Hot Ranges....Good or Bad?

I have SO'ed both cases. And to be honest, it doesn't make me a hill of beans differnce. Why? Because if I see ANYONE handleing a weapon off the firing line... I AM TOSSING THEIR @$$ OFF THE RANGE... RIGHT FREAKIN NOW! I don't give a rats @$$ why or how come. The rules around here are pretty danged clear. You do NOT touch a firearm anywhere but on the line or in a designated safe area. We DRILL this at all shooters when they show up. There is NO Show and Tell here. Newbie or old hand. It doesn't matter. We do maintain a safe area for those who show up with duty ammo and a CHL to unload and prepare for the match.

Yeah, I know. I sound like I am being a real hard @$$ here. Well, that's why we call them SAFETY OFFICERS. If I am anal about safety, so be it.

Now, since my fellow SOs and I are running the range in this manner, the hot or cold thing doesn't really bother me. I will give HOT one benefit. If I don't have to go through a loading sequence with each shooter brought to the line, stages DO move along a bit faster. But it does require the shooter to have that extra mag to top off before leaving the line.

That's my opinon. That and .75 cents will buy you a Dr Pepper. ( Hey this IS Texas...not Atlanta.. )


[This message has been edited by Bubba (edited 02-17-2001).]

Originally posted by HeadHunter:
I run a cold range. Many new people come to my matches. Yes, I agree with DQing instantly for weapons handling off the line but if a loaded weapon comes out of the holster, the DQ is only punitive, not accident preventive.

The human dynamics at work on a range or at a match are vastly different than on the street, so I don't personally think this is contradictory, although it is probably a paradox.

If I had a smaller group of experienced people, then I might feel differently. Different strokes for different folks.

[This message has been edited by HeadHunter (edited 02-17-2001).]

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I agree with Headhunter. I run an IDPA club at an indoor range. I can't keep tracks of all the shooters and we do have about 50% who are new. In a training situation it would be different because there are usually more than one instructor to keep an eye out on all the students, plus the students are usually a notch or two above raw rookies. At the IDPA National they run a semi hot squad. That is all people on the squad with load and make ready before a stage and stay hot until everyone on the squad have shot the stage, then they unload the squad all at once. Again, the competitors are more experience than those at the local club match.
Last month at Headhunter's IDPA club, our squad kinda broke the cold range rule a little. We had 3 masters (world class shooters), 2 experts, 3 sharpshooters and 2 marksmen, all are safe and sane people. So our squad loaded at stage 1 and stayed hot the entire match until the last stage. Of course we kept our cover garments on so Headhunter wouldn't see us and have a heart attack. I would not have done it if I didn't trust these people. Rant mode "off"

Mr. Postal:
I finally realized or guessed who you are from the other posts.

Anyway welcome to the forum. I hope you can get your buddy to get out of the stone age and into the 20th. century. Actually if he was a real good friend he would have loaned you the night sighted Protector.

I assume I guessed your identity correctly.

[This message has been edited by Ricky T (edited 02-17-2001).]

I've Ro and So matches longer than most I quess since 1978 anyway.
I like hot ranges myself I always practice that way and I don't see a bit of problem.

But I can't ever recall DQing anyone for bad gun handling In the hundreds of matches I've run. I usually just tell them that poor gun handling is not considered good form and let it go at that. I never recall having to tell anyone twice either. I always figured if no blood was lost there was not a major problem.

I am a believer in range safety just not being and ass hole about it.

Most of the matches I go to these days are cold but if a guy happens to come to the line hot I just tell him next time load only on command and that it is the clubs rules.

After all I almost shot Hackathorn in my first ever IPSC match and he did not DQ me. He only yelled at me a little.

Mike

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Mike Benedict
Custom Kydex Holsters

Talon Tactical Holsters

Ricky T:

You really can't blame him for not loaning me his Protector. He knew what would happen if I could see my sights. It would have been the same as handing me his trophy!

And don't forget, The Assasin could have loaned me his CQB!

Originally posted by MR POSTAL:
Ricky T:

You really can't blame him for not loaning me his Protector. He knew what would happen if I could see my sights. It would have been the same as handing me his trophy!

And don't forget, The Assasin could have loaned me his CQB!

Click to expand...

I received two pictures from Rangemaster showing me accepting the two trophies from Tom Givens for CDP Champion and Expert first place. I'll try to find somebody to scan it in so I can post it.

This month at our IDPA match if I can control who is in our squad, I'll run our squad hot again. Don't tell Claude. shhhh.