Highwayman

Just signed the papers for an old police trade-in Smith K Frame 64, my first revolver that I hope to mess around with in IDPA and possibly USPSA if they have a revolver friendly event. At this point I only will own the gun itself for a while as I learn the platform and get used to the trigger, but I'd like to gradually build up a competition rig for it as I can afford each part. I have no interest in carrying this piece daily, I have a Glock for that, this is purely a sporting gun and I'm looking to avoid spending too much for accessories on a gun that barely cost $250. So far, I'll need: Holster. Speed-loaders, eyeing the Safariland Comp-III so far. Cowboy hat and chaps. (I'm kidding) Belt holder for speed loaders. Possibly some sight paint to make the front sight more usable, particularly it being stainless.

Been struggling as-is with one-handed strong side, now I'm really trying to push weak side transitions and shooting. So far it's miserable. On the clock my transitions feel like it's being slapped over, which makes me worry about the trigger and slow down. Once it's in-hand, gaining a sight picture seems slower than my right side, then there's simply training the hand and finger. Are there any drills or methods for becoming more ambidextrous gradually?

I hope to grab a few of these, I've been needing full-capacity courses to beat around at a tactical course while saving my ten rounds for competitions. If they make a 33 rounder, I may fool myself into thinking I have a reason to own one.

Found a place selling 64s for about 320. I feel stainless will be more durable in the long-run and easier to care for. Holster, Safariland seems solid. Next: Speed loaders?

I'm now indeed hunting down deals on a 10 or 64, may have one being sold at my local league. What about an affordable holster for a 10?

To begin, my carry pistol, competition pistol, and nightstand pistol is also the first pistol I got from a cop relative when I turned 21. Glock 17 in an Arch Angel, oddly functional despite the comical size. I nearly bought a discounted Springfield 1911 for competition, that deal fell through. Now again I have the annoying itch to cheat on my Glock and waste ammo money. For whatever reason, I'm drawn to a revolver. I was taught with one as a kid using some antiques, it's been years since I've fired one except for a recent IDPA stage which required we all shoot a loaner. I can't imagine any practical reason to own one considering I carry a full size pistol, and even a cheap .380 offers more rounds than a larger duty revolver. Plus, it has the worthless sights, worse recoil, and it would cost more than it's worth to modify it to keep up with a semi. Yet, I still want one. Ideally a beater from the used gun counter, as inexpensive as possible without becoming hazardous. Probably just a .38 instead of a .357, no need for the exotic loads. I'd love to run it in Action Pistol solely because it looks very fun, and I'd like being able to beat a couple semiautomatic guys using a wheelgun.

I really, really hate being honest and posting these scores. This is out of twenty shooters, including a lot of new walk-ons who'd never shot IDPA before. 15th place. Stage 1: 6th Stage 2: 20th Stage 3: 14th Stage 4: 14th Stage one: Nailed it. Smooth movements, low point scores, the last target had us all dumbfounded thinking I had a zero and a miss. The RO looked closer, said it was the same hole and to make it easier on everyone next time. Simply stage S-maneuver, felt amazing. That never happened again. Stage 2: More blocky,. chaotic stage with a lot of hidden targets to maneuver around. I came up with no less than three stage strategies, and having to go third I went with one that was simply an abomination, splitting up a group of targets made me forget one. Shots were wild from weird angles, hit on non threat, high time. 20th out of 20, the RO said 'This was a tragedy' as he marked the time. Shattered my mood for the night. Everyone else went with a very simple pattern, I had to watch as walk-ons beat my score while struggling with their weapons. I can shoot...But I cannot crack stage design. It should have been that easy. Stage 3: Okay, this was fun. A partially blind stage. Maneuver around an initial cover wall and work through a simple stage with three groups of targets...except the targets and non-threats are shuffled around for each shooter. Some wilder shots, hit on non threat, but still a chunk of zeros. Fun stage idea, can't complain. Stage 4: We were running late, so it was simply an El Prez, second half being strong hand only. After a month of strong hand obsession...I blew it. My freestyle shots were a bit loose, the strong hand shots included a miss and mostly ones. Even worse? I had some one video tape me for the first time. He did a great job, including the section at the end where I'm scored with a nine on the center target. At this point it was 10PM, I was exhausted and starving. I stuck around for a few more shooters to paste targets, but having to get up at 6 the next day I had a miserable drive home, tossed back some food and had a very unfulfilled night. Waking up and remembering this match killed my morning as well. I'm down quite a bit of hard earned money, so many hours of practicing, gas money and travel time, match fees...For 15th place, getting beat by complete novice shooters. I can't give up on this sport solely because of those expenses. I was hyped up to try USPSA in a week, but after whiffing so many basic shots, particularly that simple last one, I'm not going to bother. My gun is still in my range bag, I can't even stand the idea of looking at it, letting alone cleaning it tomorrow night. Dry fire? I'm going to have to force myself through it. End of year one. June:first match: 20th place out of 23 July: Second match: 18th out of 20. September: 16th out of 18 Joined this forum. October, outdoor: 14 out of 29 October: 9 out of 14 November: 12 out of 24 December: 15 out of 20 If it weren't for that first stage I shot last night, I'd just put the gun back into storage.

Just got home from the match, hitting the sack as I have to be up at six and am traveling all of tomorrow. I'll sum this up before I even get the scores...I'm still a lousy shot, and it's going to be another long year.

'Twas the night before the match, and all through the house...Not a creature was stirring, except for a wailing terrier in a cage, a scrawny cubicle nerd, and a SIRT pistol clicking. Last night of practice, kept it at my usual half hour. Even on Saturday when I had the day wide open, I was so exhausted from four fourteen hour days I just stuck with the half hour.Been opening with strong hand draws to enforce the new position, then my usual target transitions and headshots for aiming. Finished up with by cranking a drill down from the recommended 3.9 seconds down to 3.6. Each time I turned it down I expected to struggle, but was amazed when I usually came close each time. This was me just trying to scramble, and frankly it felt more natural and smooth than my earlier attempts. Muscle memory? Better focus? Grip strength? No idea. Kept that going until I had broken a good sweat, then cooled down with a few more draws and reloads. Even when I can't fit in the full half hour of drills, I've brought back an old habit of simply keeping my SIRT in my hand and clicking it at the TV occasionally. In this case, I either aim for letters scrolling by, or draw (still can't fire, doesn't feel right) at characters as they pop up. Been using my 140 pound grippers three times a week, and at my desk at work I've taken to doing hand extensor reps with a heavy rubber band I pulled off some groceries. Any day now I'll get a shipment of Amazon Christmas gifts which includes some professional extensor bands with varying levels of resistance. My dexterity balls see plenty of use at home where they can't drive anyone nuts. Been strongly debating my options when it comes to live fire training. On one hand, there's a range fifteen minutes away, for over twenty a trip it's a very clean and comfortable facility. On the other...I just heard from one of my coaches that there is an indoor pistol club an hour away which puts on indoor UPSA matches all winter. Their members all have key card access 24/7, and there is a range designed for holster use by certified members. It would cost me around $250 a year plus joining the NRA, the equivalent of fifteen or so trips to my nearby square range. It would be a lot of driving on weekends or very late nights after work, but it could also be my chance to drill live-fire consistently and work on movement. That is based on my current understanding, for all I know the holster range could only be for politically connected members supervised by a Range Grandmaster on the fifth Tuesdays of each month. Then there's the question of if a twenty four year old would get voted into a pistol club. Will check out one of their matches next month and see what the culture is like. Range bag is packed. One last match to end the year and gauge my progress. I could sit here and ramble all night trying to tell you guys that I'm getting better...But in the end the numbers do the talking.

Nine days until my next match: Learning my work-life balance, been cutting things back to half an hour of drills a day to keep things warm. Another week before I get my next paycheck and can start doing live fire sessions. The hour-long sessions on weekends are still doing fine, but during the week I've been sticking with draws, reloads, strong hand, and upper-lower target transitions. Managing to stay .05 under the book recommendations all around even on the headshots and strong-hand drills. Slowly getting to know the feel of a pistol on single shots compared to double taps, doing it dry it feels much more deliberate and muscular than when clicking away the double taps. Hopefully I'll be able to shift using recoil, can't practice that on any square ranges. Discovering that even though the headshots 'feel' just as fast, in reality it's taking me precious microseconds to aim for that slightly smaller target. I'm not whining about that, I'm actually very interested in how the human brain processes such unusual stimuli and moments like this where I can see how the gears turn is beyond fascinating. Then again, my new job has me writing about the brain all day, maybe I just need to stop taking my work home with me. Between our fragile home decor and an insatiable terrier, I cannot use my home to practice any moving drills. I'm in the suburbs outside of Chicago, weather is a major factor. I may be able to use my micro-targets in the garage once we get it cleaned out some and my roommate isn't parked in there, maybe chalk down some squares to step into and transition between? At the very least I'd be able to spread out the targets more and really crank down on transitions, I could clip my phone to my belt for a shot timer. Then, if my roommate comes home and the garage starts opening, just frantically run into the house hiding my gear before the neighbors call the police... My group is having a Skills and Drills the night before the match...But I'm on the fence. It's ten minutes from here, but it's also twice the price of the usual ones because that range is more upscale. Also, I'd be cleaning my Glock afterwards at 11PM with work the next morning, have done it once but it was not enjoyable. On the other hand, I need to test out my strong hand work, and any instruction would be welcome before the match. I'm also wondering about live fire practice in general. I truly need to test what I'm learning on occasions that aren't matches, but my local range is simply less fulfilling than my drill work. I can't shoot faster than the range rules, and not shooting a double tap is starting to feel bizarre. It's so slow I can't even try practicing transitions, I find myself standing there with my sights on the target counting to myself and saying 'Really? People pay to do this for fun?' I can live without drawing from a holster, I can't blame ranges for being picky there, but the rate of fire just has me feeling like I'm testing the gun instead of really shooting. My order was placed for a Springfield 1911, heavily discounted thanks to my old job. However, that won't be shipping out for a month or two at the very least, and it'll take some modifications to get it ready for moving drills. After that, if I do compete with it, that'd be in USPSA Single Stack which I have still yet to try out. It's just a toy and a project, not my carry piece or my goal. For now, my Glock is still my only pistol and thus must fulfill all my needs. It's my increasingly familiar dance partner in nine days and counting.

It's been a long week full of holiday travel, rehearsals, and meetings...and for once, I stuck to my gun. Since last Sunday I've done a minimum of half an hour of dry fire a day, even if it's just front sight picture and a few reloads. Today was my first full day off in weeks, and to celebrate I just finished up a full hour and ten minutes straight of drilling where I completed nine drills from the book back-to-back. Do not let me do that again, I'm chugging water and wringing out my shirt currently. I've found myself outgrowing the stationary drills, I'm going to need a place to move. Also, whatever one of these 'boxes' are where you have to step in one to shoot. And now I find the later drills are mostly plates...I'm not even sure if steel challenge is available around here, but why not. I'm not noticing any notable time jumps, although I can comfortably shave milliseconds off my strong hand drills because the new grip has settled in by force. Reloads feel more natural, and even when I play bumper-cars with the mag that didn't fall free I can still keep up with the timer typically. This whole week has been strong hand focused, with some weak hand thrown in just to work on my grip strength and try and program some symmetry. As much as I want to give my tactical friends credit, I'm not sure what I was thinking trying that fancy tilted stance. By simply knocking that off, the natural sight picture was easier and faster. Been working on one handed draws, the vice grip, head shots, target transitions...Everything they could toss at me in those infamous strong hand stages. This should have happened months ago, I'd have been placing a handful higher consistently if I'd worked on this glaring weakness instead of playing cowboy and doing quick-draw. I was lying awake a couple nights ago, ended up reliving that bad stage. Again. I...cannot, remember, the sight picture. I remember how the gun felt, I remember how my ankles felt while I turreted...I had turned the stage into choreography, I didn't just look at the A-zones and shoot. I looked great, felt great, but simply wasn't shooting. If I had taken my time letting the front sight surprise me once per target and rush the transition rather than the shot, I could have had a top ten placement. And that waitress I asked out would have said yes. And I would have been taller than 5'6. But I have to give myself minimal credit, 12th place with a last-place stage is still a sign that I'm not that kid hoping to pass his CCW range test anymore. Training wise, I'm still somewhat on-the-leash budget wise but things are about to get much easier. I'm going to dent my first paycheck from the new job with a factory discount from my last job, and will end up eventually with a Springfield Loaded 1911 I'll gradually be tinkering with to try Single Stack USPSA someday. I'll still be mostly practicing with my SIRT which is a Glock basically, but I'd like a long-term project and a reward for finally getting the job. I've officially ran out of the thousand round bulk pack of Federal I got last March, now I'm down to a few boxes of the stuff I'd bought at the store I worked at. I'll easily be able to afford another bulk pack I can send away for...Except that will be in two weeks, my first paycheck is mostly that 1911 I had to purchase now or never to get the detail, my rent, and car insurance. If I can ration these few boxes of 9mm for the next few weeks, I'll then be shooting live fire weekly instead of this mostly dry fire regime. I will most likely end up shooting most of my remaining stash strong handed. The night of December 16th will be my next IDPA match, and will officially mark my having spent one year training with pistols. I started last January by pulling this old Glock out of storage with no idea how to use it, whatever my placing is on the 16th will be the my benchmark. I'll try to avoid thinking about that, but I'd really like to make this one count.

Two days late because I've had meetings after work with my new job this week, but here is my entry on my match last Tuesday. Wild night, got more than my money's worth. Found out the night before that there would be two separate matches technically, because the evening would be starting out with a completely blind stage and it would be scored as a stand-alone event. This attracted a packed crowd of twenty four shooters. We all had nothing else to do but gear up, wait outside the barricade as each shooter was eventually scored and was then allowed to help paste targets. Heard the first DQ I've seen from across the barricade, a brand new shooter had not grasped the muzzle rule in such an unusual first stage. Cover violations were basically mandatory across the board. Everyone was posting high times, it was bizarre to be hearing occasional frantic shots instead of the usual cadence of a stage. It sounded like...an actual gunfight. Wow, so that's what reality sounds like. Cold range. Very cold range. Kept my coat on between stages, my pre-shot routine began to revolve around that. When I was on deck, take off the coat, gun up, three draws, then watch the guy before me and clear my head. Afterwards, I'd head outside and have a cookie. My coach is also an expert chef and brings unbelievable baked goods for everybody, I am being sincere about how awesome that is. Coat, gun, draw, shoot, cookie. That is my current routine to stay focused and relaxed. All I was told before I was led in, was 'nine targets, two each'. No scenario, no warnings, no target types. All I remember from this stage was the silence as I was slowly cutting around corners, constantly glancing around for anything brown, and how incredibly crowded he'd made the stage. It was like wandering through a maze of cubicles. Although there was an eighteen shot limit...I somehow fired twenty shots counting afterwards. If I'd shot something twice it didn't show in my scores, and I only had one cover violation which I was told was very rare. There was a bizarre sense of fulfillment after the last shot rang out and I'd counted nine targets, it was hide and seek with a Glock. Incredibly fun, this stage alone was worth the commuting time. First normal stage: Begin behind a barrier, with a hinged 'peephole' in it you had to knock down to shoot the first target through. Lot of guys muzzle-bumped it and it was fine by the RO, I banged it with my left hand while drawing. Cut around and looped the rest of the targets, managed to stay moving while hitting one tucked behind a corner. Only one bravo. The simple stage directions let me just focus on efficiency, rehearsed it repeatedly in my head, first time I've ever been able to pull off movement. The reload took place between shots on the last target, didn't get a chance to move and reload as the rules now allow. And as usual, everything went downhill from here. Later found out I placed 6th out of 24 shooters, all classes included. Second stage: Very fun dynamic one. Turn and retreat, shoot two targets on the move, then aim around several vertical barriers at targets spread out quite a ways downrange. I kept practicing the turn and retreat but those shots were my worst, watched the front sight bounce on these longer shots. Cutting a corner, I found myself having a mild freeze-up as I saw the second target. Shook it off and carried on. Just a loss of focus apparently, needed to relax. The longer shots were scored better, gave me some confidence at my accuracy but should have done better on those retreating targets. 14 out of 24. Stage three: I hate being honest. I truly, truly hate being honest. Simple stationary stage, hold onto an object with your left hand and shoot six targets, once each, strong hand only. I got so cocky getting into my new canted, shoulder-high stance and turreting...God it was horrible. I could barely make out the front sight, rushed through it, and even with a fast time ended up with the worst shots of the evening. So bad it was 21 out of 24. I am officially ditching the tilted gun for strong hand shots, I need to keep it vertical for that sight picture. If I'd taken my time and actually...remembered...the front...sight, I'd have been middle of the pack as usual.This stage will haunt my dreams. I am no longer a man. My father was right for never hugging me. Stage four: Turn, take low cover behind barrel, six shots at low targets. Retreat to behind barricade, six shots on high targets. Felt fine crouching, but found it hard to turret without using my legs, lost some points there. Hauled back to the barricade, and after watching others pinged for foot placement attempted a textbook barrier hug while finishing the stage. I must remember my shots being worse than they were, looking at the scores I only had two points, and took 7th for that one. After I was finally done, with a long line behind me and a long drive home, I still was having a great time despite how ashamed I was of stage three. I felt like my pants had fallen down, it was that ridiculously stupid. I got my gear off and spent the rest of the night pasting targets, since we'd all spent half the night waiting for that blind stage I actually had a couple people to talk to for a change. Until now I've spent my evenings pacing off to the side, now people remember my name and will occasionally mention me as a 'Glock guy' or a 'regular' in passing. Can't say I'm friends with anyone I shoot with sadly, but it's a nice little club with good people I can crack jokes with. As I was packing up for the night one of my instructors longtime students went out of her way to say I'd shown a lot of improvement, which had me on cloud nine after that third stage. The next day at my new job (I absolutely love it, if they didn't even pay me I'd still love it), I popped up the practiscore page on my phone and found these scores. My final placing was 12 out of 24. In SSP, I was 7 out of 16. If I had calmed the hell down before stage three, I'd have broken into the single digits for the first time. My best match ever was my fifth, the outdoor one over in Indiana, where I took 14th out of 28. Taking 12 out of 24, I've managed to prove a pattern to myself. If not for that one horrible stage...I'd have been in the top ten of the evening, right up there with the instructors and the guys in the vests. So close. So damn close. Instead, I shot that third stage like a monkey throwing politics. Oh, yeah, the blind stage. I took tenth out of 24. I...really had no idea what was going on there, no one did, I feel like posting a blind stage score is like saying you won at roulette in Vegas. No skill or talent, that's just how the number fell. But besides that third stage...life is good. My new job is wonderful, finally working full time and receiving full wages and benefits, first paycheck is next Wednesday. As a silly tribute to the cashier job that paid my rent the last few months, on my last day I used my discount to buy a four dollar hat that simply looked functional and had a subdued logo of our store. Black with grey letters. I always wore a beat-up khaki one on the range because it was all I had, showing up to the range in a cheap hat that made me look two degrees less awkward was a bold move for me. You all can tell how insecure I am about how I look on the range, the only thing I fear worse than being seen as an amateur, is being seen as an amateur dolled up like a Top Shot wannabe. But placing exactly middle of the pack twice after eleven months of picking up a pistol, I've chilled out and have stopped caring about what color and quality of brass-deflecting hat I'm wearing.

Well, it's my last day at my retail store, and I turned in the paperwork to order the Loaded. Hopefully the manager files it through after I'm gone, but the answer is finally 'I'm doing it'. However, it looks like I'm just falling deeper into the rabbit hole. Looking into it with my coaches, I was told to get a Smith and Alexander magwell...but wait...apparently the Loaded comes with an integral locking system in the mainspring, meaning I would need to replace all the nearby parts to get it running right with the new mainspring and magwell. Now I have to replace the spring for a lighter trigger pull? That and it has wood handles. My instinct says cheap rubber Hogue, my coach is a former carpenter and says it's a sin to turn down cocobolo, and I just watched Pulp Fiction last night and damn it, now I want pearl handles. My weekend has been spent googling the endless 'Range Officer versus Loaded' debate. I nearly cancelled the order because I was being told all over that the RO offers superior lock-up and finishing internally despite being a lower price, supposedly it's a budget model of their top 1911s with the extras taken off, while the Loaded was more expensive but had inferior fitting and parts. Two days of frantic searching later, I found out the entire internet has been quoting an old magazine article that said that, and in reality all the parts are the same. Even if it is true, I ordered the 9mm 'Target' model which would be assembled in the same shop as the ROs and thus even if there was some kind of fairy dust being applied, I would still have the better gun. One perk I'm realizing is that Springfield includes a very basic holster and mag pouch in the box, meaning I'm a third magazine away from taking this out to a drills night and testing it out. But now, I have to sort out which magazine to get...And what color mag plates...and what flavor oil to use...

Last long Saturday shift at my retail job, one shower later I was strapped up with my Blade-Tech rig. Initially I was aiming for my usual hour of clicking away while watching a movie in the background, instead I've had my SIRT gun on for about four hours and have been working on-off all night. Started off with that head-shot drill from last night, finding it much easier and turned down the timer to stay interested. Then some strong hand work, with a little weak hand to start teaching that mirror image grip. The strong hand feels more natural, really should get to a range and try it live to see if its a stable position for me. I then started worrying about how bad my reloads had been, and tried a few 2 reload 2 sets. I was so slow that I spent the better part of an hour just trying to shave off half-seconds and figure out what I was doing wrong. Turns out, it was the reload. Once I got my mental image clear, I managed to shave it down from three seconds to 2.5 seconds at my best. Stare at the target...make the front sights appear, make the mag well appear, then make that front sight appear again. Like flipping through a photo album. My reloads were so sloppy I forced a set of Burketts, needed to focus on my left hand holding the mag correctly. Once again, switching between the weighted SIRT mag and the empty ten rounder...That's getting old. After a killer nine hour shift on my feet, I ended up slumped in my desk chair for a while. Stayed busy doing freestyle and strong hand draws at random cues from a seated position, our RO likes to throw in those stages occasionally. When I eventually moved out to the living room, I worked on acquiring the front sight on distant light switches and door knobs instead of my miniature targets at ten feet. Sitting here right now watching 'Pulp Fiction' on Netflix, I'm challenging myself to draw and acquire whenever Travolta's character appears. No, I'm not clicking the trigger, just doesn't feel right with a human being even if it's a face on a TV. One last retail shift tomorrow, then starting Monday I'm in a cubicle from here on out 8-5. Already looking for ways to fit training into my new schedule. My grip trainers will keep my hands busy while editing documents, will try and find what weeknight is the least busy at my local range. Another weighted training magazine would run me twenty five dollars, that's more than a box and a half of ammunition...But with these mag fumbles, I really need some consistency to train with.

It's been a rough two weeks, but I have to say it was worth losing the practice time. I'm now employed full-time, will be starting my new job Monday. No more traveling every day for interviews, no more long weekend shifts, I'll be working 8-5 just like the rest of the world and will have regular nights free. More money to spend on training ammo, more time to shoot and practice. I can't shoot if I can't eat, hopefully the transition from broke cashier with a Glock to a nonprofit professional with a Glock is a good one. Shaking off the rust, I initially was incredibly discouraged by how slow I'd become and was missing the mark even on basic 6 reload 6 drills. Some extra repetitions later, I was cutting it close again. Spent a long while breaking in my new strong hand only stance, it's becoming more natural as I stop trying to tilt my head and keep my body stationary except for the right arm movement. Turreting helps considerably. Reloads were fumbling, but eventually calmed down as I remembered the mental image from last time. Cooled down with extra reload drills to relieve that. From now on, halving my reload drill reps, only focusing on them when it becomes an issue such as today. After my usual warm-ups and basic drills, I tried a head-target drill for the first time. Three head shots, reload, then three again in reverse order. This one floored me. I was amazed at how what should have been easier, one shot at a time, in fact had the buzzer going off after only three shots. Aiming and focusing on the smaller target was a new challenge entirely. Turreting now not only 'helped', it was the only way to pull this off. Draw, lock onto target, and slide over twice without messing with my body posture. I ended up doing double repetitions on this one to get a feel for 'sniping' rather than just clicking the trigger in the A zone. Upon discovering the head targets even counted during my last match, I need to focus on these harder shots to avoid losing time maneuvering around no-shoots and barricades if I can aim for the upper target. Have been using Captains of Crush grippers during this time off, hoping I can slowly build grip strength and gain some stability. I'm about 126 pounds, needless to say any muscle mass is going to help with recoil no matter how good my technique is. Next local match is Tuesday. My last match was my slowest to date because I was focusing on accuracy, this time around my goal is to visualize every inch of the stage...and make it happen. Just come up with a flawless execution of my plan, and hopefully develop some kind of pre-shot ritual to focus. Then again I'll probably be score-keeping, so I may have to toss out that plan and just focus on shooting my turn.