The Southern Arizona Practical Shooters (SAPS) practice out at the Tucson Rifle Club every Tuesday morning. I met Deb there at 9:00 for a lesson.
As instructed I brought with me my 9mm (a brand spanking new XDm 5.25), a magazine holder, a holster, a holster belt, about 200 rounds of ammo, 3 magazines. I didn’t bring a jacket and a freak winter storm was rolling into Tucson fast.
Luckily Deb came extra prepared with a spare “Babes With Bullets” jacket, but the jacket was not the end of the lending. Next we tried to get my holster belt situated and quickly found out it was too big.
The holster belt needs to fit very snugly around your hips. Luckily Deb had an extra belt too!
The first lesson was how to draw from a holster. I had never done this before, so we practiced with my unloaded gun. First she instructed me to holster the gun and instantly I made the mistake many holster newbies do. I took my left hand across my body and placed it on the opposite hip while my right hand attempted to holster my gun. What did I just do? That’s right, I just flagged my left hand and besides being dangerous, it will get you disqualified during a match.
Your dominant hand knows what it is doing – leave that non-dominant hand at your side where it won’t get in the way or shot off.
Second lesson was drawing the gun which is a three staged approach:
- Pull the gun straight up out of the holster – finger safely away from the trigger.
- Point gun down range as you center it with your body and situate your grip.
- Push the gun out and up to acquire your target and get ready to shoot!
Deb had me practice the sequence of drawing and re-holstering a number of times. Once the drawing sequence became more fluid, she explained the 180 degree rule. Until the gun is re-holstered, you want to ensure it is pointed down range and not at an unsafe direction. The courses are surrounded by berms on three sides and if you were to turn the gun barrel more than 180 degree, you could be pointing at spectators. Very unsafe and will also get you disqualified.
Another safety violation that can get you d-q’ed is the position of your trigger finger when you are not firing. Everyone knows this rule and it is really easy to obey when you are standing still in a range lane. But throw in having to move from target to target, plus magazine changes, plus a little extra nervousness because you are trying something new – and you may find, as I did, that trigger finger crept to a less than safe area.
I had to remind myself to slow down and think. This is why practicing at home with an unloaded gun pointed in a safe direction is key. There is a lot to remember and safety must always be first.
Once safety was covered, Deb explained the basic commands given during the match.
The first command given is “Load and Make Ready.” This means you pop that magazine in and cock the gun. Some competitors choose to do what Deb calls a “Murphy load.” You can get one extra bullet by popping in a magazine, cocking the slide to get a bullet in the chamber, dropping the magazine and re-loading with a full magazine.
At this point you would re-holster your gun, but depending on the specifics of the stage, you might be asked to set your gun on a table or put it inside a container – always ensuring it is pointed down range.
Next you take your position to start the stage. You stand with your arms at your side, not touching your gun. The next command given is “Shooter Ready”? A response is not needed unless you are not ready, then you just say “No” – although many participants will nod or say “Yes”.
After that, the timer starts with a loud beep and you can draw your firearm and go after the targets. No commands will be given unless there is a safety violation or a problem in the stage in which case the command given is “Stop”.
Once the stage is complete, the timer is stopped and the shooter is asked to unload and show clear. You drop the magazine, pull back the slide and lock it. This will eject the last bullet if one was present. The person doing the timing will check that the firearm is clear. Next you will be asked to drop the hammer, by releasing the slide and pulling the trigger. The final command of “Range is clear” and the scoring and re-set of the stage can begin.
Deb had me practice the various commands in sequence with my still unloaded gun. Once I was comfortable and she was comfortable that the lesson had sunk in, she had me load two bullets saying “If you don’t scare me with two, I’ll let you load four the next time.” I must have done fine with two since she allowed me to load up a full magazine for my second attempt.
Now I was ready to try out the practice stage that had been set up. The other SAPS members were also practicing – so we got our names on the list and waited out turn. Like watching the match, it was really interesting to see the various styles and skill levels of the participants. Everyone there was encouraging each other and giving constructive feedback. It felt very supportive and helped ease my nerves.
When it was my turn, I was determined to take it slow and practice safety as well as all the techniques I just learned. My head was spinning! Salim, the SAPS leader, helped me plan out how I should shoot the stage as far as when I should move and when I should change magazines.
I shot at the first four paper targets and had to shoot three times at the smaller metal target, but boy did it feel good when I heard the bullet hit and it fell to the ground. My excitement got the better of me because I completely missed the last target! Salim informed me I was looking at the target and not through my sites (DOH!).
I only got to go through the practice course once, because the storm came in fast and furious and blew all practice stage down. It actually snowed later that day which is an oddity in Tucson! As we frantically cleaned up, I got asked to join the SAPS for lunch at least four times. I felt instantly included with these folks and really enjoyed talking about guns and competitions over burgers and fries.
Finding a USPSA club in your area is really easy to do. Go to the following website and look for your region. You can contact your club's leader to get information on how to get started!
If you are interested in a weekend of training for matches like these and want to have a whole bunch of fun with other ladies - find out when a Babes With Bullets Camp is coming to your area!
A day with a friend sounds so fun!
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