Recent Dry Fire Discoveries

[Steve Anderson]

In my recent quest to break every piece of gear I own, I have been dry firing a LOT lately.

Here are a few of my recent revelations.

1. When dry firing with iron sights (non-open) make sure the room is very well lit.

My basement was rather dim, and I could not figure out why I coudn't get a perfect sight picture at my 10 yard line. Finally, I put a 75 watt halogen right by the targets and it made a huge difference. Enough light to see the scoring lines would be a good benchmark to use. I think not being able to see the scoring lines in dry fire may have been causing a little "blast at brown" in live fire practice. The new bright bulb lets me see a perfect sight alignment much faster by the spaces in the sights. It's a new level of vision in dry fire, and I'm catching minor mis-alignments that I was missing before.

2. On the Reload: Push the mag button AS you call the 2nd shot on the last target before the reload.

This was not in issue for me in open, but on the XD I have to shift my hand a bit to get the button. I realized I was turning the gun, shifting my hand, THEN pushing the button, THEN going for the mag. YUCK!

I changed my focus away from shifting the gun or my hand, and moved it to hitting the button and going for the mag AS I was calling the last shot of the array.

The result: better sight picture on the last shot AND a smoother, faster reload.

3. On Grip Tape

I have discovered that Eric Wesselman's one piece grip tape on the frontstrap and sides is the perfect amount of grip, and I don't need the back piece. I LOVE the way it feels, but that's too much traction for me on the XD. Your results may vary, but it sticks great and works fine for me without the back piece.

4. Non Target Focus at Standby

This was one that is on Burkett's last video. I have been playing with it in dry fire and I kinda like it. It just means that you don't stare at the target whle waiting for the buzzer. You look down at the floor. If you have trouble getting the proper sight picture on your first target (and maybe for the whole stage) this tip might help.

It seems to prevent a full target focus when shooting iron sights. Pretty cool.

5. Hardcover and No-shoots

If you are getting bored and have maxed out your par times, add hard cover and no-shoots to your arrays and turn OFF the par time. You will find a renewed sense of accuracy and your anxiety will be reduced when you see these targets at matches.

That's it for now, gotta go dry fire.

SA

[ChuckS]

#4 makes sense. (I didn't see the video) I guess I "noticed" that in practice but did not realize what is going on. If I put on a hard target stare and the buzzer is delayed > 1 second, my focus (eye focus, that is) seems to lock on to the distant target and takes more time to get back to the sights when they are in the field of view than it would if I was soft focused on the target or something closer.

Thanks Steve (and Matt)!

[achard]

In my recent quest to break every piece of gear I own, I have been dry firing a LOT lately.

Here are a few of my recent revelations.

2. On the Reload: Push the mag button AS you call the 2nd shot on the last target before the reload.

This was not in issue for me in open, but on the XD I have to shift my hand a bit to get the button. I realized I was turning the gun, shifting my hand, THEN pushing the button, THEN going for the mag. YUCK!

I changed my focus away from shifting the gun or my hand, and moved it to hitting the button and going for the mag AS I was calling the last shot of the array.

The result: better sight picture on the last shot AND a smoother, faster reload.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I used to shift my hand when making a reload but I also got an "AD and got "DQ'd". I'm now using two hands reload. I also tried exteneded mag catch but often drop mag because of my weak hand hitting the catch. Have you tried it using 2 hands realod? any tips or suggestions?

Thanks,

[Steve Anderson]

What's a 2 hand reload?

[achard]

What's a 2 hand reload?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Pushing the mag catch with your left hand thumb then going for the mag instead of shifting your hand then pushing the mag catch.

[Steve Anderson]

That sounds like a very bad idea to me. I've never tried one of those, but every hundredth of a second you spend pushing that button with your weak hand is a hundredth of a second you aren't going for a new mag.

Why did a normal reload cause you to ad and dq?

SA

[alma]

oh... that stuff is slow. The only other potential way of doing it would be using the ambi release and your trigger finger to release the mag.

[Kevin Kline]

[

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I used to shift my hand when making a reload but I also got an "AD and got "DQ'd". I'm now using two hands reload. I also tried exteneded mag catch but often drop mag because of my weak hand hitting the catch. Have you tried it using 2 hands realod? any tips or suggestions?

Thanks,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you have you finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard, then there is no way the gun can AD when hitting the mag release. We're supposed to be doing this anyway per our safety rules, finger off the trigger while moving/reloading.

[Matthew_Mink]

2. On the Reload: Push the mag button AS you call the 2nd shot on the last target before the reload.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you SURE thats a good idea??????

And now I just reread that, and you said as you call the 2nd shot, not as you shoot the 2nd shot. Gotcha!

[ChuckS]

That sounds like a very bad idea to me. I've never tried one of those, but every hundredth of a second you spend pushing that button with your weak hand is a hundredth of a second you aren't going for a new mag.

SA

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Someone told me that the 2 handed thing is what JoJo does. Not sure though...

[Clay1]

Nice comments Steve, thanks for sharing.

Rick

[Steve Anderson]

I don't know if JoJo does that or not (I think Jake knows him, maybe he'll tell us) but I still have trouble with the idea.

If someone wants to do that for some performance reason, I think it's great...but to do it to avoid a DQ seems a little..........misguided?

I would (and still do) want to know exactly how the normal technique caused an AD that would have been alleviated with the 2 handed technique, thats all.

SA

btw, grip tape on mag bottoms is awesome.

[ChuckS]

Steve,

I am checking with JoJo by email. Will let you know. I did an AD during a reload while shifting my right (strong) hand thumb up onto the button. The shift didn't casue the AD, it was the curled trigger finger catching the trigger that caused it. If my finger was riding the trigger, it probably would of broke if I pushed in with my weak hand. The AD usually caused by one thing: finger where it should not be!

I let you know about Mr. Vidanes.

Chuck

PS: Trying to do drills 1-14 every night. Thanks!

[achard]

That sounds like a very bad idea to me. I've never tried one of those, but every hundredth of a second you spend pushing that button with your weak hand is a hundredth of a second you aren't going for a new mag.

Why did a normal reload cause you to ad and dq?

SA

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My finger accidentaly hit the tigger when I tried to shift/flip the gun just to get my thumb reach the mag. catch. I know I had my finger off the trigger about 25 degreee. Back home practicing, after shifting the gun, I noticed my finger becomes closer to the trigger. I guess I don't have much control of shifting my gun. By the way, I have a small hand

[Jasonub]

dry fire will cure your problem. do it slow till you get it right then speed up slowly till your blazing fast

[achard]

Jason,

I don't have problem with my draw. my average draw time is .9+ from 10 m. and I can make a realod with 2 hands about 1.2 sec. better safe than dq ;(. masakit sa bulsa ang registration

Any tips for 2 hands reload?

[JD45]

If you have plastic or rubber grips is it a good idea to Dremel away a channel for your thumb that hits the mag button? I've been thinking about doing this since learning that somebody once sold grip panels made this way.

[diehli]

JoJo absolutely does not do it with his Open gun, and from the old Running Gun video it doesn't look like he did it with his M9 either. If you watch Saul's 2003 Open Nats video, you see JoJo struggle with hitting the button on the reload in the Shoot-Offs (he doesn't shift his grip). He now welds an extension onto all the guns he builds to make the button longer, but not bigger.

[ChuckS]

Cullen's forensic analysis is correct. I did it the easy way, I asked JoJo. His quote:

" ha ha ha, false. jethro dionisio and tata eusebio were the only ones that i know of that do that technique."

Now, all I have to do is remember who told me that...

Later,

Chuck

PS: Hey Cullen, longer IS bigger!

[achard]

Any picture for the welded mag. catch?

Thanks,

[j1b]

The focus on something other than the target is something I've not tried - but likely won't either.

I focus very specifically on where I want the gun to index on the target.

Ultimately when the "standby" command comes then you're talking less than 3 secs to shoot. If I can't concentrate that long then I'm screwed on most stages I shoot.

Sorry Steve (and Matt)

J

[diehli]

Any picture for the welded mag. catch?

Thanks,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

http://jvdynamics.com/custom_guns/

[EricW]

In my recent quest to break every piece of gear I own, I have been dry firing a LOT lately.

Here are a few of my recent revelations.

1. When dry firing with iron sights (non-open) make sure the room is very well lit.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Exactamundo. I've begun to question the value of dryfiring in limited light. For whatever reason I just can't get that crisp focus on the front sight that I like. Fortunately, I have a job that lets me dry fire during the day now.

[achard]

Any picture for the welded mag. catch?

Thanks,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

http://jvdynamics.com/custom_guns/

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is this the one?

[diehli]

Any picture for the welded mag. catch?

Thanks,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

http://jvdynamics.com/custom_guns/

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is this the one?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's an STI mag button. Here: http://jvdynamics.com/custom_guns/img/P1000506.jpg http://jvdynamics.com/custom_guns/img/P1000503.jpg http://jvdynamics.com/custom_guns/img/JvDy...cs_2004_004.jpg