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question on IDPA Classifier

#1 User is offline   Ontarget 

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Posted 04 July 2009 - 07:53 PM

On stage three of the IDPA Classifier, you are shooting around a barrel in strings 2 and 3. Can you shoot from both sides of the barrel, assuming you are using cover? That is, shoot two targets from one side of the barrel, lean to the other side (still using cover) and shoot the the third target from the other side of the barrel? Thank you.

#2 User is offline   lugnut 

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Posted 04 July 2009 - 08:30 PM

You could. But a better question is why would you do that? Even if you are older and have trouble moving I'd seriously question doing this. Set it up as a simple drill and test it out.

#3 User is offline   Steve J 

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Posted 05 July 2009 - 03:52 AM

I agree with lugnut that it wouldn't make much sense to do so and would only result in a slower time, but to answer your question. Yes you can. Note the use of the word either in the instructions.

String 2 Position 4 Draw and fire 2 shots at each T1 - T3 from either side of the barricade, TACTICAL LOAD and advance to Position #5, fire 2 shots at each T1 - T3 from around either side of 55-gallon barrel.

String 3 Position 5 Draw, kneel, and fire 2 shots at each T1 - T3 from around either side of 55-gallon barrel.
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#4 User is offline   Duane Thomas 

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Posted 05 July 2009 - 04:30 AM

When I first began shooting the classifier, I found the reach around the barrel to hit T1 from the right side really difficult. So on Strings 2 and 3, I'd drop to both knees, not just one, shoot T3, then T2, around the right side, then switch over to the left side to hit T1 from a much less contorted, better balanced position. I just reasoned that the time to get the gun around to the other side of the barrel was about the same time it would take to transition from T2 to T1 from an awkward position, but the hits would be better. Turned out to work as I'd thought. Times went around 5.5 to 6 seconds, hits were good. These days I do it the "right" way, shooting all three targets from the right side. Times go 5.5 to 6 seconds, hits are....generally not that great on T1. I'm seriously considering going back to doing it the "wrong" way.
Pride and fear are emotions, which hope for an outcome. Outcomes take your attention from the present, where the shooting happens, to the future. It is totally impossible to do anything in the future, because it hasn't happened yet. The key to shooting your best is to be present as the witness of the shooting. Do not judge, do not give yourself anything to live up to. We can only shoot as well as we have trained ourselves to shoot. To try to shoot only induces stress. Be content with your current ability. And accumulate practice to improve that ability. Consolidate, build strength where you feel weakness. We cannot raise our ability until we accept our current limitations. Practice dissolves limitations. Matches simply define where the current limits exist. The game of shooting is all about redefining our limits.
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#5 User is offline   Ontarget 

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Posted 05 July 2009 - 05:52 AM

Thank you for your replies. If you don't crowd the barricade, switching sides allows you to get a straighter shot at the third target without having to lean out a lot. This seems to work well for me, since I shoot around the barrel while on both knees. A little time is lost as you switch sides, but it is easier to get good hits on the third target. Obviously, this method is not for everyone. I just wanted to be sure that shooting from "either" side of the barrel did not preclude shooting from both sides.

#6 User is offline   lugnut 

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Posted 05 July 2009 - 06:01 AM

Wrt shooting on both knees... I used to do that as well. But what I found was it was too difficult to "break" the drop and it took a little extra time to stabilize the gun- otherwise I wouldn't get a good first shot off. If you go to one knee- say the right knee down, you can use the left leg to stabilize the motion better. Plus the left leg can help you move around the cover by pushing a little- kinda hard to describe in words.

#7 User is offline   MemphisMechanic 

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Posted 05 July 2009 - 09:04 PM

The classifier barrel, IMO, is the one time you should be crowding the hell out of cover. A slight forward lean gets you a nice comfortable shot at the far target.

Hell, if your guys do it like some of the videos I've seen, the barrel isn't being used as cover. Just something to kneel next to while shooting. :D

This post has been edited by MemphisMechanic: 05 July 2009 - 09:05 PM

The truth is that there is no choice between the two. You line the sights up in the A-zone and let it fly at the absolute soonest moment that you see what your experience tells you will put the hole where you're aiming it using the amount of trigger control you need to keep the gun lined up in that spot. There is no concern about accuracy or speed - either one is an illusion from behind the gun. There's "where do I want to hit" and "is the gun lined up there or not"... followed up with "did the sights lift from where I wanted to hit". To assign an "either/or" to the equation is to deny the fact that the gun can be shot ridiculously fast while shooting all As - but it won't be done while you're determined that one must be sacrificed for the other - and it also has the amusing side effect of pressuring the shooter to ignore "the shooting" in the name of "the speed" - XRe

#8 User is offline   Duane Thomas 

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Posted 05 July 2009 - 09:31 PM

Actually, if you follow the use of cover rules, you're going to be kneeling behind the barrel, not beside it. Though I'll grant you that not everone does that, nor does every SO catch it.
Pride and fear are emotions, which hope for an outcome. Outcomes take your attention from the present, where the shooting happens, to the future. It is totally impossible to do anything in the future, because it hasn't happened yet. The key to shooting your best is to be present as the witness of the shooting. Do not judge, do not give yourself anything to live up to. We can only shoot as well as we have trained ourselves to shoot. To try to shoot only induces stress. Be content with your current ability. And accumulate practice to improve that ability. Consolidate, build strength where you feel weakness. We cannot raise our ability until we accept our current limitations. Practice dissolves limitations. Matches simply define where the current limits exist. The game of shooting is all about redefining our limits.
- Sam

Amateurs do it til they get it right. Professionals do it til they can't get it wrong.

"It's not the will to win that matters - everyone has that. It's the will to prepare to win that matters."
- Paul "Bear" Bryant

"The only reason why Everest is the highest mountain ever climbed is because it's the highest. If there was one higher, I bet there'd be people trying to climb it."
- Jack Barnes

#9 User is offline   Doublehaul 

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Posted 07 July 2009 - 01:35 AM

According to the rules, your whole lower body must be behind cover. If the barrel is solid and doesn't wobble, I like shooting from the left side using it as a rest. If it's not, as most are just empty, then don't bother.

For string 3 I do better starting with both feet very close to the barrel and I just step back with my right foot and drop straight down with a minimum of movement.
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