Twilight Run ‘N Gun 2018 II Results

Last weekend was the 2nd Twilight Run ‘N Gun. If you remember from my last update, I was feeling odd and apprehensive about this event. Well, it’s come and gone, the cookie has crumbled, and the fat lady has sung. Before I get into how I ended up doing, let’s take a moment to talk about the gear I used and then the run itself.

The Gear

If this looks like the same picture I used for the last RNG, that’s because it is [click the link for an in-depth gear list]. I used the exact same gear this time as last, with the exception of using my Blue Alpha Gear Hybrid EDC belt instead of the leather one in the pic. I ended up ditching the knee pads last-minute last time and it worked out well. This time I just left them at home.

My loadout consisted of (4) 17-round M&P mags, (2) 30-round pmags, and (50) loose 9mm rounds in my bag. This ended up being exactly what I needed, since I had (2) .223 rounds and (4) 9mm rounds in my mags as I crossed the finish line. I do not like being that close to empty. I didn’t have to reload my mags on the run like I did last time, but that is a fluke. On stage 2 I burned an entire 30-round pmag and timed out before I even made it to the pistol portion of that stage. I should have had more rifle ammo left and less pistol ammo left. I basically failed in a very specific and slightly beneficial way. I’d have rather cleared the stage and reloaded on the run than the other way around.

Speaking of failures, there were a few things that are worth mentioning. Number one is me. Stage 2 started with (3) steel targets you engage (1 hit) at ~100 yards, then re-engaged from about 85 yards, standing. My rifle was recently zeroed at 25, which means I should be 1″ – 1.5 ” high @ 100. In reality, I wasn’t close. Between those 6 required hits, I burned 30 rounds. I think I missed more shots on this stage than I did the other 3 stages combined. Maybe I could have dropped to a knee and got stable enough to make up for my lack of zero, but I didn’t think of that.

Next most noteworthy failure was my rifle light. It’s a Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount HL-X. On 2 of the 3 rifle stages, it flickered on me. I’d be shooting and after a couple shots it would go out. I’d have to try to find my target with my headlamp and throw some rounds out and hope I hit it. [since everything was steel, this isn’t an impossible task]. After another round or two, the rifle light would come back on like nothing happened. Maybe it’s because of low batteries (same ones from May), maybe it’s because the emitter sits right next to my brake, I don’t know. All I know is that I bought a nice Streamlight so that this nonsense wouldn’t happen. If I can get it to repeat this behavior a call to Streamlight customer service may be in order.

Third failure was my sling mount. The QD socket that attached to my rail loosened and came off the rail about halfway through the course. Thankfully I run a Magpul MS-3 and it is convertible to single point, so I just re-clipped it and went about my business. I could have sworn I put thread locker that socket when I reinstalled it after painting my rail, but I guess I didn’t. I will this time for sure.

There is a real benefit to accessories that are field-convertible, and having redundant options. Two of my problems were quickly worked around due to having another option available to me when I needed it.

The Results

I scored 59.5% of the winner’s score, placing me 11th of 18 in 2-Gun, 18th of 26 overall. I’m not real happy with how I performed, but It’s not like I got cheated out of anything. I just screwed up and got beat by people who didn’t. Like last time, I’ve broken down the data visually to give me (and you, dear reader) a clearer picture of what happened and how to improve. My data is marked orange, my friend who shot it with me is marked green. He goes by ‘daddy’ in the comment section.

‘Runtime’ is in seconds, standard hour:minute format is to it’s right

This is the stage that threw me for a loop. As you can see from the graph, I am not the only one it affected; though of the people who got hurt by this stage I still came up lacking. Of the two people who did worse on this stage, one was dead last and the other did significantly better than me. The fact that the guy who finished in 1st place only did slightly better than me on stage 2 doesn’t help.

This last graph is the one I’m most proud of, but also unhappy with. I was concerned that my running wasn’t where it needed to be. Based on my run time vs my placement, I was worried too much. My run time was 1 hour, 17 minutes, putting me in the top third in that regard and solidly in the middle of that group. But, this graph also showcases how little running helped one’s score this time. Most of the people who finished ahead of me overall had only slightly better or worse run times.

It is interesting that on stages 1, 3, and 4 there is a pretty consistent trend line for the front 2/3 of competitors, and after that the times quickly escalate. This is best shown on Stage 3. There is fierce competition and not a lot of change from 1st through about 15th place, but after that it the trend line falls apart and times skyrocket. Stage 2 kind of indicates that it would have been similar if you ignore the people who obviously timed out. The raw run times don’t exhibit the same trend line, though.

The lesson learned is this: to win, you have to be consistently good. To get that gold, you can’t count on any one aspect being enough to make up for an otherwise-mediocre showing. If you’re middle of the pack the whole way through, you can’t pull out all the stops at the end and come from behind. If you’re doing good the whole time and get jammed up in one spot, it probably won’t hurt you (look at #1’s performance on stage 2).

Also, when the match director says that shooting counts for 2/3 your score and your running for 1/3, make sure your rifle is zeroed.

See you next Friday

-S_S