jarcher

Hi Paul, good idea. Thanks!

Matt, this is COOL, thanks! I have a question that might not even make any sense, but here goes. I am trying to figure out how far back to stand from the target when it is at 100%. So when the target is at 100% what percentage of a real target is it? I guess this depends upon the size and resolution of my monitor. But do you see what I am getting at? How do I relate distance from the monitor to distance on the range?

Boy, it sure is not easy! I have all those problems, plus I still blink sometimes! But I’m glad to hear it’s not easy; makes me feel better that learning is taking so long. LOL! Well, I suck too if it makes you feel better! Sometimes I take a shot, check it through the binoculars and say “yeah, that’s about where I thought it went” but most of the time I say “How the hell did it land there?! and sometimes even “How did I miss?!” Thanks again everyone! I plan to keep at it until I can call the shots accurately. I appreciate the help! Jim

Sig pistols have on the lower part of the hammer a "safety intercept notch" which prevents the hammer from contacting the firing pin when it is not supposed to. You could not "decock" it any more than that if you tried, unless you tried by hitting it with a sledge hammer. Even then, the firing pin block should prevent discharge. I am very new to action shooting, but not to guns. I have been in the military (carried a 1911A1 as an MP, cocked and locked), a police officer and an NRA certified pistol instructor. That said, I am amazed - no, stunned - that the rules allow, never mind actually require, people to pull the trigger to decock their pistols! As many others have said this is pretty unsafe. I'm not trying to be obnoxious or know-it-all, but I am wondering, why would you guys use a pistol that can not be safely decocked without touching the trigger? It's just too easy to make a mistake like that. I don't even want to own such a pistol, except for collecting.

Thanks everyone! This is great information! I'm really glad Brian said that, thank you Brian! I had figured I should be more concerned with knowing where the shot went than making sure it went exactly where I wanted it. I had assumed the former was a needed skill to master the latter and I’m still working on that first realm. I read in your (Brian’s) book that the ability to shoot accurately is the basic foundation for the rest of the skills, so this is what I am working on, and trying to see everything that my pistol does. If I understand correctly, I should (regardless of whether it is strictly necessary in match shooting) be able to learn to call my shots within the accuracy of my pistol. My pistol happens to be a Sig P239 originally .40 and I have been using a BarSto 9mm conversion barrel. It is equipped with Sig Light night sites. I have never measured it but it probably shoots 2 inch groups at 75 feet. Certainly I have an arc of movement while firing, but I should be able to know where in that arc the shot broke and so know where the shot went within about 2 inches. Is this correct? I don't understand the bit about calling shots to within the diameter of a bullet. Do pistols and ammunition that accurate and consistent really exist? This statement makes me wonder if I am following this. Thanks again to everyone. This is a great help! Jim

Hi All... I have been working on being able to watch my sites lift, see everything I can and call my shots. I have been told I should know right where the bullet went based upon where the sites were the instant the gun fired. What I am wondering is, how precisely should I be able to call them? If I am shooting an ordinary target like an NRA slow fire 20 yard target at 75 feet (silly range rule) the sites pretty much cover the black dot. So, should I be able to tell pretty much where in the black it hit, or just that it hit in the black? Or just that it was near the upper left of the target? At this point I can usually tell a good shot from a bad (near center vs flyer) but I'm wondering just how well you guys who are good at this can do? Thanks...

I'm now working for consistancy and the ability plug the A zone every time. Once I can do that I'll get that time down. Great advice, thanks to everyone! I have only shot one match so far and I was thrilled to see I didn't come in dead last, and that was before Steve's book arrived. I'm in no hurry, so I'm just going to plug along at my own pace. BTW, I read somewhere that IPSC and IDPA have gotton away from one hand shooting. Is this true?

Thanks again everyone. I'll keep at it! Jim

The trigger guard is nice and smooth. It's just that my finger rubbed on it quite a bit, causing the blister. Should I look into shooting gloves, or is this just an indication that my grip is wrong? I bought Brian's book some time ago. And I have read it a few times, but it's a little beyond me right now. I am still trying to stop flinching and blinking so I can call my shots and shoot tight groups. I think a good chunk of Brian's book will be more helpful to me after I master those skills.

This is one I did figure out! The beep is 0.5 seconds long. I was certianally moving before it stopped. But what is really stunning is that in order to complete this drill in 0.6 seconds, you would be finishing it 0.1 seconds after the beep stops! Running this drill did give me an appreciation for how long 2 seconds is, and even how long 0.1 seconds is. As I changed the par time by adding 0.1 second or removing it to find my baseline, I did notice the time difference. But I think I am going to work on solid presentation without the timer for a while, as was suggested.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and advice! I’ll definitely keep at it. Is getting a blister on the second finger (where it hits the trigger guard) of the strong hand normal? Is there anything I can do (or not do) to avoid this problem? Also, I forgot to mention. The Sig had a Houge finger grove grip installed. I often noticed that when I drew if I didn't gram the grip just right the finger groves caused a problem, so I put the factory grip panels back on. I'll try those next time to see if I do any better. Has anyone else tried these?

Well, I just spent 45 minutes playing with my new timer doing Steve Andersons first drill. My pistol is a Sig P239 and the holster is a High Noon slide guard. What I have to show for it is a 2.2 sec baseline and the start of a nasty blister on the second finger of my right hand (where it hits the trigger guard). Seeing Steve say that this drill can get down to 0.6 is truly depressing, although I do understand that this is the time for a GM, probably running faster equipment. But I will stay with it! Just wondering, what kind of draw times are typical for people running production equipment?

Hi Steve, The book arrived Friday, thnaks! Looks like great stuff. I have already tried a few drills, but I need to get some targets and set up a dry fire range in my basement. Overall, looks like great stuff. I'll let you know how I make out. Cheers! Jim

Well, I got Steve's book and, as I was told, I only need basic timer features for dry fire drills. For those of you with the CED8000, I read here that the mic does not work will when the unit is closed. I know it comes with a belt clip, so does this mean that the CED8000 does not work properly when closed and clipped to your belt? Do the CED people have the ability to ship you a software upgrade that ou can install? Thanks...

For me, I'm not too worried about RO use. I don't reload but the crono would still be cool. I'll just have to do a feature comparison on the two of them and see what can do what. The warrenty issue another poster raised is certianally signifigant.

Dumb question... Does par time just mean you set some arbitrary amount of time between 2 beeps? Does the first beep sound at some randon time after you push a button?

Thanks Skywalker. I think I'll wait until the book arrives before I order anything, and see what features the book says are needed. But basically, it seems there are two very sophisticated timers, the CED8000 and the PACK MK IV. If I understand correctly, the PACT has a crono bult in and is about $200 while the CED does not and is about 150. But I have not found a detailed feature comparison yet. Being an engineer, I get hung up on nifty features ;-) Thanks very much, I'll check that post right now. Cheers Jim

How do you use a timer with dry fire practice? Does it pick up the click from the falling hammer? I'm looking at timers now. Tons of thigs to consider... Thanks

Wow, with raving reviews like this, I have to have a copy. I just ordered one from your site. Actually, I got that $35.00 combo deal. Can't wait to see it! I have been thinking lately of getting a timer, so I guess I'll have to get one to do these drills. that's fine, I wanted one anyhow. I already have Brian's book (and Matt's too) so I guess the special is not a big deal. The only reason I have not bought one yet is because I have not gotton to research it. This is getting to be one expensive sport! Earlier today I ordered a gun belt and some mag holders from High Noon. I already have a slide guard holster. After the book and timer, I'll be well equipped. I guess that leaves the rest up to me! Jim

Hi All... I did a little searching and found only a bit of information on the Beamhit trainers. I have had a Beamhit PMS 190 for some time, but last week I dusted it off and got the latest software (version 1.05). It does function as designed. I have been reading Brian's book, and realize that before I can do much more I really need to learn accurate shooting. That's not so bad, because I don't mind group shooting. I like it, but I stink at it. For example, on a 50 foot range using a 9mm Sig P239, I can shoot at an 8.5 x 11 inch target. I can usually get 4 rounds in the black and the remaining 4 scattered over the paper. So it's frustrating, but I do want to improve. One of the problems I have is a flinch and tension when I shoot. For example, even when I dryfire, I can feel my right eye start to tense. I am working on keeping my eyes open when I shoot. I have limited access to a range, so I am trying to do 30 minutes of dryfire each evening. My question is, will the Beamhit be a useful tool, or a distraction? Will it tell me anything that is really useful, or will it provide information that seems helpful but really is not? If it is good, how can I get the best use of it? I would appreciate any comments. Thanks very much. Jim