Dry Practice Observations 2018

[Twangbanger]

Dry practice complete for the day. Let the beer drinking begin...

I reversed your experimental technique, and uncapped the brew first...then practiced.

And, switched guns.

Conclusion: absolutely nothing.

Except, soon I'm going to need to venture out in this cold, for more batteries, more Sun King...or both.

This is not productive. ​

 

[aturk]

Can anyone give me a basic rundown of a basic dry fire routine? I've been doing USPSA matches for about a year now, finally about to hit B class, and to be honest, I never practice at home. I know my draw is sloppy (I ****ed up a few at the last indoor match and cost me seconds I'm sure), and I'd like to practice draw to index. Plus some reloading practice.

I have both of Stoeger's books, but since I've moved 3 months ago most of my crap is buried in the storage unit somewhere.

 

[Twangbanger]

Can anyone give me a basic rundown of a basic dry fire routine? I've been doing USPSA matches for about a year now, finally about to hit B class, and to be honest, I never practice at home. I know my draw is sloppy (I ****ed up a few at the last indoor match and cost me seconds I'm sure), and I'd like to practice draw to index. Plus some reloading practice.

I have both of Stoeger's books, but since I've moved 3 months ago most of my crap is buried in the storage unit somewhere.

There are all kinds of routines in publication, so many it'll scramble your brain.

If matches are your focus, I'd recommend just doing what you think will help you in those. Something like begin with draws to your current par time, then move to something like 1-reload-1, or 1-reload-weak, or whatever else, and maybe finish off with something that uses movement (so you're not just Bill-Drilling yourself to death). Like setting up targets around the room in a consistent place, and timing yourself reacting, moving around and getting them all, seeing what makes a difference, what doesn't, etc. I don't like stuff that employs too many shots per presentation, because I feel that neglects the effect of recoil and may not be realistic. (I used to have one of those Glock-Store reset trigger thingies that allows you to click, click, click...actually still have it, but I wore it out ).

I don't set a number of reps. I keep going until I feel like I learn something. Then I cool off, do something else, then come back and try it again "cold." Too many reps, and I think it gets unrealistic. But not enough, and you may not get to a point where you feel like any light bulb goes on.

...this is all, of course, completely wrong and from a B-class nothing.

 

[cedartop]

Short one tonight. Just wanted to get some work in on my new Gen5G19 before it goes out to AllenM. Ran through Claude Werner's 12 shot drill multiple times Freestyle, SHO, and WHO. Also did some reloads but not on the timer, just trying to get the feel for the flare at the bottom of the magwell. I like the trigger on this gun, and at this point don't see myself changing it at all. (The trigger that is.) This should be my new carry gun when it comes back from Allen and makes it through the 2,000 round challenge. Ran my dry work AIWB from concealment.

 

[Coach]

I did a little demo work in class tonight. Managed to not miss.

 

[Twangbanger]

Hit my New Years Plateau on Jan. 2nd.

All downhill from here...

 

[cedartop]

Didn't really feel like practicing tonight after a 2 hour drive home from work due to idiots who have lived here their whole lives but still can't drive in the snow, and then an hour of shoveling, but I bit the proverbial bullet and did it anyway.

Bill reload Bill
Head shot sight picture
1X6 (Engage lower a zone with one shot each, then upper a zone with one shot each) It always takes me a run or two to be comfortable with the "just one shot each" on these.
3 on 3 (Engage upper A with one shot each reload engage upper a in opposite order) Much like the above, I have to be purposeful about calling those 10 yard head shots and not get sloppy with them.
Upper 6 on the Move.
Forward 6 on 3, 3 on 3 A lot going on with this one, shooting on the move to different zones and reloading. I like it.

 

[JMitch]

I worked on blank wall trigger press, draw for time, and 1 on 3 transitions for time. Then I did some 3 reload 3 without a par time. Sight pictures are not where they need to be yet.

 

[Coach]

Shot two divisions at Parabellum. Clean in Limited. Two mikes on the same stage in SS. Still pissed about the Mikes.

 

[Twangbanger]

Match / play night.

Some observations:

1) At the match, the dot shooters seem to be having more fun!
2) Dry firing seems funner with a dot sight, for some reason. The richness of information and shot-calling is just better. After you get over the shock of all the movement, your brain starts to like digesting all the information that's coming back. It is nice seeing all the things that different grip pressures do to point of impact, how the gun moves around during the press-out, etc. With irons, some speed comes back, but all that "other" stuff is now gone.

 

[bauerr3]

On strings of multiple shots: are you all racking the slide between each shot, or do you just use a dead trigger for any shot after the first?

 

[cedartop]

On strings of multiple shots: are you all racking the slide between each shot, or do you just use a dead trigger for any shot after the first?

I put a rubber band in the ejection port to hold the gun slightly out of battery. It is not a normal trigger pull, but it does have movement and is not dead.

 

[bauerr3]

I put a rubber band in the ejection port to hold the gun slightly out of battery. It is not a normal trigger pull, but it does have movement and is not dead.

Great thought. That makes more sense and has more training value than going through a string of 6 shots on a dead trigger, I will have to try that.

 

[Coach]

Pushing a dead trigger. Racking the slide is not going to be practical or valuable. Much of what is being accomplished in dry fire has little or nothing to do with pressing the trigger. The main body of improvement comes from driving the gun with the vision and speeding up how fast you see the sights in place and in building great fundamentals with other things like drawstroke and reloads.

 

[Coach]

Match / play night.

Some observations:

1) At the match, the dot shooters seem to be having more fun!
2) Dry firing seems funner with a dot sight, for some reason. The richness of information and shot-calling is just better. After you get over the shock of all the movement, your brain starts to like digesting all the information that's coming back. It is nice seeing all the things that different grip pressures do to point of impact, how the gun moves around during the press-out, etc. With irons, some speed comes back, but all that "other" stuff is now gone.

The dot shooters did not win.

 

[Coach]

Got it all in prior to wrestling practice. Dropping the par time 1/10 on Pendlum and Speed Option. Calling it a success and moving on for the night. Reloads still very rough compared to what I want, and that translates to slower than it could be.

 

[cedartop]

The dot shooters did not win.

I know a number of guys who have tried the dot thinking they would see immediate improvement. When that didn't happen, they gave up on them. Like anything else, it is not a free lunch, there is a learning curve and some work involved. Work like***dry practice.

 

[Coach]

I know a number of guys who have tried the dot thinking they would see immediate improvement. When that didn't happen, they gave up on them. Like anything else, it is not a free lunch, there is a learning curve and some work involved. Work like***dry practice.

There are no cheap, easy ways to the top?

 

[cedartop]

Match Warm up Works as a dry fire session warm up as well
Wide Transitions 1 Wow, I don't work wide transitions and it showed with SLOW. Snap the eyes then move the gun. (thanks Coach.)
Wide Transitions 2
Wide Transitions 3

 

[Twangbanger]

I know a number of guys who have tried the dot thinking they would see immediate improvement. When that didn't happen, they gave up on them. Like anything else, it is not a free lunch, there is a learning curve and some work involved. Work like***dry practice.

You're missing the inside joke...last match, Jakey put it to him with his peep-sighted plastic peashooter...so last night Coach redeemed himself...