I recently shot a no-light pistol
match and learned a lot, which is always a good outcome.
First, let me acknowledge that organizing
a shooting match is, without a doubt, a lot of work. Even if you use a published Course of Fire (CoF),
you must get the staff/volunteers to set it up, adapt it for your range, and provide
for tear down and clean up—all problematic chores.
Greenport Tactical Association
hosted this match. We started at sunset,
and as we progressed through the match, each CoF changed from low to no
light. It didn't take long to discover
the plot complication.
The complication? Smokeless powder isn't smokeless.
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| Just after sunset, even in the relatively bright environment the gun light illuminates the cloud of smokeless powder. Note the rave glow sticks, I found them insufficient for safety in darkness. |
The shoot house was a fun and easy stage. The brown cardboard IDPA targets stood out well, and the surroundings reflected enough light to see as you moved through the stage. Tactically pieing corners takes time. This tactic quickly separates the shooters into those interested in shooting games and those using it for training.
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| The IDPA targets stood out and reflections from the shoot house provided sufficient illumination. |
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| Several shooters wore head lamps for navigation the darkness after each stage. They were very effective in both scoring targets and keeping tack of shooters. |
There is an artificial nature to
training with static targets. I can't
believe that anyone waiting in an ambush doesn't react by moving to a different
location after hearing gunshots in the immediate area. Static targets are precisely that: static.
Another stage started with
engaging two IDPA-style steel targets at 50 yards. That’s a long distance for a pistol light.
The second thing most of us
noticed was while most pistol lights illuminated the targets, many shooters
found the reticle in their reflex sight too bright and were blinded by it. This was especially true with manual
brightness adjustment, but auto-brightness was also affected.
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| Shooting from the V-Tac barricade |
The cloud of microscopic
particles produced by smokeless powder further blinded the shooter. The cloud reflected the light at you, making
for fantastic photos but completely obscuring the targets. On windy days, this problem will be minimized,
but in static or calm air, it becomes a problem. As a test, I reshot the targets during
daylight with no complications.
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| Daylight. Subtract the vision problem and shooting from the barricade's square, ledge or slant wasn't a problem. |
Many stages had move and shoot components at 8-inch steel targets just over 10 yards. I suggest repainting the targets between squads, maybe even shooters. Everyone should have the same targets.
One of the last stages I shot
required going prone. Many shooters went
to a roll over prone to get as flat as possible. It is a good tactic, but a pistol position
not practiced. For many shooters, back,
shoulder, and neck problems make this position challenging, if not
impossible.
I went to roll over prone and
discovered the gun light nicely illuminated the ground and grass but not the
target. I attempted to correct this with
my auxiliary flashlight, but that left me shooting strong hand only. That was not the optimal position for
stability for 8-inch steel targets at thirty yards.
This position also created a
problem for some safety officers, who did not know how to safely facilitate
moving a loaded shooter from prone to kneeling.
The easiest way is to put the gun on safe, place it on the mat pointing
down range, and allow the now unarmed shooter to perform the necessary
gyrations to get to an upright kneel. At
that point, the shooter can retrieve his pistol, clear it, and complete the safety
check.
All CoF designers have a bias. A common one is the belief shooters demand a
high round/target count. One way to
produce this is to shoot the same target several times from multiple positions. This can be achieved with the shooting barricade. A Bianchi barricade can be used, but the V-Tac
barricade offers the most options with ledges, openings, and heights.
That stage was also the least
popular. One set of targets was 30
yards, while the other was 21 yards. I
shot these the following day and discovered the slanted ports did not
significantly alter the point of impact compared to shooting from a ledge or
open square.
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| Improper light technique will result in illuminating yourself, losing what advantage you had in darkness |
If you get a chance to shoot a
no-light match, do so. Let me further
urge you to reshoot the problematic stages, if possible, in the daylight. You'll be surprised what a handicap darkness
is.
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