Dry Fire, Live Fire, and Small Steps Forward

After last week’s long-awaited visit to the range, I was eager for a return trip. With intermittent rain predicted throughout this week, I resolved to head out at the first clear opportunity. The skies were gray after lunch on Monday, but both of the weather apps on my phone promised no rain until evening — good enough for me.

This time I decided to shoot from 10 yards only. I’m still working on re-learning the DA/SA trigger, and shooting from multiple distances also means more bending over to collect brass afterward. One step at a time.

I began with slow, deliberate DA shots and was satisfied with the results. My goal was to stay within the upper body of the silhouette, in line with the standard IDPA target layout — though I really do need to order more of those cardboard targets. SA follow-ups landed well too. (The range rule caps strings at two shots; anything more brings a stern letter from the range master.) Adding draws from the holster for two-shot pairs added some speed, though I caught myself flinching on about one in five DA shots. Not acceptable — but I've doing more dry fire to hopefully steady that long trigger pull.

Even with poor distance vision making the target details a blur, careful sight alignment still produced solid hits in both DA and SA when aiming for more precise hits.

I wrapped up after my planned 100 rounds, satisfied with the session. Thankfully, I had brought along a brass-catching mat, which made cleanup much easier. As I was gathering my gear, the rain finally arrived. I snatched up the mat, hustled the brass under cover, and bagged it just as the shower hit — perfect timing.

I glanced over the local IDPA match schedule online, but decided I need more trigger time first, both live and dry fire. Still, I’m pleased with my shooting “recovery” so far.

Cheers!