Micah's Range Diary

[Micah]

[Chris Keen]

I got to shoot both indoors and outdoors today with my new Rudy Rydons with photochromic lenses. I didn't even notice until someone said "Dude, your glasses just got darker!" Way cool. I was concerned at first about wearing tinted glasses indoors, but now I know it is a non-issue.

I wonder who that masked man was ......

There were 3 of us standing there looking at our Rudys in the sun like we had just seen the first moon landing. It was surreal.

Edited April 13, 2009 by Chris Keen

[Gameplayer]

"Bears hibernate in the winter...that's why they never win matches. I'll never make that mistake again"

I know what it's like to put on a few pounds (having gained 30 myself since I messed up my knees). From watching your video, the weight doesn't seem to have had any effect on your footspeed, flexibility or your shooting.

[L-10_shooter]

wow is the slide of your glock really blue? How did you refinish it to change the color? Great diary, when you started you look to be about the skill level I am at. This is a bit of an inspariation to dry fire more and practice to get better. Keep it up!!!

[Micah]

wow is the slide of your glock really blue? How did you refinish it to change the color? Great diary, when you started you look to be about the skill level I am at. This is a bit of an inspariation to dry fire more and practice to get better. Keep it up!!!

Thank you very much L-10. My slide was duracoated in blue several years ago. Although after several million draws it shows signs of significant wear, I like the way it looks. I've been using that slide since the very beginning, and plan on it taking me to GM.

Trust me when I tell you that there are days when I'd rather drink Draino then dryfire...like yesterday. Got up at 4:30 to lift and jog, taught until 4:30, and had a whole mess of work to complete at my university. I didn't want to dryfire first thing after I got home, but I know that practice is the only panacea for losing.

[L-10_shooter]

since you shoot a glock I have a dry fire question for you. Do you recock the striker for every trigger pull or just simulate the sights lifting?

[Chris Keen]

I decided to go back to a stock striker spring...it makes the trigger dramatically more heavy, but the reset is MUCH stronger (something that I like). When I do my little breechface paper trick to keep my trigger active during dryfire, the trigger feel is almost exactly that of livefire. I dig that too.

[Micah]

Does this mean I have to field questions in your range diary too Chris?

L-10, I do not simulate recoil or sights lifting. What I am looking for is any movement in my sights while pulling the trigger.

By doing my paper trick, I am able to better simulate the actual pull of the trigger on each dryfire shot, as opposed to continually "pretending" to shoot when the striker has been dropped.

[L-10_shooter]

Im not trying to steal your thunder, this is your thread about your work toward your goals. Thanks for the tip, I have found it bad practice to have to recock the gun for every trigger pull, no one does that during live fire. I will try the paper thing and keep up the good work on your way to the top. By the way you look very smooth and fast in your videos!!!!

[Micah]

Im not trying to steal your thunder, this is your thread about your work toward your goals. Thanks for the tip, I have found it bad practice to have to recock the gun for every trigger pull, no one does that during live fire. I will try the paper thing and keep up the good work on your way to the top. By the way you look very smooth and fast in your videos!!!!

No thunder stealing here L-10, just people learning. Thanks for the complement btw

[Rob D]

I really like your video. One thing that really popped out to me is how you keep the gun up and centered and then present it to ever target as your get into position. I really like that, and I'm definitely going to try to copy you on this. I've noticed Eric Grauffel doing the same thing, but he looks like some kind of supernatural shooting robot when he moves, and I couldn't really pinpoint what I liked about it. I'm sure I've seen a lot of other great shooters doing it to, it just really popped out during your video.

Also, when you dry-fire with the glock-paper trick, do you practice taking your finger completely off the trigger between shots? I tried the paper trick for a few weeks before double-tap, but it seemed to cause me to short-stroke my trigger. I was probably just practicing bad habits though. It might be better if I practiced letting the trigger all the way out and then squeezing it.

Thanks

Robbie

[Micah]

I really like your video. One thing that really popped out to me is how you keep the gun up and centered and then present it to ever target as your get into position. I really like that, and I'm definitely going to try to copy you on this.

Also, when you dry-fire with the glock-paper trick, do you practice taking your finger completely off the trigger between shots?

Thank you very much for the complements Rob! Having the gun up follows the Enos principle of economy of motion. EG is actually a robot though

I find that I engage the trigger differently in different situations. I slap when the targets are 50ft or closer and somewhat open but past 50 ft, or tight shots, or weak hand, I ride the trigger back to reset.

My Glock setup has a fully stock striker spring, so the trigger kicks back out relatively hard. Although this makes the trigger pull heavier then if I cut striker spring coils, I NEVER have light strike issues, and I prefer to feel the reset click in the gun.

[JThompson]

I really like your video. One thing that really popped out to me is how you keep the gun up and centered and then present it to ever target as your get into position. I really like that, and I'm definitely going to try to copy you on this.

Also, when you dry-fire with the glock-paper trick, do you practice taking your finger completely off the trigger between shots?

Thank you very much for the complements Rob! Having the gun up follows the Enos principle of economy of motion. EG is actually a robot though

I find that I engage the trigger differently in different situations. I slap when the targets are 50ft or closer and somewhat open but past 50 ft, or tight shots, or weak hand, I ride the trigger back to reset.

My Glock setup has a fully stock striker spring, so the trigger kicks back out relatively hard. Although this makes the trigger pull heavier then if I cut striker spring coils, I NEVER have light strike issues, and I prefer to feel the reset click in the gun.

Plus the gun runs because it hasn't been messed with... I shake my head when I see guys Glocks not running because they made them "better."

[Micah]

The daily training continues...I am seeing marked results in my reloads and movement, as well as in my waist line. Eventually I'd like to create a new dryfire video with my headcam to show all of the drills that I do each day.

This morning was the third of three Praxis II (license) examinations that I need to be state certified to teach special education. Cool as a cucumber baby

I shot a steel match last night called Friday Night Steel with Chris. We don't ever go to this match simply because it is pretty far from home, and getting there on time puts us in Cin/Day rush hour traffic...but yesterday was the exception. I was exceptionally unhappy with my reloads, as they were mangy. It may sound stupid, but I think I was pushing them too hard. I need to remind myself that smooth is fast.

Reloads aside, I am okay with the results:

[Chris Keen]

Hey Micah, do you have that $20 you owe me for gas?

[Micah]

Lulz it's more like $50.

I'll have $10 of it next week

[MTBfarms]

How did you like the friday night match? Any plans to go to more of them this year? I found out about it last year but have not made it to one yet.

[Micah]

Rainy day and a great match coming up later this morning at Circleville It's gonna be a BLAST!

I thought I'd post the mods that I made to my Glock during the off season...I was reluctant to make any changes during the season, so when I took two months off I stippled my frame and added the Prod legal grip plug (thanks again nwb01!). The stipple job is crazy aggressive on the left side...something that I prefer since it is the left hand that does the muscle work.

Although I don't think that the mods are what is going to bump me into GM ( ) I have transitioned into them well in the past few months of dryfire practice and am comfortable with the changes. The stippling really shines when it rains. I'm sure that I'll have some vids from today's match up later on this evening.

[Micah]

What a match! Conrad keeps on playing the hits, and I keep on dancing to them! He is an excellent MD

The rain never played a factor today, as it kept its glower under cover. It was a beautiful day for shooting.

Not my best match by far, and although I feel that I made many mistakes, I also had as many good areas as well. Now that my headcam is (sorta) working, I integrated the handcam vids that Chris took with the headcam. I dig the final product, as it shows more of the shooting.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, is Oxford...here's to hoping Mother Nature holds her tears one more day here in heavenly Ohio

[Paul Santiago]

Nice vid Micah. i like the transitions bewteen handcan and headcam

[Micah]

I never would have believed that the horrible weather forcast that I saw on Wednesday would have turned into the beautiful weekend that we had here in Ohio!

Today was the Oxford match. I felt a little more relaxed today then the match yesterday. No other comments that I can think of come to mind about the match right now other than then that I had a blast shooting on such a hard working and small squad

[JThompson]

I really liked the work on the timing of the swinger...

[Micah]

Thanks JT . After shooting it, I felt that that I should have shot the three paper and four steel, then while on the move and after the reload engaged the swinger...goodness knows I had plenty of time.

[Micah]

I went to the range tonight with Chris to work on weak/strong hand...It has come a L O N G way from where it was. I have lost several club matches, and one division win at a major to my inability to shoot one handed.

I also checked the trigger pull weight of both my G34, and my G17 which I am grooming for IPSC standards. I was shocked to find that the trigger pull on my G34 was 4.5lbs...I thought it was lighter. It should be a smooth transition to the 5lbs trigger requirement of IPSC.

The daily dryfire and workouts continue, and I feel the benefits in the acceleration of those workouts in my box/box and barricade/barricade drills.

Tomorrow is the Mburg match, and I always look forward to the opportunity to try new things.

I was able to use birthday loot to fund me going to Area 5! Although my majors list is dramatically shorter then the past two years, I will make the best of it in knowing that next season I will have plenty of money (thanks to the finality of my Master program) to attend more majors.

[Micah]

Fun match and beautiful weather today The more that I thought about the last stage, the more I realize that there was a better way to shoot it. Such as life.

I had some issues uploading the video from the match today to Photobucket...apparently they are now blocking any video that contains a recognized song under a copyright infringement clause (what a bunch of bs). So out with the Tenacious D and in with the Dethklok.