Comments on: Hot Range, Cold Range

By: Claude

Claude — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 03:49:50 +0000

The fact that no state requires holders of CCW licenses/permits to demonstrate competence at drawing from a holster, i.e., all qual courses are shot from ready, and some forbid it, is akin to this. That’s always been an amusing aspect of concealed carry “training” to me.

By: P30man

P30man — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:22:06 +0000

When I do IDPA I always start cold on a hot range for the first stage (and then I go hot for the balance). The hot range people get hot under the collar but from my perspective theirs is the only one of the four clubs that I go to that is hot. My chances of forgetting which club I am at and going hot would result in a DQ and possible ban.

Many more guns clubs are infact pretty hostile to action shooters then you would think. There is a cadre of older hunters that seem to think guns are things to be pulled out (cold of course) and sighted in once around hunting season–then put back in the case until the actual hunting. I call these “bench rest clubs.” Their clubs have no infrastructure for action shooting; they in fact have rules to prevent it even if you supply our own.

Examples: Always a cold range. No drawing from a holster. No shooting at steel targets unless on club sponsored event. No targets other than non silouette paper in specific tracks up against the berms at 25, 50, or 100 yards. Absolutely no shooting on the move (isnt that a felony?) They are in fact just urban indoor shooting ranges that just happen to be outdoors. Even one club allows no pistol caliber carbines in the indoor range but allows high powered handguns (its not a noise or backdrop issue).

By: John Taylor

John Taylor — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:21:58 +0000

Todd – one of your best written tutorials/commentary yet. Concur completely. Prior to retiring from almost 22 years in the Army I would get so frustrated in personally observing in Afghanistan and hearing stories from Iraq about the multitude of “accidental” discharges at the clearing barrels posted nearly EVERYWHERE on US installations, large and small, throughout both countries. They (both the clearing barrels and the accidental discharges) multiplied like rabbits b/c a number of high ranking officers and senior NCOs felt it was safer to have soldiers take otherwise holstered or slung weapons, perfectly safe where they were in holsters or on shoulders, bring them out in a crowded area and have marginally, in my view, trained personnel manipulate them and then pull their triggers whilst pointing them at the ubiquitous “clearing barrels.” It was so obviously absurd in a way that could only be properly depicted in a Joseph Heller novel…a classic Catch 22. It clearly didn’t render them any “safer” than when they were “loaded.” Really amazing. I’ve also had Army range control personnel agonize over the possibility that I was going to conduct a pistol training class in the manner you described. When I protested that we would lose, literally, hours of valuable and limited training time I was lectured about the significant safety hazards I was exposing everyone to and how safety was more important than the training. It used to be “mission first, as safe as possible.” That has morphed into the CYA “safety first” attitude prevalent in today’s regular Army. Of course I leave the special units out of this diatribe as they haven’t, as of yet, been infected with such idiocy. You are a gentleman to describe the club as you have. I think their concerns are ridiculous, entitled to them though they may be. If their members cannot walk around on a linear range w/ a holstered and loaded weapon they have NO business carrying same around my family and I in the streets of downtown. Such artificial concerns about “safety” are infuriating and a by-product of nothing more than ignorance and fear.

By: gtmtnbiker98

gtmtnbiker98 — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:00:41 +0000

I’ve been to several sanctioned matches where you have a “hot” range. They also had roped off areas and if you passed outside of these areas, you were DQ’d. Many sanctioned matches run in this format to facilitate the progress of the match. Doesn’t make sense; however, it is also a waste of time to argue the contrary.

By: ChipK

ChipK — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:19:47 +0000

Cold range policy is a strange thing… While I see why some clubs go that route, I agree Todd, I’m not convinced it’s any safer. Pretty much 99% of the nearly catastrophic things I’ve seen almost happen at a range has taken place at the end of an IDPA string when someone pumped up from the run almost did something stupid… You’re DQ’d if the gun comes out of the holster when you’re not shooting whether it’s loaded or not, might as well give guys a chance to calm down who may need it and have an area where guys can go to clear/load/etc cold range forces shooters to rush to clear their guns IMO.

By: David

David — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:06:43 +0000

weird, i’ve never even heard of such a rule before. all guns while at the range should be considered “hot” it seems an unnecessary risk to invite the assumption otherwise.

By: ToddG

ToddG — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:39:08 +0000

JackOSU — No, this is not an announced class. We get these issues resolved before we commit to a class.

HC — If the club submitted its range safety rules to its insurer and those rules say it’s a cold range, then arguably it could be an insurance issue. However, insurance companies do not require cold ranges. My guess is it was just an easy way to avoid giving you the real answer.

Sean — In the club’s defense, they don’t pretend to get involved in that sort of thing. As I said, I don’t begrudge the club their rules or decision… that’s for them to decide based on what they think the risk & reward is. But I do think the concept of a cold range, under most circumstances, is at best a false security and at worse a genuine danger.

By: Prdator

Prdator — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:17:41 +0000

People with “Unloaded” guns scare the POO out out of me!!!!!

And you should have seen the look on the range guys at a local range during a Farnam Rifle class when we ate at the range cafe with LOADED and slung carbines!!!
Now that is FREEDOM!!!!

By: Sean

Sean — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:24:29 +0000

It always amuses me at the ignorance of some people and organizations. How do people propose to run the two way range? Cold?

By: George Hill

George Hill — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:09:17 +0000

I’ve run into the same problem with a couple ranges here in Utah.
There is no practical way of running a course unless it’s a “Hot” range.
Our IDPA group runs cold, unless it’s a night shoot, and then it’s hot because there is no way of doing it otherwise at a night shoot.