Quick Practice 2700

Bob Throne

In the ramp-up to Perry, the Phoenix club has a lot of 2700s, many of them "unofficial" which means they are not registered or authorized through the NRA.

As such, the rules can be relaxed a bit.

And in the interest of time, we've found what I think is a pretty good balance between family and shooting almost every Sunday.

I'll call this the "Quick Practice 2700" format and it allows shooters to be back home by lunchtime or shortly thereafter. Sunday afternoons remain open for family activities. Family outings and get togethers can be scheduled from mid-afternoon on. (And those "Honey-do's" left-over from Saturday can still receive some attention ... but you don't have to tell her I said that.)

First, we start early; first shot is at 7:30AM.

For those who have to drive up from Tucson, this becomes a real demonstration of their serious intent. They are up well before dawn and "on the road" by 6:00AM.

My drive is less, only about a half hour but I still arrive early to put out the targets and connect up the PA and target turning system so that, when the "Tucson bus" (Steve Reiter's SUV) pulls up, we are ready to begin.

That early start is the first element that enables an early finish.

The other essential is to shoot more, and to score less.

Specifically, instead of scoring after each ten (10) rounds, we go twenty.

Yes, twenty (20) Slow Fire rounds into one target can all be counted and scored, even in 45 caliber. And remember, this is a practice match so scoring doesn't need to be as nit-picky. The basic rule is to keep things moving and score things honestly, but if in doubt about a close one, go ahead and score "up" to avoid haggling. Keep it moving.

So we begin by firing twenty rounds of Slow Fire. And although we allocate twenty minutes, as you probably know most shooters will finish a little early. If the caller is paying attention, he can ask, "Have all record shots been fired? Does anyone need additional time?" And if everyone is done then, "Okay, we will dispense with the remaining time. Let's make the line safe ..." and so forth.

The Slow Fire target of the National Match Course is the only time we fire ten rounds and then score. From there on, it's twenty shots per target again and again.

That means that the NMC's Timed and Rapid Fire targets are both fired into one piece of paper.

And the Timed Fire match's twenty go into one target, and Rapid Fire's into another.

Scoring is done in almost the usual manner except that rather than writing down all the Xs in a single row on the score card, most scorers split them evenly into the two rows of the two "targets" being scored. This tends to be a little misleading if you don't know what's being done because shooters usually get two targets with almost the same score.

But what matters is not the score. What matters is the shooter's knowledge that he threw a seven (or worse). It's not the numerical score, it's the exceptions that matter. And they're just as much on a target with twenty holes as they are with ten.

And you can have some fun with this.

Someone might predict, "I cleaned my first Rapid Fire target but I don't think the second will be as good."

Someone else might say, "You know, I think I did too!"

And if you have a reasonably skilled set of shooters, you might just discover that everyone cleaned their first target but then blew it on the second. (Remember, there are twenty holes in the target -- it's anyone's guess as to which is the first set of ten and which holes constitute the second!)

"Wouldn't it be incredible," you could ask (and suggest), "if we *all* cleaned the first target at the same time?"

And if everyone catches on and writes the scores in the traditional manner -- all the Xs on one line followed by all the tens and so forth spilling over to the second line (second target) when needed, you may find that everyone truly did, according to the score cards, clean their first target while putting all their bad shots in the second.

What an amazing coincidence!

Between guns we take a ten minute break. Shooters have their fresh fruit or energy bar, get a cool bottle of water from the range refrigerator, rest their feet and talk about this and that, like always."

But then it's, "Shooters to the line!"

If the caller keeps up a steady pace, we can be done with all three guns and the complete 2700 by 11:30AM. Even an alibi or two will only add a couple of minutes.

"Shooters to the line for the 45 competition and we will dispense with the three minute preparation time. Instead, signal when you are ready and we will begin!"

For an unofficial 2700, give the "Quick Practice 2700" format a try.

Your family may like it.

Memorial Day 2010

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." George Orwell

 

We must not forget the freedoms, nor especially the price paid, to which so many of us have become accustomed that we are no longer aware of them.

It truly can all be taken away, in one fell swoop, or in little drops one at a time.

Acknowledge and thank those who have enabled all that we now enjoy.

And be vigilant.

Abort!

The probability is greater than 50%
that John Zurek will abort this shot!

What do you do immediately after a Slow Fire shot?

You follow-through, of course.

You reacquire the sight picture on the aiming area, reset the trigger and take up the slack as if you were going to fire again.

And then most of the time, you put the gun down.

In other words, for each shot you fire, you abort the (potential) one that immediately follows.

OK, that's a 50% abort rate.

That's a good start, but I'm now convinced that's not nearly enough.

Here's a clue: Beginners rarely abort shots while the Masters and the High Masters do it a lot.

Do Masters and High Masters shoot better shots more often?

Yes, they probably do.

And do Masters and High Masters abort bad shots more often?

Ya' darn tootin' they do!

You can improve your shooting two ways: shooting better shots and not shooting your worse ones.

The High Masters say it a couple of different ways:

• If everything's not right, put the gun down;
• The instant you think you might want to abort the shot, then abort the shot;
• If it's not gonna be a 10, keep it in the gun and put the gun down; and,
• Don't shoot the bad shots.

And some won't say it, but watch them because the better the shooter, the more likely they'll abort.

The Masters and High Masters know what a good preparation looks like, and if everything doesn't look good, they abort.

And they know that if they feel like maybe they might want to abort, they abort.

You can too.

Your timer is running, isn't it? You've got a whole ten minutes.

After all, if you can clean or come close to cleaning a target in two whacks of ten or twenty seconds, don't you have all the time in the world during Slow Fire?

Abort!

Put the gun down.

Take a couple of breaths and mentally replay your shot process.

I'm embarrassed to think how many times I've heard this said and have nodded my understanding of the words but in total ignorance of what a simple but fantastic piece of advice this is.

Abort if it's not perfect.

Abort if you hear that little voice ... and do it no matter what it says -- that little voice is always gonna mess up the shot.

Abort because you feel like it ... especially because you feel like it.

Be one of the few at your range who didn't get off ten rounds in ten minutes -- how many times have you seen that? And when someone asks, just say, "It wasn't a ten, so I kept it."

Keep the ten until everything is ready to let it out so it can fly without being knocked aside.

And you'll be aborting shots just like the High Masters.

It's good to put the gun down!

Family Air Pistol

L to R: Daniel (firing), myself, Makella,
daughter Mary, her husband Scott,
and on the swing are Elijah and Melissa
(Click for larger)

I've written before about solo shooting in my backyard air pistol range. It's good iron sight work and, with next to no recoil, it's a good way to practice that smooth release.

On the occasion pictured here, however, Daniel and Melissa had brought Elijah for his first visit and my daughter and her family were all present. (My son and his family couldn't make it.)

After we all got to hold Elijah, someone suggested we go out on the patio since the weather was nice.

As we went through the door and knowing I'm a shooter, Melissa said, "My Dad was a shooter."

"Would you like to try an air pistol today?" I asked.

In five minutes, the range was ready.

Most of them had never fired a gun or for the few who had, it was a long time ago. So, one at a time, I took each one through the basics of safety, operating the Baikal IZH-46M including cocking, loading, aiming and firing.

I let each of them dry-fire so they could feel the trigger and get accustomed to the noise. From there, we'd move to live fire and I'd stay close to handle the problems that always arise with new shooters.

As each one finished, we would retrieve their target and put up a fresh one.

As you might expect, some were good and some weren't (A big backstop is a must.)

My granddaughter, Makella, had shot this AP before. The grip is large but she's grown since her last try and she did good. All her shots were in the paper. (At the regular range several months earlier, she fired my ball gun and immediately displayed the toothy grin that often accompanies that first shot of 45 ACP ball ammo.)

Daniel was handicapped by my right-hand custom grip. As you can see he's a leftie. Nonetheless, he did pretty good with most shots in the target.

(Note to self: Get an extra set of grips and carve them for ambidextrous use.)

Scott, Makella's Dad, shot very well. He's got the upper-body strength that benefits pistol shooters and he's fired other guns. Even the air pistol's light trigger benefits from a solid grip.

My daughter, she ... well, let's just say she fired two shots before saying, "Thank you". (See note herein about a "big" backstop.)

And my wife declined to shoot. Like mother, like daughter, it's just not for them.

The surprise was the new mother, Melissa. At the regulation 10 meters, she was good! Each time she fired, a new hole would appear in the black. Grinning, she would say, "Let me do another." Pretty soon she had more than a dozen holes, all in the black.

(Never underestimate a Mother with a handgun!)

An air pistol range needs a space of about 40 by 10 feet with a good backstop and no cross-traffic.

The noise is minimal; we used no ears but the absence of eye protection is a serious oversight on my part. Oops!

Elijah didn't seem to mind the noise and as long as you keep a good watch of the shooter and what others are doing, it should be safe. (Little kids running around would be a show-stopper.)

Check with your local Police Department to be sure it's legal in your own backyard.

The Baikal is not inexpensive, but neither is it expensive like today's better air pistols. I paid $400 a couple of years ago for mine. It is accurate and reliable. I have less expensive air pistols but they don't shoot as well, have a strange balance, or just feel downright klunky.

The IZH-46M, on the other hand, is what the former Soviet Union air pistol shooters used in the Olympics a decade or so ago. Be sure and tell the family that. Knowing "this is not a toy" will both raise their safety awareness and heighten their intensity since they know it's a good piece of engineering.

For new shooters, make it a non-competitive game. The rule could be "five shots and even totals have to set the table and odd totals clean up."

"Shooters to the line!"

Nighthawks 06/01/2010

"Where the heck's
my front sight?"

It's "traditional Bullseye 900" this coming week (Tuesday, June 1, 2010) at Nighthawks in Phoenix Arizona. Shoot any handgun (no magnums, please -- range rules) and one- or two-handed as you prefer. Bring 100 rounds, more if you come early and want to practice before the match that begins at 6:30PM.

Shoot your 22, a 38, 9 mm, 45 cal, whatever you want. Shoot an automatic, a classy (or ugly) revolver, or ... gee, is there anything else?

We will shoot three different ways this week:

• Slow Fire - ten rounds in ten minutes (tiny targets at 25 yards!),
• Timed Fire - five rounds in twenty seconds (twice on BIG targets at 25 yards), and
• Rapid Fire - five rounds in ten seconds (twice on BIG targets at 25 yards).

Each form has different challenges:

• Slow Fire - Perform and polish your "shot plan" (what you do) on each shot,
• Timed Fire - Sight alignment and trigger control are paramount, and
• Rapid Fire - Recoil recovery and getting back on the target are critical.

Last week we shot the Olympic-style Center Fire and, as always, that Duelling Fire is a real hoot. Sorry you missed it because we had a blast. On one of the Duelling Fire shots a large bug flew into the electronic bug zapper and let out a three second "sizzle and pop" just as the targets faced. I was so distracted I almost forgot to shoot as I waited for the bug to finish frying! (Glad I wasn't standing where the smell or small parts went!)

• What: Nighthawks (every Tuesday except July, August and 1st half of Sept.)
• When: 6:30PM Tuesday evening (practice earlier if you wish -- bring more ammo)
• Where: Pistol range, Phoenix Rod and Gun Club, 915 W. Olney Dr, Phoenix AZ 85041
• Cost: $5 members, $10 non-members
• Ammo: 100 rounds suggested (more if you want extra practice -- come early!)
• Extra: $1 for a Luck Target (cash prize!)
• Beginners: Always welcome
• Format: Conventional Pistol (Bullseye) 900 this week
• More: Contact me with your request by email ed@flat5.net or phone 623-203-9038 (cell), 602-866-8910 (home)

See you "On the line!"

Did You Bring Enough Water?

Mojave Desert
(Click for bigger -- please!)

Did you bring your desert hiking boots?

I've got a bit of a trek ahead.

Shooters are ranked by the NRA according to their scores in official competitions. These are most easily expressed as the appropriate percent of the perfect 100.

• Marksman - Less than 85%
• Sharpshooter - 85-90%
• Expert - 90-95%
• Master - 95-97%
• High Master - 97% and above

To earn a higher ranking, a shooter must record a total of 360 shots at the new level.

Back in April at the Arizona Regional Championships, I shot a 2440-35. The 2440 is a smidgin above the 90% mark of the possible 2700 points but only includes 270 shots. It is an expert-class score but not enough shots to earn a step up. (I'm Sharpshooter class at the moment.)

In today's official 2700, I shot a 2441-53 over an additional 270 shots.

And that should be sufficient.

Hooray!

In the next couple of weeks, I should be receiving my Expert-class card from the NRA.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that Expert class is also known as the "vast wasteland" that many shooters enter but few leave.

I think of it as the Mojave desert, completely barren and devoid of plant life, unlike the sometimes lush Sonoran desert we have around Phoenix.

But with a couple of gallons of drinkable water, some dried desert rations and a pair of good boots, I'm ready to begin my trek.

I'll be the dried-up, leather-skinned, dusty-haired shooter at firing position #8 for a while.

10s and Xs, pardner!

Coach in the Mailbox

Want to improve your Bullseye shooting?

Then consider buying a membership to USA Shooting.

Why?

Because the articles in the every-other month magazine that is included with your membership are spot-on for Bullseye.

They are written by the top coaches and athletes of the United States and you won't find better information.

Case in point is the two-part article, "Statics and Dynamics," by JP O'Connor. The first part appeared in the March/April 2010 issue. That issue is available, free of charge, here on pages 12-13.

The second part is in the current May/June issue that arrived by US Mail yesterday. In it, Mr. O'Connor states, "NPA is about sensing where the gun wants to point ... ... not about getting the gun on target - NPA is about truly sensing where the gun wants to point and only then making adjustments until the gun arrives on the target of its own accord."

NPA, in case you've forgotten means "Natural Point of Aim."

The classic test of a shooter's NPA is for the shooter to assume the firing position with the arm down, close the eyes and then raise the gun to the firing position and to only then open the eyes to see where the gun is aimed.

In his first part of this article Mr. O'Connor says, "Athletes are taught that one method to adjust their NPA horizontally is to adjust where their back foot is pointing. ... [But] whether the coach or athlete realizes, this also affects the athlete's balance and stability. Those who understand the dual effect know that they have to work everything out so that they get the desired NPA and the optimal balance."

Bullseye has more to learn than most of us can master in a single session.

Personally, I only seem able to learn one thing at a time, and I have to practice it, make it subconsciously part of my shot plan, and only then can I consider trying to work on something else. But by the time that happens, I've forgotten what I was going to work on next.

But the USA Shooting magazine's arrival in my mailbox is like the X in the middle of the target; it draws me back, again and again, to my goal.

I need that periodic reminder.

Buy a membership and help the US Olympic team but, more personally, help yourself to some of the best coaching that exists.

(Several more excellent articles by JP O'Connor are also available, free of charge, here, courtesy of Pilk Guns, the web pages for Pilkington Competition Equipment.)

Four Rules of Gun Safety Video

Thanks to Ruger and Gunsite.

Good Enough For Now

1911 Trigger and Harp with
Trigger Stop Screw Removed

The rules of the Bullseye sport allow considerable latitude in equipment and technique. And there are certain items and practices that improve one's ability to hit the center of the target.

These include for most shooters but not all

• Red dot,
• Good stance,
• Focus (of attention as well as eye) on the dot (or front sight),
• and so forth.

But there are exceptions, and good ones, to each of these generalizations.

• A great many shooters "way back" before there were red dots were, as a rule, shooting better than many of us today with (or without) a red dot.
• I know a couple of High Masters that, when they assume their shooting stance, look so awkward and uncomfortable I can't imagine how they do that for a full 2700, but they do - -and they do it quite well.
• Brian Zins, the most winning Bullseye shooter in history, says he focuses not on the front sight, not on the dot, but contrary to a great many others, he says he focuses on the target.

With those exceptions in mind, here's the real point: There are some items and practices that, while helpful, may prove to be temporary "stopping off" points along the path. They are useful for a while but, ultimately, they prove to have their own limits -- they'll only take you so far. Eventually, they become counterproductive and must be discarded lest you become stuck on a plateau.

I'll use some of my experience as an example.

I still consider myself a beginner. In the few years I've been trying to hit the X, I've used and then discarded some things. For example, when my wobble was basically the entire scoring area (5 ring), the practice of consciously squeezing the trigger as the sights neared the center of the target did -- and here's the key word -- temporarily result in an improved score.

For a frustrated Marksman, that's a powerful incentive and, for a while, it works. But that same Markman will also learn, as did I, that as his wobble decreases with practice and time, when he then "jerks" the shot as the sights near the center of the target, the Marksman will discover the resultant jerking motion overpowers his ever-reducing wobble. So, as the Marksman's skill increases, jerking the shot must eventually be abandoned.

It works for a little while but then becomes counterproductive.

Now, contrast that with the technique known by the experts as "steering with the trigger."

Specifically, Masters and High Masters sometimes talk about their ability to fine tune their aim into the deep center of the black by the use of their trigger finger. That is, in the last few fractions of a second before the hammer breaks from the sear and fires the shot, the growing pressure on the trigger is also used to guide the sights into the very center of the target. The combination of steering and increasing pressure is, while admittedly different from what the Marksman does, nonetheless similar in effect: The shot breaks when the sights bear on the center of the target.

I should add that one of these is conscious while the other is automatic. And that is the critical difference.

Regardless, here we have an example of where two similar techniques -- breaking the shot as the sight picture reaches perfection -- where both the beginner and the expert benefit.

But note that in the middle ranks, perhaps through SharpShooter and well into Expert classes, we try to avoid any connection between where the sights bear and when the shot breaks. In the middle ranks, we learn to align the sights on the aiming area and to build pressure on the trigger until the shot breaks without disturbing the sights.

In these skill levels, the goal is the "surprise break".

As we progress, therefore, we find that what helps our shooting and what is detrimental to it, change.

"Change" is the operative word.

What gives us a better score today may, in the coming weeks and months, prove to be a limiting factor in achieving even better scores.

So, while there may be some near-ideals we learn for stance, trigger control, eye focus and so forth, it is also true that not only are these skills time-consuming to learn, but also that, in some cases, we're just not ready to apply them.

And it is also worth noting that only the top echelon in the sport have developed the abilities to do these things all at the same time and that, even for them, they may have found techniques that work just as well for them.

Each of us must, therefore, be constantly learning, integrating, re-examining, discarding and trying something different.

It therefore behooves us non-High Masters to listen, watch, read and experiment, but never to assume that every technique will apply to us now. Some may work for us but only after years of effort, years where we essentially ignore that good advice. We may not be able to execute on that good advice until our skill reaches a certain level.

It's about finding the right combination that works where you are now.

So, yes, you should look for the ideals and try to work them into your shot plan but also be realistic and know that "putting it all together" takes time, a lot of time.

We may have to file away some techniques we are shown. For us, they may be "later."

In the meantime, we need to push a lot of lead downrange, and do that thoughtfully, studiously and repeatedly.

It will come, but the square of Earth on which I place my left foot today is not the same square I will put it on a year from now.

Times change, and so do we.

Go with the flow, but don't be afraid to push against the edges of the channel.

That's where you'll find the breakthroughs.