So, I finished a class in the Salt Lake City area on Saturday, and stayed an extra day to shoot the Glock match there (www.gssfonline.com) on Sunday.  The Evil Princess and I brought four friends.

They all told me they enjoyed heck out of it.  They all shot well.  We lent guns to a couple of them, which is just what you do when you’re introducing folks who are already shooters (as these were) to a game that is new to them, and of course, what you always do when you’re giving an introduction to those who don’t have guns of their own yet.

A shooting match is a great opportunity to meet new friends. We met many in Salt Lake.  One who stuck in my mind was a nice young lady named Tennille Chidester who was running the Glock M stage.  When she saw my name on the scoresheet, she realized it was probably the guy of the same name who wrote the book her father gave her when he presented her with her first handgun at age eighteen.  For me, it was one of those “you made my day” moments.

She and the rest of the crew at the Lee Kay Shooting Center in Salt Lake provided a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. It was a leisurely event with little waiting to shoot. (If ya want a relaxed pistol match, go to one in Utah on a Sunday morning.)

The preliminary scores show that it was a day of second places for our group. My significant other and I shot OK…she took second place female, and I took second place in Master Stock and Subcompact. I didn’t feel too bad about that, because I shot a subcompact 9mm Glock 26 throughout, including the stock gun (service pistol) and competition gun (target pistol) events. The guy who stomped me into the ground and captured first place across the board was Bryan Dover, and losing to him in this game is kinda like losing to Tiger Woods at a golf tournament: ya didn’t have a chance of beating him anyway, but you’re just kind of honored to have been able to compete with him in the same match.

On days like that, it ain’t about how well you shoot, it’s about the friends you brought to the range.  All four of ours shot well under pressure, and they all made me hugely proud of them, none more than Tommy Nelson. The other second place listed on the preliminary results was Tommy in the largest category, Amateur Civilian. He came one down from the top there, in his first time shooting this discipline!

That was WAY more important to me than my own finish.  You know that everyone shooting a given kind of shooting match for the first time has in the back of their mind the fear that they’ll come in dead last.  The fact is, they probably won’t.  But even if they do, they will have come in ahead of a countless number of macho men who look in the mirror and think they see a tacti-cool honcho of the gun, but don’t have the guts to put it on the line in public at a match…like the shooter you brought, DID!

Take someone shooting.  On the practice range if they’re new, and to a match if they’re ready.

You’ll feel as good about it as I do, today…

Tom Nelson contemplates a good day of shooting in Utah. He did great in his first GSSF match.

Tom Nelson

The captain and Tennille.  Capt. Ayoob with Tennille Chidester, one of the hard working GSSF range officers.

Tennille Chidester

The white steel target at left is on its way down from a .40 bullet fired by Carl Albright at his first GSSF match. He shot well.

Carl Albright

1 COMMENT

  1. Hi Mas,

    Where do you post your future classes? I would like to take a class, but I need advanced notice to schedule away from the office.

    Thanks,

    Tim Arrington
    St. Louis

  2. And respect them – as equals – if they are women. No pink guns or gun stocks. No “pinup” calendars.

  3. Awesome article Mas. I’ve never shot a match myself. In the back of my mind I still have a little fear that I’ll fail, or make a fool of myself. I know this is an unjustified fear, but that doesn’t change anything! Hell, I made it through your class in find fashion, after all. If I had a friend that shot matches and allowed me to tag along I don’t think this would be an issue. So then Mas…you plan on shooting any matches in the Wisconsin area any time soon?

  4. Sounds like a wonderful way to spend a Sunday! I agree about taking friends shooting – I introduced a friend of mine and her daughter to bows and pistols yesterday. We had a great time, and both women went home with HUGE smiles on their faces – and the conversation on the drive back from the range centered on when we could go again. And to top it all off, we ran into a friend of mine at the range, who let me try her AR-style rifle. My first time shooting an AR, and I hit the steel three out of three times at 50 yards.

    That’s how weekends should all be in my world!

  5. I try to. Those that join me end up liking it, purchasing a firearm and learning more all about it.
    It’s fun seeing a person that was on the fence hop on over:)

  6. I know the feeling, Mas. I’ve had the pleasure of introducing some of my students to I.D.P.A. Trouble is, some of them out-shoot me their first time out. Dang 20-somethings with lightning reaction times! 😉

  9. I like it. Weekend before last was the local USPSA match that I am MD for and we had an 11 year old boy and a 19 year old young woman shooting for the first time (she had one IDPA local match under her belt and he had one five stage steel match). The boy’s dad was there with him the whole time, not shooting just making sure his son was safe and had a good time. Before the match I saw a couple of the regulars walking the stages with the son and giving advice and it must have been good! He was on my squad and the advice given must have been good, he shot it clean with maybe 3 make up shots total and mostly Alphas (and that was with 32 and 30 round stages)! I was impressed with his control of the Glock 17 he was shooting and that he kept himself to a pace that worked for him. He will be back as will the young lady. She even interviewed some of us for a speech she was giving.
    Then this weekend was a 3 gun match that 2 new to 3 gun shooters were coming to without a shotgun. They shared an AR they brought and brought them my back up (a Remington 1100 set up for 3 gun). Had such a good time I did not get my gun back, but I bet I see it at future matches. Always makes for a great day and hope to see more in the future.

  10. Great stories…I will have to start looking into GSSF opportunities in my area (near Oklahoma City). I hear tell you can even buy a Glock at a tantalizing discount if you’re a member of the org long enough!

    Anyway- I totally agree, invite people shooting at any and all opportunities. Despite the multiple times I invite people, they crap out on me frequently. Perhaps they don’t like that I want to wake up and go to the range before 9am on a weekend. =P

    Inviting people to a match is its own monster, of sorts. It really helps to have back-up gear to offer when they say stuff like “well, I don’t have a holster or mag carrier, etc…”

    In my experience, no amount of chiding can get an ego-obsessed “tacticool honcho” to step up to the plate for a competition, though…maybe I’m friends with too many of those types! =O

  11. Hard to imagine a more fun day. I can almost feel the warmth of the Utah sun and the camaraderie.
    Captain and Tennille…that comment fired neurons I was sure were long since dead. Thanks for another warm feeling.

  12. Tim, my classes are listed at my training website http://massadayoobgroup.com. We should have the listing of all the 2013 classes up in a month or so.

    Jeff, I had the good fortune to win the Stock Service Revolver championship at the Wisconsin State IDPA Championships a few years ago, but my schedule hasn’t intersected well for matches there since. They did a great job, and I’ll look forward to competing there again when the schedule permits.

    best,
    Mas

  13. I regularly offer to take friends to the range. Now that I have a decent selection of firearms, it’s not even that expensive. Sadly, I can’t attend matches, but it’s always a pleasure to introduce or re-introduce people to shooting.
    Ever since I got a .22 revolver to work with, it’s been easy to ease friends into the process.

  14. I have been shooting GSSF for 2 years now. That’s a total of 22 matches as I shoot more than 1 division per match. One thing about the Glocks (I have 5). They make you appreciate the 1911 all the more.
    For Jeff in WI. There will be a GSSF match this coming week end Oct. 6th and 7th. I will be there on the 6th, Sarurday. Look for a blue Subaru Forrestor. It will be held at a club just south of Milwaukee. Check out the directions to the club at the web address Mas listed above. If you need a glock to shoot, I can loan you mine. You will need 3 boxes of FACTORY ammo. I use 115 gr. Ball.
    $25 to join GSSF and $25 to shoot the match

  15. Mas, I want to get over to a GSSF match. But something always comes up. This idea of introducing new people to a match is really great.

    When ever I see new shooters, I always help the new shooters as much as I can. It’s always more fun for me.

  16. Addendum for Jeff in WI: Upon rereading your post, I didnot mean to imply that I would be a good stand-in for Mas. He is a much better shooter than I. I am just better looking! I forgot to mention that the ammo needed is 9mm. Also depending on the number of entries Glock will randomly award certificates for a free Glock. This makes it exciting for the average shooter; you do not have to be a top shooter to get in on some of the goodies. Look for a portly guy with a white goatee.

  17. I think the Gun Dudes are going to be walking on cloud 9 for months after that article! Good job on you, Mas, for giving them a “win” of their own by taking them with you.

  18. Even if they don’t ‘get the bug’, introducing shooting to someone can demystify guns and remove the fear some try to promote. A friend of mine experienced this. She had never shot a gun, but got a chance to visit a local range. She later told me that it was interesting and she learned a lot, but didn’t see herself shooting regularly.

  19. Haven’t had much luck getting any friends to a match, I shoot IDPA, but I keep trying. Those that have come have been surprised by having such a great time. Take new people to the range whenever I find someone interested. As far as my first match, which was IDPA, I actually expected to be last. I’d only been shooting about 4 months and expected more experienced and better shooters. It didn’t bother me though as my only concerns were learning, being safe, having fun, and not getting DQed! Three years later and I’m still learning and having a great time with great people.

  20. This is a little off of the subject matter but not much. After some research on the internet I purchased a Glock 21SF and my question is do I need to necessarly replace the guide rod and spring and is it necessary to replace the barrel. I do all of my own reloading, but it is all jacketed rounds and after reading some of the artilces was wondering if the above changes are necessary if I plan to do a lot of firing on the range.

  21. Johnny Coburn, if your reloads are within service velocity spec and you’re using jacketed bullets, there’s no need to change anything. A lighter spring may be necessary if you’re handloading for particularly soft recoil, and an aftermarket cut-rifled barrel is only essential with the Glock if you’re shooting lead bullets through it.

    best,
    Mas