The Gun Blogs

Is my 'stuff' worth dying for?

Personally, I'd say 'No'. But that doesn't mean I won't shoot you if you try to take it.

You see, for you the value of my 'stuff' is low - just the few dollars you'll be able to pawn it for, or the cheap thrill you get from taking it.

But to me many of those items are precious beyond words, treasured mementos of people, places, and times. That cheap little thing you may take just to laugh at and destroy may be the one and only thing I have left from someone deeply beloved and long gone. That link is worth protecting.

And as to the rest of my 'stuff' you should keep in mind that those are pieces of my life that you're taking. I worked to get those things and no insurance company will ever be able to give me the portion of my life I expended to get something back.

All of that ignores the other, more practical reasons why you're risking your life stealing from me.

You see, I cannot know what your intentions are. You say (now) that you were only going to steal and would never hurt anyone. But you see the problem is that many other thieves are willing to harm my loved ones and I so I have to treat all thieves as dangerous.

Besides, no matter what you intend now, how can I be sure (sure enough to bet my life) that you won't change your mind when confronted?

All in all, the most reasonable thing for me when you try to rob me is to presume that if you're willing to steal you're willing to do additional harm as well and do what I can to protect myself and my loved ones.

Which means I will shoot you.

You don't want to get shot. I hear it's quite painful and, of course, there's a significant risk that you will die.

And I don't think anything I own is worth you risking your life to steal, so please don't put yourself in a position to be killed over something so trivial as my 'stuff'. Get a job and get your own.

Remember what they say, when confronted with THIS sort of behavior, just reason with your attackers and no harm will come to you.

So, after watching this, put yourself in that situation.

Would have you deployed your firearm? At what point?

Working at a gun shop gives me some wonderful oppertunitys to try stuff I otherwish would not have. At time I am very impressed, other times not so much. This time was both, and a learning experince to boot. I took home a brandnew Taurus 650 CIA (carry it anywhere) mine is a .357 magnum, 2' barrel, Double action only. Now I am ussaly a fan of having the option of the single action; however where I to be involved in a gunfight with this gun, I would not be using single action! So I am training myself to shoot double action, as most of the handguns I carry daily are either double action only, or double action first shot. There are rumors that DAO shooting is inaccurate, and diffcult. While it may take more concentration to fire in DA mode this is not a bad thing as it helps us to concentrate more on a consistant trigger squeze.
I like the little 2" revolvers because they tend to be there by my side when not other firearm will quite do the trick. Add to that the performance of the .357 Magnum caliber, and you have yourself a great little combo. I drive a pickup that the desighn of the seats allows me to afix a holster inbetween the drivers seat and the center consul. This is where I prefer to have a revolver. I cannot readily reach my holstered weapon the gun-in-the-seat meathod is wonderful. With the small CIA all I have to do is put the gun in my pocket when I leave the truck, which not only secures the firearm, but also provides me with a great back up gun.
Anyone reading this must note that although these meathods work for me they may not be ideal where you are. I live in Alaska, and it is simply a differant kind of enviroment. We have cold weather, animals, remote wilderness areas, and the usual assortment of drunk, vandals, and criminals. No, the truck never leaves the driveway with out at least one rifle, and one handgun. Here it is dark half of the year so it is impertive that one should learn to shoot a firearm in darkness. I think that this is a must have skill for anyone who takes their personal saftey seriously. If you think about it most crimnals will not attack you in daylight downtown, but add darkness to the picture, and suddenly the other person has concelment.
Constant darkness is one reason why I do not carry full power .357 loads in the Taurus. When testing the gun in darkness the muzzle flash from this little gun was enough to blind me to the loaction of the target for almost 3 seconds. To any of you who have been in a gun fight you will know that three seconds can very well spell life or death. I also know that it is unlikely that an assailant will stop their attack INSTANTLY after my first hit. With that in mind I choose firearms that are able to fire without essesive muzzle blast. So I carry the .38 special +P loads, and a speed loader.
Bullets do not do the shooter any good unless they impact their target. We must test our carry guns first for reliably and second for accuracy. It works. I am not going to tell you that you can hit a gopher at sixhundred meters. I was able to relably hit the head at 25 yrds on a standard size siluette target. long range is not where the real shine is though, its the personla distance shooting that will make or break the gun. I was able with very little practice shoot fist sized groups at 10 yards. These groups where all point of aim.
So on the stevedcross scale of gun testing I would give this little bugger a 6. I would have scored it higher, but there was a problem. This gun willnot work with Cor-bon ammo. I have no ideal why, it just does not work. It works with other ammo of the EXACT same power leval, but not the corbon. Now this is important to remember because had I not tested my ammo I would have been in for a rude supprise had it come time to use it. I will work on this though and let everyone know when I fighure it out. Meanwhile I would advise you not to shoot Corbon in Taurus revolver as I am not the first one to have this problem.
Good luck and stay safe
stevedcross

Rules of Gun fighting

1 Have a gun.
2 Bring your friends who have guns.
3 If it’s worth shooting, it’s worth shooting again, and again, etc.
4 Only hits count. Front Sight Squeeze; Repeat as necessary
5 Any hits count for something.
6 If they are throwing mortars at you, shoot them! (see rule #3).
7 If you can see them you can shoot them; So do it ( personal experince)!!!
8 Proximity negates skill.
9 Always Cheat.
10 If not shooting you should be communicating, reloading and/or moving.
11 Someday, Someone may kill you with your own gun, but they will have to beat you to death with it because; it will be empty.
12 Have a plan.
13 Have a back up plan because the main plan will fail.
14 Flank them, don’t get flanked.
15 Be aggressive.
16 The faster you finish the fight the less chance you have of getting shot.
17 Tactical reload, as soon as possible.
18 Be polite, be paranoid.
19 The only things that matter are you living and them dying.
20 Bullets go through walls
21 Bring extra ammo.
22 Women and children can and will shoot you. Trust NO One!
23 If you do get shot, shoot back, relax, and don’t panic.

This is not original to me, just figured that I would share, pass it along, some I have added from personal experience, but again I am not the first person to say this. Add some of your own, and we can try and get the 50 best or something. So comment and I will edit the list to include good ones.

SO they come out with a new gun and they tout how it is so safe and one of those "safe" features is a loaded chamber indicator. This really annoys me, I mean what really does this do? Have we all forgoten that all guns are to be treated as loaded? If someone (IE not a "gun" person") picks up this gun that does not know the "All guns are loaded" rule, do you really expect them to know what a loaded chamber inticator is, and how to use it?
As for the gun savey population, they should know that the gun is loaded, or at least how to properly check the weapon. Now If you where to say to me that it is for "operators" to be able to feel instantly if their weapons are loaded, well missy let me tell you that I an't gonna belive some little tab to tell me if I have a weapon ready to go into leathel combat. First off those little things can get a little grit on them and then they stay "loaded" all the time. So if the indicator says that there is a round in the chamber does that mean I still have to check it before going out to check something going bumb in the night>?
I belive that it was said that somethings are brilant soultions to non-exitent proplem. This fits in that cadogery. Some Airforces did something simular, in that they painted a false cockpit on the underside of the aircraft. well it seemed like a great idea, until people had an ephiny and said "hey if they are close enough to see it, then they are close enough to not be fooled by it.
As far as gun safety, its really easy. Most Americans memorize many many numbers, phrases, and such in their lives. How had then is it for a persom to learn a few very simplE rules about gun handeling,
1 EVERY GUN IS LOADED!!!!!
2 DO NOT POINT A GUN AT ANYTHING YOU DO NOT WISH TO KILL/DESTROY!!
3 WHEN BEING HANDED A FIRARM FROM SOMEONE ELSE, YOU FIRST CHECK THAT THE WEAPON IS UNLOADED.
So I belive that if a person cannot learn, and abide by those rules, they should be taken to a group home where they help those with limited mental assets.

New Sig 556 rifle review
AHH.
I brought home a new baby. A brand new Sig 556 rifle. Forward grip, stream light tactical light, HALO sight. What a wonderful piece of engineering! I have as of yet not done any formal accuracy testing, but during the basic sight in session, the rifle was easy to shoot, minimal recoil, very steady, and shot well. At 25yds it was easy to shoot overlapping groups from offhanded. With its thin barrel the rifle does heat up, however unlike an AR-15 none of the heat is felt by the user because of the well vented large handguard‘s. This first sight-in session was at night and I was very impressed about the lack of an overwhelming muzzle flash. the basic M-16 flash suppresser works very well indeed.
I suppose the last time I fired an M-16 style flash hider at night, I was in a small house in Mosul, with other things on my mind! Overall the I am very impressed by the weapon, if I was to compare the Sig 556 to anything I would have to say that it handles like an M249 SAW. The pistol grip even feels close! The piston system does an excellent job of reducing recoil, and to me it is more comfortable to shoot than my AR-15.
As for reliability testing I was again impressed. Normally when I had acquired semi-automatic rifles they might hick-up in the first few rounds. Not the Sig; Insert Magazine, rack bolt, pull trigger, repeat as needed. Of the 7 mags I used in the first shoot (30 rounders) not a single problem. Simply pull trigger, and repeat as necessary. That is what a tactical rifle is suppose to do.
Since that first play time I have exercised the rifle at 200 yards and I was having little difficulty hitting paper plates at that distance. Another 500 rounds and still not one malfunction. Playing with the rifle more I believe that it is slightly heavier than I would normally choose, but not to the point of being unmanageable. I am also calculating the weight based on end-user, IE what shooters actually put on these types of weapons.
I don’t think that I will stop using my AR-15, but I do think that this is a better rifle. I also don’t think that it will become as popular as the ar, if only because of the price. There is always room in the gun cabinet for new types of weapons, and cool new gadgets. The Sig will not supplant the AR in the regular sense of the word but I do believe that the gas-piston system will become a prominent feature in future combat rifles.

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I posted my last post without the question with which I intended to end. What do you all think of Kimber's new Life Act products and the new taser?

-or- How to get completely smooth legs with your space-age Epilady

Check it out http://www.grapplingwithguns.com/archives/2007/05/less_lethal_defense.html

Not a magic solution and I am operating with the benefit of hindsight, but I present my views on how the VA Tech killer might have been stopped. No new legislation in sight on this one.

Well, another shooting at a school. When are people going to learn? Now, everybody's going to be yelling more gun controll and we need better gun laws. ever woundered how a single person can walk into a room and blow away 30 people? What do you think would have happened if he walked into class and shot the teacher and then turned and looked at the class only to see most of the class was pointing a gun at him just before they blew him away. IF YOU WANT MORE GUN CONTROLL, HAVE EVERYONE BUY A GUN AND KEEP IT ON THEM AT ALL.I think the good people who go by the law far out numbers the bad people. Then it would be just a matter of time before all the bad guys are done in. I do know this, You would never hear of anyone killing 30 + people. I know that after they shot one person, SOMEBODY is going to shoot them. Think about it? Woodzman

By woodzman

I'm still sorting out the events of yesterday at VA Tech. I'm bracing for the storm that I know is coming from the BC, VPC and all the other assorted elites who feel we don't deserve the right or the chance to defend ourselves.

They say your first reaction is the right one. I hope mine is.

Our local op-ed columnist is doing a little guest writing off the reservation. Some it is almost balanced but in classic Washington Post fashion, he runs with a good thing and leaps right off the cliff with it.

So a fisking away we go.

Enjoy.

Over in one of the forums I'm active in - MissouriCarry.com a member recently posted a very nice piece on "Things CCW Has Taught Me". With his permission I'm cross-posting it here to get it a wider audience.

Saiga308 is the author, I'm just the delivery guy. If you want to let him know what you think about this, click here to go to the thread over at MoCarry.

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Things CCW Has Taught Me

After almost 3 years of continuous carry of a Glock 19 or 26 on my body except for sleeping (in a safe next to the bed), showering (in the shower on a nail), or at work, here are a few of my own random observations.

1) CCW is not just putting a gun on your hip….it is a lifestyle. A lifestyle that changes how you dress, and what you look for in your clothing. You plan your day out every morning when you put your clothes on. What are your activities that day? Where you are going to be, and what is the best method of concealment? Am I going to be at a friends house with small kids wanting to wrestle and play? Am I going somewhere that has “huggers”, or am I going to be going to a store only and then home.

2) People like to doubt the actions of anyone who is armed, whether it be police, or military, a CCW holder or Uncle John out in the back 40 with his deer rifle. There is a tendency to automatically question their actions if a firearm is involved. The pressure is always there to make sure that your actions each and every day are safe and legal.

3) As a CCW holder you are more aware of what is going on around you for the simple fact that someday your actions maybe questioned in a court of law, and since nobody wants to end up in that situation, awareness of your surroundings might give you a heads-up to avoid the problem all together.

4) The pistol is only one of the tools you carry everyday, the others include a cell phone, folding knife, mace, wallet and keys. Each items will have its own pocket that it stays in, whether in your coat or jeans or vest.

5) More important than what kind of holster you have or what brand of belt or smartcarry (as long as they are well made) is that you wear it the same way every time. If the first rule is to have your pistol, then the second rule should be that it’s in the same place on your body as it was the last time. When you need it is not the time to think , “Where did I put it today?”.

6) Gun Magazine writers are about as honest as a used car salesman.

7) .380, 9mm, .40 S&W, 45ACP, .45GAP, .357SIG, .357mag……They all hurt, and I don’t want to get hit by anyone of them, I am guessing that the Bad guys feel the same.

8) A good tactical pistol class (or two) are worth their weight in gold. Take good notes, because if it was done right you find yourself looking back at them again and again. There is so much info that you end up thinking about the class for months after.

9) I have ended up with a 3 holster system. An Avenger style OWB, a CTAC IWB (set up to place the handle at the exact same spot as the Avenger), and a Smartcarry for deep concealment. I use a G26 and G19 because the mags are interchangeable and my better half also carries a G26. That way what we carry can support each other. I carry a Double mag holder OWB always, and have a G17 and G19 mags loaded with the same ammo. So far I have never had any problems with this setup, I am by no means saying that it is perfect or better than anyone else’s, but so far this has worked fine for me.

10) This is the last thing that I have noticed, CCW Holders are for the most part educated, opinionated, fiercely loyal and independent at the same time. They are the type of folks that you want answering the door when its 11PM, and your car breaks down out in the boonies, and you walk to the nearest home for help. Because by their very nature, they will try to help, no strings attached (unless you have a Hilary 2008 sticker on your bumper!). The world needs more of them, and I am proud to count myself in their ranks.

Courtesy of The Virginia Citizen's Defense League:

The event that VCDL Board member Dennis O'Connor describes below happened in a SunTrust branch a couple of days ago.

SunTrust does not ban their law-abiding customers from legally carrying a firearm for self defense.

Had this been a Wachovia or a BB&T, both of which ban guns, the outcome would probably have been very different.

This event also underlines something that both Dennis and I believe - open carry, in and of itself, can be a strong deterrent to crime. Yes, I know - the criminal COULD do a preemptive strike against someone he sees carrying openly. But in practice such an event is extremely rare. The outcome described below is the usual case.

In analyzing the encounter, the only thing I can flaw Dennis with is not being aware of the significance of what has happening around him. But I have a law enforcement background and was trained to be on the lookout for certain behaviors and do so automatically.

The tellers at the bank, who are probably trained in how to handle a robbery, certainly knew what had just happened!

The other lesson is that crime almost always happens when you least expect it. In this case Dennis was busy getting some deposits taken care of and was focused on that task, something he has done for years routinely without a hitch. So when something unusual happened, his mind was a little slow switching gears.

Looking at it from a criminal's point of view, it was the perfect time for a holdup - the bank had just opened and there were few customers. (You can imagine that it would be much more difficult to rob a bank with, say, thirty people inside.)

In the end, this worked out as it usually does when a criminal finds himself face-to-face with an armed citizen - the criminal flees without a shot being fired.

In this more unusual case, Dennis's gun wasn't even touched or brandished!

Dennis's report:

On Tuesday the 26th of December I went down to the Sun Trust bank in
Hopewell to complete some financial transactions. I got there just as they
were opening and entered with a woman who had been waiting outside. There
were three tellers in position to the left, one customer service associate
at a desk to the right, and the manager was seated in his office to the
rear right, so there were seven of us in the bank.

I have been banking there for years and know the tellers fairly well, who
are quite used to me walking in with my holstered 1911 government model
.45 and two reserve magazines. As I was transacting business with my
teller, a man came in through the front door on this warm December morning
wearing a full ski mask, with only his eyes showing. He was wringing his
hands and glanced furtively toward the office and then swept his eyes
across the room, finally towards me and the tellers. At that, he turned
and BOLTED back out the door!

The teller next to my position was the first to recognize the implications
of what had just happened, and yelled for the manager who came rushing out
from his office. He glanced toward me before sticking his head out the
front door, looking both ways down the sidewalk, and pronouncing that the
suspicious character had apparently left the area. The same teller then
expressed her relief that I had been there, and mentioned that the next Sun
Trust down on Route 10 (Iron Bridge Road) had just been robbed the week
before.

I regret to say that I was pretty oblivious to anything but the business I
was immediately conducting, and walked out thinking no more about it as a
non-incident at the time. In fact, even later that evening I only
mentioned it as a casual after-thought in a conversation with Philip. He
urged me to write up this account of what had transpired, and I will leave
it to him to dissect and analyze the facts, psychologies, probabilities and
possible alternative outcomes.

FOLLOW UP

I went by the bank again today to make a deposit - same three tellers on
duty. I asked them if the police were called over the ski-masked intruder.
They said no, but they had all discussed the incident yesterday afternoon
and agreed that it was me standing there with a gun at Sharon's window
(first one from the door) that spooked him into changing his plans, and
they all thanked me again (although I didn't DO anything).

Cross posted on Captain of a Crew of One

You know I saw this at QandO and had to read it a couple of times. It really couldn't say what it does. Are these people really that clueless?

America’s confusion about the Second Amendment is now nearly total. An amendment that ensures a collective right to bear arms has been misread in one legislature after another — often in the face of strong public disapproval — as a law guaranteeing an individual’s right to carry a weapon in public. And, in a perversion of monumental proportions, the battle to extend that right has largely succeeded in co-opting the language of the Civil Rights movement, so that depriving an American of the right to carry a gun in public sounds, to some, as offensive as stripping him of the right to vote.

Yeah the emphasis is mine. You should really read the whole article.

The topic is on Senator Allen's bill to allow firearm carry in national parks. The old gray corpse appears to think that safety in a national park would be better provided by better funding the parks rather than allowing citizens to defend themselves.

If Americans want to feel safer in their national parks, the proper solution is to increase park funding, which has decayed steadily since the Bush administration took office. To zealots who believe that the Second Amendment trumps all others, the parks are merely another badland, like schools and church parking lots, that could be cleaned up if the carrying of private weapons were allowed. The concealed-weapon advocates are doing an excellent job of sounding terrified by “lonely wilderness trails.” But make no mistake. Senator Allen’s bill would make no one safer. It can only endanger the public.

Well, if you can't use logic, use really bitter rhetoric. This editor of the old-gray-corpse appears to miss the point that the "gun zealots" want to be able to defend themselves anywhere. Seeing that I can carry a concealed weapon on the busiest streets of any city where I can legally be licensed, why is it I can't carry when I am least likely to benefit from any police protection. (Not that I could profit from that in the city either, but they are a lot closer.)

I have no problem with this editor not wanting to be capable of defending themselves, but I take serious offense when they state I shouldn't have the right to defend myself.

Bloody idiots.

I had no clue that this was done back in 1940! This is truly an amazing story.

Wayne LaPierre wrote about this today (Nov 10) on his blog on NRA News. The story of "SEND A GUN TO DEFEND A BRITISH HOME" is again truly amazing!

Analysis of officer shooting in LA

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Ed note: Draven, please use the create blog post feature and not create link. Create link is for the blogroll.

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SayUncle
Can't we all just get a long gun?

As many of you know, I recently shut down my blog (Captain of a Crew of One) for personal reasons...fortunately, I still have an account on The Gun Blogs so I get the opportunity to share this with the community.

Recently, a story was reported regarding a CHP holder who stopped the attack of a deranged knife wielder who was merrily stabbing co-workers at a Tennessee Supermarket. A Memphis Police Sargeant was quoted as saying "we don't encourage people to take that kind of risk, he could have been hurt."

The comment was soundly and correctly lambasted by the gun blogging community. But did he actually say it?

I've mentioned the Virginia Citizen's Defense League several times on my Blog. It is an all volunteer, grass roots organization dedicated to protecting and restoring gun rights in Virginia. I am proud to be a member of this extremely effective organization.

One of the Executive Members of VCDL, who happens to be a retired Police Officer, had his doubts about the veracity of the quote so he contacted Sargeant Higgins of the Memphis Police Department. Below is the exact text of the VCDL alert sent out to members in the words of VCDL Executive Member Dave Van:

Remember Sgt. Vince Higgins? Sure you do. He is the Memphis Police Public Information Officer who supposedly offered the quote of the day when he opined that ".....we don't encourage people to take that kind of risk, he could have been hurt". He was referring to a Mr. Cobb who stopped the rampage of a knife wielding suspect in Arlington, Tenn. Oh, now you remember? Except Sgt. Higgins was quoted completely out of context and not even quoted correctly.

I spoke with the Sarge the day after our Alert came out. He returned my call and was friendly and gracious. He had 15 years as a street cop in a nasty section of town and we swapped some stories on how departments and politics can screw things up and how reporters do a good job of screwing them up all the time.

Here's what the Sarge really said and did. When the reporters gathered the Sarge took them through the motions of what happened and what Mr. Cobb, a CHP holder did. He praised Mr. Cobb as a genuine hero from start to finish saying he acted in a totally professional manner through-out the entire ordeal. He then continued to say that concealed permit holders were top notch and he'd rather have some of them ".....backing me up than some police officers I know".

Now, I know you're wondering where in the heck that reporter got that other part from. Here it comes. The reporter asked the Sarge what he thought of citizens jumping in to help. The Sarge said that he had no problem with permit holders but if it were someone who had no training with firearms, did not know the law and had just grabbed up a gun it might not be a good idea. Guess what the reporter grabbed up and ran with. Yellow journalism at its worst. Or, just what you would expect.

Sgt. Higgins is a really decent guy and a very experienced law enforcement officer. When I told him that if Maureen and I ever got down his way on our motorcycles we'd like to stop in and buy him coffee or lunch, his reply was "no sir, I'll buy you lunch". Yeah, like I'll ever let that happen.

I'm going to delve further into this and see if I can find out who the reporter was that filed this story. Sarge says he's gotten a lot of calls criticizing him and he wants to set the record straight. Consider it done on this front Sarge.

Dave Van

Some might argue that Sgt. Higgin's true statement was almost as egregious as the reported one. I'll not get into that argument here, I just thought I'd do my part in getting Sgt. Higgins' version of the story out. It doesn't sound like he considers himself one of "the only ones" and was given a raw deal by the press. Not that this surprises me at all. I have to wonder how many of the imbecilic remarks attributed to police officers by the press are really just constructs of the reporter's imagination?

Mad Ogre's musings about using cowboy guns in a tactical competition seems to be somewhat controversial. It seems that many folks feel the need to defend the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting. Personally, I don't think it's necessary...it is what it is. I had some fun with it, but like most competitions, I just don't take them seriously.

Therefore, why not play an IDPA-style game using a single action revolver, shotgun, and a lever/pump rifle? Feel free to wear your ATF black ninja suit and body armor. Jeans and a ripped t-shirt are fine too :)

We could probably learn lots of interesting things about tactics. For example, how does one reload a single action revolver on the move? Is a break action revolver really necessary? What about keeping a levergun topped off?

I'm going to propose some rules for the game. They'll be based upon the IDPA and CAS rules. However, I intend this to be more of a learning process, versus a competition (which will doom it to oblivion, but I'll have my fun). Perhaps tactics and skill evaluation should be the focus, versus round count, speed, and variety in stages.

Some thoughts on rules:

0) The focus is upon fighting, not shooting targets. A high round count is fun, but not realistic. A low round count is realistic, but probably not that much fun. The problem becomes how to merge the two together. I'm not sure what to do here; if you have suggestions, please comment.

1) Gear

1 revolver, 1 rifle. Shotgun optional. It seems to me real cowboys only had one rifle and a revolver. Perhaps the average cowpoke had only a rifle...something to research.

2) Separate stages

Revolver and rifle stages should be separate. If you have access to a rifle and a revolver, then choose the rifle! It makes sense to use the most powerful weapon available. Therefore, rifle stages should test CQB, short, and long distance shooting.

3) Reloading

Due to its low capacity, keeping your revolver loaded appears to me to be important. Therefore, I'm considering that a stage is NOT completed until the competitor has fully reloaded his or her revolver. Afterall, there may be more goblins lurking around!

A rifle stage should have the same requirement for completion.

4) Timing, scoring, and related

Short times are fun. Ripping off 20 rounds of 40 S&W into a bunch of targets IPSC style is neat, but it's clearly a game. I believe one competitor in a national IDPA match cleared a room in under 10 seconds.

In real life, both are totally unrealistic. Taking only 10 seconds to clear a room is suicidal. Five minutes is probably better, but not good for competition.

Perhaps the rule should be "in the spirit of the game". If you have to pie a corner, then take your time and do it correctly. The time should not count for or against you. Unfortunately, most targets do not move, so a goblin's reactions are not simulated.

One solution is to create moving targets using rope and something on wheels. As a shooter pies a corner (or moves through the course), someone pulls a rope to cause movement. Since a moving target is difficult to hit, perhaps straight accuracy should be used in scoring.

5) Shooter movement

One idea is that the shooter MUST move while shooting, with a few exceptions. This makes everything much more difficult and realistic. Combine this with a moving target and you have a much more difficult scenario.

Possible exceptions include: shooter has achieved hard cover, the scenario calls for it, and so forth.

6) Gun classifications

1) Black powder revolver, rifle and shotgun
2) Revolver: break action
3) Revolver: "traditional" Peacemaker type
4) Rifle: lever and pump action
5) Rifle: Single shot or double barrel
6) Shotgun: single barrel
7) Shotgun: double barrel
8) Shotgun: pump action

If you can think of any more (or less!), please comment.

7) Competitor Classifications

1) Revolver and rifle
2) 2 revolvers and rifle (like the regular and duellist classes in CAS)
3) Three gun: rifle, revolver, shotgun
4) Revolver and shotgun
5) Long range (100-1000 yards)

I'm sure there are other groupings, but these spring to mind as easy to remember and deal with.

8) Targets

Human shaped showing torso, neck, head and arms. It can be a picture, but some sort of scoring system must be available (perhaps a clip-on template used after each person shoots?). Tactical Teds with a scoring sheet attached would be great.

Accuracy does not necessarily mean striking the nervous system, heart, or other vital organ. It depends upon the circumstance. If the competitor is pieing, then he or she should shoot at the first possible target he or she can see...which could be a toe. Therefore, there will need to be right and left side pie targets. All the targets can be the same; the scoring template just needs to be adjusted appropriately.

9) Round count

I think that round count should be in the area of one to two full loads of any weapon used. With moving targets and moving cow[boys|girls], I'm assuming there will be misses. Maybe each person should carry three loads.

Revolver: 5-12 shots for single gun. 10-24 for double gun.

Rifle: 10-20.

Long range: some traditional number...maybe ten shots, one per target.

10) Calibers

Traditional cowboy calibers, modern, etc. There definitely should be a 22 rimfire class because it's just such a fun round.