BONUS

Flinchorthephobicreactiontorecoil
theexactoppositedirectionoftherecoil.Notabadthinghuh?Makesureyour
Recoil
modicationstothegrip,triggerlength,ormaybeadifferentgunentirely.Ifyour
RECOILCONTROLPROBLEMS
Travelingwithguns.
ByMattBurketthttp://www.mattburkett.com
stanceissolid.Havesomeonepushonyourhandsinyourshootingstance.(solid
Therulewithlearningtohandlerecoilistostartsmallwithagunthattsyouandwork
usinga1911orWideBodygun,SVIhasaninserttriggersystem(ITS)thatallows

Ifyouhaveanymorequestionsabouttravelingorshootingingeneralcontactme.
constantpressure)Ifyoucan
yourwayup.
youtochangethetriggerlength,style,andevencolorwithouttakingyourgunapart.
IknowafteroneofthedarkestdaysinAmerica,everyonethattravelsforshootingevents
tholdthesameposition,guesswhatthegunis
Theconceptofacontinuoussightpicture.Nearlyeverythingyouhearintrainingor
Flinchisthesubconsciousreactiontothenoise/recoil/tofarearm.NoticethatIsaid
doing.Makesureyourrelaxedandinapositiveposition.Tensionkillsfast
Themaintechniquethatwillhelpyouhandlerecoilandyourinchispropergripand
http://www.sviguns.comIsitslippery?Ioncehadastudentthathadafullcustom.
isalittlenervous.Relaxithasn
tbeenaproblemforme.Ihavebeenfollowingthesame
atamatchisseeyourfrontsight.Idon
tthinkthatisthecorrectwaytoapproacha
subconscious.Itisanyuncontrollableactionpriortothegungoingoff.Understandthatitis
shooting.Tensionisdifferentthanstrength.(That
stance.Thelessthegunpushesyouaround,thelesschanceyourgoingtoreacttothe
45andhisissuewasthatthegunwasjustplainslippery.Therereallywasnowayto
rulesasbeforeSeptember11thandhaveownmanytimeswithoutanissue.
safunontoexplainthatIam
majorproblemwithpeoplesshooting.Themainissuetheyhaveisthattheydon
t
nothingtobeembarrassedabout.Itissomethingthatcanbeovercomemuchlikeanyphobia.
notevengoingtotouchhere.Ifyoudon
recoil.Whatisthegundoinginrecoil?Mostlikelyyoudon
getagoodpurchaseonit,especiallywithhardballloads.Iknowthissoundslike
tgetit,callme.)Canyouwiggleyour
tknowbecauseyoureyesare
seethesightswhentheyneedto,whichisduringtheentireringsequenceand
Theconsciouspartoftheequationisthefearofthegunring.TheworstinchIhaveseen
toesintheshootingboxbeforethetimergoesoff?Betyoucan
closed.
commonsense,but,youhavetobeabletosticktothegun.Itdidn
Therulesyouneedtofollow.
tthersttime
thelpthathe
returntothetargets.Mostofmystudentswouldbefamiliarwiththetimingdrills.
wasaguyshootinga.300WinchesterMagnum.Hewouldclosehiseyesabouttwoseconds
youtry.Thenervegoingtothebigtoeisthelongestnerveinthehumanbody.
Anotherthingthatwillhelpreducerecoilistochangeyourloadsandreducetheweightof
alsolikedtosiliconehisgun.THEWHOLETHING.Gripandall!That
slike
1 Lockyourguninahardcase.
Oneofthebiggestbenetsofatimingdrillisthatitwoulddeveloptheabilityto
beforehepulledthetrigger!Thatdenitelydidn
thelphimhitthetarget.Infact,hedidn
t
Guesswhat,ifyourtoesaretense,everythingelseistenseinbetween.Takea
therecoilspring.Tryworkingwithtargetloadsorreducedpowerloads.Focusonseeing
greasingaballbearingthentryingtoholdonitwhenitgets150g

sofforce
2 Putthelockedcaseintoanotherbagorcaseyoucanlock.Preferablyalockingsuitcaseor
seethesightallthewaythroughtherecoil.Thatishowyoushootfastandaccurate
evencomenearit.
lowerabdominalbreathandrelaxyourabs.Focusonyourstressandgetridofit.
asmuchasyoucanwhilethegunisgoingoff.
applied.Goodluck!Skateboardtape,checkering,differentgripstheywillall
pelicanbox.
splitsontarget.
Okaysonowyouhaveasolidstance,yourrelaxed,haveagoodgriponthegun,
contributetoabettergrip.Ifyoursweatyhandsaren thelpingtheissueany,get
3 Putammointoammocases(factoryboxesifpossible)andcushionthemtokeepthem
Nowinchisdifferentthanrecoilcontrol.RecoilcontrolortimingtherearmasIcallit,
andyourcanreachthetrigger.Doyouhavesightsyoucanseeeffectively?Can
Pain
someProgripfromKrunchProducts.Doyouhaveacrappygripthatdoesn tlend
frommakingnoiseifnecessary.
happensasthegunisring.Thereisonlyafewhundredthsofaseconddifferencebutthe
youmakeoutthefrontsightclearly?Timetoseetheeyedoctor?BTWifyour
Paincausedbysharpspotsontheguncancauseainch.Severalofmystudentshavegotten
itselftoholdingthegunproperly?Isthereagapbetweenyourhands?Isyourweak
4 Placetheammo5kilosorless(11pounds)about300roundsof.38superintoaseparate
differenceintheeffectsonyourshootingareincredible.
over40andsufferingthestandardfarsightedissue(ieneedreadingglasses)ask
ridoftheirinchjustbymakingthegunttheirhandbetter.Gripyourgunuptightlywith
handthumbnotpointingatthetarget?Isyourweakhandactuallygettingonthegrip
UnderstandthattheGRIPofthepistolisdifferentthangettingaGRIPona
bagthatyourgoingtocheck.Iusemygarmentbagwhichisoneoftheframedrolling
yourdoctoraboutanewprocedurecalledCK.
yourhanduntilyourknuckesandngerschangecolor.Now,feelthegun,whatsbothering
itselforjustkindofridingyourstronghand?IfyouhaveseenPracticalShootingV
pistol.Thisisadifcultyincommonlanguageusageespeciallywhendescribing
type.
Ifyouhaveneverseenhowthesightsliftinrecoil,youhavebeenclosingyoureyes.IE
you?Letthegungoandlookatthepalmofyourhandandngers.Wherearethemarks?
4,wemarkthehandsonKevintoseeifheisgettingaconsistentgriponthepistol.
both.Recoilcontrolortiming:TheIssue:Mostshootershaveasignicantissue
5 Grabsomezipties,preferablythecoloredones.Easiertoidentifyyourbagwithandyou
inching.Anotherthingtocheckforistoworkongroupshooting.Ifyourshootinga4
Thesearerelatedtothespotsonthegunthatyouwillneedtohaveagunsmithmodifyfor
Haveatrainingpartnerdothesameforyou.Thendo25drawsandseewhat
withrecoilcontrol.Wellokaytheydon
thaveanyrecoilcontrolwouldbea
canalsolockanyzipperstogether.Helpskeep
emhonest.
groupoffhandat15yardsyourmostlikelynotinching.Ifthatgroupopensupwith
you.Gettingridofthesharpspotsandedges,andyouwillbesurprisedathowmuchnicerit
happens.Theweakhandneedstobeanintegralpartofthetwohandedgrip.Forme
betterwaytoputit.Wehaveworkedoninch.Ifyoucanseeyoursightliftand
severalyers,youmaybehavinganissue.Ifyoucan
tkeepthemonthetargetyouare
Drillstodeveloprecoilcontrol:Dryrewon
willbetoshootthegun.
thatiswheremostoftherecoilcontrolhappens.Triggercontroloccurswithmy
AtCheckIndothefollowing.
tcurearecoilcontrolproblem.
return,yourmostlikelynotinching.Poorrecoilcontrolcoversaspectrumof
havingarealproblem.
Thatistheonethingyoucan
Ifyoucan
stronghand.Mostshooterstrytodotoomuchwiththeirstrongsideoftheirbody.
thangontothegun,youwon
tdoindryre.Whatitwilldevelopisproper
tbeabletoshootitwell.Makesurethatyouhave
1 Arriveatleast2hoursearlyforyouright.(minimum)
problems.Fromnothavingaconsistentreturnoftheguntothesamespotyou
stance,grip,etc..
agoodpurchaseonthegun.Ifyourhandsareslippingaround,itwillmakeitmoredifcult
Thisisanaturalthingthatweneedtoovercomeforreallyfastshooting.Fast
2 Gototheactualcheckincounterinsidetheterminal.
justshottothehandorhandsbreakingandlosinggriponthepistol.GenerallyI
Letstakealookatthedifferentthingsthatcontributetoinchandseeifwecanhelpyou
toshoot.Addskateboardtape,checkeringorrubbergripssothatyoucangetabettergrip.
shootingdoesnthappenwhenthestrongsideistensedup.Thisiswhenyouwill
3 HandoveryourticketsandID.
seeeitherahandreadjustmentrightafterashotorIseetheweakhandactually
withsomedrillstoworkthroughthisproblem.
TherstthingIwantyoutodoistoaimatabermthatisn
seeshootershavetriggerfreezes,andhorriblefollowupshots.Sometimesitdoesn
ttofaraway.Say10 t
loseitsgriponthepistol.Nowletsdenetheissue.Theconceptofrecoilcontrol
4 AskforanUnloadedrearmstagandsayyourtravelingforacompetition.(seemstoput
yards.Makesurethatitisagoodbackstopandyournotgoingtogetanyricochets.
evenlookliketheywereshootingatthesametarget!Adrilltoworkonthatwill
ortimingthegun(fromtheshootersperspective)istosubconsciouslyreturnthe
thematease)
Noise
Loadandmakereadyandgeteverythingbehindthegunrightgrip,stance,
helpyoubringyourweaksidemoreintoyourshootingiswhenthehandshitthe
sightstothesamespot.Thisisaneuromuscularringoffasttwitchmusclesthat
Faceit,loudnoisesscareusandcauseareaction.Itsnotnormalforpeopletohavean
5 Theymayasktoinspectyourguns.Openupthecasesandshowthemclear.Evenbetteris
relaxedetc.Aimthegunatatargetandjustburnoffthewholemagazineasfastas
Psychological
receptionposition(aboutwhereyouclap),theweakhandbringstheguntothe
occurs.04.07ofasecondaftertheshotisred.Noticeissaidsubconscious.You
explosionhappeninfrontoftheirfaceandnotjump,blink,orhavetheirmusclesun
ifyouhavethemdisassembledinthelockedcase.
youcan.Whatdidyoufeelandlearn?Whereyouabletoshootallthewaythrough
sightplane.Thiscanhelptakethefocusoffthedominanceofthestrongsideand
havetoseteverythinguprightforandthenletithappen.Thetopshootersdon
t
controllablecontract.Weneedtotrain,focusingonovercomingthebody
sphysicaland
themagazinewithoutstoppingandwasyourtriggerspeedconsistent?Wereyou
Forcingyourwaytolearntoshootthroughainch.Setatargetat10or15feet.Have
helpbalanceusoutabit.(Wouldn
titbeabetterworldallaroundifmorepeople
6 Placethesignedtaginsidethelockinghardcare,nexttothegun.
lookliketheirworkinghardwhentheirshootingdothey?That
sabighint.Their
psychologicalreactiontothenoise.
abletokeepagripthroughthewholemagazine?Ifso,great,skiptodoingmy
someonecheckyourstanceandgripbystandingofftothesideandcyclingtheemptygun
werewellbalanced?Iamtalkingmentallyherethough.JPushingandpullingonthe
7 Lockcaseandbagupetc.
not!
Howdowegoaboutdoingthat?Welllet
sstartwithagunthatdoesn tmakeasmuchnoise
timingdrills.(tipisonmywebsiteorinPSV4)Ifnot,gureoutwheretheproblem
whileyouraimingitatthetarget.Nowloadthegunandshootthemagazineoffasfastas
gunliketheoldstyleweavertechnique.Alright,sothisonenevermadesensetome.
8
Requestadditionalbaggageinsuranceifyouwant.
orevenanairpistol.Learnsomeofthebasicsofshootingonarearm,suchastrigger
is.Isityourweakhand?Didyourtensionbuildasyoushot?What
youcanforcingyoureyesopenandlearningtorelaxintothegunandrecoil.Themoreyou
Thegunisrecoilingrearwards,whyinthehelldoyouwanttohelpit?Dynamic
sgoingon?
9 Makenodeclarationofammounlessasked.
controlandsightalignment,withoutthedistractionsoftheloudbang.Anotherthingthatwill
Haveapracticepartnerhelpyoudiagnosetheissueifnecessarybyhavingthem
tightenupyourshoulders,neck,etctheworseitis.
tensionisabunchofBS.Whenyouhaveanadrenalinerush,whathappens?You
signicantlyhelpwillbedoubleplugging.Usinggoodearplugsandabigsetofearmuffs.
10 Saythanksforhelpingyououtandgogetonyourplane.
watchyoushoot.Whatisyourbodylanguage?Cantheyseeyoutightenup?Side
getstrongerright?Usemoregrossmotorskillsright?Wellhereisahint,whatside
Thiswillhelpshutoutthesoundasitenterseithertheskullortheearcanal.Youmaywant
note:whatisyourtriggerngerdoing?Isitleavingthefaceofthetriggeror
Atruesurpriseshot.Getintoyourshootingstanceandhavesomeoneelsepullthetrigger
isstronger?Yourstrongside,ummduh.Thatswhyyouwillseealotofshooters
toalsoaddahatasthiswillreducetheamountofimpactfromtheblasttothehead.
bouncingonandoffit?Onceyoucangetthatdown,whichmaytakealotof
foryou.Trythisbothwithyoueyesopenandclosed.RELAXandseehowmuchan
thatusetheweaverpushtheirsecondshotlowleft.Theirrstonemaybene,but,
1 totakeammo,gunparts,oraccessoriesinyourcarryon.
ammoseeifyoucangetacontinuoussightpictureduringthewholemagazine.
incredibledifferenceinrecoilthereis.Thegunjustipsandcomesbacktocenter.
afterthatwhenthepressureison,itcanhaveatendencytogotohellreallyquick.If
ExcerptsfromthePracticalShootingManual
2 Useyourshootingbagasacarryon.Thebombdetectormaypickuptracesofpowderetc.
Commonproblemstoaddress:Doestheguntyourhand?Canyouactually
Tryshootingafewroundsafelywithyoureyesclosed.(obviouslyafterhavingcheckedyour
yourpushingforward,usingapositivepressurewithbotharmsandgetan
Itsnotworththehassle. AllmaterialsCopyright2004
holdthepistolinagoodringgripandactuateallsafetiesalongwithgeta
impactareaandlinedthegunupwiththetarget)Feelwhatisbotheringyou.Isitthenoise,
adrenalinerush,whathappens?Yourjustputtingmoreenergyintothegunin
properngerpositiononthetrigger?Ifthegundoesn
ttyou,howdoyou
3 ArguewiththeagentIftheyaredisagreeableaskforamanager.
recoil,blast??
Aninterestingnote:Alotofstudentshavefoundthatwhentheywereableto
thinkyouwillshootitfastandaccurate?Youwillbeabletoshootitaccurate
tohavebaggagethathasgunrelatedembroideryorlogo
setc.Youraskingforittogetstolen.
Acceptingthenoiseisoneofthebiggestthingstolearn.Whenthegungoesofffocuson
gettheirgunundercontrol,theygenerallycuredmostoftheirinchingissues.
regardlessofgrip,but,notfast.Accuracyispurelysightalignmentandtrigger
Thatshouldprettymuchcoverthedetails.
relaxingasmuchaspossible.Usejustenoughgripstrengthtokeepthegunfromyingout
control.Anotherissuethatcomesupwhenpeopleareshootingagunthat
ofyourhands.Startwitha.22rimreandworkyourwayup,learningtorelaxintothenoise
doesn
ttisthattheycantindexthegunconsistently.Fixesforimpropergun
ofeachsubsequentcaliber.
tinclude

TipsandArticlesby
MattBurkett

DONOTATTEMPT

Hot
Hot Shots
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2004

THIS DATA CURRENT AS OF THE FEDERAL REGISTER DATED 07/12/15

Transporting Firearms and Ammunition

You may transport unloaded firearms in a locked hard-sided
container as checked baggage only. Declare the firearm to the
airline when checking your bag at the ticket counter. The
container must completely secure the firearm from being
accessed. Locked cases that can be easily opened will not be
accepted. Be aware that cases that are supplied when
purchasing a firearm may not be appropriate for securing the
firearm when flying.

TSA REGS -Firearms

Comply with regulations on carrying firearms where you

are traveling from and to, as laws vary by local, state and
international governments.
Declare all firearms, ammunition and parts to the airline
during the check-in process. Ask about limitations or fees that
may apply.
Firearms must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided
container and transported as checked baggage only. Firearm
parts, including firearms frames and receivers, must also be
placed in checked baggage and are prohibited in carry-on
baggage.
Replica firearms may be transported in checked baggage
only.
Rifle scopes are permitted in carry-on and checked bags.
All firearms, ammunition and firearm parts, including
firearm frames, receivers, clips and magazines are prohibited
in carry-on baggage.
United States Code, Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 44, firearm
definitions includes: any weapon (including a starter gun)
which will, or is designed to, or may readily be converted to
expel a projectile by the action of an explosive; the frame or
receiver of any such weapon; any firearm muffler or firearm

silencer; and any destructive device. As defined by 49 CFR

1540.5 a loaded firearm has a live round of ammunition, or any
component thereof, in the chamber or cylinder or in a
magazine inserted in the firearm.

TSA REGS - Ammunition

Firearm magazines and ammunition clips, whether loaded

or empty, must be securely boxed or included within a hardsided case containing an unloaded firearm.

Small arms ammunition, including ammunition not

exceeding .75 caliber for rifle or pistol and shotgun shells of
any gauge, may be carried in the same hard-sided case as the
firearm, as described in the packing guidelines above.
FAA REGS FOR AMMO Pack Safe

Small arms ammunition

Cartridges up to 19.1mm, shotgun shells
Quantity limits: Reasonable amount for "personal use" during a
trip. However, international (ICAO/IATA) regulations and some
airlines in the U.S. limit this to 5 kg (11 pounds) gross weight per
passenger. Check with your airline.
Small arms ammunition includes cartridges up to 19.1 mm (.75
caliber) and shotgun shells. It does not include black powder,
smokeless powder, primers, percussion caps, or homemade
powder and ball loads for muzzle loading.
Ammunition must be securely packed in boxes or other devices
specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition.
Ammunition clips and magazines must also be securely boxed so
no ammunition is loose or exposed.

Loaded firearms are forbidden.

These restrictions do not apply to armed law enforcement officers
traveling under the conditions set forth in 49 CFR 1544.219.
See the regulation: 49 CFR 175.10(a)(8)
WHICH STATES:
(8) Small arms ammunition for personal use carried by a crewmember or passenger in checked
baggage only, if securely packed in boxes or other packagings specifically designed to carry
small amounts of ammunition. Ammunition clips and magazines must also be securely boxed.
This paragraph does not apply to persons traveling under the provisions of 49 CFR 1544.219.
(9) One self-defense spray (see 171.8 of this subchapter), not exceeding 118 mL (4 fluid
ounces) by volume, that incorporates a positive means to prevent accidental discharge may be
carried in checked baggage only.

See http://www.tsa.gov for CURRENT UPDATES ON TSAs security

screening requirements for ammunition and unloaded firearms in
checked baggage.

Traveling With Firearms and Ammunition on Commercial

Aircraft
Firearms, ammunition and firearm parts, including firearm frames and receivers, are
prohibited in carry-on baggage. Scopes are permitted.
Travelers such as target shooters, hunters, collectors, etc., need to travel with their
firearms and can do so by checking their firearms and ammunition as checked baggage,
as long as proper packing.
Before I go any further, please take note: Firearm possession laws vary by state and
locality. Travelers should familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for
each point of travel prior to departure. For example, while firearms can be declared
and checked with baggage in Cincinnati, its illegal in New York City due to possession
laws. Airlines may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and
ammunition. Travelers should also contact the airline regarding firearm and
ammunition carriage policies. Also, please note that other countries have different
laws that address transportation and possession of firearms. If you are planning to

travel internationally, check the regulations of the destination country to ensure

compliance with their requirements.

Failure to adhere to the following regulations will preclude passengers from

traveling with firearms, ammunition or firearm parts. These regulations are
strictly enforced and violations can result in state and local criminal
prosecution, as well as civil penalties of up to $2,000 per violation.
From TSA.gov:

Travelers must declare all firearms to the airline during the ticket counter check-in
process.
The firearm must be unloaded.
The firearm must be in a hard-sided container.
The container must be locked. A locked container is defined as one that
completely secures the firearm from being accessed. Locked cases that can be pulled
open with little effort cannot be brought aboard the aircraft.

If firearms are not properly declared or packed, TSA will provide the bag to law
enforcement for resolution with the airline. If the issue is resolved, law enforcement will
release the bag to TSA so screening may be completed.
TSA must resolve all alarms of checked luggage. If a locked case containing a
firearm alarms, TSA will contact the airline, who will make a reasonable attempt to
contact the owner and advise the passenger to go to the screening location. If contact is
not made, the container will not be placed on the aircraft.
If a locked container alarms during screening and is not marked as containing a
declared firearm, TSA will cut the lock in order to resolve the alarm.
Travelers should remain in the area designated by the aircraft operator or TSA
representative to take the key back after the container is cleared for transportation.
Travelers must securely pack any ammunition in fiber (such as cardboard), wood
or metal boxes or other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of
ammunition.
Firearm magazines and ammunition clips must be securely boxed or included
within a hard-sided case containing an unloaded firearm.
Small arms ammunition, including ammunition not exceeding .75 caliber for a
rifle or pistol and shotgun shells of any gauge, may be carried in the same hard-sided case
as the firearm, as long as it follows the packing guidelines described above.
TSA prohibits black powder or percussion caps used with black powder.
There are certain limited exceptions for law enforcement officers who may fly
armed by meeting the requirements of Title 49 CFR 1544.219. Law enforcement
officers should read our policies on traveling with guns.

EyeSpeed
ReactionToTheBuzzer
BuyingaUsedGunIfthegunisfactorybasicandjustusedinthenormal
TimingDrills
10weekshootingandbasictnessplan
ComstockFactoring
DryrePracticeRegimen
Notesontheabove:
Drawingoffofatable
STANCE:Istilldon
tseehowareverseweavertypepositioncarriesovertolongguns.
andcompletethecontactbetweenbothhands.Thisalsoservesanotherpurposeofbringing
Thiswherethebulletpassesthroughtheholeintheplateand
Themorerelaxedandcomfortableyourstance,thebetterdecsionmakingyouwilldo.
TestDrive
Ihavefoundthatalotofmystudentshavebeenlosing
differentarmmusclesinoncontrollingthegun.Youshouldfeelthemusclesonthetopof
courseofdutyitmostlikelyisafairpurchase.Checkforoverallt,
OneofthedrillsthatIliketodomostofthetimeandhashadthemostimpactonmy
Youwalkuptoastageandyouhearsomeonesay,
thegasburnstheedgesofthehole.Withtheintroductionof
Hereisaneasydailyregimenthatwillhelpbuildfamiliarity,repeatabilityandstaminainto
Nowunloadandreviewyourshooting.
IfIweretoputmyarmsinaweaverormodisopositionrightnowwhileholdingaGlock,
theleftarmbytheelbowdoingthework.Ifthehandisstraightyouwillfeelthestrainon
signicanttimeontheirdrawjustbyhavingaslowreactiontime
functionandamountofwear.Ifitseemsexcessive,partsmayneedto
10Solid5fromstandingtokneeling5fromkneelingtoprone5fromstandingtoprone50
shootingabilityisatimingdrill.Firstweshouldhaveadiscussionofterminology.Timingof
Consultadoctorpriortoinstitutinganytypeoftnessprogram.Thisprogramisforthe
FailuresIseewiththeWeaverStance.IMHO
Oh,that
lightbullets,platescansufferfromsignicanterosion,sometimesto
yourshooting.Trytodoyourdryrepracticeduringthesamegeneraltimeofthedayas
Onceagainwegobackandlooktoseewhereourproblemsareshowingup.Whatisthe
satenfactorstage.
onecouldcomeoverandtakethegunoutofmyhandandreplaceitwithanARormp5and
NOTE:IfyouareshootingIronsightsvs.opticsyouwouldbring
thebottomofthearm.
towhenthebuzzersoundsfromthetimer.Howdoyoundout
bereplaced.Ausedgunmaybeagreatplacetosavesomemoneyif
Ifthegunseemstobeingoodcondition,thenextstepistore
thegun:Iamnotreferringtotheactualtimethemechanismtakestoreturntobattery.Iam
averageshooterthatwantstomoveupaminimumofoneClasswithina10weektimeframe.
Quarteringthebodyoffcenterreducestheeffectivenessofbodyarmorbyexposinguptoa
thepointthattheybreakthrough.
youusuallycompete.Makesurethatthegunisunloadedandthereisnoammunitionin
groupdispersiononthetargets?Isthereasignicantdifferencebetweenthegroupsattwo
theonlyadjustmentIwouldhavetomakeistomovemyrighthandbacktotheareaofthe
Boththumbsshouldbepointingatthetargetandyourarmsshouldbepushingoutina
whatyourreactiontimeisandmoreimportantlyhowdoyou
youarelookingatcustomizing.Whenbuyingausedcustomizedgun
it.Takeittoarangeandputsomeroundsthroughit.Lookforthe
TargetTransitionsoneitherminiatureIPSCtargetsorthetransitiondotsinthePracti
referringtolearningthetimingofthegunbytheshooter.Sincemostgunsreturntobatteryin
Pleaseadda5minutestretchingprogrampriortoeverydaysexercise.Thiswillreduceinjury
1/3ofyourchest.
Doyouknowwhattheymeanandhowthegureitout?
yourdryrearea!
secondsandat.5seconds?Howmuchverticalerroristherewiththegroups?Whatdidthe
triggerhousinginthelonggun.Myleftarmwillstaybentinprettymuchthesameposition.
Youcanonlyshootasfastasyoucansee.Wellitstrue!
positivetensionagainstthegun.Severalschoolsteachapush/pulltechnique.Whyshould
improveit?
rstndoutwhobuiltitandhowcompetenttheyareasagunsmith.
following:
about5hundredthsofasecond,wecannotreturnthegunfastenoughwithourconscious
andincreasetheeffectivenessofthetraining.Allwalkingisdonebrisklyorquickly,notata
Leaningaroundtherightsideofabarricadegivesminimalexposurewiththestance,but,
SlideToFrameFit
sightsdoatthedifferentspeeds?Diagnosewhatishappening.Ifyou
regettinga
Increasingyoureyespeedcanhaveadramaticimpactonyourshootingskills.Timelost
youpullonthegunwhenitisalreadygoingthatwayduringrecoil?Alsobesurenottolock
AretheyamemberoftheAmericanPistolsmiths
mind.Thesubconsciouswillreturntheguntopointofaimbyusingtheappropriateamount
slowrelaxedpace.Youhavetogetyourheartrateuptoseebenetsofaworkoutprogram.
theleftsideisawkward.Withmystanceexposureisminimizedineitherpositionby
Comstockfactoringistheaveragepointspersecond.Aone
Draws:
signicantlyupperrightlifttothesights,gripalittlemorewithyourlefthandandslightly
Guild(APG)?Try
ontargettransitionscanresultinsecondsaddedperstage.Hereisawaytoincreaseyoureye
thearmsout.Thistransfersallofthegunsenergyintoyourshouldersalsodoesnotallow
Trythefollowingout:
tondoutifthegunhasabackgroundthatothershootersknow.Isit
ofmuscleforceduringrecoil.Youwillseetopshooterspushdownonthegunifitdoes
MaybeIamdoingthereverseweaverwrongbut,Idon
rotatingtheoutsideelbowinwards.Thiskeepsthearmfrombeingexposed.Theonly
hundredpointcourseshotintensecondsisatenfactor.Soisa
Checktheslidetoframetbygrippingtheguninyourstrong
lesswithyourrighthand(assumingyou
rerighthanded).
tseewhereitcarriesover.Kin
1 Doesitperformconsistentlyandreliably?
speedanddecreaseyourtargettransitions.
youtoworkontherecoilofthegun.
knownforconstantlyjammingorrunningperfectallthetime?
somethingit
1.weekonewritedowngoalsforthe10weekprojectandforyourseasonsshooting
estheticawarenessisamajorfactorinreactiveshooting.
exposedareaaretheeyesandthegun.
ftypointstageshotinveseconds.Dividethefactorbythe
hand.Grabtheslideintheweakhand.Placeyourstronghand
HandsAtSides
Tapethetargets.Stringseven,onesecondper

snotsupposedtodo,suchashittingabadprimerandnotring.Thisisnota
2 Isitcomfortable?
Theleftarmshouldbemorestraightthantherightarm,whichisprobablytheoppositethat
inch.Ainchoccursbeforeandalsoduringtheringofthegun.
AsPTGDVCalludedto,IhaveshotfromeverypossiblepositionduringforceonforceFX.I
Underpressueandadreniline,IhaveseentheWeaverstancefail.Whenwegetanadre
time,andthat
indexngeralongtheframeandtheslide.Rocktheslidebackand
shotontargetone.Stringeight,.5pershoton
sthefactortheamountoftimeearningapointonthat
1 Walkbriskly10minutesaday
NEEDS:gun,ammo,andtimer
3 Isitaccurate?
you
havecometorealizethattriggercontrolandintestinalfortitudearemoreimportantthanmy
nilinerush,whicharmisstronger?Wellwecallitthestrongarmforareason.Itseemsto
stageshouldtake.
forthandupanddown.Bydoingthisyoucantellthelooseness
10Solidwarmup
targettwo.Stringnine,.25pershotontarget
2vebeentold.(Ifyourshouldersarerelaxed,nothunchedup,andyouarestand
ing
calShootingManual.Findyourweakareas(anythingthatyouscrewupoften;)and
Withoutyourgun,taketwooneinchblackdotswitha1/4whitecenterandputthem
Settimerforarandomdelaybetween48seconds
Dryre10minutesadaybasicdryreplan
squaretothetarget,yourlefthandhastobefurtheroutthantherighthand.)
latestgreatestshootingplatform.
haveatendancytoovercometheweakarmwhenringresultinginthesecondshot
oftheslidet.WithIronSights,slidetoframetisnotascritical
three.
Ifitpassesalloftheprevioustests,byallmeansbuyit.
aboutvefeetapartonyourlivingroomwall.Nowstandingaboutvefeetbackbringthe
increaserepetitionsuntiltheproblemisworkedout.Makesureattheendofeverydrawand
3 Holdgunupaslongaspossibleweakhandandstronghandtwiceadaypressingthe
Loadandmakeready
Griptensionshouldbeabout60%weakhandand40%stronghand.Donotstranglethegun.
StartingAtTheTopOfTheGun
Youmustshootafullmagazineoneverystringinthisdrillandyoumustnotstopand
Thanksforthereply.Asforyourothernotes,Ifullyagreethatmoreimportantthan
(sometimeseventherst)tobeextremelowleft.Withmystancesinceyouareusing
toaccuracyaswithascope.Thesightsareontheslidewhereasthe
10Fastest/Smoothestpossible
Youreprobablysaying,Thatsniceandall,buthowdoesit
whitedotontheleftoneintofocus.Quicklysnapyoureyesonlytotheotherdotandbring
triggertotherearwithoutdisturbingthesights.
4helpme?
Hitgoonthetimer
reload,youhaveaperfectsightpicture.Donotpopthegunupanddown,forceafollow
Moretensionintheshootinghand=lesstriggerspeed.Ifyouhaveapropergripyouwillbe
restartinthemiddleofamagazine.Unlessthereisasafetyissue,shoottheentiremagazine
stanceetc.isaghtingmindset.Withoutit,itdoesn
positiveforwardtensionwithbothhandsandarms,thestancedoesn
scopeisattachedtotheframe.
Unloadandreview.Howdidyourshootinggoatthisspeed?Arethesightscomingback
tmatterhowgoodyoushootbe
tselfdestructwhenyou

theotherwhitecenterdotintofocus.Don
tmoveyourheadusejustyoureyes.Nowgoback
4
Visualize5minutesadayofaperfectsightpicture
5Sights
Gunoutintheshootingposition
surprisedathowlittleworkyouhavetodotocontrolthegun.ThereareseveraldrillsIhave
attherequiredsplits.Youmusthavearelaxedpositivestanceandgriponthegunforthis
causeyouprobablywon
putmoreenergyintoit.Itjustgetsstronger.
10Solid
naturallytothe
tmakethedecisiontooshootwhennec.
throughofacoupleofsecondsontargeteverytime.
ThisisanotherplacewhereIdoitalittledifferentfromalmosteveryoneelse.Thisisthe
andforthasfastaspossiblebringingthecenterdotintofocuseachtime.Youwill
NOTE:IfyouareshootingIronsightsvs.opticsyouwouldbring
5
Liverepracticetimingdrillsandtransitions
todevelopyourgrip,but,agoodstartingpointistousethesamegripontherighthandthat
towork.
Thisfollowingisbasedontheshooterbeingrighthandingandnothavinganyphysicalarm
Knowingthebasefactorcanassistyouinmakingtherightdecisionson
aimingpoint?Criticalthingstoremember:Thetimingofthegunthatyouhavelearnedis
Additionalnotes:
6BarrelFit
Visualfocusonthetarget
safestandfastestwayIhavefoundsofar.Although,youdoneedtohaveaverageorlarger
probablystartnoticinghowyoureyesrstlocatetheblackdotwithyourperipheralvisionand
thefrontbladeintofocusafterclearlyfocusingwhereyouwant
youwouldonahammer.(whatyouusetohitnailswithJ)Useslightlymoretensioninthe
Ifit
Themajorareasthisdrillassistsarethereturnofthegununderrecoil,callingyourshots,
2.weektworeviewgoalsdaily
orspineissues.Willdiscussweak/strongandrieshootingatend.
Weak/StrongHandshooting:IusetheexactsamestanceforthisasIdofortwohands.
howtoshootastage.SayyoushootaConatenfactorstageata
Surrender
specictothatrearmandload.Ifyou
sascopedgun,youshouldcheckcarefullyforanycracksor
6
sizehands.
7 Competeinlocalcompetitionsfocusingonsafetyandsmoothness
Takesafetyoff
thenhowyoureyeszeroinonthecenterandbringitintosharpclarity.Trythisfoura
thebullettogo.
lefthand.Ifyouareseeingasignicantupperrighttorqueontheguntryincreasingthegrip
majordings.Whatistheconditionofthescope?Hasitbeenmodied
gripcontrol,andsolidifyingthestance.Ifyouarenotusingasolidforwardshootingstance,
MainpartIaddistheanchoringoftheoffhand.Thiskeepstheoffhandfrombecominga
Major,whichisworthfourpointsinsteadofve.ShootingtheC
Withtheslideclosedpushdownonthetopofthebarrelhood.Ifthereis
1
coupleofminutes.Youwillprobablydevelopalightheadache,takeabreakand
8 Walk20minutesaday
Placengeronthetriggerandtakeuptheslack(Don tAD!)

strengthonthelefthandanddecreasingthestrengthontheright.Thisshouldstraitenthe
byoneofthescopecustomizingcompanies?Thisincreasesthevalue
youwillseethegunstartgoingoutofcontrolandthesightsmovingdifferentlyafterabout
pendulum.
costyouoneoftheavailablepointsonthatshot.Ontheotherhand,if
anymovement,therewillbeanaccuracyproblem.Itwillnotbe
10Solidwarmup
changeanypartoryourload,rerunthetimingdrillsbecausethegunitselfhaschanged.
Putthegunatonthetableangledtowardthersttarget.Thestronghandcomesdownon
repeat.Youreyeshaveneverhadtoworkthishardbefore.Onceyouseesomeimprovement
2
9 Dryre15minutesadayadvanceddryreplan
Tuneyouraudiofocustolisteningforthestartofthetone
recoilpathoutforyou.
asmostoftheTascostyleopticsneedtobebulletproofed.Remembereven
35rounds.Pleaserefertomypreviousarticlesformorestanceinformationorcheckmy
Quotingtwoofmyarticleswithmodications:
Rieshooting:Samestancewithacoupleofminorchanges.OnarieIdopullitback
youhadtakenanextra0.10andshotanA,youwouldhave
abletolockupcorrectly.Withtheslideclosedplaceyourngeron
thegun.Indexngergoesinfrontofthetriggerguard,andthethumbgoesbehindthe
putonedotthreefeetabovetheotheroneandpracticeverticaltransitionswithyoureyes.
3
10 Holdgunupaslongaspossibleweakhandandstronghandtwiceadaypressingthe
Whenbuzzergoes,reashot
GripandStance
Thisgripmayfeeluncomfortableatrst.TryitoutforacoupleofweeksandIbetyouwill
customscopesbreakorburnout.Isthedottoolarge?Aroundaten
websiteatwww.mattburkett.com<http://www.mattburkett.com>
intomyshoulderwithmoreenergybeingimpartedwithmyweakarmthanmystrongarm.
exactlythesamescore.Theextrapointwouldhavebeeneaten
theendofthebarrelandtrytomoveitaround.
10Fastest/Smoothestpossible
beavertail.(Seephoto1)Ifpossibletheygoallthewaytothetableorsufacethegunis
triggertotherearwithoutdisturbingthesights.
seeadifference.
minutedotispremiumforPracticalShootinganda20minutedotforsteel
Youwillneedthreetargets,tape,andabout250roundsofammo.
Thishelpskeepthestronghandrelaxedforbettertriggercontrol.Leftarmisin
bytheComstockfactor.
11 Checktheclockforresults
restingon.Nowpinchthengerstopopthegunintothehand.Theweakhandgetsonthe
4 TriggerJob
Visualizewhatyoudidperfectinthelastmatch
Mostlikelyyourrstreactiontimeswillbe.30orlonger.Workon
shootingworkswell.MinutesofAnglewillbeexplainedlaterinthis
Thedrill:
MostofthebasicshootingproblemsthatIseeecomefromanimpropergrip(thisin
approximatelyextendedthesameaswhenitwasonthehandgun.Ishootwiththesame
10Solid
AsforthestanceIusecheckoutthefollowing:
gunasyouredrivingittowardthetarget.Someoftheadvantages:themagbuttondoesn
t
12 Repeat,tryingtoreactasfastaspossible
5 Liverepracticedrawsandreloadsonrange
Haveyoueverwatchedboxing?Noticehowtheyareleanedslightlyforward,standingon
Now,movethedotsbacktothehorizontalplaneandputonejust
theexerciseuntiltheyareconsistentlyunder.20andyouwillalready
section.Aretheadjustmentsallthewaytooneside?Thismaybe
Startoutwiththreetargets15yardsaway.Loadallofyourmagazines.Firstthreestringsare
cludestensionandhandplacement)andincorrectupperbodyposition.
headandbodypositioningthatIusewithahandgun.
Avefactorstageisworthvepointspersecond,soeachpointisworth
getpushedin(soyourmagstaysinyourgun,notontheground);doesn
tmovethegun
theballsoftheirfeet,kneesbent,feetaboutshoulderwidthapart,tipoftheweakfoot
outofview.Thiswayyouhavetomoveyourheadtogettoit.Youreyes
haveremovedaminimumofatenthofasecondfromyourdraw!
causedbyimpropermounting.Arethereanycracksinthemount?Are
twosecondspershot.Likeametronome,havethesplitsbeasclosetotwosecondsas
3.weekthreereviewgoalsdaily
Thebasics:Keeptheheadupandstraightnotcantedleftorrighttothegun.Shoulders
Obviouslysincethisisastancediscussion,thedrawandpresentationtostancehasn
1/5thor0.20second.Ifyoushootamissonavefactorstageand
Ifyouquestionthetriggerjob,locktheslidetotherearanddropthe
Misc.work
t
6 Competeinlocalcompetitionsfocusingonhits
aroundonslicksurfaces(lesschanceofitscootingoffatable).
approximately36infrontofthetipofthestrongfootandtheirbodyislooseandrelaxed.
alwaysleadeverything!Theyarethefastestpartonthehuman
allthescrewstight?OnanIronSightedgun,aretheyadjustable?Fixed
possible.Checkyoursplittimesonatimerorhaveanothershooterhelpyouwiththedrill.
square.Thearmsbent.Handstogether.Triggerngerfreeformovement.Botheyesopen.
beencovered.Italsodoesn
makeitupinexactlythreesecondsyouhavethesamescore.Ifyoumakeit
slideonanemptychamber.DONOTdothismorethanonceorwithout
tcovermypinchandrolltechniquewiththeweakhand.
1 Walk30minutesaday
Tondhowmuchtobendyourknees,Ivisualizeaverticallinefrommykneecaptotheball
body.Useyoureyestosnapoverandstartsearchingfortheotherdot,
sightsalthoughdurabledon
Twosecondspershotgivesyouplentyoftimetoshootanextremelysmallgroup.
Remembertotakeeverythingwithagrainofsalt.Learneverything,usewhatworksforyou
upinlessthanthreeseconds,you
permissionoftheowner.(Youbetterreallywanttobuythegun!)Ifit
10DrawstoKneeling
tallowthetestingorswitchingofloads
reearningsomepointsback.Ifyoutake
HereAreSomeOtherWaysToPickGunsUp.
2 10minutesintowalkdove15yardsprints
ofthefoot.Thehipsshouldbeinanaturalpositionwiththebackandyourcenterofbalance
yourheadthenautomaticallyfollows.
(Areactiontimeof.16.20ofasecondisoptimum.Mypersonal
easily.BoMarsarestillthebestadjustablesightonthemarket.Checkfor
Firststring,useaslightofagripaspossibleonrsttarget.
Placethestronghandonthegripashighaspossible,bothfrontandrear.Thestronghand
andyoursituation.
longerthanthreesecondstomakeuptheshotyou
goestohalfcocktheseartohammerrelationshipmustbeadjustedor
relosingmorepointsthan
3 Dryre15minutesadayfocusingontransitionsanddrawingtopositions
lowovertheballsofyourfeet.Iprefertohavethefrontoftheshouldersaminimumofan
bestisa.11atShootersWorldinPhoenixduringaclasswithChris
loosesightpartssuchasthebladeorthesightbase.Isthefrontsight
Secondstring,mediumgriponsecondtarget.
thumbshouldalwaysbeonthesafety.(whenshootingweakhandthethumbshouldalso
themisscostyouintherstplace.Somethingtorememberisthata
partsmaytobereplaced.Youcanchecktheovertravelonagunby
10Drawstoprone
Addanextension,eitheranextendedscopecaporacockinghandle,andgrabthegripofthe
4 Holdgunupaslongaspossibleweakhandandstronghandtwiceadaypressingthe
inchinfrontofthehips.Ileantheentireupperbodyforward.Iftheshouldersareator
It
Dysart.Chriswentfroma.34toaaverage.18ofasecond.Thatwas
serratedandramped?Undercutfrontsightsarenicebutnotpracticalifthe
alwaysridethesafety)Irelievethebottomrearofthetriggerguardonmygunstoputmy
missonaComstockstageisfteenpoints:Tenpenaltypoints,andthe
cockingthehammerandpullingthetriggerallthewaytotherear.Now
Thirdstring,useaheavygriponthethirdtarget.
stimetoaddthegununloadedwithnoammointhevicinityof
gun.
triggertotherearwithoutdisturbingthesights.
behindcenteryouwillnothaveanycontroloveryourshooting.Youshouldn
yourpracticearea!(Assumingtheuseofthedot)Putthedotonthe
asavingsof.16orinothertermsitmovesaoneseconddrawdown
gunistobecarriedatall.
righthandatamorenaturalangleandreducethepressureonthejointofthemiddlenger.
vepointsthatyoudidn
rockthehammerbackandforththereshouldbenoresistancefromtopto
5Drawsmovingtoaposition
tearnforanAhitonthetarget.Whatitboilstfeelany
5
Visualizeshootingasmoothmatchandfocusonthefeelingsofhowthatwouldfeel
pressureonthebackorneckmusclesinthisposition.Ifyouare,youmostlikelyareleaning
rstwhitespotandpullthetriggersmoothly.Thedifcultyofthe
toan.84!)
Nowunloadandreviewyourshooting.
downtoisthis:Thelowerthestagefactor,themoreimportantitisto
bottom.Youshouldbenotfeelthehalfcocknotchrubbingonthesear.
Liftthescopeorthetopofthegunupwiththeweakhand.(Seephoto2)Then,grabthegun
theshouldersforwardbutnotrotatingthehipswiththem.Ibreaththroughthestomachfor
shotwilldetermineifyouneedtoseethedotlift.Nowsnapyoureyes
Youshouldn
Thetriggerngershouldnottouchorrubonthegunanywhereotherthanthetrigger.The
shootallA
Ifthereissomeresistanceorscraping,takeittoacompetentgunsmithand
5Drawsoffatable
sandviseversa;withhigherfactors,speedbecomesmore
thavemorethanabouta2grouponeachtarget.Comparewheretheyare
6 Liverepracticemovementandboxwork
withthestronghand.
shootingasupperbodybreathingdisturbsthegun.Ialsotrytomaintainabout60%ofmy
totheotherdot,focusclearlyonthewhitespot.Thegunwillbe
Goodluckeveryone!
impactingonthetarget.Istheremoreverticalstringingorhorizontalonthedifferentgroups?
padofthengershouldbeusednottherstjoint.Thiswillprovidebettertriggercontrol.
important.Onatenfactorstage,youbettermakeupthatshotinahurryor
haveitadjusted.
7 Practicesmoothperfecttransitionsbeforetryingtospeedup.Youhave
Liverepracticegroupshooting
weightontheballsofmyfeet.
catchingupwithyoureyesandslowingtothewhitespotwhereyour
Whichonedidyoufeelmorecomfortablewith?Howdidthegunfeelwitheachgrip?What
4.weekfourreviewgoalsdaily
forgetaboutit!Youshouldalwaysaverageaminimumof9095%of
5Stronghanddraws
Compensator
8 toteachyourbodywhatyouwantittodobeforegoingfaster.This
Competeinlocalcompetitionsfocusingonspeed
Getintothisshootingstanceandhavesomeonepushagainstyouroutstretchedhands.You
willpullthetriggeragain.DONOTslamtheguntoastop,slideit
exactlydidthesightsdo?Didtheyrisestraightupunderrecoil?Couldyouevenseethe
Theplacementoftheweakhandinafreestylegripiswheremostpeoplemakemistakes.First
pointsavailableonastage.Thesedays,attheupperlevelsofcompetition,
1 alsoappliestoreloads,draws,etc.andwillhelpwhenyougofaster
Walk30minutesaday
wantthemtouseasolidconstantpressure.Iftheycanpushyouover,youaretootightor
intoposition.Agoodanalogyforthisisbrakingyourcarcomingupto
Isthecompensatorloose?Doesittwistbyhand?Isthereadequate
sightsunderrecoil?Thiswillshowyouifyouhaveainch.Ifyoucan
thengersshouldallbeunderthetriggerguard.Yourweakhandindexngershouldnever
youneedtoearn97%ormoreoftheavailablepointstowinthematch.
MagazineAndMagazineWell
5Weakhanddraws
tseethesightsgoing
2 sothatyouwon
15minutesintowalkdosprintsandrun/shootdrill
thaveanyextraunneededmovementsthatwastetime.
yourlegsorelbowsarelocked.Asmoreenergycomesinmakesurethatyoudon
astopsign.Youdon
clearancebetweentheslideandcomp?About0.002to0.004isneeded.
upanddown,thereisagoodchanceyou
beonthefrontofthetriggerguard.Second,thereshouldbetotalhandtohandcontactatthe
thitthebrakesatthestopsign,youstartpreparing
reblinking.
trockback
3 Burnitinandthenspeeditup.
Dryre15minutesadayfocusingonweak/stronghanddrawsandtargettransitions
onyourheels.Yourbodywillovercomeitforyouifyoujustletit;rotatethehipsandupper
tostopearlier(exceptforthosewhoCaliforniaStop).Whatyou
Istheslidehittingthecomp?Lookforshinyspotsonthebackend
Figureoutwhatgripworkedbestforyouandusethatfortherestofthedrill.
leftrearofthegun.(thisisbasedonbeingrighthanded)Thelefthandshouldnotsitstraight
Dothemagazinesfallcleanlyoutofthegunwhenthereleaseis
Reloadsoffbeltstartingwithgunoutandontarget:
Holdgunupaslongaspossibleweakhandandstronghandthreetimesadaypressingthe
bodymoreandbendyourkneesslightlymore.
don
ofthecomp.Arethebulletshittingtheplatesinthecomp?Lookinside
forwardonthegun.Itshouldbecantedatananglewiththebackofthehandbeinghigheron
pressed?Thisshouldbetrueevenwiththeslidelockedbackusing
Tapethetargets.
4twanttoseeisthedotjigglingaroundwhenthegunstops.
triggertotherearwithoutdisturbingthesights.
thecompforcoppermarksortracksontheplates.Ifthereisinadequate
Stringfour,twosecondspershotontarget1withyournewfavoritegrip.
thegunthanthefront.Ifyoutraceyouthumbonyourlefthandbackpasttheknuckletothe
anemptymagazine.Also,checkthemagazineitselfthefollowersfor
10Solidwarmup
Thiswillshowyouhowtoapplypositiveforwardtensionwithyourwholebody.
5 Holdgunupaslongaspossibleweakhandandstronghandthreetimesaday
clearanceyouwillhavemajoraccuracyproblem.Checkforerosionon
Stringve,onesecondpershotontarget2.
basebythewrist,thisshouldbeinbetweentherstjointandtheknuckleoftherightthumb.
damage,examinethespringfortension,andlookforexcessivewearor
Thisisthewaytothefastestshooting.Relaxedbutincontrol.
__________________
theplates.
Stringsix,.5secondspershotontarget3.
Thisisgoingtocockthelefthandatanangle
cracksonthefeedlips.
6 Visualizeperfectsightpictureandthefeelofthegunrecoilinginthehand
10Fastest/Smoothestpossible
7 Liverepracticefocusingonspeedandclosetargetengagement

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2004

1 Liverepracticefocusingondifculttargettransitions
2 Competeinlocalcompetitionsfocusingonsmoothnessandhits
5.weekvereviewandifnecessaryrevisegoalsareyouontargettoreachthem?
1 Walk30minutesaday
2 15minutesintowalkworkonbalancedrills
3 Dryre15minutesadaybasicdryreplan
4 Holdgunupaslongaspossibleweakhandandstronghandthreetimesadaypressingthe
triggertotherearwithoutdisturbingthesights.
5 Visualizeperfectmatchperformance
6 Liverepracticetimingdrillsandtransitions
7 Liverepracticedrawsandmovingtopositions
6.weeksixreviewgoalsdaily
8 Competeinlocalcompetitionsfocusingonspeed
1 Walk30minutesaday
2 15minutesintowalkworkbasketballdrills
3 Dryre15minutesadayworkingdrawsandreloads
4 Holdgunupaslongaspossibleweakhandandstronghandthreetimesadaypressingthe
triggertotherearwithoutdisturbingthesights.
5 Visualizeperfectsightpictureondifferenttargettypes
6 Liverepracticeonsteelfocusingontransitions
7 Liverepracticeongroupshooting
7.weeksevenreviewgoalsdaily
8 Competeinlocalcompetitionsfocusingonvisualizationofperfectstages
1 Walk40minutesaday
2 10minutesintowalkdo515yardsprints
3 30minutesintowalkdobasketballdrills
4 Dryre20minutesadaybasicplanandaddreloadsofftables
5 Holdgunupaslongaspossibleweakhandandstronghandthreetimesadaypressingthe
triggertotherearwithoutdisturbingthesights.
6 Visualizewinningthenextmatchandthefeelingsinvolved
7 Liverepracticetargettransitions
8 Liverepracticemovingtargets
8.weekeightreviewgoalsdaily
9 Competeinlocalcompetitionsfocusingonspeed
1 Walk40minutesaday
2 10minutesintowalkdo515yardsprints

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3
4
5
6
7
8

30minutesintowalkdobasketballdrills
Dryre20minutesadayfocusingontargettransitionsincludingstrong/weakhand
Visualizeshootingonthemoveandprestage
Liverepracticeshootingonthemovewithmultipletargets
Liverepracticetimingdrills
Competeinlocalcompetitionsfocusingonsmoothnessandshootingonthemove

ipsformakingyourBurkettCrossCompetitorSVIIDPAfriendly.
1 Walkandlightjogging40minutesaday
1. 2
Use13coilspringsinyour126mmmagtubetohelppushthefollowerupsoitlocksback
10minutesintowalkdo1020yardsprints
everytime.Alsohelpsthemejectreallywell!
3
30minutesintowalkdobasketballdrills
2. 4
Makesurefollowergoestotopofmagazinewithoutdragging.
Dryre20minutesadayworkingsmoothness
3. 5
Cutthespotrightbehindtheslidestopdownsothatyoucandisengagetheslidestopeasier.
Holdgunupaslongaspossibleweakhandandstronghandthreetimesadaypressingthe
(callifyou
relostonthatone)
triggertotherearwithoutdisturbingthesights.
4. 6
Makesureyourammoisn
ttoolongsothatitaccidentallylockstheslidebacktooearly.
Visualizecompetinginamatch
5. 7
RunanAftecextractoranda1012poundrecoilspring.Testforfunction!
liverepracticefocusingondrawsandreloads
6. 8
Makesurethatthefollowersdon
tgotoohighandlocktheslidebackearly.
liverepracticefocusingongroupshooting
10.weektenreviewgoalshaveyoureachedthemyet?
7. 9
Makesureslidestopdoesn
treleasetooearlywheninsertingmagazine.
Competeinlocalcompetitionsfocusingonpushingyourlimits
1 Walkandlightjogging40minutesaday
2 10minutesintowalkdo515yardsprints
3 30minutesintowalkdobasketballdrills
4 Dryre20minutesadayinthemorningand10minutesintheevening
5 Holdgunupaslongaspossibleweakhandandstronghandthreetimesadaypressingthe
triggertotherearwithoutdisturbingthesights.
6 Visualizesmoothlydoingallthebasicshootingskills
7 Liverepracticefocusingontransitions
8 Liverepracticefocusingonstages
9 Competeinlocalcompetitionsfocusingonperfectshooting

9.weekninereviewgoalsdaily

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IDPATip
sightsuptotheotherhalfoftheCforitsupwardswing.
Whywoulditbeimportantifyouarealwaysusingthesamerig?Becauseyoumaybe
Whengoinguptoalowcoverposition,focusonthespotonwhichyouaregoingtoposition
attackedleavingyourhouse!Youneverknowwhenorwheresomethugisgoingtowant
Theprimaryproblemswithtrackingarefollowingthetargetbackintoeitherthehard
yourself.Nowusethekneethatisontheoutsideofthebarricadeastheonegoingtothe
revengebecauseyouputhiminjail.Thiswarmsyouupforthedayandremindsyouthatyou
coverornoshootandshootingtoolate.
ground.Forexample,ifyouareshootingaroundtheleftsideofacar,useyourleftkneeon
maybeinvolvedinadeadlyincident.Italsobuildsthecondencethatyouwillbeableto
theground.Thiswillgiveyoumorerotationandanglewithyourupperbodyandhelpyou
handlethesituationifitdoeshappen.
Moversareanotherstory.TrappingamoverisalmostnotpossibleinIPSCduetothe
reducethosecoverpenalties.
generallysmallavailabilityofthetarget.Trackingisthereforeneededalmosteverytime.I
Ipersonallywillnotletastudenteventhinkofcarryingagununtilhehasdoneaminimum
wouldsuggestthatyoualwaysleadthetargetandkeepthegunmoving.Ifyoudon t,your
*************************************************************
of500drydrawsfromhisequipmentandhashisdrawtimeunder1.2secondsfrom
locktimeandthedistancetothetargetwillcauseyoutooeitherhitC s,D sorshootbehind
IPSCTip
concealmentor1secondunconcealed.Rememberthatthefasteryoudraw,themoretimeyou
thetarget.
havetohandleasituationsuchasaknifewieldingattacker.Trythisout:takeastopwatchand
SwingingTargets:ToTraporTrack?
seehowfaryoucansprintin2.0seconds.Nowtimeyourdrawtoanaccurateshotona10
Remembertonotgetdistractedbythedirtpuffsinthebackgroundwhenyou reshootingata
yardtarget.Youdrawislikelyover2secondsandyetyoucanprobablycovermorethan10
moverorswinger.Thesemessedwithmeforalongtimeasthevisualeffectitcreatesisthat
Trappingatargetisleavingthesightsinaplacewherethetargetisgoingtoshowupand
yardsinthattime!Andthatdoesn
youmissed.Justkeeponthesightsorontheexactspotyouwanttoaimfor.
tincludereactiontimeeither.Alsomakesuretopractice
breakingtheshotwhenthetargetgetsthere.
drydrawingandmoving!
ThesinglebestpieceofadviceIcangiveyouistondarangewithmovingtargetsand
Trackingatargetisfollowingthetargetwiththesightsandbreakingtheshotwhileitis
Oneofthebestwaystoimproveistogetinvolvedincompetitionshooting.TryanIPSCor
swingersthatyoucanpracticeonandshootatalot!
stillmoving.Dontforgettofollowthrough!(Likeshootingashotgun)
IDPAmatch.Ifyouhaveneverseenthistypeofshootingcompetitionbefore,bepreparedto
bestunnedatthelevelofcompetenceontherange.(http://www.uspsa.org
DryrearticlefortheLasVegasPoliceDepartmentmagazine
LockTimeistheamountoftimefromsendingthesignalstothemusclestobreakthe
http://www.idpa.com)Ifyouwouldliketoseesomeexamples,stopbymywebsiteand
shottothebulletleavingthebarrel.Thisvariesperindividualshooter.
downloadsomeQuickTimeclips.Whatyouaregoingtondwhenyoushootyourrst
competitionsisthatyouwillmostlikelygetyourasshandedtoyou.Hanginthere,andlearn
Dryrepracticewithanunloadedgunisthesaferepetitionofaparticularskilltoincrease
toshootunderstress.Youwillimprovequicklyandthiswillgiveyousignicantlyincreased
itsefciencyandeffectiveness.Examples:draws,drawsintoposition,reloads,etc.
Theproblemwithtryingtodiscussmovingorswingingtargetsinwritingisthattheshooting
competenceandcondencewithyourhandgun.Whenyoucanholdyourownincompetition
istotallydependentontheshootersabilityandthedifcultyanddistanceofthetarget(s).
likethis,youcanbeassuredthatyouareshootingbetterthannearlyeverybadguyinthe
universe!
Ifyoucarryagun,youneedtoestablishadryretrainingprogramforyourpersonal
safetyandcondence.Ifyouareaninstructor,pleasehelpyourstudentsdevelopjust
Youhavetodecidewhetheryouwanttotraportrackthetarget.FormostshootersofDB
Afewthingstothinkabout:
that.
class,Isuggesttrappingonaswingingtarget.Figureoutwhereitisgoingtogoandbreak
1.Practicerealisticallydrawfrompositionsthatyoumaybein.Example:workonthe
theshotwhenitgetsthere.Alsoconsiderhowmuchtimeisavailableatthestoppingpointof
WhenItrain,Iwilldoanaverageof150drawsandabout400reloadsina2030minute
drawingsequencewhileseatbeltedinacarwiththedoorclosedandthenexitingthevehicle.
theswing(ifyoucanshootitwhereitstops)andcomparethattoyouraveragesplitfortwo
dryresession.Iseethisasanabsoluteminimumforeverydaypreparationduringthe
Thisisamorecomplicatedseriesofactions.Figureoutwhatyouneedtodoandpracticeit.
Ahitsatthatdistance.Youcanworkthisoutbycarryingastopwatch.Nearlyeverytop
competitionseason.Hereisanotherinterestingnoteforyou.WhenIputonaholsteror
(Rememberthatdependingonthesituation,sometimesitisbettertostayinthevehicleto
shooterhasoneinhisbagtogureoutdifcultchunksofstagesandmovers.Ifyoucan
othermodeofcarryIwilldoaminimumof10DRYdrawswithitintheclothesIwillbe
t
ght.)
getbothshotsoffcondently,waituntilthesecondswingandhititagain.
wearingthatdaybeforeIevenleavethehouse.ManytimesIamamazedattheproblems
thatstemfromcombiningdifferenttypesofclothing.Aparticulartypeofshirtfabricmight
2.Practicedrawingwhilemoving,sincetherstthingyouwilldowhenconfrontedwith
bindontheinsideofajacketorpullwiththehandgunwhenusinganIWB(insidethe
arealshootingadversaryistrytondcoveranddrawsimultaneously.
Theprimaryproblemwithtrappingiswaitingtoolongtobreaktheshot.Yourrstshot
waistbandcarryholster).Thishascausedmetomakeseveraladjustmentstomyclothingto
shouldhappenastheCzoneontheswingbreaksintothesights.
improvethedraw.
3.Practicewhilewearingallofyourgearthatyouusewhileonthestreet.Tryandkeepin
mindseasonaladjustmentstoyourwardrobe.
ForAGMlevelshooters,Irecommendtrackingoratracktraponswingers.Movethegun
Therstreasonfordoingthedrawseverydaybeforeleavingisthatitremindsthepsycho
withtheswingeruntilitisshootable.ItisalmostalwaysnecessarytoleadthetargetintheC
motorprogram(musclememory)ofthelocationoftheitems.Thisisespeciallyimportant
4.Havenoammunitioninyourpracticearea.Clearyourgunandpracticemagazinesina
zonetogetanA.Thetrickypartistokeepthegunmovingandnottofollowthetargetpast
ifthepositionofyourgearchangesfrequentlyorifyouusedifferentcarryguns/holster
separateroomsothatnoaccidentscanhappen.Checkyourguneverytimeyoupickit
thestoppingpoint.Oncethetargetchangesdirection,makesuretogetthe
combinations.

Hot Shots 2004

TriggerControl
up,especiallyifyoulefttheareaandcameback.
liketofeelisgone,drownedoutbuythemovementofthegun.
So,here
Oneoftheissuesthatmostpeoplehaveisthattheydon
5.UsethedummyroundsfortrainingfromSTActionPro.http://www.staction.com
Weneedtogetridofyourinch.Thereisnowaythatyoucanpossiblelearnto
sthebigquestion?DoesMattBurkettactuallypinthetriggeron
tunderstand
triggercontrol.Learningthepinandresettechniquewillhelpyoulearnthe
everyshot?
feelatriggerifallofthemusclesinyourhandareringandyourclosingyour
distanceoftheovertravelandresetwhicharemostimportantparts.
Onasidenote,handgunskillscantranslatetolonggunskillsbutnotviceversa.Huh?What
eyesduringtherecoil.ReadmyarticlehereandwatchVolume4Howto
Canyoufeelitclickwithasplitof.40?.20?Ifyoucan,I
theheckdoeshemeanbythat?Imeanthatwhenashooterlearnstouseahandgunatahigh
ShootFaster!toworkthroughyourinch.Oncethisisovercomethenwecan
mtotallyamazed!
Therearefourpartstoatrigger.
And,ofcourse,I
level,theywillautomaticallybeabletoshootarieverywell.Butasniperdoesnotmakea
workonthetriggercontrol.
lltrytogureouthowtodoittoo.But,isitrealistictogo
forthatkindofcontrol?Oristriggerpinningsomethingyouonlydowhen
pistolero!Arieisrelativelyeasytoshootsinceitistiedtothestructureofthebodywiththe
1.
Pretravel
extremeaccuracyisneeded?
stock.Itdoesnotshowthefailuresofimpropertriggercontrolthatwillbecomeobvious
Variabletriggercontrolislikeavariablesightpicture.Targetsofdifferent
2. break
whenshootingahandgun.
difcultiesrequiremoreorlesswork.Theconceptofavaryingsightpicturehas
3. overtravel
Thanks.
discussedmanytimesbymyselfandBrianEnos.Ithinktherstpublicationof
4.
resetWarning:Donotmesswiththetriggerofyourgununlessyouknowwhat
thiswasinhisbookPracticalShootingBeyondtheFundamentals.Youcan
yourdoing.Takeittoaqualiedgunsmithandletthemdothework.
Sam,
orderitfrommyonlinestoreifyoudon
thaveacopy.
Icangenerallyfeelthetriggerdowntoabout25 sor30 s.Belowthatit
Pretravelistheamountofplaythetriggerhasbeforeengagingthesear.I
likealotapretravel.Thisgivesmyngertheopportunitytoengagethe
getsreallydifcultunlessIamcompletelyfocused.
Ibelievethisisthersttimetheconceptofavariabletriggerpullhas
triggerandgetafeelforit.Itisalmostnec.toslaptriggersthathavenopre
beendiscussed.Ona5yardtarget,youjustdon tneedtodothesame
travelsinceyoucan
Thebasicgoalsofpinningthetriggerare:
amountofworkthatyouwouldona50yardtarget.
tinterfacewithit.Ilikeabout14ouncesofpretravelon
my1911typetriggers.Ona1911youcancheckthisbyhavingthegunfully
1. Learnthedistancetotriggertravelstohelpkeepfromslappingthe
assemblesbutwithoutthebeavertailinplace.Lifttheleftsideofthethree
Hereisadrillthatyoucanusetoworkontheconcept.Setupthreetargets.
trigger.
leafspring(thesearleaf)andthenuseatriggerpullgaugetocheckthepre
Oneat5,oneat10andoneat15yards.Ithelpstohaveahighcapacitygunso
2.
Bringyourattentiontothetrigger.
travel.OnaGlockthisisalmostimpossibletomeasurebecauseyouare
thatyoucankeepshooting.Shooteachtargetwith24roundstryingtogoas
3. Reductionofinching.
partiallycockingtheringpinduringthetriggerpull.
fastasyoucan,yetstillfeelthetriggerresetonthe10and15yardtargets.
4.
Improveyourtimingofthegun.
OnlyA
scount.Workonyourtargettransitionsandtrytoreducethemas
muchaspossible.Youcanalsodothisasatimingdrillshootinganentire
Thebreakistheactuallydisengagementofthesearandhammer.Iprefermy
magazineintoeachtargetwithareloadinbetween.Thiswillshowyouyour
triggershaveabouta2126ouncepullona1911.TheGlocktriggersIuseare
gripandstancefailures.Ifyoushootandatanytimeneedtoreadjustyourgrip
setupbycustomglock.comandtheybreakrightabouttwopounds.
orstance,youdidntstartoutright.
Theovertravelisthedistancethetriggermovesfromthebreaktothe
contactwiththeframe.Ona1911thisissetbythescrewatthebottomofthe
triggerface.Ipreferabitofovertravel.Thishelpskeepmyngerfrom
HereisaninterestingpostfromSamoneofmyforumusers:
runningintotheframeespeciallyweakorstronghand.
Matt,IwasouttrainingwithanotherUSPSAMastertodayandwewerediscussing
Theresetisthedistancefromthecontactoftheframetothereengagementof
yourtrainingDVDs.(Iemailedyouaboutamonthagoaboutpinningthetrigger,
thesearandhammer.
andIvebeenworkingonitdailysinceyourkindreply.)I vediscoveredthatIcan
shootoneraggedholeat5yardsbypinningthetriggereverytime.Firingsplitsof.
Awellsetuptriggershouldfeelcleanwithnodragginganywhere.Itshould
65Icanfeeltheresetclickeverytime.Icanshoot7ydBillDrills,allAsinabout
bouncebacktothereset.IhaveDonGolembieskiofKodiakPrecisionsetup
1.80,noproblem.Buttheoneraggedholegroupstakeabout5seconds.
thetriggerswithaslightrollingbreakonthesear.Thewayhedoesthemis
prettyamazing.Mostpeoplecantfeeltherollonhistriggersandthinkthat
theyareacrispbreak.ToocrispofabreakformeandIcanseemovementin
Withsplitsanyfasterthan.65,thegunseemstostillbetravelling
thesights.
backwardsinrecoilasImtryingtofeelthereset.TheniceclickthatI

Hot Shots 2004

LongRangeShooting
MGMIronmanChampionship
ThetrainupatJacob
aseriousaffectonthevelocity.Itwasdifculttohangintherementallyafter
Butch
wasgettingreallyhotwithjustafewroundsthroughthegun.Icontacted
thena100yardgong,then2tothehead,thenthegongagain,then2to
isjustnotdesignedforfastmagazinechanges.Thestraightpullboltisamazingly
Multiplestatictargetengagementwitha400yardmoverUrbanshooting
degreesatveinthemorning.Didn
alladdedtogether.Itook500rie,50.308,200slugs,250shot,10000
CompTacAr15MagPouches
sBoreSolventswasawesome.Hereisasomeinformationfromthe
thelpthatIdidn tgettocheckmydatathe
SwingingTargets
trainupandmyrstsnipercompetitionthatIthoughtwouldbeinterestingto
Sunday
JohnGangleupatJPEnterprisesandheshippedmeoneofhislightweight
thebodyandthenthegong.Transitiontothepistolandengage5
fasttooperatebutyouhavetokeepthelockingcolletextremelycleanoritcan
positionsincludingwindowsandrooftopsHighangledreContinuouswind
morningofthematchsincemyrentalcargotbrokeninto.Didn
buck,400pistoltothematchanddidn
sColdBoreShotthatIfeltputmewayback.Anotherruleof
tcomehomewithmuchatall!
tgetanything
LastyearIventuredintolongrangeshooting.Quiteaninteresting
include.
competitionistoneverevergiveupuntilthelastshotisred.Younever
utedhandguards.Bestadditiontothegunthereisifyou
targetsat1318yardswiththesameprocedureabove.Betweeneach
jamuponyou.Theonlyotherissueistheweightoftherie.Thishasbeen
correctionandeffectsofatmosphericconditionsonbulletightStressre
stolenatleast,butitcostmethechancetogetlocalonsitedata.Endedup15th
TheInsaneAsylumSomeonelettheinmatesdesignamatch!June2003
3gungear.comprovidedthefollowinggear:
rerunningopen.It
knowwhatisgoingtohappen.
Towrapthisup,itwasanamazingyearlearningtheLRR.Findingoutwhatit
doesanamazingjobofkeepingcoolevenonthestageswith80roundsof
stringwiththerieandthepistolareloadwasrequired.Nowclearthe
Ilookatswingersinacoupleofdifferentways.Trapping:theconceptof
reducedintheLRS2thereplacementmodeloftheLRSIwasshooting.The
run200+yardsandengage5targetsfromwindowsoutto617yards
aftersomestupidity.Loaded6roundsinthedarkforaveroundstage.Costme
IjustnisheduptheMGM3gunchampionship.Ifyouhaven
FlewuponWednesdaytoBoise,Idahowiththemaximumbaggageallowance.
legdoubleriemagpoucheslegtecloader
thada
experience!Hopeyouenjoythearticle!
Well,wehavebeenworkingourbuttsoffoverhere.Ifyouhadtoldmelastweek
takestobecompetitiveinthesportwasdauntingbutveryworthit.Thanksto
rie.IwasshootingoneoftheSimons1.5x5shotgunscopeswiththepro
handgunandrunabout30yardstoyourshotgun.
shootingaswingingtargetwhenitisatitspausepoint.Ithelpstotimethem
mainproblemIhavewiththenewdesignisthatonly5roundmagazinesare
astageDQ.TherealbummerwasndingoutthatitwasthebesteventIshot.It
chancetoshootthematch,youhavetotryitnextyear.Letmegiveyoua
LuckilyScottMilkovichtookabunchofmyammoupwithhim.Checkedout
holderlegdumppouchslidelock2packon
thatIwouldhavebeenshootingat681yardsonamovingtargetandhititI
Jacobandstaffmustbepartiallyinsanewithsomeoftheeventstheyhadusdo
everyonethathashelpedmeoutinthelastyearandIlookforwardtoseeingall
diamondreticule.Ijustdidn
withastopwatchtoknowhowlongthepauseis.Tracking:theconceptof
availableforitandthepossibleunreliabilityoftheboltmechanism.Thescope
wasthe300yardmoverandIshotabouta46shotgroup.Stillfeellikean
basicideaofwhatittakestocompetetherereliableequipmentandalot
thematchandgottosightinat8:00pm.Mygunwasshootinguglygroups
shotgunsidesaddle8packonshotgun
tfeeltherewastheclaritynecessaryforthethe
WhyshouldapistolshootercareaboutLongRangeRie(LRR)?Asyougo
wouldhavesaidyouwerenuts!Iwas7for10onit!Ihadsomeseriousissuesat
inthecompetition.Weakshouldermoverfromthesittingpositionat100yards
ofyouatamatchthisseason.
shotspast200yardssoontheadviseofTaranButler,IorderedtheTrijicon
EquipmentlistthatIusedforOPENclassRieAr15attop,JPfree
followingtheswingerwiththesightsandbreakingtheshotwhilekeepingthe
thatwasontheriedidn
idiotwhenIthinkaboutthatone.Hehadusdoalmosteverythinginthatmatch.
ofammo.1021roundsminimumon10stages!Thismatchisaboutfun
between24at100yards.Didn
tdothejobIneededitto,either.Firstmajorlesson
tknowiftheproblemwasthenewcompor
throughthelearningprocess,itwillincreaseyourknowledgebaseaboutthe
otherdistances.Frommy3gunshooting,myfocusonascopestaysentirelyon
offabarricade.BTWthetargetwasonlysixincheswidebyfourinchestall.
Tr21.Muchbetteroptically,butafter300yardsthereticulecoversupthe
oattube,161/2customM4ultramatchchromelinedbarrel,BennyHill
gunmoving.NowformeIusuallyputthesightsintheleading1/Czone.
learnedaboutshootingarieGlassiseverything.WhenIewtotheMOR
Westartedat1000yardsandshottheclosesttargetat35feetata70degree
andendurance.
thenewBurrisScope.Iguredoutitwasthescopeat10:00PM.Wentbackto
scienceofshooting.Inparticular,theinformationaboutballisticsandreloading
target.WiththeHorusreticleandusinglinethreeandbelowyouneedtospotthe
Weshot29separateeventsfrom1to20roundseachintwoandahalfdays.It
target.HoldoversorTennesseeElevationareallbutimpossiblewiththe
Comp,TrijiconTA11,HarrisBipod,3gungear.comSling,Accuracy
matchandtestedthegunafterlandingithitalmost2feettotheleftat100yards.
Anyway,tomorrowisthelastdayofclass,thenthesnipercompetition.There
anglefromthethirdoorofthetower.
thehotelandborrowedaTrijiconTA11fromoneoftheshooters.(Thanks
fromtheLRRwillsignicantlychangethewayyouunderstandpistols.Pistol
target,looktothenumberinthescope,followthelinebacktoyourlead/wind
isabuttkicking,tough,tiringmatchandIwoulddoitagaininaheartbeat!
scope.Itworksverywellforupto300,though.Sincewewouldbeshooting
SpeaksAdjustableButtPad,RockRiverTrigger,JpointonaJPMounton
Thescopethatwasonitwasfromacompanythatdoesn texistanymoresono
issomuchtolearnthataweekiswaytooshortofaclass.Suredoeshelpbring
Heidi!).ThenextmorningIwasabletogetaroughzerousingtheJpointon
511TRoyalRobbinsPantsandshortsprovidedbywww.staction.com
shootersalsotendtolosesightofaccuracynopunintendedwhichisthe
callthenshoot.Whenitisdoneright,itrocks!Takesabitoflearningbutwhen
Everyoneatthematchdidagreatjob,wassafeandtherewerenoinjuries
outto550,thisonewouldn
handguard,830Roundmags4setasdoublemagswithArredondo
reasontomentionwhoitwas.IborrowedariefromJamesDarstanditwasa
youuptospeedonthestuffinthecrashcoursetrainup.Longrangerie
Youwillneedyourhandgun,preferablyahighcap,about7magazinesor4
handguard.Gotitwithin6.TheROontherststageallowedmetocheckthe
Knee/ElbowpadsHatchGlovesBushnell1000LaserRangeFinder
tworkeithersoIorderedaBurris1.75x5that
primaryfocusofanLRRshooter.Besides,itisarealkickinthebutttolearn
yougetitdown,wow.Noadjustments,justputtherightholdoverandlead/wind
whichmakesitacompletesuccess.
friedthenightbeforethematch.Moreonthatlater.Thecompensatorforthe
connector220roundcoltmags13045roundthermoldcollapsible
MostofthetargetsIwilltrackthentrap.Breakoneshotwhileitisonthe
Remington700in6.5x.284withaNightForcescopeonit.Thiswasmyrst
shootingisacombinationoftechnology,technique,andart.Youcould
Ishotanewguninthismatch,aRemington700milspecwitha5Rbarrel.
27+roundersand450roundsofammoforit.Iwouldn
sightinandmakesomeadjustments.Thatwasoneofthecoolestthingsabout
SherpaWindReader(availablefromRCI)Ziegle(SP?)AluminumHard
ttakeaminorgunto
somethingnew,especiallyasportthatisasdifcultasLRRmatches.
inandpullthetrigger.Prettydamntrick.CheckouttheH25lightedreticleifyou
rieIchosewastheTriangleSports/BennyHillcomp.Worksverywelland
AmmoFederal.22355grainFactory
downswingandoneshotwhileitisstopped.Sometimestheyare
realintroductiontotheNightForcescopesandhowwonderfultheyaretouse.
denitelyspendalifetimelearningit,buttakingaclasswithRiesOnlywill
HerearethespecsonmykitthatIshotattheNationals.
thematchsinceyouhavetohitalotofswingingplatesandmakethemspin
thematch,everyonewashelpfulandwantedtohavefun.Peoplecouldactually
CasesRieCleaningGearfromDeweyHoppes#9BenchrestSolvent
getachance.Hereiswhatwecoveredinthelastcoupleofdaysshortlistand
Endedup5thoverall.Allinallithasbeenanamazingtimelearningthenew
prettyreasonable.IhadsentaBennelli21M1Super90FieldtoGrams
track/traps.Italldependsonyourskilllevelandcomfortlevelwiththe
Endedup2ndoverallandthoughtthatIwouldhavetolookatshootingmore
absolutelyshortcutthatprocess!Ican
allthewayaround.You
coachshootersthroughastage.Trythatatanyothermatch!Icouldseethis
SlideglideSVIBluelubeMerrelHikingBoots
regoingtoneedagoodholster.Iusedthenew
tgiveenoughkudostothestaffof
denitelynotallinclusive:
techniquesinanartthatissomewhatsimilartopistolshootingandyetso
Engineeringtocompletelyredo.Bevingotitbacktomejustpriortothe
targetsalongwiththespeedoftheswinger.Useastopwatchtogureout
LRRmatches.Ihadbeenlookingintosomedifferentscopesystemsincluding
Jacob,JamesandThomasatRiesOnly.Theyreallycareabouthelpingthe
Remington700Stainlessspecialwithmilspec5r
UltimateGhostholsterandtheretentionwasincredible.Theonlyproblem
beingabigthingtohelpnewandlowerclassedshootersoutthatgetlostina
LessonsIhavelearnedinthelastyear.
vastlydifferent.Someofthelessonsfrompistolshootingcarryoverlike
matchwithoneofhiscustomprototypeshellwells.Ihopehenevergetsto
theentireavailableexposuretimeandhowlongittakestogetstarted.If
theHorusVisionproductsandfromtheirwebsiteIcalledupJacobBynumwith
studentsimproveandpushthemenoughtogetfantasticshootingoutofthem
AICS1.5chassissystemfromaccuracyinternational
wasthatyouhadtogoproneonsomestagesandshootyourriewhileyour
stage.Itcouldreallyhelpwithshooterretention.Atthismatch,coachingis
compressingthetimeittakestomakeanacceptableshotandwhenitis
buildingthemforthepublicasitisanincredibleadvantage.IthinkIdid
possibletimeitrepeatedly.Activationtimeisfairlycriticalasitwilltell
RiesOnly.Firsttimewetalkedonthephoneweprettymuchactedlikelong
butnottoomuchtohavethestudentslosecondence.Nostudentisleft
MGSStitaniumsuppressor
pistolwasinyourholster.Ijusthadtomoveitfarenoughbacksothatit
almostmandatoryonmoststagesastheyarejusttoodamnlongwithtoomany
In2003,Istartedshootinglongrangeprecisionriecompetitions.This
necessarytocrankitupandworkthatboltandgetbulletsdownrange.
around45speedloadsinthematchandonlymissedoneonthedriveby
PistolBurkettSVOpenin.38Super,Cmorewith8moaDot,125Grain
youwhenyoucanretherstshotandthatwilldecideifitwillbeatrapor
lostfriends.HealreadyknewwhoIwassincehiswife(Lisa)hadboughthimmy
behind,yettheystillcovertheinformationfastenoughastonotloseinterest.
310roundmagazines
wouldn
positionsandweapontransitionsthatitisalmostimpossibletoremembera
thittheground.Ifyourenotcomfortablerunningwithyourgunin
startedwiththeMGMIronManandtheMORorManuallyOperatedRie
Asmalllistofafewofthethingswehavecovered.Properpositioning.
stagewhenthetruckhitabigbumpintheroad.TherestoftheworkBevin
Zerobullets,RemingtonNickelBrass,WinchesterSmallRiePrimers,
track.
videosforChristmas.Whatagreatguywithanincredibleknowledgeofsniping.
Thatcanbeadauntingtaskfortheinstructorsandtheyhavedoneextremely
15roundmagazine
yourholster,getadifferentonebeforeyougotothismatch.Makesurethat
gameplan!
NationalsandcontinuedontotheSniperNationalChampionshipsat
Wind/temp/alt/BP/etc.AngleshootingWeakhandprone,kneeling,
didisalsowellthoughtout.Hemodiednearlyeverythingonthegunand
IMR7625.5170mmSVmags2140mmSVmags
HemademeanofferthatIcouldntrefuse,yoverandtakeavedayclassand
well.
Harris69swivelbipod
yourmagholderswillstillhavemagsinthemafter100yardsofrunning.
RiesOnlyinKingsvilleTexas.
standingoffabarricadeOffhandShootingoutto1000yardswith.308
Ishotmysecondmatchathttp://tacproshootingcenter.com/andusedaTubbs2000
putaprototypeJpointmountontherib.Slugshotswiththedotniceandlow
Ifpossiblegettoarangethathasaswingerandshoottheheckoutofit.Itwill
shootmyrstsnipermatch.ItoldhimthatIdidn
Nightforce5.522NPR2
thavearietoshoothistrain
and1720with.338RangingwithlasersandMildotshorusreticle
fromMcMillan.Itisanabsolutelybeautifulrie.Hadtotapesomepaddingtothe
andinlinewiththefrontbeadwereeasy.Thegunrandarnnearawlessly.
helpyougetoverthenegativementalassociationsthatswingersgenerallyhave
upwithandhegenerouslyofferedhispersonalAI.Nowifyoudon
WenishedupwiththelongrangerietrainingonFridayandthenalevent
ButlerCreekipupscopecaps
Hereareacoupleofstagesthatwehadtoshoot.Ihadahardenoughtime
tknowwhat
Iusetothinkthat500600yardsisalongshot.LittledidIknowthatyou
systemProperriecleaningHowovercleaningdamagesarieUseofa
stocktoshootweakshouldersincethegunisreallydesignedtoshootonesided
Outof450roundsofshot,00buck,andslugsIhadoneejectionfailure.
andhelpyoubuildupthecondenceyouneedtoshootwell.
anAIis,itisthestandardissuesniperrieofalmosteveryNATOcountry
theRangersranwasprettygrueling.Wehavebeentrainingwith5Rangersfor
Bubblelevel
Iwouldsuggestshootingopenatthismatchthersttime,especiallyfor
rememberingwhattodowhenIwasshootingthestagesmuchlesstrying
Roughly$11,000ingunsand$2900ingear,magsandammo.Wow,that
reallydon
sniperlogbookanddatatrackingProperriecleaningandnotover
(youorderthegunforrightorlefthanders).Hadsomeproblemswithit.One
(WhichIthinkhappenedbecauseIchokedupontheguntoomuch.)
excepttheUSandsellsforabout5K!Iaskedhimaboutrecoilandhestarted
thelastweekalongwithseveralofcersandatopCowboyshooter.Ihave
BeddedbyKodiakPrecision
theshotgunpart.Loadingupto50roundsonastageoffofthesidesaddles
torecollectthemproperlyafterwards!
stuffaddsup!
tevenstartshootingarieuntilyouareover600.
Variabletriggercontrolisnecessaryforfastshootingjustlikeavariable
cleaningProperuseofscopepoweratdistancelowaspossible
minuteitwouldshootgreat,nextitwouldseemtothrowtherounds.Notsureifit
Consideringshotgunshavebeenmyworstenemyinthreeguncompetitions,
ShotGunBenellibyGramsEngineeringwitha10shotextension,Jpoint
laughing,ThensaidthatitwassuppressedandIdidn tneedtoworryaboutit.He
beengettingacrashcourseinwhattheRangersnipershavebeendoingfora
MuzzlebrakedbyKodiakPrecision
andanywhereelseyoucanconceiveofcarryingshotshellswilljustabout
sightpicture.Hardtargetpaymoreattentiontoboth.Easytargetpayless
LetsgetstartedwiththeequipmentIhavetriedoutandwhatIamusing
Sitting/standing/kneeling/squatting/offhand/severalvariationsofeach
wasaproblemspecicallyrelatedtothedemogunIwasborrowingorifthe
itwasmindblowingtogetonethatworked!(IntheTexas3gun,Ihadused
withcustomTeamGEmount,GramsShellWell,3gungear.com8Shot
hadoneoftherstgenerationHorusscopesonit.Ifyouaren tfamiliarwiththe
while.TheyareafantasticgroupofguysthatmakemeproudofourArmy.
AccuracyInternationalSling
takeitoutofanyone!Blisterswerefairlycommoninlimitedclass.
Ourrststagewas#9with24roundsofhandgunandshotgunatfour
attentiontoboth.;)
now.
LowlightshootingNightShootingat400onamoverMovingtargets
platformisjustverypositiondependent.Ihadputdownadepositforoneand
3shotgunsjusttonish!)
ShellHolderanddoubleholderfornexttotheejectionport.8Tecloaders
Horussetup,itisascopethathasamillinedreticle.Itisbasedonholdovers
Theirlasteventwasabout2800yardsofrunningwithshootingfrom1012
AccuracyInternationalHandStop
plateracksand28roundsofrieat14partialtargetsatabout50yards.
from100680TrappingversusLeadingmovingtargetsRapidbolt
cancelledtheorderwhenIwasinformedthatitwouldtake10monthstogetitbuilt
Remington71/2shot,MaxDram1300FPSSportingClaysavailableat
andtiedtothepdasoftwareAtrag.Moreinformationcanbefoundonthewebsite
locations.Tryhittingagolfball(hangingfromastring)at100yardsafter
JewelTriggersetto1pound
Wonthestagein85seconds.Thosetecloaderssureworkedgreat!It
WhatIdecidedtoworkwithforthe600yardtargetsattheMGMIronManwasa
work/loadingandkeepingyourheadonthegunImportanceofFollow
duetotheirmilitarycontracts.Istillwouldliketohaveonetotestitoutmore
WalmartWolf1oz.SlugsPMCreducedrecoil00buck
http://www.horusvision.com
humpingyourrieandgear500yards!Twoofthevegotit,whichIthought
Leica1200ScanLaserRangender
TheMatch:Beforethematch,Iwastryingtoprepareeverything.Nomatter
wasthersttimeshootingtheTrijiconTA11inastageandsinceitwas
customupperfromASAin.223witha26barrelandatriangularhandguardthat
throughLearningtrace(followingthepathofthebullet)whilespotting
extensively.ThiswasateammatchandIpartneredupwithToddHodnetwhomI
wasdownrightawesome.
NeuconLaserRangendingBino
whatyoudotoprepare,youwon
basicallyadot,itdidjustne.
tbereadywhenyougetthere.Thatwas
s
weighsabout3poundsbyitself.Itjustdidn
TeamcommunicationsSituationalawarenessTeamshootingwithve
hadmetinmyrsttrainup.ToddshotagreatmatchandwonoveralltopgunandI
IborrowedaBlaserLSR.308fromEugenetheweekpriortothematch.I
HydrastormMatrixBackpack
whatIwastoldbyoneoftheformercompetitors.Hewasright.Untilyou
tendupshootingaswellasIwantedwith
theammoandopticsIhadavailablesoIditcheditatthematchandborroweda
snipersandmultipletargets/Communications
tookthird.
haven
Wellthematchandthetrainingisover.Ipersonallydidbetterandyetworsein
Palm100
havedoneitonce,youjustcan
Thesecondstage#10wascalledthesurprisestage,althoughitreally
tdonealotoflongrangeshootinginmylife.TheBlasermakesit
tbereadyforit.Thefrustrationduringthe
Remington700PSSin.308withaLeopoldonitfromMarkBuchanan.Workedpretty
prettyeasybeingabletogroup.5at200yards.Theotherreallyneatthing
Therearetwobasicconceptsinlongrangeshooting.Thestandardwayisto
manywaysthanIthoughtIwould.Talkaboutafrustratingexperience.One
Atrag2software
preparationwasamazing.Ididn
wasn
t.Youwereallowedtolookatitbecauseyouneededtohelpreset
thavemyownopenpistolsetupasIhad
wellandMarkhadhisdopedownfortherange.Got7outof10hitsonthelongrange
aboutthisrieistheaction.Itisastraightthrowbolt.Pullitstraightback
adjusttheturretstotherangeyouareshooting.Forexampleifyouhaveyour.
bulletmovedmefromrsttofthoverall.Evenaftermissingthe400yardcold
www.perrysystems.comsoftware
justshippedminebacktothefactory.Iwasgoingtotrytorun9mmMajor
everything.Itwas19roundsofshotgun(buckwasrecommended)24+
targetswithagunIhadnevershotbefore.ThanksMark!Endedupwinningthematch
MythirdmatchwasatRiesOnlyandusedJacobsrieagain.Didn
andpushitstraightforward.Incrediblyfastandsmooth.Theproblemwas
LongrangerieRemington700withHSPrecisionstock,10shot
308sightedinat100yardsandthenlaseratargetat560youwouldlookatyour
boreshotSaturdaymorningandlosing100pointsforthatround,Iwasleading
StoneyPointshootingstix
fortheseasonandjustcouldn
roundsofhandgun,and78roundsofrie.
tcontroltheejectionsoIscrappedtheproject
tdoas
withanewshotgunfromBevinGramsofGramsEngineering,aborrowedLRR,a
wellwithitasthersttime.Endedup9th.LittledidIknow,morefrustration
theTasco10xscopeontopoftherie.Foundoutthatitwouldn
magazines,Leupold(notsurewhichmodel),HarrisBipod.Iwasallowedto
rangecardandthendialintheadjustmentsneededtohitit.OntheHorus,you
untiltheSaturdayeveningnightshoot.ThenIgotalittlebehind.Hadarough
BlackHills175grain.308matchammo
andamhavingthegunrebuiltin.38super.Wellthatleftmewithoutanopen
thold
borrowedTrijiconTA11.
waswaitingformeattherstRiesOnlySniperNationalChampionship.
adjustmentsoIhadtogiveuponthisrieandborrowedMarkBuchanan
usethegunandammocourtesyofMarkBuchananof3gungear.com
rangethetargettheneitherrefertoarangecardortheTragsoftwareandusea
timewiththe400yardmover.Stillnotsurewhythedopewaswrongonthe
Specopsdragbag
gunsoIcontactedoneofmystudentsandfriendsDaveMagateauxandhe
Extratipforyou:Knowhowyourshotgunpatternsateachdistancewith
s.
308ontherange.Havingnevershotitbeforewithwindsgustingalloverthe
THANKSMARK!
lineinthescopetoholdover.Bothhaveadvantagesanddisadvantages.
scopeasIdialedtheamountincalledbythePalmTrag2software.Accordingto
www.3gungear.comsniperbagsystem
lentmehisSVIBurkettOpen.There,thepistolissueswerexedup.
eachchokeandeachshotsize.Itisalsoisagoodthingtoknowifyour
TherstLRRItriedwasaBlaserLRS.Forafactorygun,itisanincredible
place,Igot7of10hitsonthedistancetargets,whichwereat550and653
Someonecouldwriteabookonthedifferences.Ihavetriedandactuallylike
Thomasallmyshotswerejustunderneathitwiththerightlead.The500yard
OriginalSwat9sidezipboots
slugshitindifferentspotsat50+yardswithdifferentchokes.
rie,veryfastboltthrow,andextremelyaccuratebutthereareafew
Thefourthmatchoftheyearwasthenals.Youhadtohavecompetedin3
yards.Thatcountedfora140secondbonusonthatstage!THANKS
GearUltimateGhost
bothoftypes.Ithinkthechoiceofscopeandreticleshouldbedependanton
coldborethenextmorningprettymuchsealedmyfatewhenitwasdeadcenter
511tacticalpants
disadvantagestoitforcompetition.Ithasthe10roundmagazinecapacity
matchestogetinvited.Thematchwaslistedas24hoursofhell.Thatwas
MARK.
HolsterCRSpeedBelt
whatkindofcompetitionyouareentering.Ifyoucan,trybothandseewhat
andaninchlow.Iamwonderingifsomeofthedopeissuesweredotothe
Goretexjacket
ThethirdstageweshotwasElpresidentedeIronman.Ittook33rie,10
thatisalmostmandatorytobecompetitiveinthesnipercompetitions.The
prettymuchrightonthemoney.Iwouldn
SafarilandMagPouches.
youlikebetter.
signicantweatherchangesduringtheweek.Ithadcooledoff25degreesand
EngleBallisticscompressiongarments
Iwasworkingonbuildingtherieinthelasttwoweeksbeforethematch.
slugs,15shot,and30pistolrounds.Nowrememberthoseare
twishthatmatchonsomeone.It
onlyissueisgettingthemagsinandoutofthegun.It
wasbrutal.HaveIsaidhowtoughthatmatchwasyet?Itwasdownto30
NowIgotalltheammoandsuchinandbuilt.Quiteabitwhenitis
thatmayhavehad
DeweyCleaningsupplies
IntestingInoticedthattheASAaluminumfreeoathandguard
minimums!Youstartedoutwiththerieat75yards2tothebody,
Ifyoucanmakethismatch,go!Itisanexperienceofalifetime.
Hot Shots 2004