WOMEN’SOUTDOORSNEWS January 2014
The gun-writers shot Colt’s Sporting Rifle CSR-1516 during the night shoot portion of the event. In fact, LaserMax
offers 2 lasers for this firearm: UNI-Max or Genesis. Retail value: $990 for the rifle, $259 for the Genesis laser and
$349 for the UNI-Max laser.
Putting theory into real-life scenarios – After becoming acquainted with the guns, we moved to one of the Gunsite
“fun houses” for a lifelike scenario simulation. After pushing the front door open, we acquired and eliminated 3 threats
with the Ruger LC9 (drawn from a concealed VersaCarry holster).
The shady restaurant – Glow sticks light the way during day 1’s night shoot. This stage offered opportunities for us
to work through dangerous scenarios while in the dark. One such scene simulated being attacked while in a
restaurant, another scene simulated being attacked while walking to a vehicle. These experiences showed that using
lasers on firearms greatly increased the ability to stay on target while shooting in the dark.
Day 2
Day 2 held more fun activities, including my first opportunity to witness ballistic gel testing with ammunition. Mike
McNett, president and CEO of Double Tap Ammunition, assisted the group with this activity and provided multiple
Double Tap loads, like the 125 grain, 10mm load using the Barnes TAC-XP bullet pictured above. This load
penetrated the gel to exactly 14 inches.
Members of the group shot 90 grain .380 ACP, 165 grain
9m+P Equalizer, 155 grain Bonded Defense .40 S&W, 110
grain .38 Special +P, 160 grain .45 ACP and, last but not
least, the big guy — a 275 grain .500 S&W. Gunsite range
master Ed Head sent the .500 S&W downrange. It hit the
ballistic gel with such force that the gel lifted off the table a
few inches, vertically. Measurements show that the round
penetrated a total of 20 inches into the gel.
Home invasion – Near and dear to everyone’s heart, the
home-invasion scenario placed us in harm’s way as we
learned how to clear a house filled with threats by using
simunition GLOCKS. Simunition guns shoot projectiles
that look like paint splatters, instead of live ammo. The
Gunsite range masters instructed each participant
Photo courtesy of Britney Starr
individually and offered the best technique for clearing
each room. In the photo above, I “pied” in the doorway,
exposing only a minimal amount of my body while
searching for the threat. I learn that turning on the laser only when I saw the threat prevented the possibility of giving
away my position.
The duel – In true Gunsite fashion, the last activity of the 2-day event featured a duel, of sorts. The attendees went
head-to-head, shooting GLOCK 19 handguns, in a “round-robin” style competition. Here, Tom McHale of My Gun
Culture and Shari LeGate competed. As much as I hate to admit it, Tom beat all of the other competitors.
Visit LaserMax.com to learn more about its excellent lineup of lasers.
Vera Koo
Vera Koo is a 67-year-old, first-generation American Chinese woman and an 8time National Action Pistol Woman Champion who holds 2 World individual
titles. Her most recent win was a Gold for Team Women (2-persons team)
at the NRA World Action Pistol Championship in Germany in September 2012.
Vera is proud to have been part of the United States Action Pistol Shooting
Team since 1999.
She is passionate about sharing her love of the shooting sport and
the pressures of being a competitive athlete while challenging cultural
expectations. Writing her column "Vera Koo" at The WON is both a feat and an
exciting adventure for Vera. She is looking forward to learning a new craft and will be
looking for feedback from her readers. Learn more about Vera at The WON.
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