Bianchi Cup - May 19th-23rd

[slow1911s]

Total or mover?

Just the Mover, smartie. I posted and 1800 total that day.

 

[Soundslikejosh]

With all due respect, since you gentlemen are all way above me, how does a guy clean the mover but drop 120 points on the match? (Of course 1800 is completely respectable)

I guess another way of saying this is: If you love the mover, which stage is your nemesis?

 

[rreinholt]

The simple one, the plates. I would some how drop a plate now and then. With wings for the barricade, I might drop 2 points and the pratical some times up to 6 points.

 

[rhino]

I've never shot the Bianchi Cup, but I love shooting Action Pistol. I'm sorely disappointed that there are not NRA AP events at Wildcat this year. I hope it will return next year because I miss it.

When you read about it or hear about AP from someone, it doesn't sound like that much fun, especially if you're primarily a USPSA or IDPA shooter. If you try it, however, it's addictive. It's one of the most challenging shooting sports around, and you get to fire 192 rounds each time.

I've only shot in metallic sights/production divisions with a very modest Kimber .45 and my trusty Springfield 9mm "purse gun." My best total was 1491 on 11JUNE06, which was also the day I set my personal record on the mover with a 404 and on the plates with 370 (37 plates). On 02MAY04 I shot 404 on the barricades, and my best on the practical was 391 on 01MAY05.

Each year my goal is to shoot a 1600 total. Obviously that won't happen this year since I won't get the chance to shoot any matches, but maybe next year I'll do it.

I'm not good at any of the four events, but I suck the most at the plates. It's not unusual for me to get on 20-25 of the 48 plates in a given match.

 

[Ahab]

BTW - Production has been a division since at least 04. It is one of the biggest myths of the game - you don't need a tricked out gun to shoot this game.

Thanks for the tips, btw. I figure I'm going to get brutalized - my rep (and skill set) is built towards being fast and necessarily as accurate as I'll need to be for the cup.

With regards to production division, they have made changes to it this year - instead of allowing basically any gun as a catch-all category, the rules have been tweaked to more closely resemble USPSA's production division, or IDPA Stock Service Pistol division; and they've dumped a lot of prize money into production as well.

Is this your first Bianchi, or were you being redundant saying that its the first time you will shoot the new division?

This is my first Bianchi Cup ever. I did an interview with Tom Hughes, NRA's Action Pistol co-ordinator on Gun Nuts Radio, so then NRA decides they want me to come shoot the match, and who am I to argue with them? As far as my expected finish, I really have no idea where my skills will put me. I'd like to finish in the Top 50 in Production, because that will put me in the money - and that's also a goal that's probably obtainable for me. My personal goal for my first ever Cup? Keep all my bullets on the paper and only miss a couple of plates.

 

[slow1911s]

I guess another way of saying this is: If you love the mover, which stage is your nemesis?

The Barricade has my number. The Practical isn't much better. I can shoot 450-460s on the Mover and Plates, but I struggle to shoot better than 430's on the other two.

 

[Ahab]

My biggest fear is the plates, personally. In practice, there's something about being 10 yards in front of steel that turns me from a gravel-eating hardass into someone who can't even find the front sight. I blame Congress.

It's going to be interesting to see how the Production scores shake out - I know that Team Glock and Team S&W will have people there shooting Production, and that a lot of the guns in this division are going to be fixed sight DA or striker fired guns. Hell, my gun has fixed novak sights on it, so my "50 yard adjustment" will be more like kentucky windage.

 

[slow1911s]

My biggest fear is the plates, personally. In practice, there's something about being 10 yards in front of steel that turns me from a gravel-eating hardass into someone who can't even find the front sight. I blame Congress.

It's going to be interesting to see how the Production scores shake out - I know that Team Glock and Team S&W will have people there shooting Production, and that a lot of the guns in this division are going to be fixed sight DA or striker fired guns. Hell, my gun has fixed novak sights on it, so my "50 yard adjustment" will be more like kentucky windage.

If you have access to a plate rack, do all of your practice at 25 yds. If you can work clean runs at 25, then everything in front of that will be easier (note that I didn't say easy b/c none of it is).

A lot of the guys who shot at the Winimac range learned to shoot the plates at 50 yds. There isn't many places where you can practice like that. If you can, do it.

Another fantastic piece of advice I got from Brian Enos about shooting the plates is this: take as much time as you need on the first plate to make a good shot. Very simple, very effective.

Also, if you don't know your times for each stage and yardage, start working on them now. Get your mental clock down: Here they are

Barricade - 10y (5 sec) 15y (6 sec) 25y (7 sec) 35 yds (8 sec)
Plates - 10 y (6 sec) 15y (7 sec) 20y (8 sec) 25y (9 sec)
Mover - 10y & 15y 6 seconds for 6 shots, 20y & 25 y 6 seconds for 3 shots
Practical -

• 10 y
  • 1 rd each target (2 targets) 3 sec
  • 2 rd ea target 4 sec
  • 3 rd ea target weak hand, unsupported 8 sec
• 15 y
  • 1 rd ea 4 sec
  • 2 rd ea 5 sec
  • 3 rd ea 6 sec
• 25 y
  • 1 rd ea 5 sec
  • 2 rd ea 6 sec
  • 3 rd ea 7 sec
• 50 y
  • 1 rd ea 7 sec
  • 2 rd ea 10 sec
  • 3 rd ea 15 sec

 

[Ahab]

Thanks! I had the courses of fire all printed out, but this is a much handier reference guide.

Unfortunately, I don't have my own plate rack. What I do have though is a long piece of 2x4 and a bunch of 8 inch diameter shoot'n'See targets. Those become my "plates" for practice, spread out over the appropriate distance for a plate rack. I also got the blaster sighted in with my 124 grain match ammo for the 9mm, so we're basically set from a gear standpoint. I just need to get more magazines from Para.

 

[slow1911s]

Do you even want to start talking about lead on the Mover?

 

[Soundslikejosh]

As far as my expected finish, I really have no idea where my skills will put me. I'd like to finish in the Top 50 in Production, because that will put me in the money - and that's also a goal that's probably obtainable for me. My personal goal for my first ever Cup? Keep all my bullets on the paper and only miss a couple of plates.

Sounds good Ahab. My question was about a projected score- are you a 1000 shooter, a 1500, 1800, 1900+, etc. No shame in being a 1000 shooter either-- Rhino and I are having club tee shirts made .

Best of luck to you in MO. Marion County Fish and Game club has a plate rack. I don't know if it only comes out for the steel matches, or if there is some other way to get practice time. You might ask INGunOwners - View Profile: VUPDblue about it, he's a member.

 

[Mike Elzinga]

The hillbilly mover lead system works fairly well for most iron sight guns unless your bullet is super fast or super slow. Hold the outside edge of the scoring ring, expanding a ring for each yardage. Edge of the 10 at 10, edge of the 8 at 15, edge of the paper at 20 and a rings width (2") at 25. Rankin is welcome to correct me if im off.

No one fully called Rankin out yet as the former Junior champ, so I will..... He has been there and done it, take his advice with the credibility it deserves. As fate would have it there have been a number of successful Bianchi shooters from IN, and a number of records held by IN shooters.

 

[Ahab]

Do you even want to start talking about lead on the Mover?

Mike's post about Hillybilly lead on the mover echoes what I was told at SHOT SHOW - with a regular 9mm, just hold the outside of the 10 ring at 10 yards, the 8 at 15, the paper at 20 and a little off the paper at 25.

The sad thing is that I won't be able to practice on the mover until I actually get to Missouri, since there isn't anywhere around Fishers that's really set up to shoot it.

To answer soundslikejosh's question, I figure I'm probably about a 1500 shooter. I used to be a fair hand at NRA Collegiate Bullseye back in the day, and I do alright in club level (and state level) IDPA matches, so to be perfectly honest, I'll be disappointed with my performance if I don't break 1300.

 

[rhino]

Ahab, if you're serious about this, you should join Wildcat Valley Rifle & Pistol Club, which is located near Brookston Wildcat Valley Rifle and Pistol Club. They have four shooting bays with the barricades, plates, mover, and practical event set in them all the time. If you're a member, you could go there and practice any time you want.

 

[Ahab]

Yeah, I was hoping that the cats at Wildcat were going to have some Action Pistol matches this year before The Cup, but it seems I'm out of luck in that regard.

 

[rreinholt]

Your mover lead might be a little much. With a 148 gr bullet running at the 120PF you could reduce the leads. My lead was:

10 yards outer X ring
15 yards middle 10 ring
20 yards middle to outer 8 ring
25 yards an inch out of the 8 ring.

Remember the move is at a speed of 6 feet a second. You can do the math and calculate the lead need with the speed of your bullet. Of course, a heavy gun and dot make it easier. Get on the target quick and shoot most of your rounds in the middle third of the course. Good luck, and as Dad would say "Shoot'em in the Middle"

 

[Ahab]

Well, I'm hitting the road for Bianchi Cup with nothing but a Para Tac-5 and 1000 rounds of 9mm ammo to my name. Sure I've got clothes and food and stuff, but let us be honest, all that is just window dressing for the match. If you want to follow my coverage of the match, check it out online at GunNuts.Net. It will be an honor to get my ass kicked by Dave Sevigny!

 

[slow1911s]

Dave is shooting this year?

He's good, but this isn't his game. I'd worry about TGO, Doug, Tony, Mike, Kevin, Carl, any of the Kiwis, Vera Koo, any of the Aussies,...do I need to go on?

Anyway, looking forward to your report. Shoot straight, have fun and put 'em in the middle.

 

[Ahab]

W/regards to Dave - all of Team Glock is shooting this year. Glock put some serious dough behind the new and improved Production Division, so Dave and Randi Rogers are both shooting Production with Glock 34s, and Jessie Abbate is shooting Open with some kind of godawful Glock 17L or some damn thing.

The "new" production division is set up to mirror USPSA style Production, with some minor changes here and there. It's what I'm shooting, so tomorrow after I get registered I'm going to try and get out to the practice range and take a whack at the mover.

 

[slow1911s]

That's cool. I talked with Dave quite a bit at the '06 Cup and he had, at that time, Glock all on board for the Production division (which existed then, but not like it is now), but the folks with NRA who ran it didn't want Glock's money. Baffled me, too.

Make sure you watch several guys shoot the mover before giving it a go. Remember, ti is six seconds whether you're going for 6 or 3 shots. Do NOT look for your hits - this is entirely about watch the sights in relation to the lead points.

Good luck!