My 1st competitive shoot!

[herohog]

The wife and I went to a VCDL Picnic and steel plate shoot this weekend. I took the WORST guns for this we had. One was because it was what I carried most, a P11 Kel-Tek and the other was a C9 Hi-Point for the wife to shoot just for grins and giggles. Terri normally out shoots me and I figured it would be funny if she beat ANYONE with it.

Learned a few things... Number one is that I totally SUCK at double-action! 2, I shake too much. There are days I don't shake so much. This was not one of my best days. 3, I should have used a gun I had practiced with more than once!

The course of fire was 4 rounds of 4 shots at what I guess to be 6" steel re-setting plates at about 10 yards out. The last was a round of 5 falling silhouettes about 1/2 scale at 20 yards or so. I am guessing on the distance and I have no idea of the actual distance. To score on the 1st round, you had to hit the plate well enough so it "set." The 4th plate was square (the 1st 3 were round) and reset the 1st 3. The backstop was grass and leaves and I couldn't tell where I was off. The guy running the station was very helpful and told me when he knew I was shooting low and when I was jerking the trigger instead of being truly smooth in the pull. Out of the 12 shots fired, I scared the plates (I saw them flinch!) but only hit one and then it swung short and didn't set. I did better on the falling steel and got two of the five.

The scoring was overall time +5 seconds a miss and +10 seconds if you re-shot a plate. I shot a 1:33... Impressive huh? I have lots of range time in front of me with this little gun. I know it shoots better than I shot it, my wife proved it the day we 1st shot it as she did with the C9. At least I know that if I need to use it, I had better be close for now! I have a TON of excuses but none cover up the fact that that was for fun and not my life. In life the pressure is MUCH higher. Practice, practice, PRACTICE!

My wife was VERY nervous... made me look calm, cool and collected! She has problems with her hand strength and couldn't cock the slide that day. On the 1st stage, she had a few hits but only one stayed set. On the falling plate, she had a stove-pipe from limp-wristing and with her hand issue, she couldn't clear it herself and that was the death of any score she might have salvaged.

After Terri's shoot, some of the folks there took her aside and gave her some very valuable tips and advice. They were top-notch folks! I had slunk away to my car to recover in the A/C. It was a cool day but I had over-done it and was at my limit (I have some health issues). We stayed for a bit and talked with friends and made some new ones before we left for the day.

Here is a very short video of Terri killing steel

 

[herohog]

The scores were posted... I was 68th out of 79... I WASN'T LAST! In all fairness, at least one of the others had a DNF due to a ejection rod malfunction. He scored 100% up to there. My wife, Terri was right behind me in 71st.

From the VCDL Report:

Results from VCDL's successful picnic and shoot Saturday
***********************************************************

Over 70 people attended the VCDL picnic/shoot in Culpeper on Saturday! There were over 80 entries in the shooting match (rules allowed people to enter the match more than once as long as entry fees were paid). VCDL raised $361 for the Cedar Mountain Youth (4H) club and will be donating another $200 to them as well.

The winner was Marco Handy (who is indeed very "handy" with his Glock 10MM handgun) with a time of 43.63 seconds. Marco won $179. Not bad for 43.63 seconds of his time ;-) Great shooting, Marco!

Second place went to Dan Chandler with a time of 48.26 seconds. Dan received $107. You're the man, Dan!

VCDL Board member, Bruce Jackson, got 3rd place with a time of 49.60.
He received $71 for his trouble and plans to retire on the money! ;-)

Fourth place, which provides no money, but lots of bragging rights, went to an unnamed president of one of America's largest and most active grassroots gun-rights groups. The group is located on the east coast, in the mid-Atlantic area north of North Carolina and south of Maryland. His eye-popping time of 51.32 seconds, shot with his Kahr PM40 pocket pistol, clobbered the guy in 5th place by a whopping 25 hundredths of a second and will be talked about for years to come! ;-0

Many of those who had a score toward the bottom of the leader board showed their tenacity as I watched them get back up, dust themselves off, and try again, bound and determined to get back in the fight and keep improving.

That is a winning attitude, no matter how you place in the pack.

Here is the full results of the match for those who participated. A few didn't turn in their tally sheets, hence only 79 positions are shown.

Rather than list the name of the individual, the person's entry number is used instead. Entries are listed in order from first place to last place.

Thanks to all who made this a great event! Now get out your entry receipt, which has your entry number, and see how you faired!

--

Pos. Entry # Time

1. 12 43.63
2. 18 48.26
3. 51 49.60
4. 77 51.32
5. 45 51.57
6. 74 53.36
7. 68 54.75
8. 73 55.66
9. 57 57.60
10. 03 60.16
11. 04 63.41
12. 60 63.61
13. 08 65.12
14. 64 67.06
15. 33 67.08
16. 06 67.41
17. 67 69.88
18. 56 70.31
19. 25 71.75
20. 78 72.00
21. 80 73.03
22. 85 73.32
23. 16 74.09
24. 86 74.26
25. 81 74.58
26. 26 76.72
27. 59 77.84
28. 38 78.34
29. 70 81.61
30. 13 81.63
31. 24 81.58
32. 84 81.95
33. 58 84.33
34. 75 84.88
35. 32 85.37
36. 01 86.39
37. 10 86.61
38. 05 88.71
39. 14 89.39
40. 63 89.52
41. 07 92.34
42. 53 93.87
43. 22 95.76
44. 54 96.11
45. 61 97.16
46. 48 97.49
47. 55 102.29
48. 76 103.16
49. 69 103.47
50. 83 104.63
51. 47 105.68
52. 39 106.66
53. 46 107.68
54. 82 111.22
55. 36 112.06
56. 21 117.08
57. 37 118.76
58. 66 118.86
59. 62 120.16
60. 31 120.34
61. 02 122.11
62. 41 122.49
63. 72 123.47
64. 71 124.27
65. 30 126.16
66. 44 130.49
67. 34 131,79
68. 09 133.90
69. 28 134.08
70. 52 138.62
71. 11 140.88
72. 17 141.94
73. 23 144.87
74. 50 145.92
75. 19 153.19
76. 15 153.72
77. 79 154.91
78. 29 155.74
79. 49 155.89

 

[3KillerBs]

Not last is a fine goal for a beginner.

Not last by a reasonable margin is great.

 

[psyopspec]

Congrats!

I think the best things I've taken away from competion are that it's fun, and the other you stated:

Practice, practice, PRACTICE!

Hope you and your wife will take the time to identify some of the skills you need to improve on and head back out. Feel free to visit the Competition Shooting section of this forum sometime too!

 

[yeti]

I've gone home with a couple of Brown Ribbons myself. But that is not the 'game' I practice to win. And I always have a good time.

 

[chieftain]

Many folks who "practice" at a regular square range, rarely do well at their first action/practical type competition.

Everything changes once you begin moving. Also there are no exceptions, and no excuses. You hit or you miss.

Keep it up and you WILL improve. You have already began to understand why 'cheap' weapons do not stand the test. Doesn't mean you have to buy a $3000 dollar custom 1911. But a Glock, or what I believe is one of the best buys in pistol's are Ruger's selections. Very good price and durable.

Avoid the S&W Sigma. If they improved it, it may raise to the level of Abomination.

Keep it up. It ain't combat shooting, but it is what it is. We had a local Police dept Detail commander bring his whole detail to our weekly Steel Challenge shoot. At first many of the Cops didn't shoot to well. They kept coming and before long they all shot much better. It was good to see some police leadership doing SOMETHING to improve their troops fighting ability. Perfect, nope, but a long site better than whining about the lack of training. The LEO's started to enjoy it too.

Go figure.

Fred

 

[El Tejon]

Sounds like fun! Nothing like gun games to get the blood flowing.

How about bowling pins next?

El Tejon=keeping bowling pins in their place: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7NxB0LLtb0

 

[herohog]

Understand, I have better guns and chose not to use them and THESE didn't fail... we did. The C9 works great when it isn't limp-wristed and the little P11 was rock solid. I have a long-slide AutoMag if I want power and a ling sight spread, I have a 1911A1 if I want controllable knock-down power and I have a Model 10-8 if I want smooth double-action in an accurate platform. I used what I carry. I need much more practice with it. That event was the second time I fired that gun. I have to get used to it. Terri was dead-on with the C9 when we 1st shot it. She was bad nervous and needed more time with it. With my old Model 59, she was a pro. Same with her Super Red Hawk in .44 Mag. I can guarantee we could half our scores or more with 5 practice sessions. We will practice and we will compete again. Hopefully I can get Terri the Beretta 9mm Double/Single action she wants soon as THAT will be her carry gun. I carry the P11 most of the time as heavier guns cause me too much pain just from carrying their weight. I love my 1911 but don't carry it except in cold weather when I can comfortably carry it.

 

[Gunfighter123]

Hiya HH and BIG CONGRATS for your first effort !!!!

Tell Terri I said " you go girl " !!!! It is far more "stress" for a female to shoot in a match then a male. My wife must have went to at least a dozen matches with me before she was comfortable to try it herself.

My advice ---- use that 1911 auto next time.

The Beretta is a nice firearm but try to check out a EAA Witness ---- most of them are da/sa and they can be carried "locked & cocked " and they are GREAT for people with small hands that want to use a Hi-Cap auto for work and/or play.

I use both autos and revolvers in matches --- wait till you try a 3 Gun or handgun/shotgun or handgun/rifle match.

IMHO -- I have more fun shooting shotguns at Poppers/Plates/Pins.

For big grins , I now shoot a bunch of SASS or Western 3 Gun --- YAHOOO ----- it's ALL GOOD !!!!