Texas Star

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Mt Shooter

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I was wondering what other thoughts about the texas star in uspsa. My thought is that they should do away with it. My reasoning is this, when I see a new shooter stand there and go through 4 or 5 mags at it they lose interest or feel bad about it. You may never see them again. That and I have not looked out the window and seen too many texas stars attacking. Thoughts?
 
I like the texas star as it's not a static target. It's a more challenging shooting problem which is really what uspsa/ipsc is about.

If we dumb down to what is doable by the new shooter without hurting their ego you will also risk keeping the interest of the more advanced shooter.

I really like texas stars. In So Cal you see a lot of them. We even have 6 and 7 arm star and mini plates.

Old School Star Stage
 
I love Texas Stars.

I have never seen a new shooter get so frustrated by one that they gave up practical shooting. I have also never seen anyone attacked by a piece of brown cardboard on sticks, although that might make a pretty cool J-Pop horror flick.

- Chris
 
Texas stars are cool.

Some guys will burn up a whole mag on a 30 yard popper as well, but that's part of the game. Don't let the star scare you. Once you realize it is not impossible it is just another shooting challenge. If a new shooter is having trouble then maybe a more experienced shooter should help him with a little advice after the match. I hate to see new guys get frustrated, but that dificulty level is also what makes it rewarding to make a good run on a stage.
 
The realistic argument can be made for many stages with steel or not. Many folks have problems with steel, it seems that if you miss once you try to knock it down with area saturation of lead. Of course the solution is to aim for each shot but where is the fun in that. I used to despise the Texas star so I built a few of them (one with a motor to make it spin before engaging it) and practice them until they were no longer intimidating (freestyle, strong hand & weak hand). http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/?action=view&current=funstar.flv
Is a link to the latest twist to the Texas star I put together. I built another axle for the star and put a spur gear on the end. Just below that shaft is another shaft, with spur gear, that runs back 20” or so and a mount for four non-threat targets. As the star rotates the non-threats counter rotate. The strange part is I’ve never seen that many shooters clear the star without at least one miss. I guess they finally had a reason to aim.
 
They should do away with them because they don't follow the principles upon which the sport was founded. Targets are supposed to be representative of a target which a person with a handgun may face. The Texas Star is not.
It is just another symptom of what is wrong with the sport. It has become more and more Carnival shooting and less and less practical.
I blame NORCO for it!:neener:
 
The local group here bought a Texas Star this winter, and we had our first match using it last Saturday. Yes, some people burned a 10rd mag without clearing the star, but overall everyone got into the spirit and had a great time with it. Sure, you could call it a carnival challenge, but it sure is fun, and isn't that what we are supposed to be having out there?
 
Targets are supposed to be representative of a target which a person with a handgun may face.
Click to expand...

Yeah, we all know the real threats we might face with a handgun are neckless, armless, square headed genderless people with no legs and who are 2 dimensional in shape. They also tend to stand really still for the most part as match shooters go around spree shooting them, often with pistols folks aren't likely to use on threats.

http://www.uspsa.org/USPSA_Videos/index.html
 
I don't blame NORCO for the Texas Star. I blame NORCO for the entire transition from Practical to Carnival.

It isn't a question of what is fun. It is a question of following the principles the sport was founded on. The Texas Star, the 32+ round field courses and several of the other changes made have taken the sport down the wrong path. If you read Ron Avery's article in front sight last year or the year before about "bubble gum IPSC", that pretty much sums it all up.

BTW, NORCO is credited for being one of the places that started the trend of huge assault courses and high round counts.
 
Targets are supposed to be representative of a target which a person with a handgun may face.
Click to expand...

If you can quickly and accurately clear a Texas Star, I'm sure that you would have very little trouble shooting fast and accurately enough to protect yourself in a "real-life" incident.
 
Lurper said:
They should do away with them because they don't follow the principles upon which the sport was founded. Targets are supposed to be representative of a target which a person with a handgun may face. The Texas Star is not.
It is just another symptom of what is wrong with the sport. It has become more and more Carnival shooting and less and less practical.
Click to expand...

Could this be you Ron (No More Bubblegum IPSC or Taliban IPSC) Avery?

Real world targets move as do the plates on a Texas Star.

I like the Texas Star.

I like them even more at 100 yards with a rifle.
 
No, I'm not Ron. But I do agree wholeheartedly with the views Ron expressed in his articles. The Texas Star does not meet the criteria set forth in the principles of the sport.

It's not a question of liking them or not. Nor is it a question of ability. I shot on the super squad for a couple of years, so I'm not intimidated by any target. It's a question of getting too far away from the principles the sport was founded upon.
 
I'm a weekly NORCO shooter and I'm on the fence about Texas stars. For what it's worth, we RARELY see them at IPSC competitions but they show up regularly at Ron and Nora's bi-monthly "Steel Madness".

I love the challenge of shooting them. They are not easy to clean without taking extra shots. They're just fun if you're in the right mood and in a competition, they really separate the men from the boys. On the other hand, they're not exactly representative of a real-life tatical situation. I guess the truth is, I don't really care. Either way is fine with me.
 
I think Lurper is describing what caused the birth of IDPA. Although we use a Texas Star in our IDPA matches. I hate it. I think it hates me back. Doesn't bother the good shooters though.
 
Practical/Defensive, as soon as they throw away the timers I’ll “play right”. If you don’t practice shooting targets that are difficult to you will loose shooting at them to others.
 
This is not quite what I was looking for when I started this thread, but I do have to agree with Lurpur. I could be wrong but that is the reason Bill Wilson started IDPA. Correct me if I am wrong.
 
I think USPSA gave up on the principles of the sport long ago. Still, I don't think the Texas Star is inconsistent with the principles. The ability to engage inconsistently moving targets and rapidly transition between targets seems like a practical skill to me.
Haven't tried them at 100 yards with a rifle, but I have shot one at 70 yards with a 1911.
 
I think they are fun, if I remember to shoot them in the right order. They piss me off when I'm a dumb-a$$ and try to shoot them in the wrong order!
 
Order, order, order--get the right order and there fun. IPSC et al.

We've even shot them in SASS with the rifle at about 25 yeads and finished any left with the shotgun, much fun, as all SASS is if your not a gaaaaaaammmmmeeeerrrrr!!!!
 
It depends. One technique is to start at the top and work your way down, alternating sides. This minimizes the speed with which the star rotates. Another technique is to shoot the one at about 4 o'clock, keep your gun in place, and pick off the rest of the plates as they pass by. This works well... if you don't miss.
 
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