Swing Through: An Evil IDPA Prop

My first practical shooting match was held at Topton Fish & Game. The club no longer shoots USPSA but at the time it was known for its use of vast amounts of steel. It would be no surprise to step onto a stage and find a Texas Star waiting for you. Imagine my intimidation when facing one at my very first match.

In the roughly two years that I’ve been shooting competitively, I’ve come up against a variety of evil idpa props. The intimidation factor has disappeared, for the most part, and I trust in my abilities to get through each stage. That changed a bit when I shot the January 2013 New Holland Rifle and Pistol Club IDPA Match.

I was introduced to a devilish prop that is best described as a Swing Through. It is made up of standard paper target attached to a steel popper. As the popper falls, the paper target swings through, in an arc, and falls with the popper. The window in which a shooter can engage this target is small. In fact, in the two matches that I’ve faced it, I have yet to put a single round on target.

To make matters worse, I’m told that this particular prop has been slowed down considerably. The Match Directors at New Holland plan on cranking up the speed in the coming months. It has become the single prop that I love to hate.