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AlphaCharis' PewPew Life


AlphaCharis

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Well, it's a new year, guess I should stop procrastinating and just start my range diary.

#pewpew past

I've been shooting USPSA since February 2014. Before USPSA I had only picked up a gun a little over a year before. I started with shooting at my range's Falling Plate matches and then Steel Challenge. What looked really interesting to me was runnin' and gunnin', but I didn't feel confident enough to shoot on the move. The USPSA safety class was finally held on a different day than Falling Plate (which I couldn't bring myself to skip) so I took the class and shot my first match with my stock Taurus 24/7, one double mag pouch, and my back pockets - and was totally hooked. I shot a classifier match the following month with my husband's XDm 5.25 with PRP trigger. He hasn't shot "his" gun since. I was classified as D.

I made C class in July - it would have been from my classifier score that month, but I got a letter in the mail saying my Area 1 score bumped me up. I basically continued to shoot falling plate and fun steel and one USPSA match a month until September of that year. I was rear-ended in a car accident that month, which moved three ribs out of place and gave me bad whiplash. I wasn't able to shoot very much for about five months. I still tried and got some shooting in. Around May 2015, I was feeling a bit stronger, and started shooting more matches. In October I made B class.

#pewpew goals

Now that I am B class, I would really like to be more disciplined. I haven't practiced up until now; I know that if I just go to matches for fun I will be stuck in B class forever - and I really want to make Master! A friend encouraged me to start a range diary, so my hope is that a journal will help me get into the habit of practicing and being more deliberate in shooting. It will also be encouraging to look back on and see the progress that I made. Another goal is to get in better physical shape and strengthen my back. Keeping track will help me stay on track. And always.... #aimharder!

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I was going to make an intro for my match videos a few months ago, but ended up putting together some clips from different matches I've been to: Fun Steel (Steel Challenge style), Multi-gun, USPSA, Speed steel, Outlaw Hoser Matches, and a Shoot-Off.

#pewpew screw-ups

Oh, and added a few of my screw ups. One was - I was just told I shot from a position that was NOT a shooting box, and incurred a penalty. Another I went to shoot a target and realized I forgot to step on a pad in the beginning to activate the target - then after the stage I was still kicking myself for it. And the last clip is from when I shot a barrel on my last shot of the stage which put me at slide lock.

#pewpew lessons learned

I hope to not repeat any of these mistakes. #1 - read the stage briefing. This solves a bunch of problems. #2 - when you visualize a stage, don't forget to visualize not just the targets you will be shooting, but the activators. #3 - give myself a little more room to shoot, take that extra step back for a view of the whole target.

Edited by AlphaCharis
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I feel since I started out shooting with steel, this is one of my stronger points, however, shooting IS a perishable skill. I went to a falling plate match in August after not having shot one for about five months - and I totally sucked! Felt like it was 5 yards farther than I usually shoot, but it wasn't. I've gotten in a little more steel practice since then and feel like I'm improving.

#aimharder

One thing I need to work on is THE LAST PIECE OF STEEL - I get excited about transitioning to the next array and take my eyes off my sights and miss the last one. Also, THE LAST ARRAY OF STEEL - if I'm shooting a ton of steel and am paying attention decently and shooting decently, when I get to the last array, I get excited and just start point shooting and missing, and then I have to pay attention and hit them down.

Here's the shooting from a treadmill where I messed up my last array:

And last week I messed up the last array with the LARGEST steel on the stage. They were huge. And I missed them.

https://youtu.be/ZZunR7ahN3E?t=56s

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#drypewpewing

I just started dryfiring, and since I need to practice EVERYTHING, and didn't know what to do - I figured a good place to start was with Ben Stoeger's 15 minute dryfire program YouTube video. I ended up practicing for 30-40 minutes, and didn't even get to the last 5 drills on the video. https://youtu.be/6NGyHcb-eIk

Slow motion draws - I paid attention on getting a good grip. Sometimes in matches I don't have a good grip before I pull it out of the holster. Bad. Always need the good grip. Draw, get on target, smooth trigger press. I was about 8 feet from a 1/3 size target, drawing to the center of the A zone.

Then went on to regular draw speed. Added a 1.5 second timer - I wanted to make sure it was enough time to get a good grip and pull the trigger when I was on target. Also practiced from wrists above shoulders, and then turn and draw and shot at three 1/3 targets each about 3 feet apart.

Draw and step. Couldn't figure out if I should just shuffle sideways or cross step??? (I did runs with single steps, and then some with 2-3)

Slow-mo reloads. Paid attention to the details of reloading several times. Then went to normal pace reloads.

Did the draw and step again, but with a reload. Draw, shoot two targets, then step and reload and shoot two more targets.

I ended this session on the Shoot to upper A, reload, shoot lower A.

I like adding a timer after practicing it for a bit first. I want to make sure I am doing it properly, and don't want to get sloppy.

Edited by AlphaCharis
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#pewpewing

I drove/ferried for 3 1/2 hours up to Custer, WA for a classifier match. I shot two divisions: Production, classified as B at 61%; and Carry Optics, unclassified. I used my same gun (sans optic) for the CO division - not because I wanted to do it with iron sights - I just don't currently have a gun with an optic! I did the same thing last February and initially got classified as C class, 57.26%, in Limited using my Production gun. I need more guns!

Since I didn't care as much about my percentage with CO, I shot that gun first all day as my "warm up". If it weren't for two malfs on two of the stages (because of a bad mag?... really need to number those) all of my Production hit factors would have been better than those for CO. I don't understand why shooting a second time back-to-back is better for my score.... but RESHOOTS for me are always terrible. It must be mental.

Speaking of mental, I am still getting over being sick, so my head was foggy and really felt like it affected my performance. Still sick, four and a half hours of sleep, and FREEZING weather is apparently not a good combination for a classifier match. I would like to think I would have done better were it not for these conditions. I'll let myself believe that. I was hoping to get a few 70%'s, but the best I could get was a 61.72% and this classifier at 62.48%. Last time I shot the classifier 03-03 I scored a 60.6388%, so at least I improved a bit despite less than perfect conditions - but still a long way to go for A class.

Tomorrow I'm writing down all my mess-ups from the rest of the match to use as my dryfire practice this week. I have a busy week ahead of me.

Edited by AlphaCharis
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  • 4 weeks later...

Don't forget to write down all the stuff you did WELL along with the "mess ups." By identifying what you did well, you can work at doing them better, rather than picking on your mistakes. It's about goals for improvement not beating yourself up and losing the fun.

You have a very solid set of basics that have gotten you all the way to B class. Your grip and stance look great to me, and you are super solid on 90% of the steel I see you shooting. That's great. Keep it up.

A quick answer on your movement question... don't cross-step. We need to accelerate as fast as we can for usually very few steps. That means push off with your trailing leg and RUN LIKE HELL. Worry about slowing down when you get there with some small steps and easing into position.

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Don't forget to write down all the stuff you did WELL along with the "mess ups." By identifying what you did well, you can work at doing them better, rather than picking on your mistakes. It's about goals for improvement not beating yourself up and losing the fun.

You have a very solid set of basics that have gotten you all the way to B class. Your grip and stance look great to me, and you are super solid on 90% of the steel I see you shooting. That's great. Keep it up.

A quick answer on your movement question... don't cross-step. We need to accelerate as fast as we can for usually very few steps. That means push off with your trailing leg and RUN LIKE HELL. Worry about slowing down when you get there with some small steps and easing into position.

Thank you! And that's a good reminder about writing down the things I do well. I'm usually pretty hard on myself and feel like a suck all the time, even though I am improving. I am happy about the improvements, but am definitely looking forward to further gains :) Running... yes! That will be one of my main goals this year: "RUN LIKE HELL!" It would cut so much time getting those transitions between positions faster.

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#pewpewing

I finally got to shoot me some USPSA! I couldn't wait until the next match I will be attending on the 14th, so helped NickBlasta set up some stages for a match. It was a beautiful day and nearly 70 people came out of hibernation to shoot the match. It was a lot of fun and I was thrilled everyone enjoyed it.


I finally had a match where I got enough sleep and wasn't sick, but still felt like such a slow shooter. I feel like on closer targets, I should be shooting faster since they are right in front of me. I think because I never live fire practice, I don't know how fast I can shoot and aim. I don't want to throw charlies, so keep it slow. I think I had 93% of the points, ended up shooting 60% of the Production GM that was there, and was 3rd B class, 12th in Production. I was just barely shooting B class.


#FOCUS

A few of my squadmates mentioned my need to FOCUS. Apparently I am very distractable and talk too much. Several times I didn't realize I was up to shoot. :/ I did have my 6-year old daughter with me for the first time, so I was keeping track of her. I also ran the tablet several times until I was on deck - I need to pass off the tablet at least 4 shooters before me, so I can be sure to concentrate when I'm in the hole and on deck. So... my next match I will focus on focusing ;)


#swingers

The swinger on Stage 2 - I shot at 4 times because swingers always freak me out because I never have practiced with them and I always assume I am missing them. I ended up with 2 alphas and 2 charlies. The swinger on Stage 6 I had an alpha delta on. I also shot at it 4 times, I think my first shot was too late and went over my target, the second one I knew I pulled and completely missed. I double tapped the last two hits (I thought my first shot was a hit, so I was thinking I only needed one more - doubIe tapping is very bad for me, but luckily I got at least the delta, or I would have miked the target). I'm terrible when the target passes behind something and you have a narrower field of view. Need more practice on that.


#myfirstDQ #almost

On Stage 1, I almost PUNCHED THE GUN out of my hand when I was clearing a round that was jammed. I was very close to a DQ. I thought that would have been a pretty sweet DQ - accidentally punching my gun downrange. A positive - it would have been a totally safe DQ since my gun was completely empty at that point. I think I would have laughed so hard, though I would have been really disappointed I couldn't shoot the rest of my own match lol. It did hurt! Besides hitting it really hard and numbing my hand, my slide scraped over my hand. But I got it cleared :)


I can't really tell what I did well... everything needs improvement! But I had a lot of fun :)


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"I can't really tell what I did well" I call bullshit. I saw 100% successful, and smooth reloads. I counted a total of 3 makeup shots on all the steel. I also noticed a gun handling incident that could have ended badly, but thanks to confident gun handling skills was just laughed off.

Just sayin'

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"I can't really tell what I did well" I call bullshit. I saw 100% successful, and smooth reloads. I counted a total of 3 makeup shots on all the steel. I also noticed a gun handling incident that could have ended badly, but thanks to confident gun handling skills was just laughed off.

Just sayin'

Hahaha! I guess I'm too hard on myself 'cause I want to do better lol & ya.... I really wanted to clear that jam quickly - I've had to whack it a few times before, I figured one good hit would do the job faster.

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#pewpewing

I got away on Valentine's day to spend the day at the range shooting a USPSA match :) I was pretty consistent except for mistakes on stage 3, and a huge "newbie" mistake on stage 6 where I MISSED an entire target! I think I had a better day focusing on stage planning and programming, with "gentle" reminders from a few of my squadmates lol. I cut out the chatting and scoring when I was in the hole so I could concentrate on walking the stage/going over the stage. I think I could have done a better job at aiming, though. I didn't have a good sight picture for a lot of my shots :surprise: Got 94 alphas, a little too many charlies at 20, 2 deltas :( and then the 2 mikes from the missed target. NickBlasta totally called me out on not practicing lol Probably would have had been aiming better if I had! #aimharder

My stage percentages of the Production GM shooting were:

Stage 1: 67.25%

Stage 2: 64.46%

Stage 3: 59.02%

Stage 4: 69.32%

Stage 5: 66.52%

Stage 6: 41.52%

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  • 3 weeks later...

#drypewpewing

Two weeks ago. Getting familiar with my gun again: slow motion draws, draws to two targets, surrender draws to multiple targets, turn and draw, upper A zone reload lower A zone. Practiced loading mags into my pouches from unloaded table start- there have been times where I wasn't going to go back near the initial barrel start in the course of fire, so had to load all my mags onto my belt. If you can't do this quickly - it really eats up time like crazy. In other courses of fire, where you can plan your stage around going back to the barrel with a few steps - it's hard to determine whether that is faster, or taking the time, so having them on your belt already is faster. I'll have to look into this.

My main focus in this session was on exiting and entering a position. I'm usually pretty slow in transitions, so I want to try and get to the point where I can "burst" out of position like I need to. It was nice having the family gone, so I could just try to go as fast I could. Started with a target at my initial position, running across the living room and getting into my next position in the hallway, shooting down into my daughter's room. Tonight's session was about 40 min.

Tonight. A few days after my last match I got the flu and bronchitis, so I've been out for two weeks. My strength is finally coming back, so got some dryfire practice in tonight. :) Got good sight pictures, made sure I called my shots, and didn't try to rush. I practiced unloaded table starts again. This time I ran up to the table each time. Having to run up to the table feels so much different than just standing up from a seated position behind the table. Practiced with all mags on barrel start, so just loaded all my pouches up. Set my four mags down in two pairs; the mags side-by-side, bullets up, offset so my right mag is lower when I pic it up and that's the first one I stick in my pouch. Getting a little faster with this. I can feel callouses forming on my palms after tonight's session.

I made about 60 dummy rounds a few months ago, so I loaded up all my mags with 10 rounds. Makes such a difference in pactice! Definitely using full mags from now on. I have indoor tennis shoes that I use only in the house when I dryfire - so I don't have to worry about dropping a mag on my toes, won't get injured if I kick a mag, and can also get better traction on the carpet. Has worked a lot better than socks ;)

#gettingfit

This year I'm focusing on eating better, getting fit, and staying hydrated. I think I was in a constant state of dehydration, especially at matches - and that usually left me feeling tired. The last few weeks I've been sticking to under 1300 calories/day and drinking a lot more water. I've been throwing in some activity throughout the day since I've been feeling better, and will add in some yoga this week. Would like to get some more intense workout out twice a week, which is what I used to do in the past. Last time it was roller derby, but haven't decided what I want to do this time. It's easier for me to work out if it's fun! I've lost 8 pounds, only 80 to go lol

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You are serious. That's cool. I know many people that have been motivated by shooting to get fit and change their lives in a positive way. NICE! Keep it up. p.s. Have you read "With winning in mind?"

I have heard this book mentioned in several forum topics and podcasts; sounds like a good read. Probably time to order this and the dry fire books I've been wanting!

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#pewpewing

I shot decently last night and got 1st in Production, and 4th overall - which was 58.24% of the open GM shooting. I started out wanting to call all my shots, but fell into point shooting and not really watching my sights, lol. Shot 93% of the points. I went over stages several times in my head and didn't paste starting when I was in the hole so I could pay attention. I am really focusing on my mental game this year. I feel like I have started to make less mistakes and have been more consistent.

Stage 1: Had to shoot the mini targets from the box, then the metric paper from behind the cones. The steel had to be shot from the left side of the wall and through both ports.

Stage 2: One shot each, mandatory reloads between boxes, and strong hand only in the front box.

Stage 3: Had to make your reloads from the boxes, but had to shoot outside of the boxes. Also could only use a box once.

Edited by AlphaCharis
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#drypewpewing

Dryfired for 45 minutes tonight. I didn't do a ton of reps, I was in the mood for very random tonight with about a dozen or more reps each. I practiced wide 90 degree transitions between two targets, one target was only about 2 yards away and the other about 5, aimed at the center of the A zone, and didn't pull the trigger until I was sighted in. I practiced El Prez and Four Aces. Strong hand only from the draw. Drawing and passing to my weak hand - ugh - this one will need a billion more reps. Still not good at it. I can't swipe it into a good grip in my weak hand, I end up having to adjust it with my strong hand before being ready to shoot. I also practiced some easy exits and transitions to the next position - shot a target and as I shot the second target began to leave my position and then tried to get to the next position as fast as possible to shoot the remaining target. I'm REALLY slow still.

I think it will be a little easier to "burst" out of position if I were stronger. So, I've been easing into more activity by doing a little bit a few times a day. I've been doing crunches on my yoga ball a few times a day for the past two weeks, about 40-50 reps each time. Also some girly push ups a few times a day. I started with just 10, which I could barely do; now I'm doing 10, a 10 second rest, then another 10. After I did horribly slow transitions twenty times in a row tonight, I did 50 squats holding my belt and 4 mags loaded with dummy rounds and the case with my gun for a little weight. I'm hoping that a stronger core and legs will help improve my speed on the stages. In dryfire tonight, I felt like my grip strength had improved, which made me feel more confident and quick moving from target to target.

I am going to practice the 90 degree target transitions again tomorrow night, and transferring to my left hand. I think I'll also just go out in the yard and practice running/zigzagging quickly through the yard. Another thing I noticed a few times - when I started leaving my position on that last target, I stopped looking at my sights before I was done shooting and was looking at my next position I wanted to go. *tsk tsk* I've done this at matches, I get really anxious to leave a position--especially if I know it's a long way to the next target and want to get there fast--and end up with an alpha mike. I did this a few times on a REALLY close target. Embarrassing, lol.

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#pewpewing

Stage 4: This was the first stage we shot.

  • My unloaded starts were decent, but need to practice using my slide release!
  • Continue working on transferring to WHO
  • Firmer grip for SHO/WHO
  • Watch the sights/trigger control - lacking very much today. I could feel my hand want to dip on WHO before I pulled the trigger.
Stage 5: The stage with the bridge and staged mags. I liked my plan for this stage, but I was NOT ready for it. I was the second shooter up, and I wasn't able to run through this enough to get it memorized. Maybe I will walk through in the mornings from now on. I missed an entire target! I didn't start on the correct target when I was standing on the bridge.
  • Walk through in the morning, or at least look at it when on the previous stage when I know I'm going to be one of the first three shooters so I can use the walk-through to really get it memorized.
  • Practice leaving a position from leaning around a wall - exploding out of that position.
Stage 6: I would have been mostly happy with this stage if I didn't have a malfunction - I liked my plan, but my hits could have been better. I made up a Charlie with a Charlie on my last shot. I even started backing up on the target array in the first position and everything and walked through this stage a billion times.
  • Change magazine springs!
Stage 1: The long range standards. I scored really well on this even though my hits were terrible. I guess my time made up for them. No mikes, which is good, but..... oh, I guess my hits were decent-ish: 7A, 6C, 2D.
  • Watch my front sight! I think all day I got a good sight picture and then stopped looking as I pulled my trigger. I was definitely not calling my shots; wasn't looking (blinking maybe?) when I fired the shot, and so lots of anticipating-the-recoil-hand-dipping.
  • Practice El Prez. Need to tidy up and speed up those reloads.
Stage 2: Almost good! I was fairly happy with this stage. It looked like my movement was a little improved and some of my reloads looked better. I had mostly alphas until the end, but had a delta on my last paper, and then kind of sucked when I moved to the plate rack and had 4 make up shots and wasted 5 seconds. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXliDQErAHE
  • Once again, needed to call my shots.
  • Calm down on the steel and aim one-for-one
Stage 3: Wow. What can I say for this stage? All over the place lol. Never seen so many charlies and deltas in one place!
  • Firmer grip
#wind #rain

It was SO windy at this match, it was quite the experience. We had thinner target sticks than normal and had to make several repairs as the wind snapped them. The wind also sucked all the plastic covers off the targets and sent them swirling high into the sky; blew over wall sections, barrels, target stands; ripped targets off of stands despite being stapled profusely; and one gust even threw some people off balance. It also rained off and on like 8 times.

Edited by AlphaCharis
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#steelpewpewing

After the horrendous amount of charlies and deltas on Sunday, I felt I needed to get my aim on, and went to a falling plate match in Federal Way. I did okay, but was not one-for-one all the time on the 10 yard plate racks. Why is it so hard to concentrate for 4-5 seconds? All I have to do is watch my sights and not pull the trigger unless I'm doing that. I usually missed one or two plates, and had to pick them up after a reload; but I also had a handful of good runs, so overall it was a good practice. I decided to draw even though everyone else was starting from low ready - since that's how we roll in USPSA.

#practice
I used the empty bay next to the match to practice (dryfire) acquiring targets from the draw throughout the night when I wasn't shooting. I started from surrender, hands at side, and turn and draw. Went through El Prez a few dozen times, and seemed to always bang into my magwell on the reload. Need to keep my gun up a little higher so I can see and get my mag in smoothly. I did have a few reloads that were fast and smooth and I got back on target quickly.

After the match was over, I used my leftover ammo for three practice runs at the plates - two freestyle and one stronghand. Then went in the bay for live fire drills. I didn't have very much ammo left, but had been wanting to practice Bill Drills since I rarely get the opportunity to fire more than two shots on a target. Since I was focusing tonight on watching my front sight, I had a target with a 4" black circle on it at 7 yards and I shot as fast as I could while still seeing my sights; I wanted them to be aimed shots. The hits landed all in the black with a 3 1/4" spread. The second time, I lost focus and just kinda point shot, and my grip was a little loose - they ended up being more spread out with the farthest hits being 8 1/2" apart from each other. I'd really like to get about 3 and 5 yards and practice shooting fast. In "Can You Count," I always get trigger freeze and my shots end up being in groups of 3 and 2 or 4 and 1. So funny when your body doesn't do what your mind tells it to.

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#pewpewing

Great match on Sunday! ...Not so great shooting. Had a bunch of mikes. Which is weird, because I don't usually... except for the last two matches where I missed an entire target at each. Which is also weird, because I don't usually... Hm. I think I am regressing :(


What I took away from my mike-laden match :)

(1) When going into a lean or just transitioning to a new position, let my gun settle so I can line up my sights before taking the shot. #patienceisavirtue

(2) Call my shots! #practicemakespermanent

(3) When taking my last shot in a position - follow through before moving my eyes to the next position. #calm.your.face.down.

(4) If I know my hit was bad - make it UP - don't think about it! I KNEW I pulled the last shot on a target, then I started to bring THOUGHT into the equation and second-guessed myself in that it wasn't THAT low and didn't take the pick up shot (that I knew I should have... ) and got a mike. I should NOT have ignored my instinct. #justdoit #threeisbetterthanone


Focus:

Continue to visualize my stage, memorize, program it into my brain. After I missed a target last week that was super identifiable with hardcover across it... I made sure on Sunday that I paid attention to what the target looked like that I would be shooting first in an array. Going through the details of the stage needs more work.

Call every shot! In dryfire and livefire practice. Make sure I am following through on my target before looking toward my new position.

Practice moving in and out of position faster and more efficiently. Move faster in general. Continue with exercise and healthier eating and shed some more pounds.

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#warm-up #practice

I need to get better at shooting cold. Sometimes it feels like it takes me 5 stages to get warmed up. By the end of the match, I'm ready to shoot it all again! And I'm fairly certain I would do it better the second time around ;) I guess this will come with time? Maybe I need to dryfire at the safety table or have some kind of warm up routine? And, of course, the more I practice at home, the more I will do automatically without having to "remind" myself before a stage, such as having a better grip - I won't have to concentrate on fixing it during the match. Or maybe it's part mental - I'm *assuming* I won't do well, before I even start, because it's the beginning of the day. I am basically defeated before I even begin? Ordering the book "With Winning in Mind" right now....

#pewpewing
I went to shoot a USPSA-style match last week. Missed my ferry. Took another ferry to another match. Forgot it was IDPA - and didn't have my non-gamer gear with me. Shot the match anyway - USPSA style :) Had fun and got my shooting fix. Because of shooting a different game, I "placed" 2nd - right behind the other guy shooting it USPSA-style. Don't know what I would have actually placed if I shot it as IDPA.

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#gunproblems

I NEED to get my gun working reliably. Every match the past few months it has been stovepiping or double feeding. It jams so I can hardly get my mag out. I'm still waiting on my new mag springs. Hopefully they will come by the end of the week - can't wait 'til they get here! Also, thinking about putting the 14 lb Wolff recoil spring back in that I bought last summer. I had it in for about a month, but didn't like the feel as well as as with my old spring. That poor spring is two years old and feels really light - maybe 11 lb? Did it start out as a 14? When I put the 14 lb in and went to rack it for the first time, I cut my hand open with the slide because of the extra resistance I was not expecting. Such a different feel.

I don't know. But I can't have malfunction that cost FIVE seconds on a stage, or any seconds, and definitely not NINE seconds like a few months ago. Totally unacceptable and frustrating to not have everything working properly. "I've" numbered my mags (a friend actually did during a match after a malf, because I kept forgetting to), so definitely keeping track if the jams occur again after I replace the springs. Someone mentioned that the feed lips sometimes get wider and cause problems with feeding properly. I'll change all my springs first and then look into this if I have to - and buy new mags.

Area 1 is in 44 days, so I need to figure this out quick. Especially if I end up replacing my recoil spring with the 14 lb, need to make sure everything cycles properly and have time to get used to the different feel.

#pewpewing
Shot a 3 stage action pistol evening match, got 2 of them on video. They were alright except for the mikes and the malf. ;)

Stage 1: I totally called the mike on the first stage, and then already moved on to the next target and was thinking about making it up, and just ended up finishing the targets, and wishing I had just shot it again. It was after a mandatory reload and then going to shoot it SHO- totally hadn't settled my sights, yet, for the first shot and took it anyway. I had gotten there late and basically as soon as I was geared up I was on deck. I remember hearing someone mention to someone else, "It's not Virginia Count....." so during the stage when I was thinking about making that shot up, I was thinking "Virginia Count" and second guessing myself as I shot that it wasn't Comstock lol Things never go well if you start to THINK! Ah well. My time was decent.

Stage 2: The second stage was going really well until my LAST target. I think it was the first shot on the target, I either dipped my hand down a bit, or just wasn't looking at my front sight, yet again! My unloaded start could have been better, though.

  • I think my exits/entrances are getting a little quicker
  • Need to work on unloaded starts more - and from my belt, too - not just mags on table
  • Need to practice using my mag release - keep forgetting to do that in dryfire, and there's no way I'm doing it in a match without being proficient, because it always ends up taking more time than racking it.
  • I am super happy - I paid attention to my last steel before moving on. Usually I turn and look to where I am going before I am done actually shooting the target, miss it, and have to pick it up. This time I followed through before moving on. :)

Stage 3: And the last stage, after shooting the 6th shot on the first target, my casing stovepiped, and I think the next round didn't chamber properly or something. So moving to the next position and going for a reload, I noticed it in my peripheral, cleared it and moved on. Took a while and added almost five seconds :(

  • Need some live fire practice for some Bill Drills. Still have hardly shot more than the usual two on a target. So choppy. I think I could shoot faster, if I knew I could. I'm conservative in a match because I don't know what my limits are.
  • Reloads are getting a little better, little smoother. I'm making it into the magwell haha.

#dryfire #training

Did about four drills with low reps, warm up. Then did quite a few reps with a few different drills for things I'm bad at. About 40 minutes total.

  • A friend suggested I switch up my draw, so I practiced that a bunch to get it ingrained in my head. Instead of having my support hand at my chest, I'm bringing it closer to my holster to meet up with the gun earlier.
  • 180 degree transitions - I seem pretty slow with that, so trying to speed that up. I used the timer for this to try and push my speed. Facing downrange, hands at side and then a target on either side of me, making sure I get a sight picture, two hits on each. Only at 2.5 seconds right now.
  • A lot of position entry - having the gun up and ready to fire - I drop my gun down a lot when I'm moving to a new position, so I'm trying to make a new habit. Also paying attention to which foot I plant first when entering a position, so my body is stable as soon as possible. And with all the drills, of course, making sure I get a good grip on my gun, trying to remember to grip firmly with my support hand, getting a good sight picture, and trigger press.

I finally bought Stoeger's Dry-Fire Book and started reading that as well as the first three chapters of Lanny Bassham's "With Winning in Mind." Looking forward to training and developing the mental aspect of competing.

Edited by AlphaCharis
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