Rpcruab's Range Diary

[rpcruab]

I am relatively new to the shooting world, having bought my first pistol last year. I joined our local club and began competing a few months after. I thought I was shooting fairly well for a beginner...until I started attending larger matches at nearby clubs. I have decided to make a serious effort to improve, and figured I would start a range diary to track my progress. I purchased a USPSA membership last week and should receive a card/number soon. My current goal is to progress to A class. Just purchased a Contour Roam helmet cam, (which I have mounted to my hearing protection), and will try to post videos of matches/training sessions as they come up.

I went to the range after work today to calibrate the new camera, and worked on "double tap/reload/double tap". I noticed that my 2nd shot each group, was significantly lower than the first (around 6"). I also realized that my rubber Hogue grip is quite slippery in the blazing heat with sweaty palms. I originally purchased the Hogue grip to increase the size of the grip, as the stock XDM grip felt slightly undersized, (specifically: thin), in my large hands. I am now contemplating a stippling job/grip tape in place of the Hogue. I figured I should take the time to readjust to the stock grip before I become irreversibly attached to the idea of an over-sized, ergonomic, rubber grip. What do you folks think?

Short term to do list: Buy BE's book, work on grip issue

Edited July 17, 2012 by rpcruab

[daves_not_here]

Congrats on being a card-carrying member.

The low second shot sounds like something I do sometimes. Some people call it a "flinch" which I think is a little too general.

Try putting snap-caps randomly in your magazines. If you pull the trigger on a snap cap and the muzzle dips you may be anticipating recoil or slapping the trigger.

I've found these charts useful shot analysis thread

Next, buy Brian's book and read through it. Keep it around and read again because over time the same words say something different.

DNH

[rpcruab]

Thanks for the feedback! I have found myself flinching occasionally in the past, I will have to tape myself and review in slow-mo if possible. I am ordering Brian's book this week, and will certainly check out the charts you linked. Thanks again!

Edited July 17, 2012 by rpcruab

[rpcruab]

Going out for a sunrise range session in a few. I am going to work on strong hand, weak hand, (two of my great weaknesses), draw/fire/reload/fire, and 25 yard accuracy. I will be testing out the new helmet cam, and will try to post footage after work. I will be using paper plates as a center mass, although I suppose it will be hard to track misses.

[rpcruab]

Had a nice (quick) session this morning before work. Also had a chance to test out the head cam, even though I forgot to turn it on until my last 2 drills.

I started weak hand and shot 3 mags, 4 rounds each. Shot from about 10 yards. Grouping was decent, despite pulling a few completely off the plate. I landed 9 out of 12 shots. A personal issue that reared it's ugly head, is my lack of confidence when shooting weak hand. Drawing with strong hand and transitioning to weak hand feels extremely "sketchy" to me. I have to maneuver the process at a very slow speed, otherwise I won't feel safe/responsible. Any tips?

I then transitioned into strong hand, 3 mags, 4 rounds each, which seemed easy in contrast to the weak hand failure. I drew and fired at a reasonably quick pace and only pulled one shot of the plate, (still a bummer). Hit 11 out of 12.

Next was draw/fire/reload/fire. I loaded 8 mags with one round each, and shot 4 separate "strings". I only had one major issue, which was a fumbled reload, followed by a pulled shot. I wish that I would of had the camera on at that point, to see what happened with the horrible reload.

I finished off the day with a 10 round slow fire at 25 yards, which was grouped poorly and missed the plate once. I also did a random 8 round drill: 5 shots from 25 yards, reload, advance and fire 3 times beginning at 7 yards, which was also grouped poorly, but all hit the paper. I did record the last two (for better or for worse), and noticed that I rise to target before each shot on the first clip. Not sure how to properly analyze everything yet, but I suppose I will start to catch on.

I will be shooting a local match tomorrow, which I am going to film. I also joined IDPA tonight, and will be shooting an IDPA match at The Hollidaysburg Sportsmens Club (WPA15) this Saturday.

Anywho, here's is the horrible test video.

EDIT: I guess I don't have enough approved post to post a video yet? Guess I'll have to wait.

Edited July 18, 2012 by rpcruab

[rpcruab]

Shot two matches since my last post. Shot a local "match" Wednesday, which was super rainy. Due to the weather and poor attendance, they decided to only set up one stage consisting of steels. We each shot the stage 4 times, and I managed to place 2nd overall. I also shot the fastest string of the night! Two firsts for me. Saturday, I shot an IDPA match in Hollidaysburg, PA (also rainy as hell). Not sure how I placed, as the scores haven't been posted yet. I felt as though my performance was sub-par Saturday. After reviewing my head cam videos, I realized there was a large amount of time lost on transitions, tactical reloads, and miscounted rounds. I shot fairly accurately, with the exception of one stage, which I bombed (missed two head shots). At least I didn't have any penalties, non-hits, FTN's or the like. Once I have enough posts to post video, I will put up the match videos for review, and hopefully, some advice.

Practice goals for the week: transitions/tactical reloads!

[rpcruab]

Since my last post, I've had the pleasure of shooting two more matches. The first was at Castlewood Rod & Gun Club's Saturday USPSA match. I had never been there before, and found out they were shooting a multigun match. The folks there were great, and told me I could shoot all but one stage exclusively pistol. Had a great time but didn't get scored. Felt as though I preformed OK. The next day (yesterday) was Lewistown Pistol Club's IDPA. Boy did I SUCK! Or at least it felt like I was doing everything wrong. They held a classifier after the general match, which I have never shot, and I managed to barely squeeze into ESP SS. Anywho, felt good to get some trigger time in, and the stages at both clubs were a blast!

Saturdays scores (I am Ryan Chandler in 10th) RESULTS

[daves_not_here]

Ryan,

Looks like you've got the important stuff: "...both clubs were a blast". Is there anything else more important? (except for safety)

You shot the last stage clean and another with -3. Not a bad showing.

Did you learn something and do you have an idea on what to work on?

The nice thing about the shooting sports is that no matter how talented you are you still have to work at it like the rest.

One thing I've been told "Transitions and reloads win a match. Splits just sound fast."

DNH

[rpcruab]

Ryan,

Looks like you've got the important stuff: "...both clubs were a blast". Is there anything else more important? (except for safety)

You shot the last stage clean and another with -3. Not a bad showing.

Did you learn something and do you have an idea on what to work on?

The nice thing about the shooting sports is that no matter how talented you are you still have to work at it like the rest.

One thing I've been told "Transitions and reloads win a match. Splits just sound fast."

DNH

Safety and having fun have been constants among the variables so far. I have been recording my last few matches with a head cam, and hope to spot issues through review. A few things I did notice from Sundays match: I lost track of round count/reloads on a few stages, I was making up a few unnecessary shots, I was dropping the pistol after some shots to check shot placement (I have never done that before), and I shot with a generally slow pace (transitions/DRAWS!/reloads were slower than usual). I posted a video of the match under "video training tips" to see if I could pick up some tips. As I stated in that thread, "I seemed out of focus all day." I suppose I could post the video here as well.

Edited July 31, 2012 by rpcruab

[daves_not_here]

Ryan,

Definitely keep the gun up. That has been working for me lately. Things seem to flow easier. The gun, especially the sights, always being in the center of my field of view probably helps. Don't really care to analyze why but it works.

It may be the camera angle but a couple times it looks like you were a little late getting the support hand on the gun. This is another thing that I'm working on.

You've got some nice props to shoot.

DNH

Edited August 1, 2012 by daves_not_here

[rpcruab]

Ryan,

Definitely keep the gun up. That has been working for me lately. Things seem to flow easier. The gun, especially the sights, always being in the center of my field of view probably helps. Don't really care to analyze why but it works.

It may be the camera angle but a couple times it looks like you were a little late getting the support hand on the gun. This is another thing that I'm working on.

You've got some nice props to shoot.

DNH

Thanks for the advice DNH! I definitely had an issue keeping the gun up that day. Didn't even notice the late support hand until you had pointed it out! TIME FOR PRACTICE! The props there were neat. First time I had been to that club, and plan on returning. Thanks again for the pointers!

Edited August 1, 2012 by rpcruab

[rpcruab]

Shot a local USPSA match yesterday and felt a bit better about my performance. Placed 1st in my division, and 5th overall. Only recorded 1 (2 string) stage. Still had a bit of trouble keeping the gun up, specifically during reloads, which seems to be a new issue that reared its ugly head. Here is the video if anyone would like to tear it apart. Obviously, I had a wee bit of trouble with the texas star.

Edited August 2, 2012 by rpcruab

[rpcruab]

Shot a local match last night. Seemed as though there were no improvements or breakthroughs this week. Placed 1st in my division and 7th overall. Also excited about the 5.11 vest I should be getting in the mail this week! Hoping it will work well for IDPA, as I registered for my first two sanctioned IDPA tournaments recently.

Here is a run from yesterdays match

Edited August 9, 2012 by rpcruab

[rpcruab]

Had a blast shooting an IDPA match Saturday. Felt as though my performance slowly declined throughout the match, however, the results were surprisingly good for me: 1st place ESP SS and 8th overall! For some reason I was listed as shooting ESP SS, when in reality, I am an ESP MM. Anyone have any ideas as to why this would happen? Here is a link to the scores: SCORES

3/6 stages:

[daves_not_here]

ESP SS - Maybe because you rock?

Good job.

DNH

[rpcruab]

ESP SS - Maybe because you rock?

Good job.

DNH

Thanks, DNH!

Did you notice any specific issues I should be working on from the video?

[daves_not_here]

Ryan,

I'll admit my bias on what I'm currently working on since that's where my current attention is focused.

I like how you came around that last barricade. Having the gun pointed towards the target even through the barricade has improved my times. You also had the guy up in your vision. I'm trying to stop the habit of lowering the gun. It's wasted motion because you just have to bring it back up again. wasted motion = wasted time.

I'm also trying to keep my gun up for reloads. It might be the angle but it looks like you're dropping your gun a bit. I've been trying to keep the gun in my "workspace". The intent is that the gun stays in the line of sight of the target. Re-acquiring the sights would be faster. Also, defensively you haven't taken your eyes off the bad guy.

What kind of camera are you using? The images are clear and videos look smooth. Definitely a valuable tool.

DNH

[rpcruab]

Ryan,

I'll admit my bias on what I'm currently working on since that's where my current attention is focused.

I like how you came around that last barricade. Having the gun pointed towards the target even through the barricade has improved my times. You also had the guy up in your vision. I'm trying to stop the habit of lowering the gun. It's wasted motion because you just have to bring it back up again. wasted motion = wasted time.

I'm also trying to keep my gun up for reloads. It might be the angle but it looks like you're dropping your gun a bit. I've been trying to keep the gun in my "workspace". The intent is that the gun stays in the line of sight of the target. Re-acquiring the sights would be faster. Also, defensively you haven't taken your eyes off the bad guy.

What kind of camera are you using? The images are clear and videos look smooth. Definitely a valuable tool.

DNH

It doesn't feel like I'm lowering my gun, but rather pulling it in. As you stated, the camera angle does make it seem as though I'm lowering my gun quite a bit. I should probably set the camera to the side of me next time, so I can see what exactly is happening during reloads. Thanks for the input!

To answer your question regarding the camera, I use a Contour Roam mounted to my hearing protection.

[rpcruab]

My Comp-Tac pro competition kit for IDPA arrived in the mail today! I had the pleasure of breaking in the new gear at a local match tonight. They ran an IDPA classifier practice, and I shot a bit better than the real classifier I shot a couple weeks ago. Ended up with 121.67 (ESP SS), which was about 17 seconds faster than the last classifier I shot. Didn't bring my head cam, so no analysis this time. It seems as though I just can't shoot accurately when I am running the classifier, but at normal matches, I am much more accurate (even though I am shooting faster) Maybe I am trying too hard...

[rpcruab]

Correction on the classifier: 121.28 lol

Just recieved BE's book!

[jswitt99]

Looks pretty solid to be new to shooting. Reloads looks consistant from here.

[rpcruab]

Looks pretty solid to be new to shooting. Reloads looks consistant from here.

Thanks!

[rpcruab]

What a day! Drove out to shoot an IDPA match at Pitcairn-Monroeville Sportsmen's Club, which turned out to be awesome! A lot of firsts for me today: shot from a vehicle, shot from prone, shot a zero down stage, and shot 3 hostages. My performance had its ups and downs, however, I think I learned more today than ever before. I'm looking forward to checking out the scores when they are posted. Only recorded a few of the stages, (couldn't remember to turn the darn camera on), but I suppose it's better than no footage.

Edited August 26, 2012 by rpcruab

[daves_not_here]

What did you learn?

DNH

[rpcruab]

What did you learn?

DNH

Honestly, I think I learned more about myself and the way I approach shooting more than anything else. The first stage that day was my worst. I was running through a million things in my head, and was over analytical before, during, and after the run. I was so "in my head", that when I was actually shooting the stage, my actions were mirroring my thoughts, and my thoughts were hindering my ability to shoot smoothly and follow through. After that run, I moved on, relaxed, planned out how I would execute the next stage, and just shot the damn thing. I didn't think about how poorly I the last stage, how I needed to make up time on the current stage, or how fast the other shooters seemed. I actually didn't think about much of anything. I ended up shooting first place overall on that stage with zero downs, and received a few compliments. I didn't shoot quite as well for the remaining stages, but still preformed much better than the first stage after that shift in consciousness. I also seemed to enjoy myself more when I let my mind rest. I am not a very intellectual person, and it is hard for me to put into words exactly what that mental shift entailed, but I am having fun trying to figure it out. I believe that I will begin to discover more about myself as I allow it. I am super stoked that I finally picked up Brian's book, as it has already helped me to open up my mind to a different way of thinking about shooting. I also realized how limitless our ability to learn and improve can be. The road to better shooting has never seemed as long and daunting as it has the past couple days, and at the same time, I have never been as excited about the process. I certainly observed a few technical/mechanical/physical errors yesterday, which I believe I can improve on...but self observation and just the way I observe things took the cake this time.

BTW: Scores were posted from yesterdays match. I ended up 1st place ESP MM, and 5th place overall! I also has the 2nd lowest number of downs! Unfortunately, I hit 3 non-threats and had 1 procedural. Pleasantly surprised with the results though!

Edited August 28, 2012 by rpcruab