Calamity Jane

[Calamity Jane]

Avoid "slowing down". Instead, just let the dot be your speedometer - break the shot when its in the A-zone. If you consistently do that, as soon as the dot is there, you'll be shooting at the quickest pace you are capable...

Yeah, but if I do that I'm shooting just a tiny bit faster than my limited gun. Cheely tried to warn me about this. He said that I would be slow at first but the speed would come. I got a little impatient today. Sammy Hagar says it best "I can't drive 55!". I'm impatient for the time when I can really run and gun.

I'm hungry for the power, speed and accuracy to come together...sort of like the Lanny circles...for all 3 of those things to be perfectly balanced in my shooting. When the circles line up and are equal it is an intoxicating feeling! I'm craving that. The trouble is I've got more work to do. I need to learn how to walk, trot and canter my throughbred before I take her out for a full gallop. This is a difficult concept for my personality ESPECIALY WHEN EVERYONE ELSE CAN GALLOP! That is one reason this sport is good for me. It forces me to work on areas of myself that are weak.

I've got powder. The plan is to get loaded this week and do the Burkett timing drills.

Edited April 1, 2007 by Calamity Jane

[Nik Habicht]

What do I need? Slow down, be patient, and shoot more rounds down range.

Don't we all need some variation of that most of the time? I blew a couple of stages at a falling steel match today, thinking about everything but the front sight on the target. More practice rounds couldn't hurt either....

Great day, great friends, left the range with a big smile on my face

That perfectly sums up why I so look forward to Sundays, and bounce out of bed in the mornings --- five hours earlier than normal. Driving home on Sunday afternoons is possibly the most relaxed time I have all week....

[Calamity Jane]

Got up this morning and loaded 200 rounds. Took 300 rounds to the range this afternoon and shot them all. OUCH!!! Does it get easier? Every bullet fired is another one I have to reload. I still haven't adjusted to the pain of that

Anyway, this is what I learned today. I did the Burkett timing drills. My gun does not shoot flat with the N350 load. However, the red dot bounces up and down inside the A zone and it returns quickly and consistently. I shoot tighter groups with a firmer grip and a good aggressive stance.

I can see .19 splits at 10 yards and get A's consistently. If I push faster (.14, .15, .17 splits) my shots spray and I can't see them. Before I get a lecture on how I shouldn't be shooting .14, .15, .17 splits if I can't see them...let me explain. I think there are two schools of thought on speed. "Let the speed come to you" is probably the most wise and most promoted school of thought. Then there is the not so popular and probably unwise shcool of thought called "push it to the max and see what you can do". I spent several years in the first school before I decided to transfer to the second. Last year I made it a point to just shoot bill drills as fast as I could just to learn what speed looked like. My thought was "You have to shoot fast to learn fast" It helped me learn. So today I pushed it untill I couldn't see it and now I know where the line is.

XRE motivated me to see where my reload time was. He posted this super human time and I was curious how close I could get. My best today was a 1.23 reload. That was at 10 yards with an A on the draw and an A following the reload. I think I would like to get to a 1 second reload. I'm going to make that my first reload goal. One thing I know for certain...you can NOT obtain those super speeds if you bring the gun down! More work in dry fire for me.

Back to the reloading bench for more ammo....

BTW...Nik....glad you see things like me.

[XRe]

Does it get easier?

Yep! I put the radio or a CD on, and have something in the background. I have a roller handle on the press, which helps me a bunch, personally. I have a bullet tray, too (in fact, I have the BE "as it should be" arrangement for the 550). I make sure I'm sitting at a height that lets me operate the press easily, and not have to reach awkwardly anywhere, and I tend to rest my left forearm on the bullet tray. With enough lube on the cases, its a fairly easy stroke - you may have to build up some strength in areas you don't use a lot, but that will get easier over time, too.

Then, its just focus on smooth - and I snap my eyes to each next thing - bullet, case, station 1, station 2 (to see powder in the case and set the bullet). Good eye training at the same time, and helps with the smoothness.

I can load about 600 rounds an hour, including time to refill the case and bullet hoppers, the powder measure, primer magazine, and also empty the loaded cartridge bin. I've loaded around 20,000 rounds on this press, though, so I've had a fair amount of practice to get there.... I find 600/hr to be pathetically slow next to what guys are doing on 1050s w/ bullet feeders, but I'll live with it until I can get the high zoot gear together...

My gun does not shoot flat with the N350 load. However, the red dot bounces up and down inside the A zone and it returns quickly and consistently.

At what range? That actually sounds fairly flat, to me, for even a 7 yard target, especially if you're starting w/ the dot in the center of the A-zone. Plenty flat for now, for certain....

"Let the speed come to you" is probably the most wise and most promoted school of thought.

... and the slowest ...

So today I pushed it untill I couldn't see it and now I know where the line is.

Perfect!!! Frankly, a .19 split is plenty fast enough. You will gain quite a bit more working in other areas than worrying about split times, right now. If your callable, two shot splits on a 7 yard target are slower than .20-.25, some work on recoil control and vision speed might be in order, but sounds like you've got it together already...

My best today was a 1.23 reload. That was at 10 yards with an A on the draw and an A following the reload.

For the record, my .78 was shot on a 12 yard steel IPSC silhouette, and was 1 A, 1 D (the D after the reload) and did not involve a draw

A 1.23 on a 10 yard target for 2 A is a nice reload!! And with a draw thrown in, too... That's rock solid, Jane - frankly, faster than what most folks will ever reload the gun in...

I think I would like to get to a 1 second reload. I'm going to make that my first reload goal.

That's a good goal. Actually, technically, you don't need to be able to reload any faster than that (though faster doesn't hurt anything, of course).

[Calamity Jane]

First of all...Do you do everything fast??? 600 rounds in an hour?? Come on??? I'm sure I won't be able to catch you in reloading. You win. I forgot to tell you all this... Mr. Ball was on his exercise bike this morning while I was reloading and he got off of it in mid workout because he didn't like all the noise I was making with his 550. Apparently I was pulling the handle down too hard making a loud noise that bothered him greatly. Hummmm. Pulling the handle too hard bothers him.....maybe this is the out I've been looking for. Just kidding. There's no turning back. I'm a "reloader".

I was judging my gun at 15 yards. The dot stays in the A zone at 15 yards all the way up to .25 splits. So that's flat?? How am I supposed to know what is what....I have NO experience. Glad I have you BE'ers to help me out.

You're probably right about the 1 second reload. I probably don't need it, but it's so fun to try...and then ofcourse post it.

I'm going to try to record some times at different distances so I can see where I need to work. That will probably be my next trip to the range.

[XRe]

First of all...Do you do everything fast???

No... just efficient Remember, thoguh, I've probably reloaded a total of around 100K rounds in my life, so far, so I've had lots of practice...

Apparently I was pulling the handle down too hard making a loud noise that bothered him greatly.

Heh heh... avoiding sophomoric comment... avoiding sophomoric comment...

If its banging hard at the bottom of the stroke, you might be expending more effort than you need to. I feel the handle smoothly come to a stop, and then smoothly return and seat the primer. That helps speed and effort a lot, but takes some time to develop what's "right"...

I was judging my gun at 15 yards. The dot stays in the A zone at 15 yards all the way up to .25 splits. So that's flat?? How am I supposed to know what is what....I have NO experience. Glad I have you BE'ers to help me out.

Staying in the A-zone at 15 is more than enough for now. I've shot Open guns that leave the target at 15 yards My current gun ends up with the dot climbing to the A/B box at 15-ish.

When does the dot leave the A-zone? When you go faster or slower? That's basically a recoil management and timing thing, so it might show that you're doing something different at whichever speed the dot lifts more at...

You'll learn after you shoot a bunch of ammo in this gun, and then try some other Open guns (guns that other folks have or whatever) and compare them all. Or, when you start working on loads with other powders, etc... Still, I say, flat is irrelevant - its how fast the gun returns to the point of aim, and how consistently it moves in doing so...

You're probably right about the 1 second reload. I probably don't need it, but it's so fun to try...and then ofcourse post it.

Coolness

[Calamity Jane]

OK it can be done. Just did 100 rounds in 12 minutes (and that wasn't even trying) 600 in an hour is possible. Naw...I'm not competitive.....just observing the time as I was loading.

[XRe]

Naw...I'm not competitive.....just observing the time as I was loading.

Suuuuuurrrrrrreeeeee you're not...

Good work - I bet it didn't even feel like you were trying to hurry, once you got into it...

[Calamity Jane]

Mental Management

Being A Turtle In A Rabbit Paced World

I like the story of "The Tortoise and the Hare". The moral of the story is slow and steady wins the race. This has been a tremendously hard lesson for me to learn in my life because I AM A RABBIT! It's fun to live life fast and furious until you can't go anymore. I know because I've done it. I've often told people I have two speeds....full speed and no speed. So this concept of "eating the elephant one bite at a time" is really an exercise in trying to live a turtle's life. It's not easy trying to be a turtle when you're really a rabbit. I've been thinking today about why that is. I've come to this conclusion. To be slow and steady and win the race requires three things: patience, perseverence and faith.

My plates are spinning out of control right now and it's a disappointment to me. When things get out of control sometimes I have to stop. I hate stopping because it's easier to keep everything spinning than to let everything fall down and start again. (insert deep sigh) So I'm going to choose to cling to patience, perseverence and faith to make it through this bump in the road.

Patience: I may not have met all the goals I wanted to these first two weeks in April, but I am on track with my overall goals. There is still time to develop all I need to develop. The last 2 weeks will not prevent me from achieving my goals. Hang on to big picture thinking and don't get discouraged with the immediate disappointments.

Perseverence: Salvage what you can. Make a new plan to fit what is going on with you right now. Don't be rigid. Love yourself, forgive yourself and be flexible.

Faith: Believe in what you can not see. I can't see that I'm going to acheive my goals, but I believe that I will. I believe that slow and steady is going to win the race.

[Chris Conley]

Naw...I'm not competitive.....just observing the time as I was loading.

Suuuuuurrrrrrreeeeee you're not...

Good work - I bet it didn't even feel like you were trying to hurry, once you got into it...

Edited April 11, 2007 by headhunter25

[Calamity Jane]

Live Fire

Temp 50 degrees

Sunny sky

Group shoot (60)

Single shot draw (40)

Double tap draw (40)

Moove and Groove (60)

15 yard steel (20)

Reloads (40)

Total rounds 260

We've been having some bad weather here in Indiana so having a sunny day to shoot today was a real blessing. Today's practice focus was really to just shoot and observe. I'm still getting to know my gun. I used a "V" formation target structure. I set up one target at 25 yards, 2 targets right and left at 15 yards and 2 targets right and left a 10 yards. This allows me to do a bunch of stuff without moving the targets.

Group shoot

Shot 4 round groups at all distances. Also included in this was strong hand at 15 yards and weak hand at 10 yards.

Single shot draws

Draw to all distances

Double tap draw

Draw to all distances, 2 shots

Moove and Groove

Draw to 25 yard target, reload, move down center of V and engage 10 yard and 15 yard targets on the move.

15 yard steel

We have some home made poppers that are 6 inches wide and about 30 inches tall. Draw and sweep the 4 poppers.

Reloads

Draw to 10 yard target and reload. I was running in the 1.40's today. It was akward. I couldn't get the smooth groove I had when I hit that 1.23.

What I learned

I'm still shooting N350. In the next couple of weeks I want to run some 3N38 loads through my gun. I think there may be a better load out there for me. I can shoot what I've got, but I think there may be more to improve on. I need to find out.

I was shooting Moove and Groove having a great time...because that's how I like to shoot. Then I had a light bulb moment and realized that I was spraying brass all over the range!!! At that moment I was truly conflicted. The shooter in me wanted to move and groove, the reloader in me wanted to find every piece of brass. I actually thought about how I could shoot it so my brass would fly to the same place. This is not good. Stage design and strategy based on brass recovery. What am I turning into? It's all Dave's fault!

Going to a match this weekend. Taking my coveralls because it may snow! I'm going to focus on shooting well which means shooting what I can see. If I'm slower than the other folks....Oh well. I need to find my own speed and see where I'm at. I can only do that if I shoot what I can see. I better clarify that statement. On the practice range I'm all for pushing it to the max to see where I'm at BUT in competition I believe you should shoot only what you can see. That's just MHO.

Want to post some live fire video soon. I also want to show me trying to do a 1 second reload in dry fire...it's pretty funny.

[LadyinBlue]

6. Use some cardboard and tape to block off the front of the lens.

I'm left eye dominant and use scotch tape on my right eye. I'm trying to decide if I should keep my tape on my right eye or take it off. I'm not sure I totally understand the Jo Jo trick. So what is it and why do you do it? I read about it in a thread once, but have no idea which thread.

Thanks as always.

Heya Jane...awesome videos! What software do you need to create that?

I thought I was the lone ranger...right-handed shooter and left-eye dominant.

Do you turn your head slightly to the right?

~Nanci~

[XRe]

I actually thought about how I could shoot it so my brass would fly to the same place. This is not good. Stage design and strategy based on brass recovery. What am I turning into? It's all Dave's fault!

That's, uh, "hubby Dave's fault", right???

You'll get a feel for where the gun chucks brass, and you'll know roughly where you've moved during the drill. Put the two together, and you'll know where to find the bulk of the brass.... If you need to, police brass when switching drills (gun cools down nicely)... I generally don't get it all back, but the vast majority of it, anyway...

Sounds like you had a nice practice

[Calamity Jane]

Heya Jane...awesome videos! What software do you need to create that?

I thought I was the lone ranger...right-handed shooter and left-eye dominant.

Do you turn your head slightly to the right?

~Nanci~

My son gets all the credit for my movie making. We sent him to a YMCA camp last summer and he learned a lot about producing a video. We use Adobe Premier to make our videos because that is the program he learned at camp. However, Microsoft has a movie maker that will work also. So we use a firewire to download the video into the computer, make the video, and then post it on Google image. Pretty fun stuff when you've got a 14 year old doing all the work

Nope I don't turn my head to the right. I bring the gun to my left eye. The scotch tape on the right eye makes this a lot easier to do. A little dry fire and this becomes natural. I actually had some people try to tell me that I should train my right eye to be dominant. I don't agree with this. I am what I am and that is left eye dominant. I don't have the tape anymore with my open gun, but I am still shooting with my left eye.

Jane

I actually thought about how I could shoot it so my brass would fly to the same place. This is not good. Stage design and strategy based on brass recovery. What am I turning into? It's all Dave's fault!

That's, uh, "hubby Dave's fault", right???

Yep the hubby! He's too busy to read this right now...but when he does...I'm sure he will post. Can you believe he actually tried to show me how to clean the 550? He actually thinks I'm going to clean it! He even made me take notes on how to do it You're talking about a woman who didn't change the oil in her car for 2 years!! OK I was in college at the time and I didn't know any better. I love him

Edited April 14, 2007 by Calamity Jane

[LadyinBlue]

Hi Jane,

I tried putting tape on the right lens of my glasses but that was too distracting. Sometimes I try to find the dot with my right eye and this screws up my shooting. Lately I've been turning my head a bit just to remind myself to use the left eye only. Not sure if this is a bad thing or not.

~Nanci~

[Calamity Jane]

Hi Jane,

I tried putting tape on the right lens of my glasses but that was too distracting. Sometimes I try to find the dot with my right eye and this screws up my shooting. Lately I've been turning my head a bit just to remind myself to use the left eye only. Not sure if this is a bad thing or not.

~Nanci~

Not sure exactly what your problem is. I think you said you were going to Ladies Camp this year. Those girls will fix you right up...have no worries about that. I went several years ago and it was a life changing experience for me.

[Calamity Jane]

I can't seem to wipe the smile off my face. I went to the match today with the goal of shooting what I can see. What I found was a whole lot of smooth. It felt AWESOME!! I'm starting to feel like me again behind this gun. The honeymoon is starting to fade and I'm starting to settle into just shooting. I ran a stage today (move and groove oriented) that went really well. At the end of the run I couldn't contain my smiles. It was one of those moments when everything just felt so right. That's why I do this. That's why I shoot. It's to feel what I did on that stage. It's for the huge smile on my face that even now I can't seem to wipe off.

I found a few things to work on this week in dry fire. I lost the dot on a stage that required me to draw and then move to engage a target. SOOO this week I'll be working on drawing and moving to engage a target. I also need to work on reloading on the move this week. I missed some steel on the last stage which was really stupid. I made the CLASSIC mental mistake!!! I'm really disappointed in myself over this because I KNOW BETTER!! I got thinking about winning the match instead of finishing the match. I'm such a butt head. BTW I did win the match. Ofcourse there was only one other competitor.

All in all I can't stop

[Coach]

One other competitor is not important. Smooth as you were you would have beaten plenty of local talent. Looked like you had been shooting open for years.

Once I got home I understood your comment on frustration. I see your point. I was slow on everything all day including you hidden comments.

Get that brass tumbled yet?

[Calamity Jane]

Get that brass tumbled yet?

RLP is teasing me because as soon as the RO said the words "Range is Clear" I was looking for my brass. Normally I walk with the RO to score. Reloading and shooting 38 super comp is turning me into a brass hound. Again....Dave's fault

Thanks for the kind words.

[davidball]

Note for all future Calamity Jane Range Diary posts:

All "Dave's fault" comments do indeed refer to "Dave the husband" and no other forum Dave, real or fictitious.

[Shawn Knight]

[Calamity Jane]

Happliy married for 19 years as of today....it's all Dave's fault!

[Thomas Moore]

you're kidding? my anniversary was on the 16th as well. the wife and celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary.

see you on the range.

[BigDave]

Happliy married for 19 years as of today....it's all Dave's fault!

That you're married or that you're happy???

Congratulations!

[davidball]

you're kidding? my anniversary was on the 16th as well. the wife and celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary.

see you on the range.

Wow. April 16 seems to have been a popular day for nuptials among the shooting community.

Happy Anniversary!