I don't talk about specifics from my day job very often. Here especially, and only rarely on my personal blog. I work in the insurance claims industry handling high exposure and litigated commercial liability claims. From time to time, I get assigned to handle claims involving the use of firearms in one form or another. It can be anything from a security guard discharging a gun in self defense to drug deals gone bad to drive by shootings and more.
Yesterday, a claim was assigned to me involving a tragic set of facts. I won't go into too much detail because anyone with more than novice Google Fu skills could probably track it down without too much trouble. Long story short and the lead in to the point of this post, a police officer had to shoot two dogs that had attacked someone.
I was able to meet with my insured this afternoon, and (unusually) there is security video of the event including the shooting. On the plus side, I get to see what happened and when. On the negative side, the incident happened more than 25 yards from where the security camera was mounted making details a little fuzzy (literally).
While I do not know what caliber the officer used, I feel pretty confident in assuming it was some flavor of Glock or Sig 9mm as the majority of the departments in my area issue either Glock 17s or Sig P226s in 9mm. I mention this only to say that the make and caliber of the gun are likely irrelevant given what I saw in the video.
Quick warning to the squeamish, I am about describe what I saw which resulted in the deaths of two dogs. I am a dog lover, and I had to watch it. So, I will do my best to mitigate the imagery.
The officer shot the first dog from a distance of about 5 yards. The first shot was not a killing shot, and the dog started spinning around very quickly. Now, I'm not going to fault the officer for failing to kill the dog on the first shot. I wasn't there, I don't know the officer's experience, etc. What my point here is that the response of the dog to the first shot made all subsequent shots much harder. The second dog, seeing what happened to dog number one, became very agitated and started a spin cycle of its own. I could not tell how many rounds were fired; however, I didn't see a reload involved. So, less than 17 is a safe assumption.
Here are the lessons I would like to offer up in light of this video.
1) Shot placement is everything. Make it count because you might only get one chance. It does not matter how fast you shoot or what caliber you use if you miss the target. Conversely, caliber (within reason) does not matter if you hit the target.
2) Moving targets are harder to hit. This should be self evident to most people, but it bears repeating.
3) Movement buys you time. In this case, the dog could potentially have survived the first shot had it had an avenue of escape and run away. In the self defense context, it's better to be a moving target than a static target.
Showing posts with label shooting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shooting. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Range Night - DOT Torture Success!!
On the heels of GunDiva's recent post on shooting buddies, I scooted off to the range with my best friend for a little pew pew therapy and a stated goal to clean DOT Torture at three yards. The goal was to accomplish that with the Ruger 22/45 and Sig P320 Compact in 9mm. I'm pleased to say that the results were much improved from my last outing.
This was almost a perfect run. As you can see, I dropped 1 shot in the 3 dot when I anticipated the shot allowing the barrel to dip just enough. Other than that, I'm pretty pleased with that performance. It's also helpful to know what I did wrong that kept it from being perfect.
This could be a little tighter, but it's clean and that's what matters to me. YAY ME!!! Next goal is to clean the .22 at 3 yards and move both back to 5 yards.
The rest of the range session included a couple of mags through my buddies Springfield Armory 5" 9mm 1911. Allegedly, it's a TRP model, but there are some doubts on that subject. It could be a modified Loaded model given that he bought it used off a competition shooter. The trigger was typical 1911. This one was equipped with Bomar style adjustable sights.
First shot was the 8 ring hit at roughly 11 o'clock using a center X hold. Adjusted the point of aim progressively to 5 o'clock in the 8 ring, and that's the rest of the shots.
Here again, point of aim was roughly five o'clock low. I can't complain with those results.
Time and energy were turned into smoke and noise. A good time was had by all. I didn't embarrass myself, and it beats a day at the office any way you slice it.
 |
| Ruger 22/45 at 3 yards |
This was almost a perfect run. As you can see, I dropped 1 shot in the 3 dot when I anticipated the shot allowing the barrel to dip just enough. Other than that, I'm pretty pleased with that performance. It's also helpful to know what I did wrong that kept it from being perfect.
 |
| Sig P320 Compact 9mm at 3 yards |
The rest of the range session included a couple of mags through my buddies Springfield Armory 5" 9mm 1911. Allegedly, it's a TRP model, but there are some doubts on that subject. It could be a modified Loaded model given that he bought it used off a competition shooter. The trigger was typical 1911. This one was equipped with Bomar style adjustable sights.
 |
| SA 5" 1911 at 5 yards |
 |
| SA 5" 1911 at 7 yards |
 |
| Sig P320 Compact at 3 yards |
 |
| Ruger 22/45 at 5 yards |
 |
| Ruger 22/45 at 5 yards |
 |
| Ruger 22/45 at 5 yards |
 |
| Ruger 22/45 at 5 yards - Target transitions left to right and back |
 |
| Sig P320 Compact 9mm at 5 yards - Target transitions left to right and back |
 |
| Frankly, I don't remember what I was doing or at what distance. |
 |
| Sig P320 Compact 9mm at 5 yards - Target transitions left to right and back (getting better) |
 |
| Ruger 22/45 at 10 yards |
 |
| Ruger 22/45 at 15 yards |
 |
| Target transitions - Ruger 22/45 at 5 yards - point of aim 1" red pasters |
 |
| Target transitions - Ruger 22/45 at 5 yards - point of aim red line between targets |
 |
| Target transitions - Ruger 22/45 at 5 yards - point of aim 1" red pasters |
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Range Night and Other Odds and Ends
I just realized I never got around to posting part 3 of the Caliber series of posts. Oops. I'll get around to it eventually. Maybe. No one's been sending me hate mail asking where it is. So, maybe not.
I had an opportunity to get out to the range this evening with my best friend. It was my first chance to go pistol shooting since we attempted to simulate a small war in Hill County on Mother's Day. Much fun was had by all; but, sweet barbecue sauce, it was monkey melting HOT that day. We took turns shooting and sitting in the shade of carefully positioned canopies while drinking plenty of water, and it was still hot enough to marinate in your own juices. I didn't take many pictures that day because...it was just too dang hot to be bothered.
I did get to play with several toys that were brought by others including:
Ruger SR9 - my brother in law's Christmas gift from my sister. It's a polymer 9 made by Ruger. You could do a lot worse. Trigger is nothing to right home about, but I went bang every time.
Savage Mark II bolt action .22LR rifle with a suppressor - my cousin's friend Alex brought this little number out to play. It came nestled into a Boyd's At-One Adjustable Stock and propped up by a bipod. This thing was a frikkin' giggle factory. You've not heard quiet until you shoot subsonic .22LR ammo out of a suppressed bolt action rifle. Savage makes a really good trigger. However, their little stamped steel magazines, while functional, could be used to shave in a pinch. I guess I'm just spoiled by Ruger 10/22 mags.
Sig P226 and P229 - Best friend brought both. I still don't shoot DA/SA triggers worth a flip, but I didn't embarrass myself quite as badly this time. Both of these guns are very nice with SRT triggers, upgraded suppressor height sights, etc. Maybe one day I will invest the time, energy and money into learning DA/SA triggers to make it worth it to add one to the collection. In the meantime...there's always 1911s to play with.
No name, homegrown, AR-15 chambered in 9MM. My cousin's friend is a budding machinist in addition to being a gun nut. He made the lower receiver himself. Not hogged out an 80% lower on a jig made it. He took a block of aluminum, a mill, some measurements and went to town. This one uses stick mags, but he has another one he made which takes Glock mags. He's single and still lives at home with mom. So, he can get away with making his own toys.
AR-15 with a CMMG .22LR upper and a Franklin Binary trigger system - This is another giggle factory. It's as close to full auto as you are going to get this side of a tax stamp, and very controllable. I was able to put 25 rounds of standard velocity CCI onto a 3x5 note cards at 25 yards as fast as I could pull the trigger using a red dot optic. Like I said...giggle factory.
Tried out a 16 inch .300 Blackout AR upper on my Aero Precision lower. I might just have to get one as a short to medium range hunting option. Roughly the same power as a 7.62x39 or a .30-30. Not much more recoil that a 5.56/.223 AR.
There was my best friend's Sig P320 X-Carry with the Romeo1 red dot on it. He's had a lot of stuff done to it including a flat faced trigger and a Norsso slide. I would need to spend a lot more time with it to give a fair opinion, but the trigger is really nice for a polymer striker fired gun. I need more time on a red dot equipped pistol to be anywhere near comfortable with them. It fed the rounds down range with reasonable accuracy. Further, affiant sayeth not.
There was a lot more stuff out there, but I didn't get to play with all of it.
Tonight was pistol night though.
We started off with DOT TORTURE. Again.
The hardest part of Dot Torture is learning to take your time. Once you learn how to control your gun and clean to drill, you can add a time element in...if you're a masochist. I probably should have run a magazine through the gun before starting the drill just to knock the rust off. But, sometimes you just have to see if you can perform the dancing bear routine cold.
I'm not even sure how to score this target. If I'm being generous, that's a 42 out of 50. If I'm being honest, that's a sub 40 circus of mediocrity.
Learned something new tonight. Well, not really new per se. I already sort of knew it. I had just never thought about it in the context of a pistol before. When you shoot a bullet, it flies in a parabolic arc. That means that it leaves the barrel and "climbs" a little bit above the line of sight until evil, old gravity sucks it back to earth at which time it drops back below the line of sight and keeps going until it hits pay dirt. What this means for the pistol shooter is that your point of impact will "rise" as range increases for a constant point of aim to a certain point (the top of the parabolic arc). Rifle shooters already know this stuff and have serious, poo slinging arguments over what the best distance is to zero their weapons or maximum point blank range and other silliness that pistol shooters typically ignore.
My friend suggested I give this a whirl with the Sig P320 and the Ruger SR1911. The way you do this is put a 1" paster on the bottom of a piece of paper or 3x5 note card. Heck, any target will do. The key is to use the same point of aim. Fire one shot at 3 yards. Move the target back to 5 yards. Fire one more shot. Keep doing this at 7, 10, 15, 20 yards, etc. out to whatever range you can realistically center your sights on the same 1" paster point of aim reference. You should see your point of impact "ladder" vertically at each distance. With the P320, I shot a 3 round cloverleaf at 3, 5 and 7, but the 10 yard shot was definitely above the others. With the SR1911, the effect was more noticeable with each round stringing vertically with distinct separation between each shot. The shot at 3 yards was at least 2 to 3 inches lower (maybe 4) than the shot at 10 yards.
It's something everyone should do with any gun/ammo combination you intend to rely on for self defense. Not every self defense situation occurs at the same distance at which you practice, and you need to know where your gun will shoot for a given point of aim at a given distance. As a general rule of thumb, lower your point of aim as distance to target increases. Know yourself. Know your gear. Because you never know when you will have to hit the light switch on an intruder's CNS...in the dark...with your pulse doing twice the speed of light.
Last but not least, we did draws from concealment shooting two rounds on an A zone target at 5 yards. This was to put to bed a bit of smack talking that took place some months ago when my friend mentioned he'd picked up a shot timer and was working on his draws. He had started out in the 4 second range for 2 shots on target from concealment. I allowed as how he was a ham handed, gormless ape with no thumbs and two left feet. He questioned my parentage and allowed as how I could put up or shut up. I challenged him to same gear/same distance, and he suggested loser buys a box of ammo. So, I put on his Deadpool Kydex holster along with the previously mentioned 9mm Sig P320 Carry and gave it my best draw from concealment.
According to the timer, I threw down a 2.23 second time landing both hits in the A zone at 5 yards. Frankly, I'd never timed myself specifically on draw to double tap before...ever...much less using this gun and holster. So, the result was news to me. If I were to practice more with that gun and holster set up, I'm pretty sure I can bring that down in the sub 2 second range. Probably. Maybe. I'll just keep telling myself that.
Now, though, it was my best friend's turn. His time....drumroll please....2.40 seconds. Huge improvement over where he started in the 4 second range.
After all was said and done, we agreed that we were both in the same ballpark and the contest was a draw. It was all smoke and noise, and we had a great time.
Oh, one last thing, I ran 10 rounds through my friends Sig P365. This is Sig's new sub compact carry pistol which manages to stuff 10 rounds of 9mm in a package roughly the same size as a Glock 43 or a S&W Shield. The things shot amazingly well for a gun that size. I put all 10 in a head shot grouping of about 2 to 3 inches from 5 yards. I'll just say I wouldn't turn one down if it were given to me.
I had an opportunity to get out to the range this evening with my best friend. It was my first chance to go pistol shooting since we attempted to simulate a small war in Hill County on Mother's Day. Much fun was had by all; but, sweet barbecue sauce, it was monkey melting HOT that day. We took turns shooting and sitting in the shade of carefully positioned canopies while drinking plenty of water, and it was still hot enough to marinate in your own juices. I didn't take many pictures that day because...it was just too dang hot to be bothered.
I did get to play with several toys that were brought by others including:
Ruger SR9 - my brother in law's Christmas gift from my sister. It's a polymer 9 made by Ruger. You could do a lot worse. Trigger is nothing to right home about, but I went bang every time.
Savage Mark II bolt action .22LR rifle with a suppressor - my cousin's friend Alex brought this little number out to play. It came nestled into a Boyd's At-One Adjustable Stock and propped up by a bipod. This thing was a frikkin' giggle factory. You've not heard quiet until you shoot subsonic .22LR ammo out of a suppressed bolt action rifle. Savage makes a really good trigger. However, their little stamped steel magazines, while functional, could be used to shave in a pinch. I guess I'm just spoiled by Ruger 10/22 mags.
Sig P226 and P229 - Best friend brought both. I still don't shoot DA/SA triggers worth a flip, but I didn't embarrass myself quite as badly this time. Both of these guns are very nice with SRT triggers, upgraded suppressor height sights, etc. Maybe one day I will invest the time, energy and money into learning DA/SA triggers to make it worth it to add one to the collection. In the meantime...there's always 1911s to play with.
No name, homegrown, AR-15 chambered in 9MM. My cousin's friend is a budding machinist in addition to being a gun nut. He made the lower receiver himself. Not hogged out an 80% lower on a jig made it. He took a block of aluminum, a mill, some measurements and went to town. This one uses stick mags, but he has another one he made which takes Glock mags. He's single and still lives at home with mom. So, he can get away with making his own toys.
AR-15 with a CMMG .22LR upper and a Franklin Binary trigger system - This is another giggle factory. It's as close to full auto as you are going to get this side of a tax stamp, and very controllable. I was able to put 25 rounds of standard velocity CCI onto a 3x5 note cards at 25 yards as fast as I could pull the trigger using a red dot optic. Like I said...giggle factory.
Tried out a 16 inch .300 Blackout AR upper on my Aero Precision lower. I might just have to get one as a short to medium range hunting option. Roughly the same power as a 7.62x39 or a .30-30. Not much more recoil that a 5.56/.223 AR.
There was my best friend's Sig P320 X-Carry with the Romeo1 red dot on it. He's had a lot of stuff done to it including a flat faced trigger and a Norsso slide. I would need to spend a lot more time with it to give a fair opinion, but the trigger is really nice for a polymer striker fired gun. I need more time on a red dot equipped pistol to be anywhere near comfortable with them. It fed the rounds down range with reasonable accuracy. Further, affiant sayeth not.
There was a lot more stuff out there, but I didn't get to play with all of it.
Tonight was pistol night though.
We started off with DOT TORTURE. Again.
 |
| 43 out of 50 at 5 yards with a Ruger Mk3 22/45 |
 |
| Same distance - Sig P320 Carry 9mm |
Learned something new tonight. Well, not really new per se. I already sort of knew it. I had just never thought about it in the context of a pistol before. When you shoot a bullet, it flies in a parabolic arc. That means that it leaves the barrel and "climbs" a little bit above the line of sight until evil, old gravity sucks it back to earth at which time it drops back below the line of sight and keeps going until it hits pay dirt. What this means for the pistol shooter is that your point of impact will "rise" as range increases for a constant point of aim to a certain point (the top of the parabolic arc). Rifle shooters already know this stuff and have serious, poo slinging arguments over what the best distance is to zero their weapons or maximum point blank range and other silliness that pistol shooters typically ignore.
My friend suggested I give this a whirl with the Sig P320 and the Ruger SR1911. The way you do this is put a 1" paster on the bottom of a piece of paper or 3x5 note card. Heck, any target will do. The key is to use the same point of aim. Fire one shot at 3 yards. Move the target back to 5 yards. Fire one more shot. Keep doing this at 7, 10, 15, 20 yards, etc. out to whatever range you can realistically center your sights on the same 1" paster point of aim reference. You should see your point of impact "ladder" vertically at each distance. With the P320, I shot a 3 round cloverleaf at 3, 5 and 7, but the 10 yard shot was definitely above the others. With the SR1911, the effect was more noticeable with each round stringing vertically with distinct separation between each shot. The shot at 3 yards was at least 2 to 3 inches lower (maybe 4) than the shot at 10 yards.
It's something everyone should do with any gun/ammo combination you intend to rely on for self defense. Not every self defense situation occurs at the same distance at which you practice, and you need to know where your gun will shoot for a given point of aim at a given distance. As a general rule of thumb, lower your point of aim as distance to target increases. Know yourself. Know your gear. Because you never know when you will have to hit the light switch on an intruder's CNS...in the dark...with your pulse doing twice the speed of light.
Last but not least, we did draws from concealment shooting two rounds on an A zone target at 5 yards. This was to put to bed a bit of smack talking that took place some months ago when my friend mentioned he'd picked up a shot timer and was working on his draws. He had started out in the 4 second range for 2 shots on target from concealment. I allowed as how he was a ham handed, gormless ape with no thumbs and two left feet. He questioned my parentage and allowed as how I could put up or shut up. I challenged him to same gear/same distance, and he suggested loser buys a box of ammo. So, I put on his Deadpool Kydex holster along with the previously mentioned 9mm Sig P320 Carry and gave it my best draw from concealment.
According to the timer, I threw down a 2.23 second time landing both hits in the A zone at 5 yards. Frankly, I'd never timed myself specifically on draw to double tap before...ever...much less using this gun and holster. So, the result was news to me. If I were to practice more with that gun and holster set up, I'm pretty sure I can bring that down in the sub 2 second range. Probably. Maybe. I'll just keep telling myself that.
Now, though, it was my best friend's turn. His time....drumroll please....2.40 seconds. Huge improvement over where he started in the 4 second range.
After all was said and done, we agreed that we were both in the same ballpark and the contest was a draw. It was all smoke and noise, and we had a great time.
Oh, one last thing, I ran 10 rounds through my friends Sig P365. This is Sig's new sub compact carry pistol which manages to stuff 10 rounds of 9mm in a package roughly the same size as a Glock 43 or a S&W Shield. The things shot amazingly well for a gun that size. I put all 10 in a head shot grouping of about 2 to 3 inches from 5 yards. I'll just say I wouldn't turn one down if it were given to me.
Saturday, November 4, 2017
I'm Sorry (An Open Letter)
To the woman at the gun shop today,
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I didn't interrupt when the (older, male) idiot behind the counter insisted that women needed revolvers instead of a semi-auto, because apparently we women are to stupid to learn to identify and clear malfunctions.
I'm sorry I didn't offer to help when I saw you in the lane next to me with a snub-nosed thirty-eight, and your (young, male) "gun expert" encouraging you to continue shooting a gun you were obviously not comfortable with.
I spent the entire time watching you and wanting to pull you aside, wanting to tell you to take a proper class, wanting to tell you the men who were advising you today were idiots who have no idea what they were talking about.
You see, a snub-nosed revolver is an expert's weapon, not a beginner's one, but the "experts" you had to deal with today aren't expert enough to know that.
I'm not an expert, but I dedicate a lot of time to shooting and studying shooting. I knew they were steering you wrong.
I should have broken my rule of not offering unsolicited advice, and for that I'm sorry. I've been angry at myself ever since.
Please accept my apologies,
GunDiva
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I didn't interrupt when the (older, male) idiot behind the counter insisted that women needed revolvers instead of a semi-auto, because apparently we women are to stupid to learn to identify and clear malfunctions.
I'm sorry I didn't offer to help when I saw you in the lane next to me with a snub-nosed thirty-eight, and your (young, male) "gun expert" encouraging you to continue shooting a gun you were obviously not comfortable with.
I spent the entire time watching you and wanting to pull you aside, wanting to tell you to take a proper class, wanting to tell you the men who were advising you today were idiots who have no idea what they were talking about.
You see, a snub-nosed revolver is an expert's weapon, not a beginner's one, but the "experts" you had to deal with today aren't expert enough to know that.
I'm not an expert, but I dedicate a lot of time to shooting and studying shooting. I knew they were steering you wrong.
I should have broken my rule of not offering unsolicited advice, and for that I'm sorry. I've been angry at myself ever since.
Please accept my apologies,
GunDiva
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Happy Dance!
One of my shooting goals for this year was to shoot 200 rounds per month and I was running out of time to meet my goal. Mez and I went to the range on Sunday, where I'd hoped to finish out my 200. I took my GSG 1911-22. I have a fair bit of .22LR right now, and can afford to shoot that up, so for the next bit that's what I'll be practicing with.
I've some *this close* to shooting the Dot Torture clean for well over a year. My last attempt was with the G42 and G43 last month. Close, but no cigar. For our Sunday Gunday, I planned on shooting the drill with both my right and left hands. I might have been a bit cocky, knowing that shooting a full-sized 1911 chambered in .22 should have been a breeze compared to shooting the drill with pocket pistols. The last time I shot the Dot Torture with the GSG was in October of 2012. It's been a while and I didn't realize until I reviewed the post just how badly I'd sucked that go 'round.
Sunday's trip to the range wasn't as great as I had hoped, but it was a damn sight better than the time I shot it in 2012!
I am a Weaver shooter. It's the way I was taught, and it's what I'm comfortable with. However, we teach isosceles in our pistol classes, so I thought I'd shoot the way I'd been teaching. Isosceles is not at all comfortable for me. It's not so much the fighting the muscle memory that's difficult, but the girls get squished and in the way; it's physically uncomfortable for me to shoot isosceles. However, discomfort or not, I was determined to shoot both drills (right- and left-handed) in this manner. I can't say I hate the stance if I don't give it a fair shake, right?
Sunday Gunday was still a pretty good day, despite the fact that I should have shot much better than I did. I got range time, got to hang with Mez, and slung 100 rounds down range. There are much worse days than that.
Even with Sunday's shooting trip, I was short of my goal by about 40 rounds. I didn't have to be into work until noon today, so I took my happy ass to the range for another round of Dot Torture with the GSG. This time was much better!
I reverted to my Weaver stance, the girls breathed a sigh of relief, and we got started. I threw my first round because I forgot that the sights are wonky. I stopped, put the gun down, gave myself a good reminder that I know that sights are off and re-started. Instead of getting a whole new target, I started over and continued with this one.
I was so thrilled with my first two groups I stopped the drill to take a picture. Usually when I start off strong, I get ahead of myself and that's when my shooting goes to crap. I wanted proof that I could shoot well before I went and blew it.
I warned myself not to get cocky and to take each shot one at a time. Take as much time as I needed and make the freaking shot.
The GSG is having some serious issues, but I worked through each and every one without getting frustrated and it showed. I had easily a 40% failure to fire rate. I took that opportunity to practice my trigger press without flinching and practice clearing the gun.
I had intended to leave the gun with the gunsmith, but since he wasn't in, I decided that I'm going to try to fix it myself. I think the issue is that the gun is dirty. I cleaned it really well the other day, but I know I haven't done a complete tear-down and cleaning (like to the frame tear-down) since I've owned it. If that doesn't fix the problem, then he'll have to go to the gunsmith.
By the end, my hands and arms were tired, but I was thrilled! I might have to do this shooting before work business more often!
I've some *this close* to shooting the Dot Torture clean for well over a year. My last attempt was with the G42 and G43 last month. Close, but no cigar. For our Sunday Gunday, I planned on shooting the drill with both my right and left hands. I might have been a bit cocky, knowing that shooting a full-sized 1911 chambered in .22 should have been a breeze compared to shooting the drill with pocket pistols. The last time I shot the Dot Torture with the GSG was in October of 2012. It's been a while and I didn't realize until I reviewed the post just how badly I'd sucked that go 'round.
Sunday's trip to the range wasn't as great as I had hoped, but it was a damn sight better than the time I shot it in 2012!
 |
| Right handed 40/50 |
 | ||
| Left handed 39/50 |
Sunday Gunday was still a pretty good day, despite the fact that I should have shot much better than I did. I got range time, got to hang with Mez, and slung 100 rounds down range. There are much worse days than that.
Even with Sunday's shooting trip, I was short of my goal by about 40 rounds. I didn't have to be into work until noon today, so I took my happy ass to the range for another round of Dot Torture with the GSG. This time was much better!
I reverted to my Weaver stance, the girls breathed a sigh of relief, and we got started. I threw my first round because I forgot that the sights are wonky. I stopped, put the gun down, gave myself a good reminder that I know that sights are off and re-started. Instead of getting a whole new target, I started over and continued with this one.
I was so thrilled with my first two groups I stopped the drill to take a picture. Usually when I start off strong, I get ahead of myself and that's when my shooting goes to crap. I wanted proof that I could shoot well before I went and blew it.
 |
| I was pretty happy with this start. |
 |
| Right handed 50/50 |
 |
| Left handed 46/50 (I scored it incorrectly initially) |
I had intended to leave the gun with the gunsmith, but since he wasn't in, I decided that I'm going to try to fix it myself. I think the issue is that the gun is dirty. I cleaned it really well the other day, but I know I haven't done a complete tear-down and cleaning (like to the frame tear-down) since I've owned it. If that doesn't fix the problem, then he'll have to go to the gunsmith.
By the end, my hands and arms were tired, but I was thrilled! I might have to do this shooting before work business more often!
Monday, January 2, 2017
... And Starting 2017 with a Bang!
After Saturday's happy day at the range, I was hoping to get out again, but the weather didn't look like it was going to cooperate on Sunday. I did some horse chores, then decided it was warm enough to take the dueling tree for a run. I texted my brother to grab his wife and their guns to join me.
(Okay, I had to invite them, because the dueling tree doesn't fit in my car, but don't tell them that.)
If you don't follow us on Facebook, you might be a bit behind on the dueling tree saga. I've had this tree for a while - years - but back when I was in the running to audition for Top Shot I accidentally shot a hole in one of the plates with a 45-70. I say accidentally, because though I was aiming at the plate, I didn't actually think I'd hit it. I was shooting from the Bosu and the tree was out there a ways. In fact, I think I have video of it somewhere - I'll have to look for it.
Anyway, I went to the lowest bidder to fix the plates and the fixes were bad, Bad, BAD, so the tree has been sitting out of commission for about five years. In talking to one of the shooters at my local match, I found that he is a welder and he offered to make new plates for me. I jumped at the chance!
Mez took the tree frame to his place to clean up the rust and re-paint it. I got all mushy on Facebook about how I'd found my "tribe" and how lucky I was to have people in my life who were willing to pitch in and help. I got a picture of my new plates and they were beautiful.
A few days later, Jay and I were pulling into the driveway and Jay just stopped the car for a moment and turned to tell me, "looks like Mez dropped off your tree". I had my nose buried in my phone for some reason and looked up to see my pink, sparkly tree. Yes, pink. With sparkles.
Pink.
With sparkles.
*sigh*
So my "new" dueling tree has been sitting outside of my front door for a month, it was time to take it for a spin. My brother was kind enough to pick it up and haul it to my friend's house. She was kind of cute with her bright white plates (well, three of them anyway) and her sparkles.
Besides being plain fun to shoot, I love the instant feedback. I've been struggling with my Big Dot sight on my Para. And by struggling I mean, I hate the damn thing! I've spent the better part of two years trying to learn to shoot with it because I'm too cheap and stubborn to switch back to my factory sights. It took three shots to figure out how to use the stupid Big Dot.
I had been lining up my sights to cover the target, as instructed when I switched to the Big Dot. I never felt comfortable with that, because it's so big that I couldn't really see what I was shooting at. My first couple of shots on the dueling tree were misses and when I asked my brother for feedback, he told me I was shooting over the plates. I adjusted my sight picture so that the target was sitting on top of the Big Dot sight and got my first hit. Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke I did it again and again. Shooting at steel was just what I needed - I needed the immediate feedback on my sight picture. When shooting at paper, it's not always easy to see if you've impacted where you were aiming.
We took turns shooting at the tree and had a blast. Finally, as it was getting colder, my brother and I went head-to-head on it. It was a draw, with each of us winning a round.
The tree lost some of its sparkles (I think each of the three of us managed to hit the frame at least once), and the shiny new white plates are no longer shiny and new.
I made a good dent in my goal of 200 rounds/month, shooting 60 rounds through the Para. Only 140 rounds to go this month and 30 days left to do it.
(Okay, I had to invite them, because the dueling tree doesn't fit in my car, but don't tell them that.)
If you don't follow us on Facebook, you might be a bit behind on the dueling tree saga. I've had this tree for a while - years - but back when I was in the running to audition for Top Shot I accidentally shot a hole in one of the plates with a 45-70. I say accidentally, because though I was aiming at the plate, I didn't actually think I'd hit it. I was shooting from the Bosu and the tree was out there a ways. In fact, I think I have video of it somewhere - I'll have to look for it.
Anyway, I went to the lowest bidder to fix the plates and the fixes were bad, Bad, BAD, so the tree has been sitting out of commission for about five years. In talking to one of the shooters at my local match, I found that he is a welder and he offered to make new plates for me. I jumped at the chance!
Mez took the tree frame to his place to clean up the rust and re-paint it. I got all mushy on Facebook about how I'd found my "tribe" and how lucky I was to have people in my life who were willing to pitch in and help. I got a picture of my new plates and they were beautiful.
 |
| So shiny and pretty. |
Pink.
With sparkles.
*sigh*
So my "new" dueling tree has been sitting outside of my front door for a month, it was time to take it for a spin. My brother was kind enough to pick it up and haul it to my friend's house. She was kind of cute with her bright white plates (well, three of them anyway) and her sparkles.
Besides being plain fun to shoot, I love the instant feedback. I've been struggling with my Big Dot sight on my Para. And by struggling I mean, I hate the damn thing! I've spent the better part of two years trying to learn to shoot with it because I'm too cheap and stubborn to switch back to my factory sights. It took three shots to figure out how to use the stupid Big Dot.
I had been lining up my sights to cover the target, as instructed when I switched to the Big Dot. I never felt comfortable with that, because it's so big that I couldn't really see what I was shooting at. My first couple of shots on the dueling tree were misses and when I asked my brother for feedback, he told me I was shooting over the plates. I adjusted my sight picture so that the target was sitting on top of the Big Dot sight and got my first hit. Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke I did it again and again. Shooting at steel was just what I needed - I needed the immediate feedback on my sight picture. When shooting at paper, it's not always easy to see if you've impacted where you were aiming.
We took turns shooting at the tree and had a blast. Finally, as it was getting colder, my brother and I went head-to-head on it. It was a draw, with each of us winning a round.
The tree lost some of its sparkles (I think each of the three of us managed to hit the frame at least once), and the shiny new white plates are no longer shiny and new.
I made a good dent in my goal of 200 rounds/month, shooting 60 rounds through the Para. Only 140 rounds to go this month and 30 days left to do it.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Sending 2016 out with a Bang
I needed some trigger therapy, so I hit Mez up to take me to his indoor range. Most of my shooting has been done outdoors (in fact, that's what I'll be doing today), but I'm getting soft in my old age and shooting in a climate controlled area sounded wonderful.
My goal was to shoot the Dot Torture with both the G42 and the G43. I have been playing around with the idea of buying a 43. I like the 42, I really do, and have been carrying it pretty consistently for a couple of years, but I really like the idea of the 43.
I haven't shot the Dot Torture with the G42 since April; before that, the last time I shot the drill with the G42 was November, 2015. It's been a long time and I haven't been great about practicing. I'm confident enough with it that I carry it daily as a "get outta my face" gun, same as when I was carrying my Beretta Bobcat (.25 cal) and my Beretta Tomcat (.32 cal).
I shot the drill cold with the G42 and am not upset by the way I shot it. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised I did so well. My issue with any of the drills I shoot is that I get too much into my head - I start over-thinking everything. I have the skills to shoot these drills clean, but I need to find the quiet spot in my head. I need my shooting Zen place.
What I love about the Dot Torture is that I can pretty easily identify where I'm screwing up. Even when I "miss" my circle, I'm within a 1/2 inch of it. My confidence in the G42 soared with this go 'round. Feeling pretty good, I switched to the G43.
I was pretty disappointed with this round. Right off the bat, I got hung up on the crappy stock Glock trigger (Glock perfection, my ass), but that really isn't a valid excuse. I should be able to shoot *any* gun with *any* trigger, even if I'm a bit of a trigger princess.
I pulled my big girl panties back up, took a deep breath and had a second go with the G43.
I definitely need a lot more trigger time. My weak had was so tired, I could barely stay on target to pull the trigger, even with that, I did manage to stack two rounds. For the first time in a long time, I was pleased with the way I shot.
I felt so good that I challenged Mez to a little competition. We sent a target (8 1/2" by 11" piece of paper) out to 25 yards to see who could get the most of five rounds on paper. He won the first round, I won the second. It's a rare thing for me to beat him in anything, so I'll take it.
I left the range absolutely elated. It's been a very long time since I felt a "shooter's high" - where I just flat-out enjoyed shooting.
My goals for 2017 include way more shooting: 200 rounds per month; one match per month; and dipping my toes into 3-gun competition. I need a lot of work with my shotgun, but I've got people I can call on to help me with that portion. Through it all, I hope to continue to feel the "shooter's high" I felt yesterday. I've missed that feeling so much.
My goal was to shoot the Dot Torture with both the G42 and the G43. I have been playing around with the idea of buying a 43. I like the 42, I really do, and have been carrying it pretty consistently for a couple of years, but I really like the idea of the 43.
I haven't shot the Dot Torture with the G42 since April; before that, the last time I shot the drill with the G42 was November, 2015. It's been a long time and I haven't been great about practicing. I'm confident enough with it that I carry it daily as a "get outta my face" gun, same as when I was carrying my Beretta Bobcat (.25 cal) and my Beretta Tomcat (.32 cal).
I shot the drill cold with the G42 and am not upset by the way I shot it. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised I did so well. My issue with any of the drills I shoot is that I get too much into my head - I start over-thinking everything. I have the skills to shoot these drills clean, but I need to find the quiet spot in my head. I need my shooting Zen place.
What I love about the Dot Torture is that I can pretty easily identify where I'm screwing up. Even when I "miss" my circle, I'm within a 1/2 inch of it. My confidence in the G42 soared with this go 'round. Feeling pretty good, I switched to the G43.
 |
| 1st time through. 39/50 is a crappy score. |
I pulled my big girl panties back up, took a deep breath and had a second go with the G43.
 |
| Much better. 44/50. |
I felt so good that I challenged Mez to a little competition. We sent a target (8 1/2" by 11" piece of paper) out to 25 yards to see who could get the most of five rounds on paper. He won the first round, I won the second. It's a rare thing for me to beat him in anything, so I'll take it.
I left the range absolutely elated. It's been a very long time since I felt a "shooter's high" - where I just flat-out enjoyed shooting.
My goals for 2017 include way more shooting: 200 rounds per month; one match per month; and dipping my toes into 3-gun competition. I need a lot of work with my shotgun, but I've got people I can call on to help me with that portion. Through it all, I hope to continue to feel the "shooter's high" I felt yesterday. I've missed that feeling so much.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Kickin' Up Dirt
Mez and I had a little range time today. It's the first Sunday of the month, which usually means Defensive Pistol, but neither of us were feeling it, so we went to my friend's house and shot out there instead.
Today was pocket pistol day; we had the Glock 42, Glock 43, and the Browning 1911 .380.
I love my little G42. I still need a few hundred more rounds with it to be completely proficient, but I was doing okay at 15-ish yards. I just love that it fits my hand so well; after years of struggling with my G23, it feels good to pick up a Glock and shoot it without having to do the "juggle".
I was itching to get my hands on Mez's G43 and about snatched it out of his hands when he offered it to me. Yep, love it too. My first six rounds knocked out the center of the 2" Shoot N C at about 10 yards. My next eight were with a mag with a magazine extension. I did not shoot so well with that one, I think because the Glock mag extension sucks. Instead of allowing your pinkie finger to follow the same angle as the rest of your hand, it juts forward. My group widened from less than 2" to about 4". Just to test my hypothesis, I switched back to the standard magazine and drilled another sub-2" hole. Guess I won't be buying any mag extensions for my G42 if they're made anything like the ones for the G43.
When I was done playing with the Glocks, Mez broke out the Browning 1911 .380. We'd seen it at SHOT Show and giggled at it. I mean, it's just so ... cute.
About a month ago, Mez found one and picked it up. I love, love, love this gun. As much as I love my Glocks, I really love my 1911s. I currently have two: my Para-Ordnance LTC and my GSG 1911-22. I love them both a whole lot. Picking up this Browning 1911 was like going home. It felt amazing and, despite the fact that the sights are stupid, I shot the shit out of that little gun. Immediately, I started thinking that I should get one for myself and switch to it from my G42 for my carry gun.
Mez must have seen my excitement building, because he said, "I want to show you something before you get too excited." That's the equivalent of "we need to talk" in my book and my heart sank a little bit. He field stripped the gun and handed me a plastic guide rod. Are you kidding? That sweet shooting little gun has a freaking plastic guide rod.
As far as my Google-fu can tell, there isn't an after-market metal guide rod replacement and I'm not certain I want to depend on a gun with a plastic (excuse me, polymer) guide rod. It's kind of an expensive little gun when compared to the Glocks (though I thought it shot like a dream) but this scares me. If I do decide to get one, I'd definitely immediately buy a replacement just to have on hand. It will be interesting to see how many rounds it cycles until failure. It might be a non-issue, but I'm not 100% certain I want that in my carry gun.
Mez will go much more in-depth in his reviews he's working on, I'm sure.
But, dang it, I love that little gun. *sigh*
When we were done with the pocket pistols, he broke out his sexy new toy (sorry, I didn't get all the particulars, but I'm sure he'll share when he gets that post written). I believe it's a Desert Tech .308 with some fancy glass on it.
It was kind of an expensive way to annihilate prairie dogs, but it was a lot of fun. It doesn't fit me at all, but it was a lot of fun to shoot anyway.
Such a great way to spend my Sunday; I hope you all have a great Labor Day and get some pew time in.
Today was pocket pistol day; we had the Glock 42, Glock 43, and the Browning 1911 .380.
I love my little G42. I still need a few hundred more rounds with it to be completely proficient, but I was doing okay at 15-ish yards. I just love that it fits my hand so well; after years of struggling with my G23, it feels good to pick up a Glock and shoot it without having to do the "juggle".
I was itching to get my hands on Mez's G43 and about snatched it out of his hands when he offered it to me. Yep, love it too. My first six rounds knocked out the center of the 2" Shoot N C at about 10 yards. My next eight were with a mag with a magazine extension. I did not shoot so well with that one, I think because the Glock mag extension sucks. Instead of allowing your pinkie finger to follow the same angle as the rest of your hand, it juts forward. My group widened from less than 2" to about 4". Just to test my hypothesis, I switched back to the standard magazine and drilled another sub-2" hole. Guess I won't be buying any mag extensions for my G42 if they're made anything like the ones for the G43.
When I was done playing with the Glocks, Mez broke out the Browning 1911 .380. We'd seen it at SHOT Show and giggled at it. I mean, it's just so ... cute.
About a month ago, Mez found one and picked it up. I love, love, love this gun. As much as I love my Glocks, I really love my 1911s. I currently have two: my Para-Ordnance LTC and my GSG 1911-22. I love them both a whole lot. Picking up this Browning 1911 was like going home. It felt amazing and, despite the fact that the sights are stupid, I shot the shit out of that little gun. Immediately, I started thinking that I should get one for myself and switch to it from my G42 for my carry gun.
Mez must have seen my excitement building, because he said, "I want to show you something before you get too excited." That's the equivalent of "we need to talk" in my book and my heart sank a little bit. He field stripped the gun and handed me a plastic guide rod. Are you kidding? That sweet shooting little gun has a freaking plastic guide rod.
As far as my Google-fu can tell, there isn't an after-market metal guide rod replacement and I'm not certain I want to depend on a gun with a plastic (excuse me, polymer) guide rod. It's kind of an expensive little gun when compared to the Glocks (though I thought it shot like a dream) but this scares me. If I do decide to get one, I'd definitely immediately buy a replacement just to have on hand. It will be interesting to see how many rounds it cycles until failure. It might be a non-issue, but I'm not 100% certain I want that in my carry gun.
Mez will go much more in-depth in his reviews he's working on, I'm sure.
But, dang it, I love that little gun. *sigh*
When we were done with the pocket pistols, he broke out his sexy new toy (sorry, I didn't get all the particulars, but I'm sure he'll share when he gets that post written). I believe it's a Desert Tech .308 with some fancy glass on it.
It was kind of an expensive way to annihilate prairie dogs, but it was a lot of fun. It doesn't fit me at all, but it was a lot of fun to shoot anyway.
Such a great way to spend my Sunday; I hope you all have a great Labor Day and get some pew time in.
Monday, July 6, 2015
When I Suck, I Admit It
I have been intermittently cranky, which could be attributed to a couple of things: 1) I'm female and that just happens, or 2) lack of range time.
Mez, the shooting hubby, told me I needed to take my "pew pew pills" to cure my crankiness. He was right, it had been months since I'd done any shooting and I missed it.
Friday rolled around and I decided to hit the range. I had some unused money on a gift card - just enough to buy 100 rounds of .380 and some range time, so off I went to the range.
I hadn't shot the Glock 42 seriously since May of last year. I knew it had been a while, but I didn't think it had been that long! I shot an entire defensive pistol match with it and did okay. Not spectacular, but okay considering I was using a "mouse gun" and it was the first time I'd had it out of the box.
Because I did okay in the match, I felt fairly confident taking the Baby Glock to the range to run the Dot Torture drill. It's a tough drill, even when I'm in practice.
I sucked. I sucked badly. There are excuses I could make, but why? I'm rusty and I know better. However, since I feel like it's important to share the bad with the good, here are my targets. I completed the drill with both my strong (right) hand and my weak (left) hand. I'm embarrassed to say I did much better weak-handed than strong. (PS - don't bother chastising me for using the term "weak hand"; I say what I mean and I mean weak, as in not strong.)
I failed both of these, as I should be able to shoot them clean at 3 yards. It was very tempting to go grab another hundred rounds and go again, but instead I called it a day.
You know, it's true though, a bad day at the range is still better than a good day at work :)
Mez, the shooting hubby, told me I needed to take my "pew pew pills" to cure my crankiness. He was right, it had been months since I'd done any shooting and I missed it.
Friday rolled around and I decided to hit the range. I had some unused money on a gift card - just enough to buy 100 rounds of .380 and some range time, so off I went to the range.
I hadn't shot the Glock 42 seriously since May of last year. I knew it had been a while, but I didn't think it had been that long! I shot an entire defensive pistol match with it and did okay. Not spectacular, but okay considering I was using a "mouse gun" and it was the first time I'd had it out of the box.
Because I did okay in the match, I felt fairly confident taking the Baby Glock to the range to run the Dot Torture drill. It's a tough drill, even when I'm in practice.
I sucked. I sucked badly. There are excuses I could make, but why? I'm rusty and I know better. However, since I feel like it's important to share the bad with the good, here are my targets. I completed the drill with both my strong (right) hand and my weak (left) hand. I'm embarrassed to say I did much better weak-handed than strong. (PS - don't bother chastising me for using the term "weak hand"; I say what I mean and I mean weak, as in not strong.)
 |
| Right handed |
 |
| Left-handed |
You know, it's true though, a bad day at the range is still better than a good day at work :)
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Do Team Sports Make You a Better Defensive Shooter?
This is something I've been thinking about for a while now: would athletes who engage in fast-paced team sports make better defensive shooters? (My definitions of fast-paced does not include baseball or cricket; I'm talking hockey, soccer, rugby. You know, fast-hard hitting sports.)
My belief is yes, they would be better defensive shooters.
As a general rule, we shooters are a lonely lot. We might go to the range as a group, and competitions are chock-full of people all carrying guns, but it's really an individual thing we do. (LEOs and military, are the exceptions, as they are taught to shoot as part of a team, but each still has his/her own individual job to do within that team.)
Defensive shooters talk about situational awareness and quick, decisive decision-making ad nauseam. We talk about disrupting the OODA loop in attackers; we talk about body language and tactics. All of these things are things that athletes in fast-paced sports do.
Let's look at some of the things athletes and defensive shooters have in common:
Situational awareness: At all times, the athlete must know where his/her teammates are and what they are doing. They must also know, at all times, where their opponents are and what they are doing. They must be able to anticipate not only what their teammates are planning, but what the opponents are planning. Is this not exactly what we preach? Additionally, doesn't it also stand to reason that athletes are able to break free (or should be able to) of tunnel vision?
Quick, decisive decision-making: The athlete, in order to "win", must make split-second decisions based on the opponents' body language. Is the opponent going to attack or is it a bluff? These are skills defensive shooters need to hone as well.
Honest assessment of skills: In addition to the decision-making required, the athlete must make an honest assessment of his skills. Are his skills equal or better than his opponent's? Has his training been enough?
Being hurt does not mean you're out of the fight: Athletes play hurt. In my past life as an athletic trainer, I saw athletes play on injuries that would have the average person laid up in bed. Just because you took a soccer ball to the face at thirty miles an hour doesn't mean you're not going to complete your play. I've seen athletes blow out their knees or ankles and still struggle to get back up and re-engage. As an instructor, I tell my students that just because they're hurt doesn't mean they're beat, which leads us to ...
Fight to the death attitude: It's easy to pick out which sports team is going to lose on TV. It boils down to one thing: the will to win. Even if a team is losing, I have a whole lot of respect for them if they continue to fight to the end. The fact of the matter is, sometimes you're going to lose. It's how you lose that matters.
From a personal standpoint, even if my situational awareness sucks one day and I'm unable to make quick, decisive decisions, and I'm woefully unprepared, by God, I'm not going down without a fight. Even if I "lose" and die, I'm not going without a fight to the death. The bastard who I'm up against won't have an easy time of it, and I'll be sure to gather plenty of DNA evidence against him.
Anecdotally, I can say that when I was playing on five different soccer teams a week, I was at my peak as a shooter. A great deal of that came from being fit, but the mental aspects played a big part as well.
I know many defensive shooters are deeply involved in all aspects of self-defense, and do a lot of additional training in various areas, most of which are focused on the individual. Do you think playing team sports has merit with regard training for personal defense?
My belief is yes, they would be better defensive shooters.
As a general rule, we shooters are a lonely lot. We might go to the range as a group, and competitions are chock-full of people all carrying guns, but it's really an individual thing we do. (LEOs and military, are the exceptions, as they are taught to shoot as part of a team, but each still has his/her own individual job to do within that team.)
Defensive shooters talk about situational awareness and quick, decisive decision-making ad nauseam. We talk about disrupting the OODA loop in attackers; we talk about body language and tactics. All of these things are things that athletes in fast-paced sports do.
Let's look at some of the things athletes and defensive shooters have in common:
Situational awareness: At all times, the athlete must know where his/her teammates are and what they are doing. They must also know, at all times, where their opponents are and what they are doing. They must be able to anticipate not only what their teammates are planning, but what the opponents are planning. Is this not exactly what we preach? Additionally, doesn't it also stand to reason that athletes are able to break free (or should be able to) of tunnel vision?
Quick, decisive decision-making: The athlete, in order to "win", must make split-second decisions based on the opponents' body language. Is the opponent going to attack or is it a bluff? These are skills defensive shooters need to hone as well.
Honest assessment of skills: In addition to the decision-making required, the athlete must make an honest assessment of his skills. Are his skills equal or better than his opponent's? Has his training been enough?
Being hurt does not mean you're out of the fight: Athletes play hurt. In my past life as an athletic trainer, I saw athletes play on injuries that would have the average person laid up in bed. Just because you took a soccer ball to the face at thirty miles an hour doesn't mean you're not going to complete your play. I've seen athletes blow out their knees or ankles and still struggle to get back up and re-engage. As an instructor, I tell my students that just because they're hurt doesn't mean they're beat, which leads us to ...
Fight to the death attitude: It's easy to pick out which sports team is going to lose on TV. It boils down to one thing: the will to win. Even if a team is losing, I have a whole lot of respect for them if they continue to fight to the end. The fact of the matter is, sometimes you're going to lose. It's how you lose that matters.
From a personal standpoint, even if my situational awareness sucks one day and I'm unable to make quick, decisive decisions, and I'm woefully unprepared, by God, I'm not going down without a fight. Even if I "lose" and die, I'm not going without a fight to the death. The bastard who I'm up against won't have an easy time of it, and I'll be sure to gather plenty of DNA evidence against him.
Anecdotally, I can say that when I was playing on five different soccer teams a week, I was at my peak as a shooter. A great deal of that came from being fit, but the mental aspects played a big part as well.
I know many defensive shooters are deeply involved in all aspects of self-defense, and do a lot of additional training in various areas, most of which are focused on the individual. Do you think playing team sports has merit with regard training for personal defense?
Monday, January 13, 2014
Industry Day at SHOT Show in Pictures
Many years ago, when I was working at the gun shop I heard wonderful stories of "Media Day" at SHOT Show, where members of the media get to go shoot the new product lines. As a gun shop employee, I was never eligible for the wonderfulness that was "Media Day". Fast forward several years and I'm now a "media professional" and able to attend. Last year was a miserable mess. Miserable. 25*F before the wind chill. We had the afternoon session and missed a lot of vendors who had packed up and left early (probably in an attempt to avoid frostbite).
They've recently begun to allow buyers to attend, which (I'm assuming) brought about the name change from "Media Day" last year to "Industry Day" this year.
This year, we went prepared for the worst and got the best! We were invited to the morning session, and were allowed to stay through the afternoon. The morning was a bit breezy and cool, but not cold.
(We'll post reviews of the guns we shot throughout the year, but I wanted to do a quick overview of the day.)
Lots of rounds down range and lots and lots of grins.
Just like in years past, I'll be giving away swag bags from the show once we're home. Stay tuned for the give-away...
They've recently begun to allow buyers to attend, which (I'm assuming) brought about the name change from "Media Day" last year to "Industry Day" this year.
This year, we went prepared for the worst and got the best! We were invited to the morning session, and were allowed to stay through the afternoon. The morning was a bit breezy and cool, but not cold.
(We'll post reviews of the guns we shot throughout the year, but I wanted to do a quick overview of the day.)
 |
| Springfield XDS 3.5 (.45 ACP) |
 |
| Devil Dog .308 Precision |
 |
| Remington 1100 Competition |
 |
| Mez trying out the Taccon Trigger System |
 |
| Beretta O/U, customized by Cabela's |
 |
| Just a cool picture of shooting clays |
 |
| Throwing knives at SOG |
 |
| Food! |
 |
| Caracal .308 |
 |
| Steyr AUG/A3SA NATO |
 |
| Who needs Daryl Dixon? I can shoot my own crossbow. |
 |
| *sigh* IWI Tavor. I love this gun. |
Lots of rounds down range and lots and lots of grins.
Just like in years past, I'll be giving away swag bags from the show once we're home. Stay tuned for the give-away...
Friday, February 8, 2013
Shooting with Kids
It seems like a lot of the post suggestions asked about shooting with kids. I've got three of my own who were raised with guns and started shooting at a young age. None of them are as "hard core" as I am, but they all enjoy a day at the range and ask to go out a few times a year.
I've not taught a huge number of children to shoot, but I do have experience with a variety of ages, starting with my own. I've taken Deejo's and Junior's kids shooting and have the pleasure of most recently shooting with Itty Bit.
Since they were very young (Monster was about 2 years old, Ashinator 4, and Digger 6) when we were "hunted", I had a small gun on me at all times. I even showered with the gun within arms' reach. Our house rule at the time was, "if you have questions about the gun, or want to touch it, you have to ask me first." I didn't even own a gun safe, because the gun was literally on me at all times and was never out of my sight.
I never hesitated when they wanted to look at it - I took every opportunity to start pounding safety rules into their heads - I stopped what I was doing, unholstered, unloaded, and answered any questions they had. In no time, it became a non-issue. They never even noticed I had it on most of the time.
I started taking them shooting when Monster was about 8. I tried to keep our shooting sessions safe and fun.
One mom and three children at the range - it could have been a disaster, but because they had years of hearing the safety rules and of observing how I handled my gun, they had a good basis. When we started, we focused simply on safe manipulation of the gun. Older kids and adults can focus on multiple things: safety, trigger control, sight picture, stance, etc. However, whenever I take young kids to the range, the only thing I focus on is safety.
As long as their finger is off of the trigger and the muzzle is pointed downrange at all times, I don't worry too much about if they hit the target or not. We work on how to manipulate the gun, which can be tricky with their smaller hands, while keeping their finger off the trigger and the muzzle pointed downrange.
Only when I am comfortable with their safe gun handling skills do we add in other skills.
Last October, the Once Upon family came to visit and I had the pleasure of shooting with Itty Bit.
Itty Bit has lots of family members who are hunters and LEOs, in addition to his parents being shooters, so he has the opportunity to come across guns in his every day life. He's got a good knowledge base, as Mr. Daddy and Rachel have taken him shooting in the past. Though it wasn't discussed, I partnered up with Itty Bit so that Mr. Daddy could play with the big boys.
I think that kids are probably better than adults and aiming instinctively. The only things I worked on with Itty Bit were keeping the gun pointed downrange and keeping his finger off the trigger until he was ready to shoot. He was hitting the steel plate more than half the time with both the revolver and the rifle.
If I had been thinking, I would have filled some gallon-sized jugs with water, even though we were crammed like sardines in the truck. Even as an adult, shooting jugs of water is one of my favorite things.
If you choose to use water jugs as your "reactive targets" when shooting with your kids, you can always play around with using food coloring. OR...you can do what I used to do when I had time to prep: use the jello jiggler recipe and fill the jugs with jello. Always a ton of fun. I have tons of pictures of the kids and I shooting at them, but that was back before the days of digital cameras.
As kids get older, you can start adding in other fundamentals, but I firmly believe that safety needs to come first, followed by fun.
Someone asked me at what age do I feel comfortable teaching other people's kids to shoot. That's tough. I've taken my kids' friends out to the range with us when they were teenagers, and with their parents' permission. I don't know that there is an easy answer to that question; I guess I'd have to take it on a case-by-case basis. Some children are ready to shoot at a younger age than others, and some children need some extra maturity before they are ready to hit the range. Sorry, I wish I had a better answer.
Those of you who have taught your kids to shoot, at what age did you start them? Do you have any tricks for keeping them interested?
I've not taught a huge number of children to shoot, but I do have experience with a variety of ages, starting with my own. I've taken Deejo's and Junior's kids shooting and have the pleasure of most recently shooting with Itty Bit.
Since they were very young (Monster was about 2 years old, Ashinator 4, and Digger 6) when we were "hunted", I had a small gun on me at all times. I even showered with the gun within arms' reach. Our house rule at the time was, "if you have questions about the gun, or want to touch it, you have to ask me first." I didn't even own a gun safe, because the gun was literally on me at all times and was never out of my sight.
I never hesitated when they wanted to look at it - I took every opportunity to start pounding safety rules into their heads - I stopped what I was doing, unholstered, unloaded, and answered any questions they had. In no time, it became a non-issue. They never even noticed I had it on most of the time.
I started taking them shooting when Monster was about 8. I tried to keep our shooting sessions safe and fun.
One mom and three children at the range - it could have been a disaster, but because they had years of hearing the safety rules and of observing how I handled my gun, they had a good basis. When we started, we focused simply on safe manipulation of the gun. Older kids and adults can focus on multiple things: safety, trigger control, sight picture, stance, etc. However, whenever I take young kids to the range, the only thing I focus on is safety.
As long as their finger is off of the trigger and the muzzle is pointed downrange at all times, I don't worry too much about if they hit the target or not. We work on how to manipulate the gun, which can be tricky with their smaller hands, while keeping their finger off the trigger and the muzzle pointed downrange.
Only when I am comfortable with their safe gun handling skills do we add in other skills.
Last October, the Once Upon family came to visit and I had the pleasure of shooting with Itty Bit.
Itty Bit has lots of family members who are hunters and LEOs, in addition to his parents being shooters, so he has the opportunity to come across guns in his every day life. He's got a good knowledge base, as Mr. Daddy and Rachel have taken him shooting in the past. Though it wasn't discussed, I partnered up with Itty Bit so that Mr. Daddy could play with the big boys.
 |
| Itty Bit was at all times respectful of the firing line. |
 |
| Very young shooters often don't have the strength to hold the gun, so I always keep on hand on it for support. This serves double duty; I can also take control of the gun if necessary. |
 |
| The first time he shot the revolver, I manipulated the hammer. The second time, he managed to do it and remembered (most of the time) to take his finger off the trigger as he cocked the gun. A simple reminder is all it took. |
 |
| Even as "small" as a Henry Survival Rifle is, it was far too big for Itty Bit. He did a great job with it, despite the fact that his arms are fully extended. |
I think that kids are probably better than adults and aiming instinctively. The only things I worked on with Itty Bit were keeping the gun pointed downrange and keeping his finger off the trigger until he was ready to shoot. He was hitting the steel plate more than half the time with both the revolver and the rifle.
If I had been thinking, I would have filled some gallon-sized jugs with water, even though we were crammed like sardines in the truck. Even as an adult, shooting jugs of water is one of my favorite things.
If you choose to use water jugs as your "reactive targets" when shooting with your kids, you can always play around with using food coloring. OR...you can do what I used to do when I had time to prep: use the jello jiggler recipe and fill the jugs with jello. Always a ton of fun. I have tons of pictures of the kids and I shooting at them, but that was back before the days of digital cameras.
As kids get older, you can start adding in other fundamentals, but I firmly believe that safety needs to come first, followed by fun.
Someone asked me at what age do I feel comfortable teaching other people's kids to shoot. That's tough. I've taken my kids' friends out to the range with us when they were teenagers, and with their parents' permission. I don't know that there is an easy answer to that question; I guess I'd have to take it on a case-by-case basis. Some children are ready to shoot at a younger age than others, and some children need some extra maturity before they are ready to hit the range. Sorry, I wish I had a better answer.
Those of you who have taught your kids to shoot, at what age did you start them? Do you have any tricks for keeping them interested?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)