Timers for idiots

[cuzinvinny]

My only competition experience has been in a local steel plate league. In an effort to improve, I want to develop a dry fire routine, and therefore need a timer to measure my progress. One of my co-workers will be out of town for a few weeks, and he gave me his CED8000 to try out. My problem is that I am quite frustrated with the instruction book. I simply want to dry fire 5 shots and review my results. Upon reviewing the different timing modes available, I can't find one that will meet my needs. They all seem to add on the results of the next string so that when I review the results I'm not really sure what I'm looking at. I'm even OK with firing my 5 shots writing down the results and clearing the timer, but can't find a way to completely clear the previous results. Is this timer better suited to a more advanced shooter, is there a timer that will better meet my needs, or is there a timers for idiots book out there?

[yoshidaex]

You must be mistaking dry fire practice for live fire practice. I don't think the CED 8000 will pick up the sound of you pressing the trigger 5 times.

[ChuckS]

Yup,

The timer can't hear your "shots" so it thinks nothing has happened yet. If you want to see how the timer works, hit the start button and rap on the case with your hand or a pencil and that should trigger the thing. Probably the best thing for dry fire is what is called par time. In that mode, the timer beeps the start beep and then after a pre-programed periond of time it beeps again. At least that way you will know if you finished your exercise in a certian amount of time. Also, see if the timer has a random start time. The way that works is after you push the start button the timer waits a random amount of time before the start beep. That mode will help you get your timer reaction speeds up!

So, look for "Par Time" and "Random Start" or some such terms in the instructions.

Later,

Chuck

PS: You may want to look into Steve Anderson's dry fire book* here: http://www.brianenos.com/store/books.html/

(*that is a book about dry fire, not a dry book about fire )

Edited January 19, 2008 by ChuckS

[heidit]

I gotta say I'm sorta in the same boat... Being really really new to the sport, I am still trying to figure out how the heck to use my new 100 dollar stopwatch! I am glad you asked the question, because timer operation was going to be my next post. I was playing with the timer late last night, I scared the gibblets out the dog!

[boz1911]

Set your par time for dryfire at a reasonable time for now. At least enough to make you push. A week from now start dropping the par time. 2 weeks drop it some more, etc. I don't like the random start as much as the fixed time start. The random start makes me jumpy!

[Jman]

Agreed.

Steve Anderson's Dry Fire book for home work.

Your first live fire work really needs to include

Matt Burketts timing drills for solid grip analysis.

Steve's book can be ordered right here on Brian's site.

Here is a link to the timing drills. Wish I had this tool when I

started. http://www.doublealpha.biz/pages/tip_burkett.htm#top

scroll just past half way down and study the timing drill. Actually the

whole page is great but the drill in particular.

Jim M