CB45 Range Diary

[CB45]

Im taking Chris I (Fourtrax) suggestion, and starting a range diary. To get up to speed... started shooting pistol in 2007. Just shooting paper at an indoor range in the "not so good area of town." Started shooting steel matches at a local club in 2009. Over this last winter I got the urge to shoot and move. When the weather turned, I decided to check out a local match close to where I live. The next week I drove 2 hours to go to a match... been hooked since.

Thursday: Shoot with Chris I. Learned some training techniques. Shot an open rig for the first time. Way different than what I expected. No muzzle flip... just pressure rearward on the webbing on my hands. Lost the dot after every shot. (My grip needs work)

Friday: Friday Night Steel at a local club. I had a few good strings. A couple strings under 3sec. One stage under 10. Totally fell apart on the SH/WH stage. Need to practice one handed shooting.

Saturday: ACT Instructional League w/Coach. First thing he called out was that I lock my elbows. I was told that about 2 years ago. Guess I hadn't noticed it, and fell back into an old habbit. Ran the stage again focusing only on my shooting technique, I was amazed on how much tighter my groups were. Second stage I was trying to think about all the things I needed to do... bad idea. Totally bashed it. Second time around I was more relaxed, but locked the elbows right out of the box. Caught it half way through the string and corrected, then I felt comfortable... missed the first steel, then second steel, mag change.... mag drop... mag pickup to engage last target... bad showing on that stage, both at bats... Third stage was a speed drill. First was fast with a mike, too fast. Second was slower, but missed both steel targets once. Better hits, but not 2 A's. I wanted to push a little just to see what I could do. ACT's Instructional League is great. Get to try stages two times. A set of eyes to call out all the things you do wrong. I will definitely do it again.

Tomorrow (Sunday) is the ACC local match, looking forward to it. My goal is to not push myself. Break the stages down well, execute my plan, and get good hits. I usually push for time, but I just want to get good hits and to not lock my elbows. More A's, less C's... we will see.

-CB45

Edited June 24, 2012 by CB45

[Chris iliff]

Well, we were squadded together and I think from what I saw, you had some good stage runs.

SH/WH is something I'm going to incorporate in my sessions. So,........next time you are over, you'll get it!!

Remember, ANYTIME dude, my range is your range!!

I had a so so match today. All the ROing and the heat did me in after 4 stages. Then the FTE that ruined a great run on the second to last stage mentally finished me off!

[CB45]

ACC was a half disaster. First three stages, including the classifier, were bad. Stage 1: procedural penalty-forgot the mandatory reload. Stage 2: 5 mikes on classifier. Stage 3: Confinued to loose front sight. One no shoot, several mikes. Did pick up a couple of the mikes by calling the shots. Last 3 were so-so. One sloppy reload. Just not in the zone.

Went home, loaded more ammo. Limited rig should be back by the end of the week. I hope to shoot it in a match this month. We will see.

Thanks Chris, I will definitely hit you up for a SH/WH shooting session soon.

[CB45]

New blaster, 5" Eagle, back from manufacturer. Ran it today at the South Central match. First stage was 'On the move' classifier. I dropped two mags. My left hand hit the extended mag catch. So I took that off. Rest of the match went ok, considering I hadn't sighted it in yet. All my hits were about 8 to 10 inches low. After the match I sighted it in. In a couple weeks I hope to be running smooth and confident. I didn't think my grip would be affected by the transition from a single stack to wide body, but it is slightly different.

Definitely still need to work on not locking my arms forward, Dry fire drills this week shoot help....

[Chris iliff]

Glad it's running. I did the weekend Friends Festival sponsored by WFRN at Amish acres. It was fun. No shooting for me this weekend though, so kinda jonsin'.

Anytime this week if you want to shoot!! I just worked up my new powder (AutoComp) and hopefully figured out a gun problem (recurrent FTE) and plan on shooting a lot after work. Dot Torture Drill is awesome!! Let me know!!!!

[CB45]

Saturday was SCSA at Riley in T.H. In. It was HOT! 104 when we left. Shot alright, the firsr stage was a little weary, but I think I am getting used to the grip and trigger pull.

Today I shot USPSA@ Warsaw. They always seem to have good challenging stages. One again, the first stage was the classifier. I was feeling confident from yesterday, about 4 mikes and one penalty. One of the mikes hit another target, so I had to many hits on a paper.... oh boy.

Good news is that I am noticing my hit factor go up. If I slow down just a little bit and keep a nice rhythm, it feels really good to shoot. Any faster or slower I just don't feel good about it. Not that it matters how I feel, but it does help build confidence.

Chris, I apologize I just saw your post about your offer to practice last week. I spent most of last week loading and dry firing. I hope you are working out your FTE issues with the new powder. Ill hit you up about practice this week.

[Chris iliff]

Yes, any time! Didn't get to shoot Warsaw, oldest daughter got baptized on Sunday. It was great!!

FTE issue seems to be worked out!! Gonna hit the range a lot this week hopefully. You are welcome anytime.

[Chris iliff]

Good job at Riley! 1st C in any division and you beat some higher classed guys who didn't do half your reloads!!!!

Good job brother.

[CB45]

Thanks Chris! It looks like you had a couple good stages... more mikes and deltas then im use to seeing from you. I felt real good about today. I still can't figure out how to get the overall results on the USPSA website.

Tuesday was practice with Chris Iliff. Worked on gun and body transitions. Took a lot away from this practice. Feeling better about movong and getting back into a shooting position.

Wednesday was practice at ACC with a couple shooting friends. Practiced draw and plate transitions. Felt like I got a lot of good tips for improvement. Both friends are SCSA and your USPSA shooters. So I take in all the advice I can get, Thanks!

Friday was FNS (a local steel match, draws about 60 shooterd every two weeks) Shot really well. Finished with a personal best time. Really rewarding to see my practice paying off finally. Finally have a little confidence in myself. Feels good.

As Chris said, shoot well today at Riley. Chris said,"Think of it as you are going out there to go get your alpha's. Dont worry about how long it takes. Make a plan and execute it." That was my goal today, and it worked. Reloads are feeling more natural, with the double stack mag/frame. I am so use to SS. Shot the classifier again to start my Limited classification. See how this one comes about.

[CB45]

Saturday was SCSA at ACC. I did well, but I definitely could have done better. I noticed myself pushing through strings of fire without focusing on the front sights. Seems I go one step forward and two steps back when shooting steel. I did shoot the plate rack better then usual. That felt good.

Sunday was USPSA @ ACC. Fumbled a couple mag changes, missed a couple positions I planned out. Did hit one no shoot and didn't call it, so I miked it as well. Did well on the classifier, Tight Squeeze. I didn't push it at all, just focused on getting alphas. I think it will be in the upper 50's. I remember feeling like I was shooting slow, but it was one of my best classifiers in a long time.

I was told something this weekend about speed shooting, that you mind's perception of time gets out of wack when you rush. Something about the sensation of hurrying effecting time perception. The more you rush the faster you feel, but time goes by at the same time. If you dont rush you feel slower you feel, time stays the same. So I guess the moral is to not rush, there are so many things to think about besides time. Shot the classifier yesterday and only thought about front sight and target engagement. Time was just was good as when I practiced rushing through it in practice the day before, and my shots were way better. Only dropped one alpha. Lesson learned.

[Chris iliff]

Good job on the classifier. I didn't shoot this weekend. Should have shot the SC on Saturday, but forgot about it being on Saturday.

Racegun is done. Can't wait to get it back. Range is open anytime.

[CB45]

Well, ran some calculations... as is my classifier percentage should be right under 60. One more decent classifier and I'll be in B in L-10.

Went to the range today to try to zero in the open blaster I bought a few weeks ago. I couldn't get the p.o.i. to shift on the jpoint dot. Even tried loosening the mounting screws (something i read on a forum). It was hot so I gave up. Think I'll just throw a cmore on it when funds allow. Still playing around with the open idea... getting use to the different recoil impulse. I think I like it, it is different not to have muzzle flip... I was able to get small 3 shot groups, sub 2 in. @ 15 yds, but they were ~ 4in low. Next year should be interesting...

[CB45]

Friday was FNS at MCFG in Indianapolis. As always it was fun. Found out that my elevation screw is having issues. Went to shoot a small triangle start plate on the plate rack... had to aim 4" low... I'm real uneasy about this, never had a bomar adj. Sight lose zero before. Lets just say my performance was not spectacular. For now I am blaming the gun...

Saturday was the Bowling Pin shoot at MCFG. That's always fun. Not a great performance, that group of guys is getting awful good at clearing those pins off the table.

After the match, we shot a dueling tree. I won twice. That's a blast. If your quick on steel, your definitely at an advantage. You can literally win in 3 shots. It took me 8 both times. Had to catch up with that other guy hitting those paddles to my side.

I also went to a bay to sight in the Eagle with a jacked up elevation screw. At 21' my hit were all 4" high. No wonder i couldn't hit that 6" triangle start plate... got it shooting 2.5" groups centered on the bullseye.

Today was practice with Rob and Chris. I always get so much information from those two. I really felt I improved my technique for movement transition. Feeling confident that I'm getting better every week. My performance on the plate rack was sometimes horrible. I would shoot 4 in a row 3 inches below the plate. Shooting paper always revealed centered hits..

Something to watch out for

[Chris iliff]

Great to have you at my range. We had a good practice and you really improved on the movement drill. You wiped several seconds off your runs just cleaning some movement up, good job!!

[CB45]

Practice at MCF&G on 5 steel plates. Shot 200 rds. Practiced shot transitions. Far left to right. Far right to left transitions. 1-5-2-4-3 drill. Tried to focus on snapping my eyes on next target, bringing gun on target, using knee's to rotate my body. Noticed myself swinging gun past the target. Will work on that in dry fire tomorrow. Good trigger time, and it was fun.

[CB45]

Saturday was SCSA @ Riley Conservation Club. Shot fairly consistent. Overall time ~84s. Shot with Brandon, Dan, Gary, Brian, Colin, and a few others. Great conversation and fun morning.

Sunday was the Oxford Ohio USPSA match. Rode out with Rob and Chris. Met a few of the Ohio shooters. They were friendly and good shooters. Stage design was very different from what I am accustomed to. The field courses were set up well to ensure a lot of movement. The speed shoots allowed you to push yourself and still be comfortable. I had one mike on the classifier, one no shoot on a field/speed stage, and one mike on a field course that I made up on the wrong target... dang. Overall it was a fun match and I got to meet some new people.

[CB45]

Practice with Chris I. Movement drills. Focused on watching the front sight return on target. Was able to get some really nice groups with quick splits. Practiced shooting target arrays with partial cover targets. Felt good about my transitions into those targets. Have to tell myself to wait the extra .5s to get my sights aligned on the exposed alpha area.

Epic failure on the plate rack @ about 17 yrds. I think I was anticipating recoil and snapping my wrists down. Reloaded and shot the plates fairly clean twice.

Good practice and "Got all alpha's"

[CB45]

Had a great time today at the Indiana Sectional match today. Total of 18 mikes didn't stop me from having fun. Stages 9-11 really gave me a hard time. I'm definitely going to practice long distance double tap shooting. Really struggled with that. On an upside, I did shoot the bear traps and swingers well today. All in all, I'm happy I made it through the my first large USPSA match without being disqualified. On a few stages I really performed well. It just didn't carry throughout the match. Looking forward to my next large match. Thanks to the people who make this match happen.

[CB45]

Shot some steel with Rob @ ACC. Did the first part of the 'typewriter' drill. Basically just moving back and forth moving the sight from target to target. Few misses... Moved out to 25 yrds to practice longer shots. Think my point of impact may be a little high. Had to aim an inch low to hit shotgun hulls. Tried to run Bill Drills at distance. Found that i missed alot trying to speed up. Definitely will try that again next time. Fun day of shooting.

Shot Robs cz shadow, man those things are sweet. Usually I am turned away from DA trigger pulls, but that was like butter. Smooth with a clean break. Nothing like a striker fired pistol. I may play around in production someday....

[CB45]

SCSA @ACC today went well. Worked on trying to get my draw a little more smooth. Slapping and ripping it out of a holster doesn't always yield a nice grip. Ive got morr work to do on that. Sometimes my grip is a little low when drawn from surrender. Didn't win, but maybe placrd 2nd in limited. It will be a while before I catch Chuck B. On one stage, '5 to go' I was able to match his fastest string. He is still consistently faster... Im working on that. My strings are getting faster, but Ill usually get a couple of slow ones.

[CB45]

Practice night @ MCFG. Shot some paper to check zero. Surprise, groups were high left. This is the second time my sights have shifted. I don't know how the are shifting. Both sights appear to be stationary. Im going to get the measuring tools out tomorrow. Shoot Friday and measure again. I really am stumped. At this point I am going to just say the gun is settling in... I cant imagine the sights are drifting. They seem really solid.

Shot plate transition drills at 12 yards, then moved back to 25 yards. I didn't time anything but I was hitting the plates easily at 25 yards. That was a confidence building exercise.

Friday is FNS, Saturday is a pin match, and Sunday is USPSA. Going to be a lot of trigger time this weekend.

CB45

[CB45]

Friday: Friday Night Steel @ MCF&G went well. An open guy put a hurting on me, but I was the overall winner for iron sight guns.

Saturday: Bowling Pin match. Didn't do very well. I think finally learned where to hit those pins to get them to push off the table. I usually have to shoot each one twice. By the end of the match I was feeling confident about it. Next month will be fun.

Sunday: USPSA @ ACC. Shot SS for the first time in months. Definitely had some gun issues. I bump fired a few times. That really messes up the round count and stage breakdown. Oh well. Just cleaned it up and put a little more tension on the sear spring. I did have 6 mikes for the day, not to happy about that. However I had fun running around making reloads like a pro, haha. Ok not a pro, but like a chicken with its head chopped off.

Hoping to make it out to Oxford, Ohio next weekend!

[CB45]

Saturday I went to the Wildcat Creek USPSA match. It was wet. Our squad decided to not score the last 3 stages. It kind of turned into a practice match. I let it rip. Surprised myself really. I am capable of shooting at a faster pace than I have been. It was fun to just let it rip and not worry. One stage, I did fumble a little. Sloppy body movement and target to target sight transition. Thats ok.

Sunday I made the journey to Oxford, Oh. Once again the stages didn't disappoint. A pure run and gun stage, I did well on. I did have 2 mikes on the stage, but at ~13.5s on a 32 round course I didn't care. That was the fastest I've ever run a 32 round course. Learned the most from a smaller technical stage. I had my first experience with range equipment malfunctions. Hit a pepper popper activator, called the shot. Moved to the disappearing activator target, the drop turner never activated. I didn't really know what to do. Figured I would try it again. Same thing. After another 5 seconds of thinking, I decided to just mow the popper down and finish the course. Upon talking to the more experienced shooters on my squad, its clear now what I should have done. Shooting major p.f. I have not had calibration problems yet. So lesson learned... never stop your stage plan unless instructed by the R.O. If you call the hit on a pepper popper, just move on with your stage plan. Call for calibration afterwards. At worst you get mikes, maybe a FTE, but that's better than the 15s lost by trying to figure out what to do. Let it rip on the little 6 target far to near stage. Ran it in ~5.4s, but had 3 mikes. One day I will be able to get hits at that speed.

Mostly this weekend was all about fun and trying to move faster then I am capable. Did that, now its time to go back to the shoot a's routine.

The IN SS match is next month. Looking forward to that. My strategy is to be smooth, execute my stage plans, and get as many a's as I can. Its hard to feel quick in SS with mag changes every 6-8 shots. Different division, different strategy.

[CB45]

Nice live fire practice w/ Chris I. Set up a few classifier stages. Each really had a fundamental shooting skill to focus on. It was nice to run each one 3 or 4 times to break them down. I definitely need to practice reloads with the SS blaster. I have become sloppy. Ah, well. Biggest improvement for the day was a eye movement drill. That was a real sweet drill. I use to snap my whole head from target to target... way easier and efficient to just move the eyes and let the brain bucket follow naturally. Saw a huge improvement today in my shooting fundamentals. I definitely need more practice sessions like today. I don't think I walked away from a string of fire without learning something or noticing something I can improve on. It definitely wasn't just a blasting session. All productive.

Looking forward to Warsaw classifier match tomorrow. We will see how I classify in SS.

[CB45]

Well didn't exactly have the best results at the Warsaw classifier match. Ran both SS and limited. SS results were better than limited. I was swinging for the fences in limited. Had a few good stages. We'll see Saturday what the results are. May end up in B in SS afterall. Limited will most likely be a C. I spent the week thinking about what classification means to me. Turns out it doesn't mean a lot. I really just enjoy shooting sports and having fun. I want to do my best each time I pull the trigger, but a GM card wont make it any more fun. This weekend is a steel challenge match and uspsa match. May run the used open blaster at the uspsa match, just for fun.