Taking the Plunge - Few Questions/Confirmation Needed

[anonymouscuban]

 
Now can I hit 3” groups in a match at 25 yards? So far the answer is no and I’m happy to be on paper with close Cs, but does that mean we can disregard the requirement to be in the A zone for any group shooting at that distance? No. Therefore, it is my opinion, and I believe others, when developing a load it has to be accurate at 25 so as a shooter I will know where the shot will hit. 
 
I shot a major major match last year where almost every stage had a 20+ yard shot, many were partials, no shoots and mini poppers. Yes it was tough, and I had more than my share of mikes. So since then 25 yard practice and groups are part of every practice session. 
 
But to each his/her own. 

 
 
 

 
I dont know why you feel personally attacked by the shooting (in)ability of myself (new shooter to the sport) or my comment to the OP (another new to the sport).
 
Is a more accurate load better? Yeah. Do you need to be able to shoot less than 3" groups at 25 yards to develop a good load? No. Do you need to shoot that well to participate in matches? No. Should we strive for the best accuracy we can have? Yeah.
 
Sure it would be great if we could all shoot groups in the zeros with our handguns and any deviation was on the load, but it's not realistic. Someday I may be able to shoot 3" groups at 25 yards(maybe, I've seen a lot of guns not shoot that well from a rest, but I sure hear about it a lot on the internet). In the meantime, for the 20,000 rounds it will take me to get there, I'll work up loads based on power factor and check for acceptable accuracy so that I can get some match experience.
 

Just to be clear. I can shoot 3" groups at 250 yards with a pistol. And anytime I don't, it's for sure the fault of load inaccuracy. [emoji57]

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[dansedgli]

22 minutes ago, anonymouscuban said:

Just to be clear. I can shoot 3" groups at 250 yards with a pistol. And anytime I don't, it's for sure the fault of load inaccuracy.

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Now that is impressive. 

[HesedTech]

43 minutes ago, anonymouscuban said:

Just to be clear. I can shoot 3" groups at 250 yards with a pistol. And anytime I don't, it's for sure the fault of load inaccuracy.

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Wow, that’s great, I can’t see 250 yards. 

[anonymouscuban]

Wow, that’s great, I can’t see 250 yards. [emoji2957]

 
Now that is impressive. 

You guys think that's impressive, I failed to mention that I can do it while standing on one leg holding the pistol weak hand.

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[HesedTech]

4 hours ago, jmtyndall said:

Pfffffft

 

Truthfully, it was this comment. 

 

Why would we we not want to strive for accuracy, it’s part of the game.

 

“Hitting the A zone every single shot at 25 yards with no time goal is a fair goal. Your gun ought to be able to do that. You ought to be able to do that.” Ben Stoeger, ‘Practical PistolReloaded’

 

I’m just trying to help. 

 

[anonymouscuban]

Well, with all this reloading on my mind, I completely goofed and missed my local club's match last Sunday. I thought it was this coming Sunday. DOH!!! So I'm going to do the match on the 6th out in Prado Olympic Shooting Park. I've heard good things about the matches they host. Push myself out of the familiar and shoot somewhere different. Should be fun.  

 

 

[Furrly]

17 minutes ago, anonymouscuban said:

Well, with all this reloading on my mind, I completely goofed and missed my local club's match last Sunday. I thought it was this coming Sunday. DOH!!! So I'm going to do the match on the 6th out in Prado Olympic Shooting Park. I've heard good things about the matches they host. Push myself out of the familiar and shoot somewhere different. Should be fun.  

 

 

Lots of fun and very competitive 

[firewood]

On 3/27/2019 at 10:57 AM, anonymouscuban said:

Well, with all this reloading on my mind, I completely goofed and missed my local club's match last Sunday.

 

Once you are certain that you have a workable load and are confident in it's performance then a good idea it to calculate how much you need for the upcoming month both practice and matches plus a buffer. Keep that amount of ammo ready then you will reduce the possibility of staying up all night before a match pulling the handle. I keep at least a 8 month supply of primers and about 2 years worth of powder on hand. Bullets are my weak point, as far as 9mm goes I currently have enough to get me to September. Last week I did a panic buy of 135g coated RN bullets and as soon as they arrived and I went to put them on the shelf I found a box of 1150 hidden in plain sight. 

 

When you have the opportunity to pick up brass take advantage of it, even if it's a caliber you normally don't shot. Sooner or later you will get an opportunity to trade with someone for something you do use.

 

I think it was you that mentioned that you have a goal of making A by the end of the year. I think making goals like that are a good idea. You can do it if you put in the time, especially dry fire practice. There are a number of good books with dry fire practice routines. Pick one and make it your handbook for the year. Keep track of what you are doing as in make notes and log your times. Get a shot timer with a par feature and use it. Also get a copy of Larry Bassham's book With Winning in Mind. When you dry fire do it exactly the same as when you live fire, that is wear hearing protection, ball cap and glasses so that you get very used to actual shooting conditions. Buy or make reduced sized targets. 

 

For what it's worth I have set the goal of making Master this year in Steel Challenge, Optic Revolver. Right now I'm at 80%, 2 years ago I was at 36% and would have never dreamed that I could get even as far as I'm at now. It took me a while to get serious. The shooters that set goals and diligently work towards meeting them are the ones that advance. Making A I think is a big deal because you can shoot comfortable at B level without essential skills like calling shots or putting in a lot of practice time but A requires both of these things and more. Good luck.

[anonymouscuban]

16 hours ago, firewood said:

 

Once you are certain that you have a workable load and are confident in it's performance then a good idea it to calculate how much you need for the upcoming month both practice and matches plus a buffer. Keep that amount of ammo ready then you will reduce the possibility of staying up all night before a match pulling the handle. I keep at least a 8 month supply of primers and about 2 years worth of powder on hand. Bullets are my weak point, as far as 9mm goes I currently have enough to get me to September. Last week I did a panic buy of 135g coated RN bullets and as soon as they arrived and I went to put them on the shelf I found a box of 1150 hidden in plain sight. 

 

When you have the opportunity to pick up brass take advantage of it, even if it's a caliber you normally don't shot. Sooner or later you will get an opportunity to trade with someone for something you do use.

 

I think it was you that mentioned that you have a goal of making A by the end of the year. I think making goals like that are a good idea. You can do it if you put in the time, especially dry fire practice. There are a number of good books with dry fire practice routines. Pick one and make it your handbook for the year. Keep track of what you are doing as in make notes and log your times. Get a shot timer with a par feature and use it. Also get a copy of Larry Bassham's book With Winning in Mind. When you dry fire do it exactly the same as when you live fire, that is wear hearing protection, ball cap and glasses so that you get very used to actual shooting conditions. Buy or make reduced sized targets. 

 

For what it's worth I have set the goal of making Master this year in Steel Challenge, Optic Revolver. Right now I'm at 80%, 2 years ago I was at 36% and would have never dreamed that I could get even as far as I'm at now. It took me a while to get serious. The shooters that set goals and diligently work towards meeting them are the ones that advance. Making A I think is a big deal because you can shoot comfortable at B level without essential skills like calling shots or putting in a lot of practice time but A requires both of these things and more. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the tips.

 

I just placed a bulk order of bullets on Saturday and have enough primers and powder to load at least 5000 rounds on hand. I am set for the next few months as far as supplies go. But to your point, I have to make sure I get in the habit of always have rounds on hand. Shouldn't be a problem. 

 

My goal of making A my first year competing is ambitious but that's the whole point. It will be tough but I think I can do it as long as I stick with my plan. I am dry fire a minimum of 4 times a week for 30 minutes. These are scheduled sessions. If I don't live by a schedule, its easier to put it off. The one big change I made recently is to actually follow a plan and document progress when dry firing. I have Stoeger's book and do his dry fire exercises but not really a routine. I may do this exercise today and another tomorrow, etc. I know myself and I need to be able to track and show progress to keep me motivated. Can't do that unless my practice is consistent and documented. By the way, I do have a shot timer. I bought one just before I started competing in January. Again, need some way to track progress.

 

One thing I am also doing is I am getting back into weight lifting and exercise. I have weight trained is some way or another, consistently, since high school. Two years ago, I broke my neck (C7) in a surfing accident in New Zealand. I stopped lifting due to the injury. Fortunately, I recovered 100% but the time off really did a number to my motivation to exercise. I lost a bit of strength in my right shoulder and triceps due to the nerve injury and that really put me in a funk when I finally tried working out again. That all said, I have mentally dedicated myself to get back in shape. I think this will help me in my goal to reach A class a lot. USPSA requires a lot of athleticism if you want to reach top level. I figured that out after watching so many of the GMs in YouTube. I think the athletic side of things is really what separates great shooters from the middle of the pack.

 

I'm really excited about what the rest of this year will bring. I haven't been this excited about a sport in a long time.    

Edited April 1, 2019 by anonymouscuban

[Swiley383]

Anyone ever used Gallent Bullets? Just found there website prices seem good.

[jmtyndall]

Anyone ever used Gallent Bullets? Just found there website prices seem good.

Seems more appropriate to a separate thread, but yes many people have used them with good results. Buy them and try them out for yourself

[anonymouscuban]

Anyone ever used Gallent Bullets? Just found there website prices seem good.

I have not but I just tried 135gr RN from DG Bullets. Shot very well out of my SP-01. Very accurate. Better than the Blue Bullets I tried. Coating was nicer. Very consistent weight took.

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