kcobean

I've thought a lot about this lately and from a mechanics standpoint, here's what I believe (and keep in mind, I'm just an A shooter and still on the journey just like everyone else): The rotation point of the gun in recoil is around the web of the thumb of your strong hand (the beavertail on a 1911/2011). So you can think of the grip of the gun like a lever, the bottom of which rotates forward as the barrel climbs and the gun rotates around the beavertail. It would seem to me that the best way to combat muzzle climb is to apply counter-force as far from the point of rotation as possible, i.e. the bottom of the front strap. If you have to sacrifice ANY pressure on the front strap to provide inward pressure with the base of your thumbs, you're probably costing yourself muzzle control. I believe this is why the mantra of 40/60 strong/weak or even 30/70 strong/weak grip pressure is so common. Your strong hand is busy holding onto the gun with as much pressure as is possible without binding up the tendons of your trigger finger. The weak hand can grip as hard as possible on the "lever" with no ill effects. If you grab a CoC or a squeeze ball and grip it as hard as you can with your strong hand minus your index finger, you'll see that it's almost impossible to relax your index finger. At some point LESS than max, you can squeeze the device and still have a relaxed trigger finger that's free to work without moving the gun. Then you use your weak hand to apply as much 'counter torque' as possible to the front strap and control rotation. In all of that, I don't see how rotating elbows out and pressing inward on the gun with the base of your thumbs adds benefit. But this is my perception, and worth exactly what you paid for it.

Ask Merle Edington, USPSA GM about this...he'll tell you it's no big deal. I came to know of Merle after doing this working on a mountain bike (***WARNING - GRAPHIC***): http://www.vipercrazy.com/hosting/kcobean/misc/finger.jpg I got lucky and missed the tendon attachments, so the tip of my finger still articulates normally and a good bit of the nail grew back so I can still use my index finger, but I was investigating the possibilities of middle-finger shooting right after it happened. From a grip standpoint, you'll just have to compensate for the lost grip contact by increasing the grip pressure of your weak hand.

Kelly, obviously we are both quoting Lanny Bassham. Good stuff. You seem to have a good understanding of all of this. I did too, for over a year before I could actually execute on this knowledge effectively in matches. So don't get frustrated when it is not a linear journey. That is just the way it works, two steps forward, one back, for dozens of matches, hundred of hours of studying and training, and maybe even 30K or more rounds of ammo. And then, finally, you will just "let go" and things will come out right, almost effortlessly. That is when your match performance will finally benefit from all the hard work and learning and training. I am only a few steps ahead of you in this journey. I shot about 35 matches between December and the end of March in Arizona and Florida, trying to break through my self limiting barriers. My skill level had soared in the last 2 years, without any real improvement in match performance. Until finally, after being burned out by April this year, having not had the winter off, I came home, and took up my spring ranching chores and did not practice a single day since I left Arizona on March 30th, till today. I have shot 6 matches since April 1 and won 4 club matches, and screwed up at Area 6, then did well again last Saturday at your VA-MD sectional. This was the first "big" match in which I succeeded in not sabotaging myself. So I am apparently about to consistently move forward finally. Hang in there. I know you are a serious shooter and obviously you are very knowledgeable. Stick with it, despite seemingly constant setbacks and finally you will break through. Thanks for the encouraging words Rob. I can't identify what's happened with me lately, but my desire to understand the mental aspect of this sport and the things I need to do to move ahead has really grown. I think it was my performance at Area 6, which was a combination of physical and mental self-defeat. I can't keep doing that if I'm going to keep shooting in this sport.

I'm sure it's different for everyone, but one thing I've been experimenting with is letting my conscious mind focus on my breathing. I used to find myself out of breath after a 20 or 30 second stage. I'd get done and think to myself "why am I out of breath? I moved 50 feet in 30 seconds." Then I realized that I just held my breath for 30 seconds. So now, I try to set my conscious mind to the task of reminding myself to breathe.

I'm an A-class shooter on the journey to M, so take my input for what it's worth based on a ton of reading and learning I've been doing lately to try and understand my own inner workings better. One thing I wanted to comment on: In your first post, you said "Trying, is by definition, a conscious override." I think more completely it should read "Trying is, by definition, letting your self-image use your conscious to override your sub-conscious to try and accomplish something your subconscious cannot yet do." Your "actual" skill level is, by definition, what your subconscious is capable of. It's no wonder trying never works; you're purposefully forcing the three circles of conscious, sub-conscious and self-image out of balance. Self-image puffs out his chest and says "Hey conscious, let's be hot s^^t this stage...try really hard, but remember you can only do one thing at a time." Then your sub-conscious gets trampled on and never has a chance to take over, all while your conscious mind frantically tries to serialize the hundred things you have to do in a stage and get them done in full panic mode. Remember, multi-tasking is a myth. If you strive to balance the three circles during your match, you WILL shoot at your skill level in that match. After all, your skill level at a match IS your skill level, whatever that is, but it always takes into account ego and desire, which are masterful at upsetting balance. We use our conscious mind in practice because we're iterating individual tasks in isolation to build myelin (Thank you Mr. Anderson) that guides the sub-conscious. So my thinking is, to perform at higest skill level in a match, investigate techniques that give your conscious mind something to do, and keep your self-image in check by not trying to exceed yourself, but to instead be yourself and accept that. Zen....Balance....Peace. For me personally, I've committed to not looking at the Nook during the match. I don't want to see the scoreboard because it will cause me to focus on something I cannot control. That encourages my self-image to engage my conscious and now I'm out of whack. I've also committed to eliminating any negative thought or speech about my performance or my environment. I love this stuff...I would never have thought about things like this if it weren't for this sport! My Zen $0.02 for the day.

I think all this discussion is sort of ignoring the proof in the pudding. Look at the top shooters. Max, Ben, JJ, Dave, Chris, Ron, Eric, etc. They're all incredibly agile shooters who are without question "athletes". They're "strong". IMO, it's a requirement of the sport to compete at that level and it's the reason (or at least one of the reasons) there aren't a bunch of beer-belly'd office workers winning majors. There's a reason they're doing stages in 10-12 seconds that the rest of us are doing in twice that time, points aside. The ability to enter and exit shooting positions as fast as possible with as little acceleration or deceleration time as possible requires strength. I can also say from personal experience that "being in shape" (or the opposite thereof) is a huge factor when coping with heat/cold. I shot a match the last weekend of March in blowing snow and 30 degree temps. It was a cold winter here in VA and I was accustomed to that cold. Two weeks later I shot the A6 championship in 95 degree heat. 12 stages and 19 mikes later, I was absolutely exhausted and demoralized. The heat was a major, major factor along with a few other self-imposed environmental variables. Having to lug all my gear around in addition to more pounds of extra body weight than I'd care to admit in that heat really affected my physical stamina and subsequently my mental state. There's a reason this is called a "sport" and not a "game".

Came across this today and thought some folks might be interested. There are some pretty decent prices on stuff. Just passin' it on. http://www.uspsa.org/ROC.php

Yes limited for me. Thanks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Could I get on your list please? TY72189 - 76.32%

I prefer clubs upload to USPSA because that is the historical record of my performance. Nice to have that all in one place.

I have big hands, but I shortened my trigger finger in an accident a couple of years ago, so I like the shorter curved triggers now. A buddy has a long/flat trigger on his open gun and it's way too long for me.

So sorry to hear about this. Prayer said for his family and may he rest in peace.

I have an 08 Unlimited. If you're doing 3-gun, your long guns aren't going to be secure. I put my carry pistol in a gun-vault under the drivers seat when I have to leave it in the car. Jeeps just aren't made for lockin' things up.

This isn't a new sport. I'm sure someone's been down this road before, but that shouldn't stop you from experimenting for yourself. I'm just thinking that if 9" barrels made for better/faster shooting, the top shooters would be using them. The fact that 5-6 inches seems to be a deFacto standard where there isn't a formal standard tells me that that's probably the sweet spot. That said, I can't wait to see what wild crap you put together! LOL

Aside from the break in shooting, I'm in the same boat: A-class guy working hard towards M and looking for what to work on....my areas for improvement are a little more obvious than yours it seems. Your movement is quick enough. How did your time stack up against your competitors? Are you calling your shots and are you *really* (be honest) seeing your front sights through every shot cycle? This is something I'm working on, that's why I bring it up. Great run though. Reloads were lightning fast!

Yeah, I'm kicking myself for not having the gun up coming into position two....there's probably a half-second right there. And there definitely was a sweet spot in position 3, and I planned to hit it on my walk through, but I stopped short on my run. Probably another half-second there, at least. Thanks. Yeah, I don't remember what happened to cause the bobble into position 2. Beginning to move while engaging the last target in position 2 is a good idea. I need to work on retreating shots like that. Good advice. The lag in position 3 was just me getting lined up on the target. I was very stiff from the cold (32 degrees with a solid wind going all day and this was our last stage of the match), and the combination of a low port and me being 6'4", I just didn't get myself set quickly or accurately. Port work is something else I need to work on I guess. Thanks for y'alls feedback. Anyone else?

This was the last stage of my first match of the season. One mike on the third paper target in the first shooting position, and I'm sure it was the second shot on that target. 132 points before penalty and 19.15 seconds. This was only good enough for 4th place on this stage. From a technique standpoint, what would you do differently (keeping in mind that I'm a southpaw and planned my stage to ensure a right->left reload). Where could I have made up the 2.25 seconds that separated me from the winner? Replacing the mike with an alpha would only have gotten me into third place. The top two shooters ran it in 16.90 and 16.92 seconds respectively, with 133 and 131 points, respectively. The targets you can't see behind the yellow barricade that I take through the port are 2 paper targets on the left and 4 steel, one of which required a second shot. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jbcqwnpvolazlwe/AADN34GX5ck2am0aAw58hhPMa/KellyS3.MOV?dl=0

Thanks BritinUSA. Makes sense now that I re-read it.

5.2.7/5.2.7.2 says that a competitor can't start a course of fire wearing "A holster with the heel of the butt of the handgun below the top of the belt, except as specified in Appendix D....." Appendix D item 20, for Lim, Lim10 and Open say "holster restriction: No". So is Appendix D-3 item 20 allowing the use of something like a drop-leg holster because 5.2.7.2 allows Appendix D to nullify it? ETA: And if not, then what exception is 5.2.7.2 referring to in the bolded statement above?

I stand corrected....I was looking at an older IMM pistol a year or two ago and came across the link deano posted above. For some reason it stuck in my head as a warranty requirement. It's probably this statement that did it: "If you allow excessive deposits to build up in the compensator chamber ports, or use non-recommended ammunition or ammunition components, it is possible that the altered gas dynamics will allow bullets to touch the compensator baffles upon exit. The Infinity Firearms warranty does not cover damage caused to the firearm by such improper maintenance and usage. Any use of heat or chemical means to clean compensator ports also invalidates your warranty."

Keep in mind that on the IMM guns SV requires the use of 3N38 to maintain the warranty. I'll dig up the link to this when I'm not on my phone. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just replaced the 12 lb recoil spring in my stroked Akai 2011 with a Wolf commander length 14 lb spring. I had to cut several coils off the new one to get the length right. I believe the reason you need to do this is to allow the slide to travel farther rearward than a standard gun due to the cut down guide rod tunnel that makes it a stroked gun. i.e. the spring in a stroked gun at full compression will be shorter than a spring in a non-stroked gun.

After having a tool-less guide rod in my Akai gun, I'll never have anything else. They're SO convenient.

I don't think so. What does help is making sure the upper grip screws aren't coming loose. Funny how that can play with the sear spring engagement. Sigh....

The sear spring isn't slipping off to the left of the sear, it's actually sliding off the bottom. Looks like what's happening is that because my grip is very high I'm exerting upward pressure on the grip safety which is flexing the rear of the frame up and increasing the distance between the mainspring housing slot that the base of the spring sits in, and the sear. It's slipping far enough off the sear that it'll bind the sear and not allow it to engage the hammer. Enough jarring and it'll slip back into place and work again. I bought an SV light touch spring. They're supposed to be a little wider/longer and it looks like they have an 'ear' on the right side of the sear finger that helps prevent the left-slip off condition. I also need to check the torque on the upper grip screws and make sure they're tight. If they're loose, they may be allowing the movement I'm seeing. I'll update the thread when the new spring is installed.