rvb
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Posts posted by rvb
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rvb
in Range Diary
No pistol dryfire lately... Too much work and chores.
I did get some handguards yesterday for the AR I'm building. Went with the VTAC/Troy "extreme battlerail." I loose fitted the top end together and I think I am REALLY going to like this setup. Granted it's missing some parts yet (comp, gas, bolt/carrier), but it seems so light weight. I'm using an 18" WOA SPR barrel [rifle gas].
I think I've ruled out an acog for this gun.
Something I've learned the last few weeks....
I've got this old cheap tasco scope that came on a rifle I inherited from an uncle. It's 2-7x w/ an illumated triange in the crosshair. I've set it to 3.5x like a TA11 and been practicing the two-eyed Binden concept... and I've decided it's just not for me. It's really too bad, because it seems wicked fast up close, just as fast as dot, and snapping to mid-range (25-100yd) targets seems very fast, too. And I like the idea of not having to change power settings on the scope, plus a drop reticle.
But I can't seem to get the rifle to actually point where my brain says the dot it. Something the brainiacs on the internet are calling "phoria." My eyes aren't looking at the same place when I'm not really "seeing" through the scope. At point blank it's not too bad, my hits would only be ~1" right. But at 10+ yds it becomes ~6" right. And vertically where the gun was pointed didn't seem consistent. I've been experimenting with this for a few weeks now. If I snap the dot into the middle of an A zone, and then focus on the image in the scope, invariably I'm pointed at the C. Not good when no-shoots are nearby or taking a head shot. I'm not sure if I'm weird [ha!], or if most who really like acogs just accept it (or maybe most never notice?). I don't want to have to learn a hold-off for one rifle for close range hosing.
So now I'm 90% certain I'm going with an Accupoint (Burris still an option). My brain needs the 1x setting for up close high speed stuff. Going to take a while to save $ for that bad boy.
-rvb
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It's about time we drag those clubs into this century... it creates way more work in Sedro than necessary to have to deal with bad penmanship and errors. There's no need for it anymore... it might be a pain for some to get up to speed, but "The needs of the many......"
It's hard to "drag" volunteers into anything. Perhaps most clubs would change their MO, or find a new scorekeeper to volunteer. Would we loose any clubs over forcing that change? Maybe not. But if we do, is that worth it?
I'm sure uspsa went through this before when the classifier system was implemented? Anyone involved then want to share experiences? Was it all paper then, or on computer? Maybe it's a non issue? I've only been around uspsa ~5 yrs.
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Are you serious? People will be upset that they are either getting them faster, or at the same time? There is NO downside to having updates done twice a month other than any work at Sedro. Some people will always bitch, but that's just the nature of people.
I think as long as it's done every X weeks, people will be disapointed when their classifers are not included in the update following their match. upset? maybe some. I think disapointed is a better description for most. I'm new to scorekeeping, not even a whole season yet. But I do the best I can to get scores up the day of the match and classifiers upload/paid-for for the next update. I just think making it more frequent COULD mean more correction requests for scorekeepers and HQ, as well as more occurances of classifiers not being uploaded for the "next" update.
Another consideration... currently it is possible that if a club doesn't get a competitor's classifiers uploaded/paid-for for a couple months, a person could loose out on a bump-up, depending on the order the clssifiers are added and drop off. That situation could compound the more frequently the updates are performed.
I think an ideal situation is that as scores are posted, the system automatically updates classifications... almost "live." Anything else is just recreating the same issues with a different frequency. If that were implemented, I'd like to see scorekeepers able to update scores on classifiers w/o going through the correction request process; by just making the change in EZWinScore. They could implement a policy that after X days (maybe 30 days), then a request has to be done through the correction process. As far as payment, perhaps they could prevent the club from uploading scores unless the previous match was paid for. [just brainstorming]
There's nothing "wrong" with what you are proposing. I'm not sure it solves any real problems, either. I'm just playing devil's advocate; looking at it a little differently.
-rvb
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As the scorekeeper for a club that shoots the 1st Sunday, I'll toss out a downside more frequent updates...
When I can, I post scores and wait a few days to send in the activity report and do the classifier upload/payment. This way if there is a scoring error and a shooter needs a correction (wrong division, major vs minor, incorrect penalties, etc), I can do it in the scores w/o doing a formal correction request. On those months where the 1st Sunday is only a day or two before the 10th when the scores need sent in, I have to cross my fingers and send everything in one upload or a day apart. And sometimes that has to happen anyway if I have to travel for work, etc. Clubs that shoot 3rd Sunday have the most slack in making corrections and uploading before the next update. If you go to 2x/month for updates, you will a) create a need for more correction requests through HQ and B ) still be waiting on updates since, as a scorekeeper, if I have no opportunity to fix scores but know there's another round in 2 weeks, I'll just wait till the next round. Then people will be upset their classifiers aren't entered, etc.
Must we really be that impatient?
Just Shoot!
-rvb
ps. I like my paper copy of Front Site. It's the only mag I sit and read at least partially, if not all. Some articles out of Blue Press get read sometimes [well, Duane's anyway!]. Other rags go straight from mail bin to trash bin. If FS weren't part of my membership $, I would actually subscribe...
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rvb
in Range Diary
hahaha, you did say something to your mag on the star stage, i thought i heard "come on, get in there!" when i was filming
Surely you're not implying there's something wrong with having a convsation with an inanimate object? Perhaps if I was nicer and didn't call my gear dirty names it would be more willing to do what I ask? Then again, if the mag is gonna act like a b*, I'm gonna treat it like a b*.
-rvb
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rvb
in Range Diary
... let us know your still kicking!
Still kickin'! Work's been crazy. The OT is nice, putting $ away for when my NM M1A arrives (has it really been two years since I ordered that? Need to make a phone call...).
Been spending the weekends working on the basement. Stopped work in march to play for the summer, now it's crunch time to get everything done before kid #2. Electrical boxes are in and wire pulled, farming out the drywall. Might have a chance to sneak to FWAPS this weekend (perhaps their last match ever??). The family will be out of town so I'll be bach'in it. If I make it I'll be shooting SS because I'm feeling to lazy too swap gear on my belt.
Shot SS at Angola back on the 1st Sunday, and won it. On a technical note, had no grip-related problems like last fall. I think it's partly attributed to working to lower my WH grip and get it away from the controls, but mostly I think getting my elbows up more has forced my wrists to roll forward.
Merle's Standards 99-63 went well, got all the hits, but I was aiming low on the far target for some reason. 6 Ds total really hurt. Shot 95 of 120 points in 24.57. I don't think it'll be a valid run at ~72%. One stage was 24 rounds, virginia, and could only use 3 mags as staged... turns out you get a mike when you load one of the mags w/ only 7 rounds. Had a mike/NS on the stage I set up. Caught in my own trap... I was blazing and while transitioning accross the NS and broke the transition shot too soon. I had too much momentum swinging to the opposite side of the bay to come back and make it up, I was already heading out of the box (had the fastest time by ~3seconds, but the M/NS brought me to 3rd on that stage). Had one weird jam on the bycicle stage, slide didn't quite go into battery, but was close enough that the disconnect engaged and the hammer fell. No stage went perfect and I gave up a ton of points to penalties for such a small match (3 mikes, 1 NS). Was suprised I won it, really.
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LOVING the new website....
However... release on Friday was bad. Match on Sunday and I'm the scorekeeper but not the club contact and that doesn't give us much time to get this straightened out. Club Contact doesn't use internet much. A Monday release would have given clubs a week to get this figured out... so would a "heads up" email to club contacts, etc. Luckily I have uspsa as my home page or it would have been a shock come Sunday afternoon when I am trying to upload scores...
didn't need this extra hassle on top of a very stressful 60 hr week...
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if lunch isn't available at the range for an all-day major, I take a sammich
beef jerky
Special K protein bars and/or breakfast bars are my favorite food in "bar form"
fruit cups, applesauce or apple slices
lots o water and propel, and a pop around lunch for my needed caffine fix.
I've found I shoot better all day if I don't have one big "meal" but rather munch all day. At matches like the recent MI match where they provide a killer lunch, I try to limit to a sammich and a pop.
-rvb
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I like competing against the best. I'm ok with NOT getting a trophy, but it's more fun to finish w/ a trophy, even a "lower place" trophy when you're beat by the best or finish among the best.
besides, half the incentive for making MA was to never have to shoot the stinking classifier in a match again. yawn.
furthermore, 1 in 3 [roughly] gets a trophy anyway. Before we add more classes maybe consider attendance awards?
-rvb
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Very nice shooting!
Thanks, CHAMP!
-rvb
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rvb
in Range Diary
Shot PD at the MI Section match this weekend. Came in 3rd, 2nd MA. Lost 1st MA to Drew by just 18 points; good match, Drew!
2 stage wins, a few of top 3s, and the worst was 11th. VERY happy about that consistency.
I shot 92.7% of the available points. Only 4 Ds. Ended up penalty free, no mikes or NS's. I only had 3 make-ups on steel (one popper and 2 on the star).
I dialed back the aggressiveness on the shooting on the move and the close targets. It shows in the video. I decided to play it safe more in this match, build confidence, and avoid the crash and burns. The consistency paid off.
I had a brain fart on the first stage, which had the drop turners most people skipped. I shot my activator out of sequence and missed the drop turner (it was down before I got to it) and got messed up on what all else needed shooting, and threw a miss on another target (first stage in the vid). However, they scored it wrong and gave me 2 As on the drop turner, and I wouldn't sign it unless they changed the As to NP-Ms. They couldn't figure out the correct scoring on the palms and ended up reshooting me, and I was very happy w/ my reshoot.
I thought about skipping the drop-turners, but I'm still not good at making that decision in my head, and I get skeered when it comes to leaving points behind. I need to work on making that decision faster and trusting it. Seems in hindsight skipping them was the way to go.
On the "Hard Times" stage I saw a better way to break up the reloads and changed my game plan literally while they were scoring the previous shooter. I burned it in as best as I could while doing the make ready, and ended up 2nd on that stage. I had the fastest time, and I think the 1 D is what kept me from winning it. More importantly, I was able to change my plan, mentally rehearse it in just a minute, and execute. That made me happy. (Fortunately it was a relatively uncomplicated stage).
Practicing the empty belt start paid off. Did the loading fast enough the RO thought I screwed up and started with the mags on my belt. The other RO had to step in and say he saw me put them on my belt.
[edit: I still hate unloaded starts].Fumbled one reload on the stage w/ the star.
Overall, I had a lot of fun. I wanted to enjoy my last major before my year "off." Taking that pressure off myself resulted in a great performance.
Vid of the match:
-rvb
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The match was a lot of fun, the food was excellent, and the ROs did an excellent job!
Great weather for shootin', too!
-rvb
edit: my match:
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Looking forward to breaking down my shooting with video.
hold yer horses....
Not gonna email em, 350+ MB.
CD is burnt.
You shot well, man.
-rvb
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rvb
in Range Diary
After a couple weeks of work being crazy, I was able to get away a little early today and get some live fire practice in. Been a month since firing a round....
Took the AR for some fun, put ~125 rounds though it. Not working on anything specific really, just worked on recoil control from standing, did some barricade shooting, some transitions (between targets, not guns).
Went through ~300 rounds with the production gun. experimenting with getting the elbows up more has seemed to help with recoil control.
Did a few double-draw master drills from surrender, 15 yds. Looks like the results were about where they were last time, maybe slightly better. The four that I recorded were:
12 shots for 48 points,
11 shots for 32 points doh!
11 shots for 41 points,
12 shots for 54 points... but I was over by .15, with a time of 10.45. Last shot was a C so if I wouldn't have taken it I'd still have had a 51.
I had a few other good runs going with almost all As and on pace for 12 rounds, but I couldn't seem to keep track of how many rounds were in my mags, and kept running dry mid drill. Dummy can't count. so I think I could have broken 50 more than once.
El prez's:
First run was the best...
52 points (10As, 2Ds) in 4.86 for HF = 10.7.
Unfortunately then I started TRYING.
Next run I didn't fully seat the mag and had to tap it in after already getting my grip. That run was 48 points in 5.54. Reload was 2.2 with mag problem, so it had potential to be a solid run.
Next run was 48 points in 5.15.
Again I had a couple more runs I didn't record cause I kept f'in up my mag management.
Reloads were running 1.3x; turn/draws were running 1.2x.
I did brians transition drill... But I apparently remembered it wrong. I just did 6 shots per string. But it was good practice.
tried shooting some groups and I couldn't muster the accuracy I wanted. I couldn't quite keep them all in the upper A at 10 yds. left to right wasn't horrible, no more than 3/4". But I was stringing vertically, maybe 2.5". I don't think I was focusing enough or consistently on the sight; I was keeping too much of a target focus. And I kept getting lazy on the grip. Every time I'd remind myself to put some muscle into it, the rounds would land much closer.... basics, I know... just the consequence of not supplementing dry fire with live fire....
Felt good to make some smoke and noise. Looking forward to MI on Sunday!
[Not looking forward to getting up so early in the am]
-rvb
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rvb
in Range Diary
you been talking to my gf?!?!? haha
No, I'm not allowed to talk to other women. I'm married! -rvb
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rvb
in Range Diary
Not much hardcore practice over the weekend, my folks were in town and Dad and I built walls in the basement...
Did get about 25 minutes in last night. All I worked on was the toolbox stage for MI. Did I mention I dislike unloaded gun starts? Did I mention I REALLY dislike empty belt starts?
I've been experimenting with getting my elbows up more. I'm finding everything is becoming more stable, incl transitions, trigger press and dropping the hammer, etc. Hope to get to the range either with the group at FWAPS on thurs or by myself friday afternoon, whatever work will allow to just gain some confidence in live fire (all dryfire is not good).
End of last wk I DFd 5 El Prez in a row sub 4 sec (and those were cold, except a few draws for warm up). Would like to have a chance to see how that translates to live fire, see if I can get <4.5 consistently. I think all the savings has come off my turn. I'm making it my goal to press straight out to the target, with no swinging of the gun. That, combined with getting my elbows up more has really made the turn/draw more consistent, which translates to lower ave times.
-rvb
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rvb
in Range Diary
Glad to see you posted, you scared me there for awhile. I get you. I didn't pick up the sport until the kids were junior high age. I don't know that I could have done it when they were littler. I don't know if I would have wanted too. Your priorities are spot on and I applaud you for them, wish more Dad's got it like you get it.[ I will see you at MI. Take care. Oh, I did take your advice, ......I'm squadded with Jake DaVita and Metts. Speaking of Metts, that sucker beat me at Warsaw on Sunday by a percent and a half. Damn you Production guys, damn you!!!!!!
well, I'm doin my best!
Transitioning from bachellorhood to married life wasn't too tough, although that ended the "practice on tuesday and thursday, matches on saturday and sunday" thing. As all parents say... kids change everything. I'm just looking at it as ramping down for a couple years until they get old enough to come along, then I can play coach!
[Corey, as a bachelor, you getting all this?]
haha
Metts is a damn fine shooter. Just checked he's shooting PD in MI so you're safe, but I'm not...
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something I posted on this topic on another forum...
our score is total points over total time. So if for a given stage you are to earn 90% of the points [for example], where should you earn them? The easy targets... Far too often I see shooters [sometimes myself included] go too fast on the easy stuff just because it's easy and only get a fraction of the points, then slow way down and go 2A on more difficult stuff at the expense of adding several seconds to their time.
The point I was going for is that on easy targets where it's SO tempting to hose and burn down the time, it's actually more important to get those hits 100% so that you can accept Cs [or even Ds?] on more difficult shots without wasting a ton of time.
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http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=106595&view=findpost&p=1212726
"During the parents class at the MGM/AMU Junior clinic Rob Leatham told us that at a long distance, even if he took all the time in the world, he might not be able to guarantee an A, but he could pretty quickly guarantee a C. The point being that at distance you don't have to take too much time to get an A and can accept a C.
At short distances, he said you pretty much *have* to get As, so don't rush those too much and accept Cs up close."
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On the forums, as in life, it is often best to simply not respond immediately. The "count to 10" rule.
Probably saved my career a time or two.
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Im gonna see about borrowing my buddy's 3gun cart now!
Since we are carpooling, depending on what vehicles we decide to take, I can take my cart. Will easily hold a couple of gun bags, cooler, cute model to load our mags, and folding chairs. And it has a big beach umbrella to keep us dry and cool (though that range is shaded pretty well).
the war wagon:
http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=36882&view=findpost&p=590854
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rvb
in Range Diary
Here are a couple of thougts. You need to shoot one club match before Michigan. Come down to Riley this coming Sunday. Squad with jake and I we will make you feel good about yourself. It is an 11 am start. We suck but are great fun. You are taking next year off so you might as well make such a drive. $30 seven stages this month.
Hmmm... thanks for the invite. 7 stages would be fun. 7+ hrs round trip is a long haul for this weekend. I think if I get out at all it'll be to the Ft Wayne club (I can be back home about the time you guys are shooting stage 3).
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IDPA does not allow you to turn counterclockwise (for right handed shooters), you must turn "into" the gun in that game.
IDPA has no such rule.
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love em for a side match, hate them for score. invariably some people will be familiar with the stage gun, some will not. so in no way is it a fair challenge. I can live with them for local matches, but if I'm paying $ for a big match and hotels, etc, I expect to compete with the equipment I practiced with... and if the gun jams, I EXPECT a reshoot. it's a prop failure, IMO.
Best use I've seen was at the END of a stage, time stopped on the last shot of YOUR gun, and the rest of the stage with the prop was for fun.
-rvb
[edit: I still hate unloaded starts].
No, I'm not allowed to talk to other women. I'm married! 
rvb
in Range Diary
Posted
Other than a short stint with an eotech (that now rides on my short 9mm), I've always run irons on my ARs, so the choices on magnified optics are almost overwhelming. There's a lot of good "ideas" out there, it's just a matter of narrowing it down to what actually works for me. It's good to know the acog isn't one of those, since it was one of the pricier options!
And as you mentioned, they aren't cheap... so I don't want to guess wrong! Spending $1k on the rifle isn't so hard when buying parts is spread out over a couple years, as I've done. Dropping $1k on a scope/mount with a single click of the mouse is gonna raise the eyebrows on the wife!
-rvb