4 minute read
BARBADOS
from glock manual
by Firearminc
In one team event of Barbados’ annual GLOCK Shoot, competitors must race to a table and put together a disassembled GLOCK before shooting the course of fire.
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The first day of the GLOCK Shoot is for invididuals, while the second day is all about team competition.
BARBADOS, A SMALL ISLAND WITH A BIG PASSION BIG PASSION
THIS BIT OF PARADISE IS HOME TO A COMMUNITY OF DEDICATED SHOOTING SPORTS COMPETITORS.
■ ARTICLE BY SEAN CURTIS ■ PHOTOS BY RODNEY GARNES AND FRANCISCO PILGRIM PHOTOS BY RODNEY GARNES AND FRANCISCO PILGRIM
his past October, a group of shooters gathered
Ttogether on the month’s first weekend to compete in one of the most beautiful settings in the Caribbean—Barbados. This tiny island, some 166 square miles, is home to the Barbados Rifle and Pistol Federation, Inc. It is a bastion for the shooting sports, and one of the jewels in the crown of this island refuge for firearms is the GLOCK Shoot.
I spoke with Charles Belle, the club’s Vice President, to learn more about the organization and the GLOCK Shoot. Formed in 1908 as the Barbados Miniature Rifle Club, the Federation is one of three shooting clubs that exist on the island today. At 111 years old, it has helped keep the shooting sports alive in a place most likely to be billed a vacation destination. The club has a 1,500-strong membership, all the more remarkable considering a total island population of around 300,000.
While the organization supports Olympic ISSF, IPSC, and law-enforcement shooting, one of its biggest events is the GLOCK Shoot. I asked Belle how the shoot was set up. He
said the number of competitors averaged between 60 and 75, a large enough number to cause the competition to be split into individual and team phases. “To have those numbers consistent every year is a beautiful thing,” he said of the annual match.
On the first day, individual shooters make their way through the various courses. On the second day, team competitors combine the strength of their skills in seeking glory. Belle said many of the teams come from the other shooting clubs and the military, law enforcement, and security companies on the island.
Allowed calibers are .40 AUTO and 9X19 for the men. Women have the additional option of shooting .380 AUTO. The courses are all designed to test a shooter’s speed and accuracy, and while some stages were standard fair, at least one was a surprise to me.
In this most unusual stage, when the target faces the first shooter at the ready, the competitor must run from the 25-meter line to the 10-meter line where there’s a disassembled GLOCK perched upon a table. The task, as you might now surmise, is to put it together and then proceed through the course of fire. The shooting done, the competitor must then disassemble the GLOCK to its four main components, then “tag in” the next shooter by handing off a magazine to them. This is designed to be run as a relay for teams with three people, and personal strengths can pay off: The first person in the relay shoots with both hands, the second person shoots strong-hand-only, and the final competitor shoots weak-hand-only. If that doesn’t sound like a blast—and a challenge!—I don’t know what does.
Delving a little into the laws in Barbados, I asked Belle about gun ownership on the island. He said residents can purchase guns for use at the gun clubs or for personal protection. He said GLOCK has a strong presence on the island, with most of the military, police, and security companies using them for duty pistols, adding that most law enforcement officers carry the venerable GLOCK 17. He also noted that there’s a GLOCK dealer on the island, saying, “The gun of choice in Barbados is GLOCK for personal protection.”
Belle is extremely appreciative of the support from GLOCK International and the promotional items it provides to the GLOCK Shoot. Every shooter receives a gift bag from GLOCK that has all sorts of goodies inside. Individual shooters get trophies based on how they rank in the final scores, and for the teams there are trophies and medals. Belle says the club also gives out vouchers for dinners and special awards for different categories like oldest shooter, best-dressed shooter, and others to make it more interesting.
Belle told me that in 2020 they’re hoping to take the shoot regional to include other nearby territories, noting that St. Lucia and Trinidad have many GLOCK shooters. Most important, though, having hosted the GLOCK Shoot from 2005-2008 and then again since 2016, Belle said he’s seen that every year the match gets better and better.
Surrounded by such a paradise—and such passionate shooters—how could it not?
