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Keys to success - Bianchi Plates


Flexmoney

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And, if shooting them fast had some sort of advantage...

I'm not saying shoot them fast.

I'm just not saying shoot them slow.

Just shoot them.

Shooting is plenty to have on mind. Why add in fast or slow?

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And, if shooting them fast had some sort of advantage...

I'm not saying shoot them fast.

I'm just not saying shoot them slow.

Just shoot them.

Shooting is plenty to have on mind. Why add in fast or slow?

This probably doesn't help this crowd much but I tell new shooters (newer than me anyway :) ) to not worry about the clock at all, just knock the plates down and take however long they need to get hits. I'd rather see someone knock down 5 plates and run out of time that get 6 shots off but only hit one or two plates...

The key is to slow down and be *sure* of every shot. There is plenty of time, so why not take advantage of it?

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Flex,

Time is important because we are limited by the amount we have.

Never ever shoot to a cadence, once in a cadence you will shoot when the cadence says not when your sights say. Misses will occur. If the sights are aligned then certainly shoot, speed is irrelevant until you run out of time. Irons or Open sight picture is king.

Getting the first shot away when perfectly lined up is more important than many understand. I tend to shoot a little quick, (IPSC background) but I now shoot when the sights are aligned not just because the dot is on some part of the plate. I have had the oportunity to see the best in the world many times and they all do things just a little differently. I now have most of my own personal issues with plates sorted, but I still have to keep an eye on everything all the time. One lapse and you are done. Took me 5 trys to get the plates clean at Bianchi. I know someone who took 12+ goes and she was so happy it was funny as hell.

The are no hard and fast rules on what is the best way to shoot plates. But missing is not included in the better ways to do it.

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Bianchi Plates

6 plates. 6 shots. Hands above shoulders for the draw.

It is run at four distances...10y, 15y, 20y, & 25y. Each distance is run twice. You start up close, do your two runs at that distance, then move back to the next distance.

[edit to add:]

Each distance allows for one extra second on the PAR time.

10y = 6sec.

15y = 7sec.

20y = 8sec.

25y = 9sec

Total of 48 shots. Each shot is worth 10 points. So, 480 total points available.

What is the distance between the plates edge to edge? Thanks, Kirby

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The single most important thing that got me to the point of being able to shoot 48 plates on demand. anytime, was to imagine an x ring on the plate and count any hit out of that area a miss. The goal is to shoot the smallest group on the plates you can. When I started practicing using that discipline and kept the plates painted it was a huge improvement.

Don't fear the plates or dread them but keep a healthy respect for them. Like riding a superbike, if you let up they will bite you.

Don't shoot a rhythm but you will develop one in the process, just don't try to shoot a certain pace, shoot the center of the plate.

Learn to shoot prone where you can, watch out for getting your body in a bind getting to the last couple of plates, better to slide the gun over if you have to.

For myself I quit practicing the extra plates with the reduced time limits. The first year I was shooting clean every practice session I started spending too much of my time shooting at the reduced time limits. I missed the first plate that year at the cup because I was in "extra plate mode" and so didn't get shoot them. I did get the other 47 and learned my lesson. I also quit shooting the extra plates at the cup to save energy and focus for the mover which would always be next.

Keep challenging yourself, I would shoot them at 50 prone and offhand to keep myself honest.

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This year at the Cup I got one round fired at the plate continuation, I was so focused on shooting all of them as fast as I could I forgot to shoot the first one. As soon as I fired I knew I missed. So unloaded and was holstered before the rest of them finished. Dumb Ass.

But I don't practice the continuation for the exact reason Ross lays out. I have struggled for years to slow down on plates and just shoot sight picture.

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  • 3 weeks later...
And, if shooting them fast had some sort of advantage...

I'm not saying shoot them fast.

I'm just not saying shoot them slow.

Just shoot them.

Shooting is plenty to have on mind. Why add in fast or slow?

It might work as a crutch for the shooter transitioning into AP from a more time oriented sport. The crutch should be used as needed, and then discarded as soon as possible....

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remember

no score other than a 10, or a 0.

rush your shots and miss a plate. 0. not an 8. not a b hit, or c hit. 0. -10 for that rush.

Nope...not talking about rushing. Rushing is more of that speed thing. :)

Why go slow or fast? What does that get?

Why not just shoot the plate?

Shoot as slow or as fast as you like, just don't miss, and take no more than 6 secs at 10, 7 at 15, 8 at 20 and 9 secs at 25 yds and all will be fine! I find that when shooting par time events, the time does become something one must have an awareness of.

MJ

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  • 8 months later...

Since I've started shooting this sport I have had a problem with the plates. Like everyone has said, there is no 8 ring on the plates.

I've been shooting USPSA since 2006. It is the only sport I've ever shot. What I find myself continuing to do is to shoot the plates with the same sight picture requirements I would use in USPSA where I can make up a miss. And when I miss, I keep wanting to go back and make up the shot. I am working hard on trying to only use a very refined sight picture in this sport. I need to stop trying to go fast and just make sure that the irons are lined up perfectly before gently squeezing the trigger. Any other way of looking at it that might help more?

I'm still trying to get there. <_< (Yep, I said trying. Maybe that's my problem).

Chris

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Chris,

The best advice I've received over the years on plates is to carefully place center hits on your first strings at the 10 yd line. Then think "black", using those hits as aiming points rather than "just seeing white in the sights". Refining the aiming point should help at the longer distances, along with slowing down to use the time you have allotted for each run.

Hope this helps.

Alan~^~

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Chris,

I use a front site that is ramped, serrated and wide enough so that I see very little light on either side of the blade. I use glasses that were made so that I only see the front sight serrations clearly. I'm using a tri set rear sighted for a 6 o'clock hold at 10 and 15. I'm prone at 20 and 25 so then I'm aiming towards the top of the plate. My shots tend to go low so I just compensate.

I have never been able to put a shot in the middle of the plate and shoot for that mark from then on. I do that with the open gun.

I use a montra that I say to myself while shooting irons. It's sight, freeze, squeeze. This forces you to slow down and see what you need to see.

Good luck.

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Right there with you Chris.. Plates are my worst. FTE's on the 20yd line dont help either. :wacko:

Well, at least you can blame it on the gun. I can only blame myself.

BTW, I shot my 627 8 shot revolver on the plates yesterday in practice with the red dot scope on it. Damn, that is just cheating. It is so easy to hit those plates with a dot even with a long heavy revolver trigger.

Now I hate my iron sights even more. :wacko:

Chris

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  • 2 weeks later...

Right there with you Chris.. Plates are my worst. FTE's on the 20yd line dont help either. :wacko:

Well, at least you can blame it on the gun. I can only blame myself.

BTW, I shot my 627 8 shot revolver on the plates yesterday in practice with the red dot scope on it. Damn, that is just cheating. It is so easy to hit those plates with a dot even with a long heavy revolver trigger.

Now I hate my iron sights even more. :wacko:

Chris

Famous last words of many who have missed plates at the cup :surprise:

Just concentrate on each shot & press the trigger. As my Father has told me on several occasions (don't just wish one down range cause you can't bring it back).

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Right there with you Chris.. Plates are my worst. FTE's on the 20yd line dont help either. :wacko:

Well, at least you can blame it on the gun. I can only blame myself.

BTW, I shot my 627 8 shot revolver on the plates yesterday in practice with the red dot scope on it. Damn, that is just cheating. It is so easy to hit those plates with a dot even with a long heavy revolver trigger.

Now I hate my iron sights even more. :wacko:

Chris

Embrace the iron sights, don't hate them. This will make the task easier to master. Perhaps your front sight is too narrow, or notch too wide for precision shooting at it best. Think of the advantages of iron: No brightness issues, no parallax, minimal sight over bore, no battery issues, no scrathes on lens. Mentally turn what others think as impediments and turn them into positives. Then and only then will the irons really start working fore you.

MJ

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Embrace the iron sights, don't hate them. This will make the task easier to master. Perhaps your front sight is too narrow, or notch too wide for precision shooting at it best. Think of the advantages of iron: No brightness issues, no parallax, minimal sight over bore, no battery issues, no scrathes on lens. Mentally turn what others think as impediments and turn them into positives. Then and only then will the irons really start working fore you.

MJ

Don't forget that if the weather is wet, the guys with optics will be wishing they had iron sights. It really sucks to have to pick one red dot out of a dozen...

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"Shoot 'em in the middle"

Fine words from a Gentleman from Indiana!

I used to find, the key to practising for the plate match was to make everything varied. If I usually shot left to right, I'd spend time shooting them right to left.

I also used to mix up the directions depending on the distance I was shooting from, so 10&15 yards I'd go right-left, 20 yards (prone) I'd go left-right and 25 yards I'd do a string each way.

I shot prone from 15 yards back, so to avoid the tendency to get into a habit, I'd practice shooting standing all the way through. I've also shot the entire stage weak hand (supported) and standing all the way back.

Everything was really just to make sure I concentrated on the shot itself, rather than get into a set pattern or rhythm. Still never stops you from making stupid mistakes though!

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  • 3 years later...

Regarding the Plates, I remember BE once saying something like "Take all the time you need to make your first shot." That advice has served me very well.

If you have the facilities to shoot the plates at distances longer that 25 yds, do it. I know many folks who practiced at 50 yds - I never got the chance. Also, use all of the time that they give you for each string. USPSA shooters, especially, will treat it like it's score Comstock. Bad Move. The folks who do well with this - TGO, TonyH, Bruce, Doug, Mike, Kevin - all use the same time to finish the strings. If the string is 6 seconds, their last shot is at about 5.6 or 5.7.

I have used that advice shooting many different plates, pins, whatever, seems once your sight picture is set for the first shot the follow up shots are right there. Instead of shooting the plates at 50 yds I'm a firm believer in practicing with smaller targets and when you get to the match the targets look huge!

Pretty sure Im going this year (2014) if anyone has any advice I am all ears! I'm sure you'll see many posts from me with questions in the next couple of weeks, please feel free to contact me and thanks ahead of time.

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I have a book full of advice. Some of it works, some does not. But at the end of the day, practice and lots of it. Unless you clean it in practice and leave a small black smudge in the middle of the plates it will not happen at the Cup.

Now at the Cup I will take every edge I can find if required. I am certainly aiming and intending to hit the middle, sometimes things do not go right. Aim at the pin, hit the green, aim at the green and you will never hit the pin.

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