Annual range day/requals...

[SKTK135]

Sounds like he did a great job. Now let’s look at it from another angle. What does that say about the qualification course to test professional gunmen/women? What does it say about those professional gunmen/women who shoot the minimum qualification score of a 72?
As a police firearms instructor this has driven me nuts in my career. The acceptance of mediocrity in such an important skill that is the root of so much liability.
You keep training him and encouraging him to do better than the last time shot.

 

[Glock 'em down]

Sounds like he did a great job. Now let’s look at it from another angle. What does that say about the qualification course to test professional gunmen/women? What does it say about those professional gunmen/women who shoot the minimum qualification score of a 72?
As a police firearms instructor this has driven me nuts in my career. The acceptance of mediocrity in such an important skill that is the root of so much liability.
You keep training him and encouraging him to do better than the last time shot.

Oh, most definitely. I'm with you on the cops that qualify with the bare minimum and then leave the range just as happy as a chimp on roller-skates. I can't do that. I'm not a perfectionist by any means, but if you can't accomplish that skill that the job requires, you need to sell shoes.

I had a chief once upon a time that I absolutely hated. But he did do one thing that I thought was outstanding. He made every officer attend firearms training once a month at Paul Abel's range. It was mandatory for continued employment.

Some months we would just do a qualifying round, other times Paul would run us through some type of drill, either an IDPA round or a scenario that he had when he was Pott county sheriff. God I miss that man. The last time I was on his range and qualified, I shot a 100%. He purposely scored my target last (there were 7 other shooters) and he wrote 96% on it.

I argued with him (he called it whining) that I did indeed score 100%. He told me, no, you did not. Nobody scores 100% on my range. I asked him why. He said because when you shoot and kill a guy and they call me to testify before a jury of your peers, I can tell them you shot a 96 instead of a 100. Because a "smart" defense attorney can convince your typical juror that if you shoot 100% consistently on the range, you could have shot the guy in the arm or leg or something instead of killing him.

 

[THAT Gurl]

Oh, most definitely. I'm with you on the cops that qualify with the bare minimum and then leave the range just as happy as a chimp on roller-skates. I can't do that. I'm not a perfectionist by any means, but if you can't accomplish that skill that the job requires, you need to sell shoes.

I had a chief once upon a time that I absolutely hated. But he did do one thing that I thought was outstanding. He made every officer attend firearms training once a month at Paul Abel's range. It was mandatory for continued employment.

Some months we would just do a qualifying round, other times Paul would run us through some type of drill, either an IDPA round or a scenario that he had when he was Pott county sheriff. God I miss that man. The last time I was on his range and qualified, I shot a 100%. He purposely scored my target last (there were 7 other shooters) and he wrote 96% on it.

I argued with him (he called it whining) that I did indeed score 100%. He told me, no, you did not. Nobody scores 100% on my range. I asked him why. He said because when you shoot and kill a guy and they call me to testify before a jury of your peers, I can tell them you shot a 96 instead of a 100. Because a "smart" defense attorney can convince your typical juror that if you shoot 100% consistently on the range, you could have shot the guy in the arm or leg or something instead of killing him.

Oh man do I miss him too!! I LOVED shooting matches at his place.

He pissed me off SO bad one time though. We ran thru all the stages and when Paul posted scores, I actually scored high enough to get second place in production at this particular match. Now mind you there had NEVER been a woman's division EVER in the couple of years all us guys had been going out to Paul's. And I was the only woman to shoot out the matches out there at that time anyway. So there had never been a Ladies Division; I just shot with the guys because how stupid would it have been for him to give me a first place trophy for the Ladies Division every month just because I showed up??

Anyway I was pretty stoked because it was my honest-to-God first time to place since I had started shooting competitively.

So ... We all get seated inside and wait for Paul to do his thing. Imagine my surprise when Paul gives some guy the second place trophy for production class ... And me the first place trophy for the "Ladies Division". I didn't say a word. Just went up, got my trophy, shook his hand and went back and sat down. But you could have heard a pin drop in that room. Because every other man in that room had shot with me as an equal at that range for 2 years and now I was NOT. I wasn't as mad as I was hurt. And I was pretty ****ing mad. I understand why he did what he did but that didn't make it sting any less.

I gotta give the guys I'd shot with there -- and at OKC and H&H and all the other matches we hit regularly -- and knew me props. They each came by and shook my hand, and while nobody said anything, the looks they gave me said it all. They got it even if Paul did not.

We didn't go out to lunch that afternoon like we always did after those matches. Though the guys made it a point to tell me I ought to come anyway. But I just wasn't feeling it. I don't know if Paul ever knew how what he did affected me. And I'm a big girl so it probably shouldn't have bothered me as much as it did. I do miss him, too. He had some WILD stories! And I loved the stages he always had. He certainly knew how to challenge shooters to bring out the best in them. But I wish he'd given me the trophy I EARNED which was 2nd place. Not first.

 

[Glock 'em down]

Oh man do I miss him too!! I LOVED shooting matches at his place.

He pissed me off SO bad one time though. We ran thru all the stages and when Paul posted scores, I actually scored high enough to get second place in production at this particular match. Now mind you there had NEVER been a woman's division EVER in the couple of years all us guys had been going out to Paul's. And I was the only woman to shoot out the matches out there at that time anyway. So there had never been a Ladies Division; I just shot with the guys because how stupid would it have been for him to give me a first place trophy for the Ladies Division every month just because I showed up??

Anyway I was pretty stoked because it was my honest-to-God first time to place since I had started shooting competitively.

So ... We all get seated inside and wait for Paul to do his thing. Imagine my surprise when Paul gives some guy the second place trophy for production class ... And me the first place trophy for the "Ladies Division". I didn't say a word. Just went up, got my trophy, shook his hand and went back and sat down. But you could have heard a pin drop in that room. Because every other man in that room had shot with me as an equal at that range for 2 years and now I was NOT. I wasn't as mad as I was hurt. And I was pretty ****ing mad. I understand why he did what he did but that didn't make it sting any less.

I gotta give the guys I'd shot with there -- and at OKC and H&H and all the other matches we hit regularly -- and knew me props. They each came by and shook my hand, and while nobody said anything, the looks they gave me said it all. They got it even if Paul did not.

We didn't go out to lunch that afternoon like we always did after those matches. Though the guys made it a point to tell me I ought to come anyway. But I just wasn't feeling it. I don't know if Paul ever knew how what he did affected me. And I'm a big girl so it probably shouldn't have bothered me as much as it did. I do miss him, too. He had some WILD stories! And I loved the stages he always had. He certainly knew how to challenge shooters to bring out the best in them. But I wish he'd given me the trophy I EARNED which was 2nd place. Not first.

Sorry he did that to you sweetie. He should have just given you 2nd place and not conjured up a Ladies Division. But, he was who he was. Nobody could tell a story quite like him. And if you had ever been to his classroom, you know what I mean. He could fill a bottomless barrel with all his bullsh!t. But yeah, I miss him a lot. He taught me everything I know about combat shooting.

 

[THAT Gurl]

Sorry he did that to you sweetie. He should have just given you 2nd place and not conjured up a Ladies Division. But, he was who he was. Nobody could tell a story quite like him. And if you had ever been to his classroom, you know what I mean. He could fill a bottomless barrel with all his bullsh!t. But yeah, I miss him a lot. He taught me everything I know about combat shooting.

Ehhh was what it was. And you were not kidding about the story-telling. My GOD! I bet him and LoneWolf'49 are having a time of it sitting in lawn chairs swapping stories in Heaven.