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Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

Has anyone gotten worse?


kcult

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Guilty as charged. In November 2012 my right shoulder started hurting. It got worse so I went to the doctor. Well he had great news. I had a full torn rotator cuff and would need surgery to fix it.

Hummmm, ending my shooting for four months and then back slowly.

I had been a AA in Steel Chalenge and was happy there at my age especially. I decided I want to start shooting a Glock. HAd many friends who did and they sung the the happiness. Ok, bought two. A Glock 17, and a 34 and started going down hill like on a slide of ice. I cannot shoot a glock. End of story. I have shot 1911 so long that it just does not fit me. Now,I am down to a C shooter I sold the glock and bought a S&W Pro. Things are much better now and should be back to AA very soon.

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Some would say I just need to practice, but I thought I had natural talent? I mean, what is so difficult about hitting a big ol’ piece of cardboard with a bullet? Besides, I’ve shot more in the last three years than I had the previous 25. That’s got to count for something, right?

How can I be getting worse and how do I turn this around? Is it mental? Is it the gun? Is it Obama’s fault?

The executive summary of my shooting experience is that I had a misspent youth in law enforcement starting at age 16 as a Police Explorer all the way up to pushing around a blue and white in my 20s as a sworn police officer. I learned to shoot as an Explorer (using Smith and Wesson revolvers so I will have an eternal soft spot for S&W) and as I progressed through my law enforcement career I increasingly was a better shooter. I was one of the better shots in my academy class and was one of the best shooters on my department. Life was good. I shot well.

I took about fifteen years off from shooting and then recently started up against after getting bitten by the action shooting bug. Turns out shooting was a perishable skill because I sucked at it when I started around January of this year. We're talking "tight" six inch groups at pretty much point blank range as I relearned how to do the fundamentals. I've got some of my mojo back and now I'm shooting nice tight groups...high and to the left. No matter which freakin' pistol I pick up, the red bullseye really has absolutely nothing to fear.

I'm going to take a local accuracy class at a local range next week to get some help in diagnosing the problem and getting it fixed. What I do know with metaphysical certitude from all of my experience is that shooting a pistol is hard. It's even harder when you're doing an action pistol sport, the magic buzzer just turned your brain to oatmeal, and a pack of people are watching you.

Please don't kick yourself because you are in a slump. It might be something easy like your pistol needs to be tweaked or maybe it's time to get with someone who is an instructor to just make sure there isn't something you have to tweak with your grip, stance, etc.

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  • 4 weeks later...

the amount of rounds you shoot has nothing to do with getting better ...

As a universal statement, the way you said it, this is not true. There is a point where pouring bullets at the problem will not help without some determination of what the problem is and how to fix it.

Go find a top GM who has not fired ALOT of ammo in practice to get where he is now. Amount of ammo is essential.

Not saying that you can't do it with less than myself or someone else, but no one walks out there, having never fired a pistol, and smashes sectionals, area, or nationals without having fired alot of practice ammo.

There are alot of things dry fire can do for you, I am not denying that. You have to reinforce that with live ammo.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

There is a lot of good info here. One other thing to consider is to take a couple lessons. I was very similar to you in experience. I've hunted all my life, enjoy shooting, was a gunners mate and small arms instructor in the navy, shot expert rifle and pistol......I don't need no stinking lesson, I know how to shoot! I just couldn't understand why I had plateaued and couldn't understand why I couldn't move forward. I broke down and took a lesson from a GM who teaches full time and WOW, we're my eyes opened. There was so much to learn that I was going home with information overload. I just couldn't process everything that I learned that day. How did I ever get by before? I have since taken many more lessons, most with pistol, but also with rifle and shotgun. Great lessons for 3gunners. The guy I work with is Larry Brown up in North Carolina. I recommend him if you are interested. You may have someone in your area that can help you out, but it's not to far to come up this way to "see the light".

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Your problem might be anything. Maybe you are going blind. Maybe you are just too old. Maybe you practice too much. Maybe you practice too little. Maybe you don't practice right. Maybe your friends are catching up. Anything, and you have heard them all in this thread.

Here is a question I notice that you have changed guns a couple of times while on the downward path. Do those guns fit you? I mean your old gun fit you like a glove. Maybe you ought to go back to the platform you were using, or at least something close to the Browning Hi Power. See if that doesn't help.

Edited by Bart Solo
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  • 3 weeks later...

I have been shooting matches since 1981, with limited access to a practice range, matches were my only

true practice. Made it to "B" class in every division, then advancement stopped. Today due to my age,

the eyes are gone, glasses are a necessity, so dot guns are easier. Started playing in OPEN again with

limited success.

I get someone to video me periodically and what I discovered was that my movement from

box to box was terrible, I could not believe how I moved compared to my 20 years younger shooting

partners. They can move like little cat squirrels! They give me examples of gaming the course and proper box movement.The game has changed since 1981.

They are critiquing my performances(brutally sometimes, the truth is hard to hear), but with their

coaching,I have gone back to shooting production division, I actually have better classifiers there

than any other division and according to the videos, I negotiated the courses better as well with a

production gun.

To make this story quick, shoot with people you know who are better than you, their suggestions and

examples can lead you to better scores,....oh, there is nothing you can do about the old age, as long asyou can make it to the matches and participate, that's a victory in itself!

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I too have noticed some regression in my shooting; when I was gearing up for our state match I was doing consistent live fire practice and more importantly lots of dry fire. Since then I haven't done too much of either and seen a noticable decline. (Of course 70-80+ hour work weeks mixed in with graveyard shifts don't help either lol :roflol: ).

The best and cheapest thing one can do to improve is to get a good structured dryfire program and follow it. Next you need a structured live fire practice regimen. If you do those two things as directed its hard not to progress. Best of all would be to take a class from a good instructor but that can be cost prohibitive.

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  • 1 month later...

Yes...I have found that because I shoot Three Gun, High Power, USPSA in Production and Open, and Bench Rest with the 338 Lapua...my mind can be pulled in many directions. And although Im having fun, I lack the focus on ONE discipline to really improve in vast amounts.

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I say "Lets blame it on Obama".

+1 for Obama.

+2!

Really, though, I was shooting frequently 2 years ago (over the course of a 1-year period) when I first started USPSA. I went from a D to a B-class but then due to work obligations, I went from shooting 3 matches a month to just 2 matches this past year. When I attempted to shoot at my "same level" I found that my break was massive in regards to my shooting. I was simply trying to keep up with how I used to shoot, and I was going way too fast.

I suspect like others, that you're just trying to shoot too fast and are not focusing on getting your hits. We all suffer from it, but those who manage it and train to overcome it, rise to the top. Especially for me shooting SS minor, it makes a BIG difference if you start missing targets and hitting no-shoots. You'll lose every time!

Edited by polizei1
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