June Shooting Recap

June saw a return to (almost) a normal shooting schedule. A couple of range trips and a couple IDPA matches made up the mix.

At the beginning of the month, there was a quick trip to the outdoor range with the compact SIG P320. Giving some discipline to my practice, I spent most of the time working on those not fun things that we often hate to practice; support and strong hand only shooting, and precision head shots at distance. I had to burn through a few mags to find the groove. In the end I was moderately pleased, but still in need of work. Interesting, I was doing better WHO than SHO.

A couple weeks later we were off to the Virginia State IDPA Match in Bristol, VA. On some stages I did extremely (and surprisingly) well. On others, the results were disappointing. A few "good guys" got in the way, and some mental errors crept in as well. (The above mentioned one-hand shooting practice was apparently not enough preparation.) I thought the stages offered a variety of challenges, without being overly complex. A common theme seemed to be luring the shooter into engaging targets out of order when shooting around a wall. There were a lot of shooters getting "the finger" for shooting out of priority.

This match is held on the side of a mountain, in quite a beautiful setting. Although there was the threat of rain for most of the day, it only rained for a few brief periods. We did get wet while waiting, but most of our shooting was done without rain. Shooting the match included a four day "adventure" with friends. Staying in a mountain cabin, we enjoyed copious beer, whiskey, and cigars during the mini-vacation.

A few days after the VA State match, I made a trip to the indoor range. I certainly have not gotten a good return on investment on my membership this year. Hopefully, that will change in the coming weeks and months. The range was empty when I first arrived. A couple other pistol shooters showed up before I finished. I left realizing just how "pleasant" the indoor range is without rifle shooters in the next lane!

For this outing a took along the Full Size SIG P320. I've only shot the gun on one other occasion this year. I also had the P365 with me, with the intent to shoot it more, but ended up not doing so. I decided I needed a little accuracy practice so I began with the color shapes target that my wife is found of utilizing. The first 150 rounds was spent shooting those aiming points at 7, then 12 yards. I was very pleased with the hits here, even working in quick 2-4 shot strings. Finally I hung an IDPA target at 15 yards and shot the last box of ammo. In a switch of my usual routine of loading up all my mags at once, I loaded only 2 mags of 10 at a time. The result of the frequent breaks to reload magazines was that my shooting stayed sharp through the entire 200 round range session. It was some of the most enjoyable time spent at the range this year, and the traffic on the Interstate, coming and going, was surprisingly light.

June was capped off with the monthly Cavalier IDPA match. Originally this event conflicted with the VA State match. However, due to a scheduling change at the club, the match was postponed a week, much to my delight. I took the SIG P320 Full Size to this match too shoot in the Stock Service Pistol division.

The morning was hot, and then it got hotter. But at least there was no rain. Five fun and quick stages offered a variety of challenges. There was lots of movement required, with little stationary shooting — just as I prefer. Thanks to skilled SOs, and an active squad helping to paste targets, we were done shooting in about three hours. I earned one PE, and tagged a non-threat, but overall was pleased with how I shot. I turned in the best performance of my limited match shooting this year, finishing 15th of 41 overall and 3rd of 16 in SSP.

Just six months after my health scare, I am extremely happy to be getting on the range with some regularity. Shooting well, and seeing friends is a great combination. Hopefully, the trend will continue, with an associated increase in accuracy and efficiency.

Simple Fun at the Range

When it's a busy week at work, few things beat a trip to the range to unwind. My first attempt in the week was interrupted by, well, work. (So I settled for a relaxing cigar break on the deck.) On Thursday my purposefully cleared calendar actually stayed clear, allowing time to shoot.

Since I've been shooting the Compact P320 a lot recently, for this outing I packed both the Compact and Full Size versions of the SIG P320. I had intended to split the ammo between the two guns, but in the end I stuck with the larger gun for most of my time.

For the first 100 rounds I shot at distances from 10 to 20 yards, pushing the target back every ten shots. I then set the target closer, at 7 yards, and activated the intermitted target exposure for 3 seconds each time. From low ready, I fired 2 - 3 shots each time. Often when using the turning target I end up just getting off the shots quickly. This time I concentrated on seeing the sights settle on target — a unique concept I know.

Finally I did some shooting with the Compact P320, working out to 20 yards. After I packed up my gear and started to leave the bay, I realized I had forgotten to retrieve the target carrier which was still sitting at 20 yards. I turned around and the RO said he'd get it, but I told him "I can't see it from here, so I should check the hits." I had felt I shot well, and indeed most of the holes where in the -0 zone.

This wasn't intended as a hard core "practice" session, but simply a diversion from a busy and slightly stressful work week. And you know what? It worked.

Mid-Week Range Trip

I've been thinking about getting to the range ever since my disappointing performance at last week's VIR match. I really wasn't happy with the number of points down, and a frustrating lack of trigger control. Competing with the compact gun exasperates any sloppiness in aiming and firing. My goal for my next range outing was to work at some longer distances which would emphasize the need for proper sight alignment and a smooth trigger press.

I had 200 rounds with me and a stack of targets. My intent was to shoot not just slow single shots, but also strings of 2, 3, or 4 shots. I warmed up with 50 rounds with the target at just 10 yards. Next I moved the target to 15 yards for another 50. The next 50 rounds at 20 yards really tested not only my shooting, but my ability to see the target. Finally, another 50 rounds back at 15 yards shot even more quickly made for a satisfying finish.

I typically start seeing more errant shots after about 150 rounds, so I had to concentrate on staying sharp as I fired the last groups, all from low ready. Needless to say I felt pretty good about the finish. The cardboard backer at the range was new when I started, and the RO commented on the decent hole I had left in the center after the 200 rounds.

I refreshed the target about every 25 rounds so I could better track the progress. I believe I counted just 7 hits outside of the -0 zone for the entire session. Now that I've got a few weeks before I shoot another IDPA match, I'm hoping for more time for continued "refreshment" after my health-induced break.

Of course, after all that fun, I had an hour's drive home. Some loud Blues coming from the car speakers eased the time spent on the highway.

Therapeutic Range Time

On Saturday morning, Colleen asked, "Do you want to go to the indoor range this morning?" At first I wasn't sure I felt like making the drive. However, it's been several months since we used our membership, AND I did really want to shoot. The decision was made and we embarked on the one hour drive down to the Winding Brook Range. We arrived in the midst of the Saturday morning rush so we would have had to wait for two adjoining lanes, instead we opted to share a lane.

I first brought out the SIG P365 for a little more time with it. Colleen also shot a couple magazines through the gun. She then shot her S&W Shield while I loaded my P320 magazines. As I watched her shoot I thought, she sure doesn't lose any accuracy after extended absences from shooting.

When it was my turn again, I shot about 100 rounds at 7, 10, and 12 yards, while holding a flashlight. I figured I should get just a little practice before next week's indoor match. Even though drawing from the holster is not permitted, I practiced hitting the switch and bringing the flashlight to the gun as I got it on target. I also wanted to fire multiple round strings to test my grip, since I'm limited to only two shots at the local outdoor range.

For the final 50 rounds, I progressed through 10, 12, 15, and 20 yards, shooting 10 rounds at the first three target stops, then 20 rounds at the furthest distance. Though it can be frustrating, this is one of my favorite drills to test sight alignment and trigger control. It also enforces a bit of patience on my part as I have to bring the target in every few shots to confirm my hits at 20 yards.

I realized as we drove home that this was the most relaxed I've felt shooting in some time. Lately my time has either been under match pressure or at the local "conservation organization" ranges. I've realized that I am often somewhat on edge at the local range due to past range officer behavior and the occasional presence of unsupervised, careless strangers. This trip to the range was most therapeutic and I was very thankful that my wise wife suggested it as part of my healing. Hopefully future visits will be more frequent.

We treated ourselves to a couple of fresh baked treats from a local cookie shop for the ride home. The stress free shooting, tasty cookies, and the wonderful company made for a most delightful outing.

Time At The Range

When I walked by the hall thermostat on Monday morning my hopes of hitting the range that day seemed suddenly at risk. But as the morning progressed, I realized I would not be deterred by the blundering prognosticators. Though cool outside, the skies were blue all afternoon.

They're just making stuff up

Taking an afternoon break from my work, I grabbed the range gear and made a dash for the range. I started out with the SIG P320 Compact, shooting with slow triggers pulls from 10 yards. Satisfied with that refresher, I moved to 15 yards and switched to shooting from concealment. Two shots, at one target, with no movement, was as close to a match scenario as I could get. Nonetheless, I felt like I was finally getting back into the swing of things after my extended time off.

Next I switched to the new P365 and put another 50 rounds through it, shooting from 10 yards. This outing I shot it better than the first time, but the tiny sights will take some getting used to.

Since I was using the paper practice targets, I refreshed them frequently. Even if the holes are mostly -0, I like to see where in the circle they hit. Especially as I shoot faster I can gauge, and correct, the inevitable leftward drift.

To my shame, I noticed in my shooting log that I had not practiced any SHO or WHO shooting since last fall. (Granted I haven't practiced much of anything of late.) The practice time finished with some one handed shooting with the last few magazines in the P320. More practice is definitely to come on that skill.

Despite the early morning doubts, it was a welcome break to pull the trigger a few more times. Hopefully I'll be seeing a gradual uptick in my range time in the coming weeks.

Evidence of a satisfying outing

Shooting With My Son and a New Gun

Our son was home last week for his Spring Break. His extended visits home are always fun, especially since we usually hit the range together a time or two. This visit was made more exciting since only a few hours before he arrived I had finally picked up that SIG P365 I've been eyeing. And, now that the DST time switch has occurred, the range is actually open late afternoon and early evening, allowing more time to shoot.

I brought along my SIG P320 Compact, the new P365, and he had his P226. Copious amounts of ammo and targets completed were brought along. Upon arriving we noticed the bay had a new layer of gravel. We've endured a few years of bare dirt (mud) so that was a nice surprise.

I started out shooting a couple of mags through the P365 from 7 yards. After that we did all our shooting from the 10 yard line. I was generally pleased with how I shot the little gun. It's pretty easy to control, despite the small size and a bit of kick. The aggressive stippling on the grip helps, but also leads to sore hands after a while. I used both 115 and 124 grain ball ammo, as well as some Speer Gold Dot Self Defense rounds. There were no issues with any of it. I'll try to get several hundred more rounds through the gun before t-shirt season when it will be added to my carry rotation.

We alternated between all three guns. I soon realized that I should bring out the SA/DA gun a little more often. 

Due to range restrictions, we did spend more time standing idle than actually shooting. The latest rules at the club forbid more than one person firing at a time, even though everyone stands on the same line. If you find yourself pulling the trigger at the same time as another person, all shooters must sort out a plan to avoid that offense. More than one person shooting is seemingly too difficult for the range officers to distinguish from a single shooter doing "rapid fire." Strings of fire are limited to two trigger pulls. This leads to a lot of "You shoot two rounds, then I'll shoot two, then you..." Shooters are also forbidden from even loading up magazines when another is shooting, using up even more precious time. On the bright side it allowed more conversation during the breaks together to load magazines.

Despite the restrictive rules, the outing was a lot of fun, and provided enjoyable father-son time. It was good to continue working out the "bugs" from my down time. Given his busy work load in school, my son had not been shooting in several months and appreciated the tune up time as well.

It's good to have a target repair minion.

I Did a Little Shooting!

The combination of an encouraging report from my cardiologist and some unseasonably warm February weather made for the perfect time to head over to the range Friday afternoon. This was the first time I've shot in 2019, and despite some apprehension, I was excited to be on the range.

I took the SIG P320 Compact, and only 100 rounds of ammunition. I knew I'd be tempted to overdue it, so I set that limit before I left the house. I set up one of the colors and shapes targets, and hung some clays from the rope. All shooting was done between 7 and 10 yards.

I wasn't overly pleased with my accuracy at the start. The groups were loose, although I did manage hit the clays fairly consistently out to 10 yards. By the end of the two boxes of ammo, I was feeling better, but still need some honing of my very stale skills.

As I was setting up, interesting conversations started up with others at the range. When I arrived, a shooter was picking up brass after shooting his new SIG P365. As we chatted, one of the guys who had been fishing came over to his truck that was parked near the bay. He then showed us the SIG P229 he was carrying. It turns out also that he used to shoot IDPA and 3-gun, and had been considering coming down to the IDPA matches at Cavalier. I let him know I shoot those matches frequently and encouraged him to do just that.

Overall it was a very enjoyable outing. I got a little shooting in, and had fun chats with other SIG Sauer enthusiasts. It was a break I absolutely needed.

Dry Fire Time

I started my cardio rehab this past week. It's the first step of many towards getting my life back and being able to resume normal activities. I was actually a little anxious about starting the exercise program, especially after signing the papers acknowledging the risk, yet being assured by the staff that they had people there trained to help if there was a problem!  :-)

Even though I'm not yet ready for the range, I thought, "If I can walk on a treadmill, I can at least dry fire!" I have gotten to enjoy neither dry or live fire this year, so I was very overdue for trigger time. While some of my friends where shooting an IDPA match on Saturday morning, I spent time pulling the trigger on an empty gun.

My dry fire routine is pretty simple, so no modifications were needed in the typical 15 minute routine. Five minutes of "surprise" tigger presses with the timer, including SHO shooting, started the session. The next five minutes were devoted to drawing from the holster and getting the gun on target quickly. Finally, I continued the draw practice with the addition of movement to get to the target.

My plan is to compete with the Compact SIG P320 in 2019. Unfortunately I've missed more matches than I've shot so far this year, and I only got to the range with the gun a few times at the end of 2018. Hopefully a trip to the range for some live fire is not long off.

On the bright side, I was much warmer than my friends who shot outside today.

Saturday Morning Shooting

I made a last minute decision to head down to the indoor range on Saturday morning. That choice was betting on the absence of traffic on the interstate for the drive down, a not too crowded range, and (still) good traffic for the drive home. As luck would have it, all three came to be.

Let's do this.

Starting off at an easy 7 yard distance, I shot slowly, using two hands, as well as strong and weak hand only for 50 rounds. That was all well and good, so a fresh target was hung and placed at 10 yards. This time I fired off longer strings of 3 - 5 shots, one because it's allowed, and two to get a good feel of how the compact gun moves and returns to target. I repeated this drill also at 12 and 15 yards for a total 50 rounds. Despite the attempt at speed, only two of the shots, both fired at 15 yards, were outside the -0 zone.

More like this please.

Since I know I typically start shooting a little more sloppily at the end of the my range time, I made a concerted effort to do slow, steady shots for my last 50 rounds. My group on the 10 yard target was quite nice. At least until my fun side gave in and the last 10 rounds were blasted off in rapid succession. Still, all -0 hits.

All in all it was a super fun way to spend the morning, even if I did spend 4 times as much time driving as I did shooting.

Return to the Range

To my chagrin, I haven't gotten in any trigger time for a couple of weeks. Now that the outdoor range closes at 4:00PM it's very hard to get there after work. I also hadn't been down to the indoor range in nearly two months. My reluctance to get to that range was due mainly to summer-time traffic on I-95. The lack of range use is not a good ROI on my membership fees!

A welcome sight.

On Monday I finally had a chance to load up the SIG P320 Compact and do some shooting at the indoor range. Since I haven't practiced in a while, this outing was mostly focused on trigger press. I also took the opportunity to shoot some longer continuous strings than I am allowed at the outdoor range.

After shooting 120 rounds at distances of 7, 10, and 15 yards, I decided to have some fun with the timed turning target. Drawing from the holster is not allowed (without paying an extra $60/year) but even from low ready I was able to get in some target focus shooting at 7 yards. All in all a good session.

When I first got to the range, it was as crowded as I've ever seen it. All the lanes in my bay were in use. I was relieved however that most folks seemed to be shooting .22 rifles, so the noise factor was low. That is until the shooter in the lane right next to me started sighting in his .30-06 hunting rifle. That reminds me, I need to add more foam ear plugs to my range bag in case I need to double-plug again.

Spontaneous Range Time

It's been cold and rainy for so long, I was actually surprised to pick up my phone Tuesday afternoon and see 70° on the display. That's too nice to be inside! I decided to leave the office a little early and get in some range time. Stopping by the house I grabbed a target, a couple boxes of ammo, and the SIG P320 Compact.

I started my time at 7 yards, drawing from the holster and going for a quick hit on target. I also kept my "resolution" to expend at least one magazine each devoted to both SHO and WHO shooting. Moving back to 15 yards I became intrigued by the bits of clay targets littering the berm. I started alternating between the cardboard target and the broken clays, with surprising success.

Loading my last 20 rounds I moved back to the 25 yards line. (I was feeling bold I guess.) Most of those shots were fired at the clay bits as well. That exercise proved that the new sights were dead on, and that, with careful aiming, even I can hit a pretty small target at distance with regularity.

I soon lamented my decision to pack just 100 rounds. But, the quick outing gave me plenty of time to get home and finish up some of the work I had foregone at the office, thereby alleviating any guilt.

I think I will throw some clays in the car for the next outing too.

Monday Range Time

Even though I shot three IDPA matches in September, including the IDPA Nationals, I did not get in any trips to the indoor range for practice. I sure didn't get a good ROI on my membership fees in August! On Monday, I finally made it down to Winding Brook Indoor Range, for the first time in five weeks.

This visit was a quick one, and I brought along just 150 rounds. For the first 100 rounds, I hung an IDPA target at 10 yards and shot at various speeds. After each mag of 10 rounds, I altered my pace; shooting slow, single shots, or rapid groups of two or three shots. For a few of mags I concentrated on head shots.  A couple of mags were also devoted to one handed shooting, alternating between strong and weak hands.

Finishing up with the target hung at 20 yards, the last 50 rounds were dedicated to slowish fire for distance practice. This was the most time consuming part of the outing as I had to bring the target in every 10 rounds or so to see the holes. With close, rapid fire, a drift to the left is not uncommon. However at this longer distance I was seeing the holes drifting to the right. I am probably concentrating too hard on not pushing to the left and creating the opposite issue. For my very last 10 shots, I focused intently on that side-to-side push and saw a very nice vertical line of hits right in the center. Vertical consistency is a point for next time.

I was fun to finally get back to doing some basic practice and simple shooting. Hopefully the frequency of range outings will pick up for the fall.

Range Time

It's fun to go to the range, hang a target at 7 yards and shoot fast. Maybe even activate the timed turning target too. But sometimes it's good to practice the stuff that you don't do as well on. After feeling a little shaky with my one-handed shooting last weekend, I decided to start with that when I hit the range this week.

I opted to shoot the drills at 7 yards, mainly so it would be easier for me to confirm my hits, and adjust as needed. After firing the first 30 rounds SHO, I was fairly pleased, and my hand was tired. I switch to WHO for 20 more rounds. The goal in both cases was strictly pressing the trigger without moving the gun. Next time I'll add in some work on quick follow up shots.

Next it was time for distance work, this time at 25 yards. I often think back to when I started this sport almost 10 years ago, I was lucky to hit the paper at that distance. (That was the case at even 10 yards!) Now at least I can keep the holes generally in the -0 zone. On this day I was contrasting my practice with the guy in the lane next to me who seemed to be hitting 1 inch dots on the paper at 25 yards — but with an optic, and a bench rest.

Next up in the "practice your weaknesses" session was 10 yard head shots. I tend to shoot low, especially at the indoor range, when aiming for the head portion of the IDPA target. This time I focused on not doing that.

And finally, I hung the target at 7 yards, activated the timed turning target, and shot fast. Sometimes you just have to have fun too!

Finally, To The Range

Work and family responsibilities kept me away from the range last week, and nearly did so this week as well. Fortunately, a visit from a family friend led to an unplanned excursion on Thursday. I was happy to clear up some work early, and even more pleased that Colleen could join us as well.

I generally schedule my range trips on the "off hours" to avoid crowds. Not so this time. The range was busier than I usually experience, but we still managed to get three adjacent lanes in the same bay.

A lot of targets out there

My session began at 10 yards, most of the time shooting fast 2 - 4 shot strings, and concentrating on not pushing the shots to the left when shooting fast, as I experienced recently. I also threw in some head shot work, enjoying the ability to see the small target beyond the new small front sight.

Feeling good, I pushed the target out to 20 yards. Of the next 50 rounds fired, I managed to keep all but 8 inside the -0 zone. That success I also attribute to the narrow front sight not covering the entire target at distance. I may be late to the party, but I am certainly appreciating the improved sight picture.

Finally, putting a new target at 7 yards, I ran a magazine each doing some SHO and WHO shooting. I was not as pleased with that portion of my practice session. Admittedly I was getting tired by this point, so will revisit one-handeds shooting, for an extended time, soon. The range time finished with several quick magazines fired at the timed turning target.

The serendipitous range trip turned out to be both a lot of fun, and a good practice session. It was enjoyable having Colleen and our friend along, for both the shooting, and the long drive to and from the range.

A Better Practice Session

I managed to get in another visit to the range this week. (Actually it's not the range time that's hard to find, it's the time to travel to and from the range that eats up the afternoon.) I felt I needed another session after the mixed results last time.

I started out shooting at 10 yards, at a moderate pace, alternating between body and head shots. I'm starting to feel a lot more confident with the head shots now that the front sight doesn't cover the whole target. I can start trying for -0 hits instead of just "on paper" when aiming at the head zone.

A fresh target in place, the next 50 rounds were fired in rapid, 4, 5, or 6 shot strings. Shooting as fast as I could get an acceptable sight picture, I was seeing the benefits of the narrow sight even on the larger target zone and feeling more confident in my shot calling.

Next up was a bit of longer distance shooting with the target set at 20 yards. Here again, I was seeing the benefit of the competition sites. More target area visible behind the sight means easier and more precise target alignment. Until the final magazine, when fatigue led to faster, more careless shooting, the majority of the hits were in the center -0 area.

Opting to shoot one more box of ammo, just to finish on a "high note," I hung the target at an easy 7 yards. Splitting the shots between the head and body zones, I dropped just one head shot into the -1 head area.

Speeding up shooting by the 50 rounds of extra fast trigger pulls, my typically short range time is finished even more quickly. Most days the travel time for a range trip is four times the time spent shooting, unless there happens to be an incident on the highway, at which point the ratio becomes even more lopsided. However, the shooting is fun and beneficial, so it's an acceptable tradeoff, for now.

New Sights, More Practice

I had a decent practice session this weekend. My goal was to work more on sight acquisition with the new sights on the gun, and familiarize myself with what is an acceptable sight picture using target focus.

Starting out at 10 yards, I ran through 50 rounds, shooting at a moderate pace. Firing just one or two shots per string, a few shots drifted outside the -0 zone. Still, I was generally pleased.

Emboldened perhaps, I pushed the next target out to 20 yards for a slow 50 rounds. The hits weren't as good, but generally stayed within the -1 zone. The shots tended to be low, so I made a note to work on that some more next time.

Next I moved to the opposite extreme and hung a Dot Torture target paper at 3 yards. I've struggled with this drill of late, mostly because of a lack of patience when trying to shoot slowly. I had a miss on a transition shot between circle #3 and #4. I might blame that on the green laser dot from one lane over repeatedly crossing my target. After the miss I knew I wouldn't beat my 49/50 record so I shot the rest of the drill quickly, to finish 47/50.

I typically limit my indoor range practice to 150 rounds, but an extra box of ammo had somehow snuck into my range bag. :-) I finished the session shooting ten, 5 round strings, pushing as fast as I could get a flash of the red fiber dot. The first 20 rounds were fired from extension at a stationary target. For the final six strings I shot from low ready, at a timed target set to a three second exposure.

Looking at the target after those runs, although most were -0, the hits were generally concentrated in the lower left quadrant of the center circle. When I push the speed, I'm apparently pushing the gun to the left. During the Brandon Wright pistol class, Brandon encouraged me to use a little more trigger finger when we were working on fast trigger presses. I will be sure to pay some attention to that next time.

Overall, I found this practice to be both beneficial and fun. One can't ask for much more than that.

Outdoor Dry Fire Practice

Most of my dry fire practice takes place indoors. Since the majority of that is working on draws, reloads and trigger manipulation, hanging some targets just about anywhere in the house suffices. Lately, I've been wanting to devote time to movement and wide target transitions, both of which are more difficult in a confined area. So I moved to the backyard.

Hanging a couple targets from the deck, and laying out a couple of shooting boxes, made for a suitable practice area. I was little concerned about raising the notice of the neighbors, but a quick scan revealed plenty of tree cover. On future sessions I think I'll breakout the target stands and a barricade too.

As a bonus, the sweat rolling into my eyes added another element of match shooting realism.

Competitive Pistol Training with Brandon Wright

I recently took part in an intensive two days of competitive pistol training under the tutelage of Brandon Wright of Wright Shooting. Brandon is a Distinguished Master in IDPA and a USPSA Grand Master shooter, and a member to Team Smith & Wesson. In addition to his shooting accomplishments, he’s an excellent instructor. The seven others in the class were folks I shoot with regularly, which added to the fun, and even created a bit of friendly competition.

Throughout the two days of Competitive Pistol II, Brandon reviewed, in great detail, both the fundamentals and advanced techniques employed in competitive shooting. We discussed not only the how but also the why of the techniques we covered. And we ran the associated drills, over and over, as our very observant instructor demonstrated, watched, critiqued, and corrected.

While the techniques we learned were applicable to action pistol shooting in general, the emphasis of the class was on IDPA competition. The major themes of the class were efficiency in getting to the shooting, and then making accurate shots. With the 2017 IDPA scoring change to one second penalties per point down, inaccurate hits became even more costly. Putting the gun where it needs to be quickly, gives the shooter more time to insure accuracy. 

Naturally, I won't give specifics here, you'll need to take the class yourself. General topics included different sight pictures, varying trigger presses, footwork and movement, reloading, and moving targets, among others. The individual concepts were reviewed and practiced. Different methods were timed and compared. A log book is a critical component of Brandon's training. Eventually we put our new knowledge all together and ran different small stages to see how it worked.

Stage planning was also covered throughout the course. Brandon reminded us frequently why it is important know our skills and strengths, especially focusing on the time it takes to perform various actions. We were able to shoot the small stages repeatedly in order to compare and different interpretations of ways to shoot the stage. We even got in a few mini-competitions throughout the two days.

I fired somewhere around 1,050 shots in the course. Though I came away with sunburn and achy muscles, it was an intensely fun two days of shooting and learning. Several days later I am still processing everything did. I took copious notes, and have been adding to them since. Brandon has an amazing ability to break things down into individual components, fine tune what we do, and put it all back together again. There were many "ah ha!" moments throughout the course, as well as many bad habits broken and falsehoods disproven.

Going in to the class, I knew there was a lot that Brandon could teach me. Despite the awareness of having a lot to learn, the class was a humbling experience. I believe that seven of the eight students in the class hold Expert classification in at least one IDPA division, yet Brandon found frequent areas for improvement; grip, trigger control, stance, foot placement, stage planning... Despite that, the training was both inspirational and confidence building. With practice, I believe I can make that new knowledge part of my arsenal and habits, and improve my shooting.

I found the investment in tuition, ammo, hotel, food, and gas to be all money well-spent. Fortunately, so much of what we covered can be practiced in dry fire, in my home. Now that my week of travel for work is over, I look forward to doing just that.

Dry Fire for Summer Carry

It's heating up out there, in more ways than one. Summer is no time to let down your guard. During the warmer months, I prefer cargo shorts and t-shirts for casual wear. (I actually prefer cargo pants all year, fashion be darned.) During these thin cover garment months my holster and gun is harder to conceal, and ends up against my bare, and often sweaty, skin. To overcome that, I'll occasionally carry a compact gun in a Sticky Holster in the front cargo pant pocket. Instead of a magazine pouch on my belt, I use a SnagMag carrier for the extra magazine.

Drawing from the pant leg pocket holster is slower and less convenient than my regular IWB holster setups, so some of my dry fire time is spent drawing from the Sticky Holster. In the unlikely event I need to get the gun out, I neither want to think about where it is, nor fumble the draw.

Retrieving the extra magazine from the SnagMag in my pocket is also a different motion than grabbing a mag from the belt. I use the SnagMag frequently but I still practice. This spare mag carrier is easy and quick to draw from, but it's needs to be practiced so the motion is second nature.

The down side of dry fire practice with both of these products is the time to "reset" between draws. Both the holster and the mag carrier must be removed from their respective pockets in order to be reloaded and then repositioned.

Dry fire practice manipulating the gun is so often seen as merely a competition shooter's practice routine, especially for those of us without regular access to a range where drawing from a holster is permitted. Regular live fire with your EDC gun is critical, and dry fire practice is just as important. When you change your carry position, be sure to practice getting to the gun quickly and safely.

Stay safe. Stay alert. Stay armed.

This Week's Range Session

I have mixed feelings about this week's practice session. It's probably best summed up as "Well, almost."

I started out with some SHO and WHO shooting at 10 yards. That part of the afternoon I was especially pleased with, despite not having practiced those skills in a while. Following that, I hung a target at 20 yards to get in the distance practice that I had skipped last time. After the first magazine I pulled the target in close enough to see the holes, and noted I was shooting low. I adjusted my aim fore the next 40 rounds and saw a lot more centered holes. At the distance it's hard to focus on a specific spot on the target so I wasn't expecting touching groups, but still need to work on tightening it up a bit.

For the last third of my 150 round allocation I decided to have another run at a fast Julie Golob 50 round drill. I did this one at 10 yards and tried to shoot it as quickly as possible. I had the same issue I typically face at the indoor range; the head shots drift low. I am not sure if that's due to the target being set higher than typical or if I subconsciously shy away from the target hanger. Sometime I should hang the target much lower on the cardboard and test that theory. (Did I mention lately how much I miss having an outdoor practice range?)

Still, any range time is good range time. Adding to the enjoyment, my son is finally home for the rest of summer and accompanied me, as he'll hopefully do often this summer. I enjoy shooting with him, and it's fun to have company for the drive. And now I also have some ideas for the next practice time at the range.