betterment

I need to sell a few guns.

I would probably write more letters then send rounds down range, but that is close to what I was thinking about right???

It just sucks needing to buy bullets or loaded ammo righ now, I am in the process of getting back into reloading and this news is unfortunete but I will just have to buy in bulk as much as I can so that way in two months it won't sting so bad.

Right you are about USPSA match giving you the best practice. There were two stages today that challenged me in a few ways mentally and that is not something I can just sit on my couch and think about. As I become more exposed to different stages the quicker I will be able to cut through the bull and just shoot the stage in the best way I know to be fit. Touching on my last post it surely will become easier when I can become more focused and aware on a more consistant basis. Thanks for the words, kind of really picked up reading it for the third time two weeks later. Phil

I shot a seven stage match at Guthsville today. I got to shoot with a master today for the first time in a little over a year so that was nice and somewhat refreshing. The match went okay, but more then anything it was very productive. I noticed alot of smaller things that happened or didn't happen that I wouldn't not normally be aware of. I am shooting much slower and for the most part I am getting my hits (mostly A's, I think I did have 6 mikes to day though mainly on swinger and disapearing targets). I would like to get to the point where I can speed things up. I need to actually practice a field course to see how fast I really can go. Relaods all went well and I moved through the stages well but these two things should just about never go poorly for they are two "strengths" that I do have. Strong and weak hand shooting went well too, I just really feel like I need to pick up the pace some more (and I feel like I will be ready to soon). I am hoping to have press already here or atleast on the way by the end of the month, so needless to say practicing will become easier. Until then I have 450 rds (might have to swing by Walmart). Atleast September will be a lite month for me. I will be getting my wisdom teeth pulled next weekend and then then I will be out of town for some time so hopefuly after September I can get on the road to B class. It is funny saying "get on the road to B class," today I shot a classifier in the high D's. I am classified as a C shooter and I feel like I am capable of shooting a B game when I remain mentally aware. Mental awarness was the key thing I noticed fluctuate today, when I was focused and aware everything went smoothly but when I was just "going through the motions" it showed. I became visually impatiant getting a good sight picture but I did have good sight alignment. It felt more like I was aiming at the targets rather then the A zone. After reflecting on this last paragraph it makes me realize that the flux happens in the middle of the stage too... just need to work on that. Back to the garage and dry firing, Phil

It would be a hand gun (HK USP 40) for the purpose of versatility. I will have enough desired accuracy for anything that comes up in my home and enough knock down power with a .40 cal. Not to mention it offers the most ease when it comes to manipulating doors or any other obsticle. And if all hell breaks loose I have 16 rds.

+1

Go VOLS? What's that (I am sure I will be embarased that I did not know what that meant when I find out what that means). Um, thanks Phil

I am shooting an HK USP 40 and I just ordered the TFO front sight for it. I have seen/used TRUGLO sights on Ruger MK II's but that is just a .22 with not much recoil. I am just hoping that there is not a problem with the fiber optic comming loose, in short I just want to know that the sight is durable. If anyone out there has feed back on them positive or negative it would surely help me sleep better. Thanks a bunch, Phil

Did some live fire shooting tonight with my friend tonight. It went really well all 10yd shooting 100 shots and only 3 charlies, I am happy. There were two other shots that did not feel right but ended up being alphas by luck. Dry fire is helping me tremendously, my friend has noticed that us shooting 3 times in the past 3 weeks my groups have gotten noticiby smaller and smaller. I am going a little slower then I used to but not too much slower but the a's are comming more easly now and that feels great. The biggest reward came when at the end of practice I shot my friends new XD 9 Tactical (nice and soft by the way) I grouped five shots well, but at the end I just wanted to dry fire the gun. When I got my sight picture and squeezed the trigger the gun just went "click" there was none of the normal flinch just rock solid sight picture. 2 months ago that would have not happened especially after 100 rds. That is what I call progress. A happy shooter, Phil

Glad to hear it. If I have learned on thing about this game it is that you have to shoot your own game! If you are shooting in the high C's then chances are you are slightly better then the average shooter at your local match. Hopefuly the whole experience gives you something positive to build on (that is not to be confused with feeding an ego) and then go from there there until you are a B shooter or even better. Good deal, Phil

10 stages...WOW hope you can remember them all, it's always nice to sit back and reflect on what you did well and what needs to be improved. Good luck at your second match. Phil

Finally got around to dry firing again, it was a good solid practice though. My draw is getting faster...it has no doubt been an awakening to draw and get a sight picture on an IPSC target no closer then 20 feet. Finding that sight picture faster and faster will obviously make me a better shooter. That is some of what I was missing before, I could get the gun out of the holster as fast as can be but if I don't train my mind to find the front sight then I will still end up having a 2+ second draw (or faster but with shacky hits). The other drill I worked on tonight was this: 3 targets about 2 feet apart. Draw, 2 "shots" per target, reload and 2 "shots" per target. Last week I was around the 7.8 second range (which I was happy with) and tonight I was hovering around the 8.3 second range. This is slightly fustraiting me because I can feel that my reloads are going alot smoother this week then last but my "shots" just are not happening as quickly. Betther luck next time right... For anyone who has read this far... I have my sub heading on the title of this diary as "Acountability" becuase to me it is just that. It allows me to see how often I have attempted to make progress and this motivates me to not have any significant lapses in time between doing something productive for my shooting. Four days between dry firing is too long, over the weekend I sat on the couch and practiced transitioning the gun from strong hand to weak. This is a skill worth practicing for sure, but I would have liked to have a little bit more of a productive structure.

These people give gun owners such a bad name, there is no reason why that should have happened. I am just about ready to get on the boat as far as a required safety course before you buy your first gun. Here in PA you don't need anything for your CCL, just go down to the court house then swing by the cop shop and 2 weeks later you have your CCL; I do believe that is very wrong.

A huge congragulations to you about the new joy in your family. God Bless

Funny how wives can reel us in but let us know that it's okay and that they still love us in quite personal ways.

We can only imagine what caused that...

Got a good dry fire practice in tonight. I have been doing a sight picture index as the first drill to all of my dry fire (as recommended in Steve Anderson's book). I started with my "base line" time at 1.6 sec and only after a week I will be ready to drop my base line down to 1.5 maybe 1.4 sec. I might go the range tomorrow night (and hopfully remember to bring my timer this time) and it will be interesting to see what my live fire time is. Before I started these exercises my times for live fire sight index was between 1.24-1.67 sec. I did have a couple quick ones from time to time .90 seconds but it was pretty much point shooting at 7 yds (Alpha hit though), but I need to be in the practice of seeing the sights. I do believe there is a place for point shooting, however it is not as common as circumstances allow. Should have more "thought" on paper during the weekend, so that way those of you who do keep up with this (I am sure there are only one or two) can know my outlook a little better.

I got the opportunity to do some live fire with a friend yesterday, at first I thought it was going to be a waste becuase I forgot my timer. To my pleasent suprise it went really well. I went there with the intent on getting base line times for a draw and fire 2 alpha's as well as the base line time for 2 alpha's reload 2 alpha's. Through these dry fire exercises it has helped to ingrain a proper sight alignment in my mind and I noticed a personal improvement. While I am no doubt slower, I do enjoy hitting a's. 116 rds only four c's I'll take it. Reloads went well for the most part. Next match for me is on the 2'nd so we'll see what kind of improvement happen then. The biggest thing I took away from this exercise was that it is not 2 shots per target, it is two a's per target. My friend Jason and I had a brief conversation before shooting it went like this. Jason: What are we working on today Me: Draw and fire two alpha's Jason: Draw and fire two alpha's no matter what, right? Me: Right. Like I said it went well for both of us. I know the speed will come but I hope do see some results (other then just personal satisfaction) by taking some more time to get the A's then just runnin' and gunnin'.

I got what I feel like is my first structured constructive dry fire practice completed today. In the past week I have noticed my draw get a tenth faster. I started to work on reloads again too. Last season my reloads were a "strong" point for me so I had been neglecting practicing them, so naturally by not practicing them they have turned to crap but I can tell there will be much improvement there in the near future. I am still finding myself in trouble when it comes to "fitting it all in" as far as getting everything that I want to get accomplished done. I am comming up on a real deciding point though...I am running low on ammo. I had sold my 650 about a year ago when I thought I was going back into the Navy. Before I sold the press though I loaded every single piece of brass I could muster, about 3500 in total. Well I am down to 800 rds. My wife and I will be moving back to the mid west soon so I am not sure if it is worth the time and resources to buy another press ritht now or if I should just go out and buy WTB for the time being. On the plus side I still do have 15 pounds of powder, 2000 primers and 2700 bullets, so I know what I should do shooting wise but it is the finacial/life side of it that is holding me up. Live fire practice hurts a little more when you know you just shot $50 worth of WTB, not so much when you just go home and "make more." Well thinking goes on...

Didn't make me feel all that good but, American History X

Dry fired tonight for 25 minutes. It seems like I will need to set a side almost a whole hour to get a good "work out" in. I did realize tonight though that when engaging multiple targets under the presure of the clock and can duplicate the same "got to be quick" feeling I get at matches. This is causing me to pay attention to and examine my mechanics, and to ask my very favorite question...why? (as in why does it work that way). Better luck Wed night And for all those who have made comments about completing Brian book, fear not I continueing to think/read through it.

+1 Finally just got around to reading that in Benos book not more then 15 minutes ago. It took me 2 years just to think about it, and you are accomplishing it in your first match. Keep going and stay aware and focused. Wow, Phil

Great finish, happy to hear that you experienced experiencing the realization of something significant. I feel like I have "almost" been there but not quite.

Hannibal Lector I actually have reoccuring dreams (not quite nightmares) about him every other month.