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 CoF Design Guidelines

  1. Safety First!!!!!! All rounds into the berm at all times, not skipping off the ground, not shooting into the cars, not shooting into the vertical posts, shooting props other than the barrels, etc. Our range often allows a great deal of flexibility and we can often shoot targets almost to 180 degrees depending on the layout, but be careful.  When I do a 180, we are in the corner of the berm, up close and personal.  Think about safety as you draw the scenarios up, think about it when you set it up, then do a final walk-thru and look at it from the shooting positions, as a tall person, short person, etc.
     

  2. Make it fun. Use props, think of scenarios that "could happen" Sure, one can have scenarios that test "skills" but we all come to have fun, run and gun and shoot things that we can not do anywhere else. Don't try and trick people.  If you want to make someone shoot from a specific position, make them go there. Use vision barriers so that the position you want them to shoot from is the only position that they can see the target from (in a perfect world), understanding that sometimes time and manpower will limit this.
     

  3. Read, then re-read the IDPA rule book. For the MD, the MOST IMPORTANT part of the rule book is the CoF rules. It's not very long and it explains almost everything you need to know.
     

  4. Wednesday nights, we try and keep the total round count to around 50-60 rounds total. Remember, no string or CoF can exceed 18 scored rounds. If we make the round count less, then people seem to feel they didn't get their money's worth. Greater, and it's hard to get people done by 8pm.  As you draw up a CoF that requires reloads, look at it and think about how you would shoot it with a revolver (6 rounds), then with a CDP gun (9 rounds) then as a ESP/SSP (11 rounds). Look at where you are making them reload, is there cover, etc. It will not be the same for everyone but you are trying to make it "fair" for everyone.
     

  5. Keep cardboard targets total max to 16-20. LESS IS BETTER. The more targets we use, the more we have to buy. Consider good "utilization" of targets. This means that having a shooter engage a target with 3-6 scored rounds is better than 50 targets with one scored round each. If you are going to use more targets, try and use our "recycled/saved" targets as much as possible.  If you can use some of the "recycled/saved" targets, it helps. A good example is if you have a threat that will be "head only" and there is a good target with body shots but the heads are clean, use them. Sometimes we have targets from the 3 gun match that are perfect for those extra targets you need. Look through the box where we keep them (along with the no-shoots, hard cover, specialty targets, targets with the center cut out...for those very close shots that blow the tape off the target, etc).
     

  6. Use steel. Each steel target we use for a CoF is one less paper we have to buy. Restrictions on steel: no closer than 10 yds (safety). No more than 25% of a single CoF may be steel and no more than 10% of total match may be steel.
     

  7. In General:

  1. No weak hand greater than 7 yds.

  2. No strong hand greater than 10 yds.

  3. No head shots greater than 10 yds.

  4. One No-Shoot to every 3 shoot targets (steel and/or paper).

  5. Shooting on the move is highly suggested.

  6. No long shots greater than 35yds (on wed match, suggest that these be steel as it takes longer time to go down and score and tape these really long shots and unnecessarily delays the match.

  7. Threats closer than 2 yds apart are considered equal threats.

  8. If a CoF has strings or the same targets are shot before scoring and taping, then it must be shot Limited and not Vickers (example: shoot a CoF, stop, reload and then run the CoF backwards....then it is shot Limited. If you shoot the CoF one way, score and tape then shoot backwards, then it can be shot Vickers).
     

  1. Set up should be done so that in the big bay, both squads can shoot at the same time. Set them up so that 180 degrees do not overlap. Set them up in the corners or sides of the bay.
     

  2. Great way of coming up with scenarios is think about "what could happen here" in your daily life (at the movies, at dinner, eating out, etc) Take this and make it fit the IDPA rules.
     

  3. We have enough matches that are IDPA, so if you want to do something "different", then it should be ok. Just run it by the President or one of the board members first.
     

  4. Remember there are excellent CoF libraries out there. BUT, just because it is in a library, it does not mean it is a good CoF or that it conforms to IDPA rules.

    Thanks,
    Garry Newton

 

THE 4 LAWS
OF
GUN SAFETY 		The 1st Law
The Gun Is
Always Loaded!

The 2nd Law
 Never Point A Gun
At Something You Are
Not Prepared To Destroy!

The 3rd Law
Always Be Sure Of
Your Target
And What Is Behind It!

 The 4th Law
Keep Your Finger
Off The Trigger
Until Your Sights
Are On The Target!