Press Conference. The New Pistol - An Unexpected Eating Exercise

Ok. So I finally made a freaking decision about both my competition pistol and a replacement for my venerable and now retired Sig P226.

For those who missed it I finally put the 226 back in the safe. Made in West Germany she's now pushing hard on 30 years old. She's tired, starting to break down and has earned an honorable rebuild and quiet retirement. That left me stuck. I needed both a replacement and a new competition gun.

But before I unveil the new gun let's go back in time a few weeks to the pistol class I took with Ron Avery. That 3 day, 1500 round shoot-a-palooza that saw changes in both my stance and grip. Turns out I also experienced a sea change in attitude as well. In that course I started to finally see and feel the limitations of the 226. High bore axis. It's heavy, the DA first shot is slower than SA or striker and it's just getting old. I also figured out a grip that will let me shoot pretty much any handgun I pick up with increased speed and accuracy. A worthy learning experience that opened what I thought was a closed door. Ok. Ready? Here it is.

Yep. It's my Glock 35. The same one I've had for about, oh, 7 years or so. The same one I said I was done shooting and gave to Lu. Well, I took it back. (It was a struggle but I claimed victory when she got distracted. I told her that the eggs she had on the stove had exploded. When she went to look I snatched it and ran away laughing maniacally. Win!)

Now, now. Settle down back there unless you want me top have the bailiff clear the room and start whacking pee-pees. Yes, I know what I said a bare few months ago. That I didn't like the Glock and was going exclusively to the Sig because I just liked and shot it better. I may have referred to the Glock as a steaming pile unworthy of my exalted touch but I've now evolved on this issue and have acquired a better appreciation of what the Glock brings to the table. Think this is bad? Wait for the other shoe. Here's my replacement for the Sig P226.

That's a brand spanking new Gen 3 Glock 17. I picked it up today. It's about the same size as the Sig, weighs quite a bit less and is about half the price. I paid $499.00 for this example. The mags are cheaper, hold 2 extra rounds without an extension and are available even at Frank's Bait and Tackle (serving the greater Anal Point area since 1973). It's rugged, dependable and I couldn't care less about it so long as it goes bang when I want it to. I can use it for both carry and the occasional match. I'll probably shoot a bit of USPSA Production with it as well as some 3 Gun. The holster and mag carriers from the G35 fit it as nearly perfectly as one could wish. Plus you know what an obsessive compulsive slob I am about platform compatibility. I tend to want all the guns I shoot regularly to conform as closely as possible. Cheap cost, simple easy upgrades, rugged construction and frankly I don't give a crap about beating on them unmercifully.

So. This is my answer at present. I still think there may be a CZ in my future for Production at least but for now I'm satisfied. Now I can stop shopping and get back to some serious training.

Ok, the floor is now open to questions. Yes, you in the back?

Iqbal Nudnick with The Tactical Timmy Times. Does this mean you've become a Glock Fanboy? Will we now see you on the Glock Forum exclaiming to all the world that Glock is the shiznit and that anyone who doesn't shoot a Glock is an encephalitic retard who needs his hand held when going number 2? Will you now tease your erstwhile buddies on the Sig Forum about bore height, cost and how even their team shooters don't actually shoot Sigs?

No. Stop asking me that! I love my Sigs and I always will. It's not Sig, it's me.


But didn't you say, just a bare few weeks ago, that Sig was the only intelligent answer and that you wouldn't touch a Glock with Gecko 45s paste smeared fingers?

I don't think I went quite that far...

I believe you once referred to Glock shooters as short bus riders who better understood the taste of window snoz than what a modern pistol consisted of.

I never said that! Besides, as I believe I mentioned earlier, my position on this subject has evolved over time. I'm much kinder and gentler than I was in my misspent youth, way last month...

Were you wrong then or are you wrong now? How can we, your trusted and dog like devoted followers, believe anything you now say if your opinion can change so drastically over a few short days? How can we be sure Glock didn't just pay you to switch to their product? After all I believe it was you who once threatened to fly to Europe and cram a Glock up a certain Austrian engineers 4th point of contact so far all he'd taste for the rest of his life would be CLP, abject failure and shame.

That was a joke. I was just kidding. Totally. The restraining order ended last week. As a world famous and fabulously wealthy Blogging Gun Idol to millions I am well aware of my responsibilities when it comes to my opinions on all things firearm and competition related. Let me be clear here. I did not and will not accept gratuities in exchange for a positive review of any manufacturers product. (This is an out and out lie. I will so totally do that. Contact me. Please wear a dress. A blue one.) I swear.

But, the children. Aren't you concerned about the children. Why won't anyone think of the children!? By the way. How do you like your Ebon Avian prepared? Deep fried, sauteed with butter or just wolf it down raw?

That's it! End of the press conference! Everyone get the fudge out!

This press conference brought to you by Missed It By A Mile Inc. (an Embarrassment Foods Group Company), purveyors of the finest Crow Meat products on Earth. Remember, if it doesn't say Embarrassment you're not eating Crow!
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Match Photos

I promised pics. I'm extra late so by way of an apology I put up a bunch.

This is from the Berry's Bullets Steel Open. I shot with staff on Thursday so I could RO the match on Saturday and Sunday. It was great fun.

Shooting the plate rack through the barrel. Notice I'm rocking some awesome red shoes.

Some of those plates were awfully small...

The Texas Star. As you shoot off the plates the thing begins to rotate back and forth.

Behind that railroad tie is some small steel plates. You had to shoot under the beam. Plus there's a swinger that rotates a no shoot target in front of the plates. It was lovely.

Locked on target like an old, slow, fat cruise missile.

Strong hand only.

And weak hand only. It was a challenging match.

I love the shoot house. Started outside and then went in for the rest of the string. This started the Par Time stages where you had X seconds to shoot as many targets as you could. Hosing with style baby!

I was rockin' the patriotic shirt. Guns, competition and America FTW!!

Picture proof that I can still squat. A little.

The hoser stages were a blast. Set 'em up and knock 'em down as fast as you could go.

We had several Steel Challenge stages. 5 steel targets with the fifth being the stop plate where your time stopped. 5 runs and throw out the slowest time. Short, easy, simple and fun. I like them.

Surrender start. The stages got progressively harder with the targets getting smaller and further away. Want some real fun? Try these with a red dot .22 rifle. Awesome!

Lu getting stylish with the camera. Do you even operate Bro?

These guys get awful serious. That guy behind me came down from Washington to shoot this match. He's like a batter on deck taking practice swings. Yeah, he beat me.

The Sig ran well all day. I had one feed issue I'm pretty sure was a magazine problem. I'm going to order some Mec-Gars to replace my Pro Mags. Grip is coming along nicely though. I didn't drop a single DA shot in the entire match.

14 stages in 12 bays. We shot the entire match in 7 hours. These were some very motivated folks and great shooters. I learn stuff each and every time out. It was an awesome match and I had a great time. Plus fifth in Production against some top quality shooters! My finish was good enough to get me into B Class (67 percent and change) and that ain't too shabby considering. Lu came along as my range monkey and photographer. No video but I'm looking at a Go Pro. Time to up my level of commitment to the next stage.

Next match is the Southwest MultiGun 3 Gun match in May. I have a rifle class in June (that someone as yet unnamed is coming out to join me at. Yay!) with one of the finest 3 Gun competitors in the business. There may be a 2 gun later this month but only maybe. Until then it's practice, practice, practice. In fact I got in some loading work with the shotgun today. The goal is to be able to load at the rate of 1 shell per second (minimum). I'm just over that at around 1.25 per shotshell using dual loads. Plus losing that last 20 pounds or so. Sigh.

I'm on track for December. So far. We shall see.
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Match Today And Tomorrow

The Berry's Bullets Steel Challenge is today and tomorrow for range staff. I'll also be ROing the open shoot on Saturday and Sunday.

I helped set up the match and it is very interesting. A lot of hosing and every target is steel of one sort or another. Pics later if I'm not completely wasted.
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Update: Wasted. We shot 14 stages in 7 hours and I'm fragged. I have to go out tomorrow and prep my stage for Saturday but otherwise I'll be resting. Pics sometime tomorrow. Promise.

Upcoming 3 Gun

It's all Laura B and the Trooper Sgt's fault. Purgatory Flats Multigun, Hard as Hell. I need a few things before December. I'm running an 870 for a shotgun and after watching the video and talking to some guys who ran it last year it's pretty obvious that's a non starter. My coach wants me to but an M2 but this shotgun is intriguing. Both need about the same accessories (extended mag tube, rail, sights, etc.) but the initial price point is significant. The word on the forums about the CZ is almost universally positive.If I can only find one.

I have the M1A and I think I'm going to run that. I'm in the Tactical Centerfire division and that requires a 7.62X39 minimum for rifle. That means the M1A or a new AR upper in one of the .30 calibers. I already have the RS2 sling and a good scope. I think a Basset mount.

I'm shooting about as much as I can, time and ammo considerations allowing. In fact, I shot a classifier match on Saturday. Still slow but I think I did well enough for C Class which ain't exactly horrible considering.

Nuevo El Presidente. All 3 targets are partially covered. This is a classifier stage.

I still feel clumsy and awkward and my reloads need a lot of work. But then I am old :)

Shooting steel tonight, a competition class with my coach on Thursday and gun/ accessory shopping. It's gonna be a good week!

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Video Of My First USPSA Stage

A little video comedy for your viewing pleasure. My buddy shot this today during a practice session.

Ok. This is with the new Sig 1911. I had a couple gun of issues. I think it's a combination of a stiff, new gun and ammo not tailored to this specific firearm. I'm working on getting it all sorted out. Near the end of the run you'll note that I had to go back, retrieve a magazine I'd dropped in order to shoot two poppers I missed on my run. That was the second time I'd done that so yes, it was quite embarrassing. You can hear my coach laughing.

This was my first try at a real stage run. This was Stage 9 from the recent Nationals. I'll get a chance to shoot all 22 stages in the coming weeks, including this Saturday morning at a local match. I'm still moving very slow, mostly because I'm concentrating on the mechanics of shooting USPSA style and not on dynamic movement. I believe the speed will come as my experience grows and I master more of the techniques for speed and accuracy. My shooting was actually very good. I only dropped a few points throughout but the speed issue is keeping my scores down. In USPSA it's the combination and I'm still too focused on only center "A" Zone hits. I'm getting them but, man am I ever slow about it.

If you hit that little box in the lower right you can see it full screen. Watch for the two missed poppers in the background where I'm doing the malfunction clearance. Hey, comedy gold. I'll try and get some more on Saturday.

It's a rocky road, trying to master a new shooting style at this stage of my life. But then again, if it was easy it wouldn't be nearly as much fun!

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What I've Been Doing

I've been away from the blog for a while now. I've been busy but in a good way. Lu and I have been working the 2013 USPSA Limited/L10/Open Nationals. It's the first time it's been held here and we have been working our tails off.

Lu and I volunteered to be both Target Master and Quarter Master. That means we painted about 900 targets and then packaged them with another 5500 to make 24 separate target packs for 22 stages. That's 528 individual stage target packs. Yeah, it's been busy around here. That was the Target Master stuff. On Sunday and Monday we began the Quarter Master stuff. That consists of taking the target packs out to the stages 4 times a day plus keeping the ROs full up with pasters, water, ice, paint and the myriad things needed to run a national level match. It's been....interesting.

The day starts at 0630 and usually ends about 12 hours later. On top of that I got a bad case of some kind of upper respiratory infection that kept me out of action for two days. Thankfully Lu stepped immediately in and ran the range logistics pretty much by herself for those two days. What a woman.

We've met some pretty cool folks, including a few top level shooters, as well as the usual collection of idiots, boobs and prima donnas.

I should have some pics by next week but frankly Lu and I are both wiped out. Kipling tomorrow and then a few days whilst we recuperate.

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My Trainer

It's not an official relationship. More like I follow him around like a love starved puppy begging for a friendly pat on the head and a biscuit. Still, Glen is patient and generous with his time and knowledge and seems to be interested in helping me progress. I even gave him the go ahead to commence beating me with a stick when I screw the pooch. Which at this point is often.Very often.

In the interest of starting things off on the right foot, as I take you all along with me on the journey of a 54 year old dog attempting to learn new tricks, I thought I'd introduce you to my trainer. Azgunner.



You will note that even the true experts in the discipline are quite capable of making...errors. Still, the man is fast and accurate and his reloads make me positively swoon with admiration. I want to be just like him.

There will be video in the coming weeks and months. I need it to break down my form and see where I need to improve. I'll even share if it's particularly embarrassing. Faster and straighter are my watchwords Though I'm guessing slow and uncoordinated will be among the choice words Glen will be using. I'll be training with him next Wednesday and I'll do a review here with pictures.

Oh. There will be a National level match here week after next and Lu and I both will be assisting. Not shooting. Assisting. Pictures. Maybe video. 

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USPSA

 My range, the Southern Utah Practical Shooters, hold what they call Tuesday Night Steel. It's really a blast and an excellent way to get introduced to the game. It's also a regular part of USPSA and affects your overall rating in the organization. I'm still unrated but I'm confident I can shoot Class C. Maybe B but then again......

The Range Officer announces the lineup to shoot. I'm second for the first stage. I'm a little nervous shooting competition in front of so many good shooters but I'm also beginning to find my groove and my confidence. This is the third steel shoot I've attended. Time to see if I've learned anything.

The steel rings and disappears with gratifying regularity. I shot that stage pretty well. I'm not exactly feeling cocky....maybe a bit overconfident. That's foreshadowing right there.

Stage 2 is just as satisfying. I'm not missing. My times are off the top shooters but hey, they've been doing this for years, they're supposed to be beating me badly.

Stage 3. Um. I'm still holding my own but that wasn't the best I've shot or know that I can shoot. I missed only a few but I had to make them up but that costs time. I gotta do better on this last stage. I'm feeling good. The targets are going down, my time is respectable and I'm feeling almost like I belong.

Stage 4. Near disaster. I was simply going too fast, trying to make up for the slow time on Stage 3 and it jumped up and bit me on the butt whilst simultaneously laughing in my ear. Mister Murphy is a cruel fellow. I got to one of the mini poppers and it just stubbornly refused to go down. I think someone was holding it up with a line or something because I just could not drop it. I must have shot 12 round at that little @#$%^&ing target before it fell with a soul crushing clang. 63 seconds. Dropped me from an easy 5th to a close 6th (Yep, they spelled my name wrong. Since I still pretty much suck I think I'll just let it go). Not bad for only my third ever steel competition but 5th would have been better.

It's an interesting discipline this USPSA. I'm enjoying it. Trying hard to listen, learn and absorb. Watching the better shooters and asking questions. So far I've learned a new stance, new grip and new sight picture for at least some of the targets. The learning curve is steep for a 54 year old who has it learned one way and then practiced that for 33 years. I am learning and improving. From 11th to 8th to 6th (should have been 5th dagnab it!!)

Luckily this range is run by a guy who believes in community outreach and bringing in new shooters. They run regular steel shoots, Friday night USPSA classes and every Wednesday night they invite the ladies who don't want to shoot USPSA (yet anyway) to come out and have some fun. One of the better shooters in the club, Glen Wong, has been kindly giving me the benefit of his knowledge and skills. All of it without cost. Yes, I said that. I've been getting instruction worth hundreds of dollars on a weekly basis gratis. Lu too. She's been going to the Wednesday night shoots and her Mom has been going with her. Good stuff right there.

There's more to come. I'll shoot my first qualifier sometime this Fall. Hopefully before it gets too cold. From there we'll see. It takes time and ammunition to get better. Time I got, ammo is another thing. I guess it's time to crank up the reloader.

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