andrewcolglazier

Mick, I certainly don't claim to have all the answers, but it seems to me that true, negative flinching can be seen both by watching the shooter, and it shows up on the target in the form of inaccuracy. The snap cap thing, IMO, won't reveal negative flinching, but rather the shooting controlling recoil which normally doesn't effect accuracy. So, why use them? Andy C.

The issue of "timing the gun" vs. "flinch" comes up all the time. The remedy of loading a magazine or a cylinder with dummy rounds or snap caps is very often suggested as a fix. Most shooters are of the opinion that muzzle movement caused by timing the gun is a bad thing, and the snap caps come out of the junk drawer. I think this is a waste of time. In some shooting games such as slow fire handgun or bullseye, follow-through is an important part of the technique. There, where recoil is present but emphasis is placed on firing one shot at a time, slowly, any kind of non-recoil related muzzle movement is a bad thing. In action pistol games where rapid fire is the norm, the body learns to deal with recoil in a totally different way. Jerry Miculek told me once that he learned to shoot so fast so he could "outrun his flinch". It's generally when we slow our shooting cadance down that the subconscious muzzle management most of us do becomes evident. How many times have you seen a shooter prepare to break a shot, not like the sight picture for whatever reason, and their muzzle dips slightly just before they fire? Their brain told their trigger finger "Stop!", but their body was still ready for the recoil. This is very, very common in shooters of all levels. If you are not having accuracy problems, I say leave well enough alone. Andy C.

I agree competely. Switching back and forth will almost always cause problems. "Marry" the gun you intend to compete with, for best results. Andy C.

Shooters very often suffer FTNs on distant targets, usually because they can't see their hits from that distance. I have never assessed a penalty for exposure to a target under such circumstances. The points down and FTN penalties are plenty enough. Andy C.

When you change your grip, it becomes necessary to re-acquaint yourself with the feel of the pistol using the new grip. Spend more time dry-firing using the new grip. Concentrate on front sight and the feel of the trigger while shooting. Andy C.

Shooter starts behind a barrcade, and on the start signal engages 3 targets placed at 20 yards, two rounds each, slice the pie from either side. I miss both shots on target 1, get a Mike and a down 3 hit on target 2, and I'm down 0 on target 3. Do I get any procedural's ? Bruce No. Only the points down. Andy C.

Shooting swingers has been touched on to quite an extent. IMO, just about any swinger or combination of swingers you encounter will present a different shooting challenge, and my only advice to you is to look at how the swinger moves prior to shooting it, and plan your shooting position so that you have the best view possible of its "stop" point, the point at which it changes direction. For me, distance is the main limiting factor. If the mover is quite distant, then much more care is need to prep the trigger and the sights to get good hits. One-handed shooting can be improved by not being afraid of it. If I had a nickel for every shooter I ever heard say "Boy, I need to practice one-handed shooting!" after they stink up a stage, I'd retire. Do a lot of dry fire strong and weak hand. Remember that your weak hand, when using a two-handed grip, has little contact with the pistol compared to when firing one-handed. Therefore, when you do shoot one-handed, the object feels alien and uncertain. Let your hands, singly, establish a "base" with the pistol, meaning, hold the pistol one-handed regularly. Practice raising the pistol to eye level and while doing so, taking the slack out of the trigger. When actually pulling the trigger one-handed, don't over-grip the pistol. Your hand will already be shakier than usual; gripping harder will just make this worse. Also, take the slack out before breaking the shot. Ad Jerry Miculek told me once, "You will never win a match with your one-handed shooting, but you will sure as heck lose matches if you don't practice it!" Andy C.

I was afraid that the dustcover would be too short.... no way things could be so easy. I also have an STI 2011 frame I could match up with the slide.... . Thanks, guys, I appreciate the info! Andy C.

Is it possible? I won the slide at a match, but the only 1911 I own is a Colt Commander. I would like to set the thing up for Single Stack, but don't know if these two parts will match. Anybody know? Thanks!! Andy C.

I have a THE tungston guide rod with ISMI 15 lb. flat recoil spring, non-captured, in my G24. I've been shooting this pistol with this guide rod in it for the last year. I don't know exactly how many rounds I have through it with the rod in place, but at least 2-3000. The rod began to show a bit of an irregularity right away, but I've kept an eye on it now for about 8 months, and it isn't getting any worse. It doesn't seem to effect reliability at all. I've stopped worrying about it. Andy C.

I shoot a G24, admittedly, but for an inch, it is the same as a G35. Here is how mine is set up. THE tungston guiderod, non-captured 15 lb. ISMI recoil spring; Dawson adjustable sights with fiber optic front blade; THE brass magwell; Extended slide stop, stock; Extended THE magazine release; Lots of grip tape; I use Dawson basepads and can get 19 rounds into all of my 10 magazines. Andy C.

"Those who had handled the gun put in about three times as much as the others — 13 grams on average, which is a lot," said Tim Kasser, one of the authors. He worked with Francis McAndrew, also of Knox, and Jennifer Klinesmith, a former student who had the idea for the study, due to appear in Psychological Science. Critics of research linking guns to aggressiveness have argued that people who handle guns in experiments tend to act out or think violent thoughts simply because they sense the expectations of the experimenters. The same could be true of this study: the students might have perceived the nature of the study, consciously or not, and acted differently. Yet the aggression was not entirely psychological: the higher the peaks in testosterone, the more hot sauce the students dumped into the drink. And once they learned the real aims of the study, several were disappointed that their cocktails would not be served to a fellow student." Or maybe guys with guns just like hot sauce and feel others should too. Sometimes what you see is what you get. Hope they didn't get any grant money for that experiment!! Andy C.

When I shoot, it is for three reasons, not in order of preferance; First, because I desire some level of mastery at this chosen martial art. Second, because I value the friendships I have made along the way. Third, because I treasure those few seconds of clear-minded concentration which allow me to forget everything, everything, and just watch and enjoy....... Andy C.

FTN. One round allowed over the COF minimum keeps the stage Vickers, not Limited. I've done this exact same thing in BUG matches at my club. Andy C.

Any hits on a target not in the head, where head shots only are required, are misses. Misses may be made up by a successive shot, unless the stage is limited. If the shooter hits the head but thinks he has missed and shoots the head again immediately, a procedural should be assessed because it goes against the stage requirements to shoot the head twice in order, whether it is a mistake or not. Generally, if a shooter wishes to avoid the possibility of a procedural on such a stage, he should wait to re-engage the target to make up hits until his second time through. If the stage designer wants to prevent a shooter from shooting more than one shot at a target until every target has been engaged, he should make the stage limited. Andy C.

Dry firing while concentrating on your grip, trigger, and front sight. I would guess that your trainer uses the Weaver stance and approach to grip control, which IMO often leads to over-gripping the weapon. I have often heard them advise gripping harder to control the weapon, which I have found to be counter-productive. Andy C.

I have pretty much decided to get a Benny Hill 6" fat-free after I have raked together more cash..... This past weekend I shot a match, and on a couple of stages started to see evidence that I was beginning to outrun my slide when shooting close targets fast. I very rarely throw second shots high at any speed, but at this match where there were banks of targets within 3-5 yards, I felt comfortable turning up the speed a bit... and started to see body/head, body/head, body/head. I *think* (I know... dangerous practice...) that this was caused by pulling the trigger quicker than I was pulling the front sight back down for the second shot (d'0h!). I shoot a relatively stock G24, 6" normal weight slide. Would a lightened slide help to avoid this issue as I become more able to run the trigger faster? Or is this just an issue or poor technique on my part? I'm normally pretty accurate, as I said before it was the first time I have seen this low/high show up when shooting fast. Andy C.

My usual carry pistol is a G3036, which consists of a 30 frame and a 36 upper. Yes, they do fit together! But I also have a 23 and a 19, either one of which are very fine carry pistols. I don't care for the sub-compacts, as I am unable to reload them rapidly because the magazines hang up on my weak hand when ejecting them. Andy C.

Shooting4fun, which aftermarket barrel did you get? I just ordered a KKM.. is that what you are using? Andy C.

Ummmmmm...... beginner's luck? I know, not really! I do sometimes feel like I can shoot better after a lay-off. Maybe you just didn't have any expectations to slow you down. Andy C.

I think it can definitely be competitive... I've been shooting a G24 (6" .40) since the beginning of last year. It has helped me make it to A, though I know I have a long way to go. If you can pick up a 35 used, it can be an inexpensive (relatively) way to get going while you save your dimes for a 2011, if you so choose. Andy C.

I want to chime in and say that I had a great time at this match as well. Fun stages, excellent administration, quick scores, good prize table, great squad mates, wonderful weather.... What more could a guy wish for? Andy C.

Ahhh... well, that would explain why it works with my 24 and not the 22, wouldn't it! Makes perfect sense... Good tip, thanks! Andy C.

Zero JHP 180 gr. 1.135 Andy C.

Thanks for the replies, everybody. I took the G22 with my G24 frame on it to the range yesterday. You were right, when shooting drills the recoil was less noticable than when shooting groups or chronoing. The load I worked up for my G24 made major in the G22, but just barely, and only later in the day when it had warmed up. Funny, though, that same load failed to make major in my G24. Ballistics are a funny thing! Unfortunately, my reloads tended to nosedive into the feed ramp fairly often. Pretty wierd, since this never happens with my G24, and I was using the same magazines. Anyway, I plan to order some Heinie to put on it, and play with it a bit more. Andy C.