Nik Habicht Posted December 17, 2001 Share Posted December 17, 2001 Shot my first steel match today. Started off kind of slow, on "Fade Away," missed the ten inch plate at 20 yards on the fourth run, picked up some speed on the last run. Second stage, plate rack at 20 yards. Didn't have a single run where I knocked down all five plates. Next Stage, 4 12x12 plates arranged in a diamond shape around a ten inch stop plate in the center at 20 yards. Maxxed out at 20 seconds on every run. By now I'm beating myself up pretty good. (It's Chriss' fault, I know he jinxed me ) Stage 4: Two 18x12 Plates at fifteen yards, then take two steps forward into a second shooting box and shoot three 12 inch plates at ten yards, they're about seven yards apart. I shoot it clean and slow on the first run, I pick up speed on every run after that, by the fifth run I shoot it in 8 seconds. Last Stage: Speed option, Four 12x18 Plates at 7-9 yards with a ten inch bonus plate (good for a two second time reduction) between Plates three and four. I set up facing the ten inch plate even though I've decided that today I'm not capable of hitting it fast enough to try it. The RO suggests that I should just crank a round in its direction anyway, after all my muzzle has to pass right over it. I focus my eyes on the center of the first plate on the left. Beep, I hit my index, the gun fires, then I see the front sight lifting out of the notch, I'm moving as I hear the clang, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. I've done it, I even hit the ten inch bonus plate. The next four runs go much the same way, on the fifth run, I miss the bonus plate, shoot and miss it again, shoot a third round and hit it and finally ding the stop plate. Time on the timer: 3.87 seconds. We spool the timer back, my transition between the third plate and hitting the bonus plate is 1.09 with three rounds fired. It's a good way to end this match ----- I've learned what I really need to work on, and it appears that my speed efforts on the close stuff are paying off. Now the trick is gonna be to learn how to consistently hit any given target in just the amount of time required, no more and no less. Steel's a totally different challenge, I can't wait for next month's match to get here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted December 17, 2001 Share Posted December 17, 2001 Nik, Imagine all steel targets are really paper, and you're going to go down and score the targets for hits after you shoot. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted December 17, 2001 Share Posted December 17, 2001 Nik, I never jinx anyone. Just remember Steel is your friend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted December 18, 2001 Author Share Posted December 18, 2001 Brian, Good Advice (as always .) Reflecting some more, I think it was a concurrence of first time jitters, wanting to do well from the get go, not enough long range practice lately, and some apprehension when I saw how small a ten inch plate looks at 20 yards. The last two stages went better because I stopped thinking and caring about how I was doing. I just figured all was lost; that I wasn't having any fun and should try to have some fun. I thought about how to shoot the last two stages, but once I stepped into the box I just focused on the first target I wanted to hit and let my mind go blank. I can't hit that state of mind on demand yet; but I'm always amazed at what our bodies can accomplish when we get our conscious mind out of the way. Did that last sentence make sense? I'm trying to get to a place in the start box where I just shut my thought processes off and react to the buzzer, in much the same way that my body reacts to avoid a car accident before my thoughts can really catch up to the fact I'm in danger. I'm getting better at finding that place though; it used to be elusive and random, now I can generally find it for a couple of stages during each match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted December 18, 2001 Author Share Posted December 18, 2001 Chriss, that was meant to be tongue in cheek! I liked it enough that I'll keep shooting steel; I think I can learn a lot from it. It's pointing out new weaknesses in my shooting..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted December 18, 2001 Share Posted December 18, 2001 You'll have to come over to Palmyra in April. They have a falling steel match that is a blast. I'll post the info when I see it come up. It is outside of Harrisburg but definetly worth the drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davecutts Posted February 5, 2002 Share Posted February 5, 2002 I love shooting steel. That is once I stopped being intimidated by "all steel must fall to score". Shooting steel has helped me call my shots, work that trigger, and not worry about where I place. Nothing gets me excited like shooting an array of ten clean (shooting a single stack here). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bird Posted February 5, 2002 Share Posted February 5, 2002 Shooting steel is hard and keeps you honest. I find that I really have to slow down and call my shots. Type 3 focus and I have to remember not to look at the steel (it is hard to overcome the desire to watch it fall). You did pretty good davecutts at SAA 1-20-02 placing 31 out of 71. There are some fast and accurate shooters at Norco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davecutts Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 Quote: Type 3 focus and I have to remember not to look at the steel (it is hard to overcome the desire to watch it fall). very hard not to watch the steel fall....I still haven't figured it out. In fact this weekend at our runnig gun match there where two arrays of four little pepper poppers to be engaged form one position. A low port and you had to swing from one side of the bay to the other between the arrays. I hit all the steel with the no make up shots, but I was watching the steel so intently I saw the bullets bouncing off the plates (maybe not all the plates, but enough to have noticed). And we all know I should have been calling my shots and moving on to the next popper as the last fell. On a side note. When I started, or even three months ago, I would get so amped up after nailling all the steel I would blow the rest of the stage. Now I just dealt with the problems as they presented themselves. I read that from Brian some where on the board. bird: Now who are you???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bird Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 Hi dave, I am a new shooter that started competition this year, I don't reload(yet) so ammo limits the number of matches I can shoot. I love shooting steel and the courses at Norco are set-up by some real saddists that make it hard on us new guys...LOL I will give you a hint...hehe I beat you at on Stage 1 (on the upper pad II) at Gen-X last saturday(beginner luck) and came in 2nd place to you in our division. Hey what do you expect you are a high B shooter afterall and I am just a hatchling...LOL Here is my picture, maybe you have seen me at Norco. http://www.dovehunt.com/images/pheasant/ringneck_002.jpg (Edited by bird at 7:31 pm on Feb. 5, 2002) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davecutts Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 Quote: from bird Hey what do you expect you are a high B shooter afterall and I am just a hatchling...LOL I think my classification score is like 60.90something so I'm not a high B by anystretch. If the birds are shooting back i'm not taking up hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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