on December 29, 2011 1:00 PM
I met up with Hsoi and another instructor from KR Training this morning at the range.
Hsoi has a new M&P to try out, and I just needed some trigger time in general.
I started out shooting my M&P Pro, and switched to my M&P after a while. I got to shoot the M&P at 25 yards off a rest, and it turned out to be not as accurate as I thought, roughly 6" group at 25 yards. They said I was going too fast to gauge accuracy, but the sight picture was good, and that's how I always shoot from a rest, so I think that's a pretty good representation.
Hsoi's new gun was also grouping on the order of 6", until he tried 124 grain bullets (his is a 9mm) and then it tightened up a lot. I was shooting 165 grain bullets (mine is a 40 S&W), and I'm wondering if 185 grain wouldn't do better in mine.
I got to try the FAST drill. I sucked. It didn't help any that my gun is shooting low, but I can't blame it all on that. Lot of trigger slapping, lots of rushing things. Also had a problem getting a good grip on the gun, it was wobbly at first.
I probably won't do the drill much, but it did point out that I need to be better at coming from the holster and making a precise shot. That's not something I am used to doing. At a match, I just want to come out fast. If I get a C on that shot, it's probably not a big deal and in many cases the difference between a fast C and a slow A is not that much.
There's always something to work on I guess.
Hsoi has a new M&P to try out, and I just needed some trigger time in general.
I started out shooting my M&P Pro, and switched to my M&P after a while. I got to shoot the M&P at 25 yards off a rest, and it turned out to be not as accurate as I thought, roughly 6" group at 25 yards. They said I was going too fast to gauge accuracy, but the sight picture was good, and that's how I always shoot from a rest, so I think that's a pretty good representation.
Hsoi's new gun was also grouping on the order of 6", until he tried 124 grain bullets (his is a 9mm) and then it tightened up a lot. I was shooting 165 grain bullets (mine is a 40 S&W), and I'm wondering if 185 grain wouldn't do better in mine.
I got to try the FAST drill. I sucked. It didn't help any that my gun is shooting low, but I can't blame it all on that. Lot of trigger slapping, lots of rushing things. Also had a problem getting a good grip on the gun, it was wobbly at first.
I probably won't do the drill much, but it did point out that I need to be better at coming from the holster and making a precise shot. That's not something I am used to doing. At a match, I just want to come out fast. If I get a C on that shot, it's probably not a big deal and in many cases the difference between a fast C and a slow A is not that much.
There's always something to work on I guess.
After you left, Tom and I kept shooting for a while then talked about things.
He commented on your performance and you know, I do think it's manifest of how you shoot. For instance, you said that you often just shoot into the berm. How do you know where your hitting? What sort of feedback are you getting about your accuracy? and then, on the one target you were shooting, like I had mentioned to you earlier, maybe you were going low-left, but everything was still in the A-Zone, some C-hits, but mostly A's.
So it's been a matter of your context of shooting and what's acceptable for it. Sure you're slapping/yanking the trigger, but you're still getting A-Zone hits and so for your shooting context it's all still acceptable, nothing to have to worry or work on or change, y'know?
But yeah... try shooting that FAST drill more. It's humbling. :-)
C's in practice are D's on match day.
One huge flaw in IPSC is that it encourages sloppy fast shooting, which is fun, but dooms a lot of IPSC shooters to a lifetime in "C" class.
All the top IPSC shooters train to shoot 90% A's or better on every stage, regardless of target size or distance, and they develop the discipline to "see what they need to see" and take the time necessary to get the hit. If you can't draw and get 6 A hits on a 15 yard, or 25 yard IPSC target, that should be a training priority, because 15-25 yard targets are where matches are won and lost. Similarly, if you shoot every target and every shot, regardless of target size or distance, the same speed using the same sight picture, that's a skill you should work on. Every M and GM level shooter I know has spent time shooting slow fire groups from benchrest, to really learn trigger control. Slow is not "one shot per second". Its maybe 3-5 slower and takes serious concentration.
Going to the range and trying to go fast, as goal #1, generally produces sloppy technique that will eventually halt progress at a plateau that can't be overcome without totally rebuilding technique from the ground up. The best way to be fast is to get the technique right - consistently - because consistency wins matches and gunfights. If you can do something 10 times out of 10, you will do right on match day. If you do one great run out of 10 tries, what happens on match day is you get the average of your worst runs. I have been down both roads and have notebooks of data documenting practice and match performance to prove it.
Practice is the time to hold yourself to higher, not lower, standards.
The FAST drill definitely sucked, but the rest of my shooting was fine.
The C zone hits were from mag dumps and double taps. I didn't know there was going to be a score. :)-~
But, yeah, I don't really practice anymore. Berm shooting is just plinking and it's fun to me for some reason. You do have to be accurate to hit a twig or clod or whatever on the berm.