BigDave Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Didn't The Burner have his wife, Marilyn, running the 1050(s) in the back of The Truck®. Sounds like a great job for Ol' Dave!!! (not me Dave, you Mr. Ball) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted March 20, 2007 Author Share Posted March 20, 2007 Musashi says (paraphrasing - book is not handy) that the warrior is responsible for his (her) own equipment... I see this as a good thing - even though you get to sit and crank the handle, this is one more thing on the path. You will be even more connected to every hole in the paper.... It's like when I was a kid and my Mom made me eat my vegtables. You know it's good for you but you don't want to eat it. This taste like brussel sprouts to me. The statement "you will be even more connected to every hole in the paper" meant something to me. That is a very interesting statement. Just meditating on that thought has made this whole thing a lot easier to swallow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Just meditating on that thought has made this whole thing a lot easier to swallow. Truth be told, I hate reloading. I like load development and experimentation, but when it comes to the boring repetition of production of ammo... ugh. Right now, its on a 550, as well, so its fairly slow. But.... Remembering that loading quality ammo puts me one step closer to the top of the results - both for practice and for matches - that helps me keep cranking 'em out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougBarnes101 Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 To make it easier ask for a case feeder for the 550. From the sound of things you will be going thru enough ammo to make this a worthwhile investment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share Posted March 25, 2007 (edited) Loaded Up I loaded my first 400 rounds yesterday. When I started whining to my husband about how I was going to have to figure out how to work in the time to load...he just started laughing. It only took one session of loading to realize how much my husband truly loves me. I'm overwhelmed with the amount of work and effort he has put in to keep us all in ammo. Clearly, I have not shown him the admiration and appreciation that I should have. Sorry honey YOU ARE THE BESTEST HUSBAND EVER! Now back to me. Loading my own ammo has already changed the way I think about practice. I took 300 rounds to the range yesterday and only shot 200. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do with the last 100 so I saved them for today. I'm thinking about trying a training technique (perhaps others do this) that requires me to dry fire all of my live fire practice first. Meaning, if I go to the range and set up the El Prez...I would dry fire it 10 times first before loading up. If I'm shooting a stage...I would dry fire the stage 10 times before loading up. I'm thinking about doing this for a couple of reasons...bullet management and basically what I'm trying to train is my body (I don't need bullets to do that) There might be mental benefit to this also. What I would be doing was basically running a mental program before I live fired...which is what we do in competition. I DON"T KNOW...I'm just thinking out loud. I'm going to give it a try and see how it goes. Gun Runner My gun runs!!! Note to self: when acquiring an expensive firearm from a master builder always lubricate said firearm before shooting. (Prepare to cringe) My first time out with my baby I ran her dry. I'm ashamed. Dave told me to oil her up and I didn't. So the first time out we had some trouble with stovepipes and failure to feeds. Was this the guns fault?? Was this the gunsmith's fault?? NO!!! It was my fault. I cleaned and oiled the gun and she runs fine. I shot 200 rounds without any problems. I plan on shooting more today. I tell you this because I deserve the public humiliation. Dot to Dot Has anyone else noticed that the dot is not perfectly round??? My dot looks like 3 interlocking circles to make one circle. It reminds me of this horrible class I took in college called "LOGIC". It kind of bugs me because it is not PERFECTLY round but that may be because Dave's tendencies have rubbed off on me. Just an observation. I have a lot to learn about the dot. I'm feeling really good about the dry fire, but yesterday in live fire I had some concerns. I don't understand what I am seeing when I fire a shot. Let me explain. Calling my shot with a limited gun has never been a problem. If I couldn't call it the instant I pulled the trigger (as they say you should) I could watch the dot rise and return and that would tell me exactly what happened. BUT again I had the reference of the back sight, and the barrel plus the front sight. I'm not sure I understand how to call the shot with the dot. All of the feedback of the shot is in the dot. I'm going to need a lot more rounds down range to understand what I'm seeing. This grasshopper has much to learn Edited March 25, 2007 by Calamity Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilliston Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Jane, you put a big smile on my face reading your post today about reloading. You could be my best friends twin sister. I could see her saying those exact words It's gonna get better, honest. Here's some little things you can try. I know you have the mega schedule, but try doing just one primer load a day in the morning before breakfast, takes about 15 minutes. That's 600-700 rounds a week, without really spending "that" much time in front of the press. It goes by pretty quick. Not sure how your bench is setup, but if you get everything ready for the next time, it's that much easier. Primer tube is filled, bullets sitting on the left, brass sitting on the right, and enough powder. Just walk up and start making bullets. Keep having fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted March 27, 2007 Author Share Posted March 27, 2007 (edited) Glad I made you smile Mark. It's funny that you posted a suggestion to load in the morning because that is probably what I'm going to have to do to get it done. This loading thing is just another little bite of the elephant that needs to be worked in. Snakes on Range No this is not a story about Kay. BTW I'm so thankful that she is OK! This is a story of how to hold on to a snake. I'm a country girl...the midwest farmers daughter...if you will..so I've actually caught and held on to a snake. When I was 8 years old my Dad put a black snake around my neck and had me chase my Mom around the house. He thought that was really funny My Mom...not so much So when Ron Avery used the hold the gun like you are holding on to a snake...I totally understood what he meant. This analogy was used to communicate the correct amount of grip tension. However, I'm beginning to believe that this was not the best analogy for ME. I'm suspicious that I'm not gripping the gun tightly enough. My first suspicion of this was at Lady's camp several years ago when I had Renee show me her girp. I said "Holy Cow"!! "You hold the gun that tight!" She has this amazing grip. It's hard to believe those skinny arms of hers are so freak'in strong. (insert face of admiration here) But then the vision of the snake came to my mind. To hold the gun like that would kill the snake. Fast forward to today. I shot on Sunday and decided that I was going to "kill the snake"! In fact that was what I said to myself before each draw. What I found out was the dot moved less...which means better recoil control. I was able to get 2 alpha at 10 yds with easy squeezey splits of .19! Now I know in the Open world that may not be really fast BUT in limited fast for me was getting .25 splits and not always 2 alpha. Gripping the gun more firmly helped me. I think the snake analogy is probably valid for you big strong boys....but I think gals need to KILL the SNAKE!! Edited March 27, 2007 by Calamity Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 (edited) Jane, read up on "timing drills" - its a simple drill Burkett devised to work on exactly this sort of stuff. In essence, you load up some mags, and go stand in front of the berm. Figure out what you're trying to assess - it may be just getting used to the gun, or it may be trying different grip pressures, or stance things. Let's use grip pressure, since its what you're working with and its also a common thing to work on with this drill. Take what you feel is your normal grip. Dump the whole mag into the berm, as fast as you can pull the trigger - you're not aiming at anything in particular, just watch the dot move and get a feel for how the gun is moving. Now, 2nd mag - try a lighter grip, and do the same thing. 3rd mag, a heavy grip, and again the same thing... Go load mags and ponder what you learned - which one did you like better, and why? Now, with 3 more loaded mags (and a cooled off gun), do the drill again, this time starting with the grip pressure you liked best from the first drill, and go heavier or lighter from there. Repeat, until you know the right grip pressure to use. Reassess and a month or two Never assume that you have the "right" pressure for any time but right now... You will learn a lot more than just grip pressure through these drills.... the questioning you have about how to read the dot will likely disappear or at least be much more clear after just watching the dot move against the berm for a couple of hundred rounds of timing drills.... Sounds like your dot module has a funky shaped aperture. That happens sometimes, and sometimes it gets that way over time as crap collects on the dot module... Unfortunately, the only way to address it is with a new dot module ETA... Mark's idea about loading a little at a time is good - I do something similar. Dry firing a stage or drill before practicing it is a good thing to do, for sure. I'd be careful about trying to be stingy on ammo, though - live fire is an irreplaceable tool.... Learn to be efficient in loading, and such (BTW - are you using case lube?? If not, do so - I use One Shot - much easier to resize...). Remind David that you need a 1050... Edited March 27, 2007 by XRe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidball Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 BTW - are you using case lube?? Yes, she does (but she doesn't know it - I'm still prepping her cases). Remind David that you need a 1050... I heard that . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Remind David that you need a 1050... I heard that . . . Send me one while you're at it, to.... :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted March 27, 2007 Author Share Posted March 27, 2007 (edited) Jane, read up on "timing drills" - its a simple drill Burkett devised to work on exactly this sort of stuff. In essence, you load up some mags, and go stand in front of the berm. Figure out what you're trying to assess - it may be just getting used to the gun, or it may be trying different grip pressures, or stance things. Let's use grip pressure, since its what you're working with and its also a common thing to work on with this drill. Take what you feel is your normal grip. Dump the whole mag into the berm, as fast as you can pull the trigger - you're not aiming at anything in particular, just watch the dot move and get a feel for how the gun is moving. Now, 2nd mag - try a lighter grip, and do the same thing. 3rd mag, a heavy grip, and again the same thing...Go load mags and ponder what you learned - which one did you like better, and why? Now, with 3 more loaded mags (and a cooled off gun), do the drill again, this time starting with the grip pressure you liked best from the first drill, and go heavier or lighter from there. I'm going to do something I don't normally do. I'm going to do exactly what you said. Next trip to the range I'll do the Burkett timing drills. Cheely helped me fix my draw...now it's time to make sure the grip is AOK. I've got a bullet management problem right now. I want to go do those drills right away...but if I do I may be risking not having enough ammo for this weekends match. The powder is on order...don't know when it will arrive. Cooled off gun! That's Texas subtle at it's best! You must have known through esp that I shot 300 rounds this past weekend and NOT ONCE checked to see if my gun was hot. I did notice that the comp was a little toasty. I just made a mental note of no more short shorts on the range. I'm not stupid...I'm ignorant. Eventually I'll learn how to take care of this gun. Edited March 27, 2007 by Calamity Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cheely Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Well don't wear your Daisy Dukes at the range and you'll be ok! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 I'm going to do something I don't normally do. I'm going to do exactly what you said. Next trip to the range I'll do the Burkett timing drills. Cheely helped me fix my draw...now it's time to make sure the grip is AOK. Well... I'm not the only one who'll suggest timing drills, so... I've got a bullet management problem right now. I want to go do those drills right away...but if I do I may be risking not having enough ammo for this weekends match. The powder is on order...don't know when it will arrive. Save aside ammo for the match - shoot the rest. Timing drills can eat ammo in a big hurry - well worth it, but ammo hungry. The timing drills can wait a week or so if you need them to... Cooled off gun! That's Texas subtle at it's best! You must have known through esp that I shot 300 rounds this past weekend and NOT ONCE checked to see if my gun was hot. I did notice that the comp was a little toasty. You haven't really seen it hot, then... When the lube starts cooking off while you're shooting, and see you white smoke coming out of the gun.... you know its hot Here in TX in the summer, I really have to take serious breaks and allow the gun to cool down some, so that I don't toast the barrel (or do excessive wear to the rest of the gun, for that matter... Heck, you can heat it up enough to break down the Loctite used to hold the C-More screws in... I just made a mental note of no more short shorts on the range. All I have to say is... OUCH... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidball Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 (edited) Here in TX in the summer, I really have to take serious breaks and allow the gun to cool down some, so that I don't toast the barrel (or do excessive wear to the rest of the gun, for that matter... Heck, you can heat it up enough to break down the Loctite used to hold the C-More screws in... Max Michel gave me a suggestion when I asked him about my gun getting hot during practice in the summer (IN ain't TX, but it does get a wee bit warm here in the summer as well). He suggested a small cooler with a layer of ice in the bottom and then some sort of shelf so the gun does not set directly on the ice. Makes a mini refrigerator. In the summer I put the gun in the cooler on the shelf, slide locked back, while I reload mags. Helps keep the gun from getting excessively hot and I don't have to take as long of breaks to wait on the gun to cool down. Edited March 27, 2007 by davidball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted March 28, 2007 Author Share Posted March 28, 2007 I just learned something really cool in dry fire. I've been working on trying to keep my shoulders relaxed when I draw. Tonight I put the dot on a target at 10 yards with relaxed shoulders and then I tightened my shoulders. Tight shoulders moves the dot 6 inches down!!! AND I'm not talking about hunched shoulders....I'm talking only tension in the shoulders. Relaxed shoulders is no longer an option but a must! Good thing I've been working on it. Try this out for yourself...it's really cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 I have a question. I was dry firing a paper plate rack tonight and the plates are fairly close together. I was trying to move my eyes first and then bring the gun to the plate. However, I wasn't sure whether to look through the cmore lense or around it. To look around it seemed awkward...looking through it made it seem like I was moving my eyes with the gun instead of ahead of the gun. OK How do you shoot a plate rack with a Cmore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Simple... just look at the next plate - everything else will work itself out.... You won't notice this sort of thing "at speed", but I could see where you'd observe the need to do one or the other working slowly... Nice observation on the shoulder tension... the funny part? Your shoulder tension was affecting you with the Limited gun, too.... Go back and try it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Knight Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 I have pretty much given up on my diary and started using yours! What you do today I do tomorrow. Very organized Jane! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 I have pretty much given up on my diary and started using yours! What you do today I do tomorrow. Very organized Jane! I don't care who you are....that's funny. XRE, When I look at the next plate...1/2 of the plate is inside of the lense of the scope and 1/2 of the plate is on the outside of the rim of the scope. Do my eyes find the plate inside the lense...or go outside the lense? Do you hunt for targets inside the lense when they are close to the target you just engaged? OK I know I'm being very detailed oriented....it's part of my up tight ICU nurse nature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 I think my point was - don't worry about it, just get there See it inside, see it outside, it doesn't matter. You're only in this dilemma because you're running it really slow - at speed, you'd snap eyes and the gun would start to move and you wouldn't even notice it. I'm not conscious of ever deciding if I have to see a target inside the scope, or outside of it. I find the target with my eyes, and the dot/scope/gun goes there. Its just a short movement if the next target is close enough to be inside the scope. I can see why this bugs you - its the kind of detail I look at, too, when trying to pick up something new. The answer, in the end, is one of those "just do it" things that drives both of us nuts!!! Its both painfully simple, and seemingly complex - if you can see it in the scope, go there, if you can't, go there. It sounds like you might be "dot following" to some extent - keeping your eyes in the scope and following the scope around. If that's the case, you'll want to get away from that - you want the dot and scope to follow your eyes, not the other way around. Space your targets out some - maybe even across the room - and work on snapping eyes, followed by head (if needed), followed by everything else.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted March 30, 2007 Author Share Posted March 30, 2007 OK I'll relax and "just do it". It's hard to sort out which details REALLY matter. For example: shoulder tension really matters. BUT perhaps how you find the next plate on the plate rack...not so much. As usual...thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 It took me a while to realize that... it all matters... and none of it does... All that matters is putting the dot on the target, and seeing it lift (and making sure that everything you do allows that to happen...). Its very cool that you noticed that you had two ways to see the next plate - and that you thought to ask what might be the best of the two ways. That observational skill is going to serve you well - keep questioning, and never settle, and you'll continue to find ways to improve. In this particular case, it would be easy to obsess over it, for me - in the end, I just proved to myself that the will to see the dot on the target would get the right thing done for me, and I've left it at that I hope that helps... I'm not real cohesive... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted March 30, 2007 Author Share Posted March 30, 2007 (edited) March Goal Summary It's the end of the month and time to evaluate where I'm at with my goals. I'd like to start out with some accomplishments for the month. Accomplishments Received my brand new, awesome, sweet, totally cool, open gun Found a workable load to run in my gun (N350) Developed dry fire confidence using the dot Refined one aspect of my draw (thanks again Matt Cheely) Identified the importance of shoulder relaxation Got one shooting glove off of my hand (right hand) Began loading my own loads Plate Rack Evaluation To review my plates are: spiritual, family, work, exercise, and shooting. I use the analogy of plates…because these are the plates I have to keep spinning on a daily basis. These are the things that are most important to me and provide me with the balance I need to live well. I've set goals in each area. I'm only sharing the exercise and shooting goals in my range diary. Exercise Swim (goal 2 x's week) 100% compliant Nordic track ski (goal 4 x's week) 81% compliant Stretching (goals 7 x's week) 71% compliant Pilates (goal 3 x's week) 100% compliant Lifting (goal 2 x's week) 100% compliant Shooting Dry Fire (goal 4 x's week) 100% compliant Live Fire (goal 1 x week) 100% compliant I need to put this data in context. I've said before that I'm eating an elephant one bite at a time. So I've really broken all this up into small bites. For example: when I say Pilates 3 x's a week…that means I'm doing a 10 minute Pilate workout on video. All I have time for is 10 minutes. I figure 10 minutes is better than nothing. The Nordic track…all I have time for is 20 to 30 minutes. Dry fire…that is 30 minutes. I've changed the way I'm lifting because of time. I'm using dumb bells and doing exercises that work multiple parts of the body at one time. For example, I'll do a step up and bicep curl at the same time…then raise the weights above my head for a military press….I've done 3 different muscle groups in one movement. Looking Ahead Here is a list of things I'll be working on in April Load development (3N38 will be the next load to try) MORE ROUNDS DOWN RANGE (need to learn how to shoot my new gun) Record times (draws, splits, bill drill times etc.) Movement work (I'm really looking forward to working on this!!) Add a heart monitor to aerobic workouts (want to make sure I'm getting the most out of my 20-30 min workouts) Increase weights in my lifting (need to purchase some more weights) Re-evaluate my stretching goals (need to either adjust goal or do better) Shooting my first match on Sunday with my new gun. I'm very excited about it. I've shot 3 matches with an open gun. All the guns have been borrowed (thanks to all BTW) But this match will be with MY GUN!!!! I've already got a smile on my face thinking about it. I'm sure the South Central boys will try to wipe that smile off my face. Edited March 31, 2007 by Calamity Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted April 1, 2007 Author Share Posted April 1, 2007 Gone in 60 Seconds If I gave you keys to a very fast car (insert your favorite fast car here) and I instructed you to drive it at 55 mph, would you be able to do it???? Yeah, me neither. When you have something built for speed it's hard not to let her rip. So it isn't that big of a surprise that on my first stage today I got a little carried away. With 300 rounds under my belt and a few weeks of dry fire, I tried to shoot a little too fast. The result was one mike and poor points on my first stage. Things got a little better as I made myself slow down. Shooting fast is fun, but it looses a little of it's luster when the red dot misses the A zone. I'm looking forward to the day when I can deliver power, speed and accuracy. Not there yet. The good news was I shot 5 stages and didn't lose the dot. The dry fire must be working. Great day, great friends, left the range with a big smile on my face What do I need? Slow down, be patient, and shoot more rounds down range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 Great day, great friends, left the range with a big smile on my face And that's the point, after all What do I need? Slow down, be patient, and shoot more rounds down range. 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... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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