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Loading Table Officer


Hoss

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Just curious, how many of you shoot at clubs that have a LTO? I know what the rules say, but at least where I shoot LTOs are rarely seen.  At most somebody may say “check my pistol” but that’s about it. One club used to insist on dedicated LTO, and only one person loading at a time. They seem to have relaxed that policy over the last couple of years. 
 

For the record, Every club I shoot at requires a ULT. often the previous shooter stays to clear the next shooter. 
 

I’m curious if this is a regional thing or pretty much everywhere? 

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Seeing less LTO around here as well. Usually due to lower Posse numbers. We try to check each other however. But that doesn't always happen either.

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There have been "stories" of LTO Nazi's who wouldn't let you touch your guns unless they saw every round. Only one could load at a time. LTO's who touched guns to check etc. When we realized that an LTO has absolutely no responsibility for whatever happens when loading, IE too many rifle rounds, hammer down on live round, rifle at half cock, we said we didn't need one.

 

We look at it like this, if a shooter owns the stage and their decisions the same thing applies to loading.

Ike

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Prior to the 2020 Pandemic, all of the clubs that I shot at would have a dedicated LTO.

Present day, most still do, except for one club.  There, you load, and the TO checks both pistols before proceeding.

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3 hours ago, Null N. Void said:

UTO are universal.  Rarely see LTO.  

 

Another vote for this ^ 

 

(UTO is the previous shooter unless we have someone on the posse who is physically unable to perform other duties and volunteers to be the dedicated UTO) 

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20 minutes ago, Shooting Bull said:

 

Another vote for this ^ 

 

(UTO is the previous shooter unless we have someone on the posse who is physically unable to perform other duties and volunteers to be the dedicated UTO) 

 

This X2

OLG 

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We try to have a loading table officer 100% of the time. But sometimes nobody will step up and relieve the table guy. Then we have another shooter at the table check the next guy.  I check for number of rounds loaded and hammers down on empty.  And sometimes I catch one that didn't end up down on empty.   Another violation I watch for is shooters strolling back to their carts with loaded pistols.  Experienced guys are as bad as new guys when it comes to that. 

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All of the clubs I shoot at have a LTO & UTO. Every once in awhile while people are shifting positions to take over a spot where someone has to leave to get ready to shoot you might not have one. Then the shooters at the LT just check each other.

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For most of the clubs where I shoot, when the posse is big enough, we assign an LTO, otherwise those on the loading table check each other.  We always have an UTO.

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A dedicated LTO is rare at the matches that I attend even when there's 20+ people per posse. What is normal for us is the shooter loading behind you checks your pistols before you holster. It seems to be more of an honor system though and many times I have to ask to be checked. 

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23 hours ago, Shooting Bull said:

 

Another vote for this ^ 

 

(UTO is the previous shooter unless we have someone on the posse who is physically unable to perform other duties and volunteers to be the dedicated UTO) 

Yep, and/or whomever is returning the shooters brass:)

 

11 hours ago, Turkey Flats Jack said:

A dedicated LTO is rare at the matches that I attend even when there's 20+ people per posse. What is normal for us is the shooter loading behind you checks your pistols before you holster. It seems to be more of an honor system though and many times I have to ask to be checked. 

Yep, at the shooters meeting we are reminded that everyone is a LTO, once you have checked the pistols, rifle, and SG shells of shooter in front of you then their on their own.;)  Last shooter gets checked by shooter in front or who ever is wandering by:)

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7 hours ago, Ramblin Gambler said:

The last time I saw a dedicated LTO is it was because we had a couple of green shooters on the posse. 

 

28 minutes ago, Captain Bill Burt said:

I usually ‘task’ a specific person with monitoring a new shooter at the LT for each stage.

At my first full shoot, everyone was tasked with checking my loading. I was good with that.

 

And for new shooters, if you are not comfortable watching every move you make getting watched like a hawk, feel free to ask for help. Work on being able to explain clearly and step-by-step how to prepare each of your firearms for a course of fire.

 

If you lose your place, there is nothing wrong with completely unloading and starting over. There is nothing wrong with laying the right number of rounds out for each firearm.

 

And the same goes for the unload table. For instance, if you are suddenly unsure if this is your second or first revolver, check the other again.

 

If there is anything that makes you nervous about being watched, then ASK! Get comfortable with being watched, and when you no longer care at all then you are approaching the point where you can check someone else. Or even show someone else how to do it, though teaching is a different set of skills; Not everyone is a good teacher.

 

Fortunately, I really am very comfortable with being watched.

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Absolutely a first time shooter is assigned an experienced shooter to monitor him from gun cart to loading table, then loading table to firing line. Turned over to TO. Then when done escorted to ULT, cleared and taken back to guncart. Remind them to breath !  Usually they have a big silly looking grin on their face! We stay with them for as many stages (or matches) as needed until they are comfortable with the procedure 

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been seeing less and less loading table - seems we are to scope out the person behind but seldom happens , it would be the place to put that person on a stool if there is one -as there often is at my shoots ,  i like the unloading manned by last shooter - no reason to hurry away your done shootin , 

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10 hours ago, watab kid said:

been seeing less and less loading table - seems we are to scope out the person behind but seldom happens , it would be the place to put that person on a stool if there is one -as there often is at my shoots ,  i like the unloading manned by last shooter - no reason to hurry away your done shootin , 

There is a problem with this. If the last shooter didn't have time to take guns to cart, which is often the case, and anyone has gun problems, that makes three sets of guns on the ULT. I think that is too many.

 

 

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17 hours ago, John Kloehr said:

 

If you lose your place, there is nothing wrong with completely unloading and starting over. There is nothing wrong with laying the right number of rounds out for each firearm.

One of these helps

IMG_20200429_121620.jpg

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On 9/22/2020 at 1:04 PM, Redleg Reilly, SASS #46372 said:

Never use an LTO, but always have an UTO.  The shooter has to have some responsibility or perhaps they don't need to be shooting. 

You are 100% correct!! When we used to have them they didn't watch anyway! The UTO is the one that is needed!

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Our bylaws REQUIRE both the LTO and the UTO.

But with C-19 panic cutting our numbers recently, we have had some shoots with less than 13 total participants.

So this past year, we have not always had an LTO.

But we always have a UTO.

We have cut the spotters down to two sometimes, since we do not have any big matches.

Let's hope that we get more shooters in 2021.

 

Mustang Gregg, 

[MD, PR, Welder, Carpenter]

Lincoln Area Regulators

 

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Been shooting CAS in Arizona for 10 years and have never seen a LTO.

Have had a couple shooters ask me to check their revolvers at Winter Range, but that's it.

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When I started shooting CAS in SASS events back in 2002 there seemed to be both LTO and UTO but that has changed over the years and now I rearely see a LTO.  Have shot in about 15 different states and it sometimes was more determined by region or size of the match (state or above).  As far as the UTO that is sometimes a person who stays there but now I see more of each shooter stays and unloads the next shooter behind them.

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On 9/22/2020 at 1:07 PM, Shooting Bull said:

 

... unless we have someone on the posse who is physically unable to perform other duties and volunteers to be the dedicated UTO.

 

And sometimes he volunteers to be the dedicated LTO, and that's cool too.  

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