Race to B Class with the odds stacked against me

[Lifeislarge]

So my best friend and closest competitor and I have placed a bet on the outcome of our personal race to B class. We're both C's and I've been beating him lately at our local matches. I took the last three months off and he continued to shoot (without me!!!) and isn't as cold as I am at the moment. So here's the rub... this weekend he gets himself a new Brazos Limited gun and takes two 5 hour lessons with a local GM. He is a man of means and is also bartering services with said GM. I"m happy with the way my Edge performs but his gun might shoot flatter. I'm not sure as I haven't shot it yet. He has Brazos tuned mags that are 20 rounds reloadable while mine are 18-19 reloadable. Some advantage there in equipment and resources.

I reload and if I can get my hands on some decent powder can probably make some pretty good ammo compared to what he's buying so I might get some sway there. He's asked me to load for him as well (he he) and if I was a less than scrupulous guy he'd get some pretty hot shit in the chamber but I'm not, so no help there. May just cry scarcity of components and see what that gets me. I also have time on my side. I am back to self-employment and have the ability to run around the house dry-firing or go to the range and practice live while he's at work.

So how do I overcome private lessons with a GM and (maybe) better equipment? I don't have the resources to do a lot of live fire practice and there's a lot of pride and dinner at Ruth's Chris on the line here. Never mind that C is simply unacceptable...

Edited June 3, 2013 by Lifeislarge

[Mikethor]

Dry fire practice and when you live fire shoot with people better than you. Do not worry about how your buddy is going.

[a matt]

Just because he took the class, he still has to practics what he was thought. Stay commeted to your workout. Don't let him in your head. He should get alittle slower before he gets better...

[RammerJammer]

Buy some 155gr bullets and get them going about 2800 fps for him... thats just me though.

[Lifeislarge]

Spent an hour last night just on draws and mag changes. Ordered a paddle mag release button as I really have to turn the gun just to hit the button. Don't know why I put this off for so long. Hope it comes with a damn screw.... Overall I'm happy with my draw and mag changes, but the acid test is always the first shot off the draw. Right now I'd say that one out five requires some sort of grip adjustment. Thinking about a thumb rest. Anyone with experience shooting Limited with the rest installed? Now if only I could either come up with a load that works well using Unique, or trade it for something else... Anyone want to trade 10lbs of powder?

[kosh79]

You can take all the classes in the world and it may still not help someone if they don't put forth the effort to become better.

It all comes down to how determined you are the gun this and that has little bearing over how the shooter can perform under stress.

just because he has a brazos gun and you have an edge( I also have an edge) doesn't mean too much in the way of shooter ability the gun is merely a tool.

Mags can give you a bit of an advantage 20 rds yeah its better than 18 in some light, but if you think about it that wont really hinder you unless you miss a bunch of steel on a stage.

Determination is going to be your deciding factor and who ever is more determined to achieve a goal that person no matter what tools are at his disposal will be able to achieve it.

I was just a c class shooter in limited, but I had a goal of getting b class and with a little work I was able to reach that goal fairly quick. When I moved to open div I didn't even want to see C class and made B on my first month of shooting open. Its all on you to make thisng happen.

As for my edge I am running a 13lb recoil spring and 4.7gr titegroup with a 180gr bullet at 1.185 C.O.L., and it shoots great I have never gotten to a match and said man he shoots a 5k custom built blah blah im going to loose.

Now get out and dry fire your arse off and practice techniques to beat his arse into the ground

Edited June 3, 2013 by kosh79

[a matt]

That the raw truth! I like it.

[kneelingatlas]

Thinking about a thumb rest. Anyone with experience shooting Limited with the rest installed?

I dig it; increases the feel of control during recoil.

Now if only I could either come up with a load that works well using Unique, or trade it for something else...

I like Unique especially for Production loads with a 124gn bullet. For Limited I just tested 200gn TC lead bullets loaded to 1.196" with 4.9gn of Unique averaging 835 through a 4.75" barrel for 167PF. Edited June 3, 2013 by kneelingatlas

[Lifeislarge]

Thinking about a thumb rest. Anyone with experience shooting Limited with the rest installed?

I dig it; increases the feel of control during recoil.

Now if only I could either come up with a load that works well using Unique, or trade it for something else...

I like Unique especially for Production loads with a 124gn bullet. For Limited I just tested 200gn TC lead bullets loaded to 1.196" with 4.9gn of Unique averaging 835 through a 4.75" barrel for 167PF.

I'm loading Zero 180 gr. JHP's with Federal SPP's to around 1.195. Will get a load put together this week if it kills me. Problem I'm having is getting the Unique to meter well on my 550. That and I don't trust my scale. Been trying to dial in 5.8 grains all morning but so far have about a .2 gr swing, usually on the high side. As long as I can trust it to consistently make major I don't really mind if there's a bit of a differential between PF.

As for drive, it's personal now and I really don't give a damn what kind of gun he has, I just want to win.

[kneelingatlas]

That's so weird about the 550, my buddy and I load on a 550 and it dropped exactly (obviously within +/- ~.02gn since we're using a beam scale) 4.9gn of Unique each time I checked (every tenth round).

Maybe we've just got the best 550 powder bar around!!!

Edited June 3, 2013 by kneelingatlas

[MikeRush]

So my best friend and closest competitor and I have placed a bet on the outcome of our personal race to B class. We're both C's and I've been beating him lately at our local matches. I took the last three months off and he continued to shoot (without me!!!) and isn't as cold as I am at the moment. So here's the rub... this weekend he gets himself a new Brazos Limited gun and takes two 5 hour lessons with a local GM. He is a man of means and is also bartering services with said GM. I"m happy with the way my Edge performs but his gun might shoot flatter. I'm not sure as I haven't shot it yet. He has Brazos tuned mags that are 20 rounds reloadable while mine are 18-19 reloadable. Some advantage there in equipment and resources.

I reload and if I can get my hands on some decent powder can probably make some pretty good ammo compared to what he's buying so I might get some sway there. He's asked me to load for him as well (he he) and if I was a less than scrupulous guy he'd get some pretty hot shit in the chamber but I'm not, so no help there. May just cry scarcity of components and see what that gets me. I also have time on my side. I am back to self-employment and have the ability to run around the house dry-firing or go to the range and practice live while he's at work.

So how do I overcome private lessons with a GM and (maybe) better equipment? I don't have the resources to do a lot of live fire practice and there's a lot of pride and dinner at Ruth's Chris on the line here. Never mind that C is simply unacceptable...

First of all, the odds are not stacked against you. You should realize that before you go any further. You have an Edge (both literally and figuratively) as you have been shooting that gun for some time now. The 1-2 round difference in mag capacity does not matter as far as classifiers are concerned and will almost never matter in a match (that being said, I used the FGW tuning instructions on the forum and a vice in my garage to get 21 in one of my mags). I refuse to accept that once a basic equipment minimum is met that equipment is the deciding factor in matches. I have a $700 Kimber that I tuned in my garage with a file and I have won a half dozen local matches with it, despite other shooters sometimes showing up with 2-3k customs. We have a Master shooter in our club that has occasionally won matches with 40 shooters overall using a single stack.

I would recommend Steve Anderson's dry fire book and routines if you do not already have it, and Lanny Bassham's With Winning in Mind. You should make the jump to C class in no time. Whatever you do don't get caught up in his game. The idea of matching or outrunning someone else cost me a couple of places at Area 1. Shoot your own match, as mentioned shoot with better shooters, and watch video of better shooters.

You also could try tuning your powder drop. I don't use unique, but I slicked up a drop following instructions for getting .223 powders to meter better and I get great results with the powders I use.

Edited to add:

Don't be hard on yourself about the C. Just practice, and shoot to your new level of ability, and it will come. I will jump to B in single stack this update, and need 1 more classifier to make B in limited. Dry fire is your friend!

Edited June 3, 2013 by MikeRush

[djthemac]

It all comes down to who wants it more.

You said you dry fired for an hour... thats great. Do that 5 times a week, and split it into 2 sessions so you can remain extremely focused while you do it. I am currently using the Mike Seeklander program and do draws M/W (sides/surrender/barricade etc) and reloads (all varieties) T/TH, Friday is specialized skills. Getting comfortable behind the gun will be paramount to improving.

If you have not purchased it already, get a hold of steve anderson's book "refinement and repetition"

http://www.amazon.com/Refinement-Repetition-Dry-fire-Dramatic-Improvement/dp/1930847769

while were on the subject, start listening to SA's podcast, besides the awesome information/advice/and guru abilities, Mr. Anderson is absolutely hilarious.

http://andersonshooting.libsyn.com/

One of my favorite podcasts was when SA covered the topic of "focus." He observed a recent match and saw shooters who had a ton of different "focii?" some people were concerned about their times, some people were concerned about their overall ranking, some were concerned about beating a specific competitor... all this stuff is worthless, in the grand scheme of things. You need to focus on yourself, and improving your fundamentals. When you shoot for any other reason, your body will start to add stress (imperceptibly to the conscious mind) causing your to pull shots, outrun your positions, and once you start blowing stages... watch out for the trainwreck that follows.

[Lifeislarge]

So another evening of dry fire running a draw/mag change drill with a 2 second par time. Results can be seen here.

I have it down to the draw, sight picture, mag change, sights. Still sloppy but it will get better.....

[djthemac]

what are your draw and reload times individually?

Edited June 4, 2013 by djthemac

[Lifeislarge]

what are your draw and reload times individually?

Don't know... Never timed them. I don't have anyone to practice with so I'll have to figure something out. I'm sure I can time my draw to first shot and my splits with the timer but other than that I'm in the dark. That and it's a crap free app on my iphone. I can't really justify spending the $100 to get a decent timer right now when things are kind of tight. Reloads are becoming pretty well ingrained in the muscle memory and I rarely botch one these days. My draw can definitely use some work and I could probably shave a few tenths off with it. Damn long gangly arms and high hips.

[SoCalNoMore]

I love friendly competition and that is why I love this sport so much. Short of loading some hots rounds for your friend, keep doing what you are doing with respect to your video. Master the draw and first shot along with the mag changes. He will not have the time invested like you do and this is where you can beat him. One big thing, don't let him in your head. As another poster stated, training with a GM is great, but if you don't follow that up with perfect practice, its all wasted time and money. Practice running and mag changes too. Lots of folks get hung up on that part.

Good luck and let us know the outcome.

[Jaxshooter]

20 rounds vs 18 or 19 is not really an advantage. How many stages have you shot that did not give you plenty of opportunities to reload without costing you time ?

[Lifeislarge]

20 rounds vs 18 or 19 is not really an advantage. How many stages have you shot that did not give you plenty of opportunities to reload without costing you time ?

There's been a couple stages that I can remember that were 22 shots total where if you had the one in the chamber and 21 behind it you could shoot it without a change. There's also stages that have less than 22 with some steel that the extra rounds give you a buffer (more mental than anything).

[a matt]

So another evening of dry fire running a draw/mag change drill with a 2 second par time. Results can be seen here.

I have it down to the draw, sight picture, mag change, sights. Still sloppy but it will get better.....

Just a thought, if you hold the gun out looking at the sights. Drop your weak hand bending at the elbow to the first mag. You should have a strait wrist. No crazy bends. That way you can point the mag into the magwell. Lay the mag holder down flatter. Hope this helps... Edited June 4, 2013 by a matt

[kneelingatlas]

20 rounds vs 18 or 19 is not really an advantage. How many stages have you shot that did not give you plenty of opportunities to reload without costing you time ?

My first match shooting Limited had two 22 round stages which I was the only Limited shooter to clear them without a reload. It felt pretty awesome to rack open the slide on an empty chamber.

Our MD likes to design stages where the shooter can choose to play it safe or push the envelope with no makeup shots or reloads. It's fun to hang it all out there knowing you're in for a standing reload if you screw up.

[kneelingatlas]

So another evening of dry fire running a draw/mag change drill with a 2 second par time. Results can be seen here.

I have it down to the draw, sight picture, mag change, sights. Still sloppy but it will get better.....

I noticed you didn't touch any mags but the front one until the very end, I don't have enough experience to tell you that's good, bad or indifferent; just something I noticed. I run through all the mags on my belt, just to make sure the 'hunt for mag' mode comes automatic without any delay.

[Lifeislarge]

So another evening of dry fire running a draw/mag change drill with a 2 second par time. Results can be seen here.

I have it down to the draw, sight picture, mag change, sights. Still sloppy but it will get better.....

I noticed you didn't touch any mags but the front one until the very end, I don't have enough experience to tell you that's good, bad or indifferent; just something I noticed. I run through all the mags on my belt, just to make sure the 'hunt for mag' mode comes automatic without any delay.

Funny you should say that. In matches for some reason my go to mag is the 2nd (middle) one. I need to move my bels around during practice and see where things make sense. OR I could just train myself to grab and go the way they are. I'll run through the entire belt over and over until I can do a perfect run.

[djthemac]

So another evening of dry fire running a draw/mag change drill with a 2 second par time. Results can be seen here.

I have it down to the draw, sight picture, mag change, sights. Still sloppy but it will get better.....

I noticed you didn't touch any mags but the front one until the very end, I don't have enough experience to tell you that's good, bad or indifferent; just something I noticed. I run through all the mags on my belt, just to make sure the 'hunt for mag' mode comes automatic without any delay.

Funny you should say that. In matches for some reason my go to mag is the 2nd (middle) one. I need to move my bels around during practice and see where things make sense. OR I could just train myself to grab and go the way they are. I'll run through the entire belt over and over until I can do a perfect run.

I used to do that as well, when I first got my limited set up and was allowed more freedom to place mag pouches. I also primarily practice reloads from the mag that is 12:00 on my belly as this seems to be the shortest distance mag change. I have not found any stages at a local match over 35 rounds so it made sense to me at that time to practice drawing from the one [and possibly] only mag pouch necessary. However, after botching and dropping a few mags, I have made the commitment to practice reloads from all the mag pouches that I have.

Also something to consider, most experienced shooters align their index finger along the front "spine" of the magazine almost touching the bullet tip with their off hand to steer the mag into the magwell. From the video it looks like you are primarily grabbing from the basepad of the magazine. Have you experimented with this at all? The steep cant of the mag angle in your pouches may be prohibiting the front index finger grip

Edited June 4, 2013 by djthemac

[kosh79]

I know I'm just a scrub and your draw isn't bad but...

1 stop looking at the ground. Your eyes should be on your first target or where your moving to for your first firing position

2 try moving your non firing hand toward your holster and get your grip earlier in your draw it may give you that 10th of a second faster and the name of this game is shave time where ever possible.

I can't really see your reloads they are too fast for my eyes:p don't just grab the basepad try slinging your index finger down that sucker as someone said it'll halo align the mag in your gun a touch faster

You'd probably beat me arse in a match keep up that good work it'll pay off

[carlosa]

I know I'm just a scrub and your draw isn't bad but...

1 stop looking at the ground. Your eyes should be on your first target or where your moving to for your first firing position

2 try moving your non firing hand toward your holster and get your grip earlier in your draw it may give you that 10th of a second faster and the name of this game is shave time where ever possible.

I can't really see your reloads they are too fast for my eyes:p don't just grab the basepad try slinging your index finger down that sucker as someone said it'll halo align the mag in your gun a touch faster

You'd probably beat me arse in a match keep up that good work it'll pay off

This are some good points, thanks for saving me the typing..

One thing I would add is..

You have not really taken the time to figure out what the most "effortless" way of reloading and drawing is...

Instead, you are going as fast as you can, hoping you will eventually get smoother..

That in my opinion doesn't work that well sense it keeps you from learning proper technique..

Instead I would suggest that when you are dry fireing you alternate between match speed and some slower speed that allows you to feel what an effortless draw/reload feel like.

At this speed your actions should still be one fluent motion, but you should be able to feel every step of the process, allowing you to remove wasted movement and accessibe stress..

When you switch to match speed chase the feeling of effortlessness from your slower reps..

Key is take time to learn the technique first, and them learn to perform it subconsciously, it should not feel "fast" it should feel easy..

Were you aiming at something while dry fireing, or just looking for random sight picture?

Often dry fireing with a par time will make you cheat..

And not be disiplined enough to actually break and see a quality shot..

I would suggest that you remove part time from from your practice..

And focus on achiving effortless execution, leading to perfect sight alignment sight picture.

Good luck man