Jeff22

I had plantar fasciitis for most of 2009. I got custom insoles that I used in my work & hiking boots and the problem went away after a while. One of my nieces' friends has a degree in therapeutic massage and last summer she got trained on how to do foot massages to help people with plantar fasciitis. If that problem ever reoccurs for me, I'm going to try foot massage

Back about 1982 or so I started accumulating .22 conversion units or .22 cal equivalents of my various guns to allow me to practice for cheap. My normal practice has been to shoot about 1000 rounds a month of .22 indoors in the winter. In January I bought the first Glock 44 I ever saw. I already have a Ciener conversion unit on a G19 frame and an Advantage Arms conversion on a G22 frame. I've been REALLY impressed with the Glock 44 so far. I have tested it with the following ammunition types: 200 rnds CCI Mini Mags. (40 grn at 1235 fps) 300 rnds CCI AR Tactical. (40 grn at 1200 fps) 200 rnds Winchester M-22 (40 grn at 1255 fps) 200 rnds Winchester Super Speed (40 grn @ 1300 fps) 200 rnds Federal Black (38 grn at 1260 fps) 200 rnds Browning Performance Rimfire (BPR) (40 grn at 1435 fps) 200 rns Armscore High Velocity (36 grn at 1260 fps) 200 rns Augila Super Extra High Velocity ((40 grn at 1255 fps) That's 1,700 rounds in five weeks. I cleaned and lubed the gun after each trip to the range. I had NO (0) malfunctions. Most of the shooting I did was accuracy drills on NRA B-24 or B-34 or B-29 or TQ-20 targets at 30 and 50 feet. I also shot on some Warren Tactical WTS-8 targets at different distances. Both of my other Glock conversions and the SIG factory .22 conversions require hot ammo with plated bullets to run reliably. I've usually used CCI Mini-Mags for that application, and still experienced occasional malfunctions caused by the slide not going fully into battery. So far I've been really impressed with the G44. The trigger feels like a stock Glock trigger.

Another one of my favorite practice courses

Close Quarter Standards is one of my standard practice drills when I'm at an outdoor range where I can engage multiple targets.

You can always do accuracy drills at distance, either on a USPSA or IDPA silhouette or the traditional NRA B-8 bullseye.

I hadn't realized they changed the CoF for the carbine classifier. I'll be interested to shoot it this spring

Well using the 5 x 5 classifier should solve this problem

I prefer the traditional 90 round and 72 round classifiers but the 5 x 5 classifier is a good practice drill

Huh. I always shoot with my "regular" concealment holster . . . . Considering the intent of IDPA, shooting with the gun you actually carry shouldn't be a new concept (I've been shooting IPSC/USPSA since 1978 and I've most often used whatever was my duty gun at that time, and a concealment holster. But, people are shooting matches for their own reasons. My interest is entirely defensive, but many people focus more on the competitive aspects)

When shooting in practice, start with accuracy and end with accuracy. It's interesting that a lot of the instructors who tour nationally (in this case like Pat McNamara and Tom Givens) include accuracy drills on an NRA B-8 25 yard timed & rapid fire bullseye as part of their recommended practice program.

17 May 2018 01:02 #13 2018-05-17T06:02 So I shot the IDPA PCC classifier last Saturday for the first time. Not a bad course of fire. I think stage II at 25 yards could be improved by the use of a high barricade for cover, and have the shooter's lateral movement be to cover instead of just from shooting position to shooting position. I dropped a few hits shooting around cover at 50 yards. Gotta practice multiple target engagement from around cover some more. A few of the local PDs bought Marlin or Ruger or Colt 9mm carbines as a replacement for the shotgun back in the early 90s. All of the departments in our county have now replaced the carbines or shotguns with 5.56mm rifles of some variety. A few departments did go with the Ruger Mini-14 for cost reasons originally but to my knowledge everybody has been running AR platform guns for years. I have one of the Colt R6430 9mm carbines that I bought in 1992. They are great fun to shoot, and I can shoot them on steel plates and on the local indoor range without fear of damaging the equipment. If I wanted to do the same practice with one of my regular ARs, I'd have to buy frangible ammo at $350 a case. So the carbine still gets lots of use. I have been shooting it in local USPSA matches a little bit in the Pistol Caliber Carbine Class. I know many guys who have recently done builds on AR type 9mm carbines and some that have purchased carbines of other configurations. They are very much enjoying researching which trigger group and compensator and which optic to put on their new projects and what bullet weight to use for reloading and all that. I’m just happy to shoot my entirely stock Colt 9mm with NATO spec ammo I get on sale from Midway USA or Natchez Shooter's Supply.

Has anybody shot it yet? I just got classified in Pistol Caliber Carbine in USPSA last month

So I've cut way back on my walking and I ice my knee at least three times a day -- when I wake up, before I go to work, and before bed. I think my knee is almost back to normal. I walked two miles at my normal pace at the health club the other day without ill result. I'm going to increase my walking distances gradually and keep icing it.

Complete Nutrition now makes a Coffee Flavored protein powder called "Maine Roast". There is the original coffee flavor and a new mocha flavor. You can mix it with water or milk or even cold coffee. (I find a half and half mix of 2% milk and coffee works pretty good) It's often cheaper if you buy it from amazon.com instead of Complete Nutrition.

I'm experiencing bursitis in my left knee. I originally tweaked it making a pivot to the right on the indoor range, and then a month later when running (slowly) during a physical fitness evaluation for work. The doctor recommended frequent icing and anti-inflammatories. I've also been using Blue Emu cream which seems to help a little. But, the condition is persisting. I don't want to do anything to prolong it. Does anybody have any suggestions? This is REALLY interfering with my physical fitness program.

Either version of the IDPA classifier match is a good test of basic skills. I like to shoot USPSA Special Classifier matches for the same reason. Shoot a bunch of classifiers and keep good notes and it will help you determine what skills you need more practice on.

My PD issues .40 cal Glocks. We had at least a dozen people (including myself) buy Glock 42s last year. A few of my co-workers are quite interested in the Glock 43. If/when they come out, I'll buy one myself. Even though I have three Kahrs (P9, K9 and T9) that I have accumulated over the years that would fill that niche.

I found a few old course descriptions last night in my file. I didn't have a chance to look too much. A number of the old IPSC courses were similar to PPC courses except with multiple targets. In some ways they are very similar to the modern day IDPA classifier (which is another course of fire I really like) One of the old courses we ran at the club back in the day and also used for the PD was called the "Wilson Rapid Fire". I looked through Cooper on Handguns last night too. There are some similarities and many differences between the courses of 1974 and the courses of 2015 . . .

I started shooting IPSC with the Wisconsin Practical Pistol League in March of 1978. My first match (with a borrowed gun) was the "Cooper Assault". We had a guy sprain his knee after going over the wall. In 1981 I got hired as a cop. One of my partners was the founder of our IPSC club and was the Wisconsin Sectional Coordinator for a time. We ran the "Advanced Military Combat" as a qualification course for the PD a few times. And as a club match. And the Los Alamitos PPC. We ran that as a club match one time too. The IPSC club shot the Ambidextrous Defense and several different modifications of the "Quick and Dirty" and several modifications of the "Cooper Assault". And many modifications of "The El Presidente" which I like as a quick stage or a practice course to this day. The club had a course book from the Southwest Combat Pistol League. I think I made copies of it, but I'm not sure. If I did, I haven't been able to find them in my huge file of stuff. I'd like to find a copy of that now. I do still have a course book that A Zone publishing did in 1981 or 1982. (It has a blue cover -- can't remember the name of it right now). We used courses out of that for both the IPSC club and the PD through the 80s. I was able to get a beat up copy of the original 1974 version of Cooper on Handguns (with the red cover) for $50 from amazon.com about 15 years ago. (I already had copies of the 1979 edition (with the black cover) that I bought at the time it came out). Somebody should certainly reprint the original Cooper on Handguns sometime. I should go back and read mine again. Lots of interesting information in there, much of which is still relevant. I'd like to find a bunch of the original IPSC courses from the late 70s and early 80s. I think some of the newer shooters might enjoy shooting them. I know I would.

Will Brink has an interesting article on his blog called "What you need to know about caffeine" www.brinkzone.com/articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-caffeine The conclusion is that No Doz or Vivarin may be a better source of caffeine than tea or coffee, due to some of the other compounds found in tea and coffee that affect how the caffeine is absorbed. Caffeine is the drug of productivity. A little bit is a good thing and too much is a bad thing. Sometimes I shoot a match after working all night. In which case, I crank on the caffeine at work beginning about 0530. Before a match I try to eat a high protein breakfast, and in hot weather it's critical to pre-hydrate and then to stay hydrated. Gatorade works as an electrolyte replacement. Vitalyte or CeraSport might work better.

Gotta' stay hydrated in the heat. Water is good. Electrolyte replacements like Vitalyte or Cera Sport or Gatorade can be useful. In cooler weather I usually have a couple of power bars of some variety along to munch on between stages if I feel the need. Lately I've been eating the oven roasted Blue Diamond almonds (I like the sea salt flavor) as a snack at the match. (My doctor told me to eat almonds. Good for my cholesterol level) I've read that a high protein breakfast is best because it won't cause weird spikes in your blood sugar level.

I'm like Reshoot-- I used to drink coffee by the gallon and tea sometimes, and now I'm mostly a tea drinker, usually slightly sweetened with honey from local bee keepers. I find a light high-protein breakfast works well with me. In hot weather I'm very careful to pre-hydrate. (When I was in the MPs, if we were in the field in hot weather, we had to drink a litre canteen of water an hour. I kept that procedure as a guideline) If you're shooting in hot weather, be sure to hydrate! This has been mentioned in other places in this discussion and bears repeating. Pre-hydrate before you get to the range and keep hydrated once you get there. Gatorade works although it does have a high sugar content. You could dilute it a little bit or use the powder kind and mix it a little weak. I usually use Vitalyte (used to be called "Gookinade" [named after the guy who invented it] and then "Hydrolite") but I just read some info on Cera Sport that would suggest that might be a viable alternative. I know many ranges don't have modern restroom facilities and that is an issue for female shooters. Still, you have to be hydrated . . . http://www.ceraproductsinc.com or http://www.vitalyte.com A little caffeine is a good thing. Too much is a bad thing. If I really need a jump start and don't have access to brewed coffee, the various Java Monster canned coffee blends will really get your motor running and they taste pretty good.

Okay, I'm weird. I REALLY like to shoot classifiers. Both USPSA classifiers and the IDPA classifier match. I really enjoy both, and shooting stages like that on a regular basis has both made me a better shooter and shown what particular skills I need to improve on. I like simple field courses as well. I'm a cop and most often compete with my duty gun in a concealment holster (for both USPSA/IPSC and IDPA) and I have a defensive orientation to my competitive activities. I like to shoot stages that would also be relevant and appropriate should I use them for CoFs at in-service training. If I could shoot some kind of classifier match every month I'd be a happy boy. Most of my shooting associates think I'm whacked . . .

Almost thirty years ago (when I was a poor student) I became interested shooting .22 conversion units and .22 sub-caliber equivalents for low cost training purposes. I've accumulated a .22 conversion unit for my AR-15 (an old one made by Bro-Caliber International, subsequently tuned by John Norrell), a Colt Ace to go with my Combat Commander and M1911A1, a S&W 18 .22 combat masterpiece to go with my S&W 15, a S&W 650 .22 to go with my S&W 60 3 inch heavy barrel .38, and .22 conversion units for my Browning P35 and Glock 19 (the Advantage Arms unit seems to be much more reliable than the converter made by Jonathan Arthur Ciener) and Beretta M9 (the Beretta factory .22 conversion ROCKS). My most recent acquisitions have been the conversion made by the Sig factory for the P226 pistol, the Smith & Wesson Military & Police AR-15/22 and a Walther PPK/S in .22. If thrift requires you to use .22s for practice, or if circumstance compels you to shoot on an indoor range with a mild steel backstop that will only accommodate .22s, then conversion units are very useful. They are also useful as a trainer gun for a new shooter. I found that CCI mini-mags work the best in .22 conversion units. Conversion units are usually picky about what kind of ammo they function well with, and you're always best to start with a clean and well-lubed weapon. For my own use, I found it best to do accuracy drills with the .22s. The grip and trigger and sights are the same but the recoil is so much less that I found that rapid fire or multiple target practice has somewhat limited utility. With the .22s, I usually shoot on the NRA B34 (1/2 scale) or B29 or TQ-16 or TQ20 (1/3rd scale) targets at 50 feet.

Probably did this with .22s because the backstop on the indoor range couldn't take hits from rifle ammo. I recently read (in "Front Sight"?) that IPSC in Europe is developing a .22 class. Years ago (about 1984?) , we had a couple of .22 handgun side shoots at the IPSC club I used to belong to. We only scored hits in the A zone. We did this in the winter, when brass recovery in the snow or mud was a problem. Only a few shooters consistantly competed -- either using M1911 type pistols with conversion units, Ruger Automatics, or different kinds of .22 revolvers. We only did it a few times and then gave up on it. With the cost of ammo these days, and the fact that it's often hard to find, I wonder if .22 cal competition as an option might reappear. I have also read several articles over the years about clubs doing matches with pistol caliber carbines as opposed to "real" rifles. This is also something that would work on an indoor range limited to pistol calibers.