Rob D

I start with a whole wheat english muffin and an apple for breakfast, then drink the biggest cup of coffee I can find on the way to the match. I'm usually awake and alert by the time I get there. I like to keep sunflower kernels and Snicker's "Marathon Protein" bars in my shooting bag for energy during the match. PB - I've never though of doing a short cardio workout to wake up. That's an awesome idea. I'll have to try it.

That sounds like a good plan. I'll give it a try tonight. The problem is you are not slowing down before you enter the box. Enter like you are stepping on a glass plate, nice and smooth, be ready to break the shot when the target becomes visable, leave as soon as the shot break. Coming in wheels screaning, in a cloud off dust, feels fast but it it alot slower.. I took a class with TJ, he set up 5 or 6 boxes in a row with close targets, He timed us. I ran like my ass was on fire, he walked and still beat all of us Thanks for pointing that out. I like the way you put that, "Enter Like you are stepping on a glass plate." I'll try to keep that image in my head when I practice. About how many steps do you give yourself to slow down when entering a box from a full run? When should I start decelerating?

I've been working on my movement non-stop since taking a competition class with TDSA Tulsa last month. One of my biggest problem areas is entering boxes at speed. I've gotten into the habit of having the gun up and ready when I enter the box, but I have a tendency to end up shooting my first shots in the box from a very off-balance stance leaning forward and almost standing on my tip toes. It's especially common when moving forward into a box. I'm not sure what causes me to end up this way, but it doesn't make for a solid platform, good follow-up shots, or good box exits. I've been trying to deliberately stay low to the ground when moving to keep myself from half way falling forward when I try to stop, but it's been difficult, especially when I'm going into the box after a full speed run. Anybody have a good drill or exercise they use to practice staying low while entering boxes? Is there something else I should work on instead of just trying to stay low to the ground? All help is appreciated, thanks!

I've never seen it done, but the accessory rail looks to be the correct dimensions. I bet you could get the Mako optic mount to fit with a little modification. I'll measure the rail against the actual glock when I get home tonight and let you know.

Sounds like a heck of a deal. Thanks!

Thanks Kurt. I checked the overall weight to see if the barrel would make it much heavier, and the predator weighs about 8lbs if I remember correctly vs. 6.6lbs for their entry m4. Like you said, I doubt that will matter at all. I'll definitely ask Calvin about that. Thanks again!

I don't know that Manny does anything to them at all. When I was shopping for an airsoft, Manny was the only dealer I could find that seemed trustworthy and had any kind of product information on the website. A lot of the airsoft sites had little or no information about their products, and I was weary of ordering something I couldn't read much about from somebody over seas. There may be better places to order from now. I've had great luck with the G17 clone I bought from Manny, FWIW. I have an old CED6000 that picks up my airsoft just fine. I just have to keep a tiny flathead screwdriver in my range bag so I can turn the sensitivity down when I shoot my real glocks. Good luck! It's a lot of fun to train with airsoft. I like that I can be sitting on my couch at 1AM and decide to go practice on a whim without bothering anybody.

I was 22 when I went to my first match in 2008.

I'm certainly no expert on the topic, but if you search around a little bit, you'll probably find that almost all the guys running 9major in glocks are using gunsmith fit aftermarket barrels.

I really like your video. One thing that really popped out to me is how you keep the gun up and centered and then present it to ever target as your get into position. I really like that, and I'm definitely going to try to copy you on this. I've noticed Eric Grauffel doing the same thing, but he looks like some kind of supernatural shooting robot when he moves, and I couldn't really pinpoint what I liked about it. I'm sure I've seen a lot of other great shooters doing it to, it just really popped out during your video. Also, when you dry-fire with the glock-paper trick, do you practice taking your finger completely off the trigger between shots? I tried the paper trick for a few weeks before double-tap, but it seemed to cause me to short-stroke my trigger. I was probably just practicing bad habits though. It might be better if I practiced letting the trigger all the way out and then squeezing it. Thanks Robbie

I'm not positive, but I believe they do make high top cleats. I haven't purchased cleats yet, but was thinking the same. Shooters would certainly benefit from the support they provide while quickly moving laterally. Adidas makes High top and mid-top corner blitz cleats. Linemen wear high-top football cleats while they're traunching around crashing into each other over and over again. I wear the mid-tops because academy was out of low tops when I went to get them. They provide some ankle support. I'm sure the high-tops would do more. Jason, I'm with you. My first serious slip didn't DQ me but it made me have to think about my footing more, and I didn't like that. Whether you like football cleats, or just high traction hiking shoes of some kind, getting footwear that will let you shoot without having to think about your footing is a huge advantage. Rob

Very cool! I like Sport Grey and Cardinal.

Thanks for the barrel reccomendation. Is there anything specific I should ask for in a barrel besides the threaded muzzle? The predator comes stock with a fluted bull barrel. I thought I could just get someone to thread it for me, but if it's going to be more expensive that way I'll definitely see if they'll let me substitute a threaded barrel. My plan was to get a TSS rolling thunder comp since that's what a lot of local guys have reccomended. So 30 round mags are the standard? I wasn't sure whether to order those or 20 rounders. Sounds like the weaver is the way to go. I'll get one ordered. Thanks.

Went out to the range yesterday for the first time since taking the TDSA competition pistol class. Maybe this is just a side effect of firing 1000 rounds in a weekend then waiting a week and letting things sink in, but I was amazed at how natural everything felt yesterday. I am getting consistent draws from 10 yards at about 1.25, and I am breaking a second within 5 yards(mostly .95ish). That's not any faster than I've shot before, but I was much more consistent and it seemed easy compared to having to push myself for those times a few months ago. I shot a few bill drills. Most were around 2.6, but I shot one at 2.37 which is smoking fast for me!! I don't remember how many months it's been, but I was psyched when I broke 3 seconds for a bill drill. Now 2 seconds is almost within striking distance. I also hit a "Draw-1-Reload-1" in 2.67 which is well below my dry-fire par time of 3 seconds. I think I actually make myself get a better sight picture in dry-fire because I second guess whether I saw the hit or not, whereas in livefire the trigger breaks when the sights are there, at least when I'm not doing anything to screw myself up. Great day at the range! I'm walking (and dry-firing) on air today. It also felt really good because I smoked my dad on every drill. Usually he beats me a time or two, but he's practicing for IDPA right now.

Hey guys. I've read as much as I can find and have picked up some very useful information using the search button, but I still have a few questions about my first rifle. I just bought a certificate for a bushmaster predator off the classifieds. I want to have a comp put on it, then I guess I'll need some sights. My question is about low-budget options for sights to get started. I had to stretch my wallet to buy the rifle(even after getting an awesome deal), so I'm not in a position where I can spend $400-600 on a scope right now. Should I start with Iron sights, and if so, what are some good options I can mount on the predator? I like the peep sight with a post. If you think I should start with an optic, which one? I would need something under $200 that will last long enough for me to figure out what I really want and save the cash for it. I've been shooting pistol matches for a year, and I'm wanting to at least try 3gun. What's the 3gun equivalent of a glock17 in an uncle mikes kydex holster? In other words, what's the least I can spend and still be able to come out and shoot?

I've always thought electronic ignition would be a big part of future firearms. The trigger mechanism could feel EXACTLY the way you want it to feel without limitation since it would just be an electronic switch. Aside from that, you remove the forces of the hammer, firing pin, etc that might do a little bit to stir the sights. Obviously this isn't going to work with our current ammunition, but we might see it several decades down the road. Just a thought.

When I lift before dry fire, my arms get really tight and restless. A good 5 minutes stretching session about 15-20 minutes into my dryfire fixes this for me. As soon as I feel warmed up, I stretch my entire upper body, then I can dry-fire for an hour or two with no aches. May not work for you, but could be worth a try. I'm loving the range diary man. I know I can't gain experience just by reading about yours, but it sure seems to help. Keep it up!

I took Tulsa Defensive Shooting Academy's Competition Pistol course last weekend. It was a great class and I learned a lot. The class was taught mostly by local GM Jay Mackey and his son Jay Mackey Jr. Both of them had lots of knowledge to impart, and it was awesome to be able to pick the brain of a GM shooter. I think the most significant improvements I'm going to see from this class are going to be better times entering boxes, leaving boxes, and moving between boxes. Jay had a lot to teach about setting up your feet according to where you're going not where you're shooting. I've always tried to square up on the array I'm about to engage at the make ready command, but it's much more advantageous in most cases to set up to exit the box, then just turn your shoulders toward the array you're shooting (especially if it's a really easy one). I also learned a lot about shooting into and out of positions. Aside from that we did a lot of weak hand/strong hand drills. I also learned faster ways to get out of chairs, pick my gun up from tables, and do a weak hand reload (in the odd event that I ever need to). We also learned and practiced going to prone, kneeling, modified prone, and some other positions. Another very helpful lesson was on how to shoot while moving laterally. I've always practiced the heel to toe method when moving forward and backwards, but Jay taught us to position our feet almost perpendicular to one another and then cross step while moving laterally. this really seemed to help my stability while moving this way. I learned a ton about shooting, and a lot of the things I learned were things that I was completely ignorant of before taking the class, so I feel like I have a lot of ground to gain over the next few months as I can practice these techniques in dryfire and commit them to muscle memory. Jay wants me to push for Master by the end of the year as a goal, and I'm excited about that too. It's definitely going to be a challenge, but I'm up to it, and I feel like I now know what I need to practice to get there.

Yep. Joe D gives some very good info here: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=52311

I've used the ghost rocket quite a bit, and I think the set-screw is a better overtravel stop than using the ghost. If you don't want to drill and tap it yourself, you can always order a trigger housing that's already had the set screw installed from LWD or vanek custom. I got the vanek custom ultimate trigger stop and I love it. Robbie

Yeah. I love them. It's a 147gr Berry's plated on top of titegroup. I can't remember exactly how many grains. I have a sweet deal in that my dad lives across town and has a 550 and shoots an XD9 so I just have to pay him for materials and load the rounds. I'll PM you the details when I get a chance to ask him. Thanks. I've suspected stage movement is a big time waster for me. I've gotten better lately, but I still have a lot to learn about moving fast and keeping things smooth. I'm taking a class with a local GM next weekend and I think he'll have a lot to teach me about movement. I'll have to practice more movement drills in dry fire. Thanks. Leaning out to the left on the second video was a total accident. I intended to lean slightly while taking those two targets moving forward, but I was moving forward a little too fast and nearly lost my balance. I had to lift my leg to keep from falling over. On the activator, the guy who had the best time in our squad shot the last array before the movers, then pulled the whip while reloading and moving into position to take the movers. The production reloads for that stage lined up perfectly for that, and I had intended to do so but by the time I remembered to pull the whip I had already dropped my mag and grabbed a new one so I pulled the whip with a mag in hand then inserted it while moving into position. A guy did take the last array while backing into position, but he had to reload before doing so anyway, so it didn't save him that much time. Thanks to all of you guys for your comments, and please keep them coming.

Thanks. I wish I could take credit for it. Stole the idea from one of the guys that shot before me on our squad. He's a Wichita, KS shooter who's actually the RO in the video.

I can use as much advice as I can get, so If you notice something that could use improvement, PLEASE take the time to point it out to me. Thanks in advance. In chronological order, here's me shooting stage 5 at the OKC Gun club monthly match the first saturday in march. I actually did pretty well on this stage because a lot of other guys tried less effective ways to carry the baby-doll through the first part of the stage. I probably got more germs though. The first thing I really notice about this one is that in some of the standing positions my weight is completely on one foot instead of being balanced in a proper shooting stance. I also noticed I could have been a lot more fluid with taking some of the close targets on the move as I approached the baby-basket. Here's me shooting stage 1 at the DTC last weekend: My most obvious problem here was losing my balance while leaning to the left to get two targets. I actually called a mike on one of the targets, but by the time I thought about making it up, I had already regained my balance and was on my way to the the next position. and here's stage 2: I shot this one fairly well (for me). The only obvious mistake I really noticed was between the second and third port, I hit a target on the move, and instead of hitting on while moving between the two ports, I sort of veered off toward the target so I had to change directions and take a few more steps back towards the port I was trying to get to.

DTC was a blast. I decided to install a new tru-grip on my gun before the match. I was amazed at how much more aggressive the texture was. I guess I had just forgotten what it was supposed to feel like, but my old grip was so worn down and full of dead skin that it wasn't helping much of anything. I didn't have a single mis-grip on my gun the whole weekend, which is something I've been having a lot of lately. Saturday was FREEZING with 17mph winds that were gusting around 35mph. I had never shot in that kind of cold before and spent too much time trying to stay warm instead of focusing on my shooting. I'll definitely bring warmer clothes next year. My match started off with a string of stupid mistakes. I was the first shooter on my squad's first stage (stage 3). I shot the whole thing pretty well then after showing clear, the RO let me know that I completely ignored the two small plates that had been in the corners of the stage. I didn't even notice them on the walk through. That cost me quite a bit. During the next stage, after my first reload my gun went "bang, bang, bang, click." because I had forgotten to reload that mag from the stage before. That pretty much set the tone for saturday. I shot horribly. Sunday I came out and did a much better job. I don't know if it was because I had settled down from being so excited about my first major or because the weather was more like what I am used to shooting in, but I shot some good stages. Here's some video of me from DTC: Stage 1 Stage 2 Here's another video of me shooting the OKC Gun Club match the first saturday in March I had fun blasting away at close targets all weekend, but I really only remember 2 paper targets that actually required a front sight focus. I was just a little bored with all the blasting and no aiming. I tend to enjoy stages that punish guys who wont take their time and hit difficult shots. This match did make me aware of some serious weaknesses in my shooting though. I need to work on running my trigger at full speed. I do bill drills, but apparently I need to do a lot more of them. My reloads weren't ideal either. I told myself I would be dry firing for at least an hour every night the week prior to the match to really get myself into shape, but the Saturday before I had a date and it went well so I ended up spending a lot of my time with a girl instead of my gun. Guess I'll have to start getting up before work to dry fire. I short-stroked my trigger a couple of times too. Other than that, my main goal for the next few weeks is to work hard on moving between positions and getting into/out of them more efficiently. I have a competition class coming up next weekend with TDSA Tulsa, and I'm hoping that really helps me with movement.

+1 That's an awesome idea. It makes me want to start a "75 project"