Dry fire during load and make ready?

[Pro2AInPA]

Well I added a sight picture and dry fire shot to my make ready routine yesterday. I guess it worked as I had by far my best match yet. Maybe it's just pyschological, but hey, if it works it works!

[HICKMAN]

I need to add this to my routine. I generally just step up, load up and start blasting.

I noticed that better shooters have a routine they follow.

[Corey]

going to work on adding this as well, starting with dryfire and the practice range. i can definitely see where it can help

[Aristotle]

NEVER, EVER feel rushed, or be rushed through your routine. I learned this the hard way. The mental prep, as well as physical prep are VERY important to my match prep. And each stage is equally as important.

[Micah]

With the mag in but nothing in the chamber, I'll take my first step with one leg out of my starting position if it applies and pull the trigger on my first target releasing the striker, along with any other targets that are a part of that first step. I am, for the last time before the beep, visualizing my breakdown after seeing this last dryfire sight picture.

Same speed as planned, same target order as programmed.

Before you consider doing any of this, you need to have the stage burned into your mind, and (imho) run that bastard with your eyes closed at least twice, seeing the sights move on each shot, the reloads performed at the correct place with perfect execution.

[Rivr_runnr]

This is a great idea and a timely thread. Thanks to those willing to share their routines to help those of us trying to build one.

[Singlestack]

Sometimes I'll do a full speed reload. Kinda gets the RO's attention...

[Flexmoney]

Don't take steps.

8.7.1 A competitor is permitted to take a sight picture prior to the start signal.

Such sight picture is

only permitted from the “Make Ready” location.

[Jake Di Vita]

Wow, I've never seen that before.

Was that a semi-recent change?

[lugnut]

Hmm it's in the 2008 rulebook.

[Jake Di Vita]

I've been out of the loop for probably close to 3 years now...so that would make sense.

Although it very easily could have always been there and I just never saw it.

[D.Hayden]

I thought it was always there.

2004 rule book has it (8.3.11) as well.

[steel1212]

Don't take steps.

8.7.1 A competitor is permitted to take a sight picture prior to the start signal.

Such sight picture is

only permitted from the "Make Ready" location.

I do this, umm used to do this, all the time and have never been called on it and even did it at majors. I never knew about it either glad I do though!

[ahtsay]

My pre-stage routine starts after the last competitor is finished and they are taping the targets. I block out all the noise, and start taking deep breaths to fill my lungs. Thus right before LAMR, I'm already finished with my pre-shot routine and ready to shoot. I really think a pre-stage routine is a big plus in your shooting performance.

I'm not sure if this is still legal in IPSC. I read somewhere that they eliminated this (dry firing at LAMR) practice so as to save time in big matches. I could be wrong though.

[Nik Habicht]

Don't take steps.

8.7.1 A competitor is permitted to take a sight picture prior to the start signal.

Such sight picture is

only permitted from the "Make Ready" location.

I do this, umm used to do this, all the time and have never been called on it and even did it at majors. I never knew about it either glad I do though!

If hearing "Stop" loudly during your make ready routine would upset you, you might want to reconsider..... :D

[R.Elliott]

My pre-stage routine starts after the last competitor is finished and they are taping the targets. I block out all the noise, and start taking deep breaths to fill my lungs. Thus right before LAMR, I'm already finished with my pre-shot routine and ready to shoot. I really think a pre-stage routine is a big plus in your shooting performance.

I'm not sure if this is still legal in IPSC. I read somewhere that they eliminated this (dry firing at LAMR) practice so as to save time in big matches. I could be wrong though.

From the IPSC rule set:

8.7. Sight Pictures and Range Inspection

8.7.1. Competitors are always prohibited from taking a sight picture with a

loaded firearm prior to the start signal. Violation will result in a warning

for the first occurrence and one procedural penalty for each subsequent

occurrence in the same match.

8.7.2. If match organizers also prohibit taking a sight picture with an unloaded

firearm prior to the start signal, competitors must be advised in the written

stage briefing. Violation will result in a warning for the first occurrence

and one procedural penalty for each subsequent occurrence in the same

match.

8.7.3. When permitted, competitors taking a sight picture with an unloaded

firearm prior to the start signal must only do so on a single target, to verify

that their sights are prepared as required. Competitors who test a targeting

sequence or a shooting position while taking a sight picture will incur one

procedural penalty per occurrence.

8.7.4. Competitors are prohibited from using any sighting aid (e.g. the whole or

part of an imitation or replica firearm, any part of a real firearm including

any accessories thereof etc.), except for their own hands, while conducting

their inspection ("walkthrough") of a course of fire. Violations will incur

one procedural penalty per occurrence (also see Rule 10.5.1).

8.7.5. No person is permitted to enter or move through a course of fire without

the prior approval of a Range Officer assigned to that course of fire or the

Range Master. Violators will incur a warning for the first offense but may

be subject to the provisions of Section 10.6 for subsequent offenses.

[vluc]

USPSA allows it, IPSC does not.

A timely thread again, as a fellow RO and I were commenting on this while running shooters at East Huntingdon last Sunday.

New and relatively new shooters just load and go - no sight picture, no mental prep that can be seen. At MR, they pull the gun out (many don't even look at it), fumble/slap a mag in, push it into the holster (again many w/o looking at what they are doing)and wait for the beep.

They just want to shoot. You can see this during the w-t. Breeze on by, never verifying the number of targets out there, just run through as best you can.

The established shooters invariably have a routine that starts at the walk-through, proceeds after it through standing and visualizing, manifests itself again when they are up to shoot with the way they draw, do a sight picture, watch the mag into the gun when loading, perform their sub-ritual of insert mag, release mag, insert mag (whatever sequence they do), watch the pistol securely into the holster, hand on grip while they visualize one more time, remove their hand and indicate they are ready.

The differences are quite striking as are the results of the stage. It absolutely has a value.

[JRW]

I tried this last night and I felt it did help me.

Thanks to the Benoverse for another great tip!

[TreblePlink]

Some shooters will take a loaded sight picture, presumably because they forgot to do it prior. This is legal per USPSA rules, but seems to drive some ROs nuts.

[JThompson]

Some shooters will take a loaded sight picture, presumably because they forgot to do it prior. This is legal per USPSA rules, but seems to drive some ROs nuts.

It does because a lot of them don't know the rules. I've had several discussions with ROs on this one. I started doing this as the result of a dot going out on me. It was there, I made ready, beep.... no dot. wtf? I started giving it one last look to check the dot. I've had several ROs say, "You can't do that!" well, they got it wrong twice, the first and then an improper range command.

The best option is NOT to do this unless you are willing to have a discussion with an RO on it. That's not condusive to shooting your best stage, so I would say not to do it unless you are prepared to have the discussion.

JT

[Cosmik de Bris]

I'm not sure if this is still legal in IPSC. I read somewhere that they eliminated this (dry firing at LAMR) practice so as to save time in big matches. I could be wrong though.

There is a big debate going on in IPSC about this. Some consider dry firing as having your finger inside the trigger guard during a load, and some don't. So some ROs allow it and some don't, the rules are about to be clarified.

Cheers

[CZinSC]

New and relatively new shooters just load and go - no sight picture, no mental prep that can be seen. At MR, they pull the gun out (many don't even look at it), fumble/slap a mag in, push it into the holster (again many w/o looking at what they are doing)and wait for the beep.

I never take a sight picture, I am guilty of the above quote 100%. Fully plan on working on a routine based on everyone's suggestions in this thread.

They just want to shoot. You can see this during the w-t. Breeze on by, never verifying the number of targets out there, just run through as best you can.

vluc, it's like you were talking about me when wrote this reply. I've developed the bad habit of walking stages and being concerned where my reloads are ( i shoot production ), instead of counting ALL of the targets. As you can imagine, this has resulted in a number of FTE's. At the SC State Match I was the lucky guy who got to shoot the 1st stage of the day 1st. I didn't verify the number of targets, result was TWO FTE's. Great way to start the day. I've been doing a better job of this lately, but thanks for driving the point home!

Edited April 30, 2010 by CZinSC