Doing something wrong

[blacklab]

So here is the story. Both of my open guns have been running great. Whenever I go to the range I don't have any problems with FTF or FTE. I don't matter if I start low ready or draw everything works fine, but when I go to a match it's a different story. Yesterday I shot some 3 gun and started out with my CK arms framed gun and I had 2 FTF on the first stage. So I switched to my STI framed gun and had 3 FTE on the 2nd stage. I thought I would finish out the day with the STI frame to see what happens and had FTE's on every stage. Thinking the problems were with the guns I went to the range today to do some troubleshooting and you guessed it, they both ran great. So it looks like the problem is with the operator and not the guns, but I can't seem to figure out what I'm doing different at matches. I'm not dragging my thumb on the slide and the dot isn't bouncing around so my grip must be ok, my grip feels the same as when I practice.  So does anybody have any ideas as to what I might be doing wrong and what I should be looking for?

[davsco]

you use same mags and ammo for practice and competitions?

 

how do you know you're not dragging on the slide?

[blacklab]

Yes, everything is the same. Maybe I'm assuming I don't drag my thumb, but I have a Gunsite thumb safety that sits real low on my grip and a Nitro Finn slide stop. So I would think that dragging my thumb would be really hard to do without my grip being way off. I use the slide stop and safety as anchor points to ensure my grip stays the same. And I shot a friends gun that was setup different then mine and I could feel my thumb on his slide, it felt strange.

 

Edited February 20, 2017 by blacklab

[ShadoFann]

I was having the exact same issue. I insisted I was riding the safety and not dragging my thumb on the slIde. My gunsmith talked me into welding a thumb shield between the safety and the slide. The next match my gun ran perfect and I haven't had a problem since. A set of Swensen or PT safetys would accomplish the same thing. Your issue may be something different but apparently that was my problem. 

[Trent1k1]

or, could be as simple as a bad or limp grip during competition.  IQ drops pretty low once the timer starts. 

[MikieM]

3 hours ago, Trent1k1 said:

or, could be as simple as a bad or limp grip during competition.  IQ drops pretty low once the timer starts. 

 

I agree. I don't think I'd go welding anything up, just yet. Go to the range and try to duplicate what happened at the match. Grip, thumb, etc.

[BallisticianX]

A practice session and a match are two different environments. In a match you have a different mindset induced by the pressure and urgency in required actions. This is not induced at a practice session. Therefore your muscle tension and mind change under the stress. You may not realize your gripping to hard or too little, getting a bad grip position, and so on. If your springing is on the edge of satisfactory to too heavy or too light the slight change in what your doing could be enough to faulter the gun etc. You gotta find what your doing different between the two. The common equipment related issue to account for this is in practice people tend to not load mags to capacity whereas in a match they are. Possible you have too strong a mag spring when compressed at capacity thus slowing down the slide.


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[theWacoKid]

Your answer is probably already in this thread.  Dragging somewhere on the slide in the match or running fully stuffed mags.

[blacklab]

I run the mags fully loaded in practice. I guess I'll have to pay more attention to  my thumbs when I'm at a match. I don't think it's a limp grip because the dot is not bouncing around any more them at practice. Thanks for the input.

[Aric]

i get ftf when I drag my thumb on the slide.  I can't tell when I do it unless I have an issue.  After a match, I can see where my thumb was riding on the slide, chalk lines from grip gel.