After Lots Of Practice It Worked!

[Bigbadaboom]

With the start of the Video training tips section I decided that this would be a great way to get feed-back in some areas that will help my Class % increase. I posted some reloads and got some great response and went to work on them. Between the evenings of Mar. 1st and Mar 3rd I must have performed 5-800 reloads.

Along comes match day (yesterday) and I'm ready to smoke all those stand and shoot static reload stages. 1st stage was a 2 static reload little set-up and I felt pretty good about my reloads after that one (missing the steel a few times was another story though). The next stage was a 3 array 2 reload one where your sitting on a toilet and you start with loaded gun and all mags to be used set up on a platform in front of you. At the start signal I got on the first array quick and accuratly enough and then came the reload. I brought my finger out of the trigger guard as I ejected the mag and as I reached to get the replacement mag off of the platform, "BANG", neglagent discharge. D.Q.ed.

After pondering the whole display over and over I figure it this way; I had practiced standing, standard reloads for speed so much that I timed my trigger prep into my instinctive memory and while reaching for the replacement mag which took longer than the 100's of reloads I had practiced my sub-concious started prepping my trigger before my concious mind could get the mag to the gun. During this sub-concious prep I had so much going on that I put a little too much prep on a 30 oz. trigger and the end result was me spending the rest of the match R.O.ing and helping out. Sucks, but thems the beans.

I hope my assesment is correct because it is something I can work on. If it's something else then I'm in the dark and just hope that I don't do it again at the Fl. State match in 3 weeks.

[Loves2Shoot]

OK who read my post on no more frickin' sitting on the toilet and go get your guns and mags and then decide it is a good stage!!!

Sorry to hear about your DQ. You might try feeling the prep on your tirgger after the reload when you practice. There are just too many bad things that can happen if you focus on raw speed during dry fire. Few will do sub 1 second reloads and hit an A zone every time. I think your assessment is correct. I tend to go faster in a match than practice because of the adrenaline, so I try not to worry about it in practice. The time is what it is, proper technique determines how long it takes. That is why I'm not to keen on "trying" to beat the par time buzzer in dry fire.

Don't let it get under your skin and stick with it.

[HSMITH]

Just make sure your finger doesn't enter the trigger guard again until your weak hand is back onboard and ready.

Unless the shot is really long or really tight prepping the trigger isn't needed for me, I just whack it when the sights are aligned. I am really a revolver guy at heart, maybe all the DA shooting I do allows me to do that without disturbing the sights much if at all......

[Loves2Shoot]

The focus on the preping the trigger isn't about making any particular shot, it is about BEing aware of where your finger is and staying in control. It is more of a training tool, sort of like drawing occasionally to a preped trigger instead of always breaking a shot.

It takes more control to prep it (not breaking it) than slapping, but both have their place. Some guy name Rob says trigger control is pretty important, and I believe him, and it is hard to be in control without first being aware. I didn't even know about preping a trigger until I'd shot 4 years and some guy named Frank beat trigger prep into my head. It sure was a good leason for me

[DougCarden]

I did the same damn thing last May! First stage of a sectional, hit the reload and BOom! RO for the rest of the day......(and I put so much time and work in...... )

I was too TENSE, and I was trying to MAKE things happen, instead of just letting them happen. I learned alot from not shooting that match, and went on to have some great class wins at big matches later in the year. You will bounce back and be better than you were before!

Good luck,

DougC

[Bear23]

I prep my trigger as i am coming out of reload position as i am pushing the gun out. I avoid having my finger near the trigger as i am seating a mag. That little blurp when you slam it in can get you DQ'ed.

I think that is one of the reasons Steve Andersons book doesn't emphasize hitting the trigger during dry fire.

[moverfive]

Think of 'dry fire' as theory. You have to eventually put that theory to reality. The two aren't necessarily going to be the same. So to dry fire and then not do the same drill on live fire - you are missing something.

Case and point - when I do dry fire, I set the timer .2 seconds faster than what I want to do in reality. For example, if I want a 1.00 draw, I dry fire with a .8 benchmark. For me, reality says that it takes me .2 seconds longer in live fire over dry fire results......but if I were to try and match my dry fire times in a match, I would probably end up being the official taper boy for my squad.

.....something to think about.

[Bigbadaboom]

I prep my trigger as i am coming out of reload position as i am pushing the gun out. I avoid having my finger near the trigger as i am seating a mag. That little blurp when you slam it in can get you DQ'ed.

I think that is one of the reasons Steve Andersons book doesn't emphasize hitting the trigger during dry fire.

During all my dryfire I was getting back on the A-zone and firing in around .90-.95 so during the match my subconsious started prepping my trigger at around .85-.90 while I was still bringing the mag up to the gun off of the platform at my feet. It was an instinctive memory run because I don't really remember anything untill the gun went bang while I still had my load mag half way to the gun.

I have stopped practicing reloads for a while. I think I'm fast enough for now.

[L9X25]

Daniel,

A few years back there was an article (maybe Matt Burkett) called "wickedly fast". I think the goal was to draw shoot 2 shots on a target reload and shoot 2 more shots in something like something like 2.3 seconds.

I dry fire practiced that drill for 500 reps and could do it according to the par times on a timer. On the following Sunday I decided to see how if I could do it with bullets in the gun. The first 2 times I was very close, got it on the 3rd try but wanted to try one last time to improve my time. My trigger finger had memorized the cadience necessary to make the time and was ready to go ... unfortunately, my left hand had botched the reload. Trigger finger did it's job, right on time, despite the fact that the gun was still "in my face". The blast took my hat off and thankfully my glasses protected my eyes.

With a 9x25 that was a real wake-up call and I never tried that game again.

Leo

[Bigbadaboom]

Daniel,

A few years back there was an article (maybe Matt Burkett) called "wickedly fast". I think the goal was to draw shoot 2 shots on a target reload and shoot 2 more shots in something like something like 2.3 seconds.

I dry fire practiced that drill for 500 reps and could do it according to the par times on a timer. On the following Sunday I decided to see how if I could do it with bullets in the gun. The first 2 times I was very close, got it on the 3rd try but wanted to try one last time to improve my time. My trigger finger had memorized the cadience necessary to make the time and was ready to go ... unfortunately, my left hand had botched the reload. Trigger finger did it's job, right on time, despite the fact that the gun was still "in my face". The blast took my hat off and thankfully my glasses protected my eyes.

With a 9x25 that was a real wake-up call and I never tried that game again.

Leo

OWCHIE!!

[PJONES5]

Daniel,

A few years back there was an article (maybe Matt Burkett) called "wickedly fast". I think the goal was to draw shoot 2 shots on a target reload and shoot 2 more shots in something like something like 2.3 seconds.

I dry fire practiced that drill for 500 reps and could do it according to the par times on a timer. On the following Sunday I decided to see how if I could do it with bullets in the gun. The first 2 times I was very close, got it on the 3rd try but wanted to try one last time to improve my time. My trigger finger had memorized the cadience necessary to make the time and was ready to go ... unfortunately, my left hand had botched the reload. Trigger finger did it's job, right on time, despite the fact that the gun was still "in my face". The blast took my hat off and thankfully my glasses protected my eyes.

With a 9x25 that was a real wake-up call and I never tried that game again.

Leo

My head still hurts from the last time I was the RO when you shot that THING

PAT

[PaulW]

Daniel.....also something to check.....make sure your gun does not drop the hammer when a mag is slammed in. When I do trigger jobs I like to (with an unloaded gun) rack the slide so the hammer is back and take and slam (Bottom of grip) with reasonable force on my bench. I've seen way to many triggers not hold to this test. Under the gun with the adreneline running it's amazing how hard we seat magazines into our guns.

[askomiko]

On my previous gun I had to move my grip a bit to reach the mag release button, and move the middle finger onto the edge of the trigger guard to get some strength for pushing the button. Ok, you guessed it... One time my middle finger touched the trigger...BANG! I was so embarassed I quit for something like 6 months.

Edited April 7, 2007 by askomiko

[JThompson]

Daniel,

A few years back there was an article (maybe Matt Burkett) called "wickedly fast". I think the goal was to draw shoot 2 shots on a target reload and shoot 2 more shots in something like something like 2.3 seconds.

I dry fire practiced that drill for 500 reps and could do it according to the par times on a timer. On the following Sunday I decided to see how if I could do it with bullets in the gun. The first 2 times I was very close, got it on the 3rd try but wanted to try one last time to improve my time. My trigger finger had memorized the cadience necessary to make the time and was ready to go ... unfortunately, my left hand had botched the reload. Trigger finger did it's job, right on time, despite the fact that the gun was still "in my face". The blast took my hat off and thankfully my glasses protected my eyes.

With a 9x25 that was a real wake-up call and I never tried that game again.

Leo

Spooky...

[Jake Di Vita]

No matter what...you should NEVER pull the trigger based on a cadence. If you shoot strictly based upon your visual input. You will never have that problem. (Assuming of course that during practice you aren't engraining reloading with your finger on the trigger).

[blackdragon]

Go Fast!!!

Ivan

[mjbine]

+1 on visual input

[Steve Anderson]

Hey guys...The drills in the first book that keep the finger off the trigger do so because the goal is to speed up the sight picture, not necessarily the shot.

It's done because I learned very early on that if the goal was to pull the trigger faster it would happen.

Whe I first designed those drills, the hammer would drop regardless of where the sights were...not good.

On the trigger prep, every now and then I'll drop the hammer from trigger prep in dry fire...happened yesterday. I just grin and focus on something else. It's never happened in live fire because I don't use par times in live fire anymore.

Par times are VERY beneficial in dry fire when you NEED to speed up your subconscious skill. Once they are where they need to be, you'll get better results with no par times.

There's a chasm of difference between practicing and shooting...

SA