weedwhacker Posted August 29, 2010 Author Share Posted August 29, 2010 Finally made it to the range late Saturday, almost forgot how to load and make ready Worked on some weak hand only shooting at about 10yards. I am starting to learn how to control the trigger to make these shots properly. Typically at match's I just aim high left and get down zero's. I have been working on my trigger control to aim properly and its paying off I'm still pulling slightly low right but only a few inch's VS. close to a foot in the past. Speed is not there but the accuracy is developing so in time the speed will come:) Pleased with my 35yard shots tonight fired off 6 rounds all down zero. Maybe back tomorrow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted September 1, 2010 Author Share Posted September 1, 2010 Decisions need to be made. Recently I bought a G34 to switch over to as there are a few features I like about the G34 VS the M&P Pro. I have have been putting some time in with the G34, and I have a problem. Finger off the trigger until ready to fire right.... Transitioning from a safe trigger finger position to finger on the trigger I am not able to constantly make he transition. The tip of my finger keeps getting hung up on the trigger guard. Its not smooth at all I have been working on this motion to get it smooth and more importantly... safely..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 You have huge hands. Can you adjust your grip so your finger doesn't get caught up? Both guns are great guns- it's more important to have one that "fits" best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted September 19, 2010 Author Share Posted September 19, 2010 Things are progressing well. I have been spending allot of time at the range, a few comments have been made I live there, thinking of joining another range so I can spread out my practice locations.... Winter is coming soon and for a few reasons I will not be able to spend as much time at the range as I can in the warmer months... 2 club match's since last post. Did not perform as well as I think could, but learning on things and realizing currently that its really important to put all these things you have learned together before you get to the line... I find myself watching other shooters and analyzing everything they do, down to actions like how to hold the rope when starting rope in hand..... Todays match was a great learning experience for me. I worked the a side benefit stage our group was hosting most of the morning SOing on one pit, after lunch the MD relieved me and I could go shoot the match. I basically shot 6 stages with no walkthrough or BIG QA sessions I did ask a couple of questions. But essentially I went "1st" 6 times. Oddly enough I liked it.... It really allowed me to focus on what I needed to do and execute, I got screwed once by not seeing a target activate but its ok:) Also the group of guys I shoot with continually amaze me, we have these targets stands where the target is typically 100% placed behind a no-shoot you activate it "somehow" the target goes 90degrees and exposes itself and then goes back to its original position and is a disappearing target normally its rather "fast and choppy" as weights are used to do this... Today the stage I was on, I saw the target stand and OK i know what to expect... During the COF I activated the target got on target and thought to myself HOLY CRAP THIS THING IS FAST AND SMOOTH!!! It was like a whole new target.. Later in the day I learned a member figured out how to do this with a door closer!!!! A simple math problem is all it was to him GENIUS!! In my opinion... For all you folks that have the ability to make these things thank you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted September 30, 2010 Author Share Posted September 30, 2010 Upcoming sanctioned match is coming, this will be my 3rd major match. Its my nature to be very competitive, but throughout my life I have not competed in any competitive sports. I cannot seem to relax or find my "zen"when I think about an upcoming event, I can already feel my heart and blood flowing slightly faster just sitting here at this moment thinking about it. Somehow I need to find my "zone" it may come with time but I have a feeling it will be something I find out about myself and "grow from".... I still have not done as many have said read the following books, I bet its great advice which I have failed to take... Winter is coming and my range time will surely be decreasing. Books for the winter... I'm feeling confident my practices have paid of on targets 20yards + consistent -0(close to being -1) hits at 20+ yards my speed is not great in time I'm sure that will come.. Some video of some 25yard plate rack practice 8" plates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted October 4, 2010 Author Share Posted October 4, 2010 Practices are still going well... I'm starting to introduce more pressure in my private sessions more "shoot till the wheels come off" so to speak. Ran a classifier the other week SSP 113seconds and 114 seconds, just confirming my work is paying off, now to find another 20sec. Just came back from the CT State match, kinda blew up at this match. Many things went wrong some things went right. I did have a great time and I am ready for the next one wherever it might be:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted November 14, 2010 Author Share Posted November 14, 2010 Its been a while... Practices have been cut down slightly for me just have not been able to find the time to go during the weeknights. Combined that it is dark at 5PM currently and little interest at this time to being indoors. Last few IDPA matches I have done well at. USPSA is still an issue, not engaging targets is my #1 problem as I run by them or loose count on the field. USPSA is becoming a favorite of mine the higher round count and less "rules"(NOT BASHING ANY GAMES) it has a high fun factor for shooting. We will see where things go, for 2011 in December I will have my shooting budget set aside 40,000 rounds is my goal. It should allow participation in all local match's I want, and practice at will. Also my own reloading setup VS. sharing one. And there is a rumor of Steel Challenge coming to my local club which no doubt I will enjoy..... Well off to a local USPSA match:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 (edited) Well it is Thanksgiving today. I hope all of you have/had a wonderful day. 2010 is coming to a close quickly. Most of my goals for 2010 have been achieved. Some slacking on practice and staying focused on some drills.. So many to master:) Now purely for my own amusement a quick story. I went to a USPSA practice last night. Having shot maybe only a half dozen USPSA match's, I was very surprised the stage they had setup was IMO very close to an IDPA stage. Start seated in a chair From chair engage 3 targets behind a visual barrier proceed to cover at P2 From cover engage 3 targets with 1 shot from right side of cover and 1 shot from left side of cover. The first thing thought that was in my head when I saw this setup was...Hmmmm I wonder who will shoot the door. It did not take long... Edited November 25, 2010 by weedwhacker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted November 27, 2010 Author Share Posted November 27, 2010 On a high right now... Today our club shot the IDPA postal match. I think I did quite well, 48shooters in all Stage 1 - Square Drill 12.92 Overall 1st Place locally Stage 2 - Practical El Pres 12.11 Overall 3rd place locally Stage 3 - Postal Quick Draw 4.95 Overall 3rd place locally Stage 4 - Cleanup on aisle four 12.59 Overall 1st place locally This was my 1st match where I took 1st place on 2 stages in a match. A personal achievement I have wanted for quite some time now. Check done.... Now looking for 3..... Nationally who knows how this is going to rank, I am really looking forward to finding out!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted November 27, 2010 Share Posted November 27, 2010 You are shooting real well. Get rid of brain farts and you are up there with the best shooters locally. Your hard work is paying off. When are you going to try SSR? It's lonely without more shooters... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted December 5, 2010 Author Share Posted December 5, 2010 Made a "slight" modification to the gun tonight. I am a huge fan of grip tape, the more the merrier.. Tonight I took some away.. My setup has been "true grip" pre-cut packs that cover the entire grip of the gun, which I really like.. Been working on my draw and grip after reloads... I removed the right half of the grip, I can position the gun faster in my hand this way.. My draws seem to be smoother as one of my concerns has always been pulling the gun out if my arm or other object stuck the grip tape and pulled it out from the holster(just a concern) The exposed part of the gun is smooth, and I like it... As my "standby relaxed" position I keep my arm against the side of the gun and then follow it up with my thumb... Its faster for sure... Most likely just mental... Received a new LNL, Case feeder, and Bullet feeder the other day..... Working away at that made 300 rounds and will be testing them monday night... So far I give the whole LNL setup 2 thumbs up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 (edited) 2010 is coming to a close, I have achieved many of my goals for 2010 and had a blast while achieving them. I have learned many things over the last 12 months of shooting IDPA and dabbling in USPSA. One them being there is not one magic thing that makes you a good shooter. Every little thing you do matters. And I am up for the challenge in 2011. A small announcement. A 2010 goal was SSP/EX classification, which I achieved 4 months ago. A select few people knew that I changed my goals quickly after classifying EX, a new goal was to make SSP Master in less than one year. 12/19/09 was my 1st IDPA classification, on 12/18/10 at a private classifier I squeaked out a SSP time of 98.65 earning a classification of SSP/MA. Shooting with an awesome bunch of guys has made the journey that much better. Goals for 2011(as of this moment) Division I plan to shoot in... Not sure what division I plan on shooting but I think I hear ESP calling, same gun just some mods... Shoot S&W Indoor Nationals in (XXP/XX division/class) Classify ESP Master Loose 50 pounds by April 2011 Attend every local IDPA match and USPSA match should be 4 a month. Continue to SO/ASO at all home club IDPA match's. I am also MD for one:) USPSA A Classification Merry X-Mass everyone!!! Edited December 19, 2010 by weedwhacker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoland Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 Congratulations on making Master in a year! My "one year" expired a few weeks ago, and am not quite there yet . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 As usual- hard work focusing on strong fundamentals pays off. Now you just need to switch to SSR- that will be a humbling experience! Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 Coming back from a great match yesterday. It was my 1st match as SSP/MA... I won the match overall with 48shooters. I shot 2 of the 6 stages shot clean with fast raw times. Thinking back to the match, I was very relaxed before each stage start. A few times the I told the SO i was not ready, the few moments it took to relax seemed to help. Also I did not focus on the draw, buzzer went off and I just drew..... I went with a speed of "slow is smooth" and it appears smooth is fast, not sure what times to 1st shot was but they felt fast. One of the stages had a "high risk target" 6 paper, 1 steel popper. From left side of barricade engage steel which activates in and out disappearing target. It took "forever" for the in-out to appear. Many of the guys were hitting the steel then going for T2 then going back to the in-out.. I choose not to do it, I waited for the in-out and then proceeded... WHY consistency I decided that a possible -10 thing was just not worth the risk. I do think I could have done it but some advice that I have been given so many times is win the match not the stage. Also a new prop was used a "drop forward" steel popper... Kinda cool.. Pic of stage not of me.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Made the switch, 2011 I will be shooting ESP. Picked up a STI Trojan 9MM and my path has started. My 1st match with it was not at all what I was going for. In my mind I was thinking "its a gun" I can shoot them..... Well not soo I quickly learned Equipment arrived the day before the match, I only shot 250 rounds with the gun. I had issues all day... one 6 second reload, 4 seconds to figure out how to get magazine released, twice I had to do a slingshot reload as I could not figure out where the slide stop was. Add some "feed issues" which I think are resolved now... Needless to say I was not at all prepared, I felt that I could "force shots" to make up "time" and that led to many downs.... Lesson well learned.... I have been practicing some of the fundamentals but I think mechanical assistance will be needed to help me running ESP with a single stack 1911. Mods Installed or Coming Brazo's Trigger work VZ operator 2 grips Dawson Precision ICE magwell with arched mainspring housing Ambi-Safety Tactical Mag Release(why is the stock one so small??) Comp-Tac gear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 (edited) Well I have returned from the 2011 S&W Indoor nationals.... Had a great time but some gun issues made the results less than desirable. While the issues are still Fresh in my head so I can recap them later Stage 1: Got a PE for failing to engage the 1st 2 targets in tactical sequence , gun jam on the reload took about 5 seconds to get it back into battery, was unable to complete the stage. Stage 2: Was unable to complete the Stage gun jammed after the reload and took a down 20 and FTN.. All shots I fired were down zero i guess they had "pity" on me and only gave me one FTN... Stage 3: I think I did well in performance in this stage. Gun failed to slide lock reload then a double feed LOL in the dark... It was fun but the down 11 on low light stage with a bag in hand reloads from a bag. I did well this time working with the bag in hand while shooting, placement of the bag on the ground and getting the reloads out of the bag. In the past I have had difficulty working with these types of props. Stage 4: 1st stage I shot in the match. mechanically I shot the stage well small issue with the reload but got it fixed very quickly. Down 10 and a FTN.... On a close target head shot... I just did not respect the target lesson learned..... Ok with the rest of the stage down zero and I felt my shots and transitions were quick and movement was precise. Stage 5: I was kind of rattled with the down 10 and the FTF on slide lock reload from previous stage and in my head I thinking "calm down" "focus" "run the stage in your head" and I did over and over... It would have been a great stage for me other than..... During the reload got a jam... Got it fix quickly, came back up on target and "BANG" let one rip way before I was on target it hit the floor, bounced into the down zero of the no shoot then into the down 3 of the threat target..... reasonable raw time but the down 3 and HNT killed it... Stage 6: Must work on SKILL DRILLS...... Weak hand with flashlight down 25............. Ya that was rough.... Not much I did right on that stage other than not get myself DQ'd LOL Stage 7: Pick up gun stage... Learned that when you HAVE to use a laser and flashlight do not put the flashlight where the laser would be as you cannot see the laser as your light overpowers the laser LOL!!! My plan for this stage was to go at a speed that got me down zero's with pickup gun which I did and blaze with my gun 6rounds which I did ended up down 1 on that stage time was slower but my game plan was not get allot of down and stay clean... Stage 8: Which was a 6 round speed stage... "my kinda stage" Came in 42nd overall out of 280.. Even with a SO yelling at me to MOVE to activate the drop target I did not get rattled... Stage 9: Low light flashing light shooting through prison bars with 3 shooting positions... I choose to to a Tac-Reload at P2 as I did not want to deal with any slide lock reload issues in the dark:) It was a wise choice 62nd place overall clean run. One thing I noticed that I did which I do not know why.... I decided t put the barrel of the gun through the bars to ensure I did not hit one and deflect off them... But instead of picking ONE spot I removed the gun and went to the next slot over to engage the 2nd target... Next time I will pick one position and stick with it.. Stage 10: Low light no flashlight...AWESOME RELOAD IT WORKED!!!!!! But I was so amazed I got down 12 LOL Stage 11: IMO this was a tough stage... 4 targets 3 rounds each... a no shoot swinging across all 4 targets... I had decided that I was going to shoot it like the no shoot was not even there and take a down 5 as it did not matter if I hit it once or 12 times... Took the gamble and it paid off 46th overall. the reload SUCKED but i got the gun back into place quickly.. Accuracy was a big player in this one also.... tough shots from cover and bullet stopping 2x4's in front of the down zero.... Stage 12: OMG So props and buttons... I pressed the button to engage start the moving target went to draw realized CRAP the target is not moving went back to press the button again... By the time I got to the button ughmmmm the target was moving at me.... CRUD!! DRAW CRUD target disappeared down 15 Totally got me rattled.... ended up down 24 on that stage.... the clothing stopped my bullets.... Grrrr Edited February 28, 2011 by weedwhacker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 The M&P gods are cursing me for going for a 9MM Trojan and cursed me with SLR issues... Sold the STI and built a dedicated M&P Pro 9mm for ESP. Have not run a match with it yet however had a chance to run a classifier today with a friend also one of the better local shooters today. I'm going to OUT him sooner than he is and state he made SSR Master today. I ran with an ESP time of 96.10 on my 3rd run. This would be my fastest ever classifier. Stage 3 I really pushed myself on with the raw times as stage 3 I have a tendency to go slow and get zeros but with average speeds in 16-17 raw seconds. Today I ran in the 13 second range raw but had many down 1's.... and one miss grrrrrrr... The change in gun is purely simple to me. I need to focus on my shooting and have a tool that is as reliable as it possibly can be. The 9mm 1911 can run for sure, but I do not have the time or the patience to make it work. I also have gone so far so quickly with the M&P platform why change it up!!!!! M&P Pro 9mm SSS ESP Magwell SSS ESP Basepads Serrated Front Sight Sevigny Rear sight LOTS of ammo:) Last weekend local match I shot with my old standby M&P Pro. 3rd place SSP MA(only 3 in class) 5th overall out of 57 shoothers, with the 2 ESP MA taking 1st 2nd Place. Area's to improve are not really known at this moment. I shot to "win the match". However one bonehead PE for slicing the pie.... Dumbass... Some focus needs to be placed on blocking out the crowd IMO... And just "relaxing" prior to the stage. Also want to take the time to thank everyone for all the advice they have given me over the last year it has been awesome!!!! I cannot wait for 2011 shooting!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 First practice with the new. Had a great practice. TOnight the PD ran stages the whole night, awesome!!!! My kinda of practice. Tonight my only focus was blocking out the peanut gallery in the back, did a pretty decent job at it. One bonehead PE... Left cover with an open gun and reloaded in the open.... But overall great practice. Feeling more and more confident with my skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted March 28, 2011 Author Share Posted March 28, 2011 Shot and SO'd my home clubs match yesterday. My only goal for the day was focusing on getting to the line without getting amped up. Focus only on shooting the stage and how I was going to do it.. I had some moments of perfect clarity, planned foot steps reloads came flawlessly to my ability. Had an issue with one target with a "high risk" stage Steel T2 then a T1 a drop turner. Got a down 10 and a FTN on the static target and a down zero on the drop turner LOL.... As an SO I really dislike SOing in the mud. Range conditions plain sucked, people were careful on movement but just sucked... Come on dry ground!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share Posted July 2, 2011 (edited) Been a while:) I have not been able to get to the range to much this summer for practice. However I have been able to attend all events:) June 25th was my home clubs monthly IDPA match. It was also my first time as a match director, great experience overall and quite the learning experience. But man us shooters have allot of opinions LOL The local shooters have all been asking will MWT be doing any DMG stages this year. The AMD for the June 25th match setup what I consider a great stage for 3 gun. We ended up with 21 shooters for the DMG stage!!!!!! Which was almost half the attendance for a match day that started with downpours and lightning. Shows there is some local interest in the DMG... I personally had a wonderful time and cannot wait to do it again. Now if we just can get some more folks to step up:) Vid of the DMG below. THis morning I will be heading to a Steel Challenge match. Its not my favorite event but I do enjoy hearing the DING:) My IDPA classifiers have been consistently 95-99 range now for both ESP and CDP. A recent USPSA classifier scored in the high B range which I am very excited about LOL I hope you all have a safe and happy forth of July.. Edited July 2, 2011 by weedwhacker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 Still have not been practicing much. Work/Home/Life Match's have been my practice time..... Took 1st place ESP/EX at CT state recently... 1 shooter away from a match bump... Next time!!!! Today I had a semi breakthrough. USPSA has been been a challenge for me determine how to shoot stages. Today it just came to me breaking things down to sections where to do my reloads. Looking forward to trying to duplicate it Back to life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 You need to find more practice time... you already move fast for a big guy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Today I had a semi breakthrough. USPSA has been been a challenge for me determine how to shoot stages. Today it just came to me breaking things down to sections where to do my reloads. Looking forward to trying to duplicate it It's a different game than IDPA, you can drop mags wherever you want. Do it to your advantage, not because you're out of ammo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedwhacker Posted September 25, 2011 Author Share Posted September 25, 2011 So this summer my match's have become my practices...... The last match we had had 5 long shots that my previous training last summer I think helped. 2 8" steel plates at 30ish yards(they sure looked small in my sights!!!!). From a static position I just took aim and squeezed the trigger and went 1 for 1 on them and down 1 on the paper.. I was very pleased with those shots as I just shood there told myself aim and squeeze the trigger and do not rush the shots.... and it worked like magic:) I guess it like riding a bike LOL Still loving the sport and having a great time shooting.. Just wish I could practice more!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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