Range Trip

Various life stuff got in the way of a range trip last week, and then Saturday's much anticipated match was cancelled due to weather. As such I was anxious to hit the range, so as soon as my last conference call was over on Monday I made a beeline for the door. I arrived at the range a little later than I usually do and seven or eight other shooters were there, all shooting rifles. There was also a very young girl shooting a pink .22 rifle with her dad. That was heartwarming to see.

My intent for this trip was to shoot slow fire at some longer distances. I stuck a couple of black target posters on my targets to act as aiming points. I started at 10 yards, an worked my way out to 20. I was pretty pleased my shooting, despite my inability to actually shoot all that slow, and found myself speeding up and running two, three or four shot strings. With my uncorrected distance vision, the pasters pretty much disappear beyond 12 yards.

15 yards

I'm no bullseye shooter but I found the results acceptable. One interesting observation,  the mere 10 inches or so between my aiming points made a difference in the hits, out to 15 yards. The groups, such as they are, were consistently tighter on the upper spot. It made me think of recent matches where I've shot well on shoulder high steel plates, while shooting less accurately on the ground level poppers. Too much practice with eye-level targets perhaps? I'll have to look at how low I can hang my targets on a future trip.

The session ended with a few magazines of SHO and WHO shooting at a closer distance. Despite using just a small portion of the targets, I refreshed them frequently for better analysis of the hits. As such I had a significant stack of paper stabled to the cardboard when I finished, and ended up covering my shirt with paper bits when I pulled them off. It was like "confetti" in celebration of a fruitful outing.

Took the Shockwave to the Range

I finally got around to to hitting the range with that Mossberg M590 Shockwave I won in the drawing at the Chesapeake Cup in February. In all honesty, I've been avoiding it to some degree. I wasn't really sure how to shoot the thing, and have spent a lot of time viewing videos online and dry firing in front of a mirror. Now a bit more confident, I took it down to Winding Brook for some live fire.

Confirming the range allowed the gun to be shot, I was reminded that only "aimed fire" was permitted, no shooting from the hip. I had assumed that already, and in fact what I had planned. I had brought along a mix of 00 buckshot and slugs, the only shotgun ammo the range permits.

With the target at five yards, I loaded a round of the 00 Buckshot. I noticed that a second RO had appeared behind me, presumably to confirm my safety and obedience. I was pleased to see the shot pattern pretty well centered on the target, with the wad hole off to the right. A second shot found better placement. I then moved to the slugs. For each shot, I loaded a single round in the gun. I didn't want to have to unload if I decided I had had enough. The next few shots started drifting high and left; I think I was starting to think too much about the gun's relation to my face — even though I was having no issues — and pushing the grip out.

After a few more practice rounds, I bagged the shotgun and switched to the handgun, shooting the SIG P320. I shot another 150 rounds with the pistol, at 7 - 15 yards, and was pretty much at my limit of endurance. However, I still had a some loose shotgun slugs left in my bag, so I opted to destroy my pistol target with a few more shots from the Shockwave.

It was a short session. Literally. When I got back to my car I realized I had only spent about 30 minutes total in the range. No wonder I was tired! The Mossberg Shockwave was not overly difficult to shoot. I'd even call it fun to a point. I need a lot more practice before I would consider myself prepared to rely on it for home self defense. I am also reminded that it's been a long time since I did any shotgun work, so maybe it's time...

At The Range

My son and I headed down to the range after work to get in a little more "father & son" shooting time before he heads back to school next week. I opted to take along my Compact SIG P320 this time. I had not shot the gun since the Chesapeake Cup match in February. My plan was to work on slow fire, and trigger and sight control.

I moved the target carrier around between 7, 10, and 12 yards, and made use of the various sized aiming points. I was generally happy with the shooting, up until my first round of strong hand only shooting. Those first 10 shots were surprisingly inconsistent. Shaking my head I went back to shooting with both hands for a bit. Taking a break I stepped into my son's lane and shot his P226 Legion for a bit as well. Very nice gun; makes me want to get out my (plain) P226 next time.

The sloppy SHO shooting stayed on my mind. Instead of finishing with something I was sure to do well on, I opted to shoot my last 20 rounds strong hand only. Since that would be my memory of the day's outing I paid extra attention. The concentration paid off with improved hits and I ended on a high note.

The time passed quickly and we soon headed for home. Unfortunately the drive home did not pass as quickly. Without warning, traffic was at a standstill on the Interstate. We didn't move for a long time, and eventually the road was closed and we finally made it to an exit to take another route home.

Side note observation: If you have been sitting in non-moving traffic for 20 minutes, and you still manage to run into the car in front of you, you might be an idiot. Please stay home.

A Fun Range Trip

This week's range visit was a fun family outing. Our son is home for a couple weeks, so he joined Colleen and I, along with our friend "Checkered Flag." The range was slow so we all had adjacent lanes. I also rented the new SIG Sauer P365 to try out. I've been keenly interested in the gun, but have never seen one "live," so was excited when I found out that Winding Brook had it available for rent.

I started my time with the P365. I set the target at 5 yards, and saw a very nice group of 10 hits form. My three companions followed with a magazine load each, leaving me 10 more rounds to play with.

My initial impressions of the SIG P365 were very favorable. The gun is a little snappy, but it feels very solid in the hand. The shape to the grip allows a good purchase, even with the pinky finger hanging below. The range didn't have a 12 round magazine to try. It's a small gun but it feels bigger than I thought it would. The P365 is surprisingly easy to shoot.

Getting my full size SIG P320 out, I went through a box of ammo shooting the various sized shapes on the target at 7 and 10 yards. After 50 rounds I started to load more magazines but then decided I really wanted to shoot the P365 a bit more. I splurged on another box of ammo from the range.

This time I set the target out at 7 yards and my son and I took turns shooting at the target's various sized squares, circles, and diamonds. I was impressed with the accuracy for a small gun. I fired off 10 rounds as fast as I could and still shot well. The P365 sights comes back on target very quickly. Even shooting strong hand only proved doable.

P 365. Rapid fire. 7 yards.

Putting the P365 away, my range session was finished with some slow 15 yard shooting with the full size gun.

After shooting the new SIG P365, I was not dissuaded from my desire to get one of my own. As I said after the trip, "This gun feels like I need to buy it."

We finished our outing with a tasty meal and fun conversation at a local "burger joint." I hadn't been shooting with my son since he was home for the Christmas break so it was fun to do. I didn't get the chance to shoot his SIG Legion this time out, so we'll just have to plan another range trip soon.

Another Range Trip

Has it only been 10 days since I last made it to the range? Seems much longer. Anyway, I knocked off a little early on Thursday and headed down to Winding Brook. I had in mind a few things I wanted to review just one more time before this weekend's match. (I know last minute practice doesn't really change anything, but it does help with the head game.)

I set up my first target at 7 yards and expended 50 rounds doing strong and weak hand only shooting. I was pretty happy with the one-handed shooting at the close distance — and also felt the effect in both wrists! Next up was head shots at 10 yards. I find it interesting that when shooting indoors at the IDPA head target, I get decent groups but they are consistently low. I think I shy away from the target hanger. I have to concentrate diligently on sight placement over the target. Starting my last box of ammo I moved the target to 15 yards. After a few magazines, I opted to move it in closer and finish with a little more SHO and WHO shooting. Maybe it'll pay off.

As I was leaving the range, I looked over at the large mound left from construction in the area. Am I the only one who sees any pile of dirt and thinks, "shooting berm" ?

Range Trip

I've been fortunate to have gotten in a lot of range practice in the last few months. Always practicing with a plan in mind, the sessions were directed towards a specific goals and skills. I decided this week that I wanted to just shoot. Call it plinking or whatever, but my intent was just to have fun putting rounds down range.

In addition to the SIG P320 I shoot in competition, I grabbed my SIG P239 as well. Looking at my logs, I saw that I had not fired the gun since April 15 of last year, a little over a year ago. The compact SIG was the first gun I ever bought, and I always enjoy shooting it. The trigger time was overdue.

Forgetting to pack targets, I purchased a couple of the "Q" bottle targets to use this time. Hanging the first one at 10 yards, I very quickly went through my first box of ammo. Using just a quick flash sight picture I fired rapid strings of 3, 4, 5 or more shots. There's something immensely satisfying about just pulling the trigger quickly. (And still keeping the hits where they need to be.)

Next I loaded up the P239 mags. Setting a fresh target at 7 yards, my first few shots were essentially touching. Then, speeding things up, I realized just how quickly those 8 round magazines go empty! I quickly went through another box of ammo. By today's standard the P239 is a dinosaur of a "compact" gun, but it's accurate and easy to shoot. It's a shame, though not surprising, that SIG has apparently discontinued it.

Finally, I decided to slow things down just a bit. I found a folded up repair center target in my bag and "refreshed" the Q target. Setting it at 20 yards, I used my last box of ammo shooting a bit slower with the P320.

It turned out to be an extremely short, but most satisfying and cathartic outing.

Another Quick Range Trip

Depending on traffic, it's a 45 minute or more drive to the indoor range. The more I make the trip, the less onerous it seems. Still, sometimes I have to wonder if the 30 - 40 minutes spent shooting is worth it. Then I get to the range and start shooting, and I think, "Yea, totally worth it."

After work on Thursday, we made our way down I-95 for a bit of fun. My goals for this session were to work mainly on head shots at 10 yards and some 20 yards drills. I can generally keep the hits in the head area of the IDPA target at 10 yards, but they do creep out of the 4" -0 circle at times. Sight alignment is critical.

After a while I pushed the target out to 20 yards and made a few dozen holes. When I ran the target in I noted, although centered, the majority of the hits were low. Even though it seems I am holding the sights over the current place on the target, apparently my aim is low. Conscientiously holding higher, the next batch was much better. The large front sight covers so much of the blurry target at that distance that I really need to be aware of where on the target I am holding. (Before you ask, I've tried narrow front sights, I can't see them.)

I also decided to get in some practice with the S&W Shield, using the small 7-round magazines. Due to warmer weather and social conditions, I've found myself carrying that set up recently. I thought it important to get in some refresher shots. After 50 rounds, fired in fast groups, I felt good (still) about the gun. It was wiped down and put back on my belt.

I was a fun time, but too soon it was time to make the long, but worth it, drive home.

More Practice at the Range

After the exciting Virginia Indoor Regional last weekend, I was anxious to get back to the range for more practice. Family and work commitments finally allowed that to happen on Thursday. I'd been dedicating a lot of range time the last couple months to shooting with the flashlight in hand. Now that I can relax on that for just a bit, I decided that one-handed and distance shooting would get my attention in the coming weeks.

I started with an easy warm up, shooting the usual Julie Golob 50 round drill at seven yards. I then moved the target back to 15 yards. After emptying a couple magazines, I pushed the target back to 20 yards. It's difficult for me to aim at a specific point on the distant and blurred target. Shooting slowly, I dropped a few shots low, but was pleasantly surprised to see the shots being generally centered, instead of drifting and low left as often happens.

30 holes at 20 yards

I'm rather enjoying shooting at the longer distance. I'm not getting 2 inch groups, but they're "combat effective" and generally -0. There was a time I was happy to even hit the paper at 20 yards. After another 50 rounds I started rushing, which had a detrimental affect on my accuracy. Since I found myself speeding up anyway, I set the target carrier for some timed exposures at 7 yards for a bit. Static weak hand and strong hand only shooting rounded out the session.

As I packed up, I commented to the range officer, "I'm out of bullets." He replied, "We can fix you up at the counter." I am proud of myself for resisting the temptation.

Thursday Range Visit

After work yesterday, Colleen, "Checkered Flag" and I drove down to Winding Brook Indoor Range to get in a little trigger time. Even though we all enjoy shooting together, and we're willing to share a lane, we still prefer to do our own thing in our own lane. The folks at Winding Brook opened up another bay in order for us have adjoining lanes. We had the bay to ourselves most of the time. As I was trying out new ear protection, I was actually a little disappointed in this rare trip without a rifle going off next to me. :-)

I began with the 50 round Julie Golob drill, shooting quickly, but at a close 7 yards. It's been a while since I ran this favorite drill. 

Next I grabbed the flashlight and did a little more flashlight work at 7, 10, and 12 yards. I tried to get in some rapid groups too, just to test the stability of my hold. Taking several strings of 10 yard headshots, I ended up putting a few outside of the -1 head circle, but still in the head zone.

Feeling mostly satisfied with the flashlight, I put it down and moved the target out to 20 yards for some slow fire. My confidence up, I didn't recall the target until I'd shot the whole box of 50 rounds. A dozen -1 hits, with the rest in the -0, greeted me when I finally brought the target into viewing range.

Finally, another run of Julie Golob drill finished my session. Usually near the end of a 200 round practice session, my shooting degrades a bit. I didn't experience that this time, probably because I took a few more breaks than usual. Since we were the only people in the bay, there was the opportunity for some friendly conversations with the range officer. I also enjoyed stopping occasionally to move over to watch Colleen and our friend shoot.

The three of us hadn't been able to shoot together since February, and we enjoyed much shooting talk on the drive home. (Which was in contrast to the drive to the range when my passengers took the opportunity to nap.) A quick cleanup at home and we were off for a fine Italian meal, marking an early kickoff to the weekend.

Monday Range Time

After that fun match on Sunday, I was still anxious for more shooting. To my delight, on Monday I was able to get down to Winding Brook for a little trigger time.

My plan for this practice session was to work on shooting while holding a flashlight. I have been dry firing and rehearsing getting the flashlight in position under the gun at the draw. After 50 rounds of live fire, I feel more comfortable in shooting and controlling the pistol despite the addition of the flashlight in my hand.

After the flashlight work, I decided to work on something I don't practice enough — distance shooting. I don't do it often, mainly because of the time it takes to repeatedly recall the target to check the hits. I put the target at 20 yards, and tried to shoot at the pace that I might use in a match. Granted I was standing still, with no match pressure, but I was pleased with the 2, 3, or 4 shot strings. This was no dot torture drill, but I was pleased to keep them center of mass.

With one box of ammo left in my self-imposed allotment, I hung a fresh target at 10 yards and set the timer for a 2 second exposure. Shooting 2, or even 3 shots at each exposure from low ready, I quickly burned through the remaining rounds.

Interestingly, the other bays were mostly filled with folks shooting long guns this day. There was an AR to my left, and a shotgun to my right. I quickly was able to ignore the flash and thump from the nearby scatter gun, although I admit to an initial jump when the shooter first started firing.

All in all, not a bad way to start the week. I've got a vacation day planned later this week, so maybe more shooting will work its way into the schedule.

Monday Range Time

The prognosticators are predicting we'll face a late winter, or early spring depending on the timing, snow this week. It's frustrating when a range trip must be cancelled due to inclement weather. Since I have long been anticipating taking some time off work on Wednesday to spend some extended time at the range, I opted to hedge my bet and visit the range after work on Monday instead.

I didn't quite get the variety of drills I had previously anticipated, but it was a fun session nonetheless. I spent some time shooting quick body to head transitions. I noticed the faster I try to go, the lower the heat shot gets. I'll note that for more work in the future. A significant amount of time was spent shooting while holding a flashlight, as well as some strong hand only shots. As usual, I made use of the fun timed turning target too. I finished my "workout" with some slow distance shooting. Loading and shooting 200 rounds in about 30 minutes time, led to a noticeable drop in accuracy near the end. That seems to be about my limit in a sustained practice without a rest.

When leaving, I noticed this view of the flag flying high above the gun range. I couldn't help but wonder just how triggering that scene might be for passing snowflakes and other leftists. The thought gave me a smile.

My rescheduled range outing was shortened from what was originally planned. However, it so happens that March 19 is the Feast Day of Saint Joseph, Patron Saint and guardian of families. The range visit seemed especially apropos for that day.

Now if it doesn't actually snow on Wednesday, maybe I'll enjoy a twofer this week.

Saturday, Part 1: The Range

Forgoing my second cup of coffee Saturday morning, I made a spur of the moment decision to head out to the Winding Brook Indoor Range. Arriving just as the doors where unlocked, there was no waiting to shoot.

The range trip was not expected, so in a rare exception, I hadn't planned out specific things to practice. I started out with the target at 10, then 12 yards, just shooting "controlled pairs." Or sometimes triples or quadruples.

Next I moved the target to 10 yards and set up the timed turner to have the target facing me for three seconds at a time. At one point while doing these drills I went to slide lock and I immediately hit the mag release button. As the empty magazine dropped, I realized I had to grab a reload off the bench instead of my belt. At the same time I thought, "I hope that doesn't fall forward into the shooting bay." While I don't usually just drop mags at the indoor range, I do feel good that my remedial action was so automatic.

Finally, I rolled a fresh target out to 15 yards and shot another 50 rounds. As perforated center grew in the paper downrange it became evident, even to my eyes, that I was getting good hits. The accurate shooting also saved me from having to recall the target carrier to check myself. That was not disappointing at all.

What was disappointing was that I quickly ran through the ammo I had brought along. I lamented that I had grabbed only 150 rounds when I packed. That number is an ingrained default from so many quick lunch time runs to another indoor range. Rest assured I won't make that miscalculation again.

Despite the drive time being much longer than the shooting time, I was back home before noon. Colleen and I had afternoon plans to visit a local brewery to try out some new beer releases, so after a quick cup of coffee it was time to head out for more weekend fun.

Consolation Range Trip

Despite missing out on this weekend's IDPA match, I was able to get in some quality trigger time this weekend. On Sunday, Colleen and I headed down to the Winding Brook Range. My range bag was already packed, I sort of felt obligated to take it out. :-)

I started out shooting at a moderate pace at 7 yards, and worked my way out to 10 and 15 yards with the first box of ammo. I also worked with the timed exposure target to practice getting the gun on target quickly. That was all done from low ready, but one of these days I'll take the time to get holster qualified at the range.

Since I'll be shooting the annual Virginia Indoor Regional IDPA match in April I figured I'd better brush up on holding the flashlight while shooting. I expended a few mags doing that, but I definitely need more practice over the next couple months.

Feeling pretty good about the shooting so far, the practice session was concluded with 50 rounds of slow fire at 15 yards. I was relieved when I reeled the target in and saw only six shots outside the -0 zone.

Colleen and I opted to not wait for adjoining lanes to open, so this time we didn't shoot "together." We did enjoy a pleasant, sunny drive home on the secondary road, avoiding the madness (and backups) of the interstate. After the power failures and cancelled plans of the past few days, this was a most pleasant way to finish the weekend.

After Work Range Time

After work on Thursday, Colleen and I, joined by our friend "Checkered Flag," made a run down to Winding Brook Indoor Range for a bit of stress release. We signed up for three separate lanes so everyone was able to do their own thing.

For my practice session, I drilled on multi-shot strings, concentrating on getting the gun back on target quickly for rapid follow up shots. Starting at 7 yards, and gradually increasing the distance out to 15 yards, I was generally happy with the hits. I find that creating a patch of holes in the center of the target at closer distances helps to give me an aiming point for more consistent hits at the further distances.

Quickly running through a box of ammo while making use of the turning feature of the target system, I very rapidly burned through my supply. Since the rest of the group was working more on slow, precision fire, I spent the last few minutes watching my wife shoot. As much as I enjoy watching loved ones shoot well, perhaps I'll bring along an extra box of ammo for myself next time.

Scenes From A Relaxing Saturday

It's been a tiring few weeks in these parts, and by the time Saturday morning rolled around, I found I simply needed some down time. So after sleeping in, albeit just a bit, I enjoyed a few invigorating cups of coffee and the happy reality that I had no place else to be.

I had opted out of shooting an IDPA match this morning, a lack of energy combined with bitter cold made that an easy, though lamentable, decision. However once refreshed, I still had the desire to get in some trigger time. To quench that need, I made a spontaneous trip down to Winding Brook Indoor Range. At least the temperature indoors was quite pleasant.

I brought along the SIG P320's, both the full size and the compact. Starting out, I shot each gun at 10 and 12 yards. It was interesting jumping back and forth between the two, actually noting very little difference. I then decided to have some fun with the timed turning target. Shooting from low ready at 10 yards with a 2 second exposure gave me some practice at quick sight acquisition and fast followup shots.

Even the drive to and from the range was relaxing, with a bright sun in the sky, very little traffic, and good blues emanating from the car speakers.

This is how you reenergize.

Saturday Range Time

After a much-needed relaxing Saturday morning sipping coffee, Colleen and I headed down to Winding Brook Indoor Range for a little shooting time. The morning rush was still clearing out, but we got a couple lanes with very little wait.

Starting out with my target set at 10 yards, I gradually worked out to 20 yards. I was using USPSA paper practice targets, and managed to keep most of the hits in the A zone, slipping a few outside at the furthest distance. Using the turning target feature, the sessions capped off by practicing quick hits on the target from low ready. 

At one point I noticed clouds of paint coming off the side wall of the range. Someone a few lanes over had their target at about 5 yards, but was bouncing hits off the wall 15 yards down range. I stopped shooting and looked over as the observant range officer very quickly attended to the situation. When I brought my target in I found a copper jacket remnant embedded in the cardboard. Such are the pitfalls of an indoor range.

It was a fun hour shooting, and even a pleasant couple hours in the car driving to and from the range. That's two visits to the Ashland range this month. If this keeps up I may have to buy a membership. 

Saturday Morning Shooting Fun

My son and I headed down to Winding Brook Indoor Range on Saturday morning. We weren't sure what the crowd would be like on a Saturday morning, but we had accepted that we might have a wait. We could have shot without delay but we opted to wait until two adjacent lanes opened up.

Using some IDPA practice targets, I started out shooting multi-shot strings at 7, then 10, then 15 yards. After emptying the first box of 50, I moved the target carrier to 10 yards, and set it to expose the target for 3 seconds, with a 4 second interval. From extended and compressed low ready positions I shot 2, 3, or 4 rounds on the target as it turned. The next 50 rounds were very quickly expended. This is as close as I can get to match-like practice, and that alone made long drive to the range worthwhile.

I finished up with more 15 yard work, and then some close SHO and WHO shots. I was done a few minutes before my son, so spent a little time watching him shoot. He's had a good teacher so does well. :-) He's getting ready to head back to school so this was likely our last chance to shoot together for a few months. We also got in lots of good conversation during the drive time and post shooting lunch making it a super fun and memorable morning.

Family Range Day

My Christmas "stay-cation" had been so far, pew-free. Finally, on Wednesday we took a family drive down to the Winding Brook Indoor Range in Ashland, VA. This is the same facility Colleen and I visited last February. Unfortunately just a few months after we visited, the doors were padlocked by the landlord. Recently, this newly constructed range was reopened under new management.

There was a short line and a few folks on the waiting list to shoot when we arrived. The staff at Winding Brook was working cheerfully to get shooters into adjoining lanes as requested and we were assigned to our lanes without much delay.  Rather than possibly wait longer to get three lanes, we opted to share two. 

Our lane sharing arrangement worked out well as we rotated around and shot each other's weapons at various times. We used the "colors and shapes" targets during this outing. The distinct aiming points made it easy to have multiple shooters using the same target paper without needing to change as often. Most of our shooting was at 7 yards, though I did run the target out to 10 and 15 yards for a bit.

The range officer was very friendly and left folks to shoot without intrusive oversight. We observed one lady who seemed to be shooting for the first time. He gave her a quick tutorial and stepped in the help or answer questions as needed.

I was very pleased to learn that drawing from a holster is permitted at Winding Brook. I didn't take advantage of that during this visit, but it will be worth the drive to do so in the future. There are no other ranges local to me that allow both rapid fire and holster use. I've already got some drills in mind to run next time. Rifles and shotguns are also allowed at the range. The retail area and display cases are mostly empty at this time, though Winding Brook does have targets and ammo available for sale if needed. 

The facility is clean, modern, and the staff seems focused on getting people in to shoot. We heard "Have fun." from the staff frequently. I lament the range isn't a little closer, especially with the alwats-horrible traffic on I-95. However given the ability to shoot at any safe speed, and use a holster, it will be worth making the trip on occasion, especially if it's a family affair.