Dry Practice Observations 2018

[Coach]

You might be right. My other bad stage at the match was the classifier. I shot it fine but my reloads sucked. As much as I work those in dry fire they should have been better. I guess I will double down in dry fire, and start working reloads in live fire. Only shot just over a 70% on the classifier. I won't make A this season at that rate.

You won a medal. That means more than a classification.

 

[riverman67]

Starts and stops
Starts and stops 2
Moving starts and stops
Breaking up the starts and stops
Outer limits
Pendulum
5 to go
6 r s
6 r w
Dot torture.
I did a little work with the dot gun and The Black Belt Standards.
I'm going to run through them tomorrow, I'll be lucky to make white belt.
Keep fouling the draw when I attempt to speed it up.

 

[riverman67]

You won a medal. That means more than a classification.

Damn right!

 

[cedartop]

Reloads
2R2
Unloaded table starts

 

[Coach]

Trigger Meet Sights 1,2,3
Front sight turn
Bill reload Bill
L to R
R to L
Step in
Move 6, reload 6
Plate transititons
LMR
RML
Bill Drill
unloaded table starts, 6
6 On the move

Carry Gun from Concealment:
Draws at 7 yards
3 X2 at 7 yards

 

[riverman67]

Got the live fire in this morning after the rain and before the heat....perfect
I did the drills with the carry guns, I suck horribly, no black belt here. I put it in the other thread.
I did the normal group shooting with the limited gun, no better no worse, I'll keep working on it.
My range has purchased a plate rack and I did my level best to wear it out today. It was still standing when I left but I think it was glad to see me go.
I ran the plate drills several times each. I worked my way back to 25 yards.
I then set up a mini stage and worked on entries and exits . Worked on reducing the time between positions.

 

[Coach]

Trigger Meet Sights 1,2,3
Front sight turn
Bill reload Bill
L to R
R to L
Step in
Move 6, reload 6
Plate transititons
LMR
RML
unloaded table starts, 6
6 On the move

Carry Gun from Concealment:
Draws at 7 yards
3 X2 at 7 yards
Bill Drill

I threw over 100 pitches of batting practice yesterday before football practice. My arm hurts this afternoon a little bit. I got through DF with the help of icy hot. It is Wednesday and I have not hurt my self doing unloaded table starts yet this week. Tonight was close. I nearly insert a magazine with my finger in the hole. No blood though.

Forgot to do bill drills before changing and guns and gear so I did it last with the back up old carry gun. Wearing a cover garment and sweating more seems so stupid.

 

[riverman67]

6r6
6rs
6rw
2r2
Table starts loaded and unloaded
Straight plates
Plate transitions

Carry gun
Draws at 7 and 25
3x2
Bill drills at 7

 

[cedartop]

6R6 moving
6R6SHO moving
6R6WHO moving
Front Sight Forward
2R2
BillRbill

 

[Coach]

Threw 125 "pitches" in batting practice
Hit 40 ground balls to the short stop
Football practice that looks a lot like herding cats

Finally:

Trigger Meet Sights 1,2,3
Front sight turn
Bill reload Bill
L to R
R to L
Step in
Move 6, reload 6
Plate transititons
LMR
RML
Bill Drill
unloaded table starts, 6
6 On the move

Carry Gun from Concealment:
Draws at 7 yards
3 X2 at 7 yards

 

[Coach]

Night session followed by an early morning session. Hope the progress is happening. Table starts without injury again. Feeling better about that. Thinking of bumping the par time down on Bill reload Bill. Which is exciting because trigger pressing speed is one place I suck.

Trigger Meet Sights 1,2,3
Front sight turn
Bill reload Bill
L to R
R to L
Step in
Move 6, reload 6
Plate transititons
LMR
RML
Bill Drill
unloaded table starts, 6
6 On the move

Carry Gun from Concealment:
Draws at 7 yards
3 X2 at 7 yards

Cover garment still seems stupid every single time.

 

[cedartop]

Night session followed by an early morning session. Hope the progress is happening. Table starts without injury again. Feeling better about that. Thinking of bumping the par time down on Bill reload Bill. Which is exciting because trigger pressing speed is one place I suck.

Trigger Meet Sights 1,2,3
Front sight turn
Bill reload Bill
L to R
R to L
Step in
Move 6, reload 6
Plate transititons
LMR
RML
Bill Drill
unloaded table starts, 6
6 On the move

Carry Gun from Concealment:
Draws at 7 yards
3 X2 at 7 yards

Cover garment still seems stupid every single time.

I just bumped mine down from 4 to 3.9 which I know isn't blisteringly fast, but considering my slow trigger finger it is getting there.

 

[Jackson]

What's your method for clearing the cover garment? How much time does it add?

 

[riverman67]

Dot torture
6r6
6rs
6rw
Stops and starts
Stops and starts 2
Moving stops and starts
Breaking up the stops and starts
Outer limits
Pendulum
5 to go
Wide transitions

Carry gun
Draws @ 7
Bill drills @ 7
3x2 @ 3
Draws @ 25

 

[riverman67]

What's your method for clearing the cover garment? How much time does it add?

I am using a second shirt and I sweep it back with the strong hand.
It adds somewhere between 0.3 and 0.5 to a gamer gear draw. Some of that is probably gear related but not much in my estimation.

 

[Jackson]

I am using a second shirt and I sweep it back with the strong hand.
It adds somewhere between 0.3 and 0.5 to a gamer gear draw. Some of that is probably gear related but not much in my estimation.

I always conceal with a closed front shirt and carry on the strong side. I use both hands to grab the base of the shirt and pull it up over the gun. My gun hand goes down to grip. My support hand holds the shirt at chest level until the gun comes up and hands connect. Obviously there is a lot of extra motion to this method and it takes time. It is very reliable, though.

I also try to run my draw through something approximating a high pectoral retention position to make that a consistent part of my draw. Anther time adder.

With those factors, and the significant way my skills have declined, the sub 1 second draw is going to be difficult. Though, all my best improvements usually came from having a more reliable index and picking the sights up faster/earlier in the draw stroke. So... Specific concealment methods may be less an issue than I'm giving it credit.

 

[riverman67]

Second session
2-12 from Refinement and repetition
Getting my stuff together for Atlanta tomorrow.

An unrelated observation
Today's weather is just about as good as it gets in August
I've spent the entire day either outside or in the garage.

 

[Coach]

I just bumped mine down from 4 to 3.9 which I know isn't blisteringly fast, but considering my slow trigger finger it is getting there.

Progress is progress regardless of the times.
My above par time runs start at 3.3. I go down to 3.0 for below par time. Thinking about bumping to 2.9

 

[Coach]

I always conceal with a closed front shirt and carry on the strong side. I use both hands to grab the base of the shirt and pull it up over the gun. My gun hand goes down to grip. My support hand holds the shirt at chest level until the gun comes up and hands connect. Obviously there is a lot of extra motion to this method and it takes time. It is very reliable, though.

I also try to run my draw through something approximating a high pectoral retention position to make that a consistent part of my draw. Anther time adder.

With those factors, and the significant way my skills have declined, the sub 1 second draw is going to be difficult. Though, all my best improvements usually came from having a more reliable index and picking the sights up faster/earlier in the draw stroke. So... Specific concealment methods may be less an issue than I'm giving it credit.

I am mainly doing it the way you describe. I am not paying enough attention to how high I bring the gun to even comment intelligently. I have played around with the open front draw but I find it inconsistent and different shirts are even more inconsistent.

 

[Coach]

300 rounds of live fire practice with Limited Gun. Broke the Front sight off the Brazos on the second repetition. Had to switch holsters and guns. At least I had it all with me for a change. I have been making Bill Drills a point of emphasis in dry fire. I hardly ever do them live because it seems like a waste of ammo and I suck at it. I am not will to shoot up the ammo it would take to get really good at this. So I have been trying to get better at it dry. I shot three of them cold. 2.11, 2.05 and 2.02. Normally I am 2.32 seconds. So I called it a victory. There were not any good hits to discuss, but I was pressing trigger faster than I normally do. It is a start.

Worked on shooting on the move for 100 rounds. It went well. I was trying to work at distances that were just beyond my comfort zone. I am hoping to at least be able to hit some targets getting into and out of positions at nationals. I don't expect to get a chance to shoot on the move much there.

I spent 150 rounds shooting at 23 yards at three small poppers and two paper targets. This went pretty well. It got better and better as it went along. If nothing else it was good practice. The last two times out it did not even look like good practice. So calling it a victory.

Unloaded table starts were done 12 times. I shot once per run on a target at 7 yards that was no shoot protected. My first run was 1.87 seconds and the slowest was 1.88. My fastest was 1.59 with a good hit. I had several in the 1.6 range with good hits. I shot the no shoot twice. Both no shoot hits were on runs were I fumbled ****ed the load. I was ok with the way this went. I did not have to bandage my thumb so the no injury streak is intact. But in all fairness I switched to the gun with front cocking serrations to it was easier. I usually hurt myself with the other gun. All the blood probably has weakened the metal.

Did some black belt standards. Some times I am a black belt and some times that ****er gets revoked. Working on being more consistent. Best 3X2 was 1.91 seconds. Worst time clean was 2.26. I did a few with a miss on the head shot, and sometimes I cannot count. It was hot so I shed that stupid cover garment and worked from OC how I normally carry.

Broke out the shotgun and did some work with The Gauge in pump configuration. Worked reloads into the session. Nothing to feel good about there. The shooting before the reload was fine all things considered.