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.