I forgot to come back with a post match report. Better late than never right?
We had a 12-13 shooters and at 6pm it was about 70 degrees. There was no moonlight, it was DARK.
There were 4 stages planned but mother nature had other ideas. After the first stage the temp dropped like a stone. It felt like somebody opened a window and I could feel the cold front pass over me. Of course, the weather channel said it was going to be in the 70's all night. lightweight pants, a t-shirt and vest, yep, I was feeling a little unprepared at that point.
The wind picked up and we managed to get through the second stage and it was a hoot. Shooting with a flashlight in your hand is not as easy as it looks. Not to mention remembering to turn the light off when moving to another shooting position or reloading. I definitely learned a lot in those two stages. Finally, the temp was dipping into the low 40's and wind combined with freezing rain ended the match. Even though my teeth were chattering I was ready for stage three. I was all alone on that idea though.
Having never shot with a flashlight, my objective was to learn as much as possible from the folks that had experience. The most dramatic thing I saw was that if your ammo is smoky and you're holding the light beside your face then you won't be able to see ANYTHING. The light reflects off smoke just like headlights in heavy fog. The brighter the light, the less you can see.
Another observation was that a clicky tailcap on your light may not actually help. I took two lights. One with clicky tailcap and one with normal tailcap. With the clicky tailcap, you must purposely turn it off for reloads and moving. With the standard tailcap, just stop pushing it.
It didn't take long for me to decide that The Harries Technique worked best for me, so smoke wasn't an issue. Also, drawing the flashlight from a pocket while simultaneously drawing a pistol is a little awkward if not practiced. I've been practicing with the light since the match and it's made a difference.
Thanks to the folks at DAPS for keeping it safe and fun.
http://www.dallspistol.com
Gary
I am scared of empty guns and keep mine loaded at all times. The family knows the guns are loaded and treats them with respect. Loaded guns cause few accidents; empty guns kill people every year. -Elmer Keith. 1961
