As the results stand right now, I came out right in the middle of the pack overall. This seems to be my regular position. I came third unclassified, 7 points out behind the winner, and 2-x out of second. The first match would have been my low match even if I hadn't cross-fired, so it didn't make any difference in the league results.
I'm pretty sure my score keeper made a mistake adding my results for match 3, recording a 440 instead of a 450. If that's correct, I will finish 1st unclassified with a total of 1357-17x. If I had been classified, I would have placed 5th/15 in Marksman, 2nd/4 Sharpshooter, or 9th/12 Expert.
Here's the funny part. I shot (just barely) Expert. That's assuming the 450 is correct, and OK, 9 of those shots were on the wrong target. If I really did shoot a 440, AND/OR you don't count my crossfires, I'm a Sharpshooter. The NRA is not going to count my crossfires (and why would they?), so I guess I'm a Sharpshooter.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
2010 Service/Match Rifle MCB Quantico Schedule
2010 Service/Match Rifle MCB Quantico Schedule
13/14 Feb QSC Sat. 800 ag Sunday 3x600
13/14 March VFEMI Garand Matches
10/11 April QSC Sat. 800ag Sunday 3x600
15/16 May VFEMI Quantico 800 ag Championships
21/23 May VFEMI Virginia State Championships
12/13 June QSC Sat. 800ag Sunday 3x600
10/11 July VFEMI Quantico 800 ag Championships
16/18 July VFEMI Regional Championships
11/12 Sept VFEMI Garand Matches
9/10 Oct QSC Sat. 800ag Sunday 3x600
13/14 Nov QSC Sat. 800ag Sunday 3x600
PLEASE CONTACT MATCH DIRECTORS
QSC XTC Match Director JJ O’Shea jjoshea@msn.com
VFEMI Match Director Jim Morgan xmorgan@hotmail.com
This schedule does not include Palma, Full bore, Long Range, benchrest, or F Class. Please refer to specific websites or contact info for the complete schedule of events
Quantico Shooting Club www.quanticoshootingclub.com
VFEMI xmorgan@hotmail.com
Schedules subject to change
See you in 2010.
Expert?
I shot very well at Sunday's FRGC spring league match, and got some good advice. I ended up with a total of 458 in the 500 aggregate, which is an 'expert' score. That's a personal best, so we'll see if I can keep it up there for the next couple of matches.
The biggest improvement in terms of points came in Standing. I shot a 176-1x, which is 7 points higher than my previous personal best. I think I owe some of that to the team fire format (44 minutes for 2 shooters, alternating fire) that gives a good minute of rest between shots. I did find that I was standing with my feet too far apart, which was making me unstable, and giving me cramps in my hips.
For rapid sitting, I had a lot of time to find a good position, so I found my NPA, and a fairly settled, although not completely solid position. I was shocked to find I shot a personal best 98-4x. I'm going to try and loosen the sling some more, and move my hand toward the receiver to see if I can get a solid position. This is based on advice I got from a high-master about shooting prone.
I'm pretty tall, so the length of pull on a A2 is too short for me. In a really comfortable position, with my had at the front swivel, my eyeball is in inch in front of the rear sight. So, I asked someone if there was a way for me to increase the LOP in Service Rifle. His first piece of advice was to move the buttstock closer to my face, and higher on my chest.This should give me a more upright head position, and move my face back from the front sight. I tried it on Rapid Prone, but had a hard time getting it settled in there, and came away with a good score of 91-1x.
After watching me shoot rapid prone, he basically told me to bring my left hand toward the receiver and loosen up the sling. I had been trying to keep my left had at the swivel, and make it tight enough to press firmly into my shoulder, al a David Tubb. It just doesn't work for me. I'm also going to have to go back to using to adhesive to keep my hand in place.
He also told me I should keep my wrist straight, bend my right leg, and shift my hips to adjust my NPA for each shot, but keep my left elbow planted. I loosened the sling one hole from #0 to #1. After the stage was over, he had me loosen it more, and it ended up on the last hole (#4?) before I got a good position that didn't move in dry-fire.
So, Slow Prone I think I shot a personal best 93, and the last 4-5 shots were all Xs and 10s, but I didn't get a chance to completely record my results. I need my own score keeper :-)
The biggest improvement in terms of points came in Standing. I shot a 176-1x, which is 7 points higher than my previous personal best. I think I owe some of that to the team fire format (44 minutes for 2 shooters, alternating fire) that gives a good minute of rest between shots. I did find that I was standing with my feet too far apart, which was making me unstable, and giving me cramps in my hips.
For rapid sitting, I had a lot of time to find a good position, so I found my NPA, and a fairly settled, although not completely solid position. I was shocked to find I shot a personal best 98-4x. I'm going to try and loosen the sling some more, and move my hand toward the receiver to see if I can get a solid position. This is based on advice I got from a high-master about shooting prone.
I'm pretty tall, so the length of pull on a A2 is too short for me. In a really comfortable position, with my had at the front swivel, my eyeball is in inch in front of the rear sight. So, I asked someone if there was a way for me to increase the LOP in Service Rifle. His first piece of advice was to move the buttstock closer to my face, and higher on my chest.This should give me a more upright head position, and move my face back from the front sight. I tried it on Rapid Prone, but had a hard time getting it settled in there, and came away with a good score of 91-1x.
After watching me shoot rapid prone, he basically told me to bring my left hand toward the receiver and loosen up the sling. I had been trying to keep my left had at the swivel, and make it tight enough to press firmly into my shoulder, al a David Tubb. It just doesn't work for me. I'm also going to have to go back to using to adhesive to keep my hand in place.
He also told me I should keep my wrist straight, bend my right leg, and shift my hips to adjust my NPA for each shot, but keep my left elbow planted. I loosened the sling one hole from #0 to #1. After the stage was over, he had me loosen it more, and it ended up on the last hole (#4?) before I got a good position that didn't move in dry-fire.
So, Slow Prone I think I shot a personal best 93, and the last 4-5 shots were all Xs and 10s, but I didn't get a chance to completely record my results. I need my own score keeper :-)
Saturday, March 27, 2010
FRGC March 27th Service Rifle Match
I finally got the new Ron Brown sling, and the problem I was having with the sling sliding down my arm went away. Yeah!
I shot first service rifle match at Fairfax Rod and Gun Club this morning. Sign-up time was 8AM, ugh. I very nearly overslept, but managed to make it on time. The weather was cold, about 32 degrees when I got out of the car at 8, but it was clear and bright with very little wind. I ended up waiting until the second rely to shoot, so the light was behind me a little more than during the 1st rely.
Since I had never fired at 200 yards, the first question was, what's my zero? I ran the JBM Ballistics calculator the night before, and it said to come up about a minute and a half (5-6 clicks). When I got the the range, I ran in to Bob Reynolds, and he recommended coming up 2 minutes. Apparently, there is a rule of thumb that says 2 for 2, 3 for 3, something, something. That's, come up 2 MOA from 100 to 200, and then come up 3 MOA from 200 to 300. I ended up using 1.5 MOA (6 clicks) for standing, 8 clicks for sitting, and 6 clicks for prone. I honestly can't say right now which adjustment was 'correct,' although I'm thinking 8 clicks would have been better.
Slow Standing.
Alas, a new sling doesn't help with standing, and my shooting was perfectly in line with my previous efforts. I tend to do really well at the beginning, but I start to degrade as I go. Part of this is fatigue, part of it is taking too much time at the beginning and having to rush at the end. I actually ate into my partner's shooting time, but he was able to finish with seconds to spare on a 44 minute stage. The first string was an 85, and the second a 75, for a total of 160. I see a pattern of parallel horizontal strings above and below the black. At least part of the problem is inconsistant sight picture. Sometimes I shooting at a line of white, and sometimes I'm shooting into the black at 6 O'clock. I can also feel it in my back, so I know I need build some core strength.
Rapid Sitting,
My first sighter was at 6'Oclock, in the 8 ring, so I came up 2 clicks (I think), and hit the second shot in almost the exact same spot. Hmmm. For the rest of the stage, I held in the black, and came out with a good group a little low left. Even though the group was low-left, I still hit mostly 9s and 10s for a total of 92.
Rapid Prone,
I wasn't exactly sure what I had done on my sites during sitting rapid, so I dialed it back to 6 clicks above my 100yd zero. My first shot was a low right 8. The rest went in to my neighbors target, and his worst 10 hits were a total of 92. So, I worst, I shot a 90. All I'll say is, it's not my fault! For rapids in general, I need to take one shot per breath, rather than trying to hold my breath for more than one shot.
Slow Prone,
This is where the new sling really paid off. That thing hung to my arm like a python, and didn't go anywhere. I kept the elevation at +6, and I also think I was holding a little into the black at 6 O'clock, instead of my more usual line of white. I felt much more comfortable and shot one of my best groups and scores. I didn't really record what I did (too much going on), but I seem to recall the group being a little low right, but I still managed a 91. That's the best slow prone I have recorded. I picked up a tip that I need to roll the stock into my cheek before I put my elbow down. This is basically what I've been doing standing. I also got confirmation that I need to keep my left arm as far under the rifle as I can during prone.
I shot first service rifle match at Fairfax Rod and Gun Club this morning. Sign-up time was 8AM, ugh. I very nearly overslept, but managed to make it on time. The weather was cold, about 32 degrees when I got out of the car at 8, but it was clear and bright with very little wind. I ended up waiting until the second rely to shoot, so the light was behind me a little more than during the 1st rely.
Since I had never fired at 200 yards, the first question was, what's my zero? I ran the JBM Ballistics calculator the night before, and it said to come up about a minute and a half (5-6 clicks). When I got the the range, I ran in to Bob Reynolds, and he recommended coming up 2 minutes. Apparently, there is a rule of thumb that says 2 for 2, 3 for 3, something, something. That's, come up 2 MOA from 100 to 200, and then come up 3 MOA from 200 to 300. I ended up using 1.5 MOA (6 clicks) for standing, 8 clicks for sitting, and 6 clicks for prone. I honestly can't say right now which adjustment was 'correct,' although I'm thinking 8 clicks would have been better.
Slow Standing.
Alas, a new sling doesn't help with standing, and my shooting was perfectly in line with my previous efforts. I tend to do really well at the beginning, but I start to degrade as I go. Part of this is fatigue, part of it is taking too much time at the beginning and having to rush at the end. I actually ate into my partner's shooting time, but he was able to finish with seconds to spare on a 44 minute stage. The first string was an 85, and the second a 75, for a total of 160. I see a pattern of parallel horizontal strings above and below the black. At least part of the problem is inconsistant sight picture. Sometimes I shooting at a line of white, and sometimes I'm shooting into the black at 6 O'clock. I can also feel it in my back, so I know I need build some core strength.
Rapid Sitting,
My first sighter was at 6'Oclock, in the 8 ring, so I came up 2 clicks (I think), and hit the second shot in almost the exact same spot. Hmmm. For the rest of the stage, I held in the black, and came out with a good group a little low left. Even though the group was low-left, I still hit mostly 9s and 10s for a total of 92.
Rapid Prone,
I wasn't exactly sure what I had done on my sites during sitting rapid, so I dialed it back to 6 clicks above my 100yd zero. My first shot was a low right 8. The rest went in to my neighbors target, and his worst 10 hits were a total of 92. So, I worst, I shot a 90. All I'll say is, it's not my fault! For rapids in general, I need to take one shot per breath, rather than trying to hold my breath for more than one shot.
Slow Prone,
This is where the new sling really paid off. That thing hung to my arm like a python, and didn't go anywhere. I kept the elevation at +6, and I also think I was holding a little into the black at 6 O'clock, instead of my more usual line of white. I felt much more comfortable and shot one of my best groups and scores. I didn't really record what I did (too much going on), but I seem to recall the group being a little low right, but I still managed a 91. That's the best slow prone I have recorded. I picked up a tip that I need to roll the stock into my cheek before I put my elbow down. This is basically what I've been doing standing. I also got confirmation that I need to keep my left arm as far under the rifle as I can during prone.
Monday, March 15, 2010
CMP Practice.
Standing
I actually managed to find a clear, warm day to go practice last week. The wind was calm; the sun was bright; the temperature perfect. I started with Standing practice. The good news is I can call my shots. It was nice to see the holes appear where I thought they would. I only got off 15 rounds during the shooting period, but they were mostly 8s, 9s, and 10s. The first shots seemed to be the best. As I shot, I was getting fatigued, and it was harder to settle the rifle. I guess I better get a little more exercise.
Sitting
Next came rapid sitting. It took me awhile to find a good position. If the I had a good head position on the stock, the rifle was pointed at the ground. If the rifle was pointed at the target, I couldn't get my head on the rifle, or my eyeball was in front of the rear sight. I finally got a good crossed ankle position, and shot a pretty good group (96-3x). Part of the solution was choking up on the front stock to bring the sights up to the target. I got a 1" stock spacer coming from Midway which should help get the rear sight away from my eye. I'm also getting a Ron Brown sling from Creedmoor, which I hope will help keep the sling in place.
Prone
I didn't really have the heart (or daylight) to shoot a slow prone string. I just didn't feel like messing with my sling again. The damn thing always works its way down my arm as I reach for single rounds. Therefore, I decided to shoot "Rattle Battle."
I shot my own 100yd version of Rattle Battle, with a 600yd target reduced for 100yds. The official stage is as many rounds as you can shoot in 50 seconds. I only had one loaded magazine, so I just shot that about as fast as I could. I'm pretty sure I was under 30 seconds. So, shooting 30 rounds in 30 seconds, I got 28 hits on a target that's a little over 3-inches wide at 100 yards. Not bad.
I actually managed to find a clear, warm day to go practice last week. The wind was calm; the sun was bright; the temperature perfect. I started with Standing practice. The good news is I can call my shots. It was nice to see the holes appear where I thought they would. I only got off 15 rounds during the shooting period, but they were mostly 8s, 9s, and 10s. The first shots seemed to be the best. As I shot, I was getting fatigued, and it was harder to settle the rifle. I guess I better get a little more exercise.
Sitting
Next came rapid sitting. It took me awhile to find a good position. If the I had a good head position on the stock, the rifle was pointed at the ground. If the rifle was pointed at the target, I couldn't get my head on the rifle, or my eyeball was in front of the rear sight. I finally got a good crossed ankle position, and shot a pretty good group (96-3x). Part of the solution was choking up on the front stock to bring the sights up to the target. I got a 1" stock spacer coming from Midway which should help get the rear sight away from my eye. I'm also getting a Ron Brown sling from Creedmoor, which I hope will help keep the sling in place.
Prone
I didn't really have the heart (or daylight) to shoot a slow prone string. I just didn't feel like messing with my sling again. The damn thing always works its way down my arm as I reach for single rounds. Therefore, I decided to shoot "Rattle Battle."
I shot my own 100yd version of Rattle Battle, with a 600yd target reduced for 100yds. The official stage is as many rounds as you can shoot in 50 seconds. I only had one loaded magazine, so I just shot that about as fast as I could. I'm pretty sure I was under 30 seconds. So, shooting 30 rounds in 30 seconds, I got 28 hits on a target that's a little over 3-inches wide at 100 yards. Not bad.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Now that's what I'm talk'n about
100 yards shooting off a bench
69 gr. Sierra Match King
over 24.4 grains Varget
in LC brass
on a bright day with light wind
6 O'Clock hold
Now if my groups from prone position start to look like this we will be getting somewhere. In prone my group is about 1.5 MOA lower. I can come up 6 clicks to center the group, but the group is much wider. Even though I've got a nose weld on the bench and in prone, my eye seems to be much closer to the rear sight in prone. I think my prone position needs some work. I can't seem to find a spot for the butt that feels solid, and has the rifle pointed at the target instead of the ground.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
The Importance of Brass
I've been shooting Service Rifle for a little bit now, and I haven't paid too much attention to my ammo. I mostly shot inexpensive 55gr factory ammo that grouped around 3MOA.
Remington white box from the bench:
Georgia Arms from prone:
Earlier this year I got a 1:8 barrel, and some Sierra MK 69grs to go through it, but I haven't had a chance to try them out until recently. My first groups with the 69s were not any better than the 55s, about 2.5-3 MOA. After some reading, I decided to sort my brass by headstamp, load some rounds and head to the range. My first group with sorted brass:
Sierras in TW69 brass from the bench:
WTF? It turns out TW69 is really crappy brass made at the Twin Cities plant. During the time this brass was made, they were mostly concerned with productivity and not quality. Also, at least one of those shots on the right did not come from my rifle. Fortunately, I had also loaded some (mostly) once-fired R-P brass, and those fared much better.
Sierras in R-P brass from the bench:
You notice there are two distinct groups. One to the upper left with 6 shots, and one around the X with 4 shots (I think there's a double). When I got home, I weighted the R-P brass I hadn't loaded and found two distinct groups:
91| 1 1 3 3
91| 7
92|
92| 8 9
93| 0 0
93| 9
key: 93| 0 = 93.0 grains
leaf unit: 0.1 grains
stem unit: 1.0 grains
What, you don't know how to read a Stem and Leaf Plot? Anyway, Some of that is once fired from the same lot, and some is range brass, but I can't tell which is which. My guess is that each kind groups pretty well, they just don't happen to group in the same place.
Now I've got my brass sorted into Lake City, Winchester, and 'Blaster.' I also weighted the Winchester and culled anything that wasn't within a grain of average. I'll let you know how they shoot when I get them loaded (daddy needs a case trimmer). Oh, and the Lapua brass should be here Saturday.
Remington white box from the bench:
Georgia Arms from prone:
Earlier this year I got a 1:8 barrel, and some Sierra MK 69grs to go through it, but I haven't had a chance to try them out until recently. My first groups with the 69s were not any better than the 55s, about 2.5-3 MOA. After some reading, I decided to sort my brass by headstamp, load some rounds and head to the range. My first group with sorted brass:
Sierras in TW69 brass from the bench:
WTF? It turns out TW69 is really crappy brass made at the Twin Cities plant. During the time this brass was made, they were mostly concerned with productivity and not quality. Also, at least one of those shots on the right did not come from my rifle. Fortunately, I had also loaded some (mostly) once-fired R-P brass, and those fared much better.
Sierras in R-P brass from the bench:
You notice there are two distinct groups. One to the upper left with 6 shots, and one around the X with 4 shots (I think there's a double). When I got home, I weighted the R-P brass I hadn't loaded and found two distinct groups:
91| 1 1 3 3
91| 7
92|
92| 8 9
93| 0 0
93| 9
key: 93| 0 = 93.0 grains
leaf unit: 0.1 grains
stem unit: 1.0 grains
What, you don't know how to read a Stem and Leaf Plot? Anyway, Some of that is once fired from the same lot, and some is range brass, but I can't tell which is which. My guess is that each kind groups pretty well, they just don't happen to group in the same place.
Now I've got my brass sorted into Lake City, Winchester, and 'Blaster.' I also weighted the Winchester and culled anything that wasn't within a grain of average. I'll let you know how they shoot when I get them loaded (daddy needs a case trimmer). Oh, and the Lapua brass should be here Saturday.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Monday, June 13, 2005
Just to keep the thing going
I haven't added anything in a while, so here is a brief update.
I didn't renew my USPSA membership, so no official B-class ranking until I do. I am, however, one 60+ classifier away from B-class in production.
I am also switching to Limited for a bit. I really like the idea of Production class, but I'm tired of being penalized with minor scoreing. I'm betting it is easier to make B-class in Limited than it is in Production.
I didn't renew my USPSA membership, so no official B-class ranking until I do. I am, however, one 60+ classifier away from B-class in production.
I am also switching to Limited for a bit. I really like the idea of Production class, but I'm tired of being penalized with minor scoreing. I'm betting it is easier to make B-class in Limited than it is in Production.
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Draw and Reload times
OK,
Here are some draw and reload times form a couple of practice sessions. The June times were shot to estblish a base line for measureing progress on "El Presidente." The August times are from reloading practice, shooting at 8" round plates about 11 yards away. Not exactly comparable, but at least they give an idea. It looks like I'm now about a tenth of a second faster on the draw and a quarter second faster on the reload. That's progress!
The Q is for "quartile" at in quarters. A quarter of my times were faster than Q1 and a quarter were slower than Q3. A median can also be called Q2, or the second quartile. Medians and quartiles are a good way of looking at the center and spread of small datasets. If you don't know a lot of stats, you are probably scratching your head. Still, you don't need stats to look at the table and see that all of the August times are faster than all of the June times.
Here are some draw and reload times form a couple of practice sessions. The June times were shot to estblish a base line for measureing progress on "El Presidente." The August times are from reloading practice, shooting at 8" round plates about 11 yards away. Not exactly comparable, but at least they give an idea. It looks like I'm now about a tenth of a second faster on the draw and a quarter second faster on the reload. That's progress!
The Q is for "quartile" at in quarters. A quarter of my times were faster than Q1 and a quarter were slower than Q3. A median can also be called Q2, or the second quartile. Medians and quartiles are a good way of looking at the center and spread of small datasets. If you don't know a lot of stats, you are probably scratching your head. Still, you don't need stats to look at the table and see that all of the August times are faster than all of the June times.
| June Draw | August Draw | |
| Maximum | 2.3 | 2.06 |
| Q3 | 2.085 | 1.89 |
| Median | 1.96 | 1.86 |
| Q1 | 1.875 | 1.78 |
| Minimum | 1.77 | 1.39 |
| June Reload | August Reload | |
| Max | 3.79 | 2.85 |
| Q3 | 3 | 2.44 |
| Median | 2.86 | 2.22 |
| Q1 | 2.6 | 1.93 |
| Min | 2.49 | 1.83 |
Training and a few words about my holster.
OK, I'm in week three of the plan, so let's see what I should be doing:
3) week three - review goals daily
a) Walk 30 minutes a day
i) 10 minutes into walk do five 15 yard sprints
b) Dry fire 15 minutes a day focusing on transitions and drawing to positions
c) Hold gun up as long as possible weak hand and strong hand twice a day pressing the trigger to the rear without disturbing the sights.
d) Visualize shooting a smooth match and focus on the feelings of how that would feel
e) Live fire practice movement and box work
f) Live fire practice group shooting
g) Compete in local competitions focusing on speed
At this point I'm walking and running for half an hour, plus all the dry firing, and we're talking about a significant chunk of time. I'm also slaking on the Visualizing and live fire practice. I'm doing more jogging that sprinting, but I'll do the sprints from now on.
Visualize a smooth match? I had trouble visualizing a perfect sight picture. I will try to visualize doing everything smoothly in the match.
So, I'm doing some dry-fire drawing and reloading practice last weekend, and now my right wrist sounds like a cement mixer. I think it's my holster. When I ordered the holster, I knew I was going to use if for Production, which requires that the holster be behind the hip. I figured that a holster with a forward cant* would be easier to draw from behind the hip. Well, that may be true if the holster is way behind the hip, but drawing from back there is really slow, and a little awkward. IPSC/USPSA doesn't make you draw from quite that far back, and with the holster further forward you really have to crank your wrist to get a good grip on the gun. Doing that a bunch of times in a row hurts. Fortunately, a new SideArmor (sidearmor.net) modular holster should be on the way. That should do the trick.
The dry practice is helping the reloads a lot. I'm focusing on getting my had on the mag in the right place, with my index finger laying on the tip of the first round; pulling the gun back to the same spot; and looking the magazine into the well. I'm going to keep that smooth, and let the speed come.
Remind me to tell you about the fuzz on the tennis ball, and the swimmer's fingernail. There is also a good thread on the Brian Enos forums for visualizing a stage that I want to talk about next time.
*For those who don't know, a forward cant holster tilts the butt of the gun forward. If you were looking at the barrel from the right side, it would look like this: / . For some reason, the FBI likes the forward cant, so it is also known as the FBI cant. A vertical holster holds the gun straight up and down, so the barrel looks like this | . Most IPSC/USPSA shooters have holster canted backward, like this \ , which can be really fast with a race of holster. I covet a race holster, but they are not allowed in production class.
3) week three - review goals daily
a) Walk 30 minutes a day
i) 10 minutes into walk do five 15 yard sprints
b) Dry fire 15 minutes a day focusing on transitions and drawing to positions
c) Hold gun up as long as possible weak hand and strong hand twice a day pressing the trigger to the rear without disturbing the sights.
d) Visualize shooting a smooth match and focus on the feelings of how that would feel
e) Live fire practice movement and box work
f) Live fire practice group shooting
g) Compete in local competitions focusing on speed
At this point I'm walking and running for half an hour, plus all the dry firing, and we're talking about a significant chunk of time. I'm also slaking on the Visualizing and live fire practice. I'm doing more jogging that sprinting, but I'll do the sprints from now on.
Visualize a smooth match? I had trouble visualizing a perfect sight picture. I will try to visualize doing everything smoothly in the match.
So, I'm doing some dry-fire drawing and reloading practice last weekend, and now my right wrist sounds like a cement mixer. I think it's my holster. When I ordered the holster, I knew I was going to use if for Production, which requires that the holster be behind the hip. I figured that a holster with a forward cant* would be easier to draw from behind the hip. Well, that may be true if the holster is way behind the hip, but drawing from back there is really slow, and a little awkward. IPSC/USPSA doesn't make you draw from quite that far back, and with the holster further forward you really have to crank your wrist to get a good grip on the gun. Doing that a bunch of times in a row hurts. Fortunately, a new SideArmor (sidearmor.net) modular holster should be on the way. That should do the trick.
The dry practice is helping the reloads a lot. I'm focusing on getting my had on the mag in the right place, with my index finger laying on the tip of the first round; pulling the gun back to the same spot; and looking the magazine into the well. I'm going to keep that smooth, and let the speed come.
Remind me to tell you about the fuzz on the tennis ball, and the swimmer's fingernail. There is also a good thread on the Brian Enos forums for visualizing a stage that I want to talk about next time.
*For those who don't know, a forward cant holster tilts the butt of the gun forward. If you were looking at the barrel from the right side, it would look like this: / . For some reason, the FBI likes the forward cant, so it is also known as the FBI cant. A vertical holster holds the gun straight up and down, so the barrel looks like this | . Most IPSC/USPSA shooters have holster canted backward, like this \ , which can be really fast with a race of holster. I covet a race holster, but they are not allowed in production class.
Friday, August 27, 2004
Still going
Ok, it's been a few days since i checked in, but I'm still with the plan. It occurs to me that I need a measurable way to track actual progress. I recorded some data from a practice session a few weeks ago, things like draw time, reload time. Anyway, if I can find that data, I'll post it here for comparison.
Sunday's practice was not what I was planning, but it was a hell of a good day. I had been planning on setting up a couple of classifiers, and having Dave and I shoot them. He ended up bringing a couple of friends who were relatively new to pistol shooting and not into the IPSC, so that plan got scratched. That means I still need to do some match-type shooting. On the up side, we had a blast. Cool people, fun shooting and a good diner after. Now I have to get some work done on my thesis.
Sunday's practice was not what I was planning, but it was a hell of a good day. I had been planning on setting up a couple of classifiers, and having Dave and I shoot them. He ended up bringing a couple of friends who were relatively new to pistol shooting and not into the IPSC, so that plan got scratched. That means I still need to do some match-type shooting. On the up side, we had a blast. Cool people, fun shooting and a good diner after. Now I have to get some work done on my thesis.
Friday, August 20, 2004
August 20
Still going with the plan. I have a lot of thesis work to do today, so shooting will take a bit of a back seat. I should get some good practice in this weekend.
Anyway, the plan
a) Walk briskly 10 minutes a day
Check
b) Dry fire 10 minutes a day - basic dry fire plan
Check
c) Hold gun up as long as possible weak hand and strong hand twice a day pressing the trigger to the rear without disturbing the sights.
Check
d) Visualize 5 minutes a day of a perfect sight picture
Check
e) Live fire practice timing drills and transitions
Not today. Libraries frown on Live fire practice. Something about the noise :).
f) Compete in local competitions focusing on safety and smoothness
Tomorrow, I swear.
Anyway, the plan
a) Walk briskly 10 minutes a day
Check
b) Dry fire 10 minutes a day - basic dry fire plan
Check
c) Hold gun up as long as possible weak hand and strong hand twice a day pressing the trigger to the rear without disturbing the sights.
Check
d) Visualize 5 minutes a day of a perfect sight picture
Check
e) Live fire practice timing drills and transitions
Not today. Libraries frown on Live fire practice. Something about the noise :).
f) Compete in local competitions focusing on safety and smoothness
Tomorrow, I swear.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
The plan, week one
The plan is based on Matt Burkett's 10 week shooting plan. I will post a link ASAP. Anyway, here is the plan for week one from Matt:
Week one – write down goals for the 10 week project and for your seasons shooting
a) Walk briskly 10 minutes a day
b) Dry fire 10 minutes a day – basic dry fire plan
c) Hold gun up as long as possible weak hand and strong hand twice a day pressing the trigger to the rear without disturbing the sights.
d) Visualize 5 minutes a day of a perfect sight picture
e) Live fire practice timing drills and transitions
f) Compete in local competitions focusing on safety and smoothness
My goal is to make B-Class in Production division. I've got to get my "Percentage" above 60%. I think my shooting is about where it should be for B-class (that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and improve it), but I am slow on draws, reloading, and movement. I also need improvement on strong and weak hand shooting. Right now, my draws and reloads are at around two seconds for a ten yard target. If I can knockoff half a second from each of those, that would make a huge difference. I also want to get better at movement: Getting into and out of shooting positions, starting to move as soon as the last shot from a position is gone, and being ready to shoot as soon as I get to the next position.
So, how am I doing with the plan?
a) Done (actually, closer to 20 min).
b) Done. I did some dry draw and dry reloading too. You can never do enough dry-firing though.
c) Did one set. I will do the other tonight. Oy! that's a strain.
d) This is one for a more relaxed time of day to, so tonight.
e) I did a loose interpretation of "transitions" and shot plates from behind a barricade. Mostly one-shot, switch sides, repeat. Also did two shots, and reloading while switching sides. I definitely noticed some things. Like, I don't have to pull the pistol in nearly as far as I thought I did.
f)There are no local competitions this week, so maybe I'll set up a classifier or two at my range.
Week one – write down goals for the 10 week project and for your seasons shooting
a) Walk briskly 10 minutes a day
b) Dry fire 10 minutes a day – basic dry fire plan
c) Hold gun up as long as possible weak hand and strong hand twice a day pressing the trigger to the rear without disturbing the sights.
d) Visualize 5 minutes a day of a perfect sight picture
e) Live fire practice timing drills and transitions
f) Compete in local competitions focusing on safety and smoothness
My goal is to make B-Class in Production division. I've got to get my "Percentage" above 60%. I think my shooting is about where it should be for B-class (that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and improve it), but I am slow on draws, reloading, and movement. I also need improvement on strong and weak hand shooting. Right now, my draws and reloads are at around two seconds for a ten yard target. If I can knockoff half a second from each of those, that would make a huge difference. I also want to get better at movement: Getting into and out of shooting positions, starting to move as soon as the last shot from a position is gone, and being ready to shoot as soon as I get to the next position.
So, how am I doing with the plan?
a) Done (actually, closer to 20 min).
b) Done. I did some dry draw and dry reloading too. You can never do enough dry-firing though.
c) Did one set. I will do the other tonight. Oy! that's a strain.
d) This is one for a more relaxed time of day to, so tonight.
e) I did a loose interpretation of "transitions" and shot plates from behind a barricade. Mostly one-shot, switch sides, repeat. Also did two shots, and reloading while switching sides. I definitely noticed some things. Like, I don't have to pull the pistol in nearly as far as I thought I did.
f)There are no local competitions this week, so maybe I'll set up a classifier or two at my range.
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Getting Started
This is just some technical crap. I wanted a template with links, but I didn't like any of the templates that had links, so I'm trying to modify one, and I have to have a post before I can preview the damn thing. so there.
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