An Afternoon Well Spent at the Range

It’s a joy to finally be back at the range with some regularity — even if “regular” right now means three weeks in a row. There was a time when I practiced nearly every week and shot one to three matches a month. I don’t expect, or even want, to return to that pace, but a match every month or so, if only for the social side of it, would be a welcome addition.

For this session, I brought along some paper IDPA practice targets. They aren’t my favorite since the dark scoring lines are more obvious than the subtle perforations on the official version, but they get the job done.

I set up at the 15-yard line and focused on two-shot strings: DA/SA and SA/SA sequences, mostly from the holster, with the occasional start from high ready. Everything was fired at a controlled pace from a stationary position, since range rules prohibit shooting on the move.

To mix things up, I worked in some SHO (strong hand only) and WHO (weak hand only) shooting, which actually went better than expected. A few strings at 25 yards added a bit of extra challenge, and it seems my regular dry-fire sessions are beginning to show results.

For a touch of fun, I took aim at a 4” rubber ball target someone had left hanging from a rope. Landing a few solid hits on that moving target was a satisfying change of pace.

I’d loaded 100 rounds into magazines, planning on a short outing. But when I “discovered” an extra box of 50 tucked in my bag, well — it only made sense to run through those too. 😀

Cheers!