chaserracer

Thank you johnbu, To answer the above - Yes, gun was cleaned prior to the match, and is fully chambering all rounds that were used/inspected. I will take your advice and try removing the firing pin block for 50-100rds to test and i will also introduce case lube into my reloading process. Unfortunately my brass is what it is...From a financial standpoint i can only afford range brass and what i get/pick up is just going to have to do for now. Just for giggles i took all the remaining match ammo i had leftover and plunk tested every round (approx 125) they all plunked, spun and dropped no issue whatsoever. When you say " Take apart 50 rounds and see if you have contamination " are you suggesting i load 50 rounds and then immediately pull them and inspect them? Not being a smart-ass just trying to understand the reasoning there. Thank you for the helpful suggestions! -Chase

One thing i haven't done (or needed to do so i thought) was to "fit" the extended firing pin block on this gun...I was able to drop it right in along with the Extreme firing pin, polish it, and it ran flawlessly. However, that wasn't the case with my back up gun, i needed to polish AND fit it to operate properly. Could it be Ive just been lucky up until now and its "hanging up" the firing pin and keeping it from punching the primers? the thing of it is, all the light strikes i was able to recover at the match were very well dimpled, nothing "light" about it by the looks of it. Unfortunately i didn't think to keep any for picture reference. Shame on me. -Chase

Thanks leemoe83, i edited the post above as i failed to mention i currently have the Titan hammer on both my practice and match Stock 2's. Ive confirmed both the firing pin channel and hole are smooth and free of any burrs or blemishes. When you say "Check DA hammer stroke length" - what measurement should i be looking for exactly? to the naked eye it seems to be traveling the full length before dropping but i haven't taken any measurements etc. -Chase

Thanks MikieM, ...Well shit No of those sound very awesome... My 650 is all of 3 months old, federals as you know are unicorns, and super-gluing anything ammo/firearms related scares me... All things considered I'm just confused on why this is happening "all of a sudden". -Chase

Thank you JusiceOfToren, I will read through that thread and see if i can gain some ground. Much appreciated. -Chase

Thanks Kujo929, I load on a Dillon 650 so the primer seating depth in not adjustable unfortunately. That being said, i definitely give it that extra "umph" when seating the primers and when i case gauge always make sure they are below flush. -Chase

Hi guys, Hoping someone can chime in and help steer me in the right direction here...Shot a little indoor match last night (4 stages) and had several light strikes/hammer falls on each stage. This is my match gun, barely has 1K rounds through it. I have never had this happen with this pistol (practice gun was a different story) so i want to get this squared away before my next match. Here is my current set up: Ammo: Blue Bullets 125g Winchester small pistol primers Vectan BA 9.5 powder OAL @ 1.125 +/- Mixed range brass Pistol: Stock barrel reamed to SAMI spec by Patriot Defense PD BOLO (fitted with the help of PD) 10lb recoil spring 15.5 PD hammer spring PD optimized trigger return spring PD optimized sear spring PD optimized firing pin spring Extreme firing pin (polished) Extreme one piece sear (polished) Extended firing pin block Stock plunger (polished) Stock plunger spring Titan hammer (base and holes polished as instructed) All applicable internals polished for smoother action/lighter trigger pulls, but nothing too crazy (I do not have trigger pull weights to disclose unfortunately) I case gauge every single round i load before matches as well as practice, and this time was no different. I'm not concerned about crazy light trigger pull weights, etc. I set this gun up with the intention of 100% reliability at matches. This is the first and only time she has behaved this way so my initial reaction was a bad/hard batch of primers but I'm not fully bought into that idea yet... I haven't changed a single thing over the past several matches where she ran 100% with this exact set up (ammo included) Thanks in advance for any help/advice you fellow shooters can offer. -Chase

@Nimitz- that is some great advise there, especially the "just shoot" part...Its what im constantly telling myself "theres nothing else, only the shooting that matters" - repeat. sometimes i just get bogged down with thought while shooting, and can feel myself overthinking everything. As far as the target distance placement that is also good stuff - but unfortunately i do the majority of my practice at an indoor range where all the distances are marked on the floors and walls - its just too hard not to look! but i get it, i do. thank you. @ HPjack - SO TRUE!! - that 25 yards seems so much longer at the indoor range! Im in CA so my outdoor practice is limited at best im trying to get into a club that has several outdoor ranges but it has over a year waiting list to become a member. the targets im using right now are a 11x17 piece of paper with a 8" printed black target circle on it. I am going to try your suggestion of using the USPSA target and just try to keep it in the "A". thank you. @Sroe3- Yes you are 100% correct, i am very much overthinking this...When i had my best groups at 25 yds last trip to the range - it was those shots that i made a consious effort to SLOW IT DOWN and focus on that front sight, trigger press, and keeping my eyes WIDE OPEN through the shot. Those were the shots where i really felt in control of my shooting, and man what a great feeling that was. thank you. Just want to mention - so you all dont think im some weirdo obsessed with "perfect groups at 25 yards" - its just - after reading through BE's book (couple times) he really stresses the importance of being able to shoot accurately ALL OF THE TIME regardless of the distance or situation and also how pivotal shooting groups consistently is for the development of accuracy behind a pistol - and that is what i am trying to wrap my head around and achieve through all this, accuracy thanks everyone for being awesome!

@ RJ - No doubt that it is in fact mental, after all isnt 99% of shooting accurately a mental game? - my biggest thing lately has been to observe what changes mentally for me once those targets push back to 20-25 yards. The thing that stood out to me the most after going back and forth through BE's book (i believe thats where i saw it...) was TRUSTING my sights as i break the shot. I think at the 25 yard mark (the visibility in my local indoor range is sub par at best) the target im using is a bit harder to pick up clearly and thats what begins the doubt for me. Just yesterday i gained a bit of headway on this as i made it a point to observe what I was seeing/feeling/doing when shooting my 15 yard groups and having better results. I just tried to stay as calm and relaxed as possible and just carried over the exact same mind frame and techniques when i moved it out to 25 yards and BAM! shot my best standing freestyle 25 yard 5 shot group yet to date. And again RJ you are right - at that distance that front sight focus, trigger consisitency, and SEEING becomes so vital to making that shot hit where you want it to. I think that really was a breakthrough for me yesterday and man it really lit a fire for me and i cannot wait to get back to it! @HPJ - Man you are pushing that Dot Drill arent ya! haha! im kidding - But yeah to clarify a little, when shooting from the bench/bag rest i am confident anywhere from 7-25+ yards, its when shooting freestyle from standing position that i was/am having trouble staying focused, accepting the wobble and executing all my fundamentals correctly 100% of the time. Im working on it though i promise ya, and thank you guys for taking time to offer help and opinions it really does make a difference. -Chase M

Yeah but $.50 per round of re-loads - that is what seems crazy to me, but i digress... I will do whatever it takes to keep practicing/progressing and it sounds like its going to take me getting a second job to pay for it!! haha! - But yeah i had previously bought a 500round 9mm ammo can from them for $150 + tax about 3 weeks prior to yesterdays trip to the range. Also worth mentioning is all the light primer strikes im getting from this particular ammo. I have used it in 3 different pistols (CZ, XD9, and XDM 5.25) and am getting at least 2-3 light strikes per 50 rounds regardless of what pistol im using...

Here is my practice log since shooting my forst match on March 2nd. Practice 3/16/2013 - This was a crap session. Of course being totally defeated in the match had me second guessing everything i was doing so i was doomed from the start. my thought going into this practice was going to be "replicating the course of fire" that was at the match. So i made all these paper targets that i drew 8", 10" and 12" target squares on to try and duplicate the match stages. I should note forst of all i am practicing at an indoor range that doesnt allow drawing from holster, mag changes, or any kind of "rapid fire" as they call it - so my idea really made no sense from the start and like i said, this was a crap session with no improvement or direction. moving on... Practice 3/23/13 - This session was a bit better as at this point i was almost all the way through Brians book and had begun to impliment some of his ideas and concepts at the range. I think i burned through about 200 rounds - nearly all of them just shooting at the berm - no aiming - just watching everything as it happened. This was a small insight for me as to what i had previously never done or been open to before - but i wont call it a breakthrough just yet. Practice 3/30/13 - Agghh...This session was just a step in the wrong direction. I should mention, in between practices i am doing at least 30-45 mins of dry-fire practice throughout the night - but back to the session. For whatever stupid reason i decided it would be a good idea to AGAIN try and replicate the COF from that match while mixing in some basic accuracy drills - Bad idea. I hurried through the process of shooting at the berm, not doing what i should be, then rushed through some bench rest shooting at close distances (5-10Yds) and just couldnt wait to try and shoot that COF - and guess what I TANKED IT! i wasnt seeing my sights, couldnt call ANY shots, looking for holes, etc. just all in all a bad practice and felt like i wasted the 200+ rounds i shot. Practice 4/5/13 - Okay this was a strange one...I went to the range with 150 rounds - only to shoot groups from the bag rest/bench and put in some REAL practice. So i was about 8-10 rounds into practice when the front sight on my XDM 5.25 came flying off my slide and onto the ground i was soo bummed...But i got over it, grabbed my trusty XD9 and got back to work. I stayed on the bag rest/bench for the majority of the time but then i wanted to see where i was at with my freestyle standing shooting - I shot 3- 5 shot groups at 7, 15 and 25 yards and here were my best out of the results with my XD9: 7 Yards - Best 5 shot group - 2" 15 Yards - best 5 shot group - 2.75" 25 yards - best 5 shot group - 6.5" Nothing stellar - but i was begining to understand what i was and wasnt doing, how it felt, what i was seeing/Not seeing/needing to see - Etc. Practice 4/10/2013 - BREAKTHROUGH #1 !! i brought 150 rounds with the plan of ONLY SHOOTING GROUPS. i split the 150 up between my XDM 5.25 and my XD9 to try and get an idea of consistency, etc. I shot 5 - 5shot groups at each distance(7, 15, and 25 yards) and wrote down my best results for each distance. This was a great session - this was truly the first session i was able to open myself up to what was happening -as it was happening. I was seeng my front sight all the way through the shot, watching it lift and return, seeing the flash, relaxing my grip, adjusting my stance, breathing - everything just seemed to really slow down for me and that was what i had been searching for - Its funny, but when i over-exaggerate keeping my eyes WIDE OPEN through the shot it actually relaxes me - more so than any other method i found. Not to mention all that it SHOWS you - it will show you a flinch, trigger jerk, good or bad sight picture, shot calling - all of that, and that is exactly what i NEEDED to see. Here are my reuslts form that day: XD9: 7 yards - best 5 shot group - 1.25" 15 yards - best 5 shot group - 2.5" 25 yards - best 5 shot group - 5.5" XDM 5.25: 7 yards - best 5 shot group - 1.25" 15 yards - best 5 shot group - 2.25" 25 yards - best 5 shot group - 4.5-5" with one flyer *All of these practice sessions have been with the "range re-loads" they sell at my local indoor range. 9mm 115g FMJ reloads - no factory ammo* I will keep updating this log (mainly as a way to track any and all progress) and who knows, maybe someone out there is going through exactly what i have been going through and if this helps in any way its worth it to me a 100 times over - thanks!

So i want to start a range/practice/match log to try and track my progress (or lack therof) so here it goes...Any advise, crittique, tips, etc are all very welcome - thank you in advance! So just recently i had a realization that my practice sessions were becoming very counter-productive...Once i had moved on from begining to learn the basics of accuracy (started shooting at the berm, then bench rest shooting groups @ 5, 10, 15, and 25yds respectively) after that i figured id just be "seeing" the sights, calling shots, and just putting rounds wherever i wanted to - W R O N G !! I still need constant practice on those key fundamentals and the biggest thing for me was actually realizing that fact - BEING HONEST WITH MYSELF!- it was my previous understanding that as long as i was getting "acceptable' groups from the bench rest at those distances, i was ready to move on to freestyle and it would just go off without a hitch - W R O N G again!. It is a totally different beast shooting groups without the bag rest/bench - and i needed to learn the hard way. Yesterday - 4/10/13- was my first REAL breakthrough during practice, and boy was that a great feeling! I was actually able to slow down, relax my body and mind, lighten up on my grip AND JUST SHOOT! i was seeing my sight all the way through the shot, watching it lift and return - and -BANG! (repeat ) i definitley had a few "blinks" that i caught, some incorrect "calls", as well as a couple flinch/jerks with the .45 but no where near what it recently has been. I feel that my groups improved dramatically due to this minor breakthrough and that is mostly what i have been searching for - some progression! here is my match/practice log so far - i have only been at this since January 2013 so try not to beat me up too bad First Match (club match) - 3/2/2013 - Steel match. 5 stages, 18 rounds per stage with mandatory 3 mag changes, approx 18-25 yards per stage, targets are between 8" plates with some 12" plates mixed in at various stages. Stage 1: 8" plates - 18 rounds, 8 misses Stage 2: 12" plate and 8" plates - 18 rounds, 7 misses Stage 3: 8" plates - 18 rounds, 10 misses Stage 4: 8" plates and 12" plates - 18 rounds, 2 misses Stage 5: 12" plates (6 shots free, 6 shots strong hand, 6 shot weak hand) - 18 rounds, 10 misses. *this was my first match EVER and was very intimidated and nervous. I shot this match before i had studied and applied any of BE's concepts or techniques and it showed. I have since read his book through (almost twice) and have begun the process of learning to shoot accurately through his ideas, and concepts oulined in the book. Sorry for the LONG post - i am going to back track and list the results of my practice sessions since my fist match and leading up to the most recent.

Just thought id add my 2 cent experience on this subject as it recently played out for me - So I just about lost my S*** last night after cashing out at my local indoor range...I went to do some Group shooting - had about 55-60 rounds 9mm already in the bag and got 100 rounds of 9mm "range re-loads" from the guys at the desk. Had a VERY productive session (with a semi-breakthrough during practice at 15 and 25 yds ) only to be totally broad-sided by my $70 "bill" i had apparently accumulated by purchasing 100 9mm reloads and using a lane for 1.5 hours (price for 1 lane is $16.00 for as long as you want) Does it seem crazy to anyone else that i just paid $50 for 100 rounds of 9mm 115g FMJ re-loads?...I felt like i had been kicked in the nuts when the guy handed me my slip! less than a year ago at the same range it was $12 for a bag of 50 9mm reloads, then earlier this year it jumped up to $16 - and now - today - they are charging $25 for a bag of 50 9mm range re-loads. It almost seems "criminal" - for a while they were selling 500 rounds of 9mm re-loads for about $160 which i could tolerate- but after asking the clerk yesterday he said they are now "breaking up" the 500 round ammo cans and bagging them in 50 Qty's and selling them for $25 a pop - "criminals" !! -END RANT thanks for listening!

Hi everyone, i posted this topic a couple weeks back in the "introduce yourself" section and wanted to see if maybe i re-posted it in here it might grab someones attention - thank s for looking, and for any help offered! -Chase M. Posted 26 March 2013 - 10:29 AM Hi everyone, I’m a newbie here but have been lurking on the forum for a few months trying to gather tips whenever, wherever I can. I just finished Brian’s book and to say I am inspired would be a tremendous understatement. Who would have thought the concepts, ideas and strategies he thought up 20+ years ago would still be just as relevant as they are today! (Thank you again, Brian) So on to my latest road block - Shooting groups from 18-25+ yards-freehand(I mean standing with both hands).Before you all beat me up too bad - I am following the steps as have been outlined by the master - started out shooting at nothing at all, just the berm. Got comfortable enough to "see" what I needed to see when I needed to see it given the circumstance (shooting at a berm with no target) and felt it was time to move on to bench rest shooting. I stayed on that damn bench until I could get my 2.5-3" groups at 20-25Yds consistently with little or no flyers on most given days. Relying on mechanics, eyes open, calling the shot as best I could see it, following through- everything was working well from the bench. So I moved on...I went in steps- started at 5 yards, moved to 10 then on to 15 and after that is where things started to change...Drastically. I observed that at about 18-20+ yards my fundamentals begin to deteriorate rapidly. I am overcome by "thought" rather than "action" - immediately I am doing mental checks on ALL my fundamentals - stance, grip, pressures, relaxed stomach, FRONT SIGHT, EYES OPEN, trigger, call the shot - EVERYTHING! And its during that time my form just goes to complete shit. I’m anticipating the shot/recoil, losing the front sight, incorrectly calling my shots; it’s just the worst feeling ever. So my remedy when this is happening is to first observe that it is happening and go back to what’s comfortable and easy (I know what a puss) moving it back to 7 yards, 10 yards 15 yards and guess what - as soon as work back up to the 20-25 yard range - it’s the same problem! It’s almost like at that distance (20-25 yds.) my mind flips this anxiety/doubt switch that on some days it literally seems impossible to overcome so i resort back to bench resting, or moving back to 10-15 yards and usually end up leaving the range feeling very unaccomplished and pretty bummed out... Sorry for the rant! Please know I am not looking for that "one special answer" I was really hoping just to get your guys opinions, possibly some tips and maybe some shared similar experiences if at all applicable or relevant to my situation. Thank you everyone in advance for taking the time to read and/or respond all input is much appreciated! Make it a great day everyone!! -Chase M.

That is a great drill! thank you HPJack, i am going to give this a try this week. **Another thing i wanted to point out or touch on is the visibility (or lack therof) of said target at 25 yards. When im shooting 25yd groups (indoor range) i set up a white 11x17 sheet of paper with a 3.5" BLACK circle in the middle for my POA - which is still damn hard to "pick up" at 25 yds. I began to wonder if the lack of visibility of the target (or POA in this case) has something to do with all or some of my above mentioned symptoms...When i cannot blatantly pick up that black circle out of my peripheral vision i begin to doubt my sight placement which in turn seems to "open the gates" to all my doubts, poor judgment, lack of fundamentals, etc. to come pouring through before i break the shot. How can one call his shots if he cannot mentally reference the front sight placement in relation to the target/POA at the time the shot breaks? - I can watch that sight all day - up, down, recoil or not - but if i cannot clearly see WHERE the sight is in relation to the 3.5" black dot how would i ever correctly call my shot at that distance?...no i dont wear glasses or contacts and dont need corrective vision surgery - honest!

Hi everyone, I’m a newbie here but have been lurking on the forum for a few months trying to gather tips whenever, wherever I can. I just finished Brian’s book and to say I am inspired would be a tremendous understatement. Who would have thought the concepts, ideas and strategies he thought up 20+ years ago would still be just as relevant as they are today! (Thank you again, Brian) So on to my latest road block - Shooting groups from 18-25+ yards-freehand(I mean standing with both hands).Before you all beat me up too bad - I am following the steps as have been outlined by the master - started out shooting at nothing at all, just the berm. Got comfortable enough to "see" what I needed to see when I needed to see it given the circumstance (shooting at a berm with no target) and felt it was time to move on to bench rest shooting. I stayed on that damn bench until I could get my 2.5-3" groups at 20-25Yds consistently with little or no flyers on most given days. Relying on mechanics, eyes open, calling the shot as best I could see it, following through- everything was working well from the bench. So I moved on...I went in steps- started at 5 yards, moved to 10 then on to 15 and after that is where things started to change...Drastically. I observed that at about 18-20+ yards my fundamentals begin to deteriorate rapidly. I am overcome by "thought" rather than "action" - immediately I am doing mental checks on ALL my fundamentals - stance, grip, pressures, relaxed stomach, FRONT SIGHT, EYES OPEN, trigger, call the shot - EVERYTHING! And its during that time my form just goes to complete shit. I’m anticipating the shot/recoil, losing the front sight, incorrectly calling my shots; it’s just the worst feeling ever. So my remedy when this is happening is to first observe that it is happening and go back to what’s comfortable and easy (I know what a puss) moving it back to 7 yards, 10 yards 15 yards and guess what - as soon as work back up to the 20-25 yard range - it’s the same problem! It’s almost like at that distance (20-25 yds.) my mind flips this anxiety/doubt switch that on some days it literally seems impossible to overcome so i resort back to bench resting, or moving back to 10-15 yards and usually end up leaving the range feeling very unaccomplished and pretty bummed out... Sorry for the rant! Please know I am not looking for that "one special answer" I was really hoping just to get your guys opinions, possibly some tips and maybe some shared similar experiences if at all applicable or relevant to my situation. Thank you everyone in advance for taking the time to read and/or respond all input is much appreciated! Make it a great day everyone!! -Chase M.