Practice Day 2
I really needed today! Not only did we run drills that played to my strengths (as few as they may be) but I just got to shoot and have fun, no pressure, no demands, no expectations, just pure fun. Don't get me wrong, shooting is fun, but I realize that I've put all these expectations on what I'm doing that I ceased to just enjoy what I'm doing for what I'm doing. Today brought all that good stuff back, I was okay with being the worst shooter on the range, and I just decided to bring the best that I had, and work to improve it, and that's okay.
When we got out to The Firing Line in Georgetown, I was curious what Aaron had in mind, and he said that his intention was to work some shorter range rifle, focusing on transitions, some shotgun work, both slug and birdshot, and I had a chance to shoot a little pistol at distance, all of which are things that I need work at, but all things that I enjoy. We started out with some rifle work, 50 yard targets, low ready, and Aaron had me go from one target to another, just working on getting the hit, and a fast transition. It was during this time that I had a couple more eye relief issues, and Aaron suggested that I move my cheek weld back, it was a hair less comfortable, but it eliminated the biggest issues I had with eye relief. This is also something that I can practice and dry fire at home, which is a big win.
From there we headed over to three short range paper targets, the idea was to get them with solid transitions. Garrison and Aaron were running it in 1.25 to 1.50 seconds for 6 shots, I was in the 1.6 fairly consistently, with a high time of 1.84, and being honest I could totally feel the difference, I had a slow transition, and a little trigger freeze. My splits were in the .17-.18 area, and honestly I think I can get even a little faster in the future. To me, this is a pistol drill, but it's easier to transition the rifle. I can do this stuff.....
Next up was shotgun slugs, and I have struggled in epic fashion with slugs, but I bought into what Aaron said, and we had him put on a rear sight, and let me tell you, that was all the difference in the world. Once I understood what I needed to see, I had no problems getting hits at 50 yards. For me at 50 yards, I had the front sight cover up the target, the white line of the rear sight dead center of the square, and I was on fire. The running laugh for me was that I had Federal low recoil slugs (1350 fps) which definitely feel like slugs, and I had one box of non low recoil slugs (1500 fps) that knocked over the steel "C" zone targets every time that I hit them. Aaron let me shoot a couple of his Fiocchi low recoil slugs (1150 FPS) and holy hell, I'm hooked. Those slugs were no harder than birdshot, so I will be buying a few cases from Aaron as soon as he orders. His slugs were literally a game changer for me, I can shoot those infinitely faster. I know some folks don't like the rear sight because it get's in the way and you shoot over the top of targets with birdshot, but this rear sight was sunk in deep, and wow, to me it makes the shotgun absolutely perfect.
From there we did closer runs on small steel plates, and ran drills like starting with 2 loaded, shoot one plate, reload 2, shoot one, which helped me practice reloads, to one plate, load 8, shoot a plate. Aaron and Garrison kicked some ass doing that, I was infinitely slower, but I got better as I went, and Aaron made a few changes in what I was doing, like angling the gun downwards. Garrison caught me short stroking a few reloads, so I now have a few extra things to practice. The best part was that I shot accurately, got hits, and picked up plenty of speed. Sure, Aaron and Garrison shoot faster than I do, but I was not awful once the gun was loaded. I can get better, but I'm starting to understand the shotgun.
I closed out with the long "C" Zone steel plates with the CZ. I was missing early, and went back to the paper targets, and found that my point of aim, point of impact was a little different with the CZ than it was with my Edge. Once I remembered that I the fiber should be a hair lower, instead of covering the target, I had no issues ringing the steel at the 40 yards or so we were at. It made me feel good to get hits, and honestly I'd love to have my 6" Sight Tracker, but it restored my faith in what I'm doing.
So, for the next few days, I'm going to be running around the house with the AR, putting it on the couch, some chairs, trying to shoot off different heights, and get in some different positions. I'm going to try to maintain the proper cheek weld every single time, especially from the low ready to insure that I'm getting it right, each and every time. Consistency is the key, and if I can measure it, I can improve it. Add in 30 minutes or so a day of shotgun loading, and I think I'll be ready to go, at least be as prepared as I possibly can.
We will have to see how the long range goes, but I'm going to give it my best. I'm really looking forward to the match, not just hanging out with the guys. I get the feeling that I'd do better at a 3-Gun Nation type match, where most targets are shorter range since that plays to what I do best today, but getting pushed, having a challenge, nothing wrong with that.
This was a kick ass weekend of shooting, and yes, it was what I needed! I owe a big thanks to the guys, they are good people! Closing out Sunday night with some baby back ribs on the grill, and will close out with a Flaming 43!
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Linda's AR & Fallen Brethren Prep
Linda's AR & Fallen Brethren Prep
Today we took delivery of Linda's new AR by Hayes Custom Guns, and took it out for a spin at Copperhead Creek. After spending time borrowing their guns, Linda had one request for them, "build it just like Aaron's". Which is what they delivered, and I have to say it's one very nice rifle, those guys put in high quality work into everything that they do. This AR shot wonderfully, all day long, and I know Linda was thrilled with it.
Unfortunately for Linda, I'm going to be the first one to use it in a match, since I'm going to take it to Fallen Brethren at the end of the upcoming week, for my first major 3-Gun match. This is a very long range rifle heavy match, and today it was evident to me, that I'm going to be over-matched. At this point it'll be fun to go and hang out with the guys, and I'm going to go with no expectations. I'm just going to go and shoot, 600 yard targets are not my comfort zone, but here's to hoping that I'll learn something from it, and every match after this will seem infinitely easier.
After zeroing and chronographing the ammo, we headed to the long distance range and started to get some work. From a bench, with 77 grain ammo, I was comfortable at 100, 200, and 300 yards to a "C" zone steel plate, at 400 yards I could hit the "C" zone plate, but that was about it. I struggled with the gong's 300 yards and out. My biggest struggle is seeing thru the scope, it's a Vortex Strike Eagle, which gives 1x6 performance at a reasonable ($329) price. I can definitely see the difference between it, and the $2500 Leupold scopes that we'd be able to use on the borrowed guns, but this is a fine scope that does what we need. I think it's an eye relief issue, I was getting an inconsistent cheek weld on the stock, and I felt like the scope was going black, flickering, or I was only able to see thru half of it. That's actually the same issue that I had with Aaron's gun when I used it, Steve's rifle has his scope mounted further forward, and I did not have the issue with his gun at all. I suspect my solution is a different mount, but this is Linda's rifle, and it worked perfectly for her, so I'll struggle thru it, and still have fun. Next spring, when I build a rifle, I'll make that simple adjustment and I suspect it'll fit me perfectly.
Linda of course jumped on her rifle from the bench and had no problems at all. She seems to understand breathing, when to expel and hold her breath, and how to properly pull the trigger straight back, every single time. On the bench she ran from 100-500 effortlessly, and then hit the 600 yard steel consistently, something I absolutely could not do. I was really impressed, and I know how much she likes hearing the spotter call out a hit, when you are doing it at that distance, it's gotta feel amazing.
Today we took delivery of Linda's new AR by Hayes Custom Guns, and took it out for a spin at Copperhead Creek. After spending time borrowing their guns, Linda had one request for them, "build it just like Aaron's". Which is what they delivered, and I have to say it's one very nice rifle, those guys put in high quality work into everything that they do. This AR shot wonderfully, all day long, and I know Linda was thrilled with it.
Unfortunately for Linda, I'm going to be the first one to use it in a match, since I'm going to take it to Fallen Brethren at the end of the upcoming week, for my first major 3-Gun match. This is a very long range rifle heavy match, and today it was evident to me, that I'm going to be over-matched. At this point it'll be fun to go and hang out with the guys, and I'm going to go with no expectations. I'm just going to go and shoot, 600 yard targets are not my comfort zone, but here's to hoping that I'll learn something from it, and every match after this will seem infinitely easier.
After zeroing and chronographing the ammo, we headed to the long distance range and started to get some work. From a bench, with 77 grain ammo, I was comfortable at 100, 200, and 300 yards to a "C" zone steel plate, at 400 yards I could hit the "C" zone plate, but that was about it. I struggled with the gong's 300 yards and out. My biggest struggle is seeing thru the scope, it's a Vortex Strike Eagle, which gives 1x6 performance at a reasonable ($329) price. I can definitely see the difference between it, and the $2500 Leupold scopes that we'd be able to use on the borrowed guns, but this is a fine scope that does what we need. I think it's an eye relief issue, I was getting an inconsistent cheek weld on the stock, and I felt like the scope was going black, flickering, or I was only able to see thru half of it. That's actually the same issue that I had with Aaron's gun when I used it, Steve's rifle has his scope mounted further forward, and I did not have the issue with his gun at all. I suspect my solution is a different mount, but this is Linda's rifle, and it worked perfectly for her, so I'll struggle thru it, and still have fun. Next spring, when I build a rifle, I'll make that simple adjustment and I suspect it'll fit me perfectly.
Linda of course jumped on her rifle from the bench and had no problems at all. She seems to understand breathing, when to expel and hold her breath, and how to properly pull the trigger straight back, every single time. On the bench she ran from 100-500 effortlessly, and then hit the 600 yard steel consistently, something I absolutely could not do. I was really impressed, and I know how much she likes hearing the spotter call out a hit, when you are doing it at that distance, it's gotta feel amazing.
We closed out by moving to the "roof" platform, and trying to shoot off it. I again got to 300 yards and had struggles, my optic was blacking out, I felt like I was dealing with 1/3rd of the scope, and I was trying to pull it to my shoulder, adjust my head, breath, and pull, and likely failing at all of those things at once. I've got a lot to learn, to practice, and to get comfortable with. I think a good shooter, like Aaron is going to be successful with any set-up, and I have a ways to go before I reach that level, but after today, it's definitely something I want to do.
On the other hand, Linda took a magazine of 55 grain Freedom Munitions, the hoser cheap, stuff that you don't use for longer range stuff, and she had no trouble going out to 400 yards. (At nearly $1 a round for the 77 grain, I told her to just have fun at that point, I did not expect her to go beyond 100 yards, but she sure did!) Aaron had to laugh, and said it was a miracle that she was getting hits at that distance. I don't doubt him at all, she had that, and some decent breezes out there, and she just got it. No it wasn't every shot, but at that distance, with that ammo she put 5 of 9 shots on steel, and that's a win. I'm thrilled that the rifle fits her, and that she shoots it so well, she's excited to get out to a local match and try it out. When we were headed out she asked about long range matches, and I get that allure. Knowing you can hit that far is pretty damn cool, it means you did a lot of things right all at once.
Tomorrow we're headed to a different range for work on steel, pistol, shotgun, and AR, I'm going to get back into my comfort zone, I'm going to shoot, have fun, and learn some more. I'm definitely a lot more confident with the pistol (I'll be running the CZ again!). I like the shotgun, and I believe that I can get hits, even if it'll take me some time to learn to reload faster. That'll be dry fire practice to get that skill down, and I'll be doing plenty of it Monday-Wednesday, I know it won't make me an ace, but I think with 3-4 hours of work, it'll make me good enough to not get totally killed on that part of the game. Okay, that's comparatively speaking, I know it'll hurt, but for my ability, it won't be a disaster.
It really felt good to get out and shoot, and not shoot pistol for a day. I needed the experience, and if I am a little burnt on pistol because I practiced poorly, then that's on me, I can live with that. This isn't just a break, but it's exactly what I needed, and each time I go, I'm a little more hooked. All we've done is a shoot some matches, this is where I'll actually get better. Damn...that's something I've missed, and yes, it feels good. I honestly can't thank Aaron, Steve, Garrison and Ben enough. Those guys have done nothing but help, and invest their time and effort to try to make Linda and I successful. I haven't enjoyed a practice range trip this much since I shot with Les and Kozy back at Alpha Range. It's been way too long.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Oilfield Classic Adnil827
Oilfield Classic Adnil827
Full Match Video:
Despite the date, this is getting posted in May 2016, and back dated to the time of the event. No real analysis is going to happen, but it's more up there so adnil27 can reference it, and help use it to chart her USPSA progress since this was her only major match in 2015.
Full Match Video:
Despite the date, this is getting posted in May 2016, and back dated to the time of the event. No real analysis is going to happen, but it's more up there so adnil27 can reference it, and help use it to chart her USPSA progress since this was her only major match in 2015.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Self Analysis Sucks
Self Analysis Sucks
It does suck, especially when you take a long hard look at yourself, and you find something that you really don't like. When I say that I left Oilfield ready to quit shooting, I don't mean that I was ready to quit, but I did walk away feeling that it was probably my most disappointing match ever. I had the highest expectations for myself, and I tied it to a performance that indicated it was a lack of effort on my part that prevented me from reaching my own goals. I had maddening glimpses that make me believe I can do it, but what's missing is the effort needed to build the skill and accomplish my goals. Yeah, I said it, effort and hard work are what I'm missing.
The grip issue I had at Oilfield in some ways highlights what I see my issue being. A month ago I wrote about my grip, how important it was, and how practicing it would really help me improve. Somehow though, I practiced it wrong, in my dry fire I'm sure that I never had my strong hand thumb on the safety, I spent a month practicing it the wrong way, and I never did the live fire I needed to spot the issue, and it manifested itself at the absolute worst possible time.
Before I moved, when I got out and practiced with Les and Kozy, I had a regular routine. I'd dry fire 4-5 days a week for 30 minutes a session, I'd shoot once with Dave, and once with Les and Kozy, and I'd go thru 400-500 rounds a week in practice. If I had the thumb issue there, I'll guarantee it would have been spotted quickly by Les or Kozy, first practice, maybe the second? I never would have continued to practice half-assed, and build a bad habit. Those guys made me hold myself accountable, and I worked a lot harder. My level of commitment was not as high as theirs, I don't think I stand a chance to earn a GM, and be worthy of it, but I wanted to improve, I know they dry fired for an hour or more, and they ran double the rounds in practice a week than I did, but I worked.
At the beginning of the year I knew I needed to find a practice partner, and I was unable to find anyone who was interested, so I agreed to shoot with Linda. She wants to get better, but her level of commitment is lower than mine, and her investment is sometimes less. It's not that she doesn't want to, but the new job has really taken away much of her free time, and she has had a hard time being able to commit. I know she wants to, I know she works at it when she can, and come next summer, when she has it off entirely, she'll really dive in, but that doesn't help my situation.
Illinois had a great shooting community, and I was lucky to have two of the best local shooters to work with, I learned a ton by watching them, and I know they did me a massive favor by spending time teaching me. Since I've come to Texas, I've asked multiple USPSA shooters to go out and practice, or suggested things like that, take a wild guess how many have ever taken me up? If your answer is zero, then you'd be right. (As a side note, the people who are have asked, or told me I should come with, are all the 3-Gun shooters, and I suppose that helps explain my interest. It's not just that it's fun, but it's made even more enjoyable by the awesome group of people....that same sort of thing I experienced in Illinois with Les, Kozy, and the rest of Wiilshoot.)
Yeah, I was lucky to have good shooters include a C/B level shooter and work and help me improve, at least in USPSA terms, I haven't found or met someone who's willing to work at all with me. I suppose it's a direct result of their impression that I would not push or bring something to the table, and I won't say that hurts, in fact it pisses me off and drives me to want to succeed.
In any case, I realize that I may say that I want to get better, but this year I've failed at doing what I needed to do to get better. My level of commitment and investment did not add up to what I was saying I wanted to do, and that bit of self-realization absolutely sucks. As we get closer to winter (and my work goals get completed) then I should have some more time to commit, and saying I don't have it now is an excuse. There is no reason I can't get 20 minutes of dry fire in each and every day. I need to work to get my live fire in, and I won't sugar coat it, that's the hardest thing for me. The range is further, I don't have the props to use, and it's a pain in the ass to set-up, and shoot, then tear down and go. In addition, I never would have caught the safety/grip issue myself unless someone else was there, and I don't have someone to practice with.
In 2016 and beyond I want to come out and smoke some of these people, I want to improve my game, kick some ass, and find out how good I can be. I realize the first step is on me, to get my dry fire done, but I'm not sure right now how to even get started with the live fire portion. I know that just going, even by myself is far better than not going. Maybe I had it easy before, having experienced shooters to guide me, and allow me to progress faster, but it's disheartening to fail on my own.
I'm going to shoot some 3-Gun and just relax, think about things. I've got to decide if my level of commitment can match what I want to accomplish, and then where exactly I need to start. I need to set goals that are achievable, and if I'm not going to work, or earn them, then I can't expect to reach them, I need to adapt, set lower expectations, and enjoy what I'm doing. I never want to feel again the way I did last night walking away from Oilfield.
I don't know that I've ever lowered my goals, or stepped away from a challenge ever, I've always invested more time, more effort, worked harder, and did absolutely anything I needed to do, in order to succeed. This is probably the first time in my life I've ever questioned my own desire and work ethic, and I don't like the way it feels.
I know it's time to HTFU and get going, and I'm not going to wallow in this, but I do need to get an achievable plan in place, with goals I can measure, and then I need to live up to my own commitment to get it done. Honestly? I started to shoot because I wanted to compete, I love that feeling, deep down, I need to win, it's not just that I want to win, I need it. I can't just be a guy who shows up to have fun, that's not me.
It does suck, especially when you take a long hard look at yourself, and you find something that you really don't like. When I say that I left Oilfield ready to quit shooting, I don't mean that I was ready to quit, but I did walk away feeling that it was probably my most disappointing match ever. I had the highest expectations for myself, and I tied it to a performance that indicated it was a lack of effort on my part that prevented me from reaching my own goals. I had maddening glimpses that make me believe I can do it, but what's missing is the effort needed to build the skill and accomplish my goals. Yeah, I said it, effort and hard work are what I'm missing.
The grip issue I had at Oilfield in some ways highlights what I see my issue being. A month ago I wrote about my grip, how important it was, and how practicing it would really help me improve. Somehow though, I practiced it wrong, in my dry fire I'm sure that I never had my strong hand thumb on the safety, I spent a month practicing it the wrong way, and I never did the live fire I needed to spot the issue, and it manifested itself at the absolute worst possible time.
Before I moved, when I got out and practiced with Les and Kozy, I had a regular routine. I'd dry fire 4-5 days a week for 30 minutes a session, I'd shoot once with Dave, and once with Les and Kozy, and I'd go thru 400-500 rounds a week in practice. If I had the thumb issue there, I'll guarantee it would have been spotted quickly by Les or Kozy, first practice, maybe the second? I never would have continued to practice half-assed, and build a bad habit. Those guys made me hold myself accountable, and I worked a lot harder. My level of commitment was not as high as theirs, I don't think I stand a chance to earn a GM, and be worthy of it, but I wanted to improve, I know they dry fired for an hour or more, and they ran double the rounds in practice a week than I did, but I worked.
At the beginning of the year I knew I needed to find a practice partner, and I was unable to find anyone who was interested, so I agreed to shoot with Linda. She wants to get better, but her level of commitment is lower than mine, and her investment is sometimes less. It's not that she doesn't want to, but the new job has really taken away much of her free time, and she has had a hard time being able to commit. I know she wants to, I know she works at it when she can, and come next summer, when she has it off entirely, she'll really dive in, but that doesn't help my situation.
Illinois had a great shooting community, and I was lucky to have two of the best local shooters to work with, I learned a ton by watching them, and I know they did me a massive favor by spending time teaching me. Since I've come to Texas, I've asked multiple USPSA shooters to go out and practice, or suggested things like that, take a wild guess how many have ever taken me up? If your answer is zero, then you'd be right. (As a side note, the people who are have asked, or told me I should come with, are all the 3-Gun shooters, and I suppose that helps explain my interest. It's not just that it's fun, but it's made even more enjoyable by the awesome group of people....that same sort of thing I experienced in Illinois with Les, Kozy, and the rest of Wiilshoot.)
Yeah, I was lucky to have good shooters include a C/B level shooter and work and help me improve, at least in USPSA terms, I haven't found or met someone who's willing to work at all with me. I suppose it's a direct result of their impression that I would not push or bring something to the table, and I won't say that hurts, in fact it pisses me off and drives me to want to succeed.
In any case, I realize that I may say that I want to get better, but this year I've failed at doing what I needed to do to get better. My level of commitment and investment did not add up to what I was saying I wanted to do, and that bit of self-realization absolutely sucks. As we get closer to winter (and my work goals get completed) then I should have some more time to commit, and saying I don't have it now is an excuse. There is no reason I can't get 20 minutes of dry fire in each and every day. I need to work to get my live fire in, and I won't sugar coat it, that's the hardest thing for me. The range is further, I don't have the props to use, and it's a pain in the ass to set-up, and shoot, then tear down and go. In addition, I never would have caught the safety/grip issue myself unless someone else was there, and I don't have someone to practice with.
In 2016 and beyond I want to come out and smoke some of these people, I want to improve my game, kick some ass, and find out how good I can be. I realize the first step is on me, to get my dry fire done, but I'm not sure right now how to even get started with the live fire portion. I know that just going, even by myself is far better than not going. Maybe I had it easy before, having experienced shooters to guide me, and allow me to progress faster, but it's disheartening to fail on my own.
I'm going to shoot some 3-Gun and just relax, think about things. I've got to decide if my level of commitment can match what I want to accomplish, and then where exactly I need to start. I need to set goals that are achievable, and if I'm not going to work, or earn them, then I can't expect to reach them, I need to adapt, set lower expectations, and enjoy what I'm doing. I never want to feel again the way I did last night walking away from Oilfield.
I don't know that I've ever lowered my goals, or stepped away from a challenge ever, I've always invested more time, more effort, worked harder, and did absolutely anything I needed to do, in order to succeed. This is probably the first time in my life I've ever questioned my own desire and work ethic, and I don't like the way it feels.
I know it's time to HTFU and get going, and I'm not going to wallow in this, but I do need to get an achievable plan in place, with goals I can measure, and then I need to live up to my own commitment to get it done. Honestly? I started to shoot because I wanted to compete, I love that feeling, deep down, I need to win, it's not just that I want to win, I need it. I can't just be a guy who shows up to have fun, that's not me.
2015 Oilfield Classic Part 2 (Sundevil827)
2015 Oilfield Classic Part 2
Because we ran chrono on Day 1, instead of Day 2, and Stage 4 was thrown out, we had a short day ahead of us, and I'd taken the time to insure my magazines were clean, my gear was ready, and I had about ten hours of sleep, I was ready to go to work, and finish my 2015 major season the right way.
Stage 3:
20 Alpha
6 Charlie
1 Delta
1 Mike
I don't know what the stats say, but this was my best stage of the match, and best stage of the past couple of months. I crushed the steel in short order, I broke my grip like a champ and got to my positions, and I got some pretty damn solid hits. I took the mike on the next to last target transitioning off. Yep, same old problem, not finishing my shot, but I could not be too pissed, because this is how I envisioned shooting this match. I know you can't take a "mike" away, but this is how I should be shooting, all the time, every match, every stage, this is the best of me. It's a shame I'm just not consistent.
Stage 5:
22 Alpha
1 Bravo
3 Charlie
1 Delta
1 Mike
Holy heck, another Mike, really? Yep. This could have been a stage I crushed, (when I say crushed, assume I mean "B" class crushing) but I threw a mike on another transition. I won't ask how it's possible, but it happened. Lack of focus, crappy or not enough practice....This was either then 2nd or 3rd best stage of my match, and again, it's how I should be shooting all the time.
Stage 6:
10 Alpha
2 Bravo
10 Charlie
4 Delta
4 Mike
1 No Shoot
So, when the wheels on my bus fall off, and I crash and burn, I go out in a flaming wreck you can see about 300 miles away. First shooter on this stage, and I just train wrecked. Key note, even on a low hit factor stage the close targets hold the same value as the long targets. I should have insured I got all Alpha's on the 3 close targets. So...mikes happened....the tap rack cost me on the right hand side because I could not engage the target behind the barrier, on the right I was slow and put a round thru the edge of the no shoot on the barrier.
I felt pretty low here, every other stage had some redeeming feature, but this was pure train wreck from the start.
Stage 7:
15 Alpha
3 Bravo
5 Charlie
2 Delta
3 Mike
As long as we're adding insult to injury, hey, let's close out with a full on disaster. When I was leaving position one, for some reason, I acted like I was shooting Production, so because I was moving, I started reloading. I knew I did it, and I added the extra reload after the 2nd position, because that's where I was supposed to reload, and I wanted to make sure I had the rounds to finish. It totally threw me though, and as I got over to the last position, look at my hand on the gun, support hand was damn near up in the air, preventing the gun from going into battery, and I did it twice. I took all 3 mikes from that position, I'd lost my focus, I'd beaten myself.
Summary:
This was a bad way to end the USPSA major season. I've got a couple of 3-Gun Major's to shoot, but I can't help feeling that I've got some very serious unfinished business with USPSA. I beat myself, I've got nobody to blame but myself, and it raises some pretty serious questions I have for myself, and about my level of commitment. I don't like it when I take that kind of look at myself and find something that I did not realize, and don't like to admit.
Glimpses were there though, I saw a shooter who has the ability to win a sectional in "B" class, and or to move up and be competitive in "A" class. For either of those things to happen, I've gotta finish stages, and be able to string them together. I see massive improvement in some areas, and major regression in others.
Because we ran chrono on Day 1, instead of Day 2, and Stage 4 was thrown out, we had a short day ahead of us, and I'd taken the time to insure my magazines were clean, my gear was ready, and I had about ten hours of sleep, I was ready to go to work, and finish my 2015 major season the right way.
Stage 3:
20 Alpha
6 Charlie
1 Delta
1 Mike
I don't know what the stats say, but this was my best stage of the match, and best stage of the past couple of months. I crushed the steel in short order, I broke my grip like a champ and got to my positions, and I got some pretty damn solid hits. I took the mike on the next to last target transitioning off. Yep, same old problem, not finishing my shot, but I could not be too pissed, because this is how I envisioned shooting this match. I know you can't take a "mike" away, but this is how I should be shooting, all the time, every match, every stage, this is the best of me. It's a shame I'm just not consistent.
Stage 5:
22 Alpha
1 Bravo
3 Charlie
1 Delta
1 Mike
Holy heck, another Mike, really? Yep. This could have been a stage I crushed, (when I say crushed, assume I mean "B" class crushing) but I threw a mike on another transition. I won't ask how it's possible, but it happened. Lack of focus, crappy or not enough practice....This was either then 2nd or 3rd best stage of my match, and again, it's how I should be shooting all the time.
Stage 6:
10 Alpha
2 Bravo
10 Charlie
4 Delta
4 Mike
1 No Shoot
So, when the wheels on my bus fall off, and I crash and burn, I go out in a flaming wreck you can see about 300 miles away. First shooter on this stage, and I just train wrecked. Key note, even on a low hit factor stage the close targets hold the same value as the long targets. I should have insured I got all Alpha's on the 3 close targets. So...mikes happened....the tap rack cost me on the right hand side because I could not engage the target behind the barrier, on the right I was slow and put a round thru the edge of the no shoot on the barrier.
I felt pretty low here, every other stage had some redeeming feature, but this was pure train wreck from the start.
Stage 7:
15 Alpha
3 Bravo
5 Charlie
2 Delta
3 Mike
As long as we're adding insult to injury, hey, let's close out with a full on disaster. When I was leaving position one, for some reason, I acted like I was shooting Production, so because I was moving, I started reloading. I knew I did it, and I added the extra reload after the 2nd position, because that's where I was supposed to reload, and I wanted to make sure I had the rounds to finish. It totally threw me though, and as I got over to the last position, look at my hand on the gun, support hand was damn near up in the air, preventing the gun from going into battery, and I did it twice. I took all 3 mikes from that position, I'd lost my focus, I'd beaten myself.
Summary:
This was a bad way to end the USPSA major season. I've got a couple of 3-Gun Major's to shoot, but I can't help feeling that I've got some very serious unfinished business with USPSA. I beat myself, I've got nobody to blame but myself, and it raises some pretty serious questions I have for myself, and about my level of commitment. I don't like it when I take that kind of look at myself and find something that I did not realize, and don't like to admit.
Glimpses were there though, I saw a shooter who has the ability to win a sectional in "B" class, and or to move up and be competitive in "A" class. For either of those things to happen, I've gotta finish stages, and be able to string them together. I see massive improvement in some areas, and major regression in others.
2015 Oilfield Classic (Sundevil827)
2015 Oilfield Classic
If there was ever a match that kicked my ass, and had me leaving the range nearly despondent wanting to quit shooting, this was it. After Area 4, I wanted to come out aggressive, I wanted to attack the stages, and I wanted to run the gun a hell of a lot better than I did at Area 4. I wanted to reduce the time I gave up there, and I thought sure that I could do it.
Then I ran into "Mike"
I had an ongoing issue thru the match, which evidently was attributed to my grip. Manny Bragg and Roy Steadman noticed on Stage 12 that my strong hand thumb was not on the safety, and as a result my support hand was too low, and my hand was almost going up. I was riding the slide, stopping the gun from going into battery, so all the tap/rack? Those were all my fault, every single one of them. It wasn't the ammo, it sure as hell was not the gun, it was all operator error.
I've never had that issue, ever before, and the reason I had it today was practice, I practiced a bad habit, and I did not catch it. Even after I knew what was up it still happened later on. This was the start of my disgust.
Side note? Day 1 I arrived to the match with less than 1 hour of sleep. I'd gotten home much later than anticipated from a customer event, I had to get my gear ready, and Linda woke me up asking me if I had my second iPad plugged in. I don't even have a first iPad.....thanks! Then I had to drive the 2 hours to the match while she and Lauren got to nap. I'm actually impressed I kept my focus, but it was a greater struggle than it should have been.
Full Match:
I can't attribute all my "mikes" to the tap/rack, but significantly the tap rack routine ended most often with a mike on that target, and on a couple of stages it happened and I lost my composure, and blew follow ups. When it happened at first, I kept my cool, and stayed in the game, but when it kept happening, I lost my composure, and I tried to make up time by going faster, and we all know what happens then.
The best part was that I did run the gun harder, I felt better about it, and I know I can do it. There are so many glimpses of the fact I can perform better than I am, it's just a matter of work, but that's the subject of the next blog...
Stage 8:
27 Alpha
1 Bravo
3 Charlie
1 Delta
1 Mike
1 No-Shoot
The Mike/No-Shoot were on the ramp, I transitioned to the no-shoot and hit it, and I'd run the gun dry on the last shot, so I was not going to reload to just clean up the "Mike". The failure to let the gun get into battery issue started here, and I lost significant time with it. I did run the gun far better than at Area 4, and other than my second to last shot, thought I ran the stage solidly, getting good hits at speed. Could I have been faster in a few parts? Sure, but on the whole, I did not have complaints, and thought that I'd get going the right way from here.
Stage 9:
20 Alpha
9 Charlie
2 Delta
3 Mike
1 FTE
I had a squib, I heard it, did not see the hole, and I stopped myself because the RO was not inclined to do so. That meant I had to take a mike for the squib, 2 mikes and the FTE for the last target I could not engage. I walked away pretty unhappy about that, and I was starting to feel that the match was not going my way.
Let's face it though, I got confused on the left side on which target I wanted to engage from where and I cost myself some time. I knew my plan on the other side, and I wish I had run it the same way from the other side.
Stage 10:
22 Alpha
4 Bravo
5 Charlie
1 Mike
I so wanted to get my shit back together on this stage, and I watched shooter after shooter get FTE trying to go past targets and forgetting one, or trying to shoot on the move, hunting and pecking, and ultimately going slow that I just decided to shot it from 2 positions, one on each side of the benches. A bobble on the start cost me, I'm impressed I caught the mag and got it in, but on the first tap/rack, I threw a mike. Center of the target was all torn up, and Roy thought it was 2 Alpha, the RO pulled out the overlay, and said he thought it was an Alpha/Mike and called it. I asked to have it pulled when it got pasted, and I gave up at that point and ate it. I honestly thought it was 2 Alpha, but again did not want to slow things down. After Area 4, and this match, the next time this comes up, I'm going to be that guy and get the RM to rule.
Look, I don't want to be a pain in the ass, and I'm not about to win a match, so I hate to slow people down, but at A4, I knew the rule, and I knew they got it wrong, I should have done it, this one, it was debatable, it could have gone either way, and since I was not 100% sure, then I felt better letting it go.
I did feel like this stage could be a catalyst for getting going and turning my day around.
Stage 11:
24 Alpha
2 Bravo
2 Charlie
Normally I'm only putting my head into the toilet when I'm drinking, I wasn't drinking here at all, but after the match I sure as hell needed to be. I was worried about strong hand shooting, but the targets were close enough, and I could hold my seat up with my head and use two hands when there were no shoots and I wanted to run faster, and be accurate. I shot slowly, my accuracy on the stage indicates that, I'm not unhappy with that, but I know I can go faster thru here, this was just index to the target and you've got it.
Stage 12:
14 Alpha
1 Bravo
10 Charlie
1 Delta
2 Mike
1 No-Shoot
First stage back from an hour long break, and this is where Manny and Roy caught my thumb coming off the safety. I'm not blaming the mikes on that, although having to tap rack, I forgot my plan, shot poorly, tried to run faster, then went slower, and never had my head in this stage. If you can lose a match in single stage, this is the one that killed my first day, at least mentally.
Stage 1:
7 Alpha
1 Bravo
3 Charlie
1 Mike (3rd target, the transition off when I'm about to run.....)
Yep, Mike came back. It was a slow draw to first shot, remember I did this classifier a few months ago in practice at Kozy's urging, he wanted me to work on breaking my grip, running to the next position, and getting ready quickly. I just did not finish my last shot in the first area. How many times is this going to come back and bite me?
Stage 2:
6 Alpha
6 Charlie
1 Delta
1 Mike (mid range on the right, into the hard cover)
I hate ropes, okay? I hate them. I was seriously intimidated, thinking I'd lean too far and fall on my face, and like I said a few weeks ago, I suck strong hand. I'm worse weak hand, so I shot both sides strong hand. I took way too many shots at the steel on the left side. I know it was slow, I'm actually surprised I got hits, this is obviously a skill I need to work on. I don't see it much in club matches, but it's a favorite of major's, so it's time I work on it.
With this stage, we were done for the day.
If there was ever a match that kicked my ass, and had me leaving the range nearly despondent wanting to quit shooting, this was it. After Area 4, I wanted to come out aggressive, I wanted to attack the stages, and I wanted to run the gun a hell of a lot better than I did at Area 4. I wanted to reduce the time I gave up there, and I thought sure that I could do it.
Then I ran into "Mike"
I had an ongoing issue thru the match, which evidently was attributed to my grip. Manny Bragg and Roy Steadman noticed on Stage 12 that my strong hand thumb was not on the safety, and as a result my support hand was too low, and my hand was almost going up. I was riding the slide, stopping the gun from going into battery, so all the tap/rack? Those were all my fault, every single one of them. It wasn't the ammo, it sure as hell was not the gun, it was all operator error.
I've never had that issue, ever before, and the reason I had it today was practice, I practiced a bad habit, and I did not catch it. Even after I knew what was up it still happened later on. This was the start of my disgust.
Side note? Day 1 I arrived to the match with less than 1 hour of sleep. I'd gotten home much later than anticipated from a customer event, I had to get my gear ready, and Linda woke me up asking me if I had my second iPad plugged in. I don't even have a first iPad.....thanks! Then I had to drive the 2 hours to the match while she and Lauren got to nap. I'm actually impressed I kept my focus, but it was a greater struggle than it should have been.
Full Match:
I can't attribute all my "mikes" to the tap/rack, but significantly the tap rack routine ended most often with a mike on that target, and on a couple of stages it happened and I lost my composure, and blew follow ups. When it happened at first, I kept my cool, and stayed in the game, but when it kept happening, I lost my composure, and I tried to make up time by going faster, and we all know what happens then.
The best part was that I did run the gun harder, I felt better about it, and I know I can do it. There are so many glimpses of the fact I can perform better than I am, it's just a matter of work, but that's the subject of the next blog...
Stage 8:
27 Alpha
1 Bravo
3 Charlie
1 Delta
1 Mike
1 No-Shoot
The Mike/No-Shoot were on the ramp, I transitioned to the no-shoot and hit it, and I'd run the gun dry on the last shot, so I was not going to reload to just clean up the "Mike". The failure to let the gun get into battery issue started here, and I lost significant time with it. I did run the gun far better than at Area 4, and other than my second to last shot, thought I ran the stage solidly, getting good hits at speed. Could I have been faster in a few parts? Sure, but on the whole, I did not have complaints, and thought that I'd get going the right way from here.
Stage 9:
20 Alpha
9 Charlie
2 Delta
3 Mike
1 FTE
I had a squib, I heard it, did not see the hole, and I stopped myself because the RO was not inclined to do so. That meant I had to take a mike for the squib, 2 mikes and the FTE for the last target I could not engage. I walked away pretty unhappy about that, and I was starting to feel that the match was not going my way.
Let's face it though, I got confused on the left side on which target I wanted to engage from where and I cost myself some time. I knew my plan on the other side, and I wish I had run it the same way from the other side.
Stage 10:
22 Alpha
4 Bravo
5 Charlie
1 Mike
I so wanted to get my shit back together on this stage, and I watched shooter after shooter get FTE trying to go past targets and forgetting one, or trying to shoot on the move, hunting and pecking, and ultimately going slow that I just decided to shot it from 2 positions, one on each side of the benches. A bobble on the start cost me, I'm impressed I caught the mag and got it in, but on the first tap/rack, I threw a mike. Center of the target was all torn up, and Roy thought it was 2 Alpha, the RO pulled out the overlay, and said he thought it was an Alpha/Mike and called it. I asked to have it pulled when it got pasted, and I gave up at that point and ate it. I honestly thought it was 2 Alpha, but again did not want to slow things down. After Area 4, and this match, the next time this comes up, I'm going to be that guy and get the RM to rule.
Look, I don't want to be a pain in the ass, and I'm not about to win a match, so I hate to slow people down, but at A4, I knew the rule, and I knew they got it wrong, I should have done it, this one, it was debatable, it could have gone either way, and since I was not 100% sure, then I felt better letting it go.
I did feel like this stage could be a catalyst for getting going and turning my day around.
Stage 11:
24 Alpha
2 Bravo
2 Charlie
Normally I'm only putting my head into the toilet when I'm drinking, I wasn't drinking here at all, but after the match I sure as hell needed to be. I was worried about strong hand shooting, but the targets were close enough, and I could hold my seat up with my head and use two hands when there were no shoots and I wanted to run faster, and be accurate. I shot slowly, my accuracy on the stage indicates that, I'm not unhappy with that, but I know I can go faster thru here, this was just index to the target and you've got it.
Stage 12:
14 Alpha
1 Bravo
10 Charlie
1 Delta
2 Mike
1 No-Shoot
First stage back from an hour long break, and this is where Manny and Roy caught my thumb coming off the safety. I'm not blaming the mikes on that, although having to tap rack, I forgot my plan, shot poorly, tried to run faster, then went slower, and never had my head in this stage. If you can lose a match in single stage, this is the one that killed my first day, at least mentally.
Stage 1:
7 Alpha
1 Bravo
3 Charlie
1 Mike (3rd target, the transition off when I'm about to run.....)
Yep, Mike came back. It was a slow draw to first shot, remember I did this classifier a few months ago in practice at Kozy's urging, he wanted me to work on breaking my grip, running to the next position, and getting ready quickly. I just did not finish my last shot in the first area. How many times is this going to come back and bite me?
Stage 2:
6 Alpha
6 Charlie
1 Delta
1 Mike (mid range on the right, into the hard cover)
I hate ropes, okay? I hate them. I was seriously intimidated, thinking I'd lean too far and fall on my face, and like I said a few weeks ago, I suck strong hand. I'm worse weak hand, so I shot both sides strong hand. I took way too many shots at the steel on the left side. I know it was slow, I'm actually surprised I got hits, this is obviously a skill I need to work on. I don't see it much in club matches, but it's a favorite of major's, so it's time I work on it.
With this stage, we were done for the day.
Area 4 Match (Part 2)
Area 4 Match (Part 2)
Continuing the video review with stages I shot in the afternoon after the break.
Stage 13:
First stage after lunch, I wanted to come out well. There was an argument with the RO's about 2 shots, I was given a "Mike" when there was a hole at the top of the C zone shoulder, and they felt it did not break the perf, and there was another I got scored Alpha/Charlie instead of 2 Alpha. Their reasoning was that I shot from an angle, so the center of the whole was not the diameter of the bullet, it was from an angle. My argument that if the perf is broken, it doesn't matter fell on deaf ears. Next time this happens, damn it all, I'm going to cause the delay and have the RM called. I was right and got hosed twice on the scoring of this stage.
Other rule of thumb? If you are going to RO a major match, you should know the scoring rules, don't make 'em up on the spot.
Stage 14:
Three shots per target, I'm really not taking extras. Yes, I was slow as hell, anything else? The long distance target to the right was about 25 yards, and my 3 shots could have been covered with a quarter. I can be accurate, I just have to do it faster.
Stage 15:
Yeah....I started off so god awful slow, and I'm not sure my plan was the best in the 2nd section, but I got hits, and was starting to feel pretty solid about how things were going, as if maybe I could finish strong, and start to turn things around.
Stage 1:
Yeah.....I actually swallowed a bug or a fly or something when running across the bay from the 3rd spot to the 4th position, and damn near gagged, it was actually pretty funny. I took a dumb mike thru the slot on the target about 2 feet from me because I was moving the gun away from the slot and trying to get to the next position. This was a pretty clear case of me being tired, and not finishing the job. Yes, my plan could have been better, I essentially ate a standing reload.
Stage 2/3:
No Video
Stage 4:
Hey, I got my hits, I was slow, it did not feel quite right, and being honest, I was starting to feel like the end of the day was near. I really wanted this stage to go well, and even having to tap/rack I came out saying "this is just getting it done."
Stage 5:
And here was the stage that caused it all, last stage of the day. The clear INTENT of the stage designer was that if you shot from the podium, you would have to do it from the small shooting area at the very top, which would prevent you from seeing the targets on the other side. By this point, I was tired, I was beat up, and I was not going to dive and go prone on either side. I know that strong hand, and especially weak hand are not my strong suits, so I wanted to not take a mike, and decided to add time, and insure I got points.
The RM should have added a forward fault line, between the two sideways paths. Without one, he essentially had a box inside a larger box. He tried to say that the stairs were not part of the shooting area, as denoted by the fault lines on the top of the platform. I understand he wants to believe that, but the stairs were absolutely part of the REST of the shooting area....oops, shitty stage design! Squad 33 shot it like I did, but on Friday the RO's assessed procedural penalties to anyone who shot from the stairs. After my argument, the written stage brief was changed (3.2.something) for clarity of the shooters on Saturday and Sunday, telling them that specifically the stairs were not part of the shooting area. The fact that they changed it means that they absolutely knew they fucked up, the bad part is they knew it, and they tried to sweep it under the rug. Problem is now an awful lot of people know exactly what they did.
Match Summary:
I won't try to do 15 stages in a day again, but my lack of preparation for the match really showed up. Physically I was able to do it and stay sharp, but the way I shot was for crap. Stupid penalties....bottom line, I was 80 seconds over 15 stages slower than the first place Limited B shooter, that sounds like a lot, but with 15 stages, it means I needed to shave 5 seconds per stage. On stage 5, because of my "safe" plan, I actually gave up 17 seconds, so 63 seconds over 14 other stages is not really a whole lot. My points before penalty were actually better than his, so it's not that I was awful, I needed to make small, consistent, and repeatable changes.
Look at my draw to first shot, I'll bet on just about every stage I could have saved at least a second, slow splits and transitions cost me too, again, I'll bet I could have saved 4-5 seconds at least with faster transitions. While I was disappointed as a whole, I do see small fixes on fundamental items that applied across a match go a long way.
The biggest disappointment though is that I've run the gun way harder, and way faster in the past. When I earned my "B" in Production I was running the CZ far harder and faster, and I should not be seeing regression, but I am. That's on me.
Continuing the video review with stages I shot in the afternoon after the break.
Stage 13:
First stage after lunch, I wanted to come out well. There was an argument with the RO's about 2 shots, I was given a "Mike" when there was a hole at the top of the C zone shoulder, and they felt it did not break the perf, and there was another I got scored Alpha/Charlie instead of 2 Alpha. Their reasoning was that I shot from an angle, so the center of the whole was not the diameter of the bullet, it was from an angle. My argument that if the perf is broken, it doesn't matter fell on deaf ears. Next time this happens, damn it all, I'm going to cause the delay and have the RM called. I was right and got hosed twice on the scoring of this stage.
Other rule of thumb? If you are going to RO a major match, you should know the scoring rules, don't make 'em up on the spot.
Stage 14:
Three shots per target, I'm really not taking extras. Yes, I was slow as hell, anything else? The long distance target to the right was about 25 yards, and my 3 shots could have been covered with a quarter. I can be accurate, I just have to do it faster.
Stage 15:
Yeah....I started off so god awful slow, and I'm not sure my plan was the best in the 2nd section, but I got hits, and was starting to feel pretty solid about how things were going, as if maybe I could finish strong, and start to turn things around.
Stage 1:
Yeah.....I actually swallowed a bug or a fly or something when running across the bay from the 3rd spot to the 4th position, and damn near gagged, it was actually pretty funny. I took a dumb mike thru the slot on the target about 2 feet from me because I was moving the gun away from the slot and trying to get to the next position. This was a pretty clear case of me being tired, and not finishing the job. Yes, my plan could have been better, I essentially ate a standing reload.
Stage 2/3:
No Video
Stage 4:
Hey, I got my hits, I was slow, it did not feel quite right, and being honest, I was starting to feel like the end of the day was near. I really wanted this stage to go well, and even having to tap/rack I came out saying "this is just getting it done."
Stage 5:
And here was the stage that caused it all, last stage of the day. The clear INTENT of the stage designer was that if you shot from the podium, you would have to do it from the small shooting area at the very top, which would prevent you from seeing the targets on the other side. By this point, I was tired, I was beat up, and I was not going to dive and go prone on either side. I know that strong hand, and especially weak hand are not my strong suits, so I wanted to not take a mike, and decided to add time, and insure I got points.
The RM should have added a forward fault line, between the two sideways paths. Without one, he essentially had a box inside a larger box. He tried to say that the stairs were not part of the shooting area, as denoted by the fault lines on the top of the platform. I understand he wants to believe that, but the stairs were absolutely part of the REST of the shooting area....oops, shitty stage design! Squad 33 shot it like I did, but on Friday the RO's assessed procedural penalties to anyone who shot from the stairs. After my argument, the written stage brief was changed (3.2.something) for clarity of the shooters on Saturday and Sunday, telling them that specifically the stairs were not part of the shooting area. The fact that they changed it means that they absolutely knew they fucked up, the bad part is they knew it, and they tried to sweep it under the rug. Problem is now an awful lot of people know exactly what they did.
Match Summary:
I won't try to do 15 stages in a day again, but my lack of preparation for the match really showed up. Physically I was able to do it and stay sharp, but the way I shot was for crap. Stupid penalties....bottom line, I was 80 seconds over 15 stages slower than the first place Limited B shooter, that sounds like a lot, but with 15 stages, it means I needed to shave 5 seconds per stage. On stage 5, because of my "safe" plan, I actually gave up 17 seconds, so 63 seconds over 14 other stages is not really a whole lot. My points before penalty were actually better than his, so it's not that I was awful, I needed to make small, consistent, and repeatable changes.
Look at my draw to first shot, I'll bet on just about every stage I could have saved at least a second, slow splits and transitions cost me too, again, I'll bet I could have saved 4-5 seconds at least with faster transitions. While I was disappointed as a whole, I do see small fixes on fundamental items that applied across a match go a long way.
The biggest disappointment though is that I've run the gun way harder, and way faster in the past. When I earned my "B" in Production I was running the CZ far harder and faster, and I should not be seeing regression, but I am. That's on me.
Area 4 Match
2015 Area 4 Match
It sure was not pretty, for so many different reasons. I'm not going to go in depth, or post a long review, I'll cheat and show the full match video first, and then break up the remaining match into stages with a very brief note about the stage. As a whole, I shot incredibly slow, I had a major issue with the MD and RM, I filed an incident report, because I shot Stage 4 the way Squad 33 did on Thursday, and I was given procedurals. Members from Squad 33, including the person who acted as squad Range Officer told the MD and RM, and we were told his testimony would not count. By Monday, I was the bad guy, the MD posted on his Facebook page that there were people who were out trying to ruin his match and his staff, and making him look like the victim. Guess what Mr. MD, had you acted ethically, you would have tossed stage 4, instead of changing the written stage brief (for clarity USPSA rule 3.2.something) like I suggested for the Saturday and Sunday shooters. You fucked up MD and RM, you had easy fixes, and you wanted to sweep it under the rug. Ultimately it may get swept under the rug, and eventually it will probably be forgotten, but there are an awful lot of people who will remember.
Big shout out of thanks for my friends who stood up for, and with me, both when it happened, and in the days that followed. That was support was noticed, appreciated, and you folks will have my loyalty. For the folks who helped that I had not met before that, my thanks for your honesty and courage in telling the truth even if it was a hard thing to do. I'm sorry the MD crapped on you, and essentially called you a liar, you deserve far better than that.
Full Match:
Video starts where I started on Stage 6.
As a whole, I was slow. I had some early mikes, and I battled all day on feet that were covered in blisters by noon. I did not complain, I did not give up, and I fought thru it all, and did my best to stay focused on the match. I could list a hundred things I want to fix, but my attitude and focus were right where they needed to be, and where I finished, I'm proud of being on the range for 12 hours, shooting 15 stages, and keeping on.
Stage 6:
This should have been a great stage to start, but I threw a mike/no-shoot in the last array. I was keyed up, nervous, excited, and as usual, made a mistake.
Stage 7:
I got good hits, but struggled on the obstructed steel, why I kept after it, I'm not quite sure, more than a few people took the mikes and saved time if they did not get the hits.
Stage 8:
This was one of my better stages for the day. Good plan, but I almost blew it by leaving Position 1 without taking the long steel. Quick recovery, and again, I'm moving a lot better between positions.
Stage 9:
Just slow shooting. I took the extra shots at the end back at the swingers to get my hits, and I did get my hits, but would have been better off taking them, and ambushing them from closer.
Stage 10:
This actually was my best stage on the day, no mikes. Sure, I was slow shooting, but I had excellent hits, and I know I can execute this better and faster,
Stage 11:
No Video
Stage 12:
This was the last stage before break, and I was already starting to hurt. My plan could have been better, I could have reloaded out of the 2nd position, and I could have taken the 3rd paper there, but it required moving my center of balance when squatting down, and I thought it would be easy enough to take it from the last position, and I'd lose less time. No mikes, and I thought I was starting to roll.
Part 2 Incoming
It sure was not pretty, for so many different reasons. I'm not going to go in depth, or post a long review, I'll cheat and show the full match video first, and then break up the remaining match into stages with a very brief note about the stage. As a whole, I shot incredibly slow, I had a major issue with the MD and RM, I filed an incident report, because I shot Stage 4 the way Squad 33 did on Thursday, and I was given procedurals. Members from Squad 33, including the person who acted as squad Range Officer told the MD and RM, and we were told his testimony would not count. By Monday, I was the bad guy, the MD posted on his Facebook page that there were people who were out trying to ruin his match and his staff, and making him look like the victim. Guess what Mr. MD, had you acted ethically, you would have tossed stage 4, instead of changing the written stage brief (for clarity USPSA rule 3.2.something) like I suggested for the Saturday and Sunday shooters. You fucked up MD and RM, you had easy fixes, and you wanted to sweep it under the rug. Ultimately it may get swept under the rug, and eventually it will probably be forgotten, but there are an awful lot of people who will remember.
Big shout out of thanks for my friends who stood up for, and with me, both when it happened, and in the days that followed. That was support was noticed, appreciated, and you folks will have my loyalty. For the folks who helped that I had not met before that, my thanks for your honesty and courage in telling the truth even if it was a hard thing to do. I'm sorry the MD crapped on you, and essentially called you a liar, you deserve far better than that.
Full Match:
Video starts where I started on Stage 6.
As a whole, I was slow. I had some early mikes, and I battled all day on feet that were covered in blisters by noon. I did not complain, I did not give up, and I fought thru it all, and did my best to stay focused on the match. I could list a hundred things I want to fix, but my attitude and focus were right where they needed to be, and where I finished, I'm proud of being on the range for 12 hours, shooting 15 stages, and keeping on.
Stage 6:
This should have been a great stage to start, but I threw a mike/no-shoot in the last array. I was keyed up, nervous, excited, and as usual, made a mistake.
Stage 7:
I got good hits, but struggled on the obstructed steel, why I kept after it, I'm not quite sure, more than a few people took the mikes and saved time if they did not get the hits.
Stage 8:
This was one of my better stages for the day. Good plan, but I almost blew it by leaving Position 1 without taking the long steel. Quick recovery, and again, I'm moving a lot better between positions.
Stage 9:
Just slow shooting. I took the extra shots at the end back at the swingers to get my hits, and I did get my hits, but would have been better off taking them, and ambushing them from closer.
Stage 10:
This actually was my best stage on the day, no mikes. Sure, I was slow shooting, but I had excellent hits, and I know I can execute this better and faster,
Stage 11:
No Video
Stage 12:
This was the last stage before break, and I was already starting to hurt. My plan could have been better, I could have reloaded out of the 2nd position, and I could have taken the 3rd paper there, but it required moving my center of balance when squatting down, and I thought it would be easy enough to take it from the last position, and I'd lose less time. No mikes, and I thought I was starting to roll.
Part 2 Incoming
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