Sunday at Spencer Devon

What better way to cap off a pleasant Sunday, indeed the weekend, than with some good beer? After a couple range trips the past week, I spent time Sunday afternoon doing some overdue gun cleaning. Then it was time for the reward of good beer. Colleen and I haven't been to Spencer Devon in quite a while, so that was our choice for this Sunday outing.

There were a number of new beers on the menu since our last visit, so we took time to peruse the beer list before deciding. I eventually settled on Market Square Kettle-Sour IPA. This is an interesting citrusy IPA with a funky, tart accent. It actually took a few sips for my palate to adjust, but then the beer went down quit smoothly, and quickly. Colleen ordered another unique beer, the La Guerre Rouge Saison. I hadn't paid attention to the description before she ordered, and was surprised to see the dark red liquid placed before her. In truth, I initially thought our beers had been switched. I stole more than one sip from her glass.

Of course we ate too. After I finished a hearty bowl of shrimp & grits, and Colleen enjoyed a mushroom and spinach omelet, we decided to try out a couple more of the new Spencer Devon beers. This time Snead's Squash Harvest Ale, brewed with locally grown squash for me, and Hazel Run Dubbel for Colleen. The Harvest Ale had an unusual, but enjoyable roasted and nutty flavor.

As we were finishing, owner Shawn came by to chat. We were talking about Spencer Devon's win of a Bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival this year. The medal is not yet on display, but Shawn asked. "Do you want to see it?" Of course, we did.

Shawn is rightly proud of Spencer Devon's recognition at GABF. This is the first time a Fredericksburg area brewery has garnered such prestigious recognition. The kudos are well-deserved and we look forward to more acclaim for local beers as the craft beer scene continues to grow in the region.

Five O'Clock Friday: Winter Prep

If anything can get you through the flu, it's Twizzlers.

Click to embiggen

Thanks Staples.

Rainy Day Range Trip

As I sat at my desk yesterday finishing up some work before a planned range trip, I was pulled out of my stupor concentration by the sound of thunder and heavy rain. I thought, "That could put a damper on things." But the thunder and lightening soon stopped, leaving only a moderate rain coming down. “That’s better.” A little rain rarely stops us. Soon, Colleen, 'Checkered Flag' and I were at the range for some overdue practice and fun times.

We're fans of using different target types, just to add variety and fun to our outings. This time 'Checkered Flag' had brought along some new targets he had found. The "Essentials Target" from RE Factor Tactical has a range of aiming points that can be used in for a variety of challenges. There’s a drill that’s designed to go along with the target, but we opted to do our own thing.

Colleen was spot on

We did all our shooting from the 7 yard line this day. The focus was to be on accuracy, and ease of brass pickup in the rain. We started out shooting the corner circles, either singly or alternating back and forth. Then we moved through the various sized shapes, and included some single hand shooting as well.

We all avoided calling for hits on the tiny #15 square, until it was the only non-shot number left on the targets. "There’s no avoiding now" I thought. It’s odd that when you shoot a 1 inch target how awful a slightly missed shot seems, even if the whole group is still only about an inch wide.

One of the fun drills we used to challenge ourselves, was shooting the number 1 - 6 circles in a single string, moving through each circle in order and back again. At the end of our range trips, we typically save the last few magazines for "do your own thing," rather than any formal drills. I used my last three magazines to shoot those 6 circles, in one long string, trying to speed up after each mag change. Only 2 of the 30 shots fell (barely) outside the intended circle. It was a fun way to wrap up an afternoon of shooting in the rain.

Hoplophobe Logic

Maybe we should pass more "commonsense" car laws.

Hat Tip Guffaw in AZ.

"Walking Dead" IDPA at Cavalier

Last weekend, the monthly Cavalier IDPA match took on a seasonal theme and the stages were based on the Walking Dead TV show. Since I've never watched the show, much of the meaning behind the props was lost on me. (Me to the SO: "Does the 'W' on the head of the target mean something special?") But that didn't reduce the fun to be had.

Gloves were a last minute addition to my range bag in the morning. I certainly needed them while waiting for the match to start. The temperature quickly rose as the morning progressed; I shot the first few stages wearing a fleece jacket, before switching to a vest for the final stages. All in all, it was just about perfect shooting weather.

The folks putting on the match went all out, adding Walking Dead-based signage, body parts, and blood throughout the eight stages of the match. More importantly, the stages were a blast to shoot. Several of the bays held stages providing two courses of fire. We took extra mags to the line, and shot both courses of fire at once. This really sped up the match and kept things moving.

The first stage our squad shot was made up of two quick strings, which provided a quick warm up for the more complex courses of fire to come. For the first, we started holding a pull behind “stretcher” and engaged three nearby targets in tactical sequence. Moving to the next position, we knelt by a "bloody body” with the gun on the ground, then engaged four targets from kneeling. It was on the third target that I had the thought, “You really should look at the sights.”  A -3 hit on one target would be my worse shot of the day.

Another interesting stage took place at “Carl’s Garage.” There were also two courses of fire to be shot here. The first consisted of 16 t-shirt covered targets that all required one head shot. We started with a six target group, before engaging two more by shooting under a low opening. There were more targets to be found moving down range. I managed to bump my head on the overhang during the walkthrough and once while pasting targets. Fortunately during my run, I cleared it safely. Moving to the back of the stage we ran another quick course.

For another fun course, we started with our gun in a tool bag, and holding a crowbar, which was “impaled" on a bloody target, while facing up range. I joked to the SO that in “real life” I’d never leave my gun off-body in my tool box — ignoring the idea I’d likely not be impaling zombies with crowbars either. At the back section of the bay there was another course with multiple hallways to negotiate.

The bay labeled “Terminous” also presented us with two fun courses. For the first, we started in the “boxcar”. This stage included a couple of long shots on falling steel in addition to the paper targets placed amongst the walls. Moving to the back of the bay we entered a “butcher shop” complete with dismembered body parts.

Lately I’ve noticed I’ve been shooting fairly accurately, but slow. I made a conscience effort to speed up a bit for this match, and I think it paid off. With just 10 points down for the match, I missed placing first in SSP Sharpshooter by .18 of a second. Any -3 hit is frustrating, and that -3 hit (-1.5 seconds) on the second stage was made all the more painful — although just one more -0 hit on any target likely would have changed the finish order.

The matches at Cavalier typically feature interesting and challenging stages with lots of props and plenty of movement while shooting. This month's match was no exception and was extremely fun to shoot. It was quite obvious that a lot of planning went into the preparation of the match. The match officials kept things moving, and we finished all eight stages by about 12:30.

The thing about putting off chores at home to shoot, is that they are still waiting when you get home. After the match it was time to strap on the backpack blower and work on the leaves in the yard. A morning of shooting, and an afternoon of yard work made the evening beer taste all that much better.

I’ve posted a few more pictures from the match here.

Not Dead. Just Busy.

And maybe a little tired. It's been a week since I put anything new on these Musings. And to those who are looking for something new here, I apologize. It's not that life hasn't been interesting. I've got a few interesting beers to talk about. And there's been some really fun range outings. And how about them Hokies?!? But lately I've only been staring at a blank piece of paper computer screen when I sit down to post.

This shall pass. Stand by.

October Rivanna IDPA Match

It's that time of year in Virginia when cool mornings give way to warm afternoons. It complicates preparing for a match; vest or fleece jacket for cover garment, long pants or short, t-shirt or flannel shirt? At Saturday's Rivanna IDPA match, it appeared I was not the only one consternated over clothing. I saw everything from short pants to flannel jackets and wool caps. I opted for a fleece jacket, which worked for the first two stages, was too warm for the third, but thankfully the fourth stage would require no cover. Skipping Postponing some planned chores, I left the house in the early dawn and arrived at the range to still chilly temps and an overcast sky.

The first stage had us shooting at "wild pigs," represented by sideways targets with the -3 zone removed. We shot while seated with the empty gun and all reloads on the table. The targets required two body shots each, in tactical priority, followed by a headshot on each in any order. The last headshot took me to slide lock, and I called the shot good and opted to not reload for another shot. Unfortunately the shot was called outside the perf and was ruled a miss. 

Next up was a challenging stage, shot kneeling, that required some very tight shots between non-threats. At the start, we drew the gun and dropped to a kneeling position behind a barrel. Getting all the shots in required leaning from side to side. I remarked that my front sight post was nearly as wide as the opening between the targets! Few folks that I saw shot the stage clean, myself included.

The next stage was the only one requiring movement. We started facing three targets which were engaged in tactical sequence. Then moving towards some stacked barrels, there were two targets to be engaged with two body and one head shot each. These targets were partially block by a non-threat target. Finally we moved to a third position for three more tactical sequence targets.

It was on the last stage where I hoped my regular practice shooting one-handed would pay off. There were three targets, two of which were partially obscured by a non-threat. We shot two strings of six shots, first strong hand only, then support hand only. Alas, I nicked the non-threat, just breaking the perf, even though the hit was also in the -0 zone on the threat target. 

The match, as always was both fun and challenging. The non-threat targets provided an extra element of risk to the match. In fact when reviewing the results, I noticed that only 10 of the 42 shooters got through the match without hitting at least one non-threat. The "leader board" seemed about the same as usual, but I did place a bit lower than I typically do, though I was still generally happy with my shooting.

The crowd seemed smaller than usual, and the stages ran quickly, which boded well for getting home to spend time with my son who was home from college for the weekend.

Time for some more one-handed head shot practice...

A Saint For Our Times: José Sánchez del Río

I've written about José Sánchez del Río previously in these Musings. The fourteen year old boy was martyred for his Catholic faith during Mexico's Cristeros War on February 10, 1928.  This past Sunday, the young fighter was among seven Saints canonized by Pope Francis.

The story of the Cristeros War is not well-known among American Catholics, but it's an important and poignant part of history. Sadly, the story is largely ignored in the history books and that's most assuredly a purposeful oversight.

When people think of the persecution of Catholics, and Christians in general, the impression is often that it happens in far-off lands and long ago. That's far from reality. The Mexican government's war on the Catholic faithful took place less than 100 years ago, in 1926 - 1929. And it took place just south of our border.

Another misconception is that our own government would have no part in such abuses. Again, this is disproven by the Cristeros War. The United States supplied arms to the Mexican government for use in the war, and even provided military air cover for the Federales in their battles with the Catholic faithful.

There's another twist to Saint José Sánchez del Río's story, and something I find quite interesting. The picture (above) of the young boy with Cristeros fighters is one that I've seen hanging in Mexican restaurants, among other old photos. Probably not too many diners know that a Saint and fighter for Catholicism is looking down on them while they eat.

Saint José Sánchez del Río is truly a Saint for our times. His faithfulness in the face of torture and death should be a model for all of us. I pray we can be as strong.