MISS Match 10/30/13

Miss Match 10/30/13

One bad stage can’t really spoil my night, although it definitely went a long way towards spoiling my overall score. I won’t say mission accomplished on hitting the 60% I wanted on the classifier, but I did make some progress. Tonight I shot about 82% of the points after penalty, and I’m looking to get that number to about 90%, so my accuracy took a hit tonight.

Running thru my 4 stages, with video to follow, I felt my first stage was fairly strong. I ran the steel cleanly, I was deliberate and slow but I got my hits. The swinger I took two delta on, and I know I should have done better, I wanted to get moving, and settled for less than perfect hits. Last array I had one more delta, and that was a bummer, better hits would have made the score look prettier, but overall I was pretty satisfied. What Les has been preaching about being accurate, is something I understand better after this stage. 6th in production, and my time was 5th in production, not a bad run, but I'm feeling like I am seeing things I'm leaving on the table, and that's good and bad. Bad I left it, good that I know it's there and I'm going to work at getting it.

Stage two was a longer stage, with more points and I finished 11^th in Production. I had a decent plan, but was just slow coming across, no sense of urgency, and I question my choice to work outside in. A lot of things I could have done better, but on both this stage and the next, I wanted to reload in the open, and not have to do it in a condensed area where I seem to have a harder time.

Stage three was a disaster for me. I finished 15^th in production, and this is the stage that really dragged down my score, so many points left on the table here. To begin with, I changed my plan to something I thought would be more efficient, and while I executed the first two array’s the way I wanted, I got caught deeper than I wanted going into the third array. Yes, that was me swearing as I came across to the 4^th array and hit the no-shoot. Not only did I hit the no-shoot, but I did not take the make-up, so I was left with a mike and a no shoot, not smart. I was extremely frustrated after this stage, and the idea of hitting a no shoot was now in my head, which would make me conscious of it into the next stage. I tried to get it out of my head before then, but it did not completely happen.

The last stage was the classifier, and I wanted a sub 12 second run, meaning both strings needed to be 6 seconds or less, with solid hits. My 6^th place in production run was more based on not having any penalties and not hitting the no-shoot than anything. I was not fast, I was deliberate, and I just wanted everything on paper. Mission accomplished, but I know I can do that faster. My hit factor of 4.6476 according to classifier-calc is about a 48% run, which will replace a 10% in my classification. I can’t complain too much, its progress.

My overall finish was 13^th in production, and that’s pretty hard to do with 3 of 4 stages that are higher than that. What it does prove is that one bad high point stage can impact your night. I won’t gripe, I won’t complain, I know I shot better than my overall, and I know there was a ton of room to improve. I’m one step closer to my C card, especially if Les uploaded the re-shoot from last match and I get the 59%. I'll take one step at a time especially before we get into the serious practice and training.

Plan B goes into effect on Saturday, so practice begins and I for one can’t wait. With two more matches in the next seven days, I've got a chance to get out of D, get started with working, and really focus on what is ahead.

Gun Gear....Again....

Gun Gear….Again….

My blog about possibly shifting platforms got me a few comments on another forum. A recent post on Facebook, reproduced on Doodie Project from J.J. Racaza got me thinking a little more about how I feel. However a Ben Stoeger podcast, about why he doesn't shoot a Glock (Hey, catchy title dragged me in, even though I did not want to listen!) reaffirmed some of my own opinions.

Here is the JJ Racaza Facebook Post:

How many people here compete in the production division with a completely stock gun?

No, after market products installed, no work done on triggers, no grip tapes, no modification what so ever...

I hear it plenty of times out there that people shoot a stock gun, but then spent a few hundred dollars on trigger, new barrel and stippling on their grips.

My point is, you do not need a terribly expensive modified gun to shoot competitions and be competitive. It's all about honing in your skills in fundamentals and marksmanship - the basic things. I'm very new to the production division, so I am shooting a purely stock gun that you can find in shelves to learn this game from the ground up. Once my skills are better, maybe I may upgrade and dive into the world of after market things. But for now I have to work on me first.

I am fortunate to be able to shoot and compete at the highest level in the open division. In which a pistol can cost you upwards of $5k. Shooting a gun with everything on it, does not make you a better shooter. It just exposes you to the next level and the possibilities. And if you keep trying to chase and push to that next level by never working on your fundamentals (foundation) then all you'll do is develop a ton of bad habits.

Would you build your house, starting with the roof first?

Once you hone your skills in and develop from the ground up, you can slowly upgrade your parts or gun.

Just my thought.

What do you guys think? Agree or disagree?

-JJ Racaza

It’s tough to disagree with J.J. because he’s right about having fundamental skills and marksmanship. If you don’t have those, then no matter what you shoot, you are up a creek. I know people, myself included, have bought into the idea that “if I just had this a little bit better, I’d improve”, this being a trigger, a barrel, a grip, whatever. The truth is that may have more validity when you are looking for tenths of a second. I’m all for making things as easy as possible for myself, and removing barriers, but if you do that without building fundamental skills, you have a crutch that may hide flaws in what you are doing, meaning you are more likely to plateau, and have an issue you will struggle to solve.

I don’t want to offend my wife, but I’m going to use her experience this summer as an example. When she started shooting USPSA, she was running a Walther P99, and really struggled with it, at a Skills and Drills class she tried a friends Glock 21, and it was like it all clicked, she was accurate, she was having fun, and she decided to make the switch. She tried a Glock 17, and eventually decided on the Glock 34. It took her exactly one match with the Glock 34 stock sights, and not-broken in trigger to want to about give up, it was like nothing had changed for her. It was painful watching her struggle. Being a trooper, she was prepared to stick with it, and learn fundamentals, and make things work. About this time I had spent a little time with my XDM, but decided to stick with the PPQ for the winter season. I told her to take the XDM for a spin, and with the PRP trigger, and some other work, her accuracy improved, she had a couple of solid matches to close the outdoor season, and felt like she progressed. The truth is, and she knows it, that the XDM is helping hide some of her flaws, and that if she really wants to progress, she’s going to have to put in the work. For her, the fun she had because of her improved performance is enough to keep her motivated, excited, and wanting to do it, even eager to practice. That’s important for someone who does not get out very much, and worth the value of the crutch in my mind. If we can find a way for her to get some more time, I've got very little doubt that she’d do better than I would. That said, fundamental’s first, and that’s her focus as well.

A few days ago, I wrote about re-stating my goals, and what I think earning a B card will mean in terms of skills, that it will be more about honing, and re-fining than developing new skills. Ben’s podcast, about why he does not shoot a Glock was interesting, he raised the point that of course he could shoot a Glock, but in the Production division, non-polymer handguns offer some distinct advantages, so why would he want to have to work that much harder, when he can work smarter? It’s a good point.

While I’m not out to have to reset what I’m doing, I think B is a good time to reconsider what I want in a gun, and pick something that not only I enjoy, but does not force me to compromise. While I love my PPQ, I’d like something longer than a 4” barrel, and I would not mind something that is heavier, get’s back on target easier with less recoil, and I enjoy as much. If I was content to stay a B shooter, I’d stay PPQ, but I don’t have the resources of an Eric Grauffel to shoot 150,000 rounds a year, I want to be able to give myself every advantage, and make things as easy as possible for myself. I guess I don't want to compromise on something I plan on sticking with until I reach my goals.

Some folks might argue that I should wait, and I could, B might be a little early to have to make that choice, but if I’m going to shoot for A by the end of the year, and M at the one year mark from getting my B, I want to pick one platform I can shoot, enjoy, and stick with. My PPQ won’t ever go away, I’m too fond of it for that, but I may just retire it from competition, and shoot it strictly for pleasure.

Enough meandering, classifier  CM-03-09 tonight that I need to focus on, and that I hope to do well on. I am aiming for at least a Hit Factor of 5.78, if I get 90% of the possible points, I have 12.45 second to accomplish that, at 80% of the possible points I need to do it in 11.07.

Match video and re-cap tomorrow.

Re-Stating The Goal

Re-Stating Goals

One of the things that I always feel is important is keeping my goals in mind when I’m working on something. It’s easy to get wrapped up or sidetracked, but I need to focus to achieve my aims as far as shooting. I’ve got friends and co-workers who are not into shooting who just don’t understand the level of commitment that you need to have to excel in the sport. They think that shooting is simply a matter of pulling a trigger and the bullet will hit the center of the target, easy as can be. Putting it in perspective, current IPSC champ, and 2013 USPSA Production Champion, Eric Grauffel, shoots over 150,000 rounds a year. Think about what kind of a commitment that means, we are talking 12,500 rounds a month. Over the next 5 months, I’m anticipating shooting about 1,000 rounds a month in practice and match. Serious competitors will often shoot more. Natural talent, and hand eye coordination will get you someplace, but no matter who you are, you need to practice. It’s time consuming, it can get expensive, and it requires a commitment to consistently getting work in. Not many people just pick up a gun and can shoot, or shoot USPSA well.

Eric Grauffel

Les has not laid out the entirety of “Plan B”, but it’s going to require three sessions a week of dry fire, for 30 minutes each time. There will be a bi-weekly range session of class, using no more than 150-200 rounds of ammo. There will be a weekly practice session for Dave and I of about 2 hours, and that same 150-200 rounds of ammo. There will also be 4-5 boxes of .22 work thru the 5 months, or another 2,000 to 2,500 rounds in total.  In addition there will be 2-3 matches to shoot most months. I’m just not going to sleep walk thru this, and wake up a “B” shooter by March. I’m going to need to dedicate myself to the practice, and the education, and make it happen.

As part of the process, I’m going to set down with Les, and talk about some milestones, progress marks that I want to achieve over the next 5 months, so that I know I’m absorbing the material, but that I’m demonstrating the progress as well. It’s hard to have a goal without having a way to measure how you are doing.

While I’ve been adamant that B is a starting point for me, rather than an ending, I need to be clear about what B means to me. I think that a B Card will mean that I possess fundamental skills, the ability to be accurate, focus on my front sights, draw and reload comfortably, transition, shoot at a cadence, and more often than not, call my shots. The thing that I can’t quantify is that I expect that in learning those things, I’ll also have given myself the tools to better assess my performance, and see things that I can work on and improve. As an example, if I get my B card with a 1.2 second draw, will I then have the ability to see, and further work that number downwards? I expect that I will be able to do just that. In short, I want to be improving skills, rather than developing skills.

Ben Stoeger

I do have some longer term goals, I’d like to earn my A card by the end of 2014, and in the process shoot several major matches, and earn a plaque or two with good finishes. I want to show improvement all summer long. I would like to shoot my first USPSA Nationals event, as much for the experience, but also to watch, learn and test myself at that level. I have no illusions; but I need to get that level of experience. Beyond that, I’d like to work towards my Master card in the spring/summer of 2015, and then see if I can push myself to a GM card.

Lofty goals, short and long, but knowing that I have them, gives me an ending, now I need to get thru Plan B, develop my skills, and then start coming up with intermediate measuring sticks so I can stay on a path to achieve what I am setting out to do. To some it may sound crazy to be talking of earning a GM card, when I’m currently a 29.9% D shooter, but those are long term goals. Step one begins on Saturday, and that’s my focus, I’ll come back and take a look at these in March, and see if I’m on path.

It’s time to get to work.

Weekly Schedule 10/28/13

Weekly Schedule

6 Days until the kick off of “Plan B”, so one more week of not dry firing, forums, or otherwise enjoyable related activities to turn my mind into mold-able mush. After an enjoyable weekend, where I took Sunday off from what likely would have been my last outdoor match of the season, I’m looking at what is on the docket.

Tuesday looks like I’ll head up to Alpha Range and help set-up for the Wednesday match, and get a little .22 work done before we set-up. It’s been a week since I've shot, or dry fired, and I really want to get a little freshening up done. I’ll just do some group work, and some timed fire.

Wednesday match with MISS, and classifier CM 03-09 On The Move. I need to do some prep work, get my math down, and figure out times, looking for a hit factor between 5.2 and 6.2, but I need to know what that means time wise, with 90% of the points. I will also be delivering my Glock 34 to it’s new owner, may he take it out of the safe and use it more than I ever did, and I hope he enjoys it.

Saturday “Plan B” goes into effect with the first session with Les and David up at Alpha Range, which I am incredibly excited for. It’s time the show get’s on the road.

Sunday I’m planning on going up to Pine Tree in Rockford for a match there. It’s closer than NPCC and it’s indoors, so I hope for a reasonable showing and a solid performance in my first match there since March.

Next week I’ll be back on schedule with live fire practice with David, and doing dry fire drills. MISS shoots again on Wednesday night, so I’ll have 3 matches and classifiers inside in 7 days time. Need some good showings, but since I want to clean up my classifiers, and get my C card, this looks like a great opportunity to do just that.

To get ready, I’m going to have to do some re-loading; I’ve got an order of 124 grain bullets shipping from Bayou Bullets end of this week. I’m switching from 147 down to 124 simply for the cost, pay about the same amount and get an extra 500 rounds. For what I am doing this winter, and for practice purposes, I think that’s a reasonable call. Since I am out of bullets, I had to toss an extra 500 147’s onto my order this morning, so I can cover the 500 I’m borrowing from Kozy. Big thanks there!

Even though it’s 6 days to kick off, I still have some work to do in order to be ready to get started. This is a good thing, it’ll help distract from the fact that I’m anxious to be practicing.

C Comes First In Classification

C Comes Before B in Classification

In the Alphabet you may hit “B” before you hit the letter “C”, but to reach my goal of becoming a “B” shooter, I need to get my “C” classification first. I love that to progress forward in the sport, I go backwards in the alphabet. There is a joke in there someplace....

In USPSA a “C” class shooter is someone between 40% and 59.9% of the top score, so that’s what I’m working for. (Actually, I was practicing and shooting for 60%-75% of a top score, and I will need that for a B rating.) I’m past my initial classification, so I have 8 classifiers listed, and the top 6 count, my worst two are thrown out, so here is what we are working with, and it ain't pretty:

Need More Alpha's

In descending order (bottom ones drop off next)

1. 33.393
2. 40.915
3. 7.757*
4. 23.746
5. 10.418
6. 9.251*
7. 36.712
8. 32.352

*denotes “thrown out”

Currently 29.59%

I have 3 that were not counted this month, and according to classifier calc, this is what I’m looking at:

36.552 (Oak Park 10/13)

44.842 (MISS 10/16)

59.774 (MISS 10/16)

Classifier Calc is not always accurate, but if it were, and I drop the last 3, I can use the “throw out” on the 10.418, and the 7.757, and my percentage would be 39.870 (239.22/6) , or less than a percentage point from 40%, and my “C” card. If I was at that number this month, I’d be in 6^th place on the “D Sandbagger list” (problem is, I’m not sandbagging….) If I can get another classifier in, and then 10.418 were to drop off the board, then my freebies would be on the 7.756 and 23.746, and odds are I could end up with a low “C” . It's actually pretty amazing how quick you can add that 10% improvement, I know it won't be near that easy getting to 60%, but it makes me want it that much more.

The potential good news is that I have three, possibly four classifiers I can get in before November 6^th, and my hope would be that they would count for my November score. In all, that could mean six or seven new classifiers (including the 3 I already mentioned), so only the top 2 that I listed might be used, and it would be nice to get rid of the two single digit ones that came from Oak Park. Coincidence that some of my worst classifiers were outside at the same club? 

The last 5 classifiers that I've shot, including the 3 that were not used tell me that I’m actually, finally showing some progress, and I’m probably shooting at a low C level, even though I’m the owner of a D card. It also makes this 5 month plan a lot easier sounding, trying to get the 20% from C up to B. I may or not make C in November, I should definitely be there by December, but I’m feeling a little more as if I’m on the way, instead of stagnating.

B is definitely coming, and now instead of hoping to hit it in March, I'm wondering how soon I can get there, can I do it in February?

What Is that sexy thing? Why is it pictured here?

On a side note, I am going to be taking a Level 1 R.O. class at the end of January. My hope is that taking the class will help me better the rules of the sport I am shooting. From time to time in matches, I've been on squads with only two R.O.'s, so being able to "pinch hit" and help out from time to time is worth the effort. I'm not looking to R.O. every match, but if I learn the rules, get a little experience, then down the road, I can contribute a little more to the sport.

It's A Club Match

It’s A Club Match!

It might be suspect to pay heed to someone who has never run a match, and has only done it for a year on this topic. That said, I've spent some time this year shooting with different club’s, and I always find myself comparing with my “home” club when it comes to quality. If I am making an investment of time to go, money to register, ammo, and gear, then I think I have a legitimate expectation that the match is going to be a quality event, worth my expenditures.

When I started shooting matches, it was at first for fun, I never cared about a call on the perforation, or things like that. I knew I would finish last, and I wanted to be safe. Despite that attitude, I still had fun. As I've shown some marginal improvement, I care about calls, I want to do better, and scores matter to me. I’m measuring progress and growth, both against myself, and other people. I am motivated watching other people shoot, and knowing that they have improved, and that helps kick me into a higher gear myself. So my perspective on what I think a good match has changed over the past year, but I think every club needs a few different elements to run a good match, all the time.

Leadership from the officers is a key, and matches are events that are drive top down.  It starts with the president, and goes into the match director and so on. Are those people committed to putting on fun, and challenging matches every time? I've sent burnt out officers, I've seen presidents not show up for multiple matches, or provide a good example by helping set up, tear down, or paste. That’s not leadership, and it does nothing to inspire other people to volunteer their time to contribute.

Not Fun

While we all have lives outside of shooting, it behooves a club to have a plan for good stages. It can be a Match Director, or a team, but thought needs to be put into the space you have, and equipment that you have. M.I.S.S. has 2 smaller ranges to work with this year than we did last fall, but the MD has found ways to quickly change stages utilizing many of the same props. Two stages are setup the night before, and thought is given to how the re-setup will work. Don’t half ass stages, don’t use a variation of El Presidente for 6 matches in a row. Don’t make excessively simple or low round count stages just so you can have “more” stages. Stages are about quality, not quantity.

Fun

Be consistent. If you upload match scores immediately after a match, do it that way every week. Don’t upload same night after one match, then wait three weeks to upload the next match, or put them on the Club website one time, another web site another time.  Participants want to know how they did, and however you determine timely, stick with it.

Here is my biggest pet peeve. Follow the damn rules. If I am going to shoot IDPA or USPSA, I expect to see the same match if I shoot it in Illinois, Wisconsin, or Georgia. I don’t want to go to a match, and find that it is an “outlaw” match, that’s not what I paid for, that’s not what I expect, and that’s not right. I get that some people enjoy it, more power to ‘em, but to have a uniformity of a sport, clubs need to get on board with the rules, and make sure that every match is set-up, and officiated by them. I realize in IDPA this is a little harder because the rules are ridiculously ambiguous in a few points, but the simple stuff? Follow it.

Personally, I’ve found a more relaxed “it’s a club match” attitude in IDPA, and it goes for the people I see shooting. I see people shooting and having fun, and I suspect that with some folks it’s a relaxing way to spend a few hours. I’m not judging, that’s all well and good. At a USPSA match, I do find more people who are competing, and seeking to improve.  I also find that among those who are driven to succeed and improve, that there are more people who are willing to contribute to the success of club. There is never a shortage of people to set-up, tear down, and help. Going all the way back, I ask the question if the organized leadership makes it a better experience, that attracts those people, or is it the sport?

I'm not suggesting that one discipline is better than another. I think people should shoot what they enjoy, and if people enjoy a match despite the things I think are important, so be it. Those are just things that I feel are enjoyable, and make my time, and money worth it.

Public Perception of Guns and Gun Owners

A Public Perception of Guns

I’m tired of seeing guns, and gun owners get a bad name. When I turn on news or open a paper, hardly a day goes by when I don’t see multiple stories about gun violence, both in Chicagoland and in the country. I would expect no less, since Chicago has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the U.S., and has also managed to be the murder capital of the U.S. in 2012, and looks to be again in 2013, this despite Chicago having 1/3^rd less the residents of New York. Perhaps criminals are not aware that they are also subject to the same laws as everyone else, and choose to carry, and shoot guns at whom they please. Does making gun ownership more restrictive or challenging really make people safer there? Is it guns that are the problem, or is there more to the story than that? Are there contributing factors, socio-economic issues, lack of jobs, and gang’s that cause a large part of the issue? Did I miss a memo that criminals suddenly follow laws? There are plenty of laws on the books, and honestly, I thought criminals just did not follow them, which is one reason why we are where we are today. Are people naïve enough to believe that if gun ownership was limited, that criminals would still not have guns? If a law was passed, would you expect gangs to show up at their local Police Department and turn in their arsenal?

Truth? 

It may be a bad comparison, but in 2010 there were over 10,000 traffic fatalities reported in the U.S. related to driving under the influence. (30,000 traffic fatalities overall.) In 2010 according to the F.B.I.there were 8,775 deaths related to firearms. That’s less death by firearm than by either traffic accident or due to drunk driving, yet I would wager more news stories focused on firearm death. We have all heard the adage “if it bleeds it leads”, and there usually is a “story” to be told in a shooting death. As a country, we've become that desensitized to hearing about people dying in traffic accidents or as a result of drunk driving.  That’s pretty sad.

I can already hear the arguments, about how people can handle alcohol, and it’s just irresponsible people who get a DUI, or could let that happen. Not everyone who drives, or drinks should be tarred with that brush, and by the same right, not every gun owner is irresponsible. Most gun owners are law abiding citizens, who own guns for a variety of reasons. The problem is when gun’s are front page news, we are all associated with someone who should not have had a gun.

When I looked at shooting sports as possibly a recreational outlet, I started to clarify my own opinions, and my wife and I had a lot of tough conversations. I’d had a gun pointed at me, and she lost a cousin she was close with to suicide with a gun. Both of us had a negative association, but it came out that neither of blamed the gun, we realized it was about the people. A gun in and of itself is a tool, nothing more.

Maybe not quite.....

We have had a string of high profile crimes committed with guns in the U.S. the past few years, we’ve also had an act of domestic terrorism in Boston that demonstrated that people who are of that mindset, don’t always have to use guns. The shame of the matter is that most gun owners are responsible, we own for a variety of reasons, and our freedom’s are impinged upon. Not every driver or drinker has his rights taken assaulted. How many DUI’s before a person loses their license?

While the NRA often get’s a bad name, and while I do support them, Wayne LaPierre does often take some extreme stands, nobody obscures facts more than politicians, and what is worse, is that they are legislating things that they don’t understand. This past year, a house co-sponsor claimed that high capacity magazines are a one time use item. What? She is helping write a bill, and she has no idea at all what she is talking about? It’s a culture of fear, and the politicians are using massacres, and death to scare people, and advance their own agendas. It may be good politics, but it’s a disgusting behavior that will never change as long as voters don’t take the time to educate themselves better than politicians. Why persecute the gun? Simple, because it’s easy to blame an object than solve the reasons behind people having, and using them in that manner.

  

As I came to slowly change my perspective, I’d hesitated to discuss this topic with friends, but as I took the time to get the facts, I dipped my toe in the water several times, and almost universally the results were the same. Too many people are willing to take the easy road, and just assume that guns are bad, because they see them on TV, the newspaper said so, or a politician said so. It’s convinced me that most people will take the easy road, and then get offended if you challenge that point of view.

So where am I going with all this? I’m not sure, I’m tired of the attack, and bad name gun owners get in main stream media. I wish people would take the time to really consider what the problem’s are, and what is really to blame. I’d like to see politicians stop using tragedy to scare Americans, and advance their own agenda. Most gun owners are responsible, considerate, intelligent, and accept the burden of ownership with pride. There are exceptions to every example on every side, but Americans need to wake up, we put band-aids over too many problems, and expect them to go away. This one is not going away, this is a cause worth fighting for.

A Letter to Les

Dear Les,

You sir are killing me. No dryfire, no forums, no podcasts, and no reading of shooting books. I have caught up on my paperwork, my boss commented that I really “seem on top of things”, and my wife and daughter are thrilled that I did the yard work on Sunday, and that I played soccer, football, and watched some Clone Wars.

This should be a relaxing, comfortable, enjoyable week, where I am a better husband, father, and employee. Les, you are making me MISERABLE. I’d said I was consumed with shooting, but I had no idea how consumed I was, I can’t believe what a prominent position in my life it has assumed.

How I feel

This is not to say that in the past year I've neglected anything, but I've put in time reading, listening, learning, and that filled some dry moments, now I’m just aching for a little time here, or a little time there. It's been something on my mind non-stop, but in proportion with other responsibilities. Now that it has been taken away, I'm resorting to writing blogs!

I buy in all the way, I’m confident that I’m coming out the other end much improved, and with the tools in place to continue to improve, but the next couple of weeks, while my mind clears is going to be an absolute pain the ass.

Without those little things, I’m actually considering something that I have not done in months. Les, I want you to think about this, look at what you are making me consider! LINK Are we passing from educational into cruel and unusual punishment? Have some mercy! In all seriousness, I’m excited, and chomping at the bit to get going!

Cheers,

Your humble student

Hold Up!

Hold Up!

I'm taking a step back here. I got the instruction to stop dry firing, no draw, no reload, just blank slate. So rest of the week in terms of dry fire practice is cancelled, and just some .22 live fire is all that will be on the agenda. This is one of those moments where you take a step back, and say "HTFU", and realize that you put your trust in someone. 

It's going to be damn near impossible to not practice, this week. 100% in with no reservations though. I know a lot of thought and prep has gone into the plan.

The Smell of Hoppe’s Number 9 in the Morning

The Smell of Hoppe’s Number 9 in the Morning

There is nothing quite like that smell, and unfortunately I can’t seem to get the smell out of my nose, or my basement. It was two plus hours yesterday to get 10 magazines cleaned along with my PPQ. I still need to clean 4 other guns, and one other set of magazines. In retrospect, yesterday was good, batteries are re-charged, and I’m not only ready for a week of work, but I’m ready to get back to work and improving. While I may have taken the day off from a match, I did spend some time watching some of the men’s and women’s super squad video’s from USPSA Nationals this past week over on Liveshots. I’m always impressed by the movement, the confidence, the plan, and how fast these shooters get their sights, and keep on them, and the trigger. These elite shooters are just machines, great fundamentals, and consistent. I don’t know that I’ll ever be at that level, but I admire the time and work they have put in to perfect their craft.

I got 10 minutes of dry fire this morning, really, just pulling the basic draw info from Practical Pistol. Back against a post, drawing. I found so much movement in what I was doing; it took a couple of minutes to eliminate that. This won’t be an overnight fix, but I suspect that if I focus I’ll be able to get this back to where I was a couple of months ago. That said, as much as the movement, it’ll be about getting my support hand on the gun, and driving it straight to the target so the front sight is not bobbing around, and I have to wait to find it.  Get this down for a couple of days, and I’ll pop out the Kozy suggestion, and put some string up, put my forehead against it, and draw, and if I feel pressure on the string, I’m moving too much.

For my 10 minutes of dry fire later today, I’m just going to work the reload a little bit, and how I index the magazine from the pouch. I notice that if I index properly I seat the mag just fine, the faster I go, the more apt I am to poorly index, and fail to seat the mag costing me time. Basically today, I just want to index properly off my belt. That’s it, nothing more.

Not pulling the trigger is strange, but Les told me to stay off the dry fire for a little bit, so I’m trying to do that, and at the same time get a little practice in of things that impact my game. I can’t not do anything at all to improve. I would be embarrassed to share how often during the day when I’m working, or doing something else, that I have a random thought about what I can do, or how I could have done something better. When I played football, I was the first guy in the weight room, the first guy in the film room, and I was the last guy off the practice field. When I get wrapped up in something, it becomes a part of me; it permeates everything that I do. I hope the chief is okay with me practicing in this sense, and that it does not break the spirit of what Plan B is about.

The other day, I made a comment to the chief, and I got an e-mail today. I said that after my experience on Saturday, come “B” or March (whichever is later) I’d make a platform change. That’s still 6 months away so time to change my mind, but I admit I wish the PPQ had a 5” with paddle mag release available next year. Even saying I’d like that, I definitely like the idea of a heavier gun. I don't think the Tangfolio is for me, but a CZ is something I'd like. He responded that equipment is just the tool. I totally agree. An GM shooter is going to be a GM with whatever gun he uses, and a D shooter is going to be a D shooter no matter what. Sure, some guns or platforms can provide more crutches, or make things easier, but that’s what the next six months is for, it’s for me to develop the skills to maximize whatever platform I shoot.  I almost switched away from the PPQ a month or so ago, but thankfully my wife shot, liked, and kept the XDM, and I'm happier for it. I'll be with the PPQ for at least a year, all thru Plan B. Once I have a solid fundamental skill set together, then we’ll talk.

Weekly Plan 10/20/13

Weekly Plan 10/20/13

It’s week 7 of the NFL season, and this is the second week that I’ve been home on a Sunday this season to watch a little football. The plan was to go up to Wisconsin and shoot Oconomowoc USPSA today, but after talking to Kozy yesterday, we decided to take a pass, and I’m actually thankful. It’s been a busy couple of months, and I need today to decompress, and get some small tasks done. That said, it’s 11:15 am, and I am already itching to shoot, something does not feel right.

First off, hats off to my friend Les Kismartoni who rocked out USPSA Nationals to the tune of 22^nd place (of 295 shooters) and 81% of champion Eric Grauffel’s score. This is a major league awesome accomplishment, super happy for him! It’s a shame that Beretta makes things hard for people who choose to shoot them in production. I suspect that Les will eventually make a change in platform, and enjoy extra added support. Not only is he a great shooter, and a good friend, but he’s the guy who came up with “Plan B”, and is going to lay out the path. Can’t let him down now! Seeing his success makes me want to start to lay out my plan for 2014, what major matches I want to shoot, and my full season goals. I’m going to start to get some them down on paper, and will discuss with him what is, and is not reasonable. Way to go Les your accomplishment is inspiring!

One of the hardest things that I’ve had coming up with in terms of reloading supplies has been powder. Les introduced me to Power Pistol as a good starting powder, and I’ve spend the last couple of months trying to find Tite Group, or Solo 1000. While I’ve seen the occasional N320 at $30 a pound, plus a $27 haz-mat fee, I’ve held off. I was getting down to my bitter end of Power Pistol. A friend told me that he had 4 pounds of Tite Group he could spare, for around $75-$80 after haz-mat, and I told him I’d take it.  Yesterday, when I was out, I stopped at a local guns shop that I don’t like to frequent because of their price gouging tendencies, but I was shocked to see an 8 lb jug of Bullseye powder for $149. While Bullsye is probably suboptimal, it’s still useable powder, and the price was good enough that I did not pass. Twelve pounds of powder is around 12,000 rounds I can load, so just a few thousand primers and bullets and we are in business. Good stuff.

I’m going to spend today cleaning my 10 match mag’s, and clean and lube up my PPQ while I’m watching the early football games. This is never a fun job, but it needs to get done, equipment in prime working order is a big deal. I’m also thinking about what dryfire I will be doing at home this week. My plan right now is to go back to fundamentals and work my draw, and just draw to sight picture, no pulling the trigger. What I want to do is eliminate the movement that has crept into my draw again, and make sure that when I’m driving the gun out, that I’m getting a good sight picture, and not having it bob around, and struggle to find it. That alone would be worth a couple tenths of second. I’m also going to work a little on reloads, yesterday Kozy made the suggestion that I’m reloading too low, and costing myself time, and I could reload higher. When I tried it once yesterday it actually felt more comfortable, and let me see the reload cleanly.

What I’m looking at it is this:

Sunday- Clean Equipment, Dryfire 15 minutes

Monday- Dryfire 20 minutes

Tuesday- Alpha Range Live Fire with the .22 only 40 minutes, group shooting

Wednesday- Off

Thursday- Dryfire 20 minutes (Possibly Pine Tree USPSA)

Friday- Dryfire 20 minutes

Saturday- Dryfire 20 minutes (Possibly a little .22 at Alpha taking family up)

Sunday- NISA versus Schultz’s Match (Switch to dryfire if I shoot Pine Tree)

Dryfire may be a misnomer this week, as I don’t intend on pulling the trigger, I simply want to insure that I eliminate some of the sloppiness that has crept into my draw. No forums, no podcasts, no outside interference. 

Practice 10/19/13

Practice

Never carry one bad stage to the next, never take a bad match to the next. If you make a mistake, get over it, and leave it behind. I understand and embrace that mentality, and I think sometimes people mistake my frustration as getting the best of me at a match. The truth is that I get frustrated when I make a mistake and know that I am “better” than that mistake. I've had an issue dragging a shot while preparing to transition, I know I’m doing it, I practice to not do it, and in a match I say I’m not going to do it, and I do it anyhow.  That’s the kind of mistake I have a hard time leaving behind, clip a no-shoot, slow on the draw, all things that irritate me, but are easier to leave behind.

Today I found myself up at Alpha Range, it was a strange coincidence that Kozy was up there as well. I had absolutely no idea that he’d be up there at 7am on a Saturday morning. (Les, do you believe this? TOTALLY UNPLANNED! That’s our story, and we are sticking to it.) Since he was up there, and I was up there, we figured what the heck, let’s share a range and run a few drills.

The Amazing Kozy

We started by placing single white paster on the target, and trying to hit it a 7, 10, and 15 yards before moving to calling shots. I’ll just say that I feel okay about it, but having an open shooter next to you, definitely caused me to pull a few shots. Calling shots at 15 yards, we had a large 2 target spread and transition, draw, 2 shots, transition, 2 shots, and stop. We did not look at the targets, but told the other person where the shots went, obviously the goal was two alpha hits, and do it quickly. Kozy is a pro, but there were a couple where he thought he threw a Delta, or even a Mike, and he had an Alpha, Charlie. My point is that calling a shot is not easy, even for someone who is a lot more experienced than I am. However the value in knowing that you are getting a good sight picture and squeezing off your rounds is invaluable. I understand now better than ever why Les has me focusing on shooting groups, and knowing my sight picture. The more I do that, the better I am at that, the easier it will be to call my shots, so call this a lesson learned, and it gave me a better understanding of why I’m doing what I’m doing. (I really need to get the M&P Sights ordered so that sight picture will match my PPQ sight) I had a harder time with my calls on my first target than my second target, but I was not too far off, when I threw a shot, I knew it. Some may not see that as progress, I’ll take a positive from the experience, in that when I throw a bad shot, I do know it, I may not have called the others perfectly, but knowing a bad shot is a step in the right direction.

There were a few other drills that we ran, two close targets, and a middle third target, that was head shot only. We ran it right to left, left to right, and middle over. Because these were not wide transitions, I actually felt better shooting this drill, and I had a harder time with the head shot when I started with it, than when I transitioned to it. No real earth shaking discoveries, but I do now really understand why practicing varied transitions has value, and how, and why I struggle with wider transitions.

We closed out with a Bill Drill, and my first run was awful, I think I had let everything get in my head, and I was slow, and probably had 3 mikes in 6 shots. Soon as I was done, I knew it, said it out loud that the next run would be 6 Alpha’s more to clear my mind, and get my focus. Sure enough, next run, faster, smoother, and 6 Alpha’s. Kozy picked up a few things on my draw, and while I got it down to a 1.24, I feel off, I feel slow. This is one of the things I spent a lot of time practicing, and back in August, I could do it in 1.1 at 7 yards and get an “A” hit. I’m moving around too much, and I’m struggling with getting my support hand on the gun. The gun is not coming out to where my eyes are, and once it’s out, I’m watching the front sight bob around. I’m not sure why I regressed, but I definitely have, and I know this is correctable.

Until we kick “Plan B”, I’ll stay off this kind of live fire practice, and stick with the groups that Les has me working on. The truth is, that I learn better by seeing something, than hearing something. Today, if nothing else, I walked out understand what I was accomplishing in dry fire before, and why Les has me focusing on groups. Today I could see some problems, and I can also understand how and why I can correct them. This reinforced what we are going to do. In addition, I can see a few things I want to look at in dryfire, like my reloads and my draw.

Today I also took a look at Kozy’s open gun, and I can understand and appreciate what it really is. The red dot sight and trigger are amazing. I always said “someday” I’d consider trying one, but touching it made me realize how far off that day is. It’s great, but it just is not for me, not for awhile. I did however put a few rounds thru the Tangfolio Stock II and was blown away. The gun feels great in my hand, the double action first pull was manageable, hardly more than the 5.5 lb pull of my PPQ, and the single action pull was amazing. When we went down to paste, I was a little embarrassed because I thought I’d thrown a couple of mikes, in actuality I put three rounds thru the center of the “A” in damn near the same hole. The gun just does not move much, it was amazing. It makes me think that if I do ever move away from the PPQ platform, that I’ll move away from polymer entirely, again, something for down the road.

Tangfolio Stock 2

Good session today, I picked up some insights on how I learn, which I hope will assist me moving forward, and I gained a better understanding of what I’m trying to accomplish. I’m starting to see how the entire game breaks down into a series of interrelated skills. Thanks Kozy for spending the time with me today!

Why I Shoot a Walther

Why I Shoot a Walther

This is a question that seems to crop up from time to time from the various, and rabid Glock fanboys, who automatically assume that anyone not shooting a Glock is just half bright. Oh, how those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Mind you, it's not the average everyday person who chooses to shoot a Glock that I have an issue with, I respect it as a fine firearm, my issue is with the person who feels the need to convince me how right he is. Insecure much?

Is there a more iconic Walther than the PPK? Does James Bond wear it better than anyone?

James Bond, Walther PPK

One of my first experiences when I attended my first club IDPA match, just to watch, was having people ask me what I was going to shoot. At the time I was leaning towards the H&K P30 because I liked the way it felt in my hand, I had rented it, and enjoyed it. I was new, eager to learn, and instead of explaining the sport, I had more people telling me why I needed to shoot a Glock. Anyone who knows me, knows that the quickest way to get me to hate something, is to effusively tell me why I need to like it. Let me make my mind up for myself, I'm not three, I don't need my hand held, and I'm fully capable of making my own decisions. Evidently that concept is a challenging for some folks from the get go. While that night did cement my decision to go H&K, hell, anything but Glock. Even I was willing to admit not long after that I had made a mistake. It was a mistake made because I did not knowing what I did not know, and I did not understand what was going to be important to me. It was hard to admit to my wife that I had made a $1,000 plus mistake, but I kept my eyes open for a Walther PPQ. I kept my eyes open, and finally found what I was looking for. Fortunately I was able to sell my P30L to a friend and not a huge loss, but I also found something that was right for me.

H&K P30

The Walther PPQ was actually a runner-up to the P30L when I started hunting for a firearm to buy. The fact that the Walther I knew best was the PPK, was a negative, it felt like a company that was living on the reputation of a single cultural icon, instead of being a leading innovator of modern, and high quality firearms. In some ways, I attribute that to Walther's curious decision to partner with Smith and Wesson to import and distribute for them in the United States for many years. While it may have made some sense, why on earth would S&W advertise and push a Walther product like the P99 that was arguably better than the M&P product line? When Walther came up with the PPQ, a derivative of the P99, that is a hands down better offering than the M&P again, why would S&W risk losing sales pushing a competitive product? We won't even touch on the slim PPS which offers more than the S&W Shield. Walther righted the ship by opening up here in the States earlier this year, and now they can push their own product here, but unfortunately, they still have a long way to go. A small market presence has done Walther no favors. What made it a challenge, was that to get to know the PPQ, you have to look harder to evaluate information, most gun shop employee's don't know much beyond a few big brands, and tend to steer customers to what they know. I had to look harder, travel a little further to rent and experience it first hand, and since it was a challenge, it never stood on equal ground with the P30 for me, at least until I understood how much the trigger meant to me.

The transition for me from the H&K P30L to the Walther PPQ was a easy one. They share a similar set of ergonomics, but the PPQ, I felt had a slightly higher bore axis, and was a hair fippier, that said, the 5.5 lb trigger with a clean break, and short reset was a night and day difference from the P30. Of course the general comment most folks would have, is that the P30 is a “combat” handgun, and not a competition handgun, so it’s not like I’m comparing apples to apples, and that I really should be comparing the PPQ to something else. For the purposes of our discussion, let’s move on to the largest perpetrators in the sport, the Glock fans, who automatically assume that anyone not shooting a Glock has something wrong with them.

Out of the box, comparing a Walther PPQ to a Glock 17 or a 19 is almost embarrassing, and not for the PPQ. When I bought my PPQ, I paid less money than a Gen 4 Glock 17 or 19 is currently going for. I shot it for 7 months bone stock, and I finally made the change to the Dawson .100 Fiber Optic Front Sights, and .125 Blacked out Rear Sights. Most Glock owners I know say that the first thing that they do, is get rid of the awful Glock factory sights and go aftermarket. The stock Walther PPQ trigger is smooth as glass, has a crisp break, and short reset, comparing the stock Glock trigger is nearly laughable. People end up paying between $15 and $150 for a better trigger, then having to spend the time or the money to put them in, or have a gunsmith put them in.  Mind you, that’s added expense just to be in as good, or marginally better than the PPQ.

Glock 17

I understand that the Glock is built to last, is accurate, and almost never fails to go “bang” when the trigger is pulled. It may look like an ugly hunk of metal, it may feel like a brick in your hand. I’m not arguing that the Glock is an amazing firearm. It is. Glock has built up a great following due to it’s cheap pricing, solid construction, wide product line, and massive hype machine.  Understand that the Walther PPQ is built well, is incredibly accurate, always goes bang, and has amazing ergonomics to boot, it’s cheaper, and out of the box, it’s a better firearm, you don’t need to spend money like you do with the Glock. Sure, the Glock has better aftermarket support, but then again, it needs it…. Yes, I own a Glock 34, so I’m fairly comfortable saying that it needs work to the stock version.

Walther PPQ

My personal opinion, is that when talking about the best striker fired pistol available on the market today, Springfield and Smith and Wesson are not even part of the discussion. Both are decent guns with plenty of positives and negatives of each. Glock is without a doubt the reigning champion, and you can’t have the discussion without it. On quality and reputation alone, Glock is a heady choice. The Walther PPQ is the discerning person’s choice, it’s for those of us who researched it, who touched it, and ultimately tried it. Not only did we have an open mind, but were not overwhelmed by what the next guy was using, we were comfortable blazing our own path, a better, and untraveled path.

The reality of the situation in terms of shooting sports is fairly simple. I see rabid fanboys of every manufacturer, and all of them think that what they shoot is the best, and only choice on the market, most of them I see spending money, looking for a short cut, and are “C” class shooters. I see people spending thousands tuning a CZ, and the fact of the matter is that they can’t actually shoot worth a damn. Is it ironic that some of the most rabid fan's are those who can't actually shoot well? Perhaps something to explore down the road. My 4” barrel PPQ is a gun I can take to my “B” card and beyond. I have a friend who is about to make GM with a Berretta. I don’t want to say a gun and gear are inconsequential, but most shooters are not limited by their gun, they are limited by themselves. You don't need an XDM 5.25" with match grade barrel, or a Glock 34 (and I own both) to make a "B" class shooter, you don't need them to make master. If you can shoot, you'll do it with anything. So again, riddle me why I need to spend more for a base model, to have a worse grip, to need to spend more to bring it up to par? 

To me, the most rabid fanboys are the Glock fanboys, so they end up the target of my venom in these thoughts. What was the first use of a Glock pistol in the mainstream media? One of those shows that was fun while it lasted, but failed the test of time. Break out your pastel’s, your white one white suit and shoes with no socks. Don’t go all Sonny Crockett on us.

First Appearance of A Glock In Media

Just know Glock Fanboys, this is how I think of you, each and every time you spout your love of Glock, and share with me how it is the best firearm that a person can shoot, yes, you look that dated and dumb.

Glock Fanboys?

On the other hand, Walther is a cultural icon, for the discerning. You may never own an Aston Martin, an Omega chronograph, you may never beat the house at baccarat, save the world from an arch-villain and walk away with the beautiful girl. You can however own, and display the class of a cultural, and generational icon. A refined sense of elegance, of taste.

The bottom line is that people should shoot what they shoot best, regardless of who makes it. The Walther PPQ is a hidden gem, a secret know to the "in" club. It will likely never sell as man units as Glock does, but it will always remain a preferred choice for the intelligent shooter.

While Sean Connery is the ultimate Bond, I have one final thought for the Glock Fanboy's, from Daniel Craig, taken a bit out of context, but apropos, I've got an itch Glock Fanboy's, one that you've long been scratching.

"Now the whole world will know you died scratching my balls."

M.I.S.S. Match 10/16/13

M.I.S.S. Match 10/16/13

It’s an advantage to help set-up the night before a match. One of the better lessons I learned this summer is to be prepared for each and every stage, walk it, memorize it, and execute your plan.  One of the earlier criticisms someone made, when I suspect they had too many easy to point our flaws that might hurt my feelings was that I rarely had a plan, and I needed to work on my prep. When I was getting started, I admit, that was 100% accurate, my thoughts were to be safe, and just “shoot stuff”, I ate standing reloads, I took horrible paths, and I did most of it on the fly. If there is a recipe to not succeed, that definitely is it.

In my video’s, I can see where I started to transition to an analytical mode, and how my stage approach started to change. These days, I feel like I walk thru enough to have my plan in place, and I go with it, it’s almost memory when I’m shooting. There is no “alternate plan in case I miss”. Sure, I can plot better ways to approach arrays, and to leave an array, and sometimes I still need help finding the best way to approach a stage, but this is a part of my game that is evolving.

The Wisconsin Sectional Match (which video is conspicuously absent) was a case in point of why it’s important to go early, walk stages, and be prepared. If you are going to spend time and money on a major match, it really does behoove you to arrive early, walk stages, and get a preliminary game plan in place. Make sure what you saw on paper looks the same, and that there are no surprises to be had. In the last six months, no match set me back more than the Wisconsin Sectional.  I’m just going to say that there were a lot of things that went wrong for me, but one thing that was in my power to have go right, I blew by not being as prepared as I should have been.

Last night at M.I.S.S. I opened on a pretty fun stage, and while setting up the night before, I had two or three ideas on how I could shoot the stage. Kozy made a suggestion, and I was all over it, it was different than I had come up with, but it helped save me a reload. Because I was deliberately slow from draw to first shot, my time was nowhere near what it could have been, so my one less reload advantage was negated. I did however learn an important lesson, and that’s that sometimes I need to take a step back to really see the whole picture. When I finished my round, it was apparent to the Range Officer that I’d been talking to Kozy, because he even commented on what a good plan that was, and that is how he was going to shoot it.  Too much feedback can be bad, but not seeing the whole picture can also not be a negative.

I had two real goals last night, and with Les busy at Production Nationals, the scores won’t be uploaded until next week, so I won’t know until then how many points I shot. I do know that I had zero mikes, zero deltas, 15 C’s, 2 B’s, and all the rest Alpha’s. That’s still not the accuracy that I want, I’d like to cut the C’s in half, but zero mikes and deltas is progress.

The other goal that I had was running a “B” level classifier, and I thought it would be a gimmie, and it was not. My first run I ended up around a 48% score, but since we had time waiting for the other squad to flip stages, a couple of us paid our extra money for submission, and did a re-shoot. This time I ended up with a hit-factor of 5.062, which was a 59.737% run, or about .26 short of a “B” run.  Don’t misunderstand me, that’s progress, but during that run I had 3 misses on steel, and if I had one less miss, I’d have had my 60%, if I had run it clean, I’d have been in around a 70%, which is what I was aiming for. Consider a little confidence built.

As a side note, not naming any names, I had a conversation today with a friend, and I mentioned how since this was the 2^nd match of the fall season, it was nice to see some old faces I had not seen all summer at matches. I also noted that last spring I thought quite a few of them were excellent shooters, and shot at a classification lower than their ability. Oh, how a summer has changed me. Today I noted that as I watched last night, I realized that they were not as good as I’d thought; I was able to be objective, and see things that they were doing wrong. It’s not a sense of cockiness, but it’s a sense of objectiveness, and perhaps that I’m finally starting to see, and more importantly gain some understanding of the sport, which can only help me learn and improve my own game.

The Mission

The Mission

After my time this past year, and being exposed to ideas in books, podcasts, and forums, it’s time to get serious. A friend, instructor, and Master class shooter came to me with a proposition. He would spend from November until March doing a class twice a month with myself and another person, and at the end of it we’d come out as “B” Class USPSA Shooters. We’d have to commit to dryfire practice, live fire, and matches. If we make “B” class, we do not owe him anything other than a LOT of word of mouth advertising. I negotiated that to owing him 1,000 bullets plus word of mouth advertising, because it’s worth it to me, and because it’s a heck of a time commitment for someone who could be charging for classes during that time. If however both students do not come out “B” class shooters, we owe him 4,000 rounds. That’s some serious ammo, and it ties the other student and me together, so we are motivated to work together, to push one another, and to achieve our goal.

At this point, we’ve got a schedule: Bi-Weekly Saturday instruction, live fire practice one time a week, twice in weeks we do not have instruction, three 30 minute dry fire sessions a week, and 3 matches a month. Instruction and practice are probably going to be fairly light, so about 600 rounds a month of 9mm will cover those. We will be doing significant work with a .22, and have each put together about 2,500 rounds each. This is roughly 5,500 rounds of ammo, both .22. and 9mm of practice ammo over the course of 6 months, with match’s, this should come in just over 1,000 rounds a month.

I won’t go into a ton of detail about the program, since I expect he’ll want to teach it, as opposed to seeing it “given away”, but in part of our pre-work, he’s helped me come to some understandings of the sport.

When I started, at my first skills and drills class, I had a Safariland retention holster, and my first draw was 3.3 seconds, with practice I got that down to about 2 second draw. These days, on a short, 5-7 yard target, I practice at about 1 second from draw to first shot, and in a match expect to see myself at around 1.3 to 1.5 seconds.  When I started “B” class seemed unattainable, I thought I’d need a 1 second draw reload, and great movement skills.  What has been demonstrated to me, is that it’s about shooting accurately at my level. You could in theory have a 2 second draw, 2 second re-load, and still be a “B” class shooter as long as you are accurate.

My last match, less penalties, I shot only about 80% of the points, and I need to push that to about 90% of the points, but that seems fairly reasonable. I had been practicing El Presidente, and shot it in 7.25 seconds, with 10 Alpha’s and 2 Charlies, or 56 points, my hit factor on that run would have been around 72%. Meaning, a very high “B” run, almost an “A”.  Two weeks ago, I blew my El Pres run for a couple of reasons, but the bottom line is that I know that I can do it. I’m not expecting to get a 10.26 Hit Factor and score a 100%, but I think between 6.16 and 7.7 is attainable.

For those that don’t know, or understand, let’s talk Hit Factor for a second. A hit factor calculation is simply points divided by time. When looking for a percentage, on Classifier Calc, you want to find what 1% is, what 100% is, and with that info you can figure out what a 60-75% is (B Class Rating). When you have that, you can do the calculations on points and figure out what time you need to hit. It’s unrealistic for me to think I’m going to shoot 100% of the points, but I have done calculations of where I need to be if I shoot 80% of the points, and 90% of the points. What I found amazing is that the difference can be a second or more on some stages, and if I shoot between .20 and .25 (currently between .25 and .28) that means 4 extra shots. Not that I want to shoot more, but it means I have that much more time to insure a good sight picture, and get good hits.  I know all this sounds complex, but it really is not, especially once I did the math on a few, and saw what a 10% increase in points shot would really mean for me.

I've done my reading of Brian Enos, Steve Anderson, and BenStoeger, but I’m going to be putting some of that behind me. I know my draw, reload, and transitions need work, and they will improve with practice. I’m getting better at stage planning, but I still have a ways to go. My movement leaves a lot to be desired, but like the other things, it will improve as well. I suspect that the plan will have a focus on keeping on that front sight, and shooting all the points possible. My gut feeling today, is that a “B” class shooter has those fundamental skills, but the transition from “B” to “A”, to “Master” to “Grand Master” is where the ability to do that at speed is going to matter more. A feeling that the game changes, where seconds, and tenths of a second can matter.

I have a match tonight at my “home range”, with my “home club”. It’s been a good summer, doing outside matches, but it’ll be nice to be back someplace I’m comfortable. The classifier tonight is CM 06-10, Steely Speed VII, I’ll need a hit factor in the mid 6’s, which means I have to hit all the steel, in just about 5 seconds. This should be a gimmie. Even if I have a 2 second draw, that means I have 3 seconds for 6 targets, or a .5 transition.  Normally I love steel (I hate forward falling steel, that’s caused some nightmares this summer, and I don’t even want to talk about it….) but I focus on my front sight, and am accurate, I can do this.

Finally, I don't want anyone to think that "B" is my destination. It's almost a starting point. I need to get there, I want to see how good I can do, how far I can push myself, and how good I can get. Can I get my "A" card by the end of 2014? Can I push for a Master or Grand Master card? I don't know, but I have to take this first step to start.

Gear for this journey, which won’t be changing until I hit “B”, is as follows:

Walther PPQ

DawsonFiber Optic Front Sight .100

DawsonBlack Rear Sight .125

Comp-Tac International Holster

Double Alpha Belt

Ghost Mag Pouches (5)

Shooting 147 grain re-loaded Bayou Bullets with 4.4 grains of Power Pistol

(This will change to 124 grain Bayou Bullets with Tite Group fairly soon)

One Black Under Armor Hat (Okay…that may change….)