What Is Your Pet Peeve At A Match?

[Hashknife Cowboy]

Targets that duck!

[Griff]

Targets that duck!

Ducking targets... why the nerve!!!

[Lou Graham, # 26112]

My pet peeve.....RAIN on match day.

[Trailboss (Santa) Dave]

I'm a disabled shooter, but I don't look the part.

 

I can and do help, but I use a stool to work the loading and unloading tables, but I do it

 

And having to beg someone to take my place so I can shoot is one of the things I don't like.

 

That and someone using my stool when I get done and not offering to get up and let me set down.

[Ya Big Tree]

People shouting "need people loading" at the beginning of the stage. folks will get to the load table when they get there. Most likely they want to see the stage run once or twice. Once that happens there's a steady flow. And unless there aren't three spotters and a TO to get started, who cares how many get in line? Everyone has to shoot. The problem lies not in long lines, but with shooters that are done shooting and won't relieve the workers.

 

Amen,

Folks yelling for people to get to the loading table cause THEY don't want to shoot first. (on a load when ready posse)

 

It happened to me at a State shoot where no body wanted to shoot first. I was loading before I was ready because I felt some kind of guilt or something. That's not good for my score because mistakes were made.

It won't happen again. If no one wants to load then we'll go back to shooting in order and then I'm always last except maybe the T.O. ( I don't like that either)

[Bones Z]

People pointing guns at my head.

[C0ckr0ach, SASS #26100]

Anyone yelling at the Shooter other than the TO as to what action to take - unless it is a safety issue.

 

Actually taking a Procedural is preferable to the time it takes to figure what is the content of what someone is yelling at you.

 

Let the TO safely manage the Shooter, with coaching, through the corse of the stage. Everyone else SHUT UP unless it is a safety issue.

[Rafe Conager SASS #56958]

Same people working while others do little to nothing

[Straight Arrow Hombre]

 

1. Well, the folks working the stage from the beginning sure care! Unless folks ahead of you in the loading line are willing to immediately jump into working as soon as they are done shooting, and it depends upon you to relieve someone, if you stand in line for 15 minutes, that is 15 minutes you did not even try to help with the posse chores. And the farther back in the line you start (joining the line when there's already 8 shooters there), the more it appears you are shirking the posse duties.

 

Next time, ask around at the firing line after a shooter is done - any worker need relief? Have you spotted for 5 shooters already ? - if so, let me take your stick. Have you timed five so far? I can run the timer.....etc. I'll score, hand me the book!

 

It's ALWAYS the first relief of the workers who jump on chores at the beginning of the stage that is the longest in coming, from what I've seen.

 

2. Poor spotting, or poor knowledge of the rules so you try to assign the wrong penalty, then argue over it, wasting everyone's time.

 

Good luck, GJ

Where I'm from we figured out that the first to shoot relieve the first to spot and TO. Then as more folks finish shooting they relieve those guys and so on until everyone has shot. Works smooth. Oh and we have FUN.

[Warden Callaway]

The heat and humidity.

[Big Iron Patnode SASS 60632]

TOs that feel compelled to call misses while running the timer or before they even poll the spotters.

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

We have had a few non-worker shooters over the years. We pulled them aside and said you need to work, or go. Ultimately with one guy both clubs banned him from the range.

 

Pet Peeves, people who leave their ammo boxes or loading strips at the LT. And people who are getting ready to shoot who leave their brass bag at the ULT.

Ike

[Blastmaster]

A 1000+ reasons and techniques able body people use to get out of posse duties.

 

I have witnessed most of them.

 

Shoot on micro sized posses is one solution. less dead weight to carry.

[Hurricane Deck 100366]

I want to thank you all for reminding me of how fortunate I am to shoot with such a fine club. We have very little of the troubles mentioned here. It's very rare that someone isn't at least trying to help. Things get stove up on occasion, but any group that voluntarily gets together will have the occasional hiccup.

 

Heck, my biggest pet peive is missing targets and doin' it slowly to boot!

[Deuce Stevens SASS#55996]

My biggest pet peeve?......... The smell of food while I'm shooting, makes me hungry and I lose focus.

[Mudflat Mike, SASS #20904]

People who whine and bitch about everything that's happening, but NEVER show up to help set up the match.

[Rusty Banker]

Shooters with too many pet peeves! I agree with a lot of the posts, but friendly suggestions, setting good examples, not being cliquey, being fair and forthright go a long way. Ps. We have a great sport. Take safety very very seriously and with all else, have fun!

[Michigan Slim]

My biggest pet peeve?......... The smell of food while I'm shooting, makes me hungry and I lose focus.

Tracey sends her apologies......

[Tracker Jack Daniels,58780]

Spotters who do not know how to correctly determine what hits and misses are. Too many times I have seen spotters hold up fingers and at the same time say "I think". That means they are not positive there was a miss, so the shooter is clean. When people spend the time and money to travel to shoots, they deserve good spotting.

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

TOs that feel compelled to call misses while running the timer or before they even poll the spotters.

Well you know that I do that because I know that you would never want to get a "Miss" not call on ya.

 

Pet Peeve...yes, definitely folks that can help...but don't.

 

Cheers!

Phantom

[Marshal Chance Morgun]

It usually only happens at a large match but mine is ten people standing in line behind the loading table, long guns in hand, leaving the posse chores to the same small group of soon to be worn out shooters.

 

Yep, our club is going to "shoot when ready." The last match was hot and humid. 8 of 16 posse members were at the loading table on one stage.

[Blastmaster]

Majority of these Pet Peeves are age related.

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

 

Yep, our club is going to "shoot when ready." The last match was hot and humid. 8 of 16 posse members were at the loading table on one stage.

That doesn't make sense. So what if half the posse is in line. After 5 shooters, the original "Workers" are relieved. So the problem is that folks are not shooting and then relieving others and not the fact that it's a "Shoot when ready" club.

 

Phantom

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

Majority of these Pet Peeves are age related.

How so?

[Most Wanted]

I agree with most all of the post. But most complaints are about the people and that will never change. But as far as the match itself goes. I HATE breaking for lunch. And when the shooters are polled 98% don't want the break.

[Blastmaster]

How so?

As people age, there becomes a point where body parts and joints wear out and don't work so good, and hurts. Thus, they don't want to do anything. They then fight the pain and then they get into the rehab cycle after joint replacement,but they can shoot.

 

As people age, they generally gain weight, become lathargic (sp), can not tolerate heat/cold because of the wt. and thus body parts wear out faster and they can not, will not bend over or exert themselves because of the heat,discomfort...But, they can shoot.

 

As people age, and retire, they think their family and society owes them something. Let the younger ones take their turn. In retirement, some feel they no longer have to do anything they don't want to do. So they don't.

 

As people age....their ability to carry theirs and someone else's duties becomes more difficult, so they wear down faster as the day wears on.

 

Guess what? Average age is probable Silver Senior category.

[Colt McCloud, SASS #65003L]

Having to fight somebody for a job!!! Ya you read it right. I shoot my monthly matches in Michigan at:Port Huron, DSC and Lapeer. Everyone jump's right in to take a job spotting, picking up brass or manning the LT or ULT. And when people are done shooting they go and takeover a job. I have to bring my own brass picking tools so I can sneak in and help out. Makes for a fun day!

[Daniel Dodge]

.38s that sound like .22s.

[Charlie Whiskers]

I see a lot of clubs use LTO's. We don't basically because our monthly shoots don't have a lot of shooters. If we're lucky we get 20-24 on a good weekend which allows us to have 2 posse's. We have the loaders check each other as we load. That works pretty well. At the ULT one will start there, then the one unloading will take over and so forth.

When I spot I make sure to stand in a spot where I can see all of the targets, even if I have to move with the shooter. Some find a spot and plant themselves there. Those are usually the ones looking to the other spotters to see how many misses they saw.

When to shoot? We poll the posse at the 1st stage and find out of they want to shoot in the order the posse list is made out then drop to the 2nd name for the next stage and so on, or shoot when ready. It's about a 50-50 from one shoot or posse to the next. I spot, pick up brass even though my knees don't like it and TO when the TO needs a break. Most of our shooters jump in to help with those chores, but not with moving targets before the shoot. It's always the same ones doing that.

The ones in the background talking gets a loud reminder how dis-courteous that is and how they don't like it when they shoot. Some get their noses out of shape but most just shut up and understand.

[Charlie Whiskers]

All of the recurring offenses I normally see have already been mentioned so I'll throw out one I've only seen a couple of times................thankfully. I try to schedule vacations so that I'll be able to shoot with whatever local club happens to be near my vacation spot. On a scale of 1 - 10 I rate my CAS shooting skills about a 6, maybe 7 on a good day. But a couple of times that was good enough to be the top shooter at those clubs that day. Yeee gawd, you'd have thought I was a horse thief. Some of the comments were down right nasty. (All muttered under their breath, of course.) I absolutely LOVE this sport and 99.999999% of the people in it but dang, there sure are some folks out there that take things way too seriously.

 

Yep, voted with my wallet and never been back.

 

 

Nah....more like a 7-8 as long as you stay on your feet.

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

As people age, there becomes a point where body parts and joints wear out and don't work so good, and hurts. Thus, they don't want to do anything. They then fight the pain and then they get into the rehab cycle after joint replacement,but they can shoot.

 

As people age, they generally gain weight, become lathargic (sp), can not tolerate heat/cold because of the wt. and thus body parts wear out faster and they can not, will not bend over or exert themselves because of the heat,discomfort...But, they can shoot.

 

As people age, and retire, they think their family and society owes them something. Let the younger ones take their turn. In retirement, some feel they no longer have to do anything they don't want to do. So they don't.

 

As people age....their ability to carry theirs and someone else's duties becomes more difficult, so they wear down faster as the day wears on.

 

Guess what? Average age is probable Silver Senior category.

Not where I shoot...I'm usually trying to get the older folks to take a break.

 

But I do see where you are coming from...

 

Phantom

[Noz]

As people age, there becomes a point where body parts and joints wear out and don't work so good, and hurts. Thus, they don't want to do anything. They then fight the pain and then they get into the rehab cycle after joint replacement,but they can shoot.

 

As people age, they generally gain weight, become lathargic (sp), can not tolerate heat/cold because of the wt. and thus body parts wear out faster and they can not, will not bend over or exert themselves because of the heat,discomfort...But, they can shoot.

 

As people age, and retire, they think their family and society owes them something. Let the younger ones take their turn. In retirement, some feel they no longer have to do anything they don't want to do. So they don't.

 

As people age....their ability to carry theirs and someone else's duties becomes more difficult, so they wear down faster as the day wears on.

 

Guess what? Average age is probable Silver Senior category.

Yeah. I wear a sign that say "Old Fart! Can't help with anything". As a result I expect all sorts of preferential treatment. I would like to explain to blastmaster that we poor decrepit old folks are in the majority and our shoot fees are welcome at the sign up table to help keep the sport alive. I'm sorry that our age offends you so tell me where you shoot and I'll avoid that area.

 

Outside of such stuff, my major complaint at big shoots is golf cart gun cart used by able bodied people.

[Hud McCoy]

My biggest turn off are the shooters that belly ache about everything and anything, but you never see them set up a match, work at a match and tear it down and put it away at the end of the day. I have been shooting since 2005 and it wasn't until recently that I had to inform a few MD's that I longer wanted to shoot with a specific shooter and they were quite receptive about it. I run the Westshore Posse matches in PA and go out of my way to make sure that everyone has a good time and a fun match, but it seems to be the norm here lately for one or two shooters to just be jerks and when they are confronted about their behavior at local matches, they just look at you like a deer in the headlights.

[Nawlins Kid SASS #36107]

A PM could alleviate some of the pet peeves that have been stated. In the past at some large matches I have "reminded" shooters to don't forget to help out..

 

 

Nawlins

[Blastmaster]

Yeah. I wear a sign that say "Old Fart! Can't help with anything". As a result I expect all sorts of preferential treatment. I would like to explain to blastmaster that we poor decrepit old folks are in the majority and our shoot fees are welcome at the sign up table to help keep the sport alive. I'm sorry that our age offends you so tell me where you shoot and I'll avoid that area.

 

Outside of such stuff, my major complaint at big shoots is golf cart gun cart used by able bodied people.

Noz, not really a slam against Old Farts but rather a matter of fact. I see and shoot with several people that qualify for the bionic man/women category. Some are waiting for knee/hip/shoulder joint replacements because the originals are worn out and hurt. Have been hurting for years. Or they are in rehab after their surgery and do not have full function of their limbs. Various degrees of being overweight and can not, will not bend over to brass, let along reset targets. NO, those will not even use the gripper tools to brass either. Feet hurt, thus, they sit and stay inmoble till it is t.

eir turn. Takes four to score? Claim they can not see or hear well enough to spot, but unable to do other chores? Some have heat stroke problems, thus, can not do anything in the hot sun. Diebetic issues, which is common. Just saying, I believe them, they have medical issues that severely limit their partisipation. But golly, you can only carry so many before the mules legs buckle.

 

Reread your rant Noz,,, it takes more that the shooters $xx match fees to keep the game going. This is (IMHO) not a circus event where the customer purchases a ride ticket and does nothing else. If that would be the case, then the match directors would/should have to hire professional stage people to time/score/pick-brass/reset and then, the shooter could then park it till it is their turn. Gurantee the entry fees would be higher that whatever you are accustom to now.

 

Ever increasing evidence is seeing electric scooter gun carts, verrrry relaxed foot wear, very short movement inn stages, more stand and deliver stages. Lunch breaks between a 5/6 stage monthly shoot. This is needed

 

The age doesn't offend me and not all Old Farts fall into what I just pointed out either. Everything just mentioned are reasons/observations/theories of why the majority of the Pet Peeves on this thread (not enough workers) is age related.