First Action Pistol match tomorrow. Panic? Panic.

[Highwayman]

Back in January, I dusted off my pistol after years of disuse to get ready for Illinois concealed carry. A couple months later, I stopped by this Action Pistol group to see what they were up to. Took a class on holster draw and handling, went to a few drill nights. Well, looks like the drill night I always go to has been taken off the calendar because of a range issue. I asked about how I could be able to still eventually get the nod to compete a few months from now in the group's IDPA and USPSA matches...And was promptly told I was good to go, and there was an opening in the IDPA match tomorrow night. Was told to read over the rules and handbook, and 'see ya' on the range'.

..And now I'm...competing? Tomorrow? I've spent this evening switching between dry fire, movement drills, and pacing the room debating if I should back out based on nerves alone. My goal? Finish the night without being DQed for safety infractions. I'll be on the line with classified competitors using custom guns, and I'm a 23 year old with a police surplus Glock and gear from eBay who found out he was doing this the night before.

Any general suggestions for mindset, match etiquette, or simply staying sane as I take the plunge?

[StraightUp_OG]

ROCK THAT GLOCK!!!!

Go have fun and don't panic but relish in the adrenaline! Your goals are right on point just let everyone know you are a NooB and they won't let you fail. Get in a routine before the beep and do it for every stage. Maybe a little mantra, "safe, focus, sight picture, trigger control and muzzle awareness".

I remember my first time. Loved that feeling so have fun!

Edited June 17, 2014 by StraightUp_OG

[swhiteh3]

You already know exactly what your goals are for going to this match, which is perfect. Go to the match, have fun, and learn. Relax and don't let the pace you see in other shooters affect you or your performance at all. Enjoy your first match!

-Scott

[LilBunniFuFu]

Safety first, score later. You have many years to be a classified competitor with a custom gun. Just be safe and enjoy it, you are going to learn quite a bit.

[Highwayman]

20th place out of 23 competitors. Can't complain, can only get better from here.

[StraightUp_OG]

Nice!

Did you have fun and what did you take away?

[Highwayman]

I was so hyped up during the second stage...I realize now I was not looking at the front sight and was just point shooting, even after all the dry fire. Need to be able to see the visible front sight as being critical to the shot being fired, drill that in somehow. I was hugging the cover walls very closely rather than maneuvering around them. Need to cut the pie more, grasp that kind of turning. Was allowed to go without a cover garment, still used a thin over shirt nonetheless.

[StraightUp_OG]

Adrenaline ROCKS! It will get easier to control but a good pre-shot routine will help with that and help trigger the shooting mind. (Pun intended)

For movement, study Rob (TGO) on you tube. Sight picture is all about dry fire. Visualize it when you can't shoot or dry fire. Buy and read/listen to Brian's book.

Last, shoot every match you can and keep having fun!

[lawboy]

Try USPSA if you enjoyed the adrenaline rush of IDPA. It is like going from stock racing to Formula 1.

Stay in the sport and grow. And, WELCOME!

[LilBunniFuFu]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Welcome to the addiction.

[Steve Anderson]

This is one of my favorite topics.

You're panicking about the match because you don't know (or haven't decided) what you're supposed to do when you get there, which means you're afraid you'll make the wrong choice, do the wrong thing and realize the shooter's ultimate fear: Looking bad in front of your peers.

The irony is, all this mental chatter is guaranteed to result in poor performance. Inconsistent thought can only produce inconsistent shooting.

The solution: a job for your conscious mind that is always achievable. This guarantees success and is very calming.

[hercster]

My priorities are always safety, fun and fellowship. Do not underestimate the value of the third. Shooters are very supportive people. If you shoot with the same people often, you are almost guaranteed to be adopted by someone who enjoys mentoring. If someone does attach to you, often the others will back off and that's good as too many cooks aren't a good. You will develop your own preferences in time. I focus on getting my "hits" knowing that speed will come. You will screw up. That is guaranteed. When you do, try to flush your mind and move on. Focusing on errors will lead you to the next one. I've been known to panic and when that happens chaos is guaranteed. Be safe, get your hits and have fun!

[Highwayman]

Just had my third match a few nights ago, still struggling quite a bit. Can't help but shake the point shooting twitches, still having an occasional malfunction that has driven me to get my gun looked at, a infraction early on can shake my psyche for the rest of the night. I give my local club a lot of credit, I'm out there bumbling and wasting their time while they're waiting to practice for the state qualifiers. Some occasional good input comes by, but for the most part there's that silence and pacing as I wait for my next round. I lost a month of training to job hunting, now getting back into the swing with the dry fire book written by some guy named Steve Anderson (Oh look...He posted in this thread, this is like finding out Tom Hanks watched your junior high theater production).

On the plus side, while it still spurns me with a jam or magazine issue, developing a feel for my weapon has been an odd experience. My old Glock has shifted from looking like a piece of surplus equipment, to something that my hands belong around like a golf club or steering wheel. While I'm still a terrible shot (only person of the night who couldn't hit the small steel target in a stage), the mandatory safety precautions have given me an awareness of firearms that very few civilians are ever able to develop. I'm starting to notice how competitors pick up pistols compared to Joe down the street, and I have to thank this sport for making me a safer gun owner.

[elguapo]

Sounds like you're well on your way. I like how you are analytical and self critical, in a good way. You will improve, that is guaranteed.

What's up with your Glock? What model do you have? Can you be a little more specific about the problems you are having?

I am sure there's a wealth of knowledge about Glocks here and someone will be able to help you trouble shoot and fix the gun so it runs reliably.

[Graham Smith]

Any general suggestions for mindset, match etiquette, or simply staying sane as I take the plunge?

As a match director, I spend the first 3-4 hours of match day managing the controlled chaos of coordinating everything to see that the stages get setup and registration gets done and solving problems, etc etc. By the time I get everything running and can start to think about actually shooting, I'm often so wired that settling down is nearly impossible and my shooting suffers as a result.

The only thing you should be thinking about is the stage in front of you. Take your time, shoot carefully, and above all, enjoy yourself. You are there to have fun. If you are wound up so tight you squeak when you move, then you won't shoot well and won't have fun.

[Highwayman]

It's a Gen 3 G17, right off a deputy's belt who sold it to me when he wanted to upgrade to a 34. It occasionally double fed, the mag wouldn't seat correctly even after a smack, etc. It was always thoroughly cleaned and maintained by its former owner and I kept the tradition by cleaning it after every range trip, but it wasn't until I detail stripped it last Wednesday that it was fully cleaned out. I kept wanting to find a Glock armorer, until I just got frustrated and youtube-stripped it. Even after all those cleanings, I had two rags covered in ancient grime and green oxidation that had covered the return spring. When I got the extractor off, I was so shocked at the buildup underneath it I had to take a picture of it. No parts seem to be damaged, but there were quite a lot of shiny spots where things were simply getting worn out. I was under the impression that the owner had upgraded it with an extended mag release and a 3.5 connector...but checking the parts, he must have been mistaken as it uses the stock 5 pound connector and a standard release. It's twenty five dollars in new parts I can replace myself, my next paycheck will hopefully have room for those. My bigger concern was that the return spring was completely green, but once I scrubbed it off it seems to be a stable dull grey with the finish rubbed off. May toss in a new spring just to play it safe, heard somewhere that replacing it after 2,000 rounds is recommended and I'm guessing this one was from the factory. It seems every hidden pocket that I'd never noticed before was caked in old powder, once I got it back together even racking the slide felt cleaner and had a more distinctive sound. Louder and clearer trigger break. Still need to fire it to make sure it's intact and see how it feels. This is also my carry weapon, so don't expect any race gun modifications. This is my only handgun to my name, I carry it and compete with it because it's what I have until I get a better job, simple as that. Will keep you all updated if there are any further issues, I'm only using factory parts as a rule so that should hopefully narrow things down.

[elguapo]

It's a Gen 3 G17, right off a deputy's belt who sold it to me when he wanted to upgrade to a 34. It occasionally double fed, the mag wouldn't seat correctly even after a smack, etc. It was always thoroughly cleaned and maintained by its former owner and I kept the tradition by cleaning it after every range trip, but it wasn't until I detail stripped it last Wednesday that it was fully cleaned out. I kept wanting to find a Glock armorer, until I just got frustrated and youtube-stripped it. Even after all those cleanings, I had two rags covered in ancient grime and green oxidation that had covered the return spring. When I got the extractor off, I was so shocked at the buildup underneath it I had to take a picture of it. No parts seem to be damaged, but there were quite a lot of shiny spots where things were simply getting worn out. I was under the impression that the owner had upgraded it with an extended mag release and a 3.5 connector...but checking the parts, he must have been mistaken as it uses the stock 5 pound connector and a standard release. It's twenty five dollars in new parts I can replace myself, my next paycheck will hopefully have room for those. My bigger concern was that the return spring was completely green, but once I scrubbed it off it seems to be a stable dull grey with the finish rubbed off. May toss in a new spring just to play it safe, heard somewhere that replacing it after 2,000 rounds is recommended and I'm guessing this one was from the factory. It seems every hidden pocket that I'd never noticed before was caked in old powder, once I got it back together even racking the slide felt cleaner and had a more distinctive sound. Louder and clearer trigger break. Still need to fire it to make sure it's intact and see how it feels. This is also my carry weapon, so don't expect any race gun modifications. This is my only handgun to my name, I carry it and compete with it because it's what I have until I get a better job, simple as that. Will keep you all updated if there are any further issues, I'm only using factory parts as a rule so that should hopefully narrow things down.

The detail strip and clean should avoid problems and it sounds like it was overdue but I don't think the dirt is the cause of your issues.

Double feed and hard to seat mags are typically caused by the same thing: magazine feed lips that have spread open more than they should.

I suggest you mark your magazines somehow so that you can start tracking which mag is in the gun when a double feed or a difficult to seat mag comes along. I bet you will soon find out that it's always the same one or two mags causing the problem.

As soon as you find out which it is, throw it away and buy a new one.

I do happen to have four G17 mags that I don't need sitting around.......

[Highwayman]

I have three previously used ten-rounders I got off Ebay for as cheap as possible. I also have the two 17 rounders the gun came with, I typically carry those so I sometimes empty out the hollow points and use them for range practice. There is a very, very good chance deformation may have been present and could have caused said issues...Starting to see my penny pinching catching up with me. Will mark the mags and test them at the range. If you're interested in freeing up your safe we can PM about a price, may have to wait until my next paycheck but I'd rather buy used from a competitor who knows gear than from ebay users who may have been using them as couch legs.

Edited September 22, 2014 by Highwayman