Paying your dues

[Bot]

Last week at the gun range an older man that had apparently been watching me shoot asked. Are you a cop? I replied NO. Are you a competition shooter? I replied no. He then asked how did I shoot so good. I replied practice every weekend.(end)
You have to shoot the **** you carry until it becomes reflex. I am very good because I practice. Don't fool yourself into thinking you are safe when you buy a gun and never shoot it.

[In-Yo-Grill]

Last week at the gun range an older man that had apparently been watching me shoot asked. Are you a cop? I replied NO. Are you a competition shooter? I replied no. He then asked how did I shoot so good. I replied practice every weekend.(end)
You have to shoot the **** you carry until it becomes reflex. I am very good because I practice. Don't fool yourself into thinking you are safe when you buy a gun and never shoot it.

Good sound advice. I'm not ashamed and I know I'll catch a lot of flak for saying this but...I didn't carry with one in the chamber until I felt comfortable with the right holster and carrying for a little while.

I've been carrying less than a year and it's almost to the point that I forget about it being there.

[Price]

Absolutely correct, plus whats more fun than puttin some holes in paper with a fine tuned machine, and nothing more satisfying than watching the group get tighter and tighter.

[ripley16]

To paraphrase a saying...Practice makes Proficient.

Price,
I've always loved that quote in your signature line. Never more true than today.

[jeep45238]

If you truely want to be humbled, start shooting in IDPA. I've been competing for about a year, and it really pushes you on your draw/fire/first hit, as well as support hand only shooting and awkward positions that you normally don't try.

Example: One that I had to do last year involved starting on your support side, arms crossed on your chest, pistol loaded and pointed down range by your head. Grab the gun, fire 6 shots, COM, target dead ahead, reload. Roll onto your back, and hit the center target 6 shots COM, reload, and roll onto your strong side and repeat. How many of you have tried laying on your back, shooting at a target 7 yards out? Try laying down and getting a sight picture - your head won't allow it. You have to rotate your head back into your shoulder to get your eyes in a position that will allow you to see the sights.

There is no substitute for real life experiance. Target shooting, or even pushing yourself at a shooting range, generally limits you to one non-moving target from a non-moving position. That's awesome for working on the basics, but it utterly sucks if you want to start shooting on the move, or if the targets start moving laterally, diagonally, or straight towards you - let alone diving for cover. The closest thing you'll get to a gun fight without being in one is IDPA, and going to a good trainer's advanced courses.

They're also damn fun and you meet some really nice folks. This is from the last course I went to, in the first few hours of seeing where people's skills lie, and what needs to be pushed. I'm pretty proud to say that I was able to double tap 3 steel targets, reload, repeat, in under 6 seconds - fastest in the class after being pushed in this course. 0-50 yard targets :D

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/Handgun%20tactics%20course/DSCN0473.jpghttp://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/Handgun%20tactics%20course/DSCN0286.jpghttp://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/Handgun%20tactics%20course/DSCN0413.jpghttp://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/Handgun%20tactics%20course/DSCN0210.jpghttp://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/Handgun%20tactics%20course/DSCN0214.jpg

[ripley16]

jeep45238,
That looks like terrific fun and very practical to boot.
I'm fortunate in that because of my location I've been able to do a good bit of practice with various skilled folks.

I routinely get to shoot with;
Marines at Quantico,
FBI at Quantico,
Occationally some FH employees, as they have facilities near by,
Various Homeland Security types,
and a few Secret Service T-Men,
The occational SWAT team,
and a memorable time with a couple guys of unknown agency that were unbelievably capable. :eek:

I am always humbled by the skills exhibited by active professionals.


It's been a long time since I've rolled on the ground while shooting.
A bad back and age discourage that much of an active shooting life these days, but when I see it done right ... :D

Seeing a man fire a MP5 while moving, and doing it better than I could stationary, sends a Chris Matthews type "Chill up my leg" :33:

I am humbled but happy that others are able to do so with great skill.

[recoilguy]

I very much like going to the range and seeing folks
shoot well. It was said that watching your groups tighten
up is a very good feeling and with that I agree 100%.

Practice is the only way I can get better and the only way
I can even maintain the skills I have developed. I am thinking
about joining a competitive shooting club close by this spring.
I think it will do me a lot of good, I have very limited expectations
so I hope not to be embarrassed. Reality is somehing I try to stay
close too. I am going to the first meet next month as a guest of the
club membership director and I am going to watch and just shoot at
introduction part. I know it will be all I acn do to just keep up but
I want to experiance the fun comeradery and competition I see in
Jeeps pics.

RCG

[jeep45238]

I am always humbled by the skills exhibited by active professionals.


You ain't kiddin on that one. I just wish our basic grunts and LEO's had better training.

So far every solider I know that's gone to Iraq has asked me to teach them to shoot a pistol, and how to run a rifle on semi auto for close in work (wastes less ammo - kinda important when you've only got 7 mags to work with going to the rong line).

Those that go to training classes with instructor's I can't afford - wow are they impressive.

:80: