OSA EVENT AFTER ACTION REports

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April 2012 - Guest Instructor Weekend  

Here's Keith's report to members on the Pistol Guest Instructor Weekend:

Another successful weekend. Phil and Krammy delivered their usual informative and exciting course – everyone appreciated your efforts. The weather was great for both days although a bit cool in the morning but warming up nicely as the day progressed. There were about 20 who attended and got to shoot lots of pistol and some carbine. All very good training.

We are going to initiate a new rule about attending Guest Instructor weekends. I made an error in judgement by allowing some of the newer members and others with minimal experience attend something that was a bit over their head and skill level. In the future we will be requiring you to be with us for a least a year and attend our clinics. We have been talking about having a qualification weekend that you would have to attend before coming to a Guest Instructor weekend. This new rule would only apply to new members who do not yet have the required skill levels to be able to take proper advantage of what the Guest Instructor is offering. We want Guest Instructors to come to us with advanced techniques – we should be dealing with the basics within the club.

I want to extend our appreciation to Scott who gave up shooting to work on the classroom/cabin. He re-wired it so that we have a easy plug-in for the generator and with hot plug-ins for the classroom. It’s a great addition. Scott has done so much to upgrade the cabin!! He then spent the Sunday helping me remove the fire wood trees from the sides of the 600 meter range so we can eventually widen and improve it. Thanks Scott – you are truly OSA’s right hand man.

Mike B organized a work crew (Paul and Dan) from his shooting club to come up on Sunday and paint the outside of the cabin. They did a great job and truly have given it a new face. Mike stayed overnight and was handy on Monday morning to greet his new crew of Kirk and Jimmy. They, along with Dick, put new shingles on the target shed on the 100 meter range. They finished just in time to have the new roof protect against a rain storm. It looks great, guys – thanks!

Guest Instructor weekend can be a busy time for Linda who provides two lunches and a BBQ for everyone. He life was made easier with help from Diane, who came out to specifically help and from Dick and Marcia who stopped shooting early to come in and help. Thanks to everyone because you are surely helping to make it happen.

We’d like to welcome Sue to OSA. She has a brand new Walther P-90 that she brought out to be introduced to the OSA family and many of us got a chance to shoot it. Great little pistol and we’re all glad that now we may see Sue at more of our events.

Also welcome to CFTI as our newest affiliate member. Krammy, our Guest Instructor, is the contact and we certainly hope to see more of him.

April 2012 - Steel Challenge Clinic  

Here's Keith's report to members on the Steel Challenge Clinic:

This past weekend was the first time we held a Steel Challenge Clinic, although, we have held a Steel Challenge match for the past couple of years. These matches have had good reviews and we are planning to continue them. To support this it seemed logical to hold a clinic and give everyone a chance to learn and practice for them – so we did.

We had 18 show up for the clinic, some continuing on from the basic pistol clinic on the previous weekend and some coming out to our range for the first time. There were 6 women who came out for the training. That’s 1/3 were women shooting in an Operational Shooting club event. That is soooo good to see. We spent the morning doing work-ups on paper, first practicing to hit a 3.5 inch dot. We progressed on to hitting the dot quickly, in fact, the goal was to hit it 10 times in 30 seconds. Once accomplished, we then worked on hitting 2 dots, then three and finally 5 dots as fast as we could go and still keep hitting it. We also practiced drawing and firing the first shot as quickly as we could. All of this took us until noon. After lunch we went over to the steel range and did work-ups on the steel targets.

On Sunday we set up 4 of the Steel Challenge stages and used two of them as a training vehicle. Everyone went through them several times while being coached as to the best way to take them on. We used the afternoon and the other two stages as actual competition rehearsal so everyone got a feel on how the match would go.

On Saturday the weather was overcast, cold and with a wind which was, at times, brisk. We always want everyone coming to our range to have a good and comfortable time. Several of our shooters looked cold throughout the day, which caused us a little concern. We’d like you to wear appropriate clothing so you can be comfortable all day. I’d suggest something loose fitting for warmth. On these early spring (and fall) outings, it’s always a good idea to bring another outer layer (top and bottom) to put on if you feel cold. If you check out the weather for the day and determine from this that you might need another layer then you can put your extra layer under your outer clothing. It is most important to wear proper footwear for the day. If your feet get wet and cold your day can be most miserable. It’s important to us that you have a good time and dressing for the weather will improve the chances. Follow the adage that there is no such thing as inclement weather, only inappropriate clothing.

I have attached the computer weather link here www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/caon0351 If you check the weather for the Kinmount area you can get an idea as to what you could expect. From this you can look at the temperatures and the expected wind. Winds that are 15 kph will be a major consideration in staying warm – especially if they are combined with temperatures of 10C or less. This will give you a couple of numbers you can use as a reference. Remember the numbers from the last time, how you were dressed and if you were comfortable, then adjust your clothing accordingly the next time you have similar numbers.

There is one other point of considerable concern to us. On this particular weekend we have had several occasions of squib loads. This is when there isn’t enough powder in a cartridge and the bullet gets stuck in the barrel. In all cases it was with the use of hand loads – not to say it couldn’t happen with factory ammo but this is very rare. The squib load situation isn’t so bad if the bullet is just barely stuck in the barrel and won’t allow the next cartridge to chamber. But as happened in one case the bullet was part way down the barrel and the firing of another round behind it caused the barrel to bulge and damaged it beyond further use. None of the situations put anyone in any immediate danger but the potential is still there. It is not only a potential danger to the shooter but also to those standing nearby on the firing line. You can certainly understand why some clubs have banned the use of hand loads. It is something we might have to consider unless more and better care is assumed by the hand loader. There are basic rules in hand loading to prevent this and they must be followed - we have already had too many experiences to show why these rules must be followed.

April 2012 - Pistol Clinic and Holster Course 

Here's Keith's report to members on the Pistol Clinic and Holster Course:

We have just finished our first formal event of the year. We had great weather with the rain holding off until we were finished on Sunday. There were 28 attending on Saturday, which filled our range nicely. There were a number of new members coming out for the first time which made all our efforts worthwhile. On Saturday we focused on what it takes to consistently hit the target. It would seem the point was made as marksmanship skills improved throughout the day. We spent the morning going over the marksmanship principles and more. In the afternoon we applied it to the range with lots of rounds all the while focusing on making the hit. On Sunday Scott took over and taught the Holster Course. There were 17 who stayed over to get qualified to shoot in our Advanced Operational Pistol matches and in the Steel Challenge. Scott did a great job and kept everything moving and interesting. Dick won a very exciting shoot out. More and more Dick has been sneaking in the back door and just whacking the bunch of us. Well done, Dick!!

March 2012 Ajax Club Shoot 

Here's Keith's report to members on the Ajax Club shoot:  

Last Saturday we had a Club Challenge with the Ajax club. It was a great experience. Thanks very much to Richard M and the Ajax club for putting on an excellent competition. It was scenario based IDPA style shooting with 4 stages. We shot it twice once with range lights on and once with flashlights. Just an outstanding experience!! It was good to see so many police officers there as this is the type of shooting they should be good at and you can only get good if you get out and get the experience. Thanks again Richard and we hope you can bring a team to the OSA Club Challenge. This Club Challenge event might yet catch on.

March 2012 Snowshoe & Shoot 

Here's Keith's report to members on the final Snowshoe & Shoot of the new year:  

February 2012 Snowshoe & Shoot 

Here's Keith's report to members on the second OSA event of the new year:  

January 2012 Snowshoe & Shoot 

Here's Keith's report to members on the first OSA event of the new year:  

January 2011 Snowshoe & Shoot 

Here's Keith's report to members on the first OSA event of the new year:  

So we made it through our first Snowshoe and Shoot and everyone had a good time. We had 10 people show up with a couple of more sending their regrets because down south there was a real snow storm going on. Certainly we don’t want anyone risking the dangers of driving in a snow storm to come to our events so we really appreciate those who did manage to show up. We had several new people show up for the first time and we hope they come back for future events.

The weather report was fairly accurate with temperatures around -4C and a light snowfall that lasted all day. The snow did accumulate somewhat during the day but we still didn’t need snowshoes for the walk out, and everyone who drove in the driveway was able to get out without difficulty. As I mentioned in my last msg about how to dress, with snow falling all day one could certainly see the need for the outer shell to be wind and waterproof. Those that wore fleece on the outside had snow accumulate on them which eventually melted from body heat and made the clothing wet. And then if you planned to shoot some rifle from the prone, it was best to wear a complete rain suit so the snow wouldn’t stick to you and eventually get you wet. A light un-insulated rain suit still has its place in winter.

One of the aims of these winter events is to get out into it. The best way to get over any winter glooms that might be creeping into your life is to dress properly and get out into it. There is no more satisfying feeling than to spend the day out in winter, dressed properly so you are comfortable and have fun. And adding the opportunity to shoot some shots... well... it can hardly get better than that.

So, on the way in we split in half and some went to the 100 meter range to confirm some zeros while others, who brought only a pistol, went straight to the 600 meter butts and shot some steel. We later all linked up at the 600 meter butts. Tom brought in his new Glock 17 Gen 4 to shoot for the first time. What a marvellous pistol with adjustable grip and very accurate out of the box. I had a chance to shoot this pistol and was able to keep 10 shots into a quarter of one of our 3 inch orange sticky dots. One of our newbie’s, Jen, was trying several of the pistols available with the intention of maybe getting one to shoot in the other OSA pistol events. It’s a great place to start having the opportunity to shoot several different models with some coaching as to the advantages of each before you go off to buy the one you want.

On the way out we shot some rifle at the various steel targets available back to 600 meters. Kevin was the only one who wanted to go for the 1000 meter gong and managed to ring it several times.

We were all out and having hot chocolate by 1530. This was a great outing and I’m certainly looking forward to the next one. I will keep you informed as it draws near.

December 2010 OSA/Ajax Challenge

Here's Keith's report to members on the OSA/Ajax Club Challenged hosted by Ajax:  

Firstly I have to apologize to those members of OSA who attended the
OSA/Ajax challenge. I was unable to attend due to an unforeseen eventuality.
I was deer hunting with bow on the Friday afternoon before the Saturday match and hit a nice
buck at last light. We followed up on the blood trail for a short distance
but decided to back out and try again in the morning. On Saturday morning we
found the deer within an hour - he had actually died within about 10 minutes
of being hit but had spent that 10 minutes travelling as hard and fast as he
could. We eventually found him lying in about a foot of water in the edge of
a swamp about 500 meters from where he was hit. It took us about 3 hours to
get him out and to the house. We then had to process him and get him into a
freezer on this same day as we were leaving on Sunday to work with the
London Tac team. So we just didn't have time to include the match although
we thought about trying.
 
I have attached a picture. This is the best deer I have ever shot. I was
using a Hoyt compound bow and carbon arrows with mechanical broad heads. I took the shot from 50 meters and hit him about 6-8 inches back of a perfect hit.
 
I've heard rave reviews about the OSA/Ajax Challenge from several OSA
members. I have included comments from Scott here below:
 
Richard put on a great 4 stage match utilizing many of the core training
principles we teach using our OSA Pistol match`s, shooting from cover,
turning and shooting, shooting while moving, strong hand / support hand
among others.
 
All shooters were able to shoot for score and then each was given at least 1
additional 'fun' run for practice. Once the timed runs were completed and an
excellent lunch was finished Richard reviewed the scores and OSA member Andy
K came out on top in the first place position. Richard if you happen to have
the other standings we would be most interested.
 
On behalf of OSA I made the invitation to the Ajax members to come up next
year and join us for our events, be it pistol or long gun. And an invitation
was provided for OSA members to join Ajax for future events as well.
 
On behalf of OSA and its members I would like to sincerely thank you
Richard, for a great day of shooting and training, you have a great facility
and we hope we can reciprocate the opportunity come next year at MilCun.
 
 I have also attached an AAR from Richard, to include scores and standings.
Thanks again, Richard for a great match. And we do look forward to you and
your club coming to our Club Challenge event in the spring. I have already
spoken to the Haliburton club and they are planning to attend and invite us
to one of theirs. Dates to be announced.

October 2010 Founding Members Day

Here's Keith's report to members on the OSA Founding Members Day:  

On Saturday we had the Founder’s Day event which included talking over last year’s events and discussing some activities for next year. With that done, it is now time to send out some thoughts and notes for everyone else to consider.

• Operational F-Class/F-Class - This past spring Linda and I conducted a Wind Reading course at Connaught ranges. This was done in conjunction with the NCRRA (a club located on Connaught ranges). It was well received and we will be holding another one next year. At this course several of the students mentioned that if we (OSA/MilCun) were to hold an F-Class match here (at MilCun) they would like to come to it. Now, being one to always want to put an operational spin on things, I suggested that we could have two classes – a traditional F-Class and an Operational F-Class. Details of the Operational F-Class need to get sorted out yet but would include the use of a tactical style bipod, a rifle/stock configuration that would be logical and practical for operations and perhaps an operational specific type target. The traditional F-Class would follow their own rules and we would provide a bulls eye target with appropriate scoring rings. You would shoot three to a firing point (which is the very best way to develop wind reading skills) and the match would be conducted as is currently done in Target Rifle matches. Anyways, there wasn’t too much enthusiasm at the meeting for this, so I’m throwing this out to the e-mail list. If you would be interested in such a match let me know and I will schedule it, otherwise I won’t.

• Club Challenge - This past year we challenged the Haliburton County Marksmen’s Club to shoot a pistol match using the OSA Operational Pistol course of fire. This was enthusiastically well received. Everyone said many time how much they enjoyed it and wanted to do it again. So we will. However, we would like to get other clubs interested in bringing a group to shoot the OSA Operational Pistol course of fire so we could have more than just two teams competing. As well OSA would like to be invited to attend any other club (particularly during the winter if this other club has an indoor range) to shoot whatever they would like to shoot. Sooo... if anyone belongs to another club and they would be interested in either coming to our OSA event or would like to invite us to an event they would like to host, provide me with a contact name and e-mail address and we will talk out the details.

• Practice Days - Last year we had practice days scheduled throughout the shooting year and although some came and made use of some days, the practice days were not well used. So this year we did not schedule any days and occasionally someone would ask us if we had any practice days available. So we are a bit unsure if we should schedule practice days or not. It was suggested at the meeting that we offer focused and planned practice days were we would offer only specific work ups as opposed to an open practice day where you tell us what you want to do and we organize the range around that. It was also suggersted that we provide practice days on an “as available”. If the range is not in use, then put it out on the e-mail list and those who would like to use it could. Let me know what you think about practice days.

• Women’s Day - This event is receiving rave reviews, is well attended each year and will continue next year. Further to this, Linda is thinking about organizing a Women’s Section within the OSA so that during a major event, those women who do not wish to be involved with the competiton can go to another range on site and Linda would provide a day more suited to their skill level and interests. It was also suggested that the Women’s Day event be scheduled earlier in the year so those who wish to take advantage of the Women’s Section would have many other events within the year to attend. For a terrific article on the 2010 Women’s Day, take a look at Pages 22-23 of the County Voice newspaper: http://ezread.ca/countyvoice/voice/cv-oct2610/index.html Linda also wanted me to mention that 33% of those attending the Founder’s Day were women... this is a significant for our club, especially when the shooting sports in Canada generally run about 10% female participants. Let us know what you think of an earlier Women’s Day and the Women’s Section.

• Hunter’s Match - This type of match came to mind during the Hunter Marksman’s course. The rifle used here would be one that is legal, logical and practical for hunting deer, bear and moose (any ammo could be used). The target would be an IPSC classic target turned 90 degrees and include sudden engagements, follow up shots, deliberate shots and moving targets at ranges of 50 to 300 meters. Let me know if you would like to attend such a match.

• National Service Conditions Championships (NSCC) at Connaught - The OSA team that attended these matches this year did very well and we would like to encourage others to attend with us next year. Because NSCC focuses on pistol, service rifle and sniper rifle, it falls in line with the aims of OSA. Currently events held at OSA are the only place in Ontario where you can practice for the NSCC. To this end, it is my intention to ask the NCRRA to host a service rifle weekend and a sniper/precision rifle weekend at some time prior to the NSCC events. These would be hosted by NCRRA and conducted by OSA. We will also be hosting at least one service rifle weekend at MilCun. Let me know if you are interested in getting involved with these events.

• Moving Targets Event - It was suggested that we conduct a moving targets event. This would involve the moving target matches we already have in place for each weapon class. You would need to bring a sniper rifle to shoot the mover at 400 and 200 meters that is shot in NSCC and the OSA Operational Sniper course of fire. A service/tactical rifle would be needed to shoot the movers in NSCC (Moving Target and FIBUA matches) at 300, 200, 100 and 50 meters. And finally, you need a pistol to shoot the movers that are in the Operational Pistol course of fire. By the end of this weekend, you will find all of the moving target matches easier.

• 22 Cal Weekend - This event involves the use of a 22 cal tactical type rifle (or something similar) to shoot tactical type matches and a long range type 22 cal rifle to shoot back to 200 or 300 meters. It was suggested that we conduct the tactical portion using the NSCC FIBUA course of fire and actual targets and to shoot the critical matches in the NSCC service rifle matches on reduced targets at 25 yards. It was also suggested that we use more 22 cal in our pistol matches. Shooting for honours is always available to anyone who would like to shoot any match but would rather use a 22 cal firearm. If there are sufficient participants using 22s, we may make a separate 22 cal class and award separate prizes. Bottom line is if you want to shoot it, then bring it and we’ll figure out how you fit in.

• Steel Challenge Championship - This match was well received and we will do it again next year. It is truly a challenge and needs lots of mental control to do well. It is excellent cross training for any of the other pistol disciplines.

October 2010 Women's Day

Here's Keith's report to members on the OSA Women's Day (where the men get to work and the women get to play!):  

Yesterday, OSA held it’s Women’s Day. This was the second year for this event and was again well attended. The weather was great and the “girls with guns” had a great day. This year Linda had them shooting ARs as well as pistols and we would love to see more of them getting involved with the various related activities offered by OSA. I overheard one of the ladies being referred to as “sniper” so we certainly hope she will return to boost OSA’s women’s team in some of our club invitational matches. Our Glock representative Ed M from Police Ordnance was present to provide a “Glock goodies bag” of related items. Elwood Epps provided a coupon for a special deal if any of the participants wanted to “get a Glock”. We had a couple of women who really “got it” and this is what brings the reward to the RSOs/coaches. A special thanks to Marcia and to the 2009 alumni who helped make this happen. The OSA men and some friends of OSA really stepped up to the plate as well, providing their equipment, time and expertise... I organized the ranges with help from Aaron (also the event medic), Dan, Al and Scott... thanks also to Dick and Walt who provided equipment. Finally, thanks in advance to Lyn Winans who promised to provide the many pictures she took... we look forward to seeing her story in The County Voice!

October 2010 Police Marksmen Challenge

Here's Keith's report to members on the Police Marksmen Challenge, hosted by our OSA affiliate at the Toronto Police Service: 

Last Wednesday the Police Marksmen Challenge (PMC) was held here at MilCun. This has become an annual event hosted by Sgt Mike B from the Toronto Police Service. It is a competition for police, security and military pers only (although when Dick and I whined enough at Mike, he did let us shoot it for honours only). The matches consisted of pistol, tactical rifle and sniper rifle. It was organized so that we shot a match with each weapon at cardboard and paper on Maple Tree range and then went to Hill Top Range for a second series of matches at steel. It was a great day of action type shooting and good training. The overall winner of the day was  OSA’s own Sgt Dan C from the OPP. This is the second year in a row Dan has won this event.

To keep this event interesting it takes good leadership as well as interesting prizes. Kamran T from Coretac Solutions again provided about $2,000 worth of gear, prizes and awards. Kamran is an OSA member and in the business of providing tactical gear of all kinds. Let me encourage you to consider him first when you or your agency is in the market for such things. OSA and MilCun also provided prizes with MilCun again this year offering a $500.00 discount on our Police Sniper 1 course. Now, as I mentioned, Dan won this match and this discount for the second year in a row and since he used it last year for PS1, we have offered him PS2 at this discount.

Other OSA members were in the thick of things to help make this match happen. Scott B (from Questar International, the place to go for just about anything that’s hard to get and certainly tactical things) was Mike’s “go to guy” to help with organization and did much to set up the various ranges. He was the RO for the activities on Hill Top Range. Marcia worked with registration, stats and organizing the prize presentation. Dick was involved with helping with set up and he and I had the pleasure of shooting the matches to provide an experienced  perspective from  the competitor’s point of view. (This was a rough job, but someone has to do it – Mike, can we do this rough job again next year...?). Mike also had help from members of his OSA affiliated TPS shooting club.

September 2010 3-Gun Championship

Here's Keith's report to members on the OSA annual 3-Gun match and BBQ: 

Last weekend we did our 3-Gun match which involves pistol, service rifle and sniper rifle. With pistol we shot the same 5 matches as is shot at NSCC plus the Last One Standing match. With service rifle we shot 5 of the most demanding matches shot at NSCC. And with sniper rifle we shot 5 matches from the OSA Operational sniper course of fire. This included 3 matches shot at NSCC.

We had some rain for the Saturday, not too much – just enough to know it was raining. We put up a “pop-up” for when it rained the hardest and where we took a short break until it stopped. Still we were finished by noon and on time. The afternoon was spent shooting service rifle and with almost no rain. Sunday was cool and dry with almost no wind. It was a great opportunity to establish a true wind zero but not very challenging as a wind reading opportunity.

With some NSCC veterans out for the practice opportunity as well as some of the OSA regulars, one had to stay on your game to get into the winner’s circle. I did manage to win the pistol and service rifle while Mike T won the sniper. Mike, who works for Epps, is becoming a regular at these matches and a serious contender. I did hang on to the 3-Gun aggregate and won the championship.

Of special note is Marcia, who is the first woman to shoot all three events in these matches. She braved the weather and shot well. She shot in these matches without the benefit of previous practice or training. Everyone with experience helped her with the preliminaries but in the end she was the one pulling the trigger. We all appreciate her leadership by example and hope other women follow her into these practical matches.

On another note, OSA has received its best ever compliment. A member of the local police (who is a member of OSA) was recently talking with his tactical team about getting involved with OSA and the related training value. The police officers were concerned about getting involved with a civilian type shooting club because they just don’t know who and what type of person they might meet. Our OSA member assured them that this was the type of club they wanted to attend and that OSA members were the type of people they wanted to shoot with. We all thank him for this vote of confidence and hope that more police officer get involved with the events we put on. OSA was originally formed with these officers in mind.

August 2010 Steel Challenge Championship

Here's Keith's report to members on the inaugural OSA Steel Challenge Championship:

This was the very first time we have conducted the OSA Steel Challenge Championships. The weather was perfect for both days with it best described as a wonderful cool summer day or as a warm fall day – the key point being that there was no rain on either days.

Over the 2 days, we worked our way through 8 stages. Each stage has its own array of 5 steel plates, each with its own tactic to best engage all the plates faster than the other guy. Each has its own degree of difficulty, some have the emphasis on speed while others have it on accuracy – all challenging and a lot of fun.

Our first ever Steel Challenge Champion turned out to be Mike B, with Scott B being second and myself finishing in third. There were OSA medals and dog tags for each of the stages as well for each day’s agg and, of course, for the overall agg.

These matches were very well received and our plan is to make them a regular each year. We all saw areas where we could improve and recognized that if we can shoot them well we will improve our pistol shooting in other disciplines. We will see how next year’s scheduling goes but would like to include a weekend clinic on shooting steel and maybe a pre-championship weekend.

A good positive note about this past weekend was that there were three women competing. It is certainly hoped that they will become regulars at our matches. This may be the start of a women’s league that we can promote when we have other clubs come to our events. It also lets other women who might be a bit reluctant to get involved in our sport to realize that we have women already coming to these events. If your lady is voicing some interest in shooting but is afraid she might be the only woman there, well... keep her informed... and let her know about the upcoming Women’s Day.

August 2010 TPS-OSA Tactical Rifle Match

Here's Keith's report to members on the Tactical Rifle Match organized by the Toronto Police shooting club (an OSA affiliate):

What a great shoot!!! Mike and Scott spent the day before setting up the various target arrays and we launched bright and early on Friday morning. The matches were based around the many trails we have, each having its own scenario. The last match of the day was on Maple Tree range and involved an interesting series of props to include bursting bottles of coloured water and cars made of plywood. Truly a fun day.

We had an even split of police officers and OSA member (well everyone was OSA members but some of us weren’t cops). This resulted in a team event for the aggregate of the day. The OSA team managed to nip the Police team. Below are the results:

Match One: Advance to Contact - 1st. Kirk C, 2nd. Keith C, 3rd. Mike T

Match Two: Jungle Lane - 1st. Kirk C, 2nd. Aaron G, 3rd. Mike B

Match Three: Patrol Walk - 1st. Rob L, 2nd. Marcia B, 3rd. Kirk C

Over-All Event Winners - 1st. Kirk C, 2nd. Keith C, 3rd. Rob L

Good news for those who wanted to attend but didn’t – there are plans already in place for next year’s event. So start thinking about coming, we guarantee you’ll have fun.

July 2010 Operational Sniper (Precision Rifle) Match

Here's Keith's report to members on the Operational Sniper Match:

We have certainly been having wonderful weather for our matches and this one was just as good. The temperatures for both days was comfortable with some overcast on Saturday, and Sunday was cool in the morning with brilliant blue skies. The bug season is virtually over with the odd one buzzing around only occasionally. Many of us have been wearing short sleeves for the past couple of weeks and repellent is no longer needed except in the bush after dark.

The course, last week, went very well and we covered the matches plus more. Everyone was prepared for the matches and keen to compete. Each of the students won at least one match with Al B, who was completely new to these matches and this style of shooting, winning the Run Down match. Al is a welder by profession and not the “Run Down” type. He admitted that he hadn’t ran that far in quite some time but that didn’t seem to bother him when it involved getting to shoot as well. Aaron G won the weekend agg and is our sniper champion for this year. He did the course and match last year and came only for the match this year. Seems to have worked for him.

July 2010 .22 cal Weekend

Here's Keith's report to members on the .22 cal Weekend:

We had a great weekend. The weather cooperated just right. The temperature was OK with some cloud cover from time to time to shade us and the rain didn’t happen until Sunday night.

On Saturday we shot the NSCC Service Rifle course of fire using reduced targets and 22 cal tactical rifles from 100 meters down to 15 meters. Dave used his new S&W M&P AR1522. We were all keen to see how this dedicated 22 cal AR would work out. It has all the same handling requirements as it’s big brother and performed perfectively throughout the match. All I would like to do now is mount a good scope on it and shoot it with some match grade ammo to see what it’ll do from an accuracy point of view. But Garry dominated the day using his Ruger 1022, so there’s still room for other types of  22s in these matches.

Dick and I shot our ARs in 223 in these matches and although not eligible for any prises, it turned out to be great training for NSCC. As we’ve always said, it’s what you do on the firing point that counts and this was another opportunity to practice just that.

On Sunday we fired the 22 cal Long Range Match. This involved 22 cal rifles at 50, 100, 150 and 200 meters. I want to welcome Kris to these matches. He is working on and has tested some interesting gong targets that have a light that will light up when the gong is hit. Kris is hosting a 22 cal Long Range match next month at his home range (I sent out his info sheet with my last e-mail). If you have misplaced this info and are interested in attending, let me know and I will link you up. I continue to be amazed at how well these rifles shoot out to 200 meters. Dick chalked up 11 Xs at 200 meters and he was telling us that be bought his rifle in 1962. So you don’t need new equipment to be competitive, just good equipment. Because of the interest in these matches, we are thinking about extending it out to 300 meters next year.

July 2010 Service Rifle Match

Here's Keith's report to members on the Service Rifle Match:

We had an outstanding weekend for our Service Rifle match. The skies were bright blue with some big fluffy clouds. The temperature was comfortable, although still a bit on the warm side for me. Certainly a relief from the heat of the week before.

We shot the classic service rifle matches 1-12 plus a 400 meter stage matches 13-16. Being the only opportunity to shoot these matches before NSCC most of the competitors were there to get in the practice. Although there was a fairly good distribution of winners in the individual matches in the end Aaron G took the aggregate for the traditional 1-12 matches and Mike B took the medal for the Grand Agg. Both of these shooters are showing up in the winner’s circle more often and it has been interesting watching their shooting skills develop.

Mike is with the Toronto Police Services and this is exactly why OSA was developed, to provide the police community with a place to develop their shooting skills. There are several police officers who are members of OSA and we hope others follow this example and come out to the OSA events.

Now, an interesting story from the matches. The relay I was on was about to start the 500 – 100 run down. I had just given the “watch and shoot” when a bear came out on the range just forward of the 400 meter mound. The whole relay was busy watching the bear when Scott casually made the observation that the targets were up. We all dove to the ground and fired our shots and prepared to move to the 400, all the while the bear remained in sight.  The targets appeared and we all started running towards the 400 mound. The bear stayed in sight until we approached the mound and then took off into the bush. The relay carried on and while walking back to the 500 meter firing point after the match we were all joking with each other how we had just expended all of our ammo and were now walking back past where the bear had disappeared. Someone mentioned that they hadn’t got all his rounds off and still had a bullet left. Earlier in the day a 2 year old bull moose ran across the range. Don’t let anyone tell you that wild life are frightened away from ranges.

June 2010 Tactical Rifle Match

Here's Keith's report to members on the Tactical Rifle Match:

We have just a few hours ago finished the Tactical Rifle match. We shot the NSCC matches 17 and 18 and fired through each course of fire twice over the weekend. This match was the culmination of a 4 day course teaching these matches and the related skills. We learned the need to develop the position before we can shoot the match and it was especially the kneeling that needed the most work.  

The Moving Target match was of particular interest. This year will be the first time this match is fired at NSCC and it was a great opportunity to insure  it will work as intended. Everyone commented that they particularly enjoyed this event. There is so little opportunity to shoot moving targets and this was a real concentration of them. We shot movers at 300, 200, 100 and 50 meters. As Dick said “This is a really a fun match and it’s going to be a great match at the Nationals.”

So the results of this weekend were as follows: The Saturday Agg was won by our Executive Director, Dick S by only 1 point over Rob L. The Sunday Agg was won by Aaron G (who shot his M14 on one day and an AR on the second day) by eight V bulls over Dick. But  Dick managed to keep all challenges at bay and won the Grand Agg.

June 2010 Club Challenge

Here's Keith's report to members on the OSA-HCMC Club Challenge:

Yesterday we finished our first ever Club Challenge match. This was a get-together with a local shooting club to share some camaraderie and to fire a few shots. The Haliburton County Marksmanship Club (HCMC) is only 3 km from us and we got together with them to get this started. We’re hoping this event will become a regular on our calendar.

We shot the OSA Operational Pistol course of fire. This was a bit of a new approach to the usual IPSC shooters of HCMC. But despite this, several of them won matches and one took the OSA signature match, the Last on Standing (well done Robbin, who also came second in the agg). A special consideration to Courtney who was the only woman to compete, finishing in 11^th overall (well done and nice to have you at the matches).

The OSA team did well despite not having several of our favourite cops in attendance. They apparently were off at some G-20 thing and couldn’t brake away. We are hoping they can make it next time. I managed to win the agg, having one of my best ever performances. And Aaron G came third overall, providing the team with some needed depth.

Our team, which was our top four shooters, was Dick S, Scott B, Aaron G and myself. We managed to hold off the HCMC challenge and in the end won the day. This way of selecting a team (using the top shooters of the day for a predetermined number of shooters) seems to work well, as team captains are often unaware of who is actually showing up until the day. Also, everyone gets to come out and play without feeling they might let the team down.

We would like to extend an appreciation to Walter G who was the “go to guy” for HCMC. His efforts helped greatly in putting this event in place. OSA also appreciates the donation he provided us.

A special appreciation to Scott and Marcia who helped out behind the scenes. They make sure our OSA events happen. Also a special thanks to Aaron, Dave and Dick who helped out everywhere and especially when we needed range staff.

June 2010 Operational Pistol Weekend

Here's Keith's report to members on the Operational Pistol Weekend match:

We had a great weekend. Although the weather was a bit wet on Saturday morning it was just overcast for the rest of the day. Sunday was cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon, with lots of sun. The deer flies were about but were kept at bay with long sleeves, a hat and the occasional spraying with repellent. (In general it has been a light year for bugs.)

We shot the OSA Operational course of fire using our new body target which worked out very well. It is actually a simpler target to use and score. The course of fire went well to include a couple of new drills we put into the program. The “Vertical Stitch” match is the toughest one to shoot and to score but we all got through it and thought the scoring wasn’t so bad once you got onto it. We do like to follow the “Keep it Simple Smart” concept when designing any of our matches and if something is even a little complicated it gets worse with more competitors. We shot late on Saturday to get the tie shoots done and the “Last One Standing” match in. Anyone who has shot this match appreciates the training value it has. It is a magnificent match that calls for a steady head as well as a steady hand. We are now using this match as the foundation for our Basic Pistol course.  It really does produce results.

May 2010 Wind Reading Weekend

Here's Keith's report to members on the Wind Reading Weekend course:

The Wind Reading course this past weekend was outstanding. We had just the right number of students to make the course perfect. The weather was warm on Saturday with lots of wind and overcast with a very interesting wind on Sunday. There was a hint of rain on Sunday but quite literally only a few drops fell. If there was anything negative about the weekend it was that we drove up to Connaught with the air conditioner on and home with the heater on. But then it is still only May. There were a few deer flies about on the range so we needed long sleeve shirts, but then it is only May.

But the best part was this wonderful wind that happened on Sunday. We were working through an exercise at 900 meters with a 2 to 4 minute left wind blowing from 11 o’clock at 15-20 kph, when suddenly it went to zero and eventually went to 2 right and then back to the 2-4 minutes of left– all this happening in about a 15-20 minute time span. And all this could be easily seen with the mirage. We couldn’t have ordered a more perfect learning scenario.

May 2010 Reloader Weekend

Here's Keith's report to members on the Reloader Clinic:

Well, the weather certainly took the edge off it being a great weekend, but still we accomplished the aim. On Saturday it rained hard all day but most of that day was spent in the cabin (with a warm fire) doing the classroom part towards learning to reload. We did manage to get out to do some testing of the new rounds we made and were happy to do it under the covered firing point at the 100 mound. We finished the day loading the next batch of test rounds, ready to shoot on Sunday morning.

Sunday surprised us with a little bit of snow and the temperature hovering around zero. But at least it wasn’t raining and the skies were bright enough to let the chronograph work properly. All it meant was an extra layer of clothes, all in all, it was fine if you know how to deal with it. The sun did come out in the afternoon and all was well again. The lesson of the weekend seemed to be that if your rifle or scope are acting up, reloading isn’t going to help much. 

01-02 May 2010 Guest Instructor Weekend

Here's Keith's report to members on the Guest Instructor Weekend:

Wow!! What an incredible weekend we had. Over the past years all of our Guest Instructors have been outstanding and this year’s was equally outstanding.

We had the perfect turnout that just filled the range so we didn’t have to go into relays. Although we got rained on (very hard at times) during Saturday’s activities, we were kept so busy with interesting training that hardly anyone noticed. Besides that’s what they make rain gear for. We spent the day doing individual workups with tactical rifle and pistol all of which was developing our skills towards what we would be doing on Sunday.

Sunday was cool with only a light drizzle at some time during the day. This day was the most exciting as we were formed up into teams and started to learn the techniques for clearing a room. First we did it as a 2 man team, each of us going through the drill as the number 1 and then the number 2. Then we did the drill as members of 3 man teams and eventually as 4 and 5 man teams. All was live fire with transitioning to pistol as required. It was great – and we got to use the skills that were taught to us by our past Guest Instructors – did I mention that it was great!!

There was an interesting array of rifles. One with a 7 inch barrel as well as the usual assortment of 10.5, 14.5 and 20 inch barrels. We were curious to know what the velocities would be, so I brought up a Chronograph and we fired 5 rounds from each barrel length. We used standard IVI military type ammo in all rifles with the following results:

• 20 inch barrel – 3094 fps

• 14.5 inch barrel – 2858 fps

• 10.5 inch barrel – 2562 fps

• 7 inch barrel – 2219 fps

A couple of weeks ago Linda and I ran an Advanced Tactical Rifle course. To provide the skills drills we used the OSA Operational Pistol course of fire at a base distance of 25 meters and adjusted some timings appropriately. This turned out to be successful with many skills being developed. After talking with some of the senior OSA members, we decided to create a Tactical Rifle match based on these skills drills. Once I get it written up I will send it out to everyone for a look. You will need to be able to shoot fast and carry out your handling drills with an element of efficiency.

01-02 May 2010 Pistol Basic & Holster Clinic

Here's Keith's report to members on the Pistol Basic & Holster Course:

Hope everyone is having the wonderful weather there that we are having here.

Last weekend we had the OSA Basic Pistol weekend and Holster course. It was a great time with good weather. Although there was the threat of rain, we seemed to miss it. It was interesting to note that two of the individuals attending carry a pistol for a living and used the weekend to get back to basics both with marksmanship and drawing from the holster. This was especially good to see as we can never be too good a shot and this is really what OSA is about.

Linda and I have just last week finished our revamped Advanced Tactical rifle course. Coming up to it, every time we saw something that looked like a good skill or tactic to know with a tactical rifle we included it on a list to be taught. Also, we used the OSA Operational Pistol’s skills drills (only with a rifle) and found it to be a very active and busy course. Students said they learned lots and did more on the first day they other courses do all week. We’ve heard this before.

Just to note – on the course, we replaced a Trijicon Reflex sight (because it wouldn’t hold a zero) with a Leupold CQT and replaced an EO Tech (because the reticle kept going off) with a Leupold prismatic. Thanks again for those who let us have these Leupold sights on loan, once again they saved the day and the course. There just isn’t a course go by without needing to bring these sights into service.

20 March 2010 Snowshoe & Shoot

Here's Keith's report to members on the March Boot & Shoot:

Wow, did we dodge the weather bullet this past weekend. Except for it being seasonally cold instead of the warm weather we had grown accustomed to this past week, the weather was great. What I mean by that is “no rain”.

We had 12 folks come out to play with one coming all the way from Ottawa. Since the road in was in good shape we decided to drive in. This allowed some of us to bring in an extra rifle to shoot. Some of you (bless your hearts) keeping part of the aim in mind as to why we do these ‘walk-in and shoot’ decided to walk in and out anyways. Well done!

Once we got everyone at the 100 meter range we did the usual confirmation zero or testing loads. While we were there, Linda and Marcia went off to the pistol steel range to do some informal practicing and coaching in a more relaxed situation. Garry L and Keith L decided to stay at the 100 meter range while the rest of us made our way to the pistol steel range. After ‘bang’n and clang’n’ there and having lunch we made our way back the 600 meter range knocking the LaRue targets down. Scott was clearing some cobwebs out of his 22-250, Mike B was trying out a new AR in 308 and Tom K was confirming some elevation settings with is 6.5- 284. Henry and his friend have decided that Federal Match ammo shoots better then hunting ammo and I was testing a King Optic scope on my pet AR.

Finally during the late afternoon we made it to the 1000 meter range. There, only 3 of us clanged some long range steel. Mike F’s new 260 continues to hit the plates at will and made a rock at 930 meters take one center of visible mass. I have settled on a good load for my 7mm WSM shooting a respectable group on the 800 meter plate using hunting bullet. But our new comer Bill M, reserved the exact center of the 700 meter plate for himself.

20 February 2010 Snowshoe & Shoot

Here's Keith's report to members on the February Snowshoe & Shoot:

We had a wonderful day for this month’s S&S. The temperature was -8 early in the morning and warmed up steadily throughout the day to something just above zero. The skies were a little overcast first thing but we had bright sunshine in the afternoon. The wind was gentle until we got to the long range and then it was interesting. The snow was in good shape for snowshoeing and, in fact, it had snowed only a little since we were last in there and the trail, although covered, was still packed.

We had 11 folks and two dogs who came to play in the snow. They came from Ottawa, Peterborough, the Toronto area and places closer. We shot at the 100 meter range to test fire some ammo and confirm zeros. Next we shot steel plates in the 600 meter butts and finally steel with rifle as we went out the long ranges. It was fun to watch Tom shoot his 7.5 Swiss, he often brings some interesting rifles. Mike shot a 3 shot group the size of your hand at 800 meters with is new 260 Remington. Carl was shooting his recently re-barrelled 6.5-284 with a newly developed load and he made some nice hits at 800. Henry and his friend brought some neat stuff made by the Chinese. Linda shot her M&P with a new Sig laser sight. Jesse used his Glock 24C and Shelby fired the OSA Glock 17 as well as Linda’s M&P. Scott put lots of hits on the steel with his favourite pistol (he’s going to be someone to watch at the upcoming Steel Challenge C’ship) and Aaron has his M-14 looking sharp with a new synthetic stock with an adjustable butt. I tried my new 7mm WSM with the 160 gr Sierra HPBT hunting bullet at long range and you know I don’t ever go into the ranges without my Glock.

16 January 2010 Snowshoe & Shoot

Here's Keith's report to members on the first event of the 2010 season:

The temperature was around zero with overcast skies, we didn’t see the sun even once all day. There was very little wind, so generally speaking the weather was good.

There were 7 of us who made the walk in. The snow was perfect for snowshoeing with 12 to 15 inches on the ground. The broken trail was frozen over so walking on it was like being on hard sand. But if you tried to go without the snowshoes you would sink in to nearly your boot tops. There was a fresh moose track walking down nearly the full length of the track Linda and I put down last weekend. Lots of rabbit tracks and a few wolf tracks.

We went directly to the 100 meter range and shot some pistol and confirmed some rifle zeros. Mike F took possession of his brand new custom built MilCun 260 Remington and shot it for the first time. His first 2 shots touched each other about 1 inch right. He made a 3 click adjustment and put the next three on the half MOA white square. He continued with a “hit anything he shot at” all the way back to 700 meters. Well done, Mike!

After the 100 meter range we went to the steel plates range and fired some pistol. This is such a great course of fire – an excellent combination of accuracy with speed. We are looking at a weekend event of the 8 steel courses of fire we have developed with an OSA Championship.

The LaRues worked perfectly as we fired some shots at 300, 400, 500 and 600 meters. Both Mike B and Mike F made consistent first round hits at all distances. I’ve been testing my new Long Range Hunting rifle in 7mm WSM using 160 gr hunting bullets. It has been giving me first round hits out to 700 meters, which is the furthest distance that I have shot with it.

We were all out and on our way home by 1600. A quick stop off for some Chinese food and the day was complete.

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The Operational Shooting Association Inc. (OSA) is incorporated as a not-for-profit under the laws of Ontario Canada and is affiliated with the Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA). MilCun (MilCun Training Center and MilCun Marksmanship Complex) is a licensed firearms business, offering range services, training, publications, consulting and gunsmithing to recreational and professional marksmen.