Posted: 3/5/2025 11:18:11 AM EDT
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Decided I’d test myself a little yesterday and it wasn’t very satisfying. My usual routine is go the the range (my barn/shooting area) replace my carry ammo with my cheaper reloads and then practice. Depending on my focus of the day it may be 25 yd deliberate shooting or could be up close and quick(ish). Nope, yesterday I shot a Dicken format absolutely cold using the ammo I had in the gun that I’d put on that morning and wear every day no matter what I’m doing. After my 10 rds at 40yds I moved in for a different format. Few years back a church shooter was stopped my a church member with a solid headshot. He prevented who knows how many deaths with his accuracy so I tried my hand. Didn’t remember the distance so I picked 15 yds. Since I’d just shot the Dicken I can’t claim it was cold. Hey. I did what I could. Out of 8 rds I connected with 7. But it was a real struggle and not quick at all. Results were not encouraging. Weapon was a Springfield Champion RO Elite in .45 using 230 gr HST standard pressure. Very first 2 rds at 40 yds took me 6+ seconds and only connected with 1 shot. That shot missed the -0 on an IDPA target by an inch so I’ll call that a decent hit. The other 8 rds were all hits but ugly. A few stoppers but too many that I’d class as minor hits. I later repeated the 40 yd work with my dot sighted Champion and hits were both faster any far better. Kinda as expected. My purpose with this was to see what I could realistically expect best case if I needed to deliver on demand. I’m cheap and I hate to burn that expensive HST but I wanted the reality check. I got it. :( Does anyone else do this? |
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The enlightening part was doing this absolutely cold and attempting it quickly. When I practice at any real distance (say over 20yds) I tend to take my time and carefully focus on basics. I tried this run as though I was doing it for real. ‘Adequate’ sight picture and no adjusting my grip after the draw. Ugly results. But I have a clearer idea of my limitations. As a wise man observed ‘a man has got to know his limitations’ 😁 I’ll be making some changes to my practice and training efforts for sure. And with my crappy eyesight, the dot is gonna have to be a bigger part of my carry rotation. |
| A good training regiment puts an emphasis on realistic distances, but doesnt exclude longer distances or tougher shots. I think its very good to push yourself out of your comfort zone with training. As for running cold, I tend to start every training session with one of a few different drills that we record and keep in a binder to show progress (or lack of) towards the goal of being a better shooter. |
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Sadly I don’t practice often enough. Sometimes life just doesn’t cooperate. Which is annoying since I can literally walk down to my barn maybe 70-80 yds away and shoot. This I don’t class as practice though. This, to me, is more of a test to see what my limits are. But I’ll use this when I get out to practice and train. I know I’ve got to do less of the enjoyment stuff and more of the stretching myself work with my carry weapon. So. Plan going forward is more distance training (50yds and out) and more precision speed work (15 yds or so). Yeah I know those are low percentage needs but I neglect these skills. All told I burned around 50 rds of hst but learned a lot. Biggest takeaway is my trigger control sucks and badly so. Dry fire will help. |
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I test myself all the time. I practice, and I shoot drills, and I shoot new drills. We've been doing this all year now: March drill Get in and see where you're at. Hell, people are welcome to hit the January & February ones too. Standardized drills are a great gauge to your performance, and highlight various aspects of shooting that you need to work on. When I suck at one, it shows me what I need to be practicing more. |
USPSA Master Race
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WI, USA
First 6 rounds of the day. I did this after that church shooting. Full power .357 mag in my 2.75" m66 8" steel at 15 yards from concealment. |
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Fifteen yards is a good distance and I'm thinking about moving my Dickens plate to a more reasonable range. It's a 5x8 inch swinger at 35-40 yards and mostly an ammo wasting target for my defensive 9mm auto pistols. I need to visit the local pawn shops and find a 4 inch 357 mag with adjustable sights. Thanks to Helene, I've got plenty of downed trees to build a closer in backstop with. |
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That's the damn truth. I'm able to be more precise with one, especially at 25 yards or more. And it improves my irons shooting too. I can now hit a 2/3 IPSC steel at 100 yards, about 60% of the time, with my G19. No way would I ever have been able to do it with irons. |
jacks in between drills if your getting too comfortable