Erucolindon

[ChrisMcCracken]

I've never been one to keep a journal, but what the hay... it can't hurt to give it a shot. I'll use this thread to post my progress with regard to loading, dry-fire, range trips, and competition.

My current status is a holding pattern. I'm waiting to start the process of joining a local shooting club, which entails going to their monthly meeting to introduce myself and get two sponsors. I can't wait to have 24hr access to a 25yd indoor range that won't mind me shooting my own loads or picking up my brass.

I plan to order my first round of reloading equipment tomorrow or the next day.

Not shooting on a regular basis is driving me nuts. I need to set up a routine of dry-firing until then and for between live fire sessions.

Chris

Edited February 20, 2007 by Erucolindon

[ChrisMcCracken]

PURCHASES DONE!!!!!

Something very close to this list:

From Brian- $894 - free shipping

Dillon XL 650 in 45acp - $489.95

Casefeeder - $194.95

"As it should be" upgrade - $106.49

Spare parts kit - $20.95

4 pack large primer pickup tubes $17.95

Balance-beam Scale $49.95

Video - $5.95

One in. Bench Wrench and 5 1" lock rings - $7.95

From MidwayUSA - $130.75 + $9.66 shipping

Frankford Arsenal Impact Bullet puller - $13.79

Frankford Arsenal Vibra-prime primer tube filler - $32.99

Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die - $13.99

Redding Competition Seater Die - $62.99

From Masterblastersbullets.com - $229.90 - shipping included

1700ct 45acp 230gr RN polymer bullets - $119.95

2000ct 45acp brass, cleaned/deprimed - $109.95

From EGW - $22 + shipping

45acp undersized die $22.00

From Gamaliel - $224.82

Clays 8lb - $99.95

Fed #150 Larg Pistol Primers - $94.75

From Harbor Freight - $15.99 +7.99 shipping

6" Digital Calipers - $15.99

Edited February 21, 2007 by Erucolindon

[Catfish]

cool, looks like you're just about ready to rock and roll!

[ihatepickles]

Yeah, that'll be a great setup. Pretty soon you'll want more primer tubes right after you order 10k pieces of brass and 30k bullets...

[Micah]

Looks like you have all the tools for success. I trust you will have a fun and successful season.

[ChrisMcCracken]

Can I get a woot for tax returns???

WOOT!!!!

Ok, now that the obligatory internet celebration dance is out of the way...

After spending oodles on this lovely reloading setup and anticipating the amount of time I will have to pay our joint savings back, I get the gift of unexpected tax returns.

Build it, and the money will come.

Maybe I should just start making an open gun and wait for divine intervention to pay off my credit cards.

Anyway, life got a little easier.

You may go back to your regularly scheduled program.

Edited February 22, 2007 by Erucolindon

[ChrisMcCracken]

To add to the festivities... After 8 years of being out of my parents' home, all of my guns will finally be coming to live with me.

On top of that, I've somehow managed to talk my dad out of his single stack 1911 to try for limited 10. It was built by an armorer in the navy for a good friend. When that friend died, he left it and all his other guns to my dad, and the 1911 is the beauty of the collection. Its one of the tightest fitting guns I've seen. I'm sure it will shoot well. I just can't modify it in any permanent way shape or form, so no ligthening the slide or anything nifty like that.

Can a custom pieced together 1911 be shot in production?

Yay! Now, I just gotta work on getting the wife to agree to a gunsafe.

[ihatepickles]

Can a custom pieced together 1911 be shot in production?

No single action guns in Production, sorry. That piece would be most competitive in Single Stack with 8 round magazines or Limited 10 with 10 round magazines.

Good call on the gun safe.

[ChrisMcCracken]

My mailman hates me now. One deceptively small box weighing 60lb likely caused some significant strings of cursing.

On the good side, I got 1700rds 45acp bullets and 2000 ct of brass from MBB. I also got my EGW U die.

I love it when I plan starts to come together.

Oh, I also picked up some goodies from home, namely the rest of my firearms collection and a bunch of wedding presents we couldn't bring home with us immediately.

I'll post pictures as soon as possible. I can't wait to shoot the 1911.

[ChrisMcCracken]

Powder and primers arrived in the mail, today, along with an ejector for my Mossberg 500. Thats one step closer to the prospect of 3-gun one day.

[Micah]

My mailman hates me now. One deceptively small box weighing 60lb likely caused some significant strings of cursing.

Just tell em it's gold bricks

[ChrisMcCracken]

The stork, I mean FedEx, just dropped off two big boxes from Dillon.

Let the fun begin!!!

[ChrisMcCracken]

I've got the XL650 setup, only boogering up a few brass in the process.

Load data:

Caliber .45

Weight 230gr

Powder Clays

Charge 3.733gr

OAL Yet to be determined.

I should be able to claim my caliper from the post office on Monday if I get time.

Yay!!!

[ChrisMcCracken]

I've got my second USPSA match tomorrow. Its in NC at the Blackwater facility. The guy that runs it is going to help me chronograph some of my loads. It should be a good time. Wish me luck.

[ChrisMcCracken]

The match was awesome! My 1911 shot great, and I surprised a few people with my mini-14. We had 6 stages, 5 pistol and 1 rifle. The classifier was fluffy's revenge II.

I started on the rifle stage. Everyone was shooting AR's, and I got a couple questions about my mini-14, checking it to see if its a newer or older etc... I took a few rounds to sight it in and found it shooting 8-12 inchs high and right. I didn't have enough time to fix the sights, so I just held low and left. At ranges of 50-75 yards, I got 22A, 1B, 5C, 1D, and 2 misses. The misses were on one of the two headshots; the other headshot I nailed. There were definitely a few people not expect those results. Hell, holding that far low and left, I wasn't expecting it. That was definitely the way I wanted to start the day.

Next stage was called Fun and Games with one spinning target attached to a popper and one target/no shoot triggered to come up and then cover all but the head attached to a second popper. I can't remember my scores, but I shot well. I missed that there was a mandatory reload though; +1 penalty for me. It was a neat stage, shooting half through a barrel and half around a barricade. I followed one of the faster shooter's example and shot the popper, then two regular targets, before returning to the spinning target after it stopped. I got two alphas on the disappearing target.

The next stage was the classifier. I officially hate poppers. I missed the first popper 3 times then made all the rest of the shots, 4 alphas 2 charlies, ending at slidelock. I think my time was in the 9's. I'm sure it would have been a couple seconds faster had I hit the first popper.

Next stage was setup with two boxes. Box A had two papers and 4 poppers, and box B had a barricade, 4 papers and one popper. My only error here was running too hard and then not planting both feet in box B. I was just a little off balance shooting around the barricade.

Fourth pistol stage started sitting at a table, leaning back, arms crossed. Retrieve gun off table from under menu, two papers with no shoots, one popper, one more uncovered paper, then run from box A to box C shooting 4 targets in area B, some with hard cover marked. Box C had 3 poppers and two hard covered paper targets. I shot this stage really well, lots of Alphas and a quick time. Only problem was not shooting my plan. I'd intended to shoot while moving but stopped to shoot in area B. I shot well, so it might have been worth it. I just need to practice shooting on the move to make that my reflex reaction.

Last stage of the day was the shoot house, 16 targets. I got 30 alphas and 2 charlies, no misses, no noshoots. Time was 41seconds I think, not that it can be related to any other shoot house. I really enjoyed the shoot house, shooting on the move, close-quarters shooting. I had another case of not shooting my plan though, reflexively reloading two targets earlier than I'd intended. I had plenty of mags, but it threw off my reload time later, ending on slide-lock in the middle of a room. Lesson learned, just something else to practice.

Overall I got lots of positive comments from the guy's in my squad, especially about my 1911, shooting .45, and how my hand load was doing. I'm definitely pleased with the match.

Afterwards I got to chronograph my loads. I'll post the values later. I shot my lightest load all day and it made major easy, with values in the high 700's if I recall. I was probably at a 175 PF.

Overall, the only way the day could have gone any better is if it had been 20 degrees warmer and not so windy.

Edited March 19, 2007 by Erucolindon

[ChrisMcCracken]

Scores are in:

Overall: #16 (of 39) 58.21%

Limited 10: #2 (of 2) 88.32%

Stage 1 - Fun & Games: #22 40.32% 64/70pts 22.55s

Stage 2 - Fluffy's Revenge 2: #28 40.31% 38/40pts 9.07s

Stage 3 - Fast & Accurate: #15 60.77% 75/85pts 18.79s

Stage 4 - While Eating: #10 75.22% 105/110pts 29.68s

Stage 5 - Shoot House: #24 47.21% 158/160pts 41.21s

Carbine Match #2(of 4 standard) 83.46%

I'm not sure how the point calculations differ between standard and open on the carbine match, but it looks like I'd be #4 of 28 overall at about the same %... not bad for a gun that doesn't shoot straight at the moment.

I'm damned happy with those results, but the penalty on 1, misses on 2, and reload error/time on 5 really ate up my scores. That gives me stuff to work on: attention to detail in course of fire; accuracy on draw (aka not yanking the trigger); and shooting my plan on reloads, along with faster smoother reloads.

Comparing my scores to other competitors and their classes, I'm gonna guess that I'm starting out as a D class shooter and should be shooting for a fast ascent through D and C hopefully to B within a year.

Anyone got input on what goals are reasonable starting out?

Edited March 22, 2007 by Erucolindon

[Flexmoney]

I officially hate poppers.

Nah....you LOVE shooting steel.

Your eyes snap to the very center of the steel target, you can see dimples and marks on it.

You look right at the dead center, picking a spot to place your bullet that is no bigger than a golf ball.

Your head is still turning, catching up with your eyes. Keeping your upper body locked in a nice stance (see Brian's pic at the top of every page), you are turning through using your lower body.

As you gun comes on target, your visual focus pulls back from the center target spot on the steel...having located where you want to bullet to go, you are now looking for your sights as the gun comes on target.

Your gun swings onto the steel...it seems to pause as your visual focus switches to see the front sight.

Then...there they are...the serrations and edges of your front sight...in razor sharp clarity. Your mind has been wanting this cue...the shot breaks automatically, as the trigger travels straight back into the frame (you later notice/remember you felt the even pressure that the pad of your finger put on the trigger)

Still watching the front sight when the bullet left the barrel, you know that the alignment was only slightly off. Your bullet will impact about an inch high and two inches right.

You've called the shot. The bullet is on it's way to the target. The steel will go down.

You snap your eyes to the very center of the next target...

[ChrisMcCracken]

I officially hate poppers.

Nah....you LOVE shooting steel.

Your eyes snap to the very center of the steel target, you can see dimples and marks on it.

You look right at the dead center, picking a spot to place your bullet that is no bigger than a golf ball.

Your head is still turning, catching up with your eyes. Keeping your upper body locked in a nice stance (see Brian's pic at the top of every page), you are turning through using your lower body.

As you gun comes on target, your visual focus pulls back from the center target spot on the steel...having located where you want to bullet to go, you are now looking for your sights as the gun comes on target.

Your gun swings onto the steel...it seems to pause as your visual focus switches to see the front sight.

Then...there they are...the serrations and edges of your front sight...in razor sharp clarity. Your mind has been wanting this cue...the shot breaks automatically, as the trigger travels straight back into the frame (you later notice/remember you felt the even pressure that the pad of your finger put on the trigger)

Still watching the front sight when the bullet left the barrel, you know that the alignment was only slightly off. Your bullet will impact about an inch high and two inches right.

You've called the shot. The bullet is on it's way to the target. The steel will go down.

You snap your eyes to the very center of the next target...

Great narrative description. I guess I need to learn what my focus should be on. I know some of these things in principle but not in practice with handguns. Then there are things I don't know and don't know that I need to know.

I'll read through that a few more times. Anymore help is welcome, so keep it coming!

[ChrisMcCracken]

I loaded up a couple hundred rounds and packed up the left over ammo from the blackwater match and headed over to Bob's indoor range. The new load is 1.200ish OAL and 3.65gr of clays. I had no problems other than a little more smoke than I'd like, but that range has crap ventilation from what I can tell.

As far as my shooting is concerned, I spent most of my time either drawing and a single shot or drawing and placing two rounds. I tend to shoot a little low, but going through a couple different loads of ammo, I'm not sure how much to blame on the bow, the arrow, or the indian. I expect its mostly the Indian. I put on a rounded mainspring housing before the last match and shot really well, thinking that fixed my problem of shooting low. However, today's results indicate otherwise. It only happens when I am shooting fast or on a 2nd shot. If I try to shoot for bullseye and no time constraints its not really much of an issue. Some of it probably has to do with switching to a 1911 from my glock.

I'm considering taking a file to the mainspring housing, as the stippling is VERY aggressive. The 270 rounds I put through it ate my palm up. I think I may see the reason to change to a beaver tail now, too. There is a nice little 1/4" blister on my thumb from trying to grip really high up on the frame. I don't know if I should blame the grip safety or the slide, as I was able to feel my thumb hit the slide a few times. I watched the video on proper grip that someone else posted on another thread. Its an excellent video/tutorial, and its not the first time I'd seen it. It is however the first time I've seen it since starting to shoot 1911, so I tried to follow his advice of leaving my thumb on the safety. I can't really say how well it affected my shooting other than providing the blister, though. I've got an extended safety on the way from an ebay auction. I don't expect it to prevent the blister, but I do think it will make it an easier platform for resting my thumb.

I also tried to consistently use an isosceles stance, as this seems to be the most popular for USPSA shooting. I've always shot a modified weaver stance, so its not a natural transition for me. I find it easier to lean my body into shots from a weaver stance, but I'm making the effort to bend my knees and keep my weight forward on my toes in isosceles. Being a more neutral body position, the isosceles does seem like it allows for more consistency in shooting stance from many different positions. I'm still not entirely sold on it though.

I need some pictures and video of me during a match to see what I revert to and whether it causes any slip ups coming into or going out of shooting stance.

I worked on calling the shots some, and I think I had some success. Everything happens so fast, that I'm not certain I was calling the shot or just seeing where it hit and feeling that the hit location made sense when compared to how the shot felt. I definitely did not make this the focus of my entire range session, but for the shots I did focus on this, I felt like I made progress. Now if I can just key this skill up and better understand why I'm flying low sometimes, I'll be set.

Flex made a very clear arguement for calling my shots as a fundamental aspect of shooting and as a large goal for improving. I think I've managed to unwind my head from around the whole class rank system to better focus on these fundamentals and use my shooting as my guide to improvement, but I'd like to hear what other people consider to be fundamentals.

Edited March 28, 2007 by Erucolindon

[Flexmoney]

Nobody knows fundamentals like our host.

Find his words. Those are on his main site, not the forum.

Put them in this thread when you do find them...

[ChrisMcCracken]

Ok, its taken me a little time to get around to it, but he're the fruit of my search:

It is important to distinguish between fundamentals and technique. "Fundamental" means essential.

The Fundamentals of shooting are:

1. Locate the target (visually, or with the force).

2. Aim or point the gun at the target.

3. Hold the gun there until the gun fires and the bullet has left the barrel.

The physical description of the body's movements we use to execute the fundamentals comprise our techniques. The varieties of individual techniques are endless, and vary according to the tendencies, preferences, and physical construction of the person. The various techniques that comprise the stance should, logically, enable us to best accomplish these fundamentals under the widest variety of conditions, both mental and physical.

Let's start with the principles of the shooting stance or "Index," and then go into the importance of correct technique within the index.

To better understand the totality of our stance, it helps to divide the body into two sections. Let's call the lower body, the waist and below, the "Base," and the upper body the "Index."

Basically, the function of the Base in high-speed shooting is to provide a forward stability to the Index. Within reason, it doesn't matter what the Base is doing while the Index is shooting. Ideally, you should be able to maintain your Index on the target no matter what your feet are doing.

The principles of the Index are:

1. The shoulders should be square, or at least fairly square to the target.

2. Both arms should be fairly straight without either extending or contracting the arms or elbows unnaturally.

3. The grip, with each hand, should be as high on the pistol as possible. (There are many subtleties of the grip, however, since this is a stance/index discussion, we won't go there here.)

4. The head should be fairly straight up, without excessive tilting, and the shooting eye should be looking as squarely as possible out of the socket.

5. This is paramount: Once this position is assumed, your entire upper body, including the head, arms, and grip—your Index—should never change in relationship to each other.

To nutshell it, the entire upper body is square to, and pointing at the target, while the Base is providing an aggressive forward lean or balance for the Index. Think of your upper body as a non-moveable, locked together unit, which pivots from the waist.

A few subtleties on the above:

Your arms should have the feeling of "pushing through" the last few inches of their extension. To get the feeling of this, assume your stance (you don't need your pistol) with your arms not quite fully extended with the front of your grip touching a wall. Push forward on the wall as if you were trying to firmly push through it. This is the feeling of "extending without locking."

A consistent Index enables you to quickly and consistently point at and shoot targets. The more variables you introduce into your Index, i.e., one arm excessively bent more than the other, one hand pushing or pulling more than the other, the less chance you have of reproducing a reliable platform to shoot from under a wide variety of conditions—especially under stress. This is why the Index, as currently used in competition, has evolved to its present state. Any unnaturally excessive Index, such as the Weaver, etc., will be more difficult to reproduce from day to day, from stage to stage, or just from moment to moment because our mental state and resulting muscle tension is in a constant stare of flux.

Your Index is the most important aspect of your overall stance. The more consistent your Index, the better you will shoot (execute the fundamentals). In the early years, as we experimented with various techniques, we found our consistency improved as we eliminated the variables introduced by pushing and pulling, straining and struggling. Sound principles of technique consistently control the pistol more effectively than muscle tension.

Top competitors use the current Index because results are their primary concern—technique is secondary, and is a by-product of the intention to perform the fundamentals effectively under stress. First see what is important (consistently hitting the target), and then see what you need to do to get there. This is called—not starting from a conclusion.

When I began shooting IPSC in the late 70's, I used the Weaver/Chapman stance because I was told that was how you control the recoil of a .45 ACP—you know, the man's gun. Some years later, after experimenting and altering my Index, I was shooting a Bill Drill (6 shots into the A zone of an IPSC target at 7 yds in under 2 seconds) with a single stack .45 with 230g, 190 power factor loads. (I was practicing for the SOF match.) A local shooter was watching as I shot a 1.8 something run from the modern or "modified" Isosceles position. I remember him commenting, "Wow, I guess your technique doesn't require wimp loads to be effective." This is a common misconception - he was starting to get the picture.

I consider Rob Leatham the greatest "instinctual" shooter on the planet with an iron-sighted pistol. Time and time again, I've seen him acquire and shoot targets so quickly it leaves you speechless. I questioned him on his approach. Basically, he said: Upper body (shoulders) square to the target, arms fully extended but not locked, and most importantly, once in position, the head, arms, and body move as a unit. He commented that he would not hesitate to adjust his feet while shooting if that will preserve the integrity of his Index. He also said, and I agree, "Why 'aim' if your position can do that for you"? This should not be taken to mean that he doesn't aim when he needs to; it's just that with proper technique, the gun points and shoots wherever you look. After enough practice, of course.

Investigate the stability and repeatability of your Index. Assume your Index and then introduce variables such as: Pulling back with one hand and not the other, pushing out with one hand and not the other, bending one elbow slightly and not the other, or bending both elbows the same amount. You'll find, the more your position varies from the above outline, the more your pistol's point of aim will change as you slightly alter small components of your Index.

Shooting an iron-sighted pistol accurately...

The Hard Part

Aiming is not the hard part. Releasing the shot without disturbing your hold is (the hard part). After establishing correct intention, your body will aim your pistol without effort.

The Third Fundamental

Hold the gun in alignment with the target until the bullet has left the barrel.

Sight Picture

Sight picture consists of two components:

1. Sight alignment, which is the alignment of the sights in relation to your eye, ONLY

2. Sight picture, which is the relationship of sight alignment to the target.

The "Call" to Followthrough

You improve followthrough by becoming aware of what you see, or "remember" seeing, as the bullet is leaving the barrel. This acquired skill is called "calling the shot".

Will yourself to "hold" your attention on the sights until they lift in recoil. Look right at them—ignore the target. You will remember where your sight alignment was on the target without conscious effort. (Think about what that last sentence implies.) If you are actively observing the sights alignment and your eyes remain open DURING the firing of the shot, you should remember the last exact relationship you saw before the sights lifted in recoil. When you compare what you remember with where the shot actually went, you're on the path to successful shooting.

If you do not have intimate knowledge of the Third Fundamental, you must consciously train yourself to remember "the call." After "training to remember," the call will occur simultaneously with the firing of the shot. If you can maintain this state, you will shoot without doubt.

The Problem

The pistol is the most difficult firearm to shoot accurately offhand. The reason for this becomes apparent if we investigate the phenomena of "the hold." The hold has two components. First, let's call the guns movement in the hands only, "the wobble." The movement of the wobble on the target, originating from our arms, produces the hold. This all to observable visual input distracts us from what is paramount, the aforementioned third fundamental of shooting—releasing the shot without disturbing your established hold on the target. A trick I learned from a silhouette shooter might help: Imagine your pistol is in a machine-rest even though you are holding it offhand. Now imagine the target is moving (in the same pattern/manner as your hold). Now, what can you do to have the best chance of hitting the target?

Knowing this, it's best to begin by shooting from a bench rest or other supported position. Sandbag your pistol so it's rock solid. Aim into the backstop (do not use a target, or spot to aim at) and then consciously direct ALL your attention to building the pressure on the trigger until the gun fires the gun fires as a surprise. It can help to use the "one to ten scale," this time use your sights and the trigger as your two components. Become familiar with the feeling of firing the gun with all your attention on your trigger/finger, while simply observing the sights lift in recoil. Then place a target at 25 yds and repeat the above procedure with the following addition: Use this "order" to fire the shot—1) Align your sights in the center of the target. 2) Shift all your attention to your previous feeling of your finger building pressure on the trigger until the shot breaks. During step #2, you are still seeing the sights; however, you are no longer "trying to aim." At this point, your concern is not in trying to shoot a particular spot; you are simply looking with the intention of remembering where the sights were aligned at the moment the shot fires.

Again, begin by shooting into the backstop with no intention of hitting anything in particular. This will allow you to focus all your attention on what is important—"releasing" the shot without disturbing the gun's hold. Relax your attention into the gun, look at the sights without staring, and then shift all your attention to the feeling of your finger on the trigger. With great determination and purpose, increase pressure on the trigger until the gun fires—"FEEL" the shot off. At the moment the gun lifts, recall the sight alignment—again, this is what you must see. After mastering this, when you put a target behind your sights, you simply recall the last relationship of the "sight picture"(sight alignment plus their relationship to the target) at the instant the gun lifts in recoil.

Only after you've mastered "benchrest calling," should you begin shooting offhand.

Now to shoot a "good shot" (one that not only went were you wanted it to but you knew it did AS the shot fired), you must combine the feeling of releasing a perfect shot with the feeling of "willing the gun still" as you build pressure on the trigger. Eventually, with training, this becomes ONE FEELING.

Accurate calling of your shots is the most essential ingredient to successful shooting. Set up an IPSC target a 25 yds. Using 3/4" white tape, tape the target into four quadrants and tape a two-inch "X" or cross in the center of each quadrant. Shooting slow-fire, shoot one shot at each X, offhand. After establishing your hold in each respective quadrant, tell yourself to LOOK RIGHT AT THE SIGHTS ("1 Sights/9 Trigger"), and without "trying to aim the shot," create a perfect release by feeling your finger build pressure on the trigger until the gun fires. Your only goal is to know exactly where the shot hit the target. Just use the "X" to assist in remembering where the sights were when the shot broke—don't try to hit the X! Check the target and see where each shot landed on the target in relationship to where you thought it went. (It also helps if you know what size group your gun will shoot off the bench at this distance.) Even if it takes forever, keep practicing this until you immediately know, as you fire a shot, where it hit the target. If you have a spotting scope or binoculars, you can look at the target after each shot to get more immediate feedback. Through the relationship of: where you thought the shot went by "reading the sights," and where it actually went—you will learn to know as the shot fires, exactly where it went.

For many years I ended each practice session by shooting slow-fire groups at a nine-inch white paper plate at 25 yards. I'd take all the time I felt I needed to shoot the smallest five shot group possible. I'd shoot five to ten groups each session and keep the smallest group as my "record." This is a great exercise to ingrain all the above.

Imagine how much easier calling the shot would be if you were shooting a scoped pistol. All you would have to remember is where the dot or crosshairs were when the shot broke. With iron sights, you must get this information by "reading" the relationship of sight alignment and sight picture at the moment the shot fires.

To summarize, train to call your shots by accepting your hold, looking only at your sights, and then as the shot fires, remember where the alignment was on the target.

Once reading the sights is firmly ingrained, practice to preserve this most important of all fundamental while increasing your shooting speed. Project your attention into your hands and sights as you shoot. When you master this - it'll be a (w)hole new world.

If your fundamentals are rock-solid (meaning you can shoot - accurately), but you have difficulty "cranking it up," you might experiment with the following.

In practice, push yourself to shoot at a quicker pace than you would normally be comfortable. Don't worry about your hits, with good fundamentals, you can always return to basics. Shooters with a tendency towards accuracy often have to force themselves to shoot out of their comfort zone to get the feeling of what "driving the gun" feels like. Once you experience what it feels like to "let go and crank away," you will have the perspective needed to effectively balance speed and accuracy.

A great drill for this is the Bill Drill. The original drill tests how fast you can shoot all your shots into the A zone of an IPSC target at seven yards; however, to emphasize speed, make the following adjustment: At seven yards, instead of the goal of shooting all A's, just shoot as fast as possible with the goal of only keeping all your hits on the entire target. (If this sounds crazy, this drill is definitely for you.) Shoot within these parameters until you establish the average time it takes you to just hit the target with all your shots. Then, try it again, this time with the goal of keeping all your hits in the C zone—in the same time you just discovered—do not shoot at a slower pace. This is the opposite of the usual method; however, I assure you this is possible. After mastering this, you should be able to carry what you've learned up to this point into shooting all your shots in the A zone in the same time you needed to just hit the target.

When you are doing everything JUST RIGHT, on a target at seven yards, you should be able to shoot A's as fast as you can shoot hits. I've had tremendous insights into "speed shooting" while training in this manner.

It helps me to visualize a "Control/Abandon" scale. I picture it in my mind as a horizontally sliding knob like you might see on an older stereo, on which one end is Base and the other end is Treble. Substitute two opposite concepts for Base and Treble, i.e., control/abandon, or sights/trigger. Then, before you shoot, imagine where the knob is positioned.

Or, if you prefer thinking to imagining, think of two opposite concepts that have a ratio that has a total value of ten. For example, you might shoot a given string with "8 Control/2 Abandon," or "1 Control/9 Abandon."

The key is, every time, before you shoot, DECIDE exactly what you are going to do. And then after each string, without attaching to or judging the results—simply notice what actually happened. Eventually, clear intention will dictate your activity.

Edited April 9, 2007 by Erucolindon

[ChrisMcCracken]

Now, to go over my last match in Fredrickburg, VA. The overall results put me 98th out of 116ish. Limited10 has me at 13th of 16.

The first three stages ate me up. No. 1 was the classifier, Can You Count. My times were both around 10 seconds per string. I attribute the majority of time wasted on this round to my reloads. I'd installed a new wilson magwell but not tested it thoroughly with my CMcC power mags. While the mags did fit, I ultimately needed to dremel off a bit of the bumper on each to make seating a little easier. I also remember my splits being absolute crap on this stage for some reason.

Stage 2 and 3 were both relatively large field courses. No. 2 had lots of targets hiding with several different ways of tackling them. I managed to remember all of them and engage all of them but had one or two misses on longer shots. I go to watch one of the GMs shoot this stage later and noted that he shot it completely differently, looking around one of the barricades and engaging targets all the way across the field of fire, as opposed to engaging them from closer barricades. I'm sure that I would not have benefited from this approach, but it was a lesson in broadening the way I consider tackling stages. I need to work on finding the sweet spots in the shooting box that allow me to engage as many targets as possible from one place and work on limiting my movement from sweet spot to sweet spot.

Stage 3 was a little easier to wrap my head around compared to stage two, with most targets behind partial cover instead of complete hard cover. It envolved 9 papers and 3 steels, with one swinger rigged to a step box. One of the steel failed to fall after hitting it. I had a miss or two on papers. I think overall, my aim was my weakest link here, getting too many C, D, and M's.

Stage 4 I loved. It was like a baseball diamond. Bat on strong shoulder, drop bat, draw shoot popper from box a. Run to box b, engaging 3 targets between a and b. Shoot popper from box b. Engage 3 targets between box b and box c. Shoot popper from box c. My only goof on this was a hit on a popper that failed to knock it over. Throughout the whole match, I didn't miss a single steel/popper, just had the two not fall down. I think I was 65th on this particular stage, my best of the day.

Stages 5 and 6 were both hoser point blank. 5 had two doors that triggered bear traps, along with 3 poppers. 6 was just fence with a few openings and 2 or 3 targets point blank per opening. I got all As on both of these stages. My times were eaten up by magazine bumper vs. magwell failures that caused me to drop the hammer on an empty chamber a couple times.

Stage 7 was 3 targets from barricade a on the left, 3 targets from barricade b on the right, and 3 targets through the barrel down range. I forgot my reload between a and b, forcing me to reload in the middle of a target, eating my time. I should have been able to use the transitions to mask my slow reloads. Oh well.

Overall, it was great time, other than frustrations with the gun and with myself. Subjectively, I felt my split times and my aim were worse compared to my prior match. The larger field stages were good learning experiences.

[ChrisMcCracken]

Now's as good a time as any to dust off this thread...

I finally found a range to shoot at for free today up in Wexford, PA. I was determined to shoot this weekend if for nothing else than to de-stress from work. I'll post more about that in the "hate" section if I think of it. My task for the day was just to try out my reloads after setting up my press.

Detail:

Bullet: Zero .45 FMJ 230gr

Brass: Mixed Headstamp

Powder: Clays, 4.2gr

This was also only the 2nd time shooting my 1911 since I got it back from Ryan Flynn at Ion Bond ages ago. My first trip to the range had me concerned because I had feeding problems for the 1st time in this gun. The bullets would run into the ramp and just stop without nosing upward into the barrel. One of two things fixed it: more oil soaking into the coating or wearing in of what had been a well polished ramp now that it was coated. I put 300 rounds through it today without a single error. I can't express how pleased I am with this gun and the Ion Bond coating.

I also spent some extra effort paying attention to the sights. I'm not calling my shots yet, but I was able to see the sights rise with more precision than I ever have before. I could see some of my shots perfectly, but others escaped my observation or explanation. I did try to make every shot only when I saw the sight on target, no double taps. Shoot, wait for the sight to be back on target and repeat. My game plan is to go slow in the coming local matches. I want to make every shot an A, to be very controlled on the trigger and then fast everywhere else that I can. I need to setup my dryfire area; I have some 1/2 size targets and poppers to use in my basement. I've got just over a month before the first match in southwestern PA. Maybe I can surprise myself.

-Chris

[ChrisMcCracken]

Can't seem to edit my older posts, so sorry for the extra post.

Kyle's Flinch Breaker - 101 (generic version)

- Double plug. I doubt you are flinching due to noise, but double plug anyway...at least when you are shooting.

- Know that the big explosion going off at arms length won't do you any harm (simple, I know...but it is something the shooter has to "decide" to accept)

- less pressure with the strong hand grip...more pressure with the weak hand. The strong hand needs to be relaxed to operate the trigger in a smooth manner.

Calling the shot & follow-thru

If you have a flinch, then you just aren't calling the shot and following-thru. There is no way around that truth.

If you were calling the shot, you would see that it was off. Eventually, you just wouldn't take the shot.

Here are some things to see.

- You have to have a Front Sight focus. Razor sharp. Burn it in!!! Forget the target focus for close stuff crap...there are Masters that shouldn't be doing that.

When you next go to shoot, don't use a target. Aim at the berm. Not a rock or clump of mud, just the berm in general.

Watch the front sight ONLY. Make yourself see it track. That is your only goal here. Do single shots at first. Get a solid sight picture both before and after each shot. That is two sight pictures for each shot...follow-thru.

If you don't see the front sight lifting and coming back, then don't move on. This is vital. If you do see it, move to multiple shots...but keep seeing and keep that follow-thru!

- Next, move to a close target (one yard). Again, the focus is on watching the front sight track. Target blurry. The target just happens to be there. keep seeing the front sight...TWO sight pictures for each shot. Do single shots first.

You should be able to call each and every shot. If you can't, then you weren't focused on the front sight.

Never advance if you encounter a problem. If all goes well, move the target back a yard at a time.

- Never try to 'catch the sight' and pull the trigger as it (sight picture) wobbles around in the A-zone. Accept that the sights will move around on the target. Just focus on the front sight and release the shot. If it is off, then you will have called it from your read on the sights as the bullet was released.

This brings up the next point.

- TRUST. You HAVE to trust your sights. Don't look for hits on the target. EVER! Read the sights. If you shot a hoper or a Delta, make it up!

A big part of people missing is that they start to look for the hits. They end up looking AS the gun fires. As they look over the gun, they pull it off target.

If you call the sights, then there is no need to look (or listen) for hits.

If you find yourself doing the "pull the trigger NOW" thing, try this...pretend that your gun is a giant paint brush that extends to the target. Use your gun (sighted) to "paint" a circle around the A-zone. Keep painting the circle, then release the shot at any time along the circle. Call that shot. (don't worry about the hit in the A-zone).

If you find yourself looking at the target, or looking for hits ...instead of focusing on the front sight...then close your eyes (safely). Line up the sights between shots, then close your eyes and deliver the shot. Chances are your group will tighten up.

If you do the above...and still have a flinch (dry/live-fire) then let me know. Chances are, your flinch might come back during a match. If so, then slow down and call the shot...and follow-thru.

Hope you find this helpful!

Kyle

[ChrisMcCracken]

I went to the range today to try Kyle's technique for calling the shot. I used a target at the 10yard berm only to claim my spot on the firing line. I took about 130 rounds and shot at a slow pace, maybe one round every 2-3 seconds in 6 round series. My focus was completely on the front sight.

I learned a few things.

1. I blink every time the shot breaks.
   
2. I shoot very well with two eyes open.
   
3. My dominant eye completely takes over with focus on the front sight.
   
4. My accuracy with the front sight over the A zone, no particular spot as I was focused on the sight, was great.
   

By the time I was done, there was just one big ragged hole in the top center of the A zone.

I would love feedback on how not to blink. My trigger control is fine, not flinching or jerking. My eyes just react to the shot.