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 Safety, safety,
safety - are you getting tired of hearing about this? Do you want
fewer rules versus more? Some of our readers have expressed concern
that my last editorial about the gunfighter class may result in more
unnecessary rules. Hopefully, that will not occur. However, we must
all remember that safety should be our main concern, even over
having fun. The gunfighter class is a class where the shooter (at
least this one) can have a real ball. I have not met anyone (yet)
shooting gunfighter class who isn't a fairly experienced shooter.
We must realize though that the mystique of having two guns out and
blazing away (and yes, Wild Bill Hickok did shoot this way on
occasion) may provide the incentive to new shooters, or even
experienced shooters, to enter this class even though they may not
have had a lot of experience shooting duelist with their weak hand.
Is this of concern? It should be.
An inexperienced shooter, shooting
a sixgun with the weak hand, can present a safety risk. This may be
especially true when you have a stage that requires shooting with
the weak hand, and the shooter (assume a relatively new cowboy
shooter) has NEVER shot with the weak hand before. They may not be
able to retain full control of their grip on the sixgun in this
case. Such a stage should never REQUIRE the shooter to shoot with
the weak hand (personal opinion). The shooter should be asked if
they are comfortable shooting that way and if not, shoot with the
strong hand and take a time penalty.
I will also take this opportunity
to talk about the targets we use in our sport and the safety issues
regarding them. Most of the targets, especially at large matches,
are very close - many times within 12-15 yards. Such large targets
at 8-12 yards, and sometimes 15, which are not angled correctly, can
result in backsplatter. Such backsplatter can be painful and is
certainly dangerous to anyone not wearing proper eye protection.
(When I say proper, I mean glasses that also cover the sides of the
eye.) You might not think this is important, but if you are turned
sideways to the stage, backsplatter can still hit you on the edge of
the eye if the sides are not protected.
What can we do to reduce
backsplatter without changing the target location or scenarios?
Well, there is one relatively easy fix - using swinging targets,
moveable targets (knock-over plates), or angle the target forward so
that no matter where it is hit the backsplatter will ricochet down
into the ground. I personally recommend the latter. I was at an
NCOWS match last year that had all of their targets angled and I did
not hear of one instance of any backsplatter hitting anyone.
Well, folks, there it is - some
of my personal views on safety. Happy trails and keep your
powder dry, Chucky
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