Low Ready Draw For Open Rimfire

[Paul Burtchell]

Which is best? Start with arms extended and raise the pistol straight up or do you bring your arms in more toward your body and raise your arms & push the pistol out?

Edited December 21, 2009 by baerburtchell

[xcelr8hard]

I believe according to the rule book, the arms must be touching sides at the start.

Butch

[LPatterson]

Duplicate as much of your draw as you can. Arms touching sides, gun muzzle parallel to ground, at buzzer raise gun, extend and shoot.

[Stage 3]

Steel Chellenge Rule for rimfire:

RIMFIRE STARTING POSITION

There will be a flag centered downrange on the ground, approximately 12’ from the

shooter’s box. The competitor must wait for the command to fire while pointing/aiming

their gun at the flag.

[AlamoShooter]

I will use a bit different start move for some stages. Like Smoke & Hope = I don't use the push up and to the target, like I would for Five To Go.

I make an effort to come up and have a push to the target picking up the dot. It does not show much push in a video but the push is a part of my move.

I do not shoot a light gun in SC, if you went with the "Trend" and had a very light gun you could get away with the Fling move strait to the target.

[Flexmoney]

baerburtchell,

You must be reading my mind. I was going to start a thread on this yesterday.

I was going to ask for tips on technique when going from the arms extend/pointed down start position.

- Being used to working from the holster and making that efficient, I am better at going from bent elbows and pressing the gun out to the target. (I'll call this "arms bent")

- Others are used to starting with the gun on a rail/table in front of them. They seem to just rotate at the shoulder joint, keeping the elbow position intact. (I'll call this "arms straight.")

If I am shooting from an "arms straight" start, and the target is small (bowling pin at 10y), then I tend to snap the gun up and stop it too hard on the target. My arm/gun whips around at the stop point and I have to wait for the whipping to stop before I can take the shot.

Plus, if I am looking at the target (to located where to drive the gun), then I can't get any visual input from the sights on the gun until it gets up into my focal plane. And, if I start by looking down at the sights, then I don't have great information on where to drive the gun to.

Given that, my preference is to start with bent elbow and to press the gun out along my visual plane. This lets me see/locate the target spot to drive the gun to, plus I get visual input on the position of the gun/sights as I present it to the target. And, being used to coming from the holster, it is a similar presentation to what I am used to.

However, shooters that are used to coming off the rail with straight arms, they tend to do so pretty quickly. Maybe they give up a bit of consistency doing so...? hmmm? I'm just not sure that they do or don't.

[Matt Cheely]

My first thought is to be consistent. Meaning that you should replicate your draw if possible. I'd have the gun in to my chest, pointed at the flag, in whatever position is the most similar during a normal holster draw. It might be faster with straight arms, but if I had to up and go shoot rimfire and not having practiced it, that's what I'd do.

Edited December 21, 2009 by Matt Cheely

[Steve J]

I agree that the tucked elbows and push to the target will be more natural and probably faster for most. I do that on weak hand only starts (we have those in IDPA). If I start with the arm extended and raise it to the target I have to control the bobbing of the gun and acquire the sight picture. If I push from a tucked elbow, there is no bobbing and I pick up the sights much faster. It's a more natural stroke for me.

[LPatterson]

Steel Chellenge Rule for rimfire:

RIMFIRE STARTING POSITION

There will be a flag centered downrange on the ground, approximately 12’ from the

shooter’s box. The competitor must wait for the command to fire while pointing/aiming

their gun at the flag.

How many local clubs shooting steel matches are shooting what they call steel challenge without the full 8 stages and use this flag?

[AlamoShooter]

Angus is the one that got the rule change to include the flag at center for the start. At one time that included "looking" at the flag too. for the most part the elbows touching sides was not consistently enforced at the start.

The problem with the old start was..on a stage like Smoke & Hope the crazy fast run was to be had by pointing the gun at the first Gong and slapping the trigger at the Buz before the second Z in Before the er as in "BuzBangzerBang first two shots at .35

I do not miss seeing the old start inconsistency's , and I think the flag start is a good thing.

I would prefer letting a new shooter start lined up with their first target and the gun pointed down 45deg.

The Flag at center makes the stages different than shooting them with center fire.

Each stage has something to challenge the start. and I do not start the same as I do for my center fire gun.

Like on Five to Go = I index my body to the first far left target and have the gun @ the flag.

on Show-down instead of starting on the far left & far right targets I start on the close 10 plate at center near the flag.

I never shoot for a stage /or best single run kind of score, I shoot for consistency in each stage. I am convinced the bent arm & push is the best >for me<

It is fun to cut louse on Smoke & Hope though and time can be very fast with the strait arm snap to the first plate

I am going to start alternating my Steel Challenge attendance to give 3gun a try, That does not meen I like Steel Challenge any less,

[billfer]

I use an arms straight start when practicing 10y plate rack shooting. The technique I use includes having my sights alinged on a marker half-way between me and the rack. Next I shift my eyes and head to the first target and at the start I snap the gun up into my vision (focal plane) onto the first target. Movement happens at the shoulders, nothing else . At this point two things need to happen. First, I must slow the snappng of the gun soon enough so I don't over-shoot the target (shot breaks high). Secondly, the sights need to be in alignment on the target (no change in grip pressure ect).

I've tried arms bent and for me it was a struggle to keep the gun straight enought that I wasn't fishing for the front sight at the end of the push.

[steel1212]

Steel Chellenge Rule for rimfire:

RIMFIRE STARTING POSITION

There will be a flag centered downrange on the ground, approximately 12’ from the

shooter’s box. The competitor must wait for the command to fire while pointing/aiming

their gun at the flag.

How many local clubs shooting steel matches are shooting what they call steel challenge without the full 8 stages and use this flag?

L, we shoot what we call Steel Showdown. Its Steel Challenge steel but we can't duplicate the distances at our range. We do however use the flags.

[LPatterson]

So exactly where is this flag placed? Is there a requirement to shoot centerfire before rimfire then put up the flag?

Inquiring mind is trying to figure this out because both local clubs call the match Steel Challenge but the most stages shot has been 6 stages and no flag.

I know maybe I should go read the rules.

[Jack T]

So exactly where is this flag placed? Is there a requirement to shoot centerfire before rimfire then put up the flag?

Inquiring mind is trying to figure this out because both local clubs call the match Steel Challenge but the most stages shot has been 6 stages and no flag.

I know maybe I should go read the rules.

Ten feet in front of the shooters box.

For the US Steel Nationals we used the C-More signs on stakes with the "O" at 18" above the ground. It doesn't have to be exact, it just has to be the same for every shooter during the match.

Edited December 21, 2009 by Jack T

[DougCarden]

The current rule is a good simple way to do it. I remember being told one thing at the practice range and then when we shot the rimfire match the ROs mandated a different way....arms touching torso, elbows touching, etc. I like the rule now.

The biggest thing that will help for rimfire is to index on your first target.

For example, on Xcellerator I like to index on the #2 target (18x24). I can get a hit from the flag at .40-.50, and then go from there. I wont shoot it that way from holster with the main guns, but with the rimfire I can settle the gun down for the small plate on the left, and then swing hard to 5-4- stop. Another thing about switching it up over your main gun is that it makes you settle down, or pay attention to things a bit more, instead of stomping on the gas you are just riding the gas pretty hard, if that makes any sense.....LOL

If the gun runs, it is hard not to enjoy the rimfire shooting Steel Challenge.

Regards,

DougC

[Kali]

I'm shooting my first SC Match this weekend and have a question on the low ready start. What defines low ready? Safety on, finger off the trigger, gun pointed at the flag, or can the safety be off and finger on the trigger? Thanks.

[trodrig]

Saftey can be off but you must not put your finger on the trigger until you are actually engaging the targets.

[Kali]

thanks!

[steviesterno]

Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but I aim at the first target in shooting position, then cock my wrists so the gun points at the flag. This means I have very little movement in my arms and body to worry about, and just have to focus on snapping the gun back to position on target, which is easy once you practice it.

As the rule reads:The competitor must wait for the command to fire while pointing/aiming

their gun at the flag. I think this meets those requirements and is the quickest.