CB45 Range Diary

[CB45]

When's practice?

Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.

[CB45]

Today's practice was good. It felt Smoother and better shots on paper than my last practice. I didn't get to practice on Monday due to the weather, so toady was the first time I've practiced with the open gun since the Indiana match.

I think I'm going to like the 115's. The gun feels flatter. Less muzzle flip, but defiantly more felt recoil in the web of my hand.

I practiced with all open targets today, which I haven't done in a while. Saturday I'll shoot with partials.

Edited August 9, 2013 by CB45

[CB45]

Practice today was fun. Chronographed the new 115 load again. One set averaged 166PF, and another averaged 169PF. I'm going to bump up the charge another .1gr and see what happens. I ran a couple drills with this ammo, wow it is different and shoots faster. I shot my fastest split to date with this ammo. Target was about 5 yds away, so

I felt comfortable hammering down on the target. 0.13s split with a nice 2 alpha - 2in pattern. Awesome!!! Before this, the quickest split I've seen on the timer was 0.16s.

I know that fast splits doesn't make me any better if a shooter, but its just kind of cool the first time you do it.

On to stuff that actually matters. I used partial targets today for my match drills. It went pretty good. I'm gaining more confidence with partial targets. My trigger pull is getting better.

Classifier/gun manipulation drills went well. Its been a while since I have done much of this type of practice in live fire.

I'm ready to go to Silvercreek in the morning.

[CB45]

Silvercreek was a good match! Well thought out tough stages. I would like to shoot the match again just for the practice.

I'm going to change my practice routine. I've got to work on position entry efficiency and reloading on the move. The drills I've been doing are not working, so I'm going to have to try something else.

[CB45]

Oh I forgot to mention, I reshot the classifier yesterday. I left a steel standing.... grrr...

Classifier CM99-41 Works for Me

Run 1: 73% 8.01HF (with the mike on steel)

Run 2: 100% 5.17s 59pts 11.41HF

This club hasn't done re-entries with practiscore yet. So if they get it figured out, it will be my first 100% on the books. Even if it doesn't get submitted, Steve A. was on the timer and witnessed it. That's enough for me. Dry fire works!

I've been thinking about a new position entry drill. I'll need to use a lot of barrels, but I think the drill will be good.

[CB45]

Practice today with Chris and Kurt. Kurt's a new shooter. I showed him a few drills to get him started on a productive practice routine. He's really motivated, so I expect to see him progress fast.

It was nice to practice with Chris again. He's always full of knowledge.

We set up a couple entry/movement drills. I made some real improvements. It felt really awkward, but I shaved nearly 1.5 seconds off of the drill by using a different technique to enter the positions. I'm going to continue to work on this for a while.

[Chris iliff]

It was nice to practice with Chris again. He's always full of knowledge.

.

Well you know what they say, "those that do,.....do. Those that can't...........teach. Those that are neither, why hell, ....... Those are Engineers. "

Good times yesterday Brother!!! My legs hurt, must have been moving aggressively, lol

Edited August 14, 2013 by Chris iliff

[TrukSnave]

thanks for the help guys!! I'm really looking forward to more practices and carpooling to matches. What are you guys waiting on??? lets get to it!

[CB45]

Calculations are in - 91%. I made M in Open. Another goal accomplished. One goal left for the summer.

Congratulations to all the new Indiana Master shooters:

Chris I. - Open M

Rob S. - Single Stack M

Chris S. - Limited M

Bob F. - Revolver M

Indiana boys are getting better!

Edit: Sorry Bob!

Edited August 15, 2013 by CB45

[Racer377]

Calculations are in - 91%. I made M in Open. Another goal accomplished. One goal left for the summer.

Congratulations to all the new Indiana Master shooters:

Chris I. - Open M

Rob S. - Single Stack M

Chris S. - Limited M

Indiana boys are getting better!

Bob F. did it in the Amish division as well! (it's easier to find them all when you get the EZwin Update report )

[BillD]

Congrats to all, you guys have been working hard.

[smith52]

Calculations are in - 91%. I made M in Open. Another goal accomplished. One goal left for the summer.

Congratulations to all the new Indiana Master shooters:

Chris I. - Open M

Rob S. - Single Stack M

Chris S. - Limited M

Indiana boys are getting better!

Bob F. did it in the Amish division as well! (it's easier to find them all when you get the EZwin Update report )

Hey, I resemble that remark! Congrats to you all as well!

[Chris iliff]

Chad almost skipped A class last month, then this month he about blows right through Master. We both set making Master as a goal this summer and we both did it!!! I love it when goals are realized!!

On top of that, to have so many Indiana shooters finally breaking out of the letters is great for the future of shooting here. Looks like Max will not be the lone GM in Indiana for long.

Good stuff and congrats to everyone!!

[JakeMartens]

Jeezzzzzuusssss

About time you guys

I have been hanging out here almost by myself for 3 years now

Seriously nice job on all the hard work

[CB45]

Thanks everyone!

I'm back from vacation finally. So happy to be back in Indiana!!!

I went to the range to tune up my turn and draw today. I hope to get back to the range again this week to get back to my normal practice. This Sundays match will be my tune up for the Illinois State Match.

[CB45]

Practice tonight was really good. Kurt showed up to practice with me which was good. He's catching on fast. I expect to see him progress quickly!

I focused heavily on position entry and exit. I really turned on the speed so my hits weren't all that great, but I wasn't too concerned with the shooting part. I really just wanted to work on one particular part of my shooting, which I did. I'll try to put it all together the next time I practice; hopefully Saturday.

Ran El Pres a few times again. I think I'm getting sloppy with my grip. I noticed that the dot was very jumpy. Much more than I remember. It moves very inconsistently. I think I need to do a couple bill drills to get my grip figured out again.

I learned a lot today, so it was a good practice.

Edited August 22, 2013 by CB45

[CB45]

FNS tonight was fun. The stages I designed ended up more difficult than I intended, woops... I used some minor ammo for this match. Open minor is like cheating!!! The gun ran well, but I felt like the slide was cycling really slow. That ammo will be great for steel matches.

Tomorrow setup for the USPSA match at ACC.

[CB45]

Today I learned that a flubbed classifier can loose the match. I experienced trigger freeze on the 6th shot, then I tried to make up the time by rushing the last six shots. That resulted in 3 mikes. My new strategy for classifiers is to treat them as A's that I need to help me win the match.

I did really well with stage execution until the last stage. I had a little bobble at the end. The first 4 field courses I executed just like I planned, which felt really good. So I'm happy with my progress. Excluding the classifier, I shot pretty good points. So that's something else to celebrate!

I'm not sure what I'll practice this week. I'm ready for the Illinois Match.

Edited August 26, 2013 by CB45

[CB45]

Practice last night with Chris I. was really good.

Drill 1: 4 position entry/exit drill with partial targets. I really felt comfortable with this drill. I felt like I had good timing with getting the gun up on target and aiming the shot seemed easy.

Drill 2: Shooting on the move with 4 partial targets. First run was felt uncomfortable. The idea of shooting partials on the move at 7 or so yards scared me at first. A couple runs later I was shooting at a pretty good pace with confidence. I wonder how far out I can push out the targets

Drill 3: Shooting on-the-move and setup drill. Shoot two targets on the move on the way to a position to setup for the other two targets. The last two targets were set up for a wide transition. Ill set up the same drill next practice, but turn to the right instead of left.

Something Ive wanted to say for a while. Ive spent the last 10 months working to build my shooting skills. I think Ive made big gains in that area, however I feel like I am suffering from a lack of experience in terms of shooting stages. Im becoming a firm believer that USPSA is about 33% shooting skills, 33% stage skills, 33% match skills. Since my USPSA debut April - 2012, Ive shot about 48 USPSA matches (about 300 stages). I am just now learning how to shoot a match. I know I have the skills required to shoot targets well, but that is not always translating into match results.

What makes USPSA different than other shooting sports is that shooting skills is only 1/3 of the challenge. Everyone learns at a different pace. I think I have developed my shooting skills faster than I have my Stage & Match Skills. This really intrigues me. How do I get better at the other 2/3?

Shooting Skills: Trigger pull, Stance, Grip, Draw, Reloading, Transitions, Movement

Stage Skills: Breakdown, Visualization, and Execution

Match Skills: Hydration, Nutrition, Mental Management, and Rulebook interpretation

Other things can get in the way for new shooters like gear confusion and reloading ammo. I was already reloading my ammo when I started this sport, so I didnt have those issues. I did however get caught up in a gear race. After shooting L-10 with my SS gun for a few months, I really though a new double stack Limited gun would make me better. In some ways it did, but I spent a lot of time getting the gun, ammo, and gear working. This is when I started learning how to be faster. I got addicted and thought Open would be even better, so I bought an Open gun. I have no doubt it is easier to be fast in Open than in other divisions, but it comes with a caveat. EVERYBODY else has the same advantages you do, so fast is relative.

I guess the whole point Im trying to make is that gear doesnt matter. Get a gun that you enjoy shooting that works 99% of the time and learn how to shoot! Learn raw shooting skills, learn how to shoot stages, and learn how to shoot a match. Those three things are not the same, but you need to do all three consistently well to do well at USPSA.

I have told many people that if I could do it again, I would buy a production gun and a lot of ammo components. I am kind of embarrassed that I spent so much time switching my gear around. I want to stay in Open, but I dont know if I can maintain an Open rig. They are expensive to setup, and expensive to fix when they break.

Ok on to something else. Im ready to shoot a major match. This weekend is the Illinois Section match, and I couldnt be more ready for it. This will be the first time I go to a Major by myself. So Ill be solely relying on everything Ive learned. I really view this as a test of my development. I think Chris K. is shooting this match as well, so well see if I am getting any better!

[Chris iliff]

Wow, I think you broke that down fairly well. I also think that you have worked your butt off getting to the Master level. Some people might not realize just how much work you have done. No one gets to Master the easy way, because there isn't an easy way IMO.

You spent all last summer and this summer dedicated to a live fire practice routine. In addition, you spent all winter dedicated to a DRYFIRE routine. When someone dedicates themselves, as you have done for the past year and a half, the outcome will be like yours.

Unfortunately, people take notice of the "rise", and they should, .....but they forget about the "work". People are weird.

I always felt that my rise through the classes was not very balanced. I mean, at some different points in my path I've been different things....... A beginner, a novice, a competitor, a sand bagger, a grand bragger, great at movement, crappy at movement, fast, slow, and just a schmo....

I don't feel like my skills developed evenly. In fact, I know they didn't. I still feel like my stand and shoot needs work. For a long time I moved better than my class. This I think is how it is for most of us. Things don't progress evenly. Just work on the lagging skills. Your strength today will become your weakness tomorrow. Just keep working.

Oh, stick with OPEN, it is the hardest division in which to make GM. Anybody that says different is the enemy, lol. And, I've had lots of people, over the years, say how easy the dot is, most of these asshats don't have a clue. What they have are EXCUSES for their laziness.

And you have proven that LAZY doesn't enter the equation.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Chris iliff

[JakeMartens]

I can tell you that local club performance and your classification doesnt mean a whole hell of a lot when you start hitting big matches and Area matches.

being king ding'aling at the local club level doesn't not translate very well most of the time at the big "shows"

consistent performance on each stage, shooting your match, understanding what you can and cannot do on a stage.

It is all about being able to shoot your match to the best of your ability for 10-12 whatever stages there are.

It is setting a goal for the match, whether it is too shoot 95% of the points, or to shoot it clean, or to win you classification and then giving the desired performance to achieve that goal.

My overall finishes in big matches is usually alot better than what people expect, but that is because I am going in with a crap load of big match experience, I know what I can and cannot not do when it comes to how I shoot. And I am only focused on one goal at a time. Sometimes that goal will change in a match, I may shoot the first stage and at the end of it realize that through the first stage I didn't see my sights or call one shot and then the next stage that becomes that stage's goal to really see and call each shot for example.

I never go to a stage and think oh I can push it here, or I should be able to do it this fast.......that is a disaster waiting to happen for me.

I let all that stuff go, I do not think about draw, transitions, foot speed, that stuff will just happen

getting a plan for the stage, burning it in, and executing it to how I shoot, you cannot try to think of all that other stuff and then shoot, just got to get to the point where that stuff happens, and if it doesn't you correct on the fly.

The other on big matches, if you are stressed out, worried about things, thinking too much then it isn't fun, if you bomb a stage and let it suck you down then you are not having fun. We are not out saving the world, we are playing cowboys and indians with cool guns and nice shirts, have fun

[rvb]

great discussion, fellas!

-rvb

[Chris iliff]

great discussion, fellas!

-rvb

I was actually hoping you would chime in with some words of wisdom. I have always appreciated your insights, I'm sure Chad would too.

[Racer377]

great discussion, fellas!

-rvb

I was actually hoping you would chime in with some words of wisdom. I have always appreciated your insights, I'm sure Chad would too.

+1 to that.

[CB45]

Well the Illinois match is over for me. Shot to the best of my ability, we will see how it stacks up. A couple of small errors, but no huge breakdowns. I'm pleased with my performance. It was a hot day, and I managed to keep my head and body in the game. That was a goal for me!

I'll post more details after the match is done, I got to fulfill my RO duties.

Edited August 31, 2013 by CB45