Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Zombie All Gun This Weekend....

So this weekend was the great baptism of fire for my new AR.  I had so much fun that I all but forgot to video tape the match. My good buddy Ken Kiesler and I remembered to video tape our last stage which only included shotgun and pistol. Oh well. This match went exceedingly well for me until my pistol started to light strike. I was using a heavily modified glock 19 that I had like an idiot cut a few coils off of the striker spring. Note to the rest of the world: Don't do this. Ever. There are great aftermarket springs that will do the job and keep the gun going bang. So a few quick shots here and there and then a quick malfunction drill. I was actually surprised at how well I could do the malfunction drills since it was been at least 6 months since I touched the pistol.

Pre match gear selection was an easy process as I don't have a lot of options when it comes to 3 gun. The thought ran through my mind exactly like this: Gee, with this nice new AR and those big magazines it seems a shame to run a revolver on such a pistol heavy three gun match. I decided that since there are no specified power factors, I should run a 9mm and enjoy the high round count and low recoil. I chose my Glock 19 with HiViz sights, a stainless guiderod, reduced travel trigger, Arredondo +6 magazine extensions, and Dawson Precision super heavy magwell.

For my shotgun I elected to run my Mossberg 835 Ultimag with a 20" barrel(5+1) and a modified choke over the Benelli SBE1 due it already having a side saddle for extra shells. The Benelli would have held more rounds (7+1), but without a belt mounted shell caddy I would have been lost at the reload.




The rifle was my AR that I discussed in a previous post. I decided to run the Pmags exclusively for this match and selected the 30 rounder with the Ranger baseplates just in case. I did reload to a twenty round mag at one point also.

The minimum round count was 36 shotgun birdshot, 55 rifle and 91 pistol. The Range is not really all that well suited to a lot of rifle shooting as the berms are not that high or thick. There were seven stages and two of which were all long gun. I think it's very important to have a long gun only stage at a 3 gun match. It allows competitors to be tested on that skillset alone, or in some cases that weapon type alone. I thought stages 6 and 7 did this very well.  Stage 6 was a shotgun only stage where you started on the left hand side and engaged seven pieces of falling steel and then moved to your right while reloading for an additional six pieces of steel. My entire squad aced this stage with only a few footwork/angle issues for the beginners. Stage 7 was a very different story altogether. The appleseed rifle target was the focus of this stage with each of the ten targets to recieve three hits apiece. The big target was easy and just about everyone hit that one, however as the targets got progressively smaller they often eluded the bullets. The reason for this is that many people are unable to correct properly for their zero at closer ranges. My zero was off, as I discovered yesterday, causing many of my shots to hit lower than expected during the competition. I got throught the stage hitting five targets properly, the high man for my squad.



 Stage 1 consisted of a plate rack at 10 yards or so shot with the shotgun, and then 6 infected targets as you either backed up or ran back and engaged. I made two mistakes in this stage, a miss at the plate rack and a CAW, both of which I made up. Scan close targets if you are shooting an auto or you still have bullets in your Revo. It can make a difference, but only if you don't have to reload first. Remember to keep a count of roughly how many seconds it's been since your last shot...if it's more than 5 seconds you are wasting your time trying to make up shots except if the stage has multiple infected targets.
Stage three was the only stage that I got any video of and but for the one missed zombie, I think it ran pretty well. Need a little work on the shotgun reloads. We won't talk about the light strikes...man they were annoying! The duelist shot at the end sure didn't help things either. I guess I saw a bad target but it took a while to take that shot. Two hands doofus! TWO HANDS!

 And here's a video of Ken's run: 
Ken did well at the shotgun, but a little over confidence after the reload cost him on the steel. While he did not miss any Zombies, the infected targets in the back gave him some penalties. He's a relatively new shooter and this was his first three gun match. I believe that he will do well as his skill with the various weapons advances. 

Again a special thanks to Ken Keisler for videotaping and Worth Taylor for running the timer so we could videotape. Thanks Guys!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

New Rifle: Zero and Field Test


Little Bear, the Second Amendment Cat, posing next to the AR.
(I placed it on the floor for this picture and she couldn't resist the
 opportunity to be near a firearm and later fell asleep on top of it.)


    So a little over ten days ago I came across a deal and joined Team Black Rifle. In other words I purchased an AR-15 more specifically a hybrid conglomeration of parts that I thought was cool enough to buy. The upper is a Ruger 556C which is the 16.12 inch model with a heavy fluted barrel and integral flash suppressor/compensator. The lower is a CMMG with a Rock River Arms National Match trigger group. The previous owner also added a Magpul M.I.A.D grip,  an Ace Socom M4 Buttstock(Long version) with an A2 buffer and buffer spring , Eotech 512 Holosight, Surefire 6PX Tactical flashlight with KZ offset mount,Troy modular vert grip. The gun came with 7 P Mags and 12 C Products magazines with Magpul floor plates. The price was right and I am glad I bought it. I really have to say that this thing is addictive to shoot. My friend Paul has a Rock River LAR-15 Entry Tactical and we have been doing a comparitive study by shooting both.  I have found that I enjoy the Pmags for their free fall ejection and their ability to be left loaded at capacity without taking a set. I went ahead and fitted an Arredondo Magwell to the gun not because it was difficult to change magazines, but because it made it fool proof and gave a decent grip surface to the front of the lower.  I also opted for a Magpul AFG first generation because it allows me a positive close range/fast transition grip while the Troy grip is perfectly positioned for steadying longer shots and operating the flashlight if/when needed.
   We decided that after we developed practical zeros on the rifles(we went with a 25 meter zero) we would put them to a real world test by hunting groundhogs in the adjacent bean fields next to our target range/gravel pit. Before anybody jumps on us for killing defenseless animals, this is a service we provide the farmer in exchange for the use of his gravel pit. It is also a practical test of the shooter's ability to make tight shots at various distances with time constraints. I believe that this is a great way to practice shooting and help out the farmer in production of food for our country.

Our first expedition was unsucessful and after waiting too long in order to show Paul what a groundhog looked like two rushed shots were taken and nothing accomplished.  Today's hunt was very different once I learned to stay within certain limitations. My first shot was presented at 120 meters at two groundhogs together. I chose the larger of the two for obvious reasons and took up a hasty prone position in the middle of a farm road and steadied as best I could for the shot. A clean squeeze and a clean miss. The little dot in the middle of the EOTech looked gigantic and seemed to cover the whole head of the groundhog at this distance. I waited some 20 minutes and was rewarded with another shot which I took from a carefully sandbagged position and missed again. I was now certain that this shooter did not have the ability to make consistent hits on this size of target at that distance. I abandoned this spot and went to another beanfield, where due to recent rain, I abandoned my truck and went on foot for some 800 meters through a cow pasture to reach the next beanfield. On approaching the beanfield I was greeted by an erect and alert groundhog at a distance of 181 meters. I figured given my recent performance the likelyhood of a successful shot at this distance would be slim and opted to take a less direct and longer route in the name of stealth. This gamble paid off and presented me with a shot on the same groundhog at a distance of about 60 meters. I say about because I located it through a brush divide between the fields, set up a decent offhand position and squeezed off a shot in short order. The stupid part is that I used the 6x optic of my laser range finder to verify the target without ranging it and did this several times during the hunt. The shot felt good and after a short period of let down and suspected miss anxiety I found the hole and its deceased occupant. Good technique resulted in a humane and instant kill. Being in the middle of the field I too a moment to scan my surroundings to learn if any other holes were nearby and attempt to gain some intelligence about the possible number of groundhogs in the area. I was shocked to find a hole some forty meters to my left (as I faced the position I had shot from) with what appeared to be part of a head sticking out of it. I took but a moment to study the object before executing a clean trigger press and a stable shot. I did not know it at the time, but I had just made a headshot on an exposed area of about 4 square inches.   
The first animal taken from about 60 meters offhand.
The second animal taken at approximately forty meters offhand partial head exposure.
The hunt was dually successful in that it provided great practice and great service and I am grateful for both opportunites.

Ridiculous Fun and the Lessons Learned.

So about two weeks ago I got the bright idea to shoot a snubnosed revolver in a falling steel shoot. This was an idea born out of necessity, because I let my components run down and had several revolvers out of action due to cylinders being fitted for custom moonclips.  So in a stroke of utter brilliance I decided to shoot my K-frame 2" Model 10. I was not going to give up the revolver division without a fight...or atleast amusement of my fellow competitors. The first problem I encountered was not having any speedloader holders....in IDPA I always ran them out of a pocket....so I called up a friend and asked to borrow his. This turned out to be a gold mine of gear. I recieved seven speedloader holders, 5 comp 3's and two holsters to choose from. The holster issue turned up because my holster was in use by my girlfriend who was shooting my...err her 646...long story. I chose a Fobus GP-100 holster which although sized for the Ruger GP-100 worked really well for the little snubby. With all my gear now set the last problem to attend to was ammo, which I fortunately had some 250 rounds loaded up of 158gr minor loads. So after some speedloader practice and dryfire I set off for the match. 
Stage two was about the point where I really figured out just where the gun was shooting. In a stroke of genius I had forgotten that this particular gun liked the 125gr bullets and shot monstrously high with 158's. Oh well a nice shotgun point hold cured this and got me back in the game. I went on to become a little over confident and ended up missing the plates when I should have connected.

Stage Four was a decent stage for me, but I went slowly and deliberately trying to avoid extra reloads as it was such a speed shoot. I accomplished what I came to do and got through it clean. Not pretty, but clean.

Stage Five was my best stage except for the misses I had to make up. I was happy to clean the poppers and be on to the next stage. If you listen carefully you can hear the spectator saying "Run Forrest!" I got a decent chuckle out of that after the course was complete. The extra shots cost me here but not enough to cost the division win. I ended up first in revolver division by sheer luck and determination...skill obviously wasn't present this time.
The lessons I learned here were: Bullet weight matters a lot in fixed sight guns....always shoot the gun load combination ahead of time...steel is unforgiving.  Speedloaders are a pain in high round count matches because they must be reloaded often, picking up the brass is time consuming, and dropping live rounds is even less fun. Smaller sight radius guns are just as accurate as larger sight radius guns, however they do not give as much indication of movement so be on your best behavior....no lazy technique! I'd do it all again, but not with speedloaders, I'd opt for moonclips next time.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

A Weekend of USPSA

This weekend I was priviledged to attend two USPSA matches in two different states this weekend. The best part of the weekend was getting to see my friends from both groups in the same time period. I find it funny to see several other shooters getting their shooting fix at both matches just like me.  The first match was at Sir Walter Gun Club and was a hot mess. I'll be honest with you and say that I only ran three stages close to well.

I won the stage entitled Credit Card Slide where the shooter had to open the first port by swiping a steel card through a slot. The port opened and you drew and engaged three paper targets and then moved to an array of two mini poppers, a paper target, and two mini poppers. The catch was that one of the poppers both opened the second port and activated a down and back target in the third array. Good luck trying to catch it with a revolver with the reload in between the popper and the dynamic paper. Two quick A headshots solved that problem and the stage was over.

Stage Two was the classifier Fluffy's Revenge 1. I shot a 72% on this stage even with my super cool miss an makeup on the steel. I don't like Fluffy, but I do well on them.

Stage 3 started with six pieces of steel and then moved all over the place. I could have done better wth my positions and footwork. All in all it worked out ok here.

Before Stage 4could start John Zaczek made kissy faces at me and I retaliated with an french kissy face to the amusement of the squad. There were two paper targets in the left and right ports of barrel world. The center port contained two more paper targets and a series of four plates one behind the other. Easy stuff, had I not had a stiff ejection in one of the reloads. It never ceases to amaze me how long I think things take and how quickly they happen on video.

Stage 7 I did ok on except for the delta on the first paper. The footwork and positioning must get better if I am to get better. Not everything is bull in a china shop drag racing.

Thanks to Ken Kiesler for graciously recording my performance. See Ken's shooting here: My YouTube Vids

I did not record any video of the Fredericksburg match the next day because it was only myself and one other revolver shooter: The Great Mike Wilczek. We had great fun and Mike actually clobbered me on one stage with his minor .38 Short Colts. It was an excellent performance on his part and I regret not capturing it on video. The classifier was Bang and Clang and I shot it in 4.97 clean. That is a 54.97% but it's good enough to get me into B Class. I won the match, but Mike is a worthy opponent that does not let you get away with many mistakes. It was great shooting with you again Mike!

Friday, June 3, 2011

New Targets...New Approach to Training

So I recently got the urge to change my training techniques to better optimize my time on the range. I was spending entirely too much time on pasting up targets. Seriously, think about it....you shoot until you can't make head or tails of what is your last shot and then go paste the whole target. The distance fired walked up and back every so many odd rounds usually 24 or less in my case as the center gets blasted out...just kidding!  So my buddy Paul Cho came up with a ridiculously simple way to repair the targets really quickly. Duct Tape. Three or four strips cover the alpha zone or zero zone and then right back to shooting. This was a great revelation; because we no longer taped the main body of the target hits off the tape did not count. Brilliant! Focused shooting efforts for a better score. I liked this until I realized that the high value zones were highlighted. Perfect for a beginner like Paul, but holding me back like a crutch. I ran this plan until my roll of duct tape ran out and then got another idea....what if somebody made an A zone target out of steel...no more pasters!

I got in touch with the good folks at NEVCO Targets when I found out they made exactly what I was looking for. It wasn't like it was a grand search, I know the Mortons and shoot with them a lot. So after a short chat Nevitt got me set up with two awesome steel A zones for my shooting pleasure.  After about a week from first call I had my targets in hand and went to the Lowe's to pick up some 2x4's to stand them up on. I also selected some fluorescent yellow paint and some cardboard brown paint...yellow for a zombie match application and brown for USPSA practice. Nothing good comes from shooting white A zones...nothing.

Freshly Painted Tan A-Zones

After a weekend's wait, I was finally able to get out and use my targets yesterday. I really enjoyed the instant feedback the steel gave me each and every hit. I could say every shot but four holes in my 2x4 attest to that being untrue. I really enjoyed the feedback from the holes in the board because I wasn't able to paint over them and they did not go away between strings. The ability to stand ten yards off the targets with .40 major PF jacket ammo being safely directed down and away from the shooter was a great plus. I engaged the targets successfully from 10 to 50 plus meters, although less sucessfully at the longer ranges. The targets gave good and clear indication of bullet strike whether glancing or full diameter at all ranges. The fun on this day was limited only by the 250 round ammo supply which went extremely quickly even though I had to reload moonclips every 78 rounds.  I cannot wait to unleash my 625 on these targets...I have 166 moonclips for it, that's 996 rounds of clang potential! I think something will definitely have to give under those strenuous circumstances and I'm sure it's not going to be the targets.

The Test Platform


The Results...if you look closely you can see the misses.

 So if you are looking to improve your game or make practice a little more productive give Nevitt at NEVCO a call at 804-994-9195 or visit them online at http://www.nevcotargets.com/ . Be sure to tell them you heard about it here. I am not currently sponsored by nor am I soliciting sponsorship by writing this article. This is just a positive evaluation of a product I personally purchased and use.