Clay1

Fantastic, savor the flavor of the win. Replay the win in your mind many, many times. Congrats!

Try this link and then do a search under Cooper Tunnel. http://www.stageexchange.com/stages/stages1.pdf

Thanks for all of your efforts and for helping promote our sport. Rick

As I read the answers to this post, I see that there are many different definitions to the word win. Some read it as a class win or a local match win. That would be different. I read the original question as winning an area or state or national match shooting scratch. Being the best at the match. I'm a C class shooter and winning a C class match at the local club is much different than winning the world shoot in Standard division etc. So defining what winning means to you is very important in this question. Again, those that really are at the very top of the game make huge sacrafices and are willing to do the things that many of us are not really willing to do. I'm married, (21 years) and would like to stay that way. I have 3 children, who need some guidance from a father who is home once in a while. We all make decisions in our lives. Saul's new book has been a great read for me. I am setting goals with time tables and stepping up my training. I still don't believe that I think it is worth it to really make the committments needed to win as I define win. We all make our own decisions. Good luck making yours. Rick

We all shoot for different reasons. I love to shoot and do consider myself very competitive. On the other hand it is not just about wanting it. Saul Kirsch talks about winning as a prepared for event. You have to do the things required of a champion. When he lays out his training schedule, over and over he asks, is it worth it for you? Are you really willing to do what it takes. Bluntly my answer is no, it's not worth it to me to be a champion. The above might come as a shock to some, but I think that I am realistic. Champions are willing to do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Do I train 4 or 5 days a week? Do I dry fire 4 or 5 hours at a time? Do I eat right for competition? Do I do cardio, stretching and weight training 3 or 4 days a week to compete? Until I can answer yes to all of those, I have chosen not to be a champion or in my definition win. Can I shoot 2 times a week and dry fire 2 times a week? Yes, I can. Can I shoot a couple matches a month? Yes, I can. This gives me a chance to improve my skills and be a better shooter, but I am fooling myself if I think that will turn me into a true champion.

Nice! Almost makes me want to replace my unit.

You have your 40s already and you have a nice carry gun. The G17 is screaming at you: "Buy me for production, buy me". You could listen to her screams and think that you could save some money on ammo too. Good luck with your decision. We are just about ready to finally pass a CCW law and since I shoot a G34 now am considering the G23 for carry. A kahr looks nice but like the Glock platform and see no reason to change. The 27 is just not the grip that I am looking for.

Wish I could buy one for $610.

The 9 is great with good ammo. My wife has my 2nd G34 right now with her when she is out of town. Speer Gold Dots and a Streamlight M3X weapon light on it. She has no issues with the light or with the Glock. By the way the reason she is out of town without me is that I had to work and she went deer hunting without me. She's coming back to pick me this weekend and we will both go out together. If she shoots my big buck, I will never live it down. Rick

Calling the shot is seeing where the sights are when the trigger breaks/when the bullet leaves the barrel. I think that is the easier option when the sights are perfectly aligned. Classic front post even with the top of the rear notch and equal amounts of light on both sides of the post. I think the next step is knowing where the bullet will hit without perfect sight alignment. The post is on one spot but the light isn't equal on both sides of the notch. When moving, this happens and you should know where the bullet will go without perfect classic sight alignment. Reading the sights and knowing where the bullet will go. Rick

Sweet! I'm a big 700 action fan. I spent $1300 on a fancy Weatherby with a stock that has a full length aluminum bedding block, flutted barrel and a 1 1/2" group Guarantee in 7mm/08. My 700 ADL shoots better. Had to send it back to the factory because it just wouldn't shoot less than 2" with Fed Prem and half a doz other rounds tried. I've shot rimfire BR50 stuff in the past and I think I get how to pull the trigger off of that Hart rest that I have. $350 rifle shoots better, WTF???? Glad things are working out for you. Have fun with that thing! Rick

Rikarin, I know that you have read Brian's book already. I think that Saul Kirsch's new book: Thinking Practical Shooting is exactly what you need right now. Saul addresses your specific question directly in the book, but he also talks about the mental aspects of this game. He goes into things like positive self talk and feeling good about your shooting. I think this would be a great read for you like is has been for me. Have about 25 pages left to read then the hard work comes of implimenting the strategies. Good luck on your shooting. One comment on all of the responses that you have had to your inquiry. Obviously most of us have had the same question in the past. No matter who answered or how they answered, we are really a small group of like minded people who visit this board. Yes, it is the World Wide great internet, but it is still a small group who visit daily and share ideas on how to play this game better. I believe that everyone that has responded wants to help you toward success. Many have different views on how that is best accomplished. In the end you make up your own mind. Now go read Saul's book and shoot well! Rick

Best wishes to them. Hope all is well soon.

Same clipper to cut the dogs hair??? I buy her (the dog) her own by the way. I use a nice Wahl. Not the cheapo one by the way. I use to be in sales and had to go every other week for the $25 hair cut. I bought the clippers over 10 years ago and haven't looked back. Figure $50/ month for 10 years plus and I think they might have paid for themselves by now. That's not counting the numerous haircuts for the kids too. The only way to go in my opinion. Just buy a nicer unit $25 to $50 and never look back. Life's too short to buy a $10 clipper - except for the dog! Rick

Haven't shot 10 shot groups from the bench at 50. Probably intimidated to do so because of facts staring back at me. Would guess that 5 to 6" would be damn good from the bench. Being an old benchrest boy from days gone by it is amazing how those wonderful little 3 shot groups open up when you add 2 more rounds to the group to make it a 5 shot group. Doubling that to 10 shots would definately open the group size but also tell you more about your ability. I would start shooting these groups from the bench with sandbags to get a benchmark for comparison. Freestyle for 10 rounds on an IPSC target all in the C zone, I would be happy. 10 rounds at 50 yards all in the A zone is beyond my abilities and I don't mind saying so. Rick

Did this within the last couple of weeks and was able to shoot 3" groups with my stock barrel and Blazer 115 gr. This one G34 shoots better than my other G34. The second one has a different set of sight on it and I think that contributes to the relative accuracy of the guns as well. I shoot the Dawson Precisions. These or Bomars would allow better grouping than the very wide night sights that I have on the second G34. Rick

Matthew, something tells me that you have a better understanding of what is good or not good at these ranges than I but I wanted to make a comment that it should probably be based on what your weapon is capable of. If you have a gun that shoots 3" off of a bench with sandbags it is going to be unrealistic to expect 2" groups offhand. Groups should be 5 shots and averaged over 5 groups to get a realistic sampling. One spectacular group doesn't make the grade. I am not close to your level of shooting but my Glock 34 averages about 3" off of bags and if I could shoot into a 6" group at 50 I would be very happy, but bluntly 8", 5 shot groups would still be good at my level of skill. Curious what others think. Doubling bench preformance would be my guess as a good group. Those of you up the skill ladder might very well be able to ring more performance out of your weapon. Rick

Thanks for the report Beven. Rick

In Saul Kirsch's new book: Thinking Practical Shooting he talks specifically about figuring out hitfactor for each stage. Personally, I have enough trouble figuring out where to reload and remember where each of the targets are located at this point that doing the match during the 5 minute walk through would be detremental to my success. His recap of the situation is that when the HF is higher speed is more important and when the HF is lower accuracy is more important. What I take out of that is that if the stage happens to be 12 targets all under 5 yards for me, it is a hoser stage, but beyond that example I shoot for As at this point. Saul's book has a ton of good stuff especially given your post on burnout. Highly recomended. Good luck. Rick

Now that you have said that you have tested the Diffusion tube, what were the percentages Beven if you remember? Was it more than cylinder or less? Like I said before I found the pattern to be about skeet. Curious as to what you found on your patterning board? Thanks Alamo, Jim is an A1 instructor. Highly recomend him for clays instruction. Like I said before he wasn't a twidler. Rick

Not a clue really. I do know that my father had me shooting a pair of pearl handled Colts before I could ride a bike. I've shot benchrest rimfire, rimfire silhouette and sporting clays seriously before this game. This year approaching 10,000 rounds and I am a C class shooter trying to get better and learn on these boards. For me the next big step won't come with some technique breakthrough. I believe it will come when something between my ears clicks so that I can accomplish what I know how to accomplish. Round count alone isn't going to make you a great shooter in my experience. Technique and mental toughness are the building blocks of success. Rick

For someone like me this exact question is truly the evil that must be avoided at all costs. After wasting months on working on speed, the truth is to shoot them as fast as you can while getting all A's. Yes, push yourself in practice so that at a match your speed to shoot A's is faster than before, but at a match try to shoot 95% of the available points. Rikarin, if you are newer, like you and I, you have to get your shots. You try for all A's and if you happen to shoot a C that happens. If you say just to blaze away then you will shoot Mikes and D's. I'm just a C class shooter trying to get better. I think speed comes from understanding simple things like how Brian explains the different kinds of target focus at different distances or different difficulties of the shot. This has been said many times, but see what you need to see to make the shot. I've read these kind of statements for months, but it seems like they are just beginning to sink in. There was another thread not all that long ago about trying to shoot above your ability level at a match. If you shoot to 95% of your practice skill level for speed and you shoot 95% of the total points you are a winner no matter where you place in that particular match.

I live by the philosophy that "Just because I am paranoid, doesn't mean that they aren't watching." Surveillance by employers is rampant and part of the real world. No need to make it easier for them than needed, even from good employers. Good luck with your search for a little taste of the private life. Rick

The shirts and web site are perfect Brian. You do describe it on the web as Charcoal and not black, I think that is enough to give everyone a good idea of what it is like. Can't wait to wear it to the next indoor shoot. It's getting a little chilly in Wisconsin this time of year for outdoor wear. I've jumped into Saul's new book and am enjoying it very much. Rick

One note on equipment selection. I find the equipment surveys done at the nationals to be very helpful. Sponsored shooters always tout their current gun like they are suppose to do but they all could whip my rear with a kel-Tec if they so chosed to do so. So I prefer to hear what the average competitor is using.