The Official Redbrush/WSSC IDPA Thread

[sbcman]

For what it is worth, I've felt some pain & seen friends suffer same because we thought the above part was true. Even , and most frustratingly, when shooting slow bullseye shots I think the gun accuracy I measure on paper is sometimes a lot more about my trigger control & etc , even though it feels like I'm doing everything like I'm supposed to.
I'm back to trying to follow good advice (dry fire 100 rounds for each live fire round) & that seems to really help.

Not implying that that is what is going on with your testing, but for what it is worth that was what was going on with some of my recent testing. A clue to me was that my USPSA gun has something like a 2.5 lb trigger and that is the one I was least likely to shoot low left with. Trying to learn not to bother the gun until after I see the sights lift (and to routinely see the sights lift ) might be something worthwhile for me at least.

I encourage everyone that wants to take their shooting to the next level to read Jeff's post and let it sink in. It is human to want to cast our problems on anything or anyone but ourselves. Unless there is something mechanically wrong with a gun or barrel or sights that are stupidly off center or ammo that is WAY out of whack (as in running .355 bullets in .358 barrels, etc), any problems in accuracy at IDPA distances WILL be the fault of the shooter- period.

There's a reason Jeff knows this and I know this. Our pain, your gain, if you'll take it

 

[Kisada]

More fatigue, different grip, tighter grip ???

Went back to shooting 180 grain 40's at about 148 power factor. To me they feel softer than 147 9's at about 130 pf. Same everything except caliber and powder (clays in the 40 & power pistil in the 9). Just weird.

From what I understand, Clays is like TG, fairly puffy loads with beefy bullets, whereas Power Pistol is closer to mid/high end loads, like defense rounds.

 

[Kisada]

I encourage everyone that wants to take their shooting to the next level to read Jeff's post and let it sink in. It is human to want to cast our problems on anything or anyone but ourselves. Unless there is something mechanically wrong with a gun or barrel or sights that are stupidly off center or ammo that is WAY out of whack (as in running .355 bullets in .358 barrels, etc), any problems in accuracy at IDPA distances WILL be the fault of the shooter- period.

There's a reason Jeff knows this and I know this. Our pain, your gain, if you'll take it

I take all good advice I can get. I've got a somewhat over-analytical brain, so it's not so much wanting to blame something, it's more of a how/why is this happening and what can I do to fix it.

 

[sbcman]

I take all good advice I can get. I've got a somewhat over-analytical brain, so it's not so much wanting to blame something, it's more of a how/why is this happening and what can I do to fix it.

Good to know someone in our group has such a mind I figured the most of us just stop figuring stuff out when the brain starts to hurt, which doesn't take long with me.

 

[DustyDawg48]

I'm having enough problems letting it sink in that Jeff posted something worth letting sink it! sorry...could not resist!

Lots of great info changing hands here! The problem I have, among many, is really feeling like I am in unexplored territory for me. I am not sure where to work to get better. Obviously we all want to be a touch faster and a touch more accurate at the same time but working out how to get to that next level is sort of confounding me at the moment.

 

[looney2ns]

I'm having enough problems letting it sink in that Jeff posted something worth letting sink it! sorry...could not resist!

Lots of great info changing hands here! The problem I have, among many, is really feeling like I am in unexplored territory for me. I am not sure where to work to get better. Obviously we all want to be a touch faster and a touch more accurate at the same time but working out how to get to that next level is sort of confounding me at the moment.

Uh, we've listed the reasons...you just don't want to hear it me thinks.

Worrying about CZ failure? Hmm, even with half-a** maintenance I'll bet you'll be old and grey long before that becomes a concern. Just don't lube it with mud on a regular basis.

Thinking too much can cause problems of it's own, just ask Dusty.

Jeff and Tj have given some great advice in this thread, now and in the past. What my pea sized non-analytical brain gets from it all, is proper dry fire practice is king. Don't change guns every week and dry fire practice is king. Did I mention dry fire practice is good or mention don't change guns as often as your socks?

Maybe the entire key is to have dry fire targets hanging on the wall above our bed, like someone I know does.

 

[DustyDawg48]

I don't know...I have this terrible feeling that the ol' CZ is going to take a dump on you very soon! I'll give you $150 for it, the Comp-Tac and all your mags just to help you out, Brent

 

[looney2ns]

I don't know...I have this terrible feeling that the ol' CZ is going to take a dump on you very soon! I'll give you $150 for it, the Comp-Tac and all your mags just to help you out, Brent

I'll raise that to $150.89. Yeah, I'm helpful like that.

 

[DustyDawg48]

I'll raise that to $150.89. Yeah, I'm helpful like that.

He'll probably be a cheapass like Jeff. I totally offered Jeff like $116 for his S&W roundy-round gun and he's being all coy about it! Try to help people and what do you get?

 

[Grelber]

I'm having enough problems letting it sink in that Jeff posted something worth letting sink it!

The odds were strongly against it and so they shall forever remain.

of great info changing hands here! The problem I have, among many, is really feeling like I am in unexplored territory for me. I am not sure where to work to get better. Obviously we all want to be a touch faster and a touch more accurate at the same time but working out how to get to that next level is sort of confounding me at the moment.

I'm on a "start thinking dummy" kick.
Seems like TJ and Scott and Eadens (for example) are all more focused than the rest of us when they want to do well. They know where their feet will land when they are in the right spot to use cover on P2 and P3 and in general have a well rehearsed mental picture of how they are going to run the stage which includes all the pertinent details like reloads.
I suspect that they also put some thought into stuff like resting early during a match, staying well hydrated, eating what they need, making sure all of their equipment is as ready as it can be, etc.
I'm stuck like you on what way to go to try and make skill improvements but I think there are thinking improvements that I can make.
Oh, and not doing distracting stuff like paying attention to scores or holding on to whatever happened last stage.

 

[sbcman]

I'm having enough problems letting it sink in that Jeff posted something worth letting sink it! sorry...could not resist!

Lots of great info changing hands here! The problem I have, among many, is really feeling like I am in unexplored territory for me. I am not sure where to work to get better. Obviously we all want to be a touch faster and a touch more accurate at the same time but working out how to get to that next level is sort of confounding me at the moment.

Not that you asked for it, but I'll give my advice. There's not a lot left for you to do fundamentally, you know how to shoot and you know how to run a course. Same for Jeff. I think if you want to take things to the next level it's your mental game that needs to be formulated and implemented; specifically, you need to have a mental image of yourself operating at the next level in every match, every time. And dryfire practice on reduced size actual targets (see next quote).

Maybe the entire key is to have dry fire targets hanging on the wall above our bed, like someone I know does.

Great thing about having them there is the bed catches all the clips or mags. No straining the back. It's a work smarter not harder deal.

The odds were strongly against it and so they shall forever remain.

I'm on a "start thinking dummy" kick.
Seems like TJ and Scott and Eadens (for example) are all more focused than the rest of us when they want to do well. They know where their feet will land when they are in the right spot to use cover on P2 and P3 and in general have a well rehearsed mental picture of how they are going to run the stage which includes all the pertinent details like reloads.
I suspect that they also put some thought into stuff like resting early during a match, staying well hydrated, eating what they need, making sure all of their equipment is as ready as it can be, etc.
I'm stuck like you on what way to go to try and make skill improvements but I think there are thinking improvements that I can make.
Oh, and not doing distracting stuff like paying attention to scores or holding on to whatever happened last stage.

Good points, especially the last one. Don't let anything but positives carry with you unto the next COF. It helps to have everything in order in such a way that the only thing you have to deal with is the shooting itself. And then, once everything has been burned into the mind it's just a matter of letting it happen when the buzzer goes off. No need to even think about it, you've done that already.

If there is a difference between me, Brad and Scott I think it comes in the view we have of ourselves. Scott has been doing this for so long I doubt he even thinks about it much anymore. Brad is as good a shooter as any I've shot with, and I've been on squads with the best. But, it seems that he sometimes lowers his view himself when he sees top guys on shooters lists. This creates a defeated attitude that plays out in performance. Most of the time I see myself as being able to compete better than the best, even Jerry. Obviously I'm not, but I try to not think of myself any other way. The times I have thought the other way ended poorly for me, as at the Kolonel. Funny thing, me and the other Master there tried to run hard against each other, the two experts tried to run hard against each other and a sharpshooter just shot his match and beat all of us

It was a great lesson to learn and to share it here. I believe one of the things that keeps us all from hitting the next level is not being able to see ourselves as already there. We will perform in whatever light we've convinced ourselves we are performing at. It's a Bassham thing but man can it make a difference. The actual legwork of shooting still has to be there but when that work is united with the right mentality is when things begin to change.

Speaking of change, that's about all I have left. On top of the appliance apocalypse I've got to be in the dentist chair tomorrow. The only bullets I have on hand are some Berrys left over from S&W. So, don't know how that will come together for Saturday. I've got a few hundred 9 rounds..don't know, we'll see. I certainly should have burned a mental image in my mind as being one stocked full of lead over the winter.

 

[Grelber]

Don't let anything but positives carry with you unto the next COF.

I have not been exposed to this risk much, but I can even let positives mess with my head I think. At Riley last month they had like 4 groups of 4 targets set up at maybe 12 yards average, a hoser stage in other words. A very good shooter told me how to run the stage and it worked out well. What really screwed me up was that I had good cadence on the arrays (1st time ever and it just sounds cool). I got so fired up about what felt like progress that I shot the rest of the stages as if they were hoser stages and ,um, they were not.

Funny thing, me and the other Master there tried to run hard against each other, the two experts tried to run hard against each other and a sharpshooter just shot his match and beat all of us
It was a great lesson to learn and to share it here. I believe one of the things that keeps us all from hitting the next level is not being able to see ourselves as already there. We will perform in whatever light we've convinced ourselves we are performing at. It's a Bassham thing but man can it make a difference. The actual legwork of shooting still has to be there but when that work is united with the right mentality is when things begin to change.

Speaking of change, that's about all I have left. On top of the appliance apocalypse I've got to be in the dentist chair tomorrow. The only bullets I have on hand are some Berrys left over from S&W. So, don't know how that will come together for Saturday. I've got a few hundred 9 rounds..don't know, we'll see. I certainly should have burned a mental image in my mind as being one stocked full of lead over the winter.

Illinois state championship Sunday.
B.Fawcett had slide lock issues and did a tac reload on every reload to compensate. That had to hurt his time really bad. He shot his own match though and ended up 1st ssp sharpshooter with an expert bump.
D.O'Bradovich had a forgettable day on accuracy, still beat all the sharpshooters and some of the experts I think. I know he still beat Brian and spanked me as I heard about this often on the ride home.
Mark H. , I think it was his 2nd or maybe 3rd big match. He shot a little nervous I think but I suspect he will not next time.
Jim W. , very first big match. It looked like he was trying too hard and his score ended up a lot like my score at my first match. The last 3 or 4 stages though he seemed to get into the 'shoot your own match thing' and he shot them well, I'm thinking he went home on an up note and will walk into the next one with dues already paid.
Me, tried to just think about a good stage plan and not rushing acquisition of the sight picture or follow through. Was happy with the first 6 or 7 stages and then fell down a bit. Ended up 2nd esp out of 17 so no bump to expert but it felt like progress toward the goal.

Note: If you tell Jim to open a door at the beep, something is going to move when the buzzer sounds, if you want that thing to be the door instead of the entire building, you need to make sure the handle works.

I'm not going to feel sorry for a person who drives to the dentist in a new truck .

 

[sbcman]

I have not been exposed to this risk much, but I can even let positives mess with my head I think. At Riley last month they had like 4 groups of 4 targets set up at maybe 12 yards average, a hoser stage in other words. A very good shooter told me how to run the stage and it worked out well. What really screwed me up was that I had good cadence on the arrays (1st time ever and it just sounds cool). I got so fired up about what felt like progress that I shot the rest of the stages as if they were hoser stages and ,um, they were not.



Illinois state championship Sunday.
B.Fawcett had slide lock issues and did a tac reload on every reload to compensate. That had to hurt his time really bad. He shot his own match though and ended up 1st ssp sharpshooter with an expert bump.
D.O'Bradovich had a forgettable day on accuracy, still beat all the sharpshooters and some of the experts I think. I know he still beat Brian and spanked me as I heard about this often on the ride home.
Mark H. , I think it was his 2nd or maybe 3rd big match. He shot a little nervous I think but I suspect he will not next time.
Jim W. , very first big match. It looked like he was trying too hard and his score ended up a lot like my score at my first match. The last 3 or 4 stages though he seemed to get into the 'shoot your own match thing' and he shot them well, I'm thinking he went home on an up note and will walk into the next one with dues already paid.
Me, tried to just think about a good stage plan and not rushing acquisition of the sight picture or follow through. Was happy with the first 6 or 7 stages and then fell down a bit. Ended up 2nd esp out of 17 so no bump to expert but it felt like progress toward the goal.

Note: If you tell Jim to open a door at the beep, something is going to move when the buzzer sounds, if you want that thing to be the door instead of the entire building, you need to make sure the handle works.

I'm not going to feel sorry for a person who drives to the dentist in a new truck .

Another good point on coming to the next COF. It's really not a positive thing to smoke a stage and go into the next ones with an image of yourself that is far above your actual realm of reality. That, as you state, will not end well. As Bassham prescribes, just let everything that goes well or goes good be met with "that's like me" and soon, it will be, all the time.

I'm thinking that between Brad and DonO you might need to find other guys to ride to match with LOL

Congrats to Fawcett on the match bump! I think that's the first such bump from our little group at a major. Great job! Also congrats to you Jeff, 2 in a class of 17 at a major is indeed a progression towards the goal. Fantastic work gents!

Good to see so many from our way getting into majors now. This will only help the RB and WSSC clubs and all the shooters that attend their matches.

Really man, no sympathy even for dental visit? Brutal, just brutal

 

[DustyDawg48]

Jeff gave out some great advice (I know, I am as shocked as anyone) in "Be selfish". At some point you have to take that time he and TJ talked about before it's your turn to run the COF and stop pasting, resetting, scoring, SOin'g and everything else that isn't related to you being a competitor. It is getting a touch easier to do that with all the help we have; most matches will have 3-4 or more SO capable people in each squad and by sharing the timer and other responsibilities it can make it much easier on those that are doing the work. Everybody, even Jeff, should get several breathers in between him being the man with the timer to him being a competitor.

 

[rhinoroach]

I am considering going to the Gallatin match on the 14th. Is anyone else going.
I know that Brain, Brad, Don and Jeff are riding together.

 

[DustyDawg48]

Do it!!! You should get you one under your belt before Sellersberg..although Sellersberg in retrospect was not a bad one to have as a first major.

 

[Grelber]

http://ecbiz147.inmotionhosting.com...uploads/2014/02/MCTS_Cup2014_Registration.pdf

Or two.

Mr. Novocain, does the Music City Cup fill up fast or is there lots of time before forms need sent in ? (Oct. 4)

The fellow that runs it was at the Missouri State Championship this year. He said he wanted to make his match more challenging this year and he had an evil glint in his eye. Other thing he said he bought 100 acres north of Nashville and is moving his range a bit closer to us (by 2015 I think).

 

[sbcman]

http://ecbiz147.inmotionhosting.com...uploads/2014/02/MCTS_Cup2014_Registration.pdf

Or two.

Mr. Novocain, does the Music City Cup fill up fast or is there lots of time before forms need sent in ? (Oct. 4)

The fellow that runs it was at the Missouri State Championship this year. He said he wanted to make his match more challenging this year and he had an evil glint in his eye. Other thing he said he bought 100 acres north of Nashville and is moving his range a bit closer to us (by 2015 I think).

First off, I gotta share this. At the dentist I had one molar come out and five fake teeth go in. Seems I couldn't make 40 before a partial was needed. When my dentist got the partial out and was telling me about it, he said, and I quote "it's best to clamp the appliance in with your fingers instead of your teeth." I asked, "appliance" and he said "yeah, that's what they're called."

Seems I only thought the "appliance" apocalypse was over

Now to bitness, last year I don't think the Cup even filled up. Based on that, I'd say there's time. On the other hand, the IN State match has already filled and it didn't fill last year, so I'd recommend getting the application in as soon as you can and funds allow.

 

[DustyDawg48]

First off, I gotta share this. At the dentist I had one molar come out and five fake teeth go in. Seems I couldn't make 40 before a partial was needed. When my dentist got the partial out and was telling me about it, he said, and I quote "it's best to clamp the appliance in with your fingers instead of your teeth." I asked, "appliance" and he said "yeah, that's what they're called."

Seems I only thought the "appliance" apocalypse was over

Now to bitness, last year I don't think the Cup even filled up. Based on that, I'd say there's time. On the other hand, the IN State match has already filled and it didn't fill last year, so I'd recommend getting the application in as soon as you can and funds allow.

ouchy! you've had an expensive year so far and it isn't even half way over with yet!

This year I feel like I'm struggling to shoot at the level I was last year, which I'm honestly not, and it hans't completely sunk in how much practice/time I put in last year to get ready for Sellersberg's match...the long winter got to me and I didn't practice or reload or anything shooting related for quite a while and that has set me back a bit. After getting a few IDPA matches under my belt this year I feel renewed and I'm ready to go...heck I'm taking my comp gear with me on vacation to get in a few reps in between parks! LOL I'm also hoping to make the USPSA match in Owensboro on the 21st so that should be very interesting!

 

[sbcman]

Tell me about it!

You're definitely not shooting at the level you was last year. I think you've cranked it up a notch or two! Whatever you're doing..long break..eating many burritos..soccer practice..scrapbooking at WSSC..meditating on Jeff's posts, whatever, keep it going, you're doing good!

Along those lines, I've seen a lot of the RB/WSSC guys taking it to the next level. This is good!