You share, I share

Posted on by

I was leaving an office building late in the business day on a Friday. There was virtually no foot traffic and I happened to cross paths with the security guard. I took the opportunity to ask a few questions. His initial reaction was rather closed. When I explained that I had my concealed carry permit and I was interested in speaking with folks who understood security, he opened up.

He commented that he thought it was great to see a women take an active interest in her safety and to be an active shooter. I was able to ask his opinion on carry guns, holsters, and security. I shared the best places for women to learn to shoot locally once he mentioned that he wished his wife was more interested. And I encouraged him to consider shooting competition.

It was a great exchange. And even though it was late in the day, I left with a smile.

I’ve realized that most every gun owner has opinions. They often conflict. The more people I talk to, the more information I have to form my own opinions. I encourage any new shooter to do the same.

 

Forcing the Slide

Posted on by

Back when I managed to paint my XD9 shut, I made a visit to the gun smith that has been so helpful to me in this journey. He forced the slide open and showed me the hand position  that he found gave him the most leverage to do that. He was kind enough to let me take photos of that hand position on a future visit when I wasn’t in such a flustered state.

Here are the two views of his hands on one of the guns from the shop:

Hands from above

Hands from above

Reverse view of hands

I’m not going to tell you when it’s best to force the slide versus taking a problem gun to a qualified gunsmith, but if I ever paint another gun shut (no plans at this time!!!) I’ll have a plan for getting the snap caps out.

Frustrated… so I signed up for a class

Posted on by

I’ve been shooting for just over a year. I’ve learned quite a bit: about guns (that cranky 1911), competition, and shooting. But I’m not getting any better, really. I still come in dead last or in the bottom 5 at every match. A friend and I were trading email about our journey and he wrote: “I classified as an IDPA Marksman a few months back and am going to try for Sharpshooter”. We shot our first match together. I’m still a bottom ranked Novice. I am not happy about this.

One of the contributing factors was getting pushed into buying a 1911. I waited for the slim grips to arrive and I essentially started from scratch. I wasn’t used to a gun with a thumb safety and I had spent too much to sign up for more private lessons last fall. Several competitors at matches where I’ve shot have volunteered their opinion, “Whoever told you to buy that 1911 did you no favors.”. One of the local shooters I watch gave up on his 1911 (for now).  It’s a great gun. It’s just more gun than I know what to do with and it requires additional knowledge and experience to use well. Dealing with “hardware” issues has distracted me from developing my shooting skills.

Add to that I took off work at lunch on Good Friday (forgetting that it was a holiday) and intended to practice at the range — only to find a 45 – 60 minute wait for a lane. So back to work I went with no practice. The weekends are worse.

What have I been doing? Shooting a match or live fire practice at the range once a week.

What am I not doing? Dry fire practice and getting instruction. At this point I don’t even trust I’m practicing the right things.

Time for a change…

We all have constraints on time and money, but I found a class that I can afford, with an instructor that comes highly recommended by a match director and many past students. I’ll be packing a lunch Saturday and heading north for a full day of basic competition instruction. Once I have that refresher, I need to make time to do much more dry fire practice and see how that works.

I feel like I’m a slow starter, but I know I’m not a quitter. Signing up for this class makes me feel more positive, should improve my skills, and gives me the opportunity to meet other shooters.

 

 

Zen and practice at the indoor range

Posted on by

When I first started shooting I was nervous every single time I went to the range to practice when I booked a lane on the public side of the range I joined. I’d check out everyone around me to see what they were shooting, to see if any other women were shooting, and because I was honestly expecting some one to tell me I was doing something wrong.

I realized last week, that I was no longer worried about “passing” but I was focused on what to do to improve my shooting. I’m still very focused on safety, but I realized I never looked to see who was there much less what they were shooting.

Targets for multiple lanes

Targets for multiple lanes

I was focused on drills that included:

  • very slow draw, aim and deliberate trigger pull (to focus on each step of the process)
  • strong hand only
  • weak hand only
  • double taps
  • controlled pairs
  • slide lock reloads
  • tactical reloads

I ration myself to 100 rounds (or whatever is left over from the last match + a box of 50 rounds). I need to put together a more formal set of drills and start to measure my progress somehow, but for now it was a pleasant realization to feel I fit in.

 

 

Draw, then Move

Posted on by

A local blog wrote about drawing before you move at competitive matches:
2 BUG Matches, IDPA, and a Girl Goes Bang – TTP – Ep. 20 said: 

Tip of The Week:

Draw, then move. It’s almost never a good idea in a match to move to a position, then draw the pistol. Ben goes into detail about why this is the case.

They also gave a “Plug of the Week” top my blog. Since I’ve been blogging less time than I’ve been shooting, that really made my week. On the podcast they mentioned that I brought up issues encountered by new shooters. So here’s the new shooter version of shooting on the move.

Stage description:
Magazines were loaded 6,6,10.
Stage was a single shot to each of 6 targets:
1) while moving sideways, then stop and slidelock reload
2) while moving forward, then stop and slidelock reload
3) while moving backward
for a total of 3 shots to each target.
(From March 10, 2013 IDPA match at The Range in Oxford, NC – Stage 6)

Listen closely and you will hear the RSO say “Move” after my draw. I’m thinking so hard about getting the gun on target that I put moving as secondary. This is purely by accident but it’s nice to know I’m developing some good habits:

Note: This is my first video! One of the guys in my squad was taking a video of another shooter and I asked him about that. He said he’d take one of me if I had a camera. When we got to this stage he nudged me and told me that this would be a great stage for video because it was so open. I handed him the $50 camera I bought at a Trade It in Raleigh and told him I knew it took video but wasn’t sure how it worked. Not only did he figure out how to work the camera, he took a short video without extra footage — which is great because it’s beyond me to edit video at this point.

Why am I sharing that? Because Ben & Luke are right that the people you shoot with are really nice, really helpful folks.

I’m very slow and usually come in dead last, but I’m learning confidence with safety, what to expect at matches, and making friends. If I stick with it, I am hoping better scores will be in my future.

And here are more thoughts on shooting and moving that I saw this week on another local blog: Is shooting on the move a good idea?

 

S&W warranty work: call, don’t email

Posted on by

It’s been a month sent I sent email to S&W asking about the missing grip bushings and screws. See history here. So Monday I took time away from work to call them. And wait on hold because all their customer service reps were busy.

When I finally got a rep on the phone, he was upbeat, helpful and apologetic. I’ve worked in a support organization and I understand that he can only control what happens going forward. I gave him the original order number, he did a bit of research and told me they would put the bushings and two kind of screws in the mail. They were not back ordered. So expect them in a few weeks.

Weeks? It’s a good thing I’m only getting these in case I want to resell the gun and restore it to the original grips. I made the original call on this claim before Thanksgiving.

In any case, emailing S&W appears to be a complete waste of time. If you need to reach out to them for a warranty issue, pick up the phone.

 

How many rounds in a 10 round mag?

Posted on by

Five 1911 magazines – fully loaded

I shot a match in Oxford on March 9, 2013 (my 7th match ever).

I continue to have malfunctions with the 1911. At a previous match one of the guys suggested I might be limp-wristing but I really didn’t think I was. If so, it would be happening more frequently.  I think everyone felt my frustration as I had magazine malfunctions in two stages: rounds jam at the top and the magazine starts to fall out the bottom.

At this match, one of the RSOs was shooting the exact some gun that I’m shooting: the S&W 1911 in 9mm. I have slimmer grips but that’s really the only difference. He stopped to talk with me after the match. He asked if I could be hitting the magazine release? With my small hands I think not but it was a good question to ask on the way to solving the problem.

Then he asked a question I didn’t expect: How many rounds are you loading in the magazines? Huh? They hold 10 rounds and division capacity is 10 rounds so the obvious answer appeared to be: 10 rounds. Not so…

He told me he loads 9 rounds in each magazine. These magazines are so tight that having 10 rounds creates too much pressure, causing the slide to drag and “voila!” the appearance of limp-wristing. Almost everytime I’ve had a malfunction it was on the 2nd shot so I think his logic may apply to my situation.

I’m shooting ESP. The consensus was that I could do this. I need to shoot the entire match this way and inform the RSO up front. One of the folks we consulted seemed to think this might be in a gray area as far as the rules, but since I’m nowhere close to competitive at this point, I don’t think this will cause anyone any anxiety.

And I want to see if it makes a difference. So the next match, I’m downloading to 9 rounds and we’ll see if that reduces the annoying malfunctions.

 

 

Practice Costs

Posted on by

Well used paper target (March 8, 2013)

I practice during the week at Personal Defense Handgun Safety Center (PDHSC). I bought a Gold Membership after a bit of nudging by a past shooting partner. We don’t shoot together any more but he was the #1 reason I’m shooting competitions today. He encouraged me to take several classes, we shot our first IDPA match together, we practiced together about once a week on the action range at PDHSC and he made me aware of the Gold Membership.

The Gold Membership is currently $275 for one year. That includes unlimited range time in one hour increments. Current range time is at $20 a visit. Without the Gold Memberhship, if I shoot once a week, the cost the for a year would be $1040. If I shoot twice a month, the cost would be $480. For me, the Gold Membership is a great deal.

If you shoot in a lane, the additional cost is $1 per paper target. I like targets with lots of options so I can move around, transitioning from spot to spot. If you shoot in the action range (call in advance, on the same day, to reserve this range) the cardboard targets are $2 each. Since you shoot solo on the action range there is an additional cost of $5.

Cardboard target with one “paster” under the head shot. Note steel plates in the background.

You can “paste” brown sticky squares over holes in the cardboard targets and use them many, many times. At a match, 6 squads of 10 shooters will shoot most targets twice each for over a 100 rounds per use.

The last cost for practice is ammunition. I stocked up after I bought my first 9mm gun. I like shooting, I want to improve and I never wanted the cost or scarcity of ammunition to prevent me from shooting. New shooting friends also predicted that the fall 2012 election results would affect pricing and availability. In the short time I’ve been shooting I’ve seen 9mm Luger rounds go from $12/box to “a deal” at $20 a box (a box is typically 50 rounds) for practice rounds.

Since I typically use 100 rounds at each match and at each practice session I buy in bulk. That’s hit and miss at the moment but I’m hoping the supply and demand will even out in a few months and it will become easier to find. I’m hoping more that the prices don’t continue to rise.

 

 

That picture

Posted on by

The original blog banner

The photo at the top of the blog was taken by a friend. It was taken last year when I was very new to shooting and very enthusiastic about my new interest. We ensured all the guns we used were unloaded. Three of us checked. There was no ammunition in the venue. And I wore an outfit to mimic a cosplay character, Revy. I was feeling empowered and sexy. That was the 1st gun I bought! (It’s a S&W 22A).

I look at the photos now and I feel a bit foolish. No eye protection, no ear protection, and no high neck shirt to prevent hot shells from dumping down my chest. Fantasy is a far cry from reality.

I also can see that I have one eye closed: not a good tactic for defensive shooting. And I have my finger on the trigger: a serious no-no based on the gun safety rules of most any organization. From IDPA: The 4th Law of Gun Safety – Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until Your Sights Are On The Target!

Finally, that grip: both thumbs are misplaced. They should, ideally, parallel the slide and be as high as possible without touching the slide.

I still like the photo. At the time it captured my enthusiasm. Now it helps me see how far I’ve come. I’m going to keep it there for now because I like that reminder.

 

The 1911 Saga: Cost

Posted on by

I took a defensive shooting / beginner competition class last October. The instructor insisted my gun did not fit my hands well. I really liked that gun (Springfield XD9) but I agreed. The same reasons are spelled out in these blog posts:

  • From the Cornered Cat: “Big” excerpt: “When a handgun is too large for you, it does not mean you cannot shoot the gun at all. Obviously, you can! And you can enjoy it, too. But a self-defense gun should fit your hand as perfectly as possible.”
  • From When the Balloon Goes up: “How to know if a pistol is too big (or too small)“
I don’t like to spend money. I set financial goals for myself and a buffer that will let me ride out multiple months of unemployment is a requirement in my life. I rode the dot.com boom and bust in San Francisco for 10 years. That buffer helps me sleep at night.
The instructor recommended I purchase a 1911. If I couldn’t afford that, I should look at a S&W M&P 9. I’m very invested in learning to shoot well, so after agonizing over the decision, I opted to look at the 1911 options. Then I had to shop for one. For competition I wanted a 5″‘ barrel (more accurate) in 9mm (more affordable to shoot). I looked a local shops, online, asked friends about options and, about a month later I  snatched up the S&W 1911 in 9mm that appeared in the shop where I normally shoot. I paid cash to save about $40 in credit card fees.

Brand new 1911

Here’s the total so far to switch to the new gun:
  • $1290 –  for the gun and 2 magazines
  •     $90 –  1 Holster in green by Daranich Tactical (offset and dropped)
  •     $70 –  2 mag carriers in green by Daranich Tactical (offset)
  •   $129 –  3 additional Wilson Combat magazines (for a total of 5)
  •     $80 – 4 hour class on complete take down for a 1911
  •    $90 –  specialized cleaning tools and supplies from the take down class
  •   $156 – new grips, installed + two tools for take down + A Wilson Combat Take down Manual
Total: $1905

All the new gear.

I also spent $80 on a dropped offset holster for my Springfield XD9 to use until I got the 1911 purchases sorted out and $75 on a Woolrich Concealment vest. That brought my total expenditures, ignoring ammunition, to $2060 for October/November of 2012.

It took about 6 weeks to get the slim and get them installed. I basically had to start over learning to draw and to work the gun (because of the safety). I shot matches in late July, mid-September, and late October with my XD9. Due to these purchase and the new learning curve I didn’t shoot another match until January.

I haven’t taken any further classes and won’t until I can replace the cash I spent to switch guns. I still practice or shoot about once a week but no private or group lessons for now.
Was it a good decision? I’m not sure.

The down side: This gun is very finicky. The safety requires thinking about even more new things. It malfunctions easier. I have wasted lots of time at matches figuring out what’s wrong with my gun.

The upside: It’s thinner. More importantly, it’s heavier. I’m now able to shoot without re-positioning my hands on the gun between shots. When I’m ready to start shooting faster, the reduced recoil will help. The trigger is much lighter. I’m starting to take that for granted but it has surprised the friends that have shot this gun.

For now: I’m determined to learn as much as I can. I’m going to shoot with this gun for the rest of this year and then decide if I should be looking for something else.