Golden City Gun Club Shoot - Practical Shooting

Registration

I love shooting day.




I'm always up early to get ready for the day.
This morning was a crisp 5deg when we left home at 0745. We are just half an hour away from Golden City Gun Club.




                                                                        

JP On The Line

 When we got there we registered and everyone was looking for a spot in the sun. 
There is loads of joking about my pink gun belt and how ladies always want to look good when shooting, but actually they have it all wrong. The ladies are not worried how they look and there is no pressure on us to shoot well so nine times out of ten we don't do too bad.

Richard In Surrender Position

The ranges today were really enjoyable. They had hidden targets and at some you had to stretch yourself out over the demarcated area of shooting to see your target. Windows to shoot through and windows opened by shooting a plate to release it. Sometimes we shot one had only and a runner and swinger finished off our day.

Richard Doing His Thing

Today I felt much better and not as nervous as at my first shoot last month. 
At every shoot you learn more about the rules and regulations.
Thanks Leroy for being patient with us and also thanks to the rest of our squad - Richard, Nuno, JP, Ronnie, Terrick.
Loved it. Loved it Loved it.

Golden City - Practical Shooting SA

All Positions

Saturday brought sunny skies and perfect weather for our first club shoot.
I was packed the night before because the last thing I wanted was to rush around in the morning and when I get to the range find out that I had something missing for the day.
All the trainees were in thesame squad but we looked pretty

Swinging Bridge

professional.
I put on a very brave and calm face but inside everything was upside down.
Eight stages lay before us and on the very first Range it was prone kneeling and then standing position. By the time I got to the standing position I could see my gun shake in my hand from the adrenalin pumping.
Targets ranged from 5 meters to 35 meters and swingers, runners, spinners and swinging bridges were thrown at us. All in all a pretty good start for us all, the amatuers.
The bug has really bitten us and we can't wait for the next shoot.
It will take loads of practice but with time I am sure we will raise our time and accuracy.
Just thrilling that we enjoy this so much

Practical Shooting SA - Huntex

Two weekends ago we attended the Huntex Show again and I cant believe an entire year has passed since we decided on taking up Hand Gun Shooting. 
At that time we had no idea of what we wanted to shoot.
We were looking at IDPA at the time of the show. 
I did not even have my competency certificate let alone my gun licence, so I am proud of the progress that I have made and can now inform you that I have all the legal documents and licenses that go with the sport. I am a member of Golden City Shooting Club in Johannesburg and now take part in IPSC shooting.
I shoot in the Standard Class with an STI Edge 40 and my second firearm license has just been approved for my CZ Shadow 9mm to shoot Production Class.
We are also getting all jacked up with the reloading of our ammunition - only reloaded for the 40 so far, but far more economical than buying new.
At the Huntex show we purchased a Sonic Cleaner for the ammunition and firearm parts and the difference in appreance in major. The Sonic Cleaner gets to the parts that you can not do by hand or normal tumbling. We will now see if there is a difference when we fire them as we have experienced a few jams. (Maybe just a bit of inexperienfce with the reloading, but we are correcting our faults as we learn and not having as many as in the beginning.)
Looking forward to some good shooting this year.

Induction Training at Golden City - Practical Shooting SA

Saturday 6th April 2013 saw us continue our induction training at Golden City Shooting Club.
Now that we are tying up all the loose ends on the farm we will be regular shooters at the club, so can't wait to get the induction traing under the belt and start shooting competition.
Quite a few new shooters have joined again and it is really good to see that the clyb is growing.
This session we did our first full line of fire. Exciting stuff. Targets to the left, then on the right. Some ten to fifteen meteres away and two right on our feet. Also a good test

Our Home Made Targets

under an obsticle, so down on the tummy and trying to not shoot the hostages. 
Loads of fun.
We still have a few weeks on the farm so home made targets are still the order of the day for us at home. 
We are sure going to miss this when we move back to the city. 

Shooting and Rock Rabbits - Practical Shooting

Saturday was another induction training session at Golden City Shooting Club. 

On the Range

Quite a few new members have joined again and it is great to see a club that is so active.

There is so much to learn and once again safety is the key issue with the IPSC shooting discipline.

This session concentrated on the different starting commands as all course of fire does not start the same, so concentration is required and you have to remember if you are loaded and racked or just loaded or neither of the previous.

We also practiced shooting when it was necessary to kneel and then using only one hand - both strong and weak hand.

Now it is working on muzzle direction, finger off the trigger and accuracy. The speed will come. 

Cheeky Rock Rabbit

I just love it.

Those who follow my blogs will know I always have my camera with me and just as always there was something worthwhile to show.

As I was walking from the club house to the shooting stations I heard what at first sounded like a bird squawking. I always have to know and see and lo and behold - a rock rabbit sitting on the tyre barrier sneering at us. Definitely not afraid of us and not perturbed by all the gun fire. I had never seen a rock rabbit in real life and always thought they were agile little creatures. This one looked real mean.

Shooting, Shooting and More Shooting - Practical Shooting SA

So how about a very exciting weekend in my life. 
Who ever said that a Gran has to knit and sew. Not this one. I am now the "Shooting Nan"
This weekend there were two firsts for me.

ISPC Club Instructor

If you have been following my blogs you will know that we had looked into the sporting disciple of IPSC and that we had purchased handguns. I had to do my Competency Certificate as I had never owned a gun before but all the legal side and paper work was completed late in 2012 and now it was time to start shooting at the club.
We joined Golden City Gun Club in Johannesburg and on Saturday was our first induction shoot.
Rules and regulations were explained to us and safety which is a major issue at the club was drilled into us. Some target shooting and getting used to our rigs was the order of the day.
I absolutely loved it. Many times I had to be corrected (not life threatening offenses) as the adrenalin pumped through me but slowly I became more comfortable with my handgun. 
Richard and I both are shooting in the standard division with 40mm pistols.

STI - Edge 40

Now we are eagerly awaiting our second lesson and then it will be onto the range for our first club shoot. Fortunately we can get some practice in as we live on the farm most of the time which is a great advantage for us.


So that was Saturday. Then came Sunday.
Richard and the youngest son normally go to the "Maglite Shoots" which is a clay target shooting competition, shot in Babsfontein just outside Johannesburg. Unfortunately the son could not accompany Richard so I made a wild suggestion that I would go along and try my hand.
I have on a few occasions shot at the Christmas Shoot and a few shots on the farm, but never an official competition.
Here I was with seventy other shooters - all men - entered into this Sporting shoot, wearing Richard's old shooting jacket, my pockets filled with ammo and my gun (sorry Richard's gun) over my shoulder. I tried to look the part as naturally as possible. 
With the first few clays I was at a complete loss but soon I started picking up a few and whatever Richard had taught me started coming back and so the morning went on. By the time I had shot at sixty clays I could feel the strain in my arms and shoulder, but there was no way I was going to show it. Not in front of the men. I completed the hundred clay course and then seeing that I was the only lady I was even in line for a prize.
All I wanted was not to be bottom of the leader board and with a score of 45 there were four shooters (men) below me.
To great applause I went up and received a lovely lantern (Maglite manufactures torches and lamps, etc) which will always remind me of my first Clay Target Competition. 
Who knows, I might even decide later that I would like to shoot this as well.
A Message for all grans - Get out there and try your hand at something new, it invigorates your life, brings smiles to your face and gets your heart pumping.

Golden City Shooting Club - Practical Shooting SA

We were snowed under with our school camps towards the end of last year and then it was the Christmas break when we do not really get the opportunity to leave the farm as the staff are all on leave and now it is the first term hussle and bussle again so our formal shooting is not on the road yet but we still get practice in on the farm.
We have however joined Golden City Shooting Club, the Central Gauteng Practical Shooting (CGPSA)  and the South African Pistol (SAPSA) and in later in January we will do our Induction Training at the club and be all set to take part in club shoots.
It has taken us a few months to get to this position being so far from Johannesburg and waiting for Competence Certificates and Licenses and also then we run a business with very odd hours.
I am most excited about all this and can wait to get to Golden City the end of the month.