A rare photo of me, taken by my brother. Not a bad position, my left thumb is a little high, eventually it could get into the slide and cause a jam. I’ll watch for that. This was in CA, so I’m shooting a Glock 34 (9mm) with silly 10 round magazines. What a silly state. Too bad they have such nice weather.
Sorry for no blogging. I’ve been traveling to Idaho Falls, ID for the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Area 1 Championship. Area 1 includes Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Washington, and Oregon. The sport is divided up into pistol types – Revolver, Production (stock factory guns), Limited (fancier, bigger magazines), and Open (scopes, huge magazines). There were hundreds of shooters there, including 110 in the Limited division I shoot in.
This was my first “big” match and it tested me and found my weaknesses (-: But I did pretty good, just finishing out of trophies by less than 1% and finishing 29th out of 110 in all of Limited and 6th of 33 in B class (sort of a handicap system).
Here is a video of me shooting Stage 1:
This link will show other videos for me. Currently 6 are uploaded. There were 12 total and 6 more will be posted when I get video from the fellow who had the camera on day two.
My overall standing can be seen here. And my stage by stage results here.
Those who shoot the sport will know what these stats mean. For those that don’t, you do not want anything under the D (sort of like the 1 ring in a bullseye target), M (miss a target completely), NS (no-shoot – hit a fake bystander), or P (procedural penalty).
I had 2 “M” on really easy targets (like 5 feet away), and 2 no-shoots because I slipped when I shot. Both were on the move. Without those I finish 2nd in my class, and 18th or so overall. Sigh…
Example of firing in a “direction”
Unrealistic simulation of something unlike the actual situation
Correct behavior?
Johnson drew his own handgun and returned fire in the direction of the suspects, who fled the scene.
Not in my book. I fire at a specific spot on a specific target. Suppressive fire, in a neighborhood, isn’t part of my self-defense plan.
It is hard to get the entire situation out of news reports, but as it reads, I would have handled it differently. Bullets fly miles and can kill out of eye sight. Each shot needs to be accounted for and you should train so you can know when you can and can’t make a shot. Shots should end in bad guys or in identified safe backstops behind them. Period.
Watch your back Ken!
A: This Watson doesn’t back up Holmes, he plays Jeopardy.
The NY Times has an interesting article about IBM’s efforts to build a Jeopardy playing super computer.
It was just the beginning. Over the rest of the day, Watson went on a tear, winning four of six games. It displayed remarkable facility with cultural trivia (“This action flick starring Roy Scheider in a high-tech police helicopter was also briefly a TV series” — “What is ‘Blue Thunder’?”), science (“The greyhound originated more than 5,000 years ago in this African country, where it was used to hunt gazelles” — “What is Egypt?”) and sophisticated wordplay (“Classic candy bar that’s a female Supreme Court justice” — “What is Baby Ruth Ginsburg?”).
As a computer scientist, this would be interesting work.
This weekend our family visited Greeley, CO and Brian and I shot the Rocky Mountain 300 USPSA match.
As you can see these stages are long and have lots of positions/reload options. We shot with 6 GMs (top ranked in our sport) in our squad (a nice learning experience) and you could see even them backing up, missing reloads, and forgetting stuff. Fun!
All of these are of Brian, I didn’t ask him to video me as he had plenty to think about.
Brian kitted out a G35 for new USPSA shooter this week:
Details of the modifications at the link above. He took the trigger to a crisp 3.5 lbs, he can get it down to 2 or so with some polishing, a lighter striker and striker springs.
We will sight it in and function test it tomorrow and hand it over ready to race when the shooter gets back in town.
Ready to race out of the box
Brian has written a review STI’s GP6-C pistol. It is their offering for USPSA Production and IDPA Stock Service Pistol classes:
The GP6-C is race-ready out of the box. There’s no need to spend a lot of money on a heavily customized SIG, Glock or XD, nor go to the trouble of installing aftermarket parts. Even with hundreds of dollars in aftermarket triggers and components, you will only come close to the single-action trigger on the GP6-C, probably its most outstanding feature. It is a new gun, so accessories are scarce, but I’ve found three suitable holsters and magazine holders. I’m very impressed with the GP6-C, and you’ll see me shooting it in IDPA competitions in the coming months.
I shot it as well and liked it. Especially the SA trigger, with an extremely crisp 3lb trigger and next to no reset. I’ve got my G34 pretty well slicked up, at a cost of about $1100 dollars if I add it all up (and I DON’T usually!). Some of that isn’t in the gun still, you have to try stuff and see if you like it.
The GP6-C offers race ready, no-hassle performance, for $600-$700 bucks.
It is also light and a pretty decent home defense / carry gun.
But hey… read the review, he covers it in detail.
While in Phoenix recently I dropped by the Dillon Precision factory store. While there I purchased a Dillon Leather by Mitch Rosen leather inside the waistband clip on holster.
After a week or so wearing it in, I can say this is a very comfortable and easy to get on and off holster.
How comfortable? I find myself at home, after taking a nap, working on the computer, and I have to feel my waist to see if I’m packing my full sized Glock 22. It is very comfortable,and I can feel it getting more so as it wears in and fits to my body.
I had been using my 1911 Commander sized CrossBreed holster. It, too, is comfortable, but it is quite difficult to get on and off, and while the G22 “fits” it isn’t as protective of the trigger as I liked. So I decided to give the Mitch Rosen leather a try.
It is easy to get on and off and the clip works from dress belts up to my 1.75” Wilderness belt.
I recommend this holster heartily, especially if you choose to carry a full sized pistol.
While in Texas recently Brian, his granddad and I visited the pistol maker STI in Georgetown, Texas (a bit north of Austin).
We enjoyed the tour greatly and were impressed by their operation and people. Brian’s report can be read here:
http://briankevinnelson.com/a-tour-of-the-sti-factory-134
His report can be found here:
http://briankevinnelson.com/2010-double-tap-championship-104
Barbie for men
Bob Owen says that reports of the collapse of the AR-15 market are premature. That matches my experience too. Obama fueled a crazy rush on them. And he still may again, as I suspect should he get a second term that firearms will be a target.
In fact, gun buyers that purchased ARs for the first time in the past year seem to have fallen in love with the design. Instead of buying a second basic model, however, they are returning to the market in search of more refined and specialized variants, or variants in other calibers. The market, instead of collapsing, seems to be transforming.
But the market has transformed. I own two of them, and will sell one, plus some other guns, to get a gas piston version specialized for the 3-Gun competition my son and I enjoy.
The firearms market has always been cyclical. The Obama rush plus veterans returning and eager to own an M4 variant in civilian life peaked the market a year ago. Now it cools, but remains strong.
As to the rifle… I love it. Two is plenty, though.
My son just read and reviewed Ptooma Productions Complete Glock Reference Guide.
In conclusion, if you own a Glock, your police department issues a Glock, or you work on Glocks for other people, you need this book! Here is the link to amazon.com to buy it. You will not be disappointed!
He liked it. And I’d note that my Glock 35 now has a nice sweet new trigger that he put in it, with this book as his guide. It is also available locally at Sportsman’s Warehouse.
As some readers will know, I became concerned about the reliability of my 1911 Smith & Wesson 1911PD. Not so much that particular gun as the 1911 design itself, which is fussy and must be religiously maintained. I’d experienced jams in recent matches with it out past 80 rounds or so without cleaning. Now, as a carry gun that is fine I suppose. I don’t expect concealed carry situations to go beyond 2 or 3 rounds. BUT I like to compete with what I carry because it helps me get better with it. AND the jams to provide a nagging “will it work when I need it” concern.
So I’ll be selling the 1911PD to someone more savvy with 1911’s. And a shopping I went.
After review of guides and reviews, I narrowed the field down to the Sig P226, Glock 22, and the HK USP, all in .40.
I liked all three guns, but the Sig and the HK felt heavy and bulky and I didn’t like their initial double action trigger. The Sig was $750, the HK $680 and the Glock $450.
So I went with the Glock. And later today I shot it for the first time.
It shot… like a Glock. Compared to my race Glock and my other customized guns the trigger was long. It shot dead on, or maybe slightly left, but not enough I wanted to drift the sights over. Without a bench to hold it super steady I couldn’t be sure, but I could hold it in a 4 inch circle freestyle at 15 to 20 yards.
And a pleasant surprise awaited me… it fits my SuperTuck holster I got for my 1911PD. So no new accessories are needed. I’m typing now with it on, and it is noticeably lighter than the Smith. And… I don’t have to carry an extra magazine and I still get 16 rounds of .40.
All I have to do now is put some night sights on it, and skate tape for the grip and it will serve me fine for many years…. with few to no jams and very little cleaning required.
Just the ticket for a mechanically challenged fellow like me.
So the carry plan going forward is… in shorts and untucked shirt carry the Glock 22. In Sunday clothes the LCP.
The student becomes the master…
I knew it had to happen sometime. I just didn’t quite expect it so soon. My son smacked me down. Sat on me. Owned me. In pistol shooting… that is.
In the past, he had beat me once ,by a very small percentage and only when I’d had severe jamming of my pistol.
But yesterday, he started with an early 1st stage smack down, and then turned on the heat. He finished 4th overall (of 36 shooters) , with 116 seconds, I in the middle of the pack with 157 seconds. His score was within 1.5 seconds of 2nd place. I would have had top ten if I had not had a lot of jams on the 5th and 6th stages, but even if the gun had run, I wasn’t in his league on that day.
Which pleases me (-;
This match didn’t have a lot of movement. I can still move better than him, but in stages stressing shooting and gun handling – he has an edge…. for now.
Oh… and he’s just 12.
Doesn’t go boom Does go boom.
I recall reading an article about Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who owned a fancy 12 cylinder Jaguar. The article mentioned a truism that went something like if you own 5 Jaguars you will also own a mechanic. They were, and are, fine cars but required constant love to keep running.
That is how I feel about 1911 pistols now. I love them. They feel right in my hand. And they hit where I aim. But, for me, they don’t go boom all the time. Instead they don’t go to battery, or the magazine falls out, or the rounds feed oddly, or… shall I keep listing the maladies?
Today, in our squad of 10 or so shooters we had four 1911 shooters. One of us did not finish on the 5th of 6 stages because for some reason when he pulled the trigger, the hammer didn’t drop. My 1911 dropped a magazine on the 1st stage, this is after I did my customary tug on it to make sure it was seated. I figured, well, maybe I didn’t check right. But on the 5th stage, it happened again – twice. And on the 6th stage my gun wasn’t going to battery and I had to do emergency tap bang drills on the final 10 shots.
I know people that CLAIM to keep their 1911’s running. But, frankly, I think they are also fisherman and are used to telling tall tales.
My 1911, a Smith and Wesson 1911PD, is a fine gun. I will sell it confidently that is is a quality 1911. And it will make somebody, that can keep it happy, a fine gun.
As to me… I’ll go back to Glocks. They aren’t quite the pinnacle of a perfectly running 1911, but they go boom every time – even if you haven’t cleaned them in a 1000 rounds. And they can shoot better than me, which really is the test.
I may hunt for a more powerful carry gun that is thinner than a Glock but as simple and reliable. But til then I’ll carry my LCP comfortably knowing that it too goes BOOM.
Afterthought…. don’t email me with tips on keeping the 1911 happy. I know them all. I run Wilson Combat magazines. I clean it religiously. No, I didn’t hit the mag release button. Yes, the recoil spring is the correct weight and new. No I wasn’t limp wristing it…. (-:
1911’s are fine guns for those mechanically inclined to keep them running. And I may keep this one for carry, I’m sure it will run for 20 rounds. But in competition, where I’m doing 150+ rounds rapidly and without cleaning it, it just isn’t working for me.