ozdogg5

For me, breathing always helps. I usually try and literally 'shake' off the tension or lightly stretch right before stepping to the line and then take a few deep breaths before the buzzer.

Definitely agree. I spend lots of time watching the pros and local GMs to see how they do it in relation to how I'm not! Serves as a great reference for improvement.

FWIW, I agree. Work on taking up the pre travel during recoil. The result is the same as releasing to reset, except that it really works! +1 Not so sure about releasing to reset. For me, releasing to reset would actually cause me to throw my shots. It may work for some, just not me. Definitely one of my bad habits.

Cool article... I'd hear it all the time in my days in the military, "fight like you train, train like you fight."

That's the name of the game! I used to try and shoot as quickly as possible (lots of C's, D's) and never saw any progression. I was a decent C class shooter, but didn't see myself going anywhere with that technique. Until I started focusing on Alpha shooting is when I began to really get better. Now I can shoot as fast (if not faster) than I did then, except have more Alphas.

That and you are forced to shoot at a smaller target without any room for error. Great practice for more efficient transitions.

Old rule of thumb I live by: Practice what you hate. I can definitely agree to that. I used to hate steel (and any stage that involved them) and would should them horribly just because I had it in my mind that I was already going do fail. After practicing steel, my game improved overall simply because I was more optimistic.

Try possibly letting someone else shoot it to see if it's you or the sights?

+100 on the hand warmers. I remember shooting a match that was below freezing without them...after that, I never forget them again.

That is an awesome tip! I can see how that can help, especially with the bigger stages.

+1 They make the stuff for almost every condition. Summer would be the worst without them! Winter time I double up on the thermal tech shirts.

I've heard nothing but good things about this class. If only I could go

Sticking to my game and nobody elses... I'm a very competitive person and sometimes lose sight of 'my' game when I'm more focused on competing. It kills me! These last few months, I've made it a point to not look at scores or compare my shooting to others in my squad (or pretending I could shoot as good as the GM on my squad). It's helped tremendously. Not only that, but I actually have more fun when I'm shooting!

Awesome write up!

Could limp-wristing possible cause this? Other than that, I would definitely try the heavier spring.

I think I spend more time watching my own videos that I do shooting! Seriously, if you know what to look for and have other people critique you, it is a great means for improvement. I also take a notepad to the matches so that I can write down any issues I come across during the match - to practice on not doing them again at the next!

Trigger control is a must. I have the bad habit of riding to reset which throws my shots.

I've heard some good things about Velocity Shooters. Hope to one day check them out also

I definitely enjoy the 12# spring in my 34. Right now, I'm running 124gr HPs and recoil very manageable and sights return pretty consistently. I'd definitely take Hi-powers advice.

I've never really experienced any calluses yet. Goes to show how much of a rookie I am! I also don't have any stippling done to my frame. Got plenty of skate tape but have removed and areas that cause uncomfortable friction.

It amazes me how I can shoot A's at a pretty fast speed and still get killed by someone shooting some D's and M's at lightning speed! I want to push the envelope like these fellas but am afraid that it will lead to poor progression (faster yet not as accurate). To me, Alpha's the name of the game - for now!

I've stuck with my G17 for the last year straight and have been extremely satisfied with my overall progress. I've been so interested in shooting other guns but have convinced myself to stay away until I became a more proficient with the 17 - until now. I've got my G24 running and am ready to dabble in some Limited! My rationale is that, although I've changed calibers, it is essentially the same gun. If anything, I believe that it will help with my grip and recoil management. I'm sure that sticking to one gun can't hurt and can only help initially. I imagine that once the fundamentals are finessed, they can be transferred to almost any caliber with a bit of training. So, getting a good grip on those fundamentals on only one gun can only keep things consistent. Personally, until I see an M on my card, I'll be sticking to Glocks. When that day DOES come, I'll have saved up enough from not buying other guns to splurge on a fancy open rig! Good luck on your training!

Hey everyone, I've been a member on this board for a while now but haven't really contributed much until I started experiencing problems with my gun. I posted it on the forums and was amazed by all of the great responses. This forum is awesome! A bit about me.... Started out in IDPA back in 2007 and fell in love with action shooting. Ended up getting stationed in Cali for a bit and didn't have much of a chance to do much shooting out there. I attended a few local matches in Piru and the LA area and, I must say, they've got some great ranges and an awesome shooting community. I bought my first USPSA gun (G24) in late 2007 but never got a chance to really run it because it was always problematic. Got out of the Navy and moved back to Seattle in 2009 and have been shooting as much USPSA production as possible over the last year...and love it! I posted all of the issues about the problematic G24 here on the site and, with all of the help and input from members, it is now up and running and will hopefully be shooting the first match without any malfunctions (crossing my fingers) tomorrow. This forum is awesome! Look forward to getting to know all of y'all here and hopefully getting to meet some of you at the range!

I have not fidgeted with one in awhile, but its the screw that tightens the magwell against the frame of the gun (he backstrap to the magwell plug). More than a few people have cranked it down so hard they have weird feeding issues (I am guilty of this too). The tension can cause the grip of the gun to deform somewhat which alters the feed path of the bullet. It is not really visible to the naked eye. I would try no magwell, and stock mags with your loads. The magwell is easy to put back on at the range, as well as the dawson basepads / extended springs. Good luck! Thanks for this! I don't believe that this was the culprit since I didn't mess with the mag well until after the range session but, when I did get home and was dry firing, I noticed that the mags would not drop smoothly. Turns out, the mag well screw on the back strap WAS too tight and was not allowing the mags to drop properly. Loosened it up and they now slip out like butter! MUCH THANKS!!!

So, here's the update... 1) I took out the extractor and let it soak in Hoppes overnight and scrubbed the heck out of it the next day. I also replaced the extractor rod and spring. 2) Polished feed ramp with Flitz 3) Tightened crimp almost a full turn down on the die I brought 3 batches of my loads, most of which were between 1.12 and 1.135. I took it out to the range with the SL barrel, SS rod and 14# spring to see if it would run. If it didn't I was going to swap back to complete factory parts....fortunately, I didn't have to!!! It ate all 300 rounds of varying lengths without a hiccup! I'm sure the fellas in the next lanes over were looking at me pretty crazy because I was shooting with pretty fast succession. I was definitely punching the bullseye out, which I've NEVER been able to do with this gun since it has spent most of it's life in my safe due to the consistent malfunctions. CAN'T WAIT TO TAKE IT TO THE MATCH TOMORROW!!!! Once I get back from the match tomorrow, I'll let y'all know how it performed. Thanks for all of the great advice and input!