Shoot your shot first, don't save the best for last!

[lee blackman]

Start the match with your best ammo, and use your best magazines first.  This seems redundant to say that, but a casual and somewhat repeated observation has me pointing this out, much in the manner of advising brand new shooters to download their "reload" magazines on their belt by a round.  

 

More than once over the years, more so in the days of the horrible Clinton era magazine ban of anything over ten rounds, I would see a new shooter show up to a USPSA match with a mixed lot of ammunition and magazines for their gun.  On the first stage they would have repeated hick-ups and malfunctions, and/or would be doing emergency slide lock reloads early in the stage.  Come to find out they had one standard capacity magazine and two other low capacity 10 round magazines.  They were starting with the ten round magazines and saving the high capacity one for last for whatever reason. Along with the mix mash of ammunition of which they were shooting the lowest quality stuff, and saving the factory boxed cartridges.  One could easily see the frustration piling on for the shooter.

 

Recently a regular customer of mine (I own a gun store) passed away.  He would commonly buy cheap guns online and transfer them through my establishment.  In a  given year he probably bought a couple thousand dollars worth.  He would always look at or point out something like a Colt Python and say "I would love to have one." I asked why he didn't buy one, and he always had some random lame excuse.  I mean after all, he was spending it on cheap guns.  Then after hearing of his passing, it made me wonder, if he knew he was going to pass, would have bought the Colt Python.

 

It clicked to me that its a mentality.  Things are a trophy, save the best for last, etc.... And its counter productive.  In the realm of reality life is finite, just like a match or  a stage.  You shoot it, and its done, thats your score.  If your there for fun, thats fine, but I want to bring do my best, even just for fun.  Otherwise whats the point.  I'll sacrifice getting two or three lesser guns for the collection to buy that Akai or SVI (and I did, more than once.) Because its alot funner running that race car, than it is that pickup truck on the race track.  You might not wanna spend that money on that high end division specific CZ, Tangfo, Staccato, etc....  But seriously why not, if you can afford it.  Thats why we shoot USPSA, IDPA, 3-Gun, PRS, etc, to get the most out of the experience and have fun.  Its worth it.  Don't be left wanting, cause we don't get to shoot forever.  Things change, and life happens. Take advantage of the opportunity  while you have it, and get the most out of the experience. 

 

Just a school of thought, Lee

[mpom]

Wise words, good advice beyond shooting!

Mark