rvb

[rvb]

Two Beretta shooters in the top 6!

Yea, that's sure not common any more.

I think this is the last season for me. I plan to be shooting a G34 next season. I've been running this gun since 2005. While I'm not super sentimenal about these things, I don't really want to see this gun grenaded. And I don't see paying the premium these guns bring used. Unless Beretta does a 180 and comes out with -something- (and soon) that'll replace key features of my EII, I'm done with them.

-rvb

[rvb]

I shot production at Angola, in17, this weekend.

Shooting was nothing spectacular. But I never shoot well there. Shooting and ROing there sucks since ROs stay with the stage and shoot either after setup or before tear down. Makes shooting realy rushed. Failed to do a good walkthrough on my last stage. I just took a quick look at it before make ready. Two failures to engage (and the 4 mikes that went with them) cost me the PD match win. No squads / shotgun start and dedicated RO may be nice for the shooters, but, dammit, I'm a shooter, too.

Classifer was 99-23, Front site. Crazy HHF on this one. Only shot about a 70%. Too many Cs! 7A, 5C, 5.65s total (strings were approx 2.9x, 2.6x). HF=8.8496. Looking through my practice session notes from last season, it was a pretty poor showing. Last yr in practice I was doing this in the mid 9 to mid 10 HF. Oh well.

Wasn't very happy w/ the stage I designed, but it seemed to go over well. I need work on wide transitions, so I built those in (like 160* transitions). A fun little speed trap at the end caught a couple of people... a fwd lean after advancing, and people had a hard time stopping.... only one penalty given, but several had to step back into the zone.

Put a few rounds through the AR for fun after the match, and to test out a couple new mags (had never run P-Mags in my gun, plus I wanted to test out the nordic pmag extension). Pmags are ok, I just have yet to see what they do for me that GI mags dont?

Saturday I put some rounds through the new M1A. Very frustrating. Can't seem to shoot it well.

See my issue here: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=133783

-rvb

[rvb]

Took an AR to the range today. 100 rounds, all prone/slung. Just shooting 5-shot groups.

I'm not sure what is even "acceptable" for irons at 100yds? I know I suck at rifles... but hey, that's why I wanted to practice. Best 3 or 4 groups were in the 1.4-1.9" range. I'd say typical was right at 3". Any insights? Is 3" @100 ok? Or should I grab more ammo and drive back to the range immediately?

Gun was a basic 20" A2 spare parts gun w/ HBAR "post ban" 1/9 barrel (not free-floated or anything). Only non-standard parts are a RRA 2-stage and a slightly narrow FS. ammo was bulk hornaday 55s over 25.0 H335.

Biggest problem was vertical stringing. I blame that on this crappy prescription I have for my right contact. I really had a hard time seeing a crisp FS.

I found my groups were tighter when I aimed center of target vs/ 6-o'clock hold.

I read elsewhere on the interweb that bigger targets help? I was just drawing ~3" circles on paper w/ a fat sharpie...

-rvb

Edited August 20, 2011 by rvb

[rvb]

Shot at Ft Wayne, in05, on Sunday.

Had a pretty solid match. 94% of the points and only 1 D (on the frickin classifier).

Confidence in shot calling, strangly (since I've been shooting/practicing so little), seems to be at an all time high. I had a plate that was still standing after a run that I KNEW I hit.... it had been spun around. There were also 5 steel through a port that I railed all 5 and stood up to show clear and thought "ya know I never saw a single one fall." great feeling... after the moment of panic.

A couple of small glitches in execution, but they were only slight hesitations. Too tense on a couple of close targets resulted in some trigger freeze and having to back-up to put a 2nd hole in a target, cost me a good second.

Classifier was 03-08 Madness. Shot it in 8.02, down 6 (1C, 1D). The D was a mental lapse. I got lazy snapping my eyes to the last target before the reload, broke the shot early in the D. Still should be ~91% nationally, but could have been 95+ easily.

Being lessed rushed to shoot definiately showed in my shooting I think. Even though I was RO'ing, it was easier just moving along w/ the squad.

-rvb

[rvb]

Shot my last match of the season yesterday at Angola's SS match. squeaked out a not so pretty win in an SS field of 22.

I haven't put the time in zeroing this gun since I put the new barrel in, and I need to. The classifier was 99-09, long range standards. I was hitting way low. I was aiming and calling shots in the upper A, but they were all down on the D/C line. Gave up a LOT of points incl a M on a round that must've gone under the target. Groups weren't horrible (not great, either), just not where I was aiming. Ended up w/ only ~90% of the points on the match.

Got 11 matches in for the season, incl the state match. Not too bad, that's about 3 more than I planned. I was VERY happy with the state match. Hope to maintain that level of performance next year.

Seems very strange to finish a season having fired only approximately 1800 pistol rounds (maybe another 300 in rifle). I suspect next year my schedule will be similar. Though I am hoping to fit in a half-dozen livefire practices throughout the season, so maybe I can bolster that roundcount by 2-3k.

I've decided I'm going to run a different production gun next season. 11 years shooting a beretta 92 variant, 7 on this gun... time to experiment and see what color the grass is on the other side. I'm hoping a change-up will give me some good motiviation and desire to dryfire. I don't expect a different gun to make a difference in my shooting, but I hope the extra practice and attention to fundamentals will.

My other big time distraction the last couple years is now complete... I FINALLY finished the basement. This means 1) I'll have more free evenings/weekends to dryfire, 2) I'll have a bigger space to dryfire, 3) I can set the treadmill and bike back up and maybe get rid of some of this extra inertia.

I may get on the range a couple more times this fall w/ the long guns. Still need to test out the M1A now that it's back from Springfield. And maybe exercise a couple of the ARs... other than that.... See ya NEXT SEASON on the range!

-rvb

[rvb]

Wow, two months w/o a post!

I've not been doing any practice... wanted to wait till I got my new production gun (and gobs of OT would have interfered anyway).

In the meantime, the AR I've been building for use in 3-gun is breathing fire. Just need a scope (leaning heavily towards the vortex viper hs 1-4), and to start developing some loads for it.

I picked up a brand new Gen-3 Glock 34 this weekend. I spent a little time dryfiring last night. I don't have a holster yet, or my mag pouches converted over to take the glock mags, so this was all grip and trigger control.

some initial thoughts....

trigger is heavy! I'm spoiled by the 3.0lb triggers on my beretta and my 1911. I didn't weight this thing but it's got to be over 5lb.

The reach to the trigger is noticibly longer than on the 92, which is great! I was actually getting best results with the trigger right in the middle of the pad of my trigger finger, vs in the joint.

gun stays steadier when the shot breaks than my hammer fired guns. Lock time is definately faster than my lightly sprung beretta, and there's no hammer mass hitting the gun to add wobble. This gun seems more forgiving of a light grip or an imperfect trigger press (may be equally due to better positioning of the finger on the trigger).

'beavertail' is slightly wider than the 92, and my grip has the left corner of it riding on the bone of the knuckle for my thumb, resulting in a grip that doesn't feel very solid... I'm experimenting with rolling the gun slightly counterclockwide in my grip. This gets me a more solid (and more comfortable) grip on the gun, but I'm not indexing it well.

I ordered a G17 mag release. The extended one on the 34 is chewing into my WH. Mags were not dropping out, but there was no recoil either. Damn these glock parts are cheap, so might as well experiment... oh, and that mag release spring is HEAVY.

The sights suck. Going to start by painting them all black, which will help. But certainly a thinner front sight will be needed, not much light around the factory part. Gobs of options for glock sights, going to be tough to choose... then I'll have to decide if I want to go fiber or give solid irons a try again...

-rvb

Edited December 12, 2011 by rvb

[Corey]

Sounds like your are going to have fun this winter adapting to a new format!! Will be weird seeing you without your beretta on your hip!

[rvb]

So I've been able to Get in a little dry fire w the new 34. No draws since I don't have my holster yet, but I got may mag pouches converted over so Ive done some reloads.

Index/grip: still trying to find my ideal grip. Rotating the thumb around to fit my hand better makes me feel like I'm reaching for the trigger too much. Still experimenting...

Reloads: the magwell is weird on this gun... I'm used to focusing on the center of the side of the well on my 92, but this 34 has this recessed plastic divider between the well and the hole, so I'm continually crashing the mag into that bit of plastic in the back of the mag well. The center is not really the center. I'm finding if I look at the front of the well, I guide it in ok. But the front is shaped weird, too, and instead of flaring out, it bends back in. HOWEVER, even going months w/o practice, I was hitting my old pars right out of the gate. I started w a conservative 2sec parr, and I smashed it. I was hitting 1.5s consistently. The glock mags seem less likely to bind if the angle between the gun and mag isn't perfect, it really seems to suck the mags right in. It definitely seems easier to reload than the 92. I just need to work out exactly where my focus point is.

Trigger: after a few hundred dry snaps, it seems to have dropped at least a pound in pull weight. This gun seems much easier to dry fire perfectly steady than the 92! It's especially noticeable SHO/WHO. I'm looking forward to getting some live fire time to see what I can do group wise.

The reset seems overly heavy on this gun.

-rvb

[nwb01]

Sounds like you need a grip plug.....

[rvb]

Sounds like you need a grip plug.....

Possibly... First I need some practice. Right now I think it's technique vs hardware...

-rvb

[rvb]

Today, December 31st, I had my first live fire practice session of 2011!

I got a few rds through the M1A: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=133783&view=findpost&p=1604173

I put 400 or so rounds through the new G34. I started off w a drill I saw online, just for something different. http://pistol-training.com/drills/dot-torture I shot 48/50. The two dropped shots were WH. Just got sloppy on the focus.

Next I worked on groups to see where the rds hit. It seems to group about 3" high at 25.

So far it seems i am FAR more accurate w this gun that I was with the beretta. I did a complete timing drill and all but a half dozen fliers were in a fist sized group, and that was with me continually having to lease the slide lock. The fliers were still in the Azone. I shot a freestyle 2.5" group at 25.

The extended slide release and the extended mag release will have to go. I already have replacements but wanted to shoot the gun bone stock before swapping parts. The palm of my WH is pretty blistered and torn open. And I couldnt get through a single timing drill string or bill drill wo having to release the slide, sometimes multiple times.

The slide is a little bloody from the top of my strong hand... Not bad, just skinned. I sure can't get any higher. But getting a decent grip quickly from the holster will take practice... My draws were horrendous! Like 1.7s for a 10yd surrender. Mainly because I had to make sure I was low enough on the grip to not get tore up, and to try to keep off the slide release. Time to hit the dry fire hard.

Reloads weren't bad. I tried to look at a spot more towards the front of the mag well instead of along the side. Reloads were in the 1.7 range, so not stellar, but they weren't fumbled on the plastic bit at the back of the well, either.

Had one malfunction; the fired case extracted, but did not eject clear of the chamber, mouth forward, not stovepiped.

A very positive first outing... Hopefully I can repeat the practice session w a smaller slide release so I don't spend the whole time hitting the release...

-rvb

[rvb]

30 min or so of dry fire tonight w the 34. Put in the 17 slide stop and mag lease.

Call me goldilocks w the mag release. About 1/8" longer than the 17 release would be ideal. If I was shooting lim, I think I would take the 34 releAse and knock it down and round it out. Perhaps 1 out of 5 times I would fail to release the mag. But I set up a multiple par for a bill-reload-bill drill, and I was consistently hitting 4.7 w a ~1.7 reload, assuming the mag dropped... Which im estatic about considering a new gun and months wo practice.

Started reading "The Glock in Competition"

-rvb

[rvb]

Wondering if Grip tape or stippling would make the extended mag release bother me less.... If a more solid grip, less sliding around, would keeping it from wearing on my WH so bad...

-rvb

[rvb]

Something I just noticed while working some trigger control.... My WH index fingertip is interfering w my trigger finger (ie on the right side of the trigger guard). I'm guessing I didn't have this issue w. the beretta due to its slightly wider grip?

-rvb

[rvb]

Felt Ike crap tonight.... Touch of a fever, sore throat, cough, whine whine whine.

Just did some dry fire from the lazyboy. Mostly trying to keep a dime on the front sight. Best I could do was 3 in a row. Hell, I was lucky to get the gun up for a sight picture wo the damn dime falling off. Still trying to figure out where on the trigger to put my trigger finger for best results, and I don't think I'm totally consistent yet with my grip. Been a long time since I tried this.

-rvb

[rvb]

Felt Ike crap tonight.... Touch of a fever, sore throat, cough, whine whine whine.

Just did some dry fire from the lazyboy. Mostly trying to keep a dime on the front sight. Best I could do was 3 in a row. Hell, I was lucky to get the gun up for a sight picture wo the damn dime falling off. Still trying to figure out where on the trigger to put my trigger finger for best results, and I don't think I'm totally consistent yet with my grip. Been a long time since I tried this.

-rvb

Been really under the weather all week. Still only about 75%, but no fever/chills. Tonight was my first real dry fire session.

90 minutes, going through SA's book repetition by repetition. Got through the first 9 drills.

Main observations:

Lots of dusty cobwebs. Did several no-buzzer reps on each drill just to ensure I was happy w. technique.

SHO/WHO w the glock needs work.

Index and grip from surrender need work

Reloads Are smoother than expected at this point. Was at or slightly ahead of my old pars on the Burkett loads and no problems on the 6R6's, I recall fumbling one.

old calluses have gotten soft, the glock is for sure gonna make new ones.

Struggling to lower my grip so the slide doesn't bite so bad.

-rvb

Edited January 7, 2012 by rvb

[rvb]

1 hr of dry fire tonight.

SA drills 2-6 & 9 to work on what was giving me problems last night.

Surrender draws we're much improved, but the consistency wasn't there, which describes the WHO as well.

SHO didnt seem much better than last night.

Hung a couple of reloads on the surrender-6R6, so skipping the burketts maybe wasnt a great idea.

Was working how to grip the gun to avoid some of the slide bite. Seems if I move the gun clockwise just a bit, it helps keep the slide off me, but the interface to the gun doesn't seem as solid. Need some live fire time.

Have to get used to dryfiring the glock out of battery... Seems strange, like where the heck in the pull does the shot break? Just a matter of getting used to the gun, I'm sure.

-rvb

Edited January 8, 2012 by rvb

[KentG]

Stumbled on this and I like the torture dot drill. Printed one out and hope to try it this week if the weather gets above 40ish with some sun.

[rvb]

Stumbled on this and I like the torture dot drill. Printed one out and hope to try it this week if the weather gets above 40ish with some sun.

Fair-weather shooter!

Let us know how it goes.

-rvb

[KentG]

Stumbled on this and I like the torture dot drill. Printed one out and hope to try it this week if the weather gets above 40ish with some sun.

Fair-weather shooter!

Let us know how it goes.

-rvb

I went to the club Sunday before the football started and just did about 150ish at the plate rack working on draw and dot aquisition since I will be shooting the XD with a Cmore. Thats a first for me. Heading back tomorrow!

[rvb]

90 minutes tonight, 1st 10 drills in SA's book. Consistency was much improved. Ahead of my old pars on WH draws/transfers. Behind on all the 6R6-style drills by a couple of tents. Lots of sight movement on the 6R6s as I work the trigger, need to squash that, but it's not necessarily during the break, but as I work/reset the trigger.

-rvb

[rvb]

45 minutes tonight. Did 5 drills from SAs book. Mostly variations of 6R6 drills, el prez, 2R2.

Wasnt getting anywhere close to my pars.... Was ending on the 'p' in beep instead of the 'b'. Pushed it a bit past my ability to see every shot, then slowed it back down, and was getting much closer.

Did some el prez's with the multi par set. 1.0 for the draw, 1.0 for the next 5, 1.5 for the reload, and 1.0 for the last 5. What I learned was that my draw was close to 1.0, but I was actually slow on the shots, often starting the reload a couple tents late, yet I was often ahead of the beep for the last 5 shots, so my reload was solidly under 1.5.

Interesting note, I have not had any problem the last couple of practices with hitting the plastic bit at the back of the maxwell, so I'm going to hold off for now in adding a grip plug.

This gun is slippery! I tried a piece of grip tape on the left panel, and it made a HUGE difference in my draw, and keeping my grip consistent (and I think it would keep the mag release from chewing up the WH. But I had to reposition the tape after every drill, and I had to take it off after a few strings.

I think I'll try some Trugrip for now. I'd like to stipple, but I'd also like to make sure the gun is for me before I go making it hard to sell.....

-rvb

[rvb]

Did get some dryfire in the last couple nights, about 45 minute each on speed drills/draws and a couple hours while watching movies on accuracy. Focused on finding a grip/trigger finger placement on the glock that gets me the best trigger press (w/o being too high my hand gets chewed by the slide). Also focussed on some different drills from SA, such as 3x3, 1x6, 2x2 etc.

Sat, I performed better on the accuracy work, but sucked at the speed drills. Sunday I sucked at accuracy, but rocked the speed drills. weird? related mentally?

My goal is the dime on the [factory] front sight a minimum 10x in a row, on demand. Saturday I could do 7-8 consistently (once I figured out my "target" was a couple feet lower than my eye, which made the gun angle down and the coin kept falling off the front. duh). Why 7-8? Mental? ie "almost there!"?? Last night I could do no more than 2 in a row. VERY frustrating. I really believe mechanically I was doing everything the same grip wise. My press must have sucked? Or visual attention sucked? It was weird because I knew before the shot broke whether it was going to fall or not. But I couldn't seem to salvage it. So SOMETHING was different/wrong on those shots that consciously I couldn't put my finger on.

Speed shoot wise, some observations...

really missed the grip tape on the gun. can't wait for the trugrip to show up (link for my future reference: ericwesselman.com or trugripusa.com). The skate tape I have on hand just isn't adhesive enough.

reloads went smoother and results on the timer were better when I kept the gun lower. typically I've moved the gun up so that the mag well is roughly in-line w/ the target. If I just rotated the gun such that the sights stayed roughly inline w/ the target, it went smoother. Partly I think it's the alignment of the mag to the well, partly the press-out is smoother w/ less extra motion

hope I can arrange for a bit of live fire in the next couple of weeks. I want to order a 13 lb recoil spring and see if I like that.

RO school in 4 weeks. Heard it now has enough attendees to make it a GO! Thanks, Brent!

-rvb

[rvb]

Bronchitis.

Not much real dryfire the last couple of days, other than trigger control (up for a challenge? Keep a dime on the front sight while hacking your lungs out).

-rvb

[rvb]

10 in a row, finally! (dime on the front sight)

First couple of attempts stopped at 7-8. The trick.... stick my damn finger as far in the trigger guard as I can get it!

I'm so happy w. my grip I put little marks on my hand w. permanent marker at the rear corners of the gun so i can verify my grip when I get back to speed work.

This bronchitis has been kicking my ass.... But accuracy work is always beneficial, too....

Hoping to return to speed drills tomorrow.

-rvb