I shot in my first BUG match this past weekend, and I had so much fun, that I thought I should write about it.

For those who don’t know, BUG stands for Back-up Gun. This is a term that is usually applied to the small revolvers and semi-auto pistols that many people use for daily concealed carry. They usually have a round capacity of only 5 or 6 shots and have a very short barrel. This is in contrast to the large 9mm, .40 and .45 cal full-size pistols with big magazines that most of us consider our “match guns”.

When I heard that my local IDPA club was going to have a side BUG match in conjunction with the yearly Classifier stages, I was extremely excited. I had just purchased a new Glock 42 ( .380 semi-auto), and was anxious to put it through its paces. (Or have it put me through mine – LOL!)

I had taken this gun to the range a grand total of twice before it was time for the BUG match, so I wasn’t terribly experienced with it. But I figured what the heck, the match would tell me what I needed to work on. I was worried that I only had the two magazines that the gun came with, but that seemed to be the order of the day. One of the SO’s in charge told me that he personally ran it with a revolver and no speed clips.

Since the Classifier match always seems to take forever, and there are always lots of shooters to put through it (it’s just the nature of the beast), we were encouraged to run over and try the BUG while we were waiting turns at the Classifier. I took advantage of the lull after my turn on Stage 2, and went to try out the G42.

It felt strange, but it was a Hoot! There were three mini-stages in one bay, broken up into several strings of fire each. You were limited to 5 rounds per string, and reloaded for the next string off-the-clock. Since I only had 2 magazines, if there were 3 strings, then that meant I had to return to the table, (keeping good muzzle discipline since there is no holster) in order to refill my magazines. I felt a little “off-balance” the whole time, because I couldn’t rely on muscle memory to know what to do. I had no holster, I had no magazine pouch – even the trigger pull was different on this gun. Being the control freak that I am, I like to have my motions be automatic, and this new situation wasn’t letting me do that. But change and novelty are good things. They keep me on my toes!

I think I did pretty well, though the scores aren’t up yet. I didn’t have any misses, and I didn’t hit any no-shoot targets, but time is always my issue. I’m not the fastest chickie on the block. LOL! But the important thing is that I had a BLAST!!! I am very grateful for the hard work that was put in by the club members to put this experiment on.

I recall that there was a good bit of buzz around the time of the 1st ever IDPA BUG Nationals this year, that BUG matches could be a new port of entry for new shooters and especially women. There are many women who carry concealed, but who don’t have “competition” gear, or “competition size” guns. Women often carry small guns, and carry in purses or belly bands or something other than a traditional holster. The BUG rules allow for a maximum of 5 shot strings (ideal for small guns), magazine changes off the clock, and no holster work. This is great Low-Intimidation Factor stuff to attract a whole new cadre of shooters!!

It might be working, as I met at least one woman that day who came specifically for the BUG match. She was afraid that she would be the only woman there, yet she came anyway. Good for her!! (And I know the feeling). I am so excited that she seems to have been bitten now! And I’ve made a new shooting friend besides!