The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The North Corral > Competition Shooting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old March 2, 2007, 10:27 PM   #176
rhgunguy
Junior member
 
Join Date: March 7, 2006
Posts: 1,057
Glockopop, you can go ahead and take every other shot at me with your hand loads!

But seriously, I am hurt that you did not invite me to the strip club!
rhgunguy is offline  
Old March 7, 2007, 12:55 AM   #177
FM12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 5, 2007
Location: Monroeville, Alabama
Posts: 1,683
Just wishing and reading and watching competition videos wont make you any better.
FM12 is offline  
Old March 16, 2007, 02:49 PM   #178
lawboy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 11, 2005
Posts: 127
That I remain more impressed with accuracy than with speed.
lawboy is offline  
Old March 28, 2007, 03:24 AM   #179
Jeff22
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 15, 2004
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Posts: 715
what I learned last weekend . . .

I shot in an IPSC match on Saturday morning, an IPSC/IDPA style non-sanctioned "outlaw" match on Saturday evening, and at another IPSC match on Sunday. I have never shot in three matches in two days before. (There were a lot of years there that I only shot in three matches all year . . . )

I don't particularly like assault or field courses, where you run around from place to place blazing away at lots of targets. Movement from shooting box to shooting box, or movement from position of cover to position of cover is fine but some of the field courses in USPSA are fairly pointless.

Even so, usually they have a couple of interesting aspects about them.

I blew a classifier stage called "Cash & Carry" by rushing a shot a little too much and hitting a no shoot target. I blew another stage through a mental lapse -- the second string required you to engage each of 7 targets at from 5 to 35 yards with one round each, reload, and re-engage the targets with one round each again weak hand only. I had good hits, my reload was fast, and I double-tapped three targets before I caught myself, transfered the gun to my weak hand, and continued on. 6 procedural penalties don't help your score very much . . .

On all the other stages all weekend I was pretty smooth, didn't drop too many points, didn't make any procedural errors, and wasn't fast enough to be competitive.

I did have a very new shooter on my squad on Sunday who had a couple of failure-to-extract malfunctions. We gave him some on-the-spot training on how to clear malfunctions. His extractor was in good shape, and we think the malfunctions occured because he cleaned & lubed his gun the night before the match, and left Break-Free in the chamber, which caused the fired cases to stick. Once we ran a Bore-Snake through his barrel and got it all dried out, the gun ran fine.
__________________
You can only learn from experience if you pay attention!
Jeff22 is offline  
Old April 1, 2007, 09:58 AM   #180
If you aint CAV.....
Junior Member
 
Join Date: March 29, 2007
Location: New york
Posts: 13
my last match(lol) was in FEB, in Kamu afghanistan, not quite same thing but heres what I learned

1. trust your zero
2. know your range(practice estimation)
3. closer is not always easier
4. less than 15 degrees of angle doesnt change the shot much, but 30 degrees does, lol
5. practice stable positions learn where is solid
6. cross talk between squad members
__________________
........ You ain't Sh^T!!!!!!!
If you aint CAV..... is offline  
Old April 13, 2007, 07:14 PM   #181
Sandan Judoka
Junior Member
 
Join Date: March 16, 2007
Posts: 7
The two smartest things...

We're lucky enough at our club to have an IDPA 5-Gun Master in residence, and we're also lucky enough that he'll share what he knows with those of us less accomplished.

As a shooter, I am usually the guy who shoots fast and, when things aren't working, whose hits looks like rat crap in a dresser drawer. I usuall find that whenever I shoot poorly, its because I'm not doing one of the two things that he's told me I need to work on. The ideas are his; the phrasing is my own.

1. The weak hand is poorly named. In a two-handed firing grip, a "weak" support hand makes for a weak platform, and makes your firing hand grip harder. Because tension in the fingers is sympathetic, your trigger finger is also more tense, causing a loss of trigger control. Furthermore, with a weak platform, recoil is less mitigated, making second shots less accurate and sight reacquisition slower.

In short, make your support hand solid, tight, and strong.

2. Draw the gun the same way every time, whether you're wearing a cover garment or not, no matter the range, no matter your position or movement situation...but take your time with the shot.

Said another way, "fast on the gun, slow on the trigger"

From me, I'd tell you:

- see your sights
- slow down a little; it will cost you a lot less time than you think, and it'll reflect in the quality of your hits.
- practice doesn't make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect, so learn how to practice effectively and efficiently.

And finally, SHOOT AS MANY MATCHES AS POSSIBLE!

--
Ken
Anchorage, AK
Sandan Judoka is offline  
Old April 13, 2007, 08:48 PM   #182
JohnKSa
Staff
 
Join Date: February 12, 2001
Location: DFW Area
Posts: 24,928
Check your scorecard carefully against the targets.
__________________
Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?
JohnKSa is offline  
Old May 8, 2007, 11:09 PM   #183
Greg Bell
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 25, 1999
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,053
I learned that you can shoot too accurately. I shot my first match this weekend, and got penalized twice for having groups that were too tight. Don't get me wrong, I was way too slow anyway, but I was a little annoyed when every shot went into the A zone at all three targets (25 yards, 50 feet, 21 feet) except for, according to the scorer, I totally missed the closest target with one shot, even though the rest of the group was about the size of a small tangerine. Even the owner of the shop pointed out that one of the shots appeared enlarged. On the third stage I actually purposely shot looser! I got a few "c" points on that one!

OTOH, it was nice to see the ol HK P2000 shooting nice tight groups against a bunch of competition guns with longlides and target triggers!

Anyway, I learned that I must be much faster. So I ordered a Pact Timer tonight. I will be hell on em' next time!
__________________
Correct anwers to gun questions to save time...
Carry: j-frame
Home/combat: Hk P30 or Beretta 92G
Doomsday: Colt 6920 with Aimpoint t-2
Greg Bell is offline  
Old May 10, 2007, 06:52 AM   #184
Jeff22
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 15, 2004
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Posts: 715
shooting on steel

The last match I shot was all steel, mostly U.S. Poppers (a USPSA sanctioned 2/3rds scale "pepper popper" steel target) with a few full size pepper poppers thrown in. There were 25 different targets engaged from four different firing positions, about 6 of the targets partially shielded by "no shoot" targets, which were full size "pepper popper" targets painted red.

Having the whole match on steel made it very quick to score. What shooting position you employed depended upon which firing point you were at. The first required shooting from a sitting position through a port, the second required shooting from around both sides of a high barricade, the third required firing from kneeling and prone, and the fourth required shooting from around both sides of a low barricade. You had to move laterally left-to-right or right-to-left as you engaged the targets.

So anyway, what did I learn?

(1.) I really love shooting on steel.
(2.) Trigger control is critical.
(3.) Follow-through is critical.
(4.) When shooting on steel, establishing a good rhythm is critical. Just keep engaging the targets without waiting to watch for them to fall, and then clean up any remaining targets in that array before moving to the next firing position.
(5.) The hurrier you go, the behinder you get . . .
__________________
You can only learn from experience if you pay attention!
Jeff22 is offline  
Old May 13, 2007, 08:51 AM   #185
Evil Dog
Member
 
Join Date: April 30, 2007
Location: So Cal Desert
Posts: 88
Went to my first "Practical Pistol" shoot yesterday. What did I learn? Matches that are supposed to start at 8:00 AM might actually get going more around 10:30. Organization is an option. Stage instructions aren't necessarily rules, they are more like suggestions. Wheelguns are outnumbered 8 to 1... guess who the 1 was. A standard duty belt with a 6" K-38, 4 speedloaders and a double dump pouch is only "concealed" if you are wearing a trench coat.

Was a lot of fun though, looking forward to it again next month.
__________________
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Freedom is a well-armed lamb contesting that vote. - Benjamin Franklin (1759)
Evil Dog is offline  
Old May 13, 2007, 10:00 PM   #186
JohnKSa
Staff
 
Join Date: February 12, 2001
Location: DFW Area
Posts: 24,928
Don't forget your sunscreen.
Headshots are not as easy as they sound.
Guns don't always have to be able to make tiny little groups to win.
__________________
Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?
JohnKSa is offline  
Old June 3, 2007, 03:19 PM   #187
glockopop
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 15, 2005
Location: Southern Indiana
Posts: 922
All types of competitive shooting improve your skill at all other types of competitive shooting.

There was one couple at today's IDPA match who are primarily cowboy shooters, and another older couple that are primarily bullseye shooters.
They weren't as fast as the rest of us who just shoot practical sports, but they were so much more consistently accurate that their scores were as good if not better.

Also, the hardest part about shooting in prone position isn't the shooting, it's getting down there without dropping your gun or busting your a$$.
__________________
I've only got two hands, but I've been known to carry three Glocks.
RZA
glockopop is offline  
Old June 4, 2007, 01:34 AM   #188
sm
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 5, 2002
Posts: 1,819
1. I can still find mud, slick spots with gravel, water, vines that reach out from edges of trails.

2. I fall "real nice".

3. They still do not award "Style Points".
If they ever do, I am going to be racking up points.


~~
Shotguns
Trees will grow in a nanosecond where I need to (1) shoot a bird and /or (2) needing to swing/ follow through.

~~

I can still walk smooth into a parked vehicle taking note of a Sidearm strapped onto a Pretty Lady.
__________________
Use Enough Gun
TFL Alumni
sm is offline  
Old June 4, 2007, 12:13 PM   #189
ClydeVA
Member
 
Join Date: February 24, 1999
Location: Lexington, KY
Posts: 48
What did I learn........


Not many other place I would rather be on a weekend..... -
ClydeVA is offline  
Old June 4, 2007, 01:29 PM   #190
william_1000
Junior Member
 
Join Date: June 4, 2007
Posts: 3
3 Gun Shoot ...

Rules I know

1. May not shoot a rifle while wearing a pistol!
2. Must have a red flag thingy to show the rifle is 'clear'
3. .303 bolt action is difficult when shooting agains time!
william_1000 is offline  
Old June 6, 2007, 06:51 AM   #191
9mm1033
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 18, 2005
Location: A big city with far too many cars and people.
Posts: 932
I'm beginning to see mostly "A" hits, but I need to step up on speed, because that is where I'm falling behind in finish order.
__________________
No one reads or cares what is written in ones signature box. So I'm not writing anything worth reading or remembering.
9mm1033 is offline  
Old June 11, 2007, 10:00 AM   #192
Samurai
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 20, 2001
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 901
Learned at my last match: Competing with a good range master on a range full of positive people is really fun. Competing with a bad range master on a range full of hostile, negative people is no fun at all!

Also learned at my last match: Don't over-think the stage. If you spend 30 minutes thinking about how you're going to run the stage, and then you change the order of your targets or the direction you're going to move at the last minute, you WILL NOT complete the stage properly, and you WILL get a procedural. Look over the stage once, 5 minutes before you shoot. Pick a plan, and then stick to the plan.
__________________
- Honor is a wonderful and glorious thing... until it gets you killed!

- Why is it that we fire 1,000 rounds and know that we need more practice, but yet we punch a bag 10 times and think we know how to fight?

- When in doubt, train, train, train...
Samurai is offline  
Old June 12, 2007, 10:43 AM   #193
rainynight65
Member
 
Join Date: January 31, 2007
Location: KLD, South Africa
Posts: 32
I shot my first club-level match a while ago. Minimal handgun experience, borrowed gun (a sweet CZ-75B) and equipment. We shot courses with steel plates and paper targets, and I did surprisingly well for myself. Landed a solid midfield in the final rating, although I blew two stages rather badly.

What I learned was not to underestimate myself, and to approach the whole thing with fun in mind. And that's what I had - lots of fun. So much fun that I am going to do this regularly, and maybe enter our domestic/provincial league at some stage. Pity our club only does the handgun shoot every 3 months, the other 2 are shotgun and rifle.
rainynight65 is offline  
Old July 4, 2007, 09:54 PM   #194
Jeff22
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 15, 2004
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Posts: 715
IDPA Classifier

I shot the IDPA Classifier at my club last Saturday.

I shot a Colt Combat Commander .45 Auto in CDP division and a Browning P-35 9mm Auto in ESP division.

The last few times I had fired the classifier, I had shot way too fast on Stage III and my score suffered greatly as a result. This time I slowed down, and had MUCH better hits. I only dropped 32 points for the whole match with the Colt and only 14 points for the whole match with the Browning HP.

My times weren't anything spectacular, so I'm firmly in the upper 1/3rd of "marksman" class in both divisions.

Both guns have new extractors since the last time I shot them competitively back in March. The Colt ran with nary a bobble. The Browning still had a couple of minor failure-to-extract malfunctions. I'm going to shoot it some more and see if the problem continues. The extractor looked okay when I inspected it, but maybe it needs to be replaced anyway . . .
__________________
You can only learn from experience if you pay attention!
Jeff22 is offline  
Old July 4, 2007, 10:36 PM   #195
SDC
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 23, 2001
Location: People's Republic of Kanada
Posts: 1,652
See where your shotgun is printing with SLUGS when you expect to have a slug-only stage...
__________________
Gun control in Canada: making the streets safer for rapists, muggers, and other violent criminals since 1936.
SDC is offline  
Old July 6, 2007, 02:39 PM   #196
j1132s
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 15, 2006
Posts: 223
Always walk with the scorers and check out your targets after shooting... _especially_ in IDPA if the scorer/RO also shoots IPSC. I have caught many instances where IPSC scoring is used in IDPA (e.g. PE for every shot, non-threat hits per round, fail to give FTN, etc.)

I hate it when targets are pasted up befre I had a chance to see it and when its not alpha-alpha or -0. Fortunately this dones't happen much, but it is annoying.
j1132s is offline  
Old October 22, 2007, 01:25 AM   #197
Jeff22
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 15, 2004
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Posts: 715
IPSC match

I shot a 5 stage USPSA match on Sunday morning. It's the first match I've shot since the end of June.

I borrowed a friend's Wilson Combat SA auto in 9mm and shot in the "Limited 10" division.

The trigger on that gun is NICE. Probably breaks at about 3-1/2 lbs. Maybe (?) too light for defensive use, but very pleasant to shoot.

I found the Wilson to be MUCH easier to shoot than the DAK Sig or Glock 19 that I usually compete with. My accuracy scores showed it, although I didn't shoot particularly fast. (I never do. I'm just not that speedy).

It's nice to be able to compete with a different gun once in a while.

In 2008 I hope to get classified in IPSC and IDPA in all the different revolver categories, just for something different to do.

My duty gun is still going to remain my primary competition gun for most applications, however . . .
__________________
You can only learn from experience if you pay attention!
Jeff22 is offline  
Old December 9, 2007, 07:51 AM   #198
Jeff22
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 15, 2004
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Posts: 715
Revolver

I shot my S&W 625-3 in .45 ACP for the first time in a match last night.

I can shoot the gun really well, because that big N-frame soaks up lots of recoil. It'll take me a while to get used to all the intricacies of loading & unloading & reloading with the full moon clips.
__________________
You can only learn from experience if you pay attention!
Jeff22 is offline  
Old December 9, 2007, 09:11 AM   #199
SDC
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 23, 2001
Location: People's Republic of Kanada
Posts: 1,652
Jeff22, you might benefit from loading up some moonclips with dummy rounds and having someone time you to see which technique(s) are best for you; there are two main ways of doing a moon-clip reload, and I found one a whole lot faster than the other, but that may just be me. The first way is the Miculek-style reload, where the shooter transfers the revolver to his off hand and dumps the empties with his off-hand thumb while he grabs the fresh clip with his gun hand, loads, and pops the cylinder back in to get back into business. This obviously works VERY well for Jerry, and I couldn't be qualified to carry his range bag for him, but I found that no matter how hard I practiced with it, I couldn't twist the revolver back over to the outside far enough to make dropping in the fresh clip fast and easy. So, I ended up going with the OTHER main way of doing a moonclip reload. In that method, I push the cylinder latch in with my off-hand thumb while pushing the cylinder out with my trigger-finger. Then, use the palm of my off hand to smack the ejector rod to dump the empty clip, and, while I'm bringing the revolver down to make the reload easier, I grab a fresh clip with my off hand. Drop it in, squeeze the cylinder back in, and you're back in business. I find this also ensures a consistent grip and hold, so I don't need to "adjust" after every reload. There are plenty of very fast shooters that also use this method, so give them both a try to see which works best for you.
__________________
Gun control in Canada: making the streets safer for rapists, muggers, and other violent criminals since 1936.
SDC is offline  
Old December 9, 2007, 10:09 AM   #200
Sigma 40 Blaster
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 1, 2007
Location: East Texas
Posts: 997
A LOT. I went to my second IDPA match today, my first was actually a qualifier (ranked Marksman in SSP my first go). This one was pretty fun, quite a bit of running and gunning, never done it before.

- I need to put in some serious time practicing 10+ yards from behind cover.
- I need to put in more time practicing from 15 - 25 yards period
- I shoot better weak hand than strong hand only...weird
- Breath control really is important, especially 10+ yards away
- I need to learn to focus on the 0 ring as much as the head for headshots (if there's a no shoot in front of "BG targets" I go for headshots and rarely miss up to 15 yards BUT when I shot COM same scenario I was more likely to hit the NS).
Sigma 40 Blaster is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:34 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.17096 seconds with 11 queries