The ROC, there's a simple way around this. Work with your club to host your OWN event.
Locally one or two of the guys in my club took it upon theirselves to organize and schedule a Speed Steel shooting event. It's simple, doesn't take much time to set up if you have some steel targets available and is hellacioius fun and low in voluteer duties. Just a timer and one of the other shooters willing to run it for the RO when it's HIS turn to shoot.
Here's how it's set up and scored....
- There's 5 targets, four or less white and one black. The 1,2 or 4 white targets are shot first and the black target last to finish the string.
- If there's less than 4 whites then shots are split between them to total four hits. So one target would get all 4 shots, 2 would get two each, then it jumps to 4 to avoid confusing folks
.
- If the black is hit before the 4 whites then penalty times are added to the time as "failure to engage" penalties.
- The idea is to keep shooting at the whites until you manage to hear 4 DING!'s Only then do you switch to hit the black.
- Targets are set out at ranges from 10 to 50 yards to best provide an interesting layout that tests the shooter's skill but isn't stupidly hard. Generally distant targets are larger, like 2x3 feet plates while closer targets are made from 10 inch round discs. Barricades and other obstables that encourage kneeling or shooting around or through objects add to the fun.
- Arrangeing the whites around the black to encourage accuracy or laughs due to a miss hitting the black and ending the stage early is a dirty trick that is used typically once per event to encourage groans and ribbing...
- All shooting is done from one position on each stage. No running with guns in hand avoids the need for Black Badge or other special certifications. But in a lot of the cases the shooter may be required to start from a standing position and then kneel or duck to shoot through a barricade.
- Requireing the use of strong or weak hand for some stages is encouraged. Stage designers that do so should be thick skinned to deal with the groans and comments about family origins indicating canine sources from the contestants...
- The event is run strictly on time. Match timers record the time of the last shot and the RO with the timer and the shooter can clearly hear the BONG of the steel so they know better than to keep shooting. The BONG of the black ends the string.
- Each shooter steps up with sufficient mags and ammo to shoot a full 6 strings in a row on each stage. The idea of this is to save a lot of down time in switching out shooters.
- The RO/Timer does the usual "Load and make ready" and the shooter loads and holds the line gun at a 45 low ready. At the beep he engages the targets and the shooting stops when the black is hit or more than 30 seconds passes. That 30 second rule is to same both time and ammo. While the time for the string is being written down the shooter reloads and once ready the RO/Timer calls "Standby" and when the timer beeps you go again. Repeat 6 times. At the end of the last string the RO/Timer calls for you to unload and show clear. At that point you're done and the next shooter steps up.
- Contestants are encouraged to help out by helping with timing or filling out score cards. For shooters that don't have enough magazines contestants help by reloading the magazines while the shooting is going on. THis makes for a fast running of the stage so a pretty decent number of shooters can move through in a hurry.
- Contestants are split into equal size groups that number as many groups as there are stages (typically 5 or 6 stages). THis assumes you have access to enough timers of course. Each group has to have its own timer in order to keep scores.
- The guns themselves are split into classes that help make it a bit more even. This is where the .22's come into it. For pistols there's groups for .22 semi, centerfire semi, centerfire DA "Police" (some local LEO's wanted to be able to use their service guns in their own class so it was added.). Each of these classes is then split again into Production sights or Open where red dots and full on race guns are allowed. On top of this there's a class for carbine where .22 semi rifles go up against pistol caliber centerfire carbines such as the Beretta Storm. In our case that class sees a lot of Ruger 10/22 rifles in use. Some use iron sights, others scopes and others red dots.
- Awards are an annoucement of the winner for each class and a groan from the fellow competitors This avoids the need for awards and copious record keeping. But at some point if you wanted to trot out a season winner certificate printed on nice paper I'm sure a couple of hours with the computer, a colour inkjet and some fancy paper would produce some nice certificates. But for a day to day deal I'd keep it simple.
It sounds like a lot when you read it but keep in mind that I stuck in the full explanation of how to run the event as well as the very small number of "rules". In the local version of this about 1/4 of the folks are using .22's. I don't know why there isn't any more than that. It's wonderful fun and using the .22 makes for a cheap day of shooting. I've only been out to two of these so far but I fully plan on using one of my .22's for one pass through and then one of my centerfire handguns for the other. We generally shoot two separate events in one day. One before and the other after lunch. THis way folks can come early and get away or sleep in and join late without being penalized. And for those that can spend the full day there they get to shoot twice.
Many of the clubs have some form of steel targets around that can be used by hand gun caliber events such as this. If not then getting started would be a bit more work but it could still be done.
The big thing is that events like this exist not because they miraculously appear. They happen because someone looks around and thinks "someone should run an event like xyz.... Hmmmm.... maybe
I should start one" and the rest becomes history. So find a couple of fellow shooters and talk to your club's management. A small fee collected to contribute to the club coffers should convince them.
Just remember, KEEP IT SIMPLE! Staying simple like our version has done makes for more people shooting, less down time and more fun all around. The lack of need to score and patch paper targets is what makes this possible. No "BONG!", "DING!" or "BINK!" sound means the shooter keeps going until he hits the target. Pretty simple really.
