About three years ago, while home on vacation, my cousin set up a little range in his back yard with four targets, a table, a chair and a fake wall. It was the first time I ever shot while on the move while finding cover and reloading. I was still new to pistol shooting, shy, and uncertain about my skills.

 

I was told I did well though I did experience trouble continuing to move and shoot. My tendency was to stop, shoot, then move.

 

Again, that was three years ago, and since then the only shooting I have done has been stationary, at stationary targets. Our range has an IDPA style league but I never got up the nerve to actually join. For some reason, I’m very shy about my shooting and a bit nervous to advance it without an invitation to do so. One of our range instructors has been enticing me to shoot in the league for almost three weeks, but I’ve continued to decline because of my apprehension on how well I would do.

 

I know that sounds funny to some. I am a very outgoing person, and shy is the last word some would put in a sentence with my name, but the truth is now out; I’m shy about my shooting.

 

BUT, as they say, knowing is half the battle and while I know I’m shy about my shooting I’ve determined to get into more IDPA style shooting leagues and continue my skills into the more non-traditional shooting world.

 

So, what better place to start than my own backyard (so-to-speak)? Tonight, I decided I would try my hand at this league.

 

This shoot starts on the far right of the range. The shooter faces a target about twenty-two yards away with weapon holstered. Once the target starts moving toward the shooter, the shooter is to draw and fire six rounds into the target as it continues to move forward. Magazine change as shooter moves to a second station to the far left at about fifteen yards and shoots three rounds from the left hand, unsupported at a stationary target, switches hands and shoots three rounds unsupported from the right hand at the same target. Magazine change again as the shooter moves on to a third station in the middle of the range at about ten yards and fires six rounds at a stationary target. Magazine change again as the shooter runs to a fourth station about seven yards away and fires another six rounds into the same stationary target as previously shot. The shoot is timed from the moment the first shot is fired to the moment the last shot is fired. Each “miss” (which is considered to be any round that hits outside of the INNER ring on a standard IDPA style target) adds an automatic five seconds to the shooter’s time.

 

Even though I came with the required four magazines, I don’t own a double magazine pouch. I had only one magazine pouch and my pockets, and the built in mag pouch on my Blackhawk out-of-the-waistband holster.

 

I was also still unsure as to whether I was actually going to get the gumption up to actually shoot. Either anticipating this, or just not caring, our league director steps out and said, “Well, you got your mags?”

 

I said, “Yeah.”

 

He said, “Well, what are you waiting for? Get ‘em ready and let’s go.”

 

I unloaded all twenty-three rounds of hollow-points I was carrying (why let those magazines go to waist? If I had to carry them anyway, why not load them up with self defense rounds and be ready should they come in handy) and loaded up with FMJs. Because I didn’t have a place for my fourth magazine I just stuck it in my pants pocket and took my place on the firing line.

 

As I’m usually on range duty when the league starts I have gotten to know all of the league shooters and they have gotten to know me. I’ve become a bit of a conversation piece, not only because our league director can’t stop bragging that I carry and shoot a .45 but also that I shoot it well (or so he says). The buzz around the range at league time has been whether or not I’ll ever actually show any of the league shooters just how well I can handle the gun I carry and whether I live up to the hype produced by our league director. None of them have seen me shoot, however, so when word trickled down that I was shooting league tonight the range seemed to stand still while everyone took time out to come and watch me shoot.

 

The pressure was on and as I took my place on the firing line I felt at least ten pairs of eyes burning a hole in the back of my head. I could feel my heart pounding and though my hands were steady, they tingled in the anticipation of the upcoming shoot.

 

I tried to remind myself that slow was smooth, smooth was fast, but when that target started moving, my body took on a life of its own.

 

My presentation of my weapon was smooth and clean, and the safety came off with a click before my muzzle even left the holster.

 

Six rounds down range and I was moving before the smoke cleared. My magazine was free and I grabbed the spare from my pants pocket. The new one was in before I reached the next station. I slingshot my slide shut on the fresh mag and fired my three off-hand left-handed shots. I would have continued shooting left hand too were it not for the league director yelling “SWITCH HANDS” behind me.

 

My three shots right handed were done and the magazine was on the floor by the time my left foot hit the ground. At the next station I fired my six rounds.

 

Mag drop, and... Oh crap.

 

I reached back for another mag and my hand fell on nothing. I had briefly forgotten that my fourth and final magazine was on my strong side. A second went by before I remembered and before I knew it I was reloaded and putting my final six rounds into the target in front of me.

 

The sixth and final shot cost me a good second or two as my gun failed to go entirely into battery. A tap on the back of the slide slammed it home, however, and my final shot found its mark.

 

I ran the course in 50 seconds flat and had three “misses” though all three of those were on the paper. My first two were on the moving target. My third was while I was shooting off hand with my left hand. It’s no surprise that my third target had no misses, mostly because it was the kind of shooting I was most accustomed to.

 

My final score was 65.

 

Our league champion to date followed behind me for my shoot and picked up my magazines for me and after my score was tallied up he congratulated me on a job well done and asked to see me gun. He expressed surprise at such a shoot with a big caliber in a little package, and assured me again that I did a good job.

 

The rest of the league continued and things seemed to go back to normal. I checked the scores of the shooters before and after me and was relieved to find I was somewhere in the middle. There were plenty who were shooting better than me but plenty that were shooting worse as well. The scores ranged from 38 to 109 so I felt pretty comfortable with being in the middle.

 

My major mistake of the night was my lack of focus on the front sight. My eyes were almost always on the targets and it wasn’t until I was almost finished that I realized I had point-shot the entire course when I should have been focusing on my front sights. I probably wouldn’t have had those misses had I been paying more attention to my sights instead of my targets.

 

Other than that, I was very pleased with how much of my off-range practicing took over when the bullets started flying. My drawing was complete and comfortable and I didn’t fumble with my safety at all. My mag changes were clean and fumble-free. My movement was not as fast as I would like but it wasn’t awkward or clumsy. Everything was on but my focus on my sights, but more practice should find that cured in time.

 

I can’t wait to do it again, and again, and again, and again.