Dwight Stearns
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Posts posted by Dwight Stearns
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Blackhawk has redesigned the serpa to fir the para high caps. They appear to have even been molded to fit a crimson trace laser grip. As for the one you already have, dotto on the heat and bend.
Dwight
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Eric's method works for me. I treat the FO front sight like it is the dot on my open gun. I'm hearing that not focusing on the front sight is the same as not SEEING the front sight. If thats your problem , then you got a problem. I see the FO lift off the target the same as a dot sight. I'm not conciously seeing the rear sight at all, but the front sight is centered perfectly when I do focus on it. When I do my part, The hits are there. But I can miss with my open gun too. I've only had one Serious social encounter and you can damn well bet I focused on THAT target when I broke the shot.
Thanks for the input shopgun. Good to hear you finished first in the only match that really matters.
If you don't mind, I'd like to add you to my pool of those that have seen the elephant and they're physiological reactions. (ie. threat focus) I don't need any names, just the info you've already provided.
As a police officer and police firearms instructor I try and look for places that competition and real life overlap. Threat/target focus is real life and I have found is also one of the things that can also work in competition.
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If you ain't missin, you aint shooting fast enough. I count on at least 600 rounds.
Dwight
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There you have it. If you disagree, don’t take my word for it. Try watching some of the shooting shows such as Shooting USA. Pay particular attention when the camera shows a face on view of one of the world class shooters as they engage multiple targets. Watch his eyes. If both eyes are open, and you look close, you will probably see he is focusing on the targets, not the front sight.
C'mon man. I can tell you from both personal experience during shooting and from talking to the best shooters in the world...they watch their sights.
When they don't...they tend to miss. I've had a ton of cops come through my range with these same ideas....and there are a lot of bullet holes in the ceiling to prove it.
Instead of telling us what the top shooters do....email them and ask them for yourself.
I didn't say they don't see or watch the sights. Many (including Eric) just don't focus on them.
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front_sight_focus.docI hope you don't mind my $.02 on this subject. About 8 or 9 months ago I wrote an article on target vs sight focus for the Marvel Custom Guns web sight. If all goes well I will attach it to this post. Feel free to disagree with it if you wish. I got thick skin.
Dwight
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Hi Blake. Welcome! It sounds like you are starting out right. Wish I could shoot with the USAMU. I shoot a 34 and shoot a lot of lead bullets so I went to an an aftermarket barrel. I chose the Storm Lake and have been very happy with it. $ kept me from getting a KKM or Barsto but I am sure they would have been as good or better. Shoot safe and include your friends. Get them involved. WE always have room for more.
Dwight
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+1 on the cheap aftermarker plus 2 base pads. A few months ago I made a reload during the match and had the base pad fall off... result- 19 rounds onto the ground... manually pulled the mag body out of the gun.... performed another reload... result- 19 more rounds onto the ground. I thought my RO was going to drop the timer... laughter does that to you. I thought about stopping but I never quit on a match so I made one more reload with an OEM magazine and finished the course. The two bad mags had Scherer base pads which were promptly thrown into he trash. Only Glock pads for me now no matter what the cost difference.
Dwight
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I think the Sigma is like the Liberator .45 from WW2. It's what you might use to fight your way to a real gun. Or in this case bring to a match so somone will feel sorry for you and lend you one of theirs.
Dwight
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I figured I had that one wrong. Oldtimers setting in.
Dwight
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OOPS- I almost forgot, Rick Hupp and Chris Strabala were the open and limited shoot-off winners. Goot Shooting Guys.
Dwight
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OK I think I screwed up my first attempt at a reply
Greg Bough too high open honors. He took about 20 seconds off his last year's time.... unfortunately he gave those 20 seconds to me. I was runner-up in open with Brian Pierce taking third (I think) Manny Bragg was runner-up in limited with Doug Cardin taking third. Mike Carmony was open revolver champ and Jay Tappe winning the stock revo title. Craig Tappe was Junior Champ. (Those Tappe's are really beginning to worry me. I didn't grag a final score sheet so those are from memory and I am fast approaching senior so.....
If you have never shot the Big Dawg, do yourself a favor and join us next year. You won't regret it.
Dwight Stearns
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Many thanks everyone. The funeral was today. The procession from Osceola to Woodburn Iowa was over 3 miles long. He was a special person.
Thanks again
Dwight Stearns
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My oldest brother, David Stearns was killed Sunday April 20th in a car/train accident in southern Iowa. He left behind a wife, two sons, a daughter and 4 grandchildren.
David was an amazing person. The saying holds true about him that there were no strangers to him, only friends he hadn't met yet. He always had time for his family, especially kids, nephews, and nieces.
He was my best friend and hunting partner.
Dwight Stearns
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I have had great luck with sv mags. I started with sti mags but the 9mm rounds wanted to pass each other in the middle of the magazine... locked everything up.... didn't seen to matter if I used the spacers or not... not a benefit to good shooting. Switched to sv mags and have not had a magazine related failure since. So IMO stick with the sv mags and burn on.
Dwight
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I have made several fiberoptic stake-on front sights. I use a post style front sight and drill a .060 hole through the sight. I then instal the sight and then take the dremel with a 3/8" sanding drum and scallop into the sight from the top to expose the fiber optic to the light. A little cold blue on the scalloped area finishes the job.
The toughest part is drilling the hole straight through the sight. Also be careful when drilling. That deep of a hole with that small of a bit makes it want to load up with chips and can break the bit.
Good luck Dwight Stearns
Doesn't that sound a lot more difficult than milling a dovetail and using a front sight that someone already makes?
Not if you don't have a milling machine.
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I have made several fiberoptic stake-on front sights. I use a post style front sight and drill a .060 hole through the sight. I then instal the sight and then take the dremel with a 3/8" sanding drum and scallop into the sight from the top to expose the fiber optic to the light. A little cold blue on the scalloped area finishes the job.
The toughest part is drilling the hole straight through the sight. Also be careful when drilling. That deep of a hole with that small of a bit makes it want to load up with chips and can break the bit.
Good luck Dwight Stearns
Doesn't that sound a lot more difficult than milling a dovetail and using a front sight that someone already makes?
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I have made several fiberoptic stake-on front sights. I use a post style front sight and drill a .060 hole through the sight. I then instal the sight and then take the dremel with a 3/8" sanding drum and scallop into the sight from the top to expose the fiber optic to the light. A little cold blue on the scalloped area finishes the job.
The toughest part is drilling the hole straight through the sight. Also be careful when drilling. That deep of a hole with that small of a bit makes it want to load up with chips and can break the bit.
Good luck Dwight Stearns
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I met Bud several years ago at the Handgunner. He was a fierce competitor and gracious in both victory and defeat. Absolutely a class act. We will really miss him.
Dwight Stearns
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Leam, The advice that has been posted is great but try adding one thing to the other techniques. This may sound really stupid but give it a try anyway. When you get ready to fire, push your tongue up into the roof of your mouth as hard as you can and then shoot. By doing this you distract the mind. When you distract the mind you don't blink. Everyone I have worked with had stopped blinking within a magazine or two. After a short while, you no longer have to use the tongue because the mind has figured out the shock wave of the fired round won't hurt you. Like I said, sounds stupid but "stupid is as stupid does"
Dwight Stearns
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Last year I made the switch from .38 super to 9mm for my steel guns. My STI magazines gave me fits. It didn't matter if I used the spacer or not. It seems the 9mm rounds were trying to pass each other in the middle of the magazine. I had two old SPS magazines which worked perfectly and I was in possession of three SVI mag tubes that I tried and they worked great also with and without the spacer. I don't know the problem with the STI's but I assume it is in the design of the ribs in the side of the mag. ( two ribs as opposed to one large one)
Dwight Stearns
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The problem with lead bullets is velocity. I have shot thousands of .38 super lead bullets over the years. I have had very good luck but learned early on to keep the velocity in the 1100 fps or lower. This means for major in open it requires a heavy bullet such as a 158 or 160 grain. For minor loads, a 115 to 125 grain bullet works just fine. Also, some powders seem to be worse than others.
I had to do this due to a limited budget. (I'm a cop)
Keeping the velocity around 1100 or less I have found I can fire several hundred without a loss of accuracy due to leading. The biggest problem is a buildup of lead in a compensator (if you are usiong one).
Just go out and try different loads and have fun.
Dwight Stearns
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I hope the polymer used in the frame is as good as that in the Glock. I know the polymer in the SW99 is, in my opinion, junk. I have seen the results of two case head separations on the SW99 and both blew a triangular piece of frame out of the right side destroying the frame. These were not double charges (I've seen the results of two of those too). Both were, in my opinion, the result of using Glocked brass reloads. I have also been witness to a Glock case head separation. It blew the magazine out and the extractor off. No damage to the frame. The owner said it was the second time it had happened to that gun. Replaced the extractor because we couldn't find it. Otherwise the Glock was no worse for wear. Now I'm no great Glock fan but they are tough. I hope the M&P frame is just as tough.
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Thanks guys, I will keep at it! I might run a reamer into it today and I am going to try a bit of dremel work on the mouth of the chamber to get it to feed easier. I know BE CAREFUL
Thanks again. KURTMI own two Marvel conversions. Both are Model One's. The first is set up with a comp and Gilmore sight, the other is set up with Iron Sights. Innitially I had a few problems with the comp version but it only needed ejector tuning. More on that later. The iron sight version gave me fits till I had the chamber reamed. Accuracy did not change from the reaming and function became 100% so I would try your reamer first.
The ejector should be adjusted in so the hook of the reamer just clears tne rib on the under side of the slide. To do this remove the barrel from the slide and clamp the barrel in a vice so the vice holds the base of the ejector solid. Tap on the ejector to bend it inward but only if there is a gap between the ejector and the rib. There should be just enough room for the ejector hook to clear without stalling the slide. No more and no less. Trial and error works just fine but don't overdue.
I have found that most Federal ammo does not work very well. I am told that unless it is pistol match ammo, Federal uses a slightly slower burning powder more designed for rifles.
CCI standard velocity and PMC Scoremaster are the two types I use the most. The PMC carried me to three Handgunner .22 pistol shootoff crowns so I am partial to that.
Keep in mind that Bob Marvel has not been involved with the conversion for a couple years now. Both of my conversions are Bob's. I have no first hand experiance with the current version.
Dwight Stearns
Thanks again. KURTM
focus on front sight or target?
in Handgun Techniques
Posted · Edited by Dwight Stearns
As one who shoots competition and trains for the ultimate match I pray never happens, I look for places competition and real life might overlap. Target focus is one of those many places which includes but isn't limited to the ability to handle the firearm and the ability to somewhat control the adrenalin dump. Now I don't wish to try and turn this great forum into a self defense site (there are enough of those out there) but when something works in both worlds, I set up and take notice. Target focus may not work for everyone just like the same grip, arm position and stance don't work for everyone. Just keep an open mind and be willing to try different things. I believe that's how TGO and BE jumbed to the top of the heap back in the early 80's. Have an open mind and question everything.
Good Shooting
Dwight