GunBugBit

Big fan of automatic transmission fluid (ATF) here. I keep a large ziplock bag full of soaked patches. With the patches, a nylon brush, a bore brush, a snake, some paper towels and microfiber rags, I make quick work of cleaning a gun. Rifles and handguns alike run well on this stuff, plus I believe it is quite good at corrosion protection. I live in a dry climate so I don't have to worry too much about rust, but I think I'd still use ATF in a moist climate. Once in a while I'll add a little synthetic motor oil as final lubrication step, but I don't think it's needed as long as I leave a film of ATF in the right places.

At my sixth club match, I achieved goal number 4 (no misses, no no-shoots, no procedurals). The effect this had on my score was wonderful. Just knowing I can tighten up where my shots are landing consistently across all five stages feels really good. An additional goal for me, besides the 5 listed by the OP, is to avoid silly tactical errors. So far I've started almost every stage with 8+1, but on one stage where I planned to load 8+1, I didn't. I shot an 8-round string to an unintended slide lock. I don't give myself any slack even though it was the last stage of a very hot night. I know better by now. This mistake is close to "figure out an efficient plan...and stick with it." Part of sticking with your plan is to not make a simple mistake like starting out with a different number of rounds in your gun than your plan calls for.

Today's match (Ben Avery in north Phoenix area) will be held in sunny 115-degree conditions.

Will be shooting a match in 115 degrees late this afternoon. Could be even warmer. I'm sure we'll have at least 60 in attendance. Most will probably be moving a little slower to pick up brass etc.

I talked to a guy who said said he squirts Breakfree CLP into his gun (happened to be a steel CZ 75), lets it soak for a minute, then blasts it out into a plastic-lined barrel with an air compressor. The whole thing takes him about 2 minutes, he said, and he stated he has used this method for years and his gun runs great. I haven't tried this method but it sounds good. I would add in snaking out the barrel with a couple of passes each time.

It looks to me like all that needs to be said, has been said, plus quite a bit extra. Thanks, out.

That's the exact idea I'm going with. But it does require that I slow down from the last few outings where I was intentionally trying to speed up. My focus won't be on slowing down, but on hitting As.

If I'm hitting all As and knocking down all steel, that means I'm going pretty slowly compared to a lot of competition shooters. I am going to slow down next few matches as I don't want to reinforce bad habits in pursuit of speed. Need to build the accuracy foundation.

Yes. The interesting thing to watch is his rapid improvement! There are several people that shoot here that don't seem to get faster or more accurate. Dave has gone from never shooting an S.C. stage to (3 1/2 months later) shooting really well in a match. He tends to be a really "details" guy. Guess that helps. Oh, and the 5000 rounds since Feb.! Sounds like a case of talent and someone really developing that talent. Good for him!

I see this same thing at my range -- young people being encouraged and accepted. This makes me very proud and happy to be part of the competition shooting community.

At my club we open-squad and anyone from a very experienced RO to a newbie can do RO duty. If you don't RO well someone will call you out on it. I stay busy resetting steel, helping to score, taping, picking up brass, running the clipboard, RO'ing, or shooting. Between stages I refill mags, take a swig of water and eat a fig newton, then walk to a stage I haven't shot and give my scorecard to the clipboard guy. I and most others around me just do what we think any decent club member should do and it works well.

A guy who pasted one of my bullets holes on a white no-shoot target with brown tape because the white tape was gone, said, "So this little piece of brown is something to not aim at. Or, you could aim at it and miss and maybe get an A." This sent my brain into multiple iterations of a cognitive feedback loop and I did not hit any more no-shoot targets that night.

Dave sounds like an all-around improvement kind of guy! Another uplifting thing for me is the cheerful and friendly people who just seem darn happy to be there, as I am.

Just picked this one person, who happens to be young, as an example of someone I've observed as in a noticeable improvement phase. There are two older guys I'm thinking of at the range, with significant physical limitations, who shoot with great precision, consistently. They are just as inspirational to me, but in a different way. It does seem their considerable skills are at a plateau and likely in slow decline. This phase is much nearer for me than for the young fellow I cited above. It's just reality.

This thread isn't about me, but about other shooters I'm observing as someone who started competing relatively late in life. Watching anyone improve at anything is always a source of enjoyment for me. One example is a fellow, in his 20s maybe even early 20s, who shoots single stack at my local range. He is currently a USPSA A class shooter and seems to have the ingredients to go far. He is often the best single stack shooter on a couple of stages every match, but last night I saw from the posted scores that he had an excellent night. He was one of the top overall shooters, his scores nipping at the heels of our better Open division guys. I wish I had been there to watch him shoot but, as sometimes happens, work got in the way of me going to the match. I've seen him shoot a few stages over the last month and a half. He is smooth, confident and quick. I'm very interested to see how he will progress as time goes by. I've already learned some things by watching and emulating him. This is inspirational and joyous to watch as an older beginner.

Brand new shooter with a very intimidating manner? Wondering what that looks like.

I like doing things in the rain. Stand tall, don't blink, show everyone the weather does not bother you. It's cool. Oh yeah if you start to shiver because it's also cold and maybe you drank too much coffee, it's best to just go ahead and pee your pants. No one will know and you get a free warm-up.

Dirty and dry will not fly on an AR. Never an issue with transmission fluid or motor oil. Lube gets over-thought so doggone much.

It's a skill that has to be developed. Those who practice it regularly stand out dramatically from those who don't. I've been working on it and have improved a little but have a long way to go.

I want to control recoil better so I can miss faster. I am experimenting with the "ham-hand" approach. ( small attempt at humor ) Lately for me it's about smooth trigger press to maintain accuracy. I can't do this very fast, yet.

After five club matches, I shot my first USPSA (classifier-only) match on Sunday June 7. I joined USPSA online just before I went to the match. I don't have my member number yet but will soon. I think I did well on a couple of the classifiers and not so well on a couple others. I assume I'll be in D class initially. I liked how the match was run and I learned more while having a good time.

Switched to the STI. I had to relieve the grip panel to allow the button to press down all the way. It's working well.

I think the intent of the locking of wrists instruction is to keep the wrists from flexing during recoil. So with the muscles in the hands and forearms firm, recoil shouldn't make the wrists break upward.

I need the activity and something to get good at. The day job is a slow death unless offset by something entirely different. I haven't spent much of my life at things that are based on individual performance and evaluated as objectively as competition shooting, except for getting grades in school, which included a certain amount of pressure. Other activities where I've performed as an individual have been judged subjectively, based on pleasing someone else according to their whims and tastes, or whether they felt I was kissing up enough. As someone who is hard-wired to not kiss up, I haven't done great in arenas that require it for advancement. The structure and objective measures of the shooting sports, where the only pressure is what I place on myself, represent a new kind of freedom for me. It helps of course that I am very fond of guns and shooting, both viscerally and intellectually.

I agree, August. The human male needs a lot of protein for optimal brain and body function, especially when active. If we take in more than we need, the body just eliminates the protein not used.