I went to a USPSA match last night after work.
I showed up in my usual competition gear: a Bianchi gunbelt, and Blade-Tech holster and mag pouches.
It’s served me well for years.
I was running a SIG P320 with a fiber optic front sight and adjustable rear. Limited minor was my classification.
I was the oldest competitor there, at 40.
Everyone else was running battle belts with MOLLE attachments and Cobra buckles, retention holsters, guns with red dots and weapon lights. They had fixed blase knives, blowout kits, and tourniquets. Everything in Multicam.
Two guys were in training plate carriers and bump helmets.
I was prepared for a friendly shooting competition.
They looked like Delta about to raid a cave in Afghanistan.
I didn’t know this was the new standard.
I felt like such a boomer Fudd.
Want to feel better?
Ask them what they paid for a random piece of their gear. “How much were the plate carriers? Where did you get them?”
They will answer, proudly.
Then zing them with “How much better are you shooting because of it?”
.
You are there to shoot, not playact. Remind them of that. A better holster, a more comfortable belt, those might help. A $400 pair of tacticool pants is a waste of $400. Added benefit if you ranked higher at the end of the day.
Ahh yes, trying to stay in tactical cool fashion. I haven’t done matches in many years. But I teach classes dressed in earthtone cargo pants, safari guide shirt, Hank’s premium gun belt, two double mag holsters and an Insane Kydex Creation holster for my XDM customized OSP w/Viridian X5L unit. Other than the second mag holster, it’s my daily carry. Since I’m at the range or customer’s property, I don’t bother with my….coveted carry knives, and other high-tech gear—which I have everything on the market.
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And the only part of my investment which enables me to shoot tighter groups quicker, is the custom guide rod and spring set-up. Love a heavy gun. A 9mm that feels like a big magnum is perfect.
I shot at matches like that down in Florida, some Outlaw “tAcTiCaL” 2-gun/3-gun matches. The range looked like the catalogs from Crye, 5.11, Eagle, and a few others had just exploded onto the page and everyone toting around their HK 416, KAC SR-Whatever, and all the other high end rifles that were worth more than the cars they came were hauled to the range in. To show how tactical and high speed they were, the MD went so far as to ban revolvers and leather holsters.
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My buddy and I were there in with pretty simple rigs. He was rocking a Colt 6920 that he’s had since the AWB days. I was running some Frankenmutt rifle I built in ‘09 that the most expensive thing on it was the secondhand Aimpoint T1. We looked more like fishermen with rifles than Delta DevGru 6 operators.
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The match was pretty decent, the tactical try-hards were insufferable as always, and a good time was had by all. Turns out, a used truck worth of kit and rifle won’t help you hit a B/C steel target at 300 if all you’ve ever concerned yourself with is being a 5 yard sniper for the ‘Gram.
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Funny enough, I’m not even 40 yet and, as much as I love the cool tactical shit, I’d rather go play with my revolvers, scatterguns, and other obsolete things.
In 1986 I was stationed in Georgia in air force. Thru a mutual friend I met a guy there who was into guns. We became good friends. He got me in the local IPSC shooting club. I had a bone stock series 80 with a full length guide rod. He had a Gold Cup with a trigger job Hiene sights ect. We shot D class, I always was ahead of him in points every match. My last match in March of 1988 I won my class shoot. The “tacticool” shiites have yuge egos and tiny…”guns”.there was a couple of them in my NRA Instructor class and guess who passed and they didn’t.. they ARE fun to watch..
I’m personally using long chain polymer subdermal integrated armor. Aka tactical flab. 🙂
better than a playboy LAARPer!
I attend matches in what gear I would likely be using in the given situation. If it’s a local match based around home defense I’ve shown up in an old school nightshirt, night cap, and a belt cause the rules required it. Other times its my every day carry gear. There was a Summer of Peace three gun event and that one got the full battle rattle: you are alert for unrest and prepared to respond. Ran the carrier, water carrier, war belt, and fatigues.
We even had an Ugly Sweater theme before.
Run what you brung and above all have fun!
I don’t recall such attire when I was still able to shoot matches. Hmmm.