speed and accuracy

[Dewberry]

I just shot a major 3 gun match (texas multigun) and did pretty well (top 20% with strong competition). Going through the match I had the mind set of I'm going to make sure I get all my hits and don't go so fast that I miss anything or mess up and that's exactly what I did. I only missed 2 targets at 500 yards (I only had 55 grain ammo) and one target that I just had a brain fart on. Some of the steel it took me several shot to hit with pistol. But I would say at least half of steel was one shot.

I feel confident in my accuracy and want to start pushing my shooting speed faster. I'm in college so ammo money is very tight. My plan is to just go as fast as I safely can at some local matches over the next couple months and see how fast I can push before it starts to hurt my accuracy.

To the question. Would I be better to skip local matches and use the ammo for more of a practice session? Any suggestions to improve speed? Am I missing anything. I'm all ears. Thanks in advance for the help guys.

PS I'm not sure if this is the right spot for this, i put it in training techniques and got no replies.

[Dan Sierpina]

I'm old and slow, so take what you want from this. Matches will show you what you can do against other shooters under similar conditions. Practice will show what only the timer shows. I'd probably split the ammo funds, shoot as many matches as you can, but practice too. When practicing, don't run a drill 10 times and use the fastest time, shoot a stage cold as you would in a match. That's your time to count.

Practicing with a shooter at least at your level, preferably a higher level shooter will give you something to push for.

Long range speed, one shot, one target!

[Dewberry]

Thank you for the advice. Any specific drills you would suggest?

[Dan Sierpina]

It would depend greatly on the type of matches you are shooting. 3 Gun Nation style, pretty much anything you do with pistol, will translate well to the rifle. Matches like Rocky Mountain, more long distance. I'd spend a decent amount of time on off hand rifle, out to 200 yards. It will help with awkward positions, and marginal supports too. You get to learn what you can get away with in regards to your wobble zone.

[Dewberry]

I'm pretty comfortable on long range rifle. I need to work on my mid range rifle target transitions, I caught myself over swinging in this last match. I also want to keep getting better on pistol.

[Bryan 45]

Pistol practice is free- dry fire, dry fire, dry fire.

I've always found the experience of shooting matches much more beneficial towards improvement than any kind of practice. Shoot the local matches for practice.

[HRider]

As far as transitions go, dry fire practice with your rifle. I use the switchplate screws in the light switches around the house. They are small and require focus to find them and stop the rifle on them. I use them for pistol also.

Hurley

[ski_dog]

This may draw a chuckle, but I have been using our ceiling fans for dry fire practice at moving targets. You can also attach a string with a small cardboard IPSC target hanging off of it to shoot movers,...at least when the wife and kids are gone! Always remember to absolutely make sure all ammo is in another part of the house with dry fire practice of course.

[Daft]

You might be able to buy an airsoft pistol that is a copy of what you use for pistol.

[Dewberry]

Thanks guys. One of my goals for this summer is to shoot down and do some reading/research and make a dry for schedule for myself. I've looked into an airsoft gun but I'm still kinda on the fence. I'm not sure what it does much better than dry fire for the extra cost

[Dewberry]

Thanks guys. One of my goals for this summer is to shoot down and do some reading/research and make a dry for schedule for myself. I've looked into an airsoft gun but I'm still kinda on the fence. I'm not sure what it does much better than dry fire for the extra cost

[MarkCO]

Um, you can dry fire your rifle too...

[Shooter116]

Its hard to beat the practice you get shooting club matches. You get to watch and learn from others who have been doing it for a while and learn where your weak points are. Matches are way better than taking classes for sure. Don't waste the money on classes even from the top names. You will learn more shooting a big match than you ever will in a class.

[kurtm]

I've got to agree, you can sure fight through bad techniques and learn bad habits and become a good solid 60-70% shooter. Never waste time in a class, it is far better to be frustrated for 4-5 years.

[GunCat]

Coming from someone that does not get to practice as much as I would like or need to (seems I am shooting other people's guns a lot more than my own) a class with a good instructor is the quickest way to shorten the learning curve.

A match is fun...,but you only get limited trigger time and generally one chance to try your plan.

[JPeel]

I haven't had the benefit of taking a class, since there hasn't been one offered in my short history of three gunning in my area and I can't seem to get a response when I ask about upcoming class dates. What I have had the benefit of is shooting local matches with some damn good shooters, a couple of whom have been very helpful in their coaching. I was invited to train with them a few times last summer when I was about 6 months into this and the tips I gained from them were invaluable.

I know your situation because my son is in the same boat, except I provide ammo for him, he just has limited time for practice. Before TxMG we chose to skip our local March match and go train because he hadn't fired a shot since the end of February. What we do in practice is setup a stage and run it multiple times, videotaping each run and critiquing each movement, shot, transition, etc... We usually find that the transitions between guns, transitions between targets, and being ready to break that first shot immediately when we reach the shooting position, are the difference makers in our times. Obviously getting the hits is important and we don't go so fast that we miss too badly, but we push the boundaries of our shooting speed and see where we can speed up transitions. We practice/train at 100% speed, or more, then dial it back a good 10% or more at the match.

I'd suggest you get with one of your top shooters and ask if you can train with him a time or two. If done right, a couple of sessions could put you on a path for a big difference in your match scores. Shooting matches is great experience but I think you have to pick certain aspects of your game to work on in training in order to really improve. That being said, you can do a lot of work on transitions, being ready to shoot coming into the box, etc...without ever firing a shot.

TxMG was all about transitions and being ready to shoot as soon as you hit the port / box.

[Nimitz]

practice or matches ... ? One of the best shooters in the world has said "you're never going to win the Production Nationals by shooting twice a month". You don't try out new things or work on weaknesses at matches. You just shoot at whatever your current skill level is. If money is tight I would cut to only one match a month to be able to continue to access my progress and spend the rest of my time training ... as others have said dry fire is your friend. For every live fire round you send down range you should be doing 5 dry fire reps. Keep that up and you'll be plenty busy ....

[KY1911]

Shoot steel matches with a similarly configured .22LR AR. That's about the best close-in target to target transition practice you are going to get.