e. courses, under timed conditions. Accuracy and expediency are both challenged by the various courses and you will learn a lot about just what happens when you bring your firearm into play. It's a great way to become familiar with what happens when poop hits the whirling oscillator. I guess you could compare it to paintball, except you are using live fire at paper targets simulating bad guys. Bottom line it is a great way to hone, or DEVELOP, your skills with your firearm.

    The other great thing is that you get to spend time with some very knowledgeable and friendly gun owners and make friends. The competition is there, for sure, but the experience of actually firing your chosen form of protection in a stressful situation is invaluable.
     

    indyjoe

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    Try it Fen, it is fun and better training IMHO than just shooting at targets at the range.

    I might start showing up when I get all my house painting and moving done. Really wish I had time to go to this and the NFA day.
     

    pinhead56

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    Try it Fen, it is fun and better training IMHO than just shooting at targets at the range.

    +1 on that. I've shot IDPA two months in a row at ACC and it's great fun. There are some terms to understand carefully, like "tactical sequence" vs "tactical priority". Just go out there and shoot! :draw:
     

    JBLee

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    A couple quick points...the "P" in IDPA really stands for Pistol, I made that Practical part up for the purpose of my post...as an aid to what you get from Participating...hey I guess the "P" could also mean Participation... IDPA is the International Defensive Pistol Association. Jason caught me messing around with the "P" and sent me a nastygram! (there is just no tolerance for poetic license there)

    Second, and really first, is that IDPA at HCFG is held on a "COLD" range. That means you show up on the grounds with an UNLOADED PISTOL. Magazines can be loaded at any time but they may not be in the pistol itself until just prior to the shooter beginning the course of fire. The Range Officer will instruct you when to load your pistol. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule, If you show up with a loaded pistol to this event you will be asked to leave. There will be designated areas for you to handle your firearms but loaded firearms are taboo on a COLD range. I'm sure you all know that this is for safety reasons and will respect the range officers by complying with this rule. There will be no "Darwin Awards" given at this event.

    Also...drive slowly down the entry road to the club or the lady in the first house will make a big stink, it's a common entryway and she is uncommonly cranky. And they have the biggest Rottwieler I have ever seen! Seriously they aren't all that bad but on Event days they see quite a bit of traffic and the dust from the gravel entry gets pretty bad. So a little courtesy will go a long way.

    Your two main Range Officers/Officials are Jason and Steve and they run a great event. Both are there to help you get the most out of your IDPA experience so don't hesitate to approach them with any questions you may have. Both of them are doing this for the good of the club and because they are dedicated to the principals (another good P word) IDPA represents. You will also find other participants to be very helpful as well. It's one big happy family...with guns.

    We at HCFG hope to see you tomorrow, I know you will have a good time and learn much more than you ever expected. Jim
     

    rhino

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    They probably ought to consider a procedure for allowing people to unload their carry guns upon arrival if they plan to use their carry gun in the match.
     

    Scutter01

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    Second, and really first, is that IDPA at HCFG is held on a "COLD" range. That means you show up on the grounds with an UNLOADED PISTOL.

    Rhino raised an interesting point. Does this include carry pistols (spectators or shooters)? If so, I might direct you to a recent thread on the topic which I can't find at the moment, but maybe someone else can.
     

    rhino

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    Rhino raised an interesting point. Does this include carry pistols (spectators or shooters)? If so, I might direct you to a recent thread on the topic which I can't find at the moment, but maybe someone else can.

    I can't speak for HCF&G or IDPA, but USPSA-affiliated clubs usually have a policy for unloading carry guns that are going to be used in the match. They will either have a specific unloading (and reloading) area, or they will dispatch you with an RO to one of the shooting bays to unload.

    As far as spectators go ... most USPSA people will assert that the cold range rules apply to spectators too, and will enforce it as such if you carry openly. I have a different opinion, but most of the time my opinion doesn't count. What "they" don't know about it is literally none of their business, so for that reason I would specifically tell you to conceal it adequately if you make the choice to carry and don't tell anyone about it (the classic "don't ask; don't tell).
     

    Scutter01

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    As far as spectators go ... most USPSA people will assert that the cold range rules apply to spectators too, and will enforce it as such if you carry openly. I have a different opinion, but most of the time my opinion doesn't count. What "they" don't know about it is literally none of their business, so for that reason I would specifically tell you to conceal it adequately if you make the choice to carry and don't tell anyone about it (the classic "don't ask; don't tell).

    I'm sure you remember the discussion we had recently where "Absolutely No Loaded Firearms, No Exceptions" doesn't always mean quite what it says.
     

    rhino

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    THE FOLLOWING IS NOT A CRITICISM OF HCF&G AND THE FINE MEMBERS THERE:

    I might add that I think cold ranges are a naive attempt to make things "safer" in order to please the lawyers.

    In my opinion, cold ranges are actually more dangerous because it engenders the idea that some guns are "safer" because you believe they are unloaded. When a range is hot, even the densest people know to assume all of the guns are loaded.

    Historically, IPSC matches operated on a hot range. Along the way, the bedwetters got that changed, so USPSA and its offshoots have cold ranges.

    I don't know if it's still the case, but at one time IDPA clubs had the option of a hot range, but it was unusal and the default was a cold range.
     

    rhino

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    I'm sure you remember the discussion we had recently where "Absolutely No Loaded Firearms, No Exceptions" doesn't always mean quite what it says.

    Indeed.

    We have decisions to make in life. I make mine, and I live with the potential consequences.
     

    JBLee

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    As I have not been told otherwise I will go with any pistol upon your person or that can be handled by you should be unloaded prior to the event. If you have a carry only gun and are a spectator I would suggest leaving it in your car as a courtesy to the range officer and in deference to the rules on a first time basis. Once you are there you will be able to ask the range officer what his preferences are. Then you can go strap on all the hardware you desire if it's OK with the RO. I guess it's kind of like salting the soup before you taste it...it's disrespectful to the cook! I am not sure how Jason and Steve interpret the guidelines for the "Cold Range" condition, I would suggest you use the most severe interpretation of the rules and then adjust to the range officers standards when they are known.

    You will not meet a more friendly group of folks then the members of HCFG, we are also VERY safety conscious and extremely well aware of what a good thing we have going for us by having a place to shoot at all. In these litigious times ALL ranges are just one screw up away from being shut down. The Cold Range is inconvenient but it also is one more way to guard against something going awry. We have been in that spot since 1936 and every year it becomes more and more of a challenge to remain. I would hope that all of you can understand our cautious approach and respect the reasons behind it. It's not just the views of one guy, it's to keep the place around for all of the members and guests to enjoy. I, for one, would not know what I'd do to maintain my sanity without my "Ballistic Therapy" sessions. Jim
     
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