Revolver? Die on the vine?

[-JCN-]

On grip pressure

 

I’m not a large or strong guy. 
 

The technique that some large, strong guys use isn’t really feasible for me. 
 

I don’t crush. I haven’t seemed to need to.  
 

This is an example I made with a CZ a while ago where I’m barely hanging onto the gun with my hands. 
 

 

I use the body mechanics and not the hands mainly. My grip is akin to shaking a 60 year old woman’s hand. Not so soft that it’s floppy, but not trying to crush or squash anything. 
 

With the Alien, in order to get it to move enough to give me the feedback I’m looking for… I have to go even lighter on the grip and I wasn’t doing that.  
 

That’s why it’s important to go back and forth in live and dry. 
 

So that the dry matches live. 
 

I would much rather do frequent 100 round sessions than infrequent 500 round ones for mind’s eye training. 
 

When I was dry firing this morning, I could sense that it was too much coming off last night’s live session. 

[-JCN-]

There is still something I’m not getting with this gun. 
 

Spent a couple of boxes of ammo trying to figure out grip pressure and I still am unsure. 
 

There is a chance that I might need MORE grip pressure…

 

I’m baffled enough that I’m almost willing to put the thumb rest back on, but then I’d probably do right side thumb racker. 
 

I’ll try and work through it more. 
 

I ran out of ammo today. I was smart and only brought 150 rounds so I wouldn’t hurt myself pounding away. 
 

 

I did have an 11, 12 and 13 split but they were almost more like a bump fire and not something that would have usable ergos on course. 
 

Gah!

[-JCN-]

It occurs to me that most of my recoil spring testing was with the thumb rest. 
 

Might be worth breaking out the grinder and experimenting a little bit more. 
 

It’s just not easy (for me) to shoot right now. 

[-JCN-]

V’s Initial classification: B

 

 

It was a solid performance without “luck” to make the classification. 
 

It sets up better for the next goal. 
 

Focus on the process, not on the end result. 
 

 

For me, I really need to get this gun optimized. I’m a little afraid that it just won’t be consistent enough across the cleaning cycle to behave predictably. 
 

That was my concern when stepping into the platform having a gas piston. 
 

 

.

Edited April 24 by -JCN-

[-JCN-]

Now we’re cooking with fire!

 

I was so frustrated with the timing and cycling of the Alien compared to what I had optimized on the Shadow 2. 
 

Chewed over what I was feeling yesterday and tried out one of my really light springs today. 
 

Like Steel Challenge ammo light kind of a spring. 
 

It helped a LOT. Too much recoil spring is a timing killer. 
 

It is like too much swaybar in a race car. It narrows the performance envelope and is very unforgiving. It can work well in very specific circumstances but at the expense of forgiveness and versatility. 
 

This is slow motion of the super soft spring setup. The gun is around a 0.14 resonant split now. I think it was probably at a 0.12 before and just too fast for me. 
 

 

Way easier. 
 

I’m excited. 
 

The gun is very different from traditional locked breech and I might get some frame battering with borderline too low spring but the parts that will take the beating seem like they’re in the recoil assembly which is replaceable. 
 

And in order to make it more shootable I’ll take that trade. 
 

Will have to see what it’s like as the piston gets dirty. 

[-JCN-]

I am so super excited at the prospect of getting a setup that works with me instead of having to work against it or despite it. 
 

I have benchmarks with my CZ for recoil impulse.

 

I couldn’t do it to save my life with the way the Alien was set up from the factory with the kind of stability and visual tracking that I knew was possible. 
 

It’s also why I decided to loan my set up CZs to V to train with. 
 

Would you ever take a new driver and also ask them to set up a race car? 
 

Or a new golfer and have them set up their custom clubs?
 

So I set her up with a known good setup. She’s also able to split 15s with that gun, but at least I know that any inconsistency is her and not the setup. 
 

These are the benchmarks I have in my head that the Alien has to beat. 
 

Consistent 3.17-3.18s strings  

 

Tick Tock consistent 6.25s times with 0.15-0.18 splits and hits. 
 

 

I could not do it in the previous Alien setup. 
 

I think I can with the current setup… testing tomorrow…

 

 

.

Edited April 24 by -JCN-

[-JCN-]

Getting old. Have to respect the body. 
 

My wife and I used to go to a Pilates studio multiple times per week pre-COVID. 
 

When COVID hit, the studio went out of business so we bought a reformer machine for home. My wife uses it often. 
 

I haven’t used it until today.

 

My back and neck have been getting tighter and leading to some numbness (likely from compression). 
 

So I’m adding that back into my PT routine if I want to stay in the shooting sports for longer. 
 

 

Also cloned the new Starbucks chicken maple sandwich for my daughter’s breakfast. 
 

 

Using chicken nuggets and pretzel bites.

 

The time saved going to Starbucks buys me time on the Pilates machine. 
 

[-JCN-]

I like cats. 
 

I like the relationship and trust earned. 
 

My wife and I have had Ragdoll cats since 2001. 
 

Our newest pair of sister cats are from the same breeder our original cats were from over 20 years ago. 
 

It’s taken some time, especially with them having each other to depend on. But the relationship continues to evolve. 
 

 

I also groom / shave the cats myself to keep the shedding down. It’s less stressful for them and I like picking up technical skills. I did buy a professional grade shear though. Makes the task way easier. It’s consistent with my overall philosophy.
 

Get equipment that makes the job easier and work on improving your technical skill. 

[-JCN-]

Good range session today. 
 

Worked some stuff that V was having issues with at the classifier match. 
 

Took some component parts and blended them into a short stage. 
 

Worked Blake drills on the first three targets standing. Then with the entry and exit. 
 

Then the final setup target for feet. 
 

I also got to test my new recoil spring setup in the Alien and it was glorious. 
 

So much easier to shoot. Whereas it was so difficult before. 
 

As an example of how much setup matters, V’s gun is set up for 150 Syntech. 
 

She was shooting Blazer brass for cost savings and it was very hard for her to time and shoot. 
 

We changed to her normal load and it just “felt easier” for her to shoot and the groups went down from 9” to 2”. 
 

When I set up guns, I tune them specifically for a certain recoil impulse. 

 

I think I finally nailed the setup on the Alien to be easy to shoot and how I want it. 
 

Going to measure the spring and see what other non Alien options might work…

[-JCN-]

I should clarify. The 9” to 2” spread was recoil control and timing at 0.20 splits, not slow fire. 
 

It’s a timing and balance issue, not an ammo or shooter issue. 
 

“Shooting flat” for guns is like “cornering flat” for race cars. It comes with certain conditions and requirements… and isn’t always a good thing. 
 

Similarly, something set up from the factory for whatever ammo and whatever shooter ability… it’s going to be just a gross ballpark and might be “good enough” for a decent shooter. 
 

But to get the most out of the platform (and shooter), IMO it takes a little more thought and aptitude than that. 
 

Just my opinion. 

[-JCN-]

Ego damage can happen early. 
 

My daughter (6 years old, almost 7) came home and said she had a bad day. 
 

She didn’t want to talk about it. 
 

So I gave her space and support and let her open up at her own pace. 

I told her that no matter what happened and no matter what, I love and support her. 

 

After a little bit she told me she did a bad job on a math assignment. It affected her self concept. 
 

I got down on my knee and looked her in the eye and said, “If I do a bad job at a  competition, do you love me less?”

 

She raised an eyebrow and said, “No.”

 

I said if I do badly at a competition it’s okay because I’ll practice and get better and my family loves me no matter the outcome. So it’s okay if she got a math problem wrong and I can help her practice and I love her regardless. 
 

She smiled and gave me a hug. 
 

 

 

 

It’s not an insult if someone says I suck at something. Because I can work at it and then I won’t suck (as much) anymore. 
 

And if I still suck at it, that’s okay. 
 

 

.

 

Edited April 26 by -JCN-

[-JCN-]

 

Got the 997 GT3 out of storage. I just love that car. 
 

It’s not as fast as the 991.2 but it’s more organic, less electronic. Manual transmission and that Metzger engine sings. 
 

Both cars are left over from SCCA ProSolo and autocross. But the 997 is my favorite. 
 

Literally, they don’t make ‘em like that anymore. 

[-JCN-]

So the Alien recoil spring…

 

Measuring and counting coils…

 

Looks like there was at least one iterative change in coil number from the original to now… so will standardize on counting total coils rather than based off subtracting coils from the total…

[-JCN-]

Recoil control / Bill drills are like autocross slaloms.

 

This is a little nerdy and again, just my opinions.

 

If you have a single direction change offset in a car, you can kind of cheat it.

 

Just like doing a single double with a handgun.

 

But in order to sustain the balance and rhythm with a Bill drill or Blake drill, you can't cheat it.

 

Like a slalom, if the car shocks / swaybar / tires aren't matched up to the grip surface / weight / alignment (especially toe in / out) then it's just not going to happen and you'll "fall off" after a couple of cycles.

 

Sure, driver matters... but for the same (competent) driver, car setup matters.

 

Too soft and roly poly... you're not going to make it back for the next cone. 

 

Too stiff and no forgiveness in the weight transfer? It's going to be very hard to get the most out of the timing and make it reproducible.

 

Same thing with corner entry and trail braking. If there's no margin and the car's too stiff... it's going to be very hard to execute the handoff from braking to cornering smoothly and there's no margin to micro correct for surface imperfections or bumps.

 

If you try and take a car set up for dry grippy conditions and race it in the rain, you're going to have a much tougher time getting everything out of it.

 

Those same physical principles hold (IMO) with recoil management and gun tuning. I tune to the "first bounce" harmonic and not the double bounce oscillation. I want a nice dwell at zero without overdriving the nose. I want physics to work with me, not to fight it.

 

Does a better tuned gun make me a better shooter? No, but a more forgiving gun lets me learn more rapidly and improve my skills (IMO).

 

This was a few years ago when I was training USPSA CO with a Shadow 2 (same one that V is using now).

 

I improved my grip, recoil management and trigger finger coordination so that I could squeeze out a single 0.12 or 0.13 with my carry gun.

 

 

But that's like a single direction change driving element. It's not sustainable (for me) for more than a single shot here or there.

 

With the Alien, it was like that before the spring tuning. Could cheat into a single 0.11 or 0.12 but not sustainable and not with enough margin to keep it going.

 

I have the day off work and after I clean up the garage a little, I'll test the setup some more before modifying the other recoil assemblies.

[-JCN-]

Okay. I’m sold. 
 

Still getting used to the timing of the spring but it’s WAY easier to shoot. 
 

This is my first non-PCC pair of 0.11s. 
 

I was so surprised that I got my pinky wedged in between the base pad and the magwell, lol. 
 

I then did a Can You Count string that matched my fast S2 run. 
 

Then did another that was faster. New record for me. 
 

But more importantly, the sustainability of the recoil control was much better. 
 

It was slaloming well…

 

To the point where I could take it out to 10 yards and still stay 0.17-18 splits with good enough accuracy. 
 

Sustained recoil is more of a challenge than pairs. Pairs are much easier. 
 

I wrote this post from the Pilates machine stretching my back. 
 

And watching slow motion cat kung fu

 

 

Edited April 26 by -JCN-

[-JCN-]

One is none and all that. 
 

[-JCN-]

I was pretty disappointed thus far with how I've done at matches despite doing some work. The gun just didn't sit well with me and I was struggling mightily with it.

 

I'm super excited to now have a setup that fits my mind's eye and that I can start really developing comfort and flow with.

 

I'm looking forward to really making some good progress now.

[-JCN-]

I really love Can You Count as a no fat pure fundamentals drill. 
 

It’s an index draw, sustained recoil management and a speed index reload, and repeat for consistency. 
 

Alphas are mandatory. 
 

 

This is and was a typical run on the drill for me (97% GM). I’m about the same aptitude in index draws, recoil management and reloads. 
 

Before I got the Alien tuned up the wonky splits stretched that out to 3.3-3.4 with the same draws and reloads. 
 

It was clear where the deficit was and without better recoil control (in this case, gun tuning) there was no chance at GM scores. 
 

There’s really not much time I can shave out of there without raising the risk of error by a lot. 
 

So for V, she was able to do A class scores sometimes. 
 

But for the next phase of training, it’ll be 0.80 index draws. She can do a 0.9 currently. 
 

Also keeping the reload to under 1.2, which is where she’s at. 
 

But that means the recoil management has to step up. 
 

She has to be sub-20s sustained. 
 

She can kind of do that now, but when I watched first person hat cam of the drill, there’s still some technique to iron out to  get the fundamentals to stretch it out at distance… which is part of the ongoing goal. 
 

So for 87% CYC it breaks down to 0.80 draw, 1.1 reload and sub 20 splits. A little more clearance on the splits will allow a little margin on the reload. 
 

3.5 seconds per string is the goal for her. There’s not much fat on this drill, but that’s why it’s a good “no excuses” drill. 
 

In my estimation (these are 3 yard distances):

[reproducible]

Close Draw: 

GM: 0.6x

M: 0.7x
A: 0.80-1.00

B: >1.0

 

Close reload:

GM: <1.0

M: 1.0-1.1

A: >1.1

 

Close sustained recoil control:

GM: 0.17s

M: 0.18s

A: 0.19s

B: 0.20+

 

Everything is so damn close. But there’s a league of difference in recoil control between 0.15s and 0.19s. 

 

.

Edited April 27 by -JCN-

[-JCN-]

Iterative process:

 

I shot my first handgun in December 2015. It did not go well.

 

I decided I wanted to start training so I watched some YouTube videos to try and get grip down. 

 

For action pistol type stuff, I looked at recoil control and split videos for what kind of speed I needed to have.

 

This is three months into self teaching myself shooting off videos:

 

 

 

Compared to now.

 

 

 

Similar split times, but much more refined coordination and mechanics. Less wobble, less gun movement.

 

It's not about the splits, it's about recoil management at speed and improving the mechanics at speed.

 

There are some things you just can't learn without the dynamic motion of the preceding element.

 

Just like you can't learn how to slalom a car with just learning isolated turns. The movements are dependent on the preceding motion.

 

People who decry sub 20 splits are similar to those who decry 1 second draws.

 

It's just a benchmark for speed. It's implied that you continue to work on the accuracy at speed.

 

But if you never have the speed or never work on the speed, you'll have a plateau in this sport (IMO). Usually around B or A.

 

You can mask it by really good footwork and stage execution, but ultimately you'll be limited because it's a shooting game at the core.

 

That's why (IMO) it's important to get the feedback from stand and shoot classifiers for that part of your game in isolation.

 

Of course it's not the whole game, but it's a good exercise to learn where the benchmarks are.

 

This is a video I made when I was working CZs.

 

It's an index draw and an index split with no visual correction (eyes closed).

 

 

It's kind of the extreme version of demonstrating what mechanical index and recoil control look like without visual correction or input.

 

But in actual shooting and practice, I differ from some (and similar to others) in regard to doubles.

 

I don't just use "one sight picture" for both shots. I'm constantly micro-correcting based off vision. But the better the index and recoil mechanics, the less vision and correction needed. 

 

That's the goal. But it kind of has to be done at speed.

 

Speed isn't the end all be all. But if you never have the speed (IMO), you can't get to the dynamic mechanics.

 

Again, all just my opinion. But it's at the fundamental core of how we are designing V's curriculum and it is going very well.

[-JCN-]

Working again this weekend

 

I’m covering for a partner who was supposed to work but had a family thing come up. 
 

I looked at the weather and it’s soggy anyway so I swapped my July weekend for this one.

 

Plugging away…

[-JCN-]

Hit the range for a 15 min cold shake down to see if my mind’s eye was tuned. 
 

Was happy that my first cold CYC string was a 3.17. 
 

 

It was very loud and busy at the indoor range and I had a hard time hearing the start beep. 
 

The splits were okay. The draws and reloads were meh. But at least getting into the rhythm of the gun. 
 

I’m also trying to learn how the gun feels across the cleaning cycle. 
 

I’m 1600 rounds since the last barrel cleaning and I can feel the chamber getting dirty and extraction getting gritty. 
 

I changed the piston and mentallly logged what changed and what didn’t. 
 

I think I’m settling in on a cleaning and maintenance routine that I can live with. 

[-JCN-]

I don’t like putting things away, haha. 
 

It always seemed inefficient to put something away if you were just going to take it right back out!

 

 

It’s a bad habit, though. And it catches up with me every once in a while. 
 

So had to reorganize this weekend in order to fit vehicles in the garage. 
 

It starts with pulling everything out to know what I have, to know where to put stuff. My projects evolve so I often have to change the space requirements for certain things and demote other things. 
 

Unpacked some ammo from three years ago.  
 

What a mess!

 

 

 

From V

 

Made some headway

 

 

Pretty much done. A couple of f*#k it boxes where I ran out of motivation to micro sort and lumped some stuff together. Haha. 
 

[-JCN-]

Between cleaning the garage and working today, I decided to take a day off of live fire to rest my right forearm. 
 

I think the gun setup is workable now and I need to just spend some time doing accuracy at speed and with complexity added. 
 

It’s always a tough balance to know how much time and effort to distribute basics versus complexity.  
 

There’s a sweet spot somewhere.

 

I’m going to emphasize doing mind’s eye testing to try and get my mind’s eye as closely matched to my performance level as I can. 
 

Sometimes I get optimistic about what I can or can’t hit and I want to get it a little closer. 

[-JCN-]

Now that weather is getting nicer, I drive the 911 more often to work. 
 

On league night when I can make it, I might be coming from work. 
 

Thinking of options for range stuff. 
 

I used to do Zuca carts but since shooting with V and shooting Steel Challenge I don’t use them much. 
 

Folding cart fits in the frunk. 
 

 

 

With enough room to fit other stuff. But would have to do a little Tetris each time and it’s really not worth it. 
 

 

There’s room in the back, but the fixed back seats don’t fold so getting stuff from the rear is a pain. 
 

Might experiment with folding single cart and backpack. 
 

 

But for a short league match I probably don’t even need a cart. 

 

[-JCN-]

Going for a rabbit hole…

 

Debating pros and cons…

 

 

 

I like the thought of a higher deck height….

 

Hard to tell if wheels will be sufficient.