Any ladies shooting competitively?

[Belgian Bad A$$]

Practice makes perfect. Be careful with Glocks they have a tendency to multiply....I started off with 1.

I, like you, started with one. Hoping they multiple at a faster rate than current. Ive got 2 in my sights for sure.

 

[Belgian Bad A$$]

Hey! Like others have said, Steel Challenge is a great way to get your feet wet in competition. It's competitive, but it's fun to compete against yourself too. You generally do 5 strings at each stage, so you can try to improve each string. Once you get to know people, there is generally good natured trash talking, excuse making, alibis, and congratulating. It is absolutely free to show up and watch. Just bring eyes and ears. The steel challenge matches at AGC are not yet affiliated, so they do some extra fun stuff too.

AGC also has 3 gun (rifle, pistol, shotgun) that can also be done as 2 gun (rifle, pistol). For rifle, AR's are the standard platform there's a lot more movement in 3 gun than steel challenge. And there's generally someone willing to lend a shotgun if you are new and are trying to figure out what to buy.

York Isaac Walton League does a lot of 3 gun as well, and I'm sure there are others around. 3 gun is equipment intensive. Steel Challenge is easier to get started. You can even shoot from the low ready position instead of drawing from a holster if you'd like.

There's usually a couple other ladies at events as well. I won't be there tomorrow for steel, but my hubby will. He will be RO'ing a squad and has a really great squad of people who would love to show off their equipment and tell you all about it. Really anyone is generally happy to show off their stuff! And being a woman, so therefore a unicorn, they are even happier to.

Sounds like fun! Id love to connect with you at a match sometime simply to say hello, talk, watch, and learn.

 

[Belgian Bad A$$]

Definitely do NOT need to be a member to come watch. Everyone is very friendly and always ready to addict new people.

Requirements aren’t so bad! Ear protection, wrap-around eye protection. A pistol (9mm is most common, rimfire is also a thing). Don’t even need a holster/rig - you can shoot from low ready, and just bag the gun between stages. Helps to have several magazines if you got ‘em. If you participate, just tell the range officer you’re one of the noobs, and you will be very well and safely taken care of, walked through everything.

Ive got severals mags for all i have. Kicken wing made sure of that! Have a question: you mentioned wrap around eye protection. I wear prescription glasses and was under the impression that would be fine? Or do i need something special. I know someone posted about riding his bike with antifog prescription glasses, perhaps used them for shooting. Cant remember the entire post. Is this something i should invest in if regular glasses wont do?

 

[Belgian Bad A$$]

from washington county, these are prob your two closest clubs that are doing steel challenge. these are below hagerstown and above winchester and about 10 minutes apart. after you have some sc under your belt, both also do "run around and shoot falling steel" matches, which are super fun. peacemaker calls it supersteel and shadowhawk calls it outlaw steel.

https://practiscore.com/clubs/peacemaker-national-training-center

https://practiscore.com/clubs/shadow-hawk-defense

Ive heard of Peacemaker. A girl i sewed for used to go there and told me how awesome it. Havent been as of yet. I saw the video on this thread that shows something that i dont know what it is called but there is what i would call a "flower" with 5 targets. Id have to practice that one cause Ive never had an opportunity to shoot moving targets. Well i have shot trap twice while i worked at the NRA and lets just say that didnt go so well. Need. More. Practice.

 

[davsco]

flower, that's funny! look up 'texas star.' once you've shot it a couple of times it isn't that hard and is actually a lot of fun. and for an even better challenge, look up 'polish plate rack' or 'propeller plate rack.'

 

[Belgian Bad A$$]

flower, that's funny! look up 'texas star.' once you've shot it a couple of times it isn't that hard and is actually a lot of fun. and for an even better challenge, look up 'polish plate rack' or 'propeller plate rack.'

Haha! I told you I didnt know what it was called! I cant imagine a bunch of dudes calling it a flower now that i think about it. Texas star sounds much more appropriate. I'd be up for the challenge of trying it out. But it will have to wait til I get my feet wet.

Will google what you mentioned because im curious now. Thank you for the reference!

 

[Occam]

Have a question: you mentioned wrap around eye protection. I wear prescription glasses and was under the impression that would be fine?

In a perfect, budget-doesn’t-matter world, I suppose that some dedicated prescription shooting glasses would be ideal. But in the meantime, and for practically pocket change, you can get some slide-on side protectors to protect you from lateral splatter. Below is a shot of some Mrs Occam keeps in her range bag for just such occasions. I think she got six sets of them on Amazon for just a few dollars. I keep some in my bag for needy range guests.

Also pictured here: my knuckle from just yesterday at the AGC shoot. A piece of copper jacket came frisbee-ing in to bay seven from, I’m guessing bay six. Up and over the berm with enough speed to cause a bloody nick. No big deal! But it would have been, if it had slipped in behind glasses from the side and cut up a cornea. So, it’s worth the dorky add-on!

 

[rbird7282]

You are right Occam, the membership does seems complex. Do you know if you have to be a member in order to attend and watch? I wont be able to make it tomorrow as i am working but will keep an eye on the schedule for another steel challange.



That video you posted is awesome! Looks fun but it looks like a lot of requirements. Aint scared though. I would, however, be nervous. Ha!

You don’t need to be an AGC member to watch OR shoot in the 3 gun or Steel Challenge matches. Only difference is that it’s $20 for non members and $10 for members.
I would suggest that you just sign up and shoot a match. Maybe a little nervous in the beginning but everyone is very friendly and welcoming. Just let them know it’s your first time shooting there.
It’s TONS of fun!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Art3]

One of these days, I will remember to start filming from the very beginning...as the shooter (hopefully Katie ) gets to the box and is instructed to "Load and make ready..." all the way to the very very end, "Unload and show clear." Based on questions from new shooters, it would be useful to show them exactly what to expect out of the whole process. I do have this one, that shows all five strings and should answer a few questions (like when do you reload? what if you miss? (answer: keep shooting), etc.

 

[Art3]

In a perfect, budget-doesn’t-matter world, I suppose that some dedicated prescription shooting glasses would be ideal. But in the meantime, and for practically pocket change, you can get some slide-on side protectors to protect you from lateral splatter. Below is a shot of some Mrs Occam keeps in her range bag for just such occasions. I think she got six sets of them on Amazon for just a few dollars. I keep some in my bag for needy range guests.

Also pictured here: my knuckle from just yesterday at the AGC shoot. A piece of copper jacket came frisbee-ing in to bay seven from, I’m guessing bay six. Up and over the berm with enough speed to cause a bloody nick. No big deal! But it would have been, if it had slipped in behind glasses from the side and cut up a cornea. So, it’s worth the dorky add-on!

Yikes! We definitely felt some debris falling on us periodically, but nothing like that!

Dorky glasses are obviously a must. I also recommend a hat and ear muff protectors (rather than plugs), just to keep as much of our sensitive bits shielded as possible.

Nowadays, they also make slightly less dorky looking safety glasses that fit completely over prescription glasses. I bet one would get made fun of a lot more overall for spending the rest of their life with an eyepatch than a couple hours in dorky PPE

 

[photoracer]

Peacemaker and Shadow Hawk are both good as I belong to one and shoot the other also. Another possibility is The Monocacy Pistol Club in Frederick. Almost all their matches are steel, and on some weekends there are separate and different steel matches on each day. Guests are allowed and unlike Steel Challenge you don't have to draw unless you feel like it (most don't). This weekend is Speed Steel, which is very similar to Steel Challenge except the stages change every month. 5 stages, 5 targets per stage, and 5 runs per stage throwing out your slowest one. Guests are allowed. $5 for members and 10$ for guests. About the cheapest around. Divisions include Open and Stock Auto, Open and Stock Revolver, Open and Stock rimfire both rifle and pistol and Carry Optics, and Pistol Caliber Carbine.

 

[303_enfield]

GSSF outdoor match in DE March 21-22

March 21 - 22, 2020
Bridgeville, Delaware
Bridgeville Rifle & Pistol Club
Delaware State GSSF Challenge V

Wife an kids will be rocking the Glocks.

 

[Belgian Bad A$$]

I know i started this thread over a year ago then disappeared. My apologies to everyone. Had a work issue to deal with. (See my thread about the rona attacking my place of employment). Anyway i have since been shooting my ARs and have a new found love of long distance...albeit only 300yds so far as my new Tikka doesnt have a scope yet. But im finding my handgun skills have turned to sh!t. When we go to the range we shoot both but i get so frustrated with handgun i end up packing it up. Anyone else have this problem? Just me? Am i that rusty and just need more practice?? Advice please!

 

[Occam]

Am i that rusty and just need more practice??

Those are definitely perishable skills, and lack of practice can have you right off the rails before you know it. That said, a solid foundation from an observant coach with whom you have a good rapport: that turns it more into the ol' riding-a-bike notion. The fundamentals won't go away, they just need buffing up.

What do you observe about yourself when you do some dry-fire time? Is your grip out to lunch? Is that front site wandering around? Are you getting too much finger meat on that trigger and pulling the pistol around when you squeeze one off?

Or ... are we talking about operational issues, not accuracy? Drilling in the basement with a safe, dry gun can really help get that muscle memory back where it belongs. But if you're getting some of the fundamentals wrong, you might just be cementing bad habits (I'm the king of that!).

An objective, experienced eye watching what you're doing when you're feeling the skills missing can steer you quickly to what you need to think about and work on. Mostly: slow down! Like, way more than you think you should. Let each step of everything happen over a long, pregnant pause, and note what you have going on. Shoot more, but don't blow through expensive ammo retreading the same bad habits you're not noticing. My wife attests that a month of daily five-minute dry fire practice made a world of difference for her.

 

[Belgian Bad A$$]

Those are definitely perishable skills, and lack of practice can have you right off the rails before you know it. That said, a solid foundation from an observant coach with whom you have a good rapport: that turns it more into the ol' riding-a-bike notion. The fundamentals won't go away, they just need buffing up.

What do you observe about yourself when you do some dry-fire time? Is your grip out to lunch? Is that front site wandering around? Are you getting too much finger meat on that trigger and pulling the pistol around when you squeeze one off?

Or ... are we talking about operational issues, not accuracy? Drilling in the basement with a safe, dry gun can really help get that muscle memory back where it belongs. But if you're getting some of the fundamentals wrong, you might just be cementing bad habits (I'm the king of that!).

An objective, experienced eye watching what you're doing when you're feeling the skills missing can steer you quickly to what you need to think about and work on. Mostly: slow down! Like, way more than you think you should. Let each step of everything happen over a long, pregnant pause, and note what you have going on. Shoot more, but don't blow through expensive ammo retreading the same bad habits you're not noticing. My wife attests that a month of daily five-minute dry fire practice made a world of difference for her.

Good advice right there. I know one of my problems is i sometimes anticipate the squeeze and i end up jerking. (That didnt sound good). Ive had a few people try to instruct me over the years and i have yet to find the right combo. I know one thing i need to do is cut my nails when they get too long as they tend to get in the way. Im not sure what im doing with my handgun sighting but i tend to hit low and left. Then when i try to correct i end up overcorrecting and im like "where'd it go?"

Cant believe im putting this out there but everyone should know so they can understand what im up against. I have tourette syndrome. The med i take to control my symptoms causes tardive dyskinesia which im also on a med to control. In other words slight tremors. So i think the tremor interfere as well. I want to be the best i can be at whatever i choose to do to prove to myself that although i have tourettes, tourettes doesnt have me. Thanks for the support, and as always, yall be good!

 

[Occam]

Im not sure what im doing with my handgun sighting but i tend to hit low and left. Then when i try to correct i end up overcorrecting and im like "where'd it go?"

Assuming you're a righty, that's almost always you getting too much finger on the trigger, and then giving the trigger a jerk or just mashing it too hard, which curls your grip down and to the left. It's probably the single most common error, and totally normal thing to have to fight. You'll quickly correct that if you can concentrate on getting just the tip of your finger on the trigger, and pulling it back directly towards your arm bones instead of choking it like you were strangling a snake. Again, something you can really work on without a shot fired - if you can reliably do it dry firing, you'll be able to do it hot, too.

In other words slight tremors. So i think the tremor interfere as well.

A friend has some tremors. His doc gave him something oral he can take about half an hour before he's going to shoot, and it - for about two hours - shuts those tremors down hard. Obviously not every tremor is the same or happens for the same reason, but worth a talk with your doc to see if there's a specific, even if fleeting, strategy that can help when you head to the range.

Also: get a beefier pistol! People with an unsteady grip go out and try shooting their compact polymer-framed Glock or such and see it waving around like crazy because it's so lightweight. My tremor-having friend just bought a CZ Shadow II (one of the fancier ones, just cuz he can, so why not), and that heavy steel frame is like brick. Just simple laws of physics: more mass means more inertia, and like magic the pistol is harder to jiggle around, recovers to target more quickly, and is just plain a hoot to shoot. If you haven't shot a full-sized steel frame pistol with a long slide, you need to get someone to let you try that out - it can be a total game changer if you've got the wobbles. At least at typical steel target shooting distances.

 

[Belgian Bad A$$]

Assuming you're a righty, that's almost always you getting too much finger on the trigger, and then giving the trigger a jerk or just mashing it too hard, which curls your grip down and to the left. It's probably the single most common error, and totally normal thing to have to fight. You'll quickly correct that if you can concentrate on getting just the tip of your finger on the trigger, and pulling it back directly towards your arm bones instead of choking it like you were strangling a snake. Again, something you can really work on without a shot fired - if you can reliably do it dry firing, you'll be able to do it hot, too.



A friend has some tremors. His doc gave him something oral he can take about half an hour before he's going to shoot, and it - for about two hours - shuts those tremors down hard. Obviously not every tremor is the same or happens for the same reason, but worth a talk with your doc to see if there's a specific, even if fleeting, strategy that can help when you head to the range.

Also: get a beefier pistol! People with an unsteady grip go out and try shooting their compact polymer-framed Glock or such and see it waving around like crazy because it's so lightweight. My tremor-having friend just bought a CZ Shadow II (one of the fancier ones, just cuz he can, so why not), and that heavy steel frame is like brick. Just simple laws of physics: more mass means more inertia, and like magic the pistol is harder to jiggle around, recovers to target more quickly, and is just plain a hoot to shoot. If you haven't shot a full-sized steel frame pistol with a long slide, you need to get someone to let you try that out - it can be a total game changer if you've got the wobbles. At least at typical steel target shooting distances.

Mr Recovering Lurker aka Occam, i am a righty. So youre saying to just us the tip of my finger? I think thats what im understanding cause currently my trigger rests on the first joint of my right pointer. I do catch myself strangling a snake (again, that didnt sound good) and the anticipation. I know i sometime catch myself waiting on the mag to empty. Like anticipating that emptiness which leads to, in essence, a dry fire. Then there is the, my god this thing is heavy, and then i start to shake a bit which believe it or not is definitely different from the tremors. I take something now on a daily basis for them but i can still tell they are there. Would you be able to inquire of your friend to see what he takes, just outta curiosity?

You said a beefier pistol...if im weighed down with the 3 glocks i have with full mags, wont i have issues with a heavier frame? Ya know what i need to do? Just hit me. I used to practice at a placed called blue ridge arsenal in chantilly where i could rent handguns to get a feel for what i need. Thats where i bought my first handgun in the early 90s. And it was between the g17 and the sig p228 if memory serves correct. Or the p226. Either way, the sig jammed on me and the glock didnt. It was my shooting that made the sig jam but i was then sold on glock. Any recommendations i should try? I appreciate your input!!

 

[Bikebreath]

Glock 17 is 24.87 oz. with an empty mag in.

A Shadow 2 is 46.5 oz. with an empty mag in.

When you practice you usually hold the gun up for a longer time and without adrenaline pumping in your veins. The CZ Shadow 2 is too heavy for IDPA competition, but gtg in Steel Challenge.

 

[Occam]

So youre saying to just us the tip of my finger? I think thats what im understanding cause currently my trigger rests on the first joint of my right pointer.

Yup! Not because that's THE way to shoot, but because - at this stage, if you're pulling down-and-left, consciously using the tip of that right index finger on the trigger will force you to be more thoughtful about gently bringing the trigger back inline with your arm bones. Some people, to help with the psychology of it, even use the term "press" instead of "pull" when talking about the trigger. As in, think of it like squarely pressing a button instead of squashing a thing you pull on. If the trigger is in your first knuckle joint, you're almost certainly introducing a down-left twist as you operate the trigger. Dry firing will certainly help tell the tale! A laser bore site (cheap, on Amazon) can also be a huge eye opener when you're dry firing. Point that dot at a spot on the wall and watch it dance like crazy as you operate the trigger. Man, that'll show every single sin!

Speaking of dry-firing ...

Then there is the, my god this thing is heavy, and then i start to shake a bit which believe it or not is definitely different from the tremors.

If you're shooting a polymer-framed gun and it's in the OMG-this-is-heavy category, then there's only one answer: exercise! Meaning, use a three or a five pound weight for a few minutes a day (that's all!) and extend it out like you're holding a pistol. It's going to suck for a while. But your body WILL respond with some muscle tone and more control. That polymer gun should feel light, not heavy. A steel-framed pistol, especially with a loaded mag, will weigh noticeably more (which is why it's more stable and more fun to shoot), but if you're struggling to keep that Glock out at arm's length because of weight, it's easy-does-it weight lifting time.

Would you be able to inquire of your friend to see what he takes, just outta curiosity?

I know in his case it's a beta blocker. There are different flavors, and of course that may or may not be in the least bit applicable to your situation. For him, it's magic.

Ya know what i need to do? Just hit me. I used to practice at a placed called blue ridge arsenal in chantilly where i could rent handguns to get a feel for what i need.

I'm a big fan of trying different pistols. Another great reason to check into one of those come-as-you-are intro/practice sessions at one of the clubs, like AGC. You bring some 9mm ammo, and somebody/ies will definitely let you test drive some different configurations. A steel match-style pistol will definitely surprise you with the weight, but also with the delight of actually shooting one. I won't recommend a particular pistol, but there's a reason a lot of people love shooting matches with variants on the classic CZ 75. Too much to go into here from scratch, especially because putting a mag through something is better than a thousand words. If you have to rent at a range to do it, that's better than nothing - but mixing with some folks at a casual steel shoot will be a huge eye opener.

 

[davsco]

https://practiscore.com/clubs/peacemaker-national-training-center

if you want some fun matches with somewhat relaxed rules (other than safety stuff - finger off trigger, muzzle always pointed downrange) these guys have a kahr match in oct (this is uspsa and idpa-like, run around and shoot cardboard targets and falling and static steel) and then their supersteel match, similar but 100% falling and static steel. i will be doing both and would be happy to show you the ropes and give a couple of shooting pointers. there generally are a handful of ladies doing these along with the boys. this is just west of inwood wva.