3-Gun Copperas Cove Style

3-Gun Copperas Cove Style



With the rather unfortunate DQ the last time I tried 3-Gun, I was ready for a second shot. Last time out my gun popped out of my USPSA holster when I was running from position to position, and that's a lesson on why the right gear matters. Today I broke out my Safariland belt that was a Christmas present from Linda, put it together, and went out with Aaron & Steve from Hayes Custom Guns. A big thanks to them for again, loaning me a shotgun and a rifle to use for the match. I suppose I need to thank Linda for loaning me her CZ to use as a pistol. In December I was still running the CZ, so Linda bought the gear for me with than in mind.

100 plus degrees, 4th stage of the match...I was burnt! (Stage 3 in Match)

Before this match, I had exactly 4 rounds thru a shotgun, 2 of them being slugs, so I was more than a little uncomfortable with the idea of shooting shotgun. Plus, my rifle time has been limited too, so it was a lot of worry about gear, being safe, and how to operate the gear. I anticipated I'd finish in last place, and I was okay with it, it was more about getting out and shooting a match. I wish Linda had been able to come with, that was the plan, but about 8pm on Friday night we got a call from the A/C repair company and they were coming out at 8am on Saturday to install a new unit. A/C in 100 degree heat is pretty important, and she volunteered to stay and let me shoot. I'm grateful!



Stage Five

All shotgun, what a way to start. I was loading shotgun off a chest rig, and I admit, I had a few struggles, fun, but I was not convinced. There was a giant Texas star at the end but instead of steel plates, it had clay's. Smart guy that I am, I shot one of the clay's before the R.O. yelled I needed to shoot the activator first. Oh....makes sense. I did have fun. I ran it in about 67 seconds, the top shooters were high 20's, low 30's.


Stage One





Guess what, all shot gun again! There were some laugh worthy moments in this video, I have to admit. I started off looking pretty good, but for some reason the bolt hung up on the 2nd clay, and trying to get that fixed had me completely forget my stage plan, and lose my concentration. I knew there was not clay on the 3rd one, but I still sat waiting for it...dumbass! Then I damn near forgot to load, and I was slow as could be on the load. Here's where the 3 gun rules threw me for a loop, the popper with an activator started a dual clay swinger, but apparently nobody set-up the clay's. I assumed that it would be a re-shoot, it would in USPSA, and that's where they told me to just shoot twice. By then I was completely lost, and forgot to shoot the last popper, and then I forgot the clay being tossed in the air, but, super shotgun shooter than I am (with maybe 35 rounds ever thru a shotgun at this point) I nailed it. At this point, I was starting to like shotgun!

I actually thought that I could have shot two poppers and hit both clay's in the air. That's a little over confident, and I played it smart especially first time I shot clay's, the bigger point was that some confidence was developing.



Stage Two





This was my first stage that utilized all three guns, and I was excited to break the pistol out, little did I know it would be the one thing that completely failed me. Yes, I held the rifle incorrectly, I know it, I was trying to keep my head on what I was doing, and just did not think. Fortunately the gun shot flat, and it did not hurt me, what I wanted to do was improve my splits as I was going, and I did. (Again, less than 50 rounds thru a rifle at this point, and the first rifle stage of the day.) The paper targets were 1/2 size USPSA targets, so they were not big, there were angles, and some hard cover.

At this match you can load up shotgun, so I started with 14 rounds in the gun, I was going to shoot 9, load 4, and finish on the last 9. 18 rounds, 18 shots, I knew I'd have to shoot it clean, and I'm actually pretty happy with the way that I shot it, I ran it clean, and I did it reasonably quickly. I also had a solid load 4, sure, it could have been better if I'd done it more, but it was a clean smooth load. I grabbed all 4 shells correctly, and smoothly managed to get the reload done.

Pistol was a nightmare, and unfortunately I did not figure out the issue until after the next stage. I was shooting consistently low, and had issues with both the plate rack, and the polish plate rack on the stage. Turns out there was an issue with the fiber front sight.


Stage Three

This stage had some IDPA time added for each "Charlie" hit, and we had to have 2 hits on the paper. I was down 2, and had no issues with the rifle. I liked the stage, and we had to "navigate" the clay's that were on the ground while running forward (10 second penalty if you break a clay on the ground) Once again though, pistol kicked my ass. Another Texas Star, and I struggled on the plate rack, in fact I gave up with 2 steel still standing. I saw that the front fiber was actually broken and was moving all over the place, if I'd have pointed the gun straight up in the air, it would have fallen out. I had Linda's range bag with me, and she had no fiber or lighter (lesson to add for next time) so I had to borrow a lighter and temporarily melt the fiber so I could get thru the last stage.


Stage Four

This was an all pistol stage, with 27 pieces of steel, including a start on a Texas Star...the 3rd one of the match. I was slow as hell to start, I shot a popper, watched it go down, shot another, watched it go down, and I was half in surprise, sights fixed was a huge save for me. Then for some reason I started at the bottom of the Texas Star, and rolled 3 straight plates, but then with the rack spinning wildly, struggled to clean it. Dumb mental mistake where I know better. I did a much better job on both the sides I had to run to, and inexplicably left one steel standing for a 5 second penalty. I know I hit it, I saw it move, but evidently I did not hit it squarely because it stayed up. On me.


Conclusions

I can't lie, I had an absolute blast. I thought I would not really like shotgun, but it turns out shooting shotgun was darn near my favorite part of the match. I felt extremely confident shooting the gun by the end, and I would have stayed longer to shoot more shotgun. I loved the clay's flipping into the air, I want to see sporting clay's where they are launched. This is an entirely different element than I'm used to, and it made for an excellent challenge. I had zero issues controlling the gun, or handling the recoil, and when I had the smooth reload (albeit slow) and went 18 for 18, I was thrilled.

Rifle was different with the 1/2 size targets, I really had to focus, and I wish there was some more long range rifle, but apparently there are 2 matches "bay" style a month, and 2 matches that have some longer range (100-600 yard) rifle stages. I like shooting rifle quite a bit, I know I can run faster, but this close, I had to aim at the neck of the USPSA targets to hit center mass, and it was something new trying to do that on targets that were at angles.

Pistol was a nightmare for me today, and that's not what I expected, I actually thought I'd shoot pistol well enough to cruise thru the match, and actually make up some ground I'd lose in other spots. Turns out this was my weak point (and the front sight was a legitimate issue) that I can control, and be in better shape for the next match.

I fully expected to finish in last place, and this may speak to the quality of the other shooters there, but I managed to finish 25th of 41 shooters in my first match. I lost 30-40 seconds with my pistol at least (especially with at least 3 penalties for left steel) and on the first two shotgun stages I lost time just with unfamiliarity with the gun, and shooting it. That would have moved me up 7-8 places at least. Learning how to load shotgun, and shoot the rifle better would have moved me up even a bit more. I'm no 3-Gun pro, but I love the variety of challenges shooting all 3 guns, and I can see a definitely love affair starting with the sport. There are definitely more 3-Gun matches in my future, I really enjoy the sport.

CTRP (Waco) Match 7-18-15

CTRP (Waco) Match 7-18-15




Ever have a day where nothing is quite right, where you can compound a mistake into something that makes it look even worse? That was today, I made one mistake pretty often (transitioning too fast and pulling my sights) that really hurt. I did not transition off into oblivion, just enough to put a shot into hard cover, or worse, onto a no-shoot. There are times and places when I need to slow down just a bit to make sure of a hit, and I'm not doing it.

Now, other than that? (Other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?) I can't complain too much, I see definite things to work on, and more hallmarks of consistency (draw, reload) but I think I did do a few things pretty well.


Stage 2:








Do I have to say that on a tight target on the first array I popped one into hard cover, and again a little later on? My cadence was way too fast for the tight shots, I did not respect them the way that I should. So why did I push it? That long draw was because I did not engage the grip safety, and I had to re-grip, and when I had to do that, I started trying to go faster. My time was about 3 seconds off the top Limited times today, and I can see a few places where I could have picked it up. My other real gripe was that my hits were not great, I had a lot of A/C's and considering the distance on a few of them, I know I can do better.

Until I got to the last array, I was decisive, I knew my plan, and I attacked the stage. I think I had much better splits, and I attribute some of the poor hits (C's) to my other practice key point, making sure I have a much stronger grip than I did in Production.



Stage 3:








No mikes, and better hits, those are big pluses. I had to take a make-up shot on the 2nd array that cost me some time, and once again I show exactly why I need some work on steel. I struggled taking the steel. However, if you listen closely, the last steel I hit and it did not go over, and I came back for at least a couple more shots at it. I did not realize it until I watched the video, but this happened to a few people. The issue was that it was not getting set-up properly, people were just leaning it back, and not setting it on the hook. The R.O. caught it on the other folks, and told them not to shoot again. I was 5-6 seconds off the top Limited times, and I honestly think I could have shaved off at least 3-4 seconds had I hit the steel. Let's mark that down to work on!




Stage 4:





Okay, let's start with time, I was 8 seconds off the top Limited time, but I was within 2 seconds of the next 5 fastest times (actually I was faster than one of those) Better accuracy on the plate rack would have helped, what killed me was on the first array, I had an Alpha, Mike, No Shoot. Take the penalties out, I would have moved up a couple of spots. I thought I had a solid plan, the only "position" I would have changed, was running an extra 2 steps back rather than shuffling back once for two targets, and then again for the final target. Had I ran, I would have been faster, and an extra step or two would have allowed me to run the remaining 3 targets from one spot.



Stage 5:





One shot buried in hard cover, 2nd string, first target, I put one in the black. Other than that, I shot it clean, and I'm pretty happy that I did that, I paid proper respect to the center target, and I buried 3 shots dead center that you could cover with a single paster. That said, I was 4.5 seconds slower than the top times, and it's pretty easy to see that I could have saved at least a second on each run. I need some more confidence that I can run the gun a little harder, but having buried a few no shoots and hard cover earlier, I backed off the gas. That's a mistake. I know I can do it..

Stage 6:






Okay, once again a slow reaction on the draw cost me a little bit, but I felt like I ran the gun pretty well until the last shot of the first position, just a little trigger freeze. Missed on both sides and had to clean up the steel plates. (Seeing a theme here for practice?) My "tactical error" was after I opened the door, I thought I had time to get the target to the left and then get the max trap target. I blew that, I buried another shot in the hard cover to the left, and had to take 2 head shots on the max trap because it had closed. I nailed 'em, and if you listen, my splits were definitely slower, but I can live with that because I had to clean up a mistake. I'll do it differently next time, but I did not lose my focus, and I did what I had to do.




Stage 1:





Three seconds off the top time, and I shot this stage way too slow. Want to know how I know that? I had one charlie, everything else was an Alpha, so I dropped 1 point for the stage. That helped me to a 3rd in Limited finish on this stage, but considering it was a low degree of difficulty on the paper, that's again what I needed to do. So, where can I pick up time? I was slow to the reload, and walked it in, I had one make-up shot on steel (4 shots for 3 steel, still a better job than earlier) and I had some slow transitions on the targets that were behind the barrels, I wanted to make sure I did not clip a barrel.

That said, last stage was the best stage of the match for me, and I did a lot of things right here. Sure, I could have maybe picked up a second? Two seconds tops? Not enough to win the stage, but repetition in practice of those little things means that I can knock off those little things. There are definitely bigger gains to be made, but fixing the simple little things will make me more consistent, and let me focus on some of the bigger things.


Full Match:





I was a little over 80% of the top score, with a couple of Master Class shooters there. Time and points did me in, but I finished the right way, and I really did do an awful lot of other things right. My mistakes were punishing, but I really do believe it's just a matter of some hard work to eliminate an awful lot of the little stuff. I'm just in my 4th month of shooting Limited, with darn near 2 months of being unable to get live fire in because of the rains, and ranges being closed. I'm still at 70% in Limited, so I don't want to make it sound bleak. The only way I'm going to fix the little stuff is by grinding it out, because I have bigger things I need to work on if I'm going to be successful in Limited, like shooting on the move, something I'm still struggling on.

Okay, despite the bad, enough here I can build on, and can find to focus on in practice.

Waco Match 7/18/15- Linda

Waco- 7/18/15

Stage 2:



Had good points on the stage, but slow time. Still getting familiar with running backwards with keeping the gun down range. When watching the video I see no urgency from getting to one point to the other. Gripped the gun better.

Stage 3:




Disaster of a stage, but still kept my plan and composure. Gripped the gun for the most part, and gave respect to the hard cover targets.  Need to work on fine tuning the basic skills of shooting.

Stage 4:



I had my plan however, my positions didn't feel right on the stage. It's hard to explain. Gun still looks like it is bouncing. I had one mike on the stage, and did not execute the plate rack to well. I see basic stuff that needs some practicing.

Stage 5:




Would have been nice, if I listened to the stage briefing correctly, or clarified the string before shooting. I was doomed on the first string. I need to practice classifiers like this, because I can't lean for crap.

Stage 6:




Not bad, but again no rushing from one position to another. I am not pulling the trigger fast enough. I had caught the clamshell with a Alpha, mike no shoot. On the rest of the stage I had my hits.


Stage 1:




Good points- I gripped the gun, and got all my hits, reloads not that bad.
Bad points- I had no urgency, need to practice shooting with barrels and leaning.


Full Match:

After a very rough practice on Friday, today's focus was simply grip the gun and get my hits. I guess I can say I did that, but the frustrating thing is watching these videos, there is so much more that needs to be fixed too. Need to practice some fundamentals and live fire practice..and any other recommendations that are given along the way!

CM 99-10 Practice

CM 99-10 Practice


I call it the Kozy challenge. I was talking to Kozy, lamenting the fact that we just have not had a good practice rhythm, and how much I missed practicing with he and Les. He had a pretty quick and easy suggestion, he said he'd done it with Les, and there is absolutely no reason why we could not get involved as well. He asked me what I was struggling with, and the biggest thing of late was going position to position, so he picked Classifier CM 99-10 (Times Two). The idea was to dry fire the different skills needed for the classifier for a week, and then go run it in practice, and see where my times were at. The idea was to know draw to first shot, time it took to go box to box and get a shot off, and of course final time. In live fire we ran it a few ways, match speed, full speed, accurate speed, and then do it again at match speed and measure the differences. With no further adieu, here's the results that Linda and I had:

(We ran, Match Speed, Accurate Speed, Retard Speed, Retard Speed, Match Speed)

Linda:

8.43 Seconds

1.59 Draw

3.74 Box to Box

3 Alpha, 4 Charlie, 4 Delta 1 Mike

11.49 Seconds

1.47 Draw

3.61 Box to Box

10 Alpha 2 Charlie

7.39 Seconds

1.17 Draw

3.10 Box to Box

2 Alpha 2 Charlie, 3 Delta 5 Mike

8.24 Seconds

1.47 Draw

2.86 Box to Box

2 Alpha 5 Charlie, 4 Delta 1 Mike

Match Speed:

10.07

1.41 Draw

3.87 Box to Box

6 Alpha, 4 Charlie, 2 Delta

Her "Limited Run":

9.48 Seconds

1.59 Draw

2.83 Box to Box

6 Alpha, 4 Charlie, 2 Delta

She had some excellent draws, which I could really learn something from. Her lack of trigger time though really showed as she struggled with accuracy. She's still working on a better grip, something that she really saw how much work she needed once she got to live fire, and it proved that she was "cheating" a bit while in dry fire, and her grip was not really what she needed. On the whole, it was a good learning experience for her, and has her willing to put for the effort to go once a week to practice, with no excuses.

My runs:

7.54 Seconds

1.53 Draw

3.13 Box to Box

7 Alpha, 3 Charlie, 2 Delta

9.83 Seconds

2.18 Draw

3.25 Box to Box

11 Alpha 1 Charlie

6.77 Seconds

1.48 Draw

2.84 Box to Box

5 Alpha 2 Charlie, 3 Delta 2 Mike

7.05 Seconds

1.36 Draw

2.56 Box to Box

7 Alpha 4 Charlie 1 Mike

8.40 Seconds

1.72 Draw

2.67 Box to Box

6 Alpha 6 Charlie 

Final Comfortable Match Speed

7.19 Seconds

1.37 Draw

2.91 Box to Box

9 Alpha 3 Charlie

7.927 HF

83.44%

My last run, even though is was not a whole lot slower than my full speed runs, and it had my best draw, was actually my most comfortable run, and I think I could repeat that run on demand at a match. I need to work on keeping the gun up, and being ready to shoot, as well as just getting to the next box. Being honest, the other part where I have time to shave is on my draw, Linda has a better draw than I do.

In any case, good exercise, look forward to the next assignment. Honestly, it's a great way to focus on things, and it keeps dry fire from getting repetitive.