I am a member of the United States Practical Shooting Association. I also shoot in some IDPA matches and I am a member of the International Defensive Pistol Association and look forward to shooting in 3-gun competitions where I can develop shotgun, pistol and tactical rifle skills.

I heard about the Tactical Rifle Match in Custer, Washington and decided that this might be the place to start shooting multiple targets on the move with a rifle at close quarters; i.e.; IPSC style. Custer is on I-5 at Exit 270- about 12 miles south of the Canadian Border.

I had heard about the Jungle Run and drove up there with my Service Match AR-15 to get some experience. Most of my rifle shooting has been from a standing or prone position, often at 600 yards. My rifle has a synthetic military A2 stock and a 20 inch match barrel with 1:8 twist to handle heavier 80 grain .223 rounds that are ideal for the greater distances involved in service match competitions.

About a week before the match, I went up to West Coast Armory in the Bellevue Factoria area for one of their Friday night tactical rifle matches. I wanted to see how my little ACOG-style AR-332 Burris Prism Sight works in Close Quarters Combat (CQ. My Burris sight has fixed 3-power magnification- ideal for targets that are out at 100 or even 300 yards! A target at 5 yards just fills up the whole range of vision and it becomes difficult to know whether you are aimed at the center of the target.

Nevertheless, I decided to use the Burris sight during the match at the Custer Range because it seemed to be effective on many of the targets at West Coast- about 15 yards away in most instances.

I also went up to Custer the week before the rifle match and shot a USPSA pistol match at which I had the good fortune to meet David Howlett, the Founder of the United States Tactical Rifle Association. Dave also sponsors the SWAT Rodeos for law enforcement and started the tactical rifle matches at Custer. Dave states at his USTACRA website that:

It all started in the Pacific Northwest. Over the last 9 years I spent my time designing and running Tactical Rifle matches here at our home club, Custer Sportsmen’s Club in Custer Washington, I developed the best ways of designing and building shooting stage’s that test the operators’ ability to shoot fast and accurately, while requiring a blend of indexing, transitioning and footwork.

Fully testing the shooter’s ability to think, shoot, and react within a complex array of shooting zones.

But what really got my attention is when David told me that twelve years ago the Lord prompted him through the Holy Spirit to start learning how to shoot.

With no law enforcement experience or military background and virtually little or no interest in guns at that time, Dave has since become a leader in the Northwest when it comes to conducting training, competition and leadership for shooters at a number of different levels of skill, including the elite tactical forces that participate in SWAT Rodeos.

You can see Howlett’s skills shooting the POF Predator or when he tests the AR LOKI weapon systems rifle. He tested the PWS long stroke gas piston DC-10 and has other videos of himself demonstrating the STRAC Tech FAST System and the FAST System 3 AR magazine holder with the PWS DC-10. See Howlett demos.

Needless to say, I did not shoot like the competitors in the above linked videos. Most of the courses of fire had considerably over thirty rounds. David gave me some extra thirty-round mags to use and I carried them in a holder on my belt that I acquired at Federal Way Discount Guns the week before the match.

I quickly realized that putting a lighter stock on my rifle with a red-dot sight was not going to be all I needed to get in and out of the narrow hallways, windows and other obstacles- like tables that force the shooter to get down on the ground and shoot from a prone or nearly prone position. So I went to Rainier Arms in Auburn and asked Aristotle what it would take to convert my service match rifle into a tactical rifle.

There is no cost effective way to rebuild my rifle but Rainier Arms has a new proprietary tactical rifle that brings together many of the ideal components I need at a surprisingly low price. The Rainier Urban Combat rifle (RUC) is lightweight and the first 100 will come equipped with a Geiselle 2-stage trigger.

I got the opportunity to shoot many of the courses that are featured in the linked videos including the one where we leap out of a parked car and engage targets. The Jungle Run included some targets that were out at about 100 yards and I nailed all three of those targets due to the fact that a table was available for a good bench rest- and my Burris sight with the “unique Ballistic CQ reticle.”

Talking to David has convinced me that any time and money that we invest in preparing for the tough times ahead is worth the price. As you make the sacrifices that it takes to become skilled in the use of arms, you will meet some of your finest neighbors from all walks of life. The folks that shoot USPSA, IDPA and 3-gun matches include law enforcement, top “civilian” shooters.

Most of these folks will take time to help someone that really wants to learn and include LEOs and veterans returned from the war on terror like Jarret, a Marine helicopter pilot that I also met at a USPSA match at Custer. He and Dave Howlett work for Next Level Training in Ferndale, Washington. The CEO at Next Level is Mike Hughes from last season on Top Shot. Incidentally, I keep hearing rumors that one of our Federal Way cops will be featured on the next season of Top Shot starting next spring.

Everywhere I go, I meet Christians with a similar experience- the Lord talks to us. As we read and ponder, many of us- including many pastors- are getting the same message to get out and get trained with both spiritual and physical weapons.

A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. Proverbs 22:3