USPSA @ Warsaw

[slow1911s]

Originally Posted by rhino

D'OH! I forgot it was your first time!

Did someone tell you to shoot from the top to the bottom?

Steel in general is tough because it draws your focus from the front sight to the target. When it's moving, like the Star, it's worse because we're hard wired to react to movement. It's not easy to shoot the star, but the key watching your front sight, having good trigger control, and following through (getting back on the front sight right after the trigger press).

Simple, but not necessarily easy!

Wait 'til you start 3-gun and get to do it with a shotgun. Watching someone shoot the Star with #7.5 or 8 birdshot with a cylinder bore shotgun is painful as they shoot and shoot and their tiny pellets just splatter and the plates just kind of wiggle.

I've cleaned many a star with 7.5's. If it gets further away, 6's are plenty.

Generally, the best way will be to shoot the star from top to bottom. The worst mistake just about anyone can make when shooting the star is once it starts to spin is aiming at the center of the plate. Aiming just off of the plate will generally yield good results. Then again, if you can clear the first 4 plates quickly, the thing barely moves at all.

If the thing does start spinning fast, it will likely start working like a pendulum. What I see most newbies fail to do is shoot the plate when it pauses at the top of the swing to change direction. You need to figure out where that point is, and shoot at that spot (not the plate).

The other mistake I see is spending too much time trying to clear that one last plate, or two. I've seen 1-2 full mags and 30 seconds spent on that thing. You're only giving up 10 pts in penalties, and 10 opportunity points in the process. In timed games, you need to know ahead of time how much time is it takes to break even on that target.

Its a good target that is more legend than skill challenge, IMO. It is also a PITA to manage during a match (too much time to reset.)

[Coach]

Cwood did great for his first USPSA match. Chris Iliff just shook his head and spologized to him at the end when he heard it was his first match and he was shooting single stack.

This match was four field courses and they were all tough. The classifier was the easiest course of fire by far. It was a well run match, and I will be going back in July as of now, and someone is welcome to ride shot gun if they can find the balls. (My money is on Chun-yu being the most likely)

Two Texas Stars and four other pieces of steel on our squads first stage.

Stage two got no easier as all targets were covered by hardcover except the lower A zone and the head. There was a drop turner and a slider and a swinger all with the same paint job. This stage required 34 rounds minimum.

Our third stage was run and gun for 32 rounds after the next of six poppers and a drop turner. I managed to win this stage, despite a slow time. The last stage was long and narrow and required 42 rounds to complete. The first portion was wide open close targets along the narrowest free fire zone I have seen except for one stage at the 2006 nationals. Then at the end you had to engage five little poppers and three dancing plates through a port, and this moving steel was guarded by a flock of no shoots. So this stage started with running and gunning and then stop and shoot with precision. I did half of it well.

The Warsaw guys put on a good match, and it was challenge. The central Indiana crowd needs to HTFU so that we can invade the North. I suggest bringing a .22 for the mosquito's. Some of them looked like Huey's hitting the LZ. The repellent kept them off.

[Cwood]

Coach told me to soot top to bottom. The first three plates to fall are not that bad, its the last two that get me. They start swinging fast.

[notasccrmom]

Sounds like it was a fun match.

[Cwood]

I will run it again in July with you.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Cwood

I will run it again in July with you.

Thanks. Some run for cover and some don't. I am planning on it. I want to shoot better than today.

[rhino]

Well, looks like I need to put it on my calendar.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by rhino

Well, looks like I need to put it on my calendar.

Don't tease us again. Deliver!

[a zone]

I intended to go today but a broken car cancelled my plans. I really wish we had more than six kids. I have nothing to do in the spare time between 11pm-5am.

[bigcraig]

Sounds like a great match.
I will go to the July match.