Shooting @ Steel First Time AAR

[jedi]

Wild Deuce invited me to Steel Plate match at NPCCC. It was the first time I had ever shot at steel plates and !

It's like WAY BETTER than shooting at paper. You get an instant feedback of I hit or missed the target.

There were 4 stages in the match at NPCCC today ranging from 5 to 30 targets. Stages 1, 2, and 4 were all under 8 targets. Stage 3 had 33 targets I think.

The group was mostly older men. There was a female (older lady) and a few younger people mixed in as well. Everyone was very friendly (I was the only new shooter) and made me feel right at home and giving me tips.

So what did I learn?

1) I need a

of practice because I miss way more than I hit. Unless you are standing 10' in front of me I'm not too sure I'm gonna hit you at this point.

2) Learned a new way to load my 1911 faster and safer.
a) load the magazine
b) Use the slide stop and let the spring chamber the round

I have a std out of the box Springfield 1911 GI style so my slide stop is small. Guess I know what I have to do this coming week. Practice reloading this way.

Note at this time I'm NOT interested in changing parts on my 1911 to increase my speed at the matches. I'm not interested in winning the matches but more in using the matches to practice my draw from CC, reloading, and hitting the targets.

3) Bring some Gatorade/water next time cause by the end I was tired.

4) Betty (my 1911) did not like me at times cause by the end my right hand was bleeding a little due to hammer bite. Guess Betty loves it rough!

5) Combat Wilson magazines are the BOMB! Thanks Wild Deuce for letting me borrow some. It's so much easier to reload them then my Springfield mags. Plus they hold 8 rounds vs my 7.

6) Round count. Holy

14 rounds go by real quick! I was doing a ton of reloads during the stages cause single stack 1911 is just not enough ammo. I've none this for a long time but this match just reinforced it that while I love my 1911 unless I get proficient in it I better only shoot when the distance in 10' or under or get a gun with a bigger round count.

Those XDms in .40 or 9mm sure are looking a lot better now with their 16 and 19 round counts.

7) Putting away all those steel plates at the end of the match is a bear! Those things are heavy.

8) After 200 rounds my trigger finger hurts as does my left hand. Guess I'm getting old.

Overall I had a blast and it showed me the reality of how bad/good a shot I am.

 

[critter592]

Sorry...had to.

 

[jedi]

Sry but I did not take any pics. Was too busy reloading most of the time. =)

 

[GhostofWinter]

Glad you had fun. This is the first match I have shot since the father's day IDPA match at NPCCC. I have to say I am VERY rusty as well. I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn from INSIDE today! I had fun, but it only goes to show me that I have GOT to get to the range more now that my hand has healed from the surgery the first of August.

Also shows me that I need to get my reloading equipment set up and running so I my ammo cost go down a bit. LOL

 

[cornfused]

Sry but I did not take any pics. Was too busy reloading most of the time. =)

Just get you some more mags! 8 rounders!

 

[jedi]

Just get you some more mags! 8 rounders!

Yes and No.

It's unrealistic to be walking around with four 8 round 1911 mags for daily carry + the one in the gun. Well you could but that would give me only 40 rounds whereas using a XDM with just 3 mags (16 for the .40 you are already at 48 and 57 for a 9 mm). So realistically I see myself just downgrading to a .40 xdm or even a 9mm since ammo is much cheaper.

 

[Wild Deuce]

Do not sell yourself short. You did very well today. Remember, it was your very first shot (pun intended) at competitive shooting as well.

Don't get caught up in the gear lust either (unless you need an excuse for a new gun ). You practiced all week and it showed on your reloads. Continue to practice, take all the tips that everyone gave you today and learn to master your 1911 even more than you did today. Remember the saying ... "Fear the man with only one gun, he probably knows how to use it."

Yes, a gun with a bullet bucket attached is nice and nobody ever complained that they had too much ammo after a gunfight but you must also remember that the chances of being faced with 33 adversaries (half of which are 3 feet tall hiding behind barrels) at one time are pretty slim. Learn how to get one hit per trigger pull (I'm still working on that one myself) before you reach for the high capacity guns. A high capacity gun will just let you get the misses quicker with fewer reloads ... something I was reminded of myself today.

Now if you think that a 9mm bullet hose (like a GLOCK or XD) will allow you to excel due to decreased ammo cost and increased trigger time ... well then, that is a factor to consider. There is also the option of using a .22lr conversion kit for your 1911.

I have a std out of the box Springfield 1911 GI style so my slide stop is small. Guess I know what I have to do this coming week. Practice reloading this way.

I showed you in practice one way to complete the reload and you were given a tip today showing you a different way (hitting the slide stop). Neither way is "wrong" and you have to decide what works best for YOU. I gave you my reasons for my way in regards to a defensive situation. The tip you were given was geared towards competition. It is up to you to try both ways and decide ... followed by continuous practice.

Thanks for coming out. Glad you had fun.

 

[YogiRC51]

Do you mind sharing the tips you got? Was it geared towrads 1911's or could it be used on any gun. Always Looking for new techniques. Thanks in advance.

 

[Wild Deuce]

BTW, glad to have met you today GOW! Hope that hand continues to heal.

 

[Cru]

Question, because I shot my first steel match (FNS) friday night! So now of course I am an expert!

Did they have different classes? If so were you shooting in Single Stack? If this is the case then everybody would only have the same amount of ammo that you have.

Glad you had fun. Steel is SO much more fun than paper. I have wanted some targtets for a while, but I wasn't sure about spending the money. Once my WIFE shot steel, she was hooked too, so we now have 3 Steel Targets from Bobcat Steel, and I built a stand for them. Heck, we even joined MCFG because they are one of the clubs that let you shoot at steel. A couple of clubs closer wouldn't let me bring steel so I joined one that would.

Ok, this is a long post.. but I love shooting steel!

 

[Wild Deuce]

Cru, yes. They had a Single Stack division for this match since they added the 33 target stage (normally, they range from 5 to 8 targets max per stage).

 

[Cru]

Sounds like a fun shoot! I was running production. So I had to limit myself to 10 rounds per mag.

 

[jedi]

There is also the option of using a .22lr conversion kit for your 1911.

Won't this defeat the purpose of the "recoil" effect of a .45? Meaning sure I will learn to shoot the 1911 with a .22 load which is probably not going feel like anything but when you add a .45 load it's gonna "hurt" per say.

Today it's my right hand palm that is sore.

I showed you in practice one way to complete the reload and you were given a tip today showing you a different way (hitting the slide stop). Neither way is "wrong" and you have to decide what works best for YOU. I gave you my reasons for my way in regards to a defensive situation. The tip you were given was geared towards competition. It is up to you to try both ways and decide ... followed by continuous practice.

Thanks for coming out. Glad you had fun.

I did try it a bit last night after cleaning the 1911. Wow was she dirty! It feels different and my fear was getting my fingers cut while the gun was going into battery. That and the release is real small on my 1911.

Do you mind sharing the tips you got? Was it geared towrads 1911's or could it be used on any gun. Always Looking for new techniques. Thanks in advance.

Here is what I recall.

- Wear clothing that allows you to get to the gun, holster and extra mags and not allow the cloths to interfere.

(This is strictly for competition. I wore a t-shirt and wanted to draw from CC but since I was a new shooter they (ROs) did not feel comfortable me doing that "in front of them" so I did not push the subject. I have been practicing daily 20 mins drawing from CC and reloading so I felt comfortable doing it and not blowing off my foot but they did not so I did not push it.)

- The main RO told several of us that we should NOT re-grip the gun after missing. In doing that you are changing your entire line of sight/stance. Many of us would hit a target, then miss the next one so we would re-grip the handgun (ie change the way we were holding it) and miss again.

If you miss after hitting the first one it is NOT the grips (since you hit the first one) it's something else (ie. stance, eye coordination, hand extended, pulling the gun down before the trigger being pulled, etc.)

- Don't drop your mags on the ground as they can get damaged.
(This is strictly for competition)

- If you miss 2 or more in a row, stop (for a few seconds) and refocus on what you are doing. Breathing, sights leveled, trigger control, etc.. Don't just continue to keep shooting and not adjust something.


---
Most of the people in our group were using 9mm, some .40 as well. Wild Deuce also told me that some of the serious competitors also used custom "light" loads to ensure min. recoil as well. The majority of the "competition" shooters also had all sorts of add-on sights on their weapons along with a thick belt with lots of mag holders on it.

Again stuff geared for serious competition but not really practical for daily carry. I'm not knocking them or their gear. It works for what they are suing it for (faster time and easy target finding via sights). But that was not the intent for me. I wanted to see what I can do using what I daily carry (ie. std 1911, commercial ammo, and IBW holster)

 

[chef larry]

Glad to see you got out to shoot some steel poppers, the fun part was to load them on the carts to set up the ranges for a match and find one or two of the tires were flat, ^%$##(*&*^$#^* cart wheels and carry them all the way by hand to the farthest range and still be at least two or three poppers short. Talking about some shooters with the expensive gear for competition, I was at NPCCC to help set up the range and was talking to a person who had a custom STI 1911 style in .38 super, saying he just spent over three grand to bring the pistol up to his specs. Reminds me of the old saying: the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Looks like the need to update my gear bug has bit you for some new magazines and other stuff, HEY NOW ONLY 75 SHOPPING DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS.

 

[Wild Deuce]

The purpose of the 22lr conversion kit is to:

• Remove the recoil effect and allow you to focus on the other fundamentals such as sight alignment/picture and trigger control. (this helps identify and overcome any flinching)
• Reduce the cost of practicing and thereby increase the reps.
• Allow you to use the same platform in practice that you carry daily.

It has been explained to me that the proper use of the conversion kit would involve finishing a practice session with the full size caliber.

 

[jedi]

Glad to see you got out to shoot some steel poppers, the fun part was to load them on the carts to set up the ranges for a match and find one or two of the tires were flat, ^%$##(*&*^$#^* cart wheels and carry them all the way by hand to the farthest range and still be at least two or three poppers short. Talking about some shooters with the expensive gear for competition, I was at NPCCC to help set up the range and was talking to a person who had a custom STI 1911 style in .38 super, saying he just spent over three grand to bring the pistol up to his specs. Reminds me of the old saying: the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Looks like the need to update my gear bug has bit you for some new magazines and other stuff, HEY NOW ONLY 75 SHOPPING DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS.

Where you there on SAT morning? I got there around 8AM and helped with the final setup. Helping put the stuff away was a bear! Those steel targets are heavy by the end of the day.

 

[turnandshoot4]

I am so very jealous. I'll be honest. Competing has got me all

Furthermore, I don't have anything to compete with. Not that I CAN'T acquire something, I just don't have anything right now.

 

[Cru]

I am so very jealous. I'll be honest. Competing has got me all

Furthermore, I don't have anything to compete with. Not that I CAN'T acquire something, I just don't have anything right now.

Don't let nerves get to ya! I was nervous about shooting in Friday Night Steel for the first time, but they were all a good bunch of guys and it was super fun!

 

[Woodrow]

Sounds like a lot of fun. I'd like to try steel. I'd really like to get into some kind of shooting sports. I need some mag holders, but I've got several holsters for my 1911s.

 

[Wild Deuce]

Woodrow, Turnandshoot4 or anyone else interested in trying it, PM me and we'll talk. I can provide anything and everything you will need on match day (includes a gun, mags, holster, carriers and detailed instruction specific to the match). You will only need a positive attitude, spare time beforehand for us to meet and you to practice. Your only cost will be the match fee and the ammo. Preparation and knowledge beforehand can eliminate a lot of the jitters. (I can only do this for one and maybeeee two persons at a time. Availability will also depend on my work schedule.)

*I don't know if they still plan on holding any more Steel Plate matches this year but that is where I would recommend a new (to competition) shooter start.