MattInTheHat

I kinda disagree with cadence in any application other than a 5yd target. I remember having dinner with a top shooter and some other folks and one asked this question, "What cadence are you using?" The response was none, at a high level you're waiting on your sights, not your finger, even in revolver we had a bunch of the travel already out of the trigger by the time recoil ended and the sights were arriving. If you're not waiting for the sights then you need to focus on getting your shooting motion ingrained enough to where you are. But, like I mentioned on burner arrays, three targets at a few yards, then you just run the gun as fast as you can and have practiced it bouncing down into a somewhat reasonable position during that motion. In that case you point your core/platform at the target rather than looking for sights.

I was shooting with the squad ahead of the revolver super squad at Nationals and there was a GM shooter on the squad with an auto, so I tried to mentally keep up with him on times depending on the stages, he was very fast and very good. When we got to the very last stage numerically, 20 or 21, he struggled and I noticed that he was standing straight and moving his arm rather than his body. I mentioned it to him as humbly as possible that he could improve it by leaning in, locking his shoulder and arm, and making his transitions from his legs and his waist, and after a bit of consideration he agreed. When I have to shoot one handed I want my arm as rigid as I can make it and my shoulder frozen into my torso, and then turn the whole platform while I watch for my sights. Kind of like a karate demonstration when they're going to break a piece of wood over someone's extended arm. I guess if I practiced several thousand rounds either strong or weak only I might find a better way, but having chest-up completely locked seems to work the best for me.

Maximum bang for buck:

Part of this is stage planning. Depending on you, there might be a preference for starting on faster targets or slower targets. I personally try to plan so that I have easier targets when entering/exiting a position or coming off a reload. I'd rather have the harder shots in the middle or end of a string, after I've adjusted my grip during easier targets and my body has settled. But you should also KNOW where the hard and easy shots are before you get there, the stage should be fully in your mind with a plan that takes into account "When entering position 2, I'll be able to burn two targets to my left while I settle, then settle and hit the hard target, then transition hard and hit the exit target while my bodyweight shifts to give me the best possible explosion to the next direction."

I think you already identified it. USPSA, the targets generally don't move, so it's the opposite of what you are used to. You shoot the sight picture, not the target. It gets kinda boring, because you don't get to see the target get hit if you're doing it right, including reactive targets like steel. You should be seeing an appropriate sight picture, executing the shot, and already be making the next shot before you hear the "ding."

I was playing golf with a friend recently and he asked an interesting question while we were discussing the LOCAP Nationals. "Are there days where you just don't have it, like in golf?" It was a really interesting question. After a bit of thought, I said no, and explained a bit about how it feels to shoot USPSA/IPSC, but I've thought about it quite a bit more. The game we play is similar to hitting a 2-4 foot putt in golf. 2 feet is pretty easy with some practice, 4 feet is pretty easy too with a lot more practice. But given a ton of practice and all the time in the world, you're going to hit that 2 foot putt. So, we added time to the equation, which makes all the difference. At 15 yards I assume that if time is not a factor then you can hit that steel 99.9% of the time, yes? If not, different problem, go to the range and just learn how to line up the sights and operate the trigger well enough that the sights don't leave the target. On a timer, you have a range of performance that is entirely dictated by yourself that puts you somewhere on that curve of "Never shot before" to "I can hit a paster at 15 yards." What you actually do is up to you, the gun and the sights and the trigger and the bullet didn't change, and they are far too accurate to blame for missing a steel at 15 yards. So you go faster and faster and your mind fills up with what came before and what comes next and most disturbingly, what comes IMMEDIATELY next. This really affected me the first day at LOCAP, less the second, and not much at all the third as I started to remember what I was doing. I saw that I was throwing D hits on the last shot of an array, meaning my brain was already off the current shot before it left the gun. Or, and I found this really interesting, I could maintain my shot focus for the first two moonclips but then I ran out of brain juice and the groups opened up. Simple lack of shooting matches for a long time, it's a skill that takes practice as well. So if you're missing those steels, you aren't seeing a sight picture and/or cleanly pulling the trigger, full stop. WHY you are doing that is a personal thing, and something you have to dope out. HOW to fix it, is to go to the range and shoot the steel first slowly, accept nothing more than a couple of inches outside of the dead center. Speed up. When the group starts getting near the edge, stay at that speed and see if your body and brain can catch up and bring the group back down. If it does, keep speeding up and stopping, until you find your "out of control" speed, then back away from that. To be clear, I'm not talking about a perfect sight picture at all at 15 yards. For a mini popper, the sight picture I want is my whole front sight in the rear notch, but I would still execute the shot if one side or the other is closed off. At 25 yards, I'm going to want to see some light on either side, at 50 yards I'm going to make the sides match and the top match and see the corners of the front sight clearly. When the groups are getting tighter, remember the sight picture and feel of the shot execution that leads to it. That's what you have to hold onto regardless of time. Maybe it's your first stage and your muscles are tight and you wait an extra .1 to get to that picture. Maybe you hit flow and the sights are already there before you can even get the trigger reset and moving again. But you wait for that picture and have enough brain left in the tank to execute the shot, every time.

Great data, thanks. I'm not sure where I'm at on my current load, I've had it set in the dies for quite some time. I do find that I get more ejection hangs on the 8-shot than I ever did on .45, so shorter seems better, all other things being equal. Edit: Loaded up some 3.1 TG 160s, I can almost feel how thick the coating is on the SNS, seem like really good bullets. Hopefully I can sneak some range time in between rain storms over the next few days. I wouldn't mind 135 PF, less sweating at chrono and no worries about steel.

Good on ya, locals where they put up burner 32 round stages are where the fun comes in, especially if they have a bunch of angles to play with.

Right you were, I ordered and they were shipped the next day. If they test out well, you might have saved the day, thanks! I see you've used 3.0 TG, which makes sense as I was using 3.4 with a jacketed Berry's, I've always found going to coated saved about 10% powder. Have you played with OAL to get them shorter?

Whatever has the right shape to not slow down the reload, I'm not opposed to recoil.

Understood, it was never competitive after the rule change, no argument there. I think I proved that at 2012 Nationals, IIRC. But that wasn't my point, you might just be surprised at how fun it is, that's all. Go fast as you can possibly go, don't worry about the D hits, dope out recovery shots and long shots and window shots to make 6 work. That was the glory of it. It will never compete with 8 under USPSA rules, but man it was fun.

Well, shooting the Nats awoke the bug in me, but my bullet situation is poor. Decent on primers and brass, but I only have 1500 bullets. I know the waits are insane, what's the best option for getting some on order? Only coated or jacketed, my lead levels won't do cast.

My Frankenstein grip was built around the idea of providing maximum surface for my weak hand to find purchase, a good chunk for the base of my strong hand, and maximum clearance for moonclip ejection and trigger finger. Thick on the bottom strong side, thick on the upper weak side. thin at the top both sides. I don't really feel recoil at the top of my hand but that's just .45 ACP, so different recoil amount. I might have to hit up Hogue to build a proper one.

Ha, I better start practicing now! Curious though, did you ever shoot .45 at a big match? Full time panic mode all the time, I loved it.

It was good to see the old gang and meet some of the new gang. Congrats to Mike, well shot. I see some fast times in there, maybe he wants to try 6 Major with me?