MikeInCtown's struggle from U

[mikeinctown]

Been shooting pretty much my whole life but just started in USPSA production division this year. The classifiers I have shot so far would have earned me a solid D, a low B, and a high D. Guessing I'll wind up a D for a month or so and hope to end the year at a C and actually perform at a C level. Goal next year (2018) is to be at least a B.

 

Have taken one training class so far and the first match after the class is where I shot in the top half of the field and earned the B in the classifier. My last match I apparently forget everything I had practiced and it all fell apart. (still finished better than 20% of the others) Oddly enough, I actually had range time indoors which I think hurts me because I can't draw from a holster, drop mags, or do much of anything like I would in an actual match or outdoor training. I have very very limited live range time and NO time at an out door range. Hoping this fall to get a membership slot at the range where the matches are held as there will be someone new leasing the property.

 

Next match in 2 weeks. Will be doing dry fire drills after work but will not get any time live fire. Doing dry fire drills from Stoeger and Hopkins. Working right now on getting sight picture as quickly as possible and developing arm and hand memory to make that happen. Still need to get a good timer for training purposes.

 

 

[Hi-Power Jack]

Welcome to USPSA - isn't it Great ?

 

What are you shooting ?

[mikeinctown]

1 hour ago, Hi-Power Jack said:

Welcome to USPSA - isn't it Great ?

 

What are you shooting ?

 

It is great. last year I checked out a couple matches and also stopped and watched a few IDPA matches. USPSA won out by a huge margin.

 

Shooting a Shadow Target that I bought used from a member here over the winter. Also have a backup SP-01 that I installed all the CGW stuff in, but I will probably have the local CZ gunsmith take a look at it as something doesn't feel quite right when I compare it to the Shadow with the CZC work done.

 

My accuracy on steel is killing me. Or should I say my tendency to pull the gun down and to the left as I pull the trigger is killing me. Ran a stage Sunday and was doing great. 31 rounds and I just needed to put my 29, 30, and 31st round onto steel. First two no problem then bam, missed the last one, forcing me to reload, go from slide lock and take another shot. Watching the video it cost me like 3-5 seconds if not more. Another round I shot a texas star and missed the first plate with three shots and then hit the 5 plates with 6 total shots after. Same happened with a plate rack where I missed the first then assumed I got a hit on the last one but it really only hit the base and didn't knock the plate down. Had to regrip and shoot the last one. Lost more time there. I know where I'm messing up and how I'm messing up, but just need to keep putting in the time to rectify those small screw ups.

 

Hopefully as I note my matches and screw ups they change and I see a slow progression forward to less mikes and better scores.

[mikeinctown]

7/14/17

 

About an hour of dry fire practice last night. Maybe 5 minutes of target transition and the rest just drawing to first shot. My copy of Stoeger Dryfire Reloaded came in and it is clear that nothing else will really improve and my par times will never hit the mark if I can't draw to sights quickly and accurately. Also pacticed gripping the gun much harder than I had been which is helping with the sight picture. Hands hurt like a bitch though this morning and I have some skin missing on the top of the webbing where my hand rides on the beavertail. Had to call it quits when my hands started hurting bad from where the skate tape on the front strap was digging in.

 

Also working on always placing my hand along the bottom of the holster in the same place so that my hand always comes up on the grip the same spot to get the same draw every time. Up until now it has been hit or miss with the gun sometimes getting stuck in the holster because of the angle I'm pulling at.

[mikeinctown]

8/14/17

 

Been doing a bit of dry fire every other day but not nearly as much as I need to. Have not been getting any live fire except for match time but ultimately matches are cheaper and provide way more feedback for me than local indoor ranges.

 

Finished 52/69 yesterday and shot the classifier at 57%. Nuevo El Presidente... My absolute biggest issue is still steel, where I felt I was improving previous. I switched to the red fiber from green as it stands out better in the sunlight but also went with 147 grain instead of the 135s I had been using. (also switched from HP38 to Titegroup.) One of these things has really changed something for me because I couldn't hit the 6" steels to save my ass this time. at my last match I cleared a plate rack and texas star only wasting 4 shots total. This time we had steel on 5/6 stages and it had to easily have added 100 seconds to my time in addition to 40 rounds into the dirt/berm. Need to get out this week and shoot from a rest to see where the sights shots are going with the 147s and see if maybe my sight moved on me. I love the feel of the 147s as it seems like I'm getting the sights back on target quicker and shooting more A zone shots than I had previous. (last match I was able to hit the target at 50 yards but this match I can't hit steel at 10 yards. very frustrating)

 

This week will be sight alignment at the range plus practice draws and reloads.  Did I ever mention I hate living in the city where the indoor ranges suck...

[StuckinMS]

This is an amazing sport!  Lots of good folks who are more than willing to help.  One of the few sports where competitors will do so for each other.  You can fix the pulling the gun low and left with dry fire.  Just put an empty shell case on the slide just behind the front sight and pull the trigger without moving the case.  Watch Rob Leathams you tube video.  Next step is to start with trigger finger outside of the trigger guard and then pull trigger without moving the case .  Increase your speed and then add a par time.  You can also do double taps with only one live round so that you are pulling a hammer only and see if you can notice a dip (pull).  Watch lots of you tube videos by Rob Leatham, Max Michele Jr, Doug Koenig, and Robert Vogul, Travis Tomasie.   These guys do a lot of free videos on you tube that are extremely informative.   You can do Bill drills at the indoor range, minus the draw.  So if they allow you to use a timer in there you can just take your draw time off of the "targeted " par time.  Dry fire is awesome and cheap!  Lots of reloading practice, watch Travis Tomasie and the "perfect" reload video.  Travis is a great guy, former world champ and still the smoothest reload I have seen in person.  Take notes and remember that when having a bad practice session to end it sooner than later because it is behavior that you do not want to program in.  When having a good practice session practice as long as you can and burn that into muscle memory.  Good luck and remember safety is king!

[mikeinctown]

Well something certainly helped me at least with the classifiers. Even a no shoot on one didn't keep me from earning a C classification. Next stop, B. (which will only be possible if I can hit the damn steel)

[Hi-Power Jack]

10 minutes ago, mikeinctown said:

 which will only be possible if I can hit the damn steel

 

Sounds like you've identified your next goal.    

 

Shooting steel is different, for me, than shooting paper    

 

You don't actually Have to Hit paper to complete a COF, but you

are under a Lot of Pressure to knock down all the steel.

 

So, pulling down and left means you can shoot pretty fast, and 

pick up some D's and even a M or two, on paper, and still do pretty well.

 

BUT, with steel, you have to hit that damn piece of steel, or

keep shooting at it.  And it just gets more annoying each time

you miss.

 

Three  thoughts:

 

1.  Your sights - a big advantage, to me, to have very fine sights

                             and FO front sight (0.08") - easy to see the FO.  The

                             smaller the front sight, the finer I can hold

 

2.  You might want to try a 6 o'clock hold, and aim at the very

     bottom of the steel (the round part) - aim small, hit small    

 

3.  Sounds like you're counting your rounds, and where/when

to reload, assuming you're going to NOT require any extra shots.

That's Never worked for me.   I like to reload while I'm moving

to ensure I have enough boolits to knock down all the steel,

without doing a standing reload from slide lock (saves a whole

bunch of time).  I presume I'm going to miss a few shots on

steel - and make sure I'm prepared for it.

 

Keep going - hope you make B soon.     

[mikeinctown]

17 minutes ago, Hi-Power Jack said:

 

Sounds like you've identified your next goal.    

 

Shooting steel is different, for me, than shooting paper    

 

You don't actually Have to Hit paper to complete a COF, but you

are under a Lot of Pressure to knock down all the steel.

 

So, pulling down and left means you can shoot pretty fast, and 

pick up some D's and even a M or two, on paper, and still do pretty well.

 

BUT, with steel, you have to hit that damn piece of steel, or

keep shooting at it.  And it just gets more annoying each time

you miss.

 

Three  thoughts:

 

1.  Your sights - a big advantage, to me, to have very fine sights

                             and FO front sight (0.08") - easy to see the FO.  The

                             smaller the front sight, the finer I can hold

 

2.  You might want to try a 6 o'clock hold, and aim at the very

     bottom of the steel (the round part) - aim small, hit small    

 

3.  Sounds like you're counting your rounds, and where/when

to reload, assuming you're going to NOT require any extra shots.

That's Never worked for me.   I like to reload while I'm moving

to ensure I have enough boolits to knock down all the steel,

without doing a standing reload from slide lock (saves a whole

bunch of time).  I presume I'm going to miss a few shots on

steel - and make sure I'm prepared for it.

 

Keep going - hope you make B soon.     

 

Thank you. I've grown accustomed to missing on steel so I plan reloads based on if I hit all, and if not then I reload when I need to on the steel and then as soon as I am done to transition back to my actual stage plan. I have 6 mags so I always have enough based on this method.

 

For example, if I go at 2 targets for 4 shots then I need 4 on steel I'd plan on reloading after 8. But if it takes me 11 then I reload, or if it takes me 14 I have to reload once but as soon as I am done with the steel then I reload as I transition to my next location. The large steel doesn't give me fits and if I miss I usually always hit on the second shot. It is the little 6" rectangles 15 yards out or the half size steels at a further distance. The guy who creates the stages wants it to be as difficult as a level 2 or 3 match.  For example, my last match was 111-A, 5-B, 29-C, and 4-D with 10 mikes. The mikes are always from me shooting the second shot too fast. I almost never put 3 shots on a target as a make up because I see my sights and assume I am getting that hit.

 

On another range where the bays aren't nearly as large or long my last match there I shot 123A 4B 18C 2D and 0 mikes or no shoots.

 

I'm swapping back to green fiber on both guns and making sure I don't melt it too much to keep it in place. I agree that smaller is better on the front sight. Have a match at one on Saturday and the other on Sunday.

[Hi-Power Jack]

On ‎7‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 3:13 PM, mikeinctown said:

 

  just needed to put my 29, 30, and 31st round onto steel. First two no problem then missed the last one, forcing me to reload, go from slide lock  

 

Here's an example of assuming you would make all three hits with your last three rounds - I'd have

reloaded somewhere else before I got to those last three shots     

[StuckinMS]

You see your sights where on the target?  Just seeing brown is not enough.  You need to know precisely as possible where on the target they are when the shot breaks. Then you can figure out if you are pulling toward the next target too early or are pulling down with the trigger etc.  See that sight come back down into the A zone before letting loose that 2nd round.  Remember that speed can kill if it is not under control. 

[mikeinctown]

Switched back to the green fiber from red and took the time to keep the fiber from mushrooming when I heated the ends. The thinner fiber in the sight picture really seems to help. Had matches Saturday and Sunday and did far better on steel with the green fiber.

 

Saturday match had 4 good stages for me and two horrendous field courses. First bad one I had an array next to a barrel with a target half exposed on top, one partially exposed upside down on the bottom with a no shoot between them at about 15-20 yards from my position. Somehow I managed to miss all 4 shots into the targets and also tag one no shoot. In hindsight I could have easily moved 10-15 feet closer than I was to engage but was already in one position shooting at another set of targets.

Second bad stage had a field course where you had to go out of the shooting area multiple times, move around barrels and then hop back into the area and shoot through ports. It was a great stage but I missed one of the targets hidden behind a barrel accessible through a port an dthen another target I plugged the no shoot twice and missed the target. I straight just pulled down on the shots. Anyway, 1 procedural, 2 no shoots, and 4 mikes screded me for that stage. Still finished like 52/65 Classifier was shot at something like 45% (C)

 

Sunday's match was going much better. The bays are grass and narrower so targets are tighter. For the most part I was doing really well except for having a mag partially slide out, either my me hitting the release by accident or just not jamming it in hard enough. Also had a no penalty mike on a last shot as a round got lodged on the feed ramp. One last gun handling issue was after a 10 shot start string on an unloaded start, i forgot to rack the slide after the reload and pulled the trigger twice before I realized what happened.

My one really big problem happened on the last stage. I got popper screwed. The stage has one target to the right, two large poppers straight with both activate drop turners that turn one turn and then reveal a head shot when they stop. I drew, put two into the target on the right then one low and left into the popper on the right. Did not drop, so I placed another shot which hit bottom left third in the calibration zone and it wobbled but did not fall. So I stopped shooting and asked for calibration. person comes and shoots the popper, it wobbles a bit the falls a second later and I get screwed. I'm told the bullets barely make power factor so the popper is good. I'm thinking THEY AREN'T SUPPOSED TO MAKE POWER FACTOR!!!! That's the whole point of calibration!!! So it took three shots with ammo that makes PF to knock it down. F that.

Match result 37/100 Shot classifier at 69% (B)

 

I know USPSA doesn't think this is an issue but I have seen many people get screwed at the one match by the poppers. (they are the design without hinges so each time you have the pick it up and place pins back in the corresponding slot which to me means something can get caught in there more easily) I had always though it was because the people were loading light as I would see the brass pop out maybe a foot or just dribble out of the gun when they fired. This never happens at the matches at the other place and steel also seems to fall much quicker. I wish USPSA would make calibration PF something like 100 - 110 so that one can be guaranteed a fall when they are using minor making PF and the target likely will never fall when hitting it then with the low PF calibration rounds.

 

Oh well, rant over. Feeling like I need to take a break for a month and do some work on my gun from a reliability standpoint. Will continue to dryfire in the meantime.