So what do I do now

[DragonFire]

I'm not really sure where this thread belongs so I picked the general discussion:

I started shooting IDPA this year, and after 3 previous matches, I shot the classifier this past weekend. Boy, talk about some lousy shooting!

I was "lucky" enough to start on the 20 yard stage and shot miserably. I shot consistently low, and with a couple misses, was penalized almost 40 seconds. That blew my concentration for the rest of the match (I know, I kept telling myself to forget the first stage and think about the current stage, my knowing the lousy advice I give, I ignored me). I haven't looked at the results yet, but I know it will be terrible.

The thing that bothers me is that I'm not that bad of a shooter. I wasn't overly stressed during the competition. I'm now questioning everything about my techniques, my equipment and my ammo.

FYI: I'm using a S&W 610, 4" barrel, 10mm, using my own reloads with 200gr WestCoast plated RNFP bullets with 8.6 gr HS6. Everything about the revolver is exactly how it came from the factory. It's had a few thousand round through it over the 1 1/2 years I've had it.

Now before you tell me the obvious, I've resolved to practice more, and include dry-firing into the mix. I was shooting once a week in a sort of mini-IDPA set up, but I've resolved to add another day of range practice each week. But will practice alone make me a better long distance shooter? Just a yard or two makes a huge difference to my shooting. If I'm doing something wrong, how will doing something wrong more often help?

I know the gun didn't cause my terrible shooting, but I'm wondering if they contributed, or maybe could have made the results a little less awlful.
Better sights? Trigger job? Different bullet? Different reload recipe? They aren't hot loads, but still are far from mild.

Like I said, I wasn't terribly stressed during the competition, at least I don't think I was, but it seems I always mess up one stage, so maybe it has something to do with it be a competition. So how do keep myself from
defeating myself?

Right now I feel like I have so much to improve on, I just don't know where to start. I keep telling myself to look at it like an opportunity to improve, and not as a failure, but it's tough.

So what do I do now?

I'm not making excuses, I know the gun or ammo wasn't the cause of my shooting disaster, but when I sat down to think of what I should do to really improve, I draw a blank.

 

[pax]

Chances are, even though you didn't think you were under stress, you got blindsided by match nerves. It's a common problem, and repeated experience will solve it as long as your self-talk isn't defeating you. When you're shooting, only the shot you are firing right this moment can count -- not the one that's already on the target, not the one you'll fire next. Try very hard to live in the moment, to not think about the scores but about the shot you're firing, and when you dry fire, visualize yourself firing live rounds, pulling the trigger smoothly with a good follow through every time.

In general, low rounds come from flinchy shooters, or just from poor trigger control. In your practice, work on follow through especially.

I'm sure you'll hear more and better advice from others, but that's my take on it.

pax

 

[ChristopherG]

Getting your groups tight on long-distance DA revolver shooting is a challenge. You should probably spend more of your practice time learning what you have to do differently at different ranges from your target (basically, SLOW DOWN, and use different types of focus--this is really beautifully discussed in Brian Enos's book, *Practical Shooting*). You need to be able to put all your long-range shots in the down zero--better, in the center of the down zero--with confidence when you're off the clock, before you'll ever even come close to doing it on the clock. If your scores at closer distances are significantly better than at farther distances, it's likely that you haven't yet refined your focus on the sights. In slow, double-action practice, you need to back up to that 20 yard line and learn to watch every shot break, and know where it went, without shifting focus to the target.

Of course it's tempting to mess with the equipment, and let's face it, you will, no matter what anyone says. Honestly, though, that's a stage you want to get through as quickly as possible. Play with loads and whatever else you need to, but get settled as soon as you can on a standard that you know will shoot accurately and consistently, so you can work without distraction on the one variable that we all already know is the real problem; the shooter.

Technical things that could help would be reducing your load significantly--probably with a faster-burning powder (I shoot about a 135 PF from a 625; yours is what, 200?); having your trigger smoothed (or doing it yourself with care and training) and changing to reduced-power springs (which will necessitate that you use all Federal primers). But none of those things are causing your misses; they'll just help you to get faster hits, once you're making hits consistently. Try not to be discouraged. Shooting a handgun accurately is hard; it's not like the movies or tv, where just being cool makes people expert shots . Keep competing, and you'll see improvement come!

 

[mhdishere]

There's some advice I was given when I played darts seriously, that extends to just about any other sport/game:

If you do better in a match than you do in practice, you don't practice enough.

 

[Majic]

Untill you learn to forget the first attempt, you have already lost the second chance. Don't consider a fix of some sort till you are really sure it is broken. Go back and practice to see if you really need to improve on something or if it was just gameday jitters. It maybe nothing more than mindset.
You should practice at the exact same distance as you are going to compete with. Get used to seeing what you will face in competition.

 

[1911Ron]

I have seen some people that shoot good in practice, then go on the clock and have the jitters so bad they can't hit any thing. People also shoot good or are top shooters locally go down hill when they go to a big match for the first time. Don't change equipment just yet try getting a timer and practice with it,try cutting your time down a little at a time.

 

[stans]

I started into IPSC shooting years ago with a revolver (Ruger GP-100). You have to slow down and make deliberate double action shots. Odds are, those match nerves are getting you wound up just enough that you are no longer giving the trigger a long, smooth pull, but instead a quick jerk. This will pull your shots low. Practice, lots of dry fire, practice, dry fire some more, practice.

 

[jdkelly]

Better shooters don't need to do this...

DragonFire,

I'm not a good shooter so take my advice with a grain of salt.

I've noticed that if I'm hitting point of aim at 20 yards, while standing straight, that the point of impact will change when I shoot around cover. Find out if this is true for you, and alter your point of aim to bring the point of impact to where you want it.

I'd guess the better shooters don't need to do this as they have worked out this problem with different stances.

Oh ya, revolvers are so much tougher then autos, good luck.


Respectfully,

jdkelly

 

[Mikul]

It's probably not your equipment. The only thing that I would look at are Berry's bullets. They're just great for most people and most applications, but both of my handguns don't like them. They don't fly with sufficient stability. At 10 yards it doesn't matter much. At 25 yards it matters a lot.

Load 50 FMJs and 50 Berry's and compare how they shoot at 25 yards. My guns are also more accurate with full-power loads.

The 25-yard portion of the classifier separates the Masters from the wanna-bes. At our matches, people will do well in the first two sections well on their way to Expert or even Master. Then they'll get to 25 yards and wind up in Marksman to Sharpshooter. We could all use more practice at that range.

This is wonderfully entertaining as our classifier match is this weekend. Oh boy!

 

[sturmruger]

I had a lot of the same problems that you had the first couple times I shot IPSC. Something about shooting for an official time can be really unerving. When at the range I can shoot pretty good by my standards, but when I got to a IPSC match it was like I kept going too fast. They always tell you to take it slow your first couple of times. I found that after I really started getting comfortable with the match and all the safety stuff my scores started to really improve. Don't go by your first time shooting. Shoot at 3 or 4 matches and see how you are doing. I did a lot of practicing at home. I practiced drawing, reloading, and running with my trigger out of the trigger gaurd. Don't laugh that last one is important. I have now been action shooting for about 2.5 months. I am having the time of my life and every time I shoot I inch up the standings. I am shooting in production so us new guys have a little better chance of getting ahead.

 

[DragonFire]

Thanks for all the words of support.

I've resolved to practice more, and keep at the competition. I found it very embarrassing to shoot as poorly as I did, not because I did so poorly, but because I know I'm a better shooter than that. I have vowed never to let it happen again. I may not ever win one of the matches, but my scores WILL reflect my ability.

Okay, I gotta go practice!

 

[dairycreek]

Learning to shoot is like learning to golf!

DragonFire

Both are activities are likely to suffer when stress takes over. Both are activities that are really prone to developing bad habits! I have found that it is really hard to get rid of bad shooting habits and when I practice my bad habits they tend to get stronger instead of weaker. I suggest that you seek out the services of a good professional instructor or someone who is a really good shooter. With help, start to reconstruct your shooting behavior from the very beginning, and develop really good habits. Sometimes it is just impossible to reconstruct good shooting behavior without help. Like seeking the help of a good teaching pro to rebuild your golf swing/game an outside source can often be helpful. It has worked for me over the years. Good shooting

 

[Series 70]

It's easy to lose a lot of points on stage 3 of the classifier. The two keys to this stage, IMO are to SLOW DOWN and aim a little high. Take the time to get a GOOD sight picture. If you shoot this stage badly, you can't do any better than marksman. Do decently on stage 3 and, if you don't screw up the other two, you can make sharpshooter.

Making expert, I think, is done on stage 1. Obviously, you have to do well on all stages, but shooting a fast, clean stage 1 is where experts are made.

Master? Well, if you're already an expert looking to make master, you already know what you need to work on.