US IPSC Nationals 2019

Shooting then working the US IPSC Nationals again in Open Division…

Shooting the Open Edge in .40SW using my 155gr BB RN loads.

Day 1

Stage 1

• First stage of the day and the match.
• Start off on the activator, so the double (mini) swinger was slower by the time I got there.
• Clean,121st out of 252 shooters.
• On “LAMR”, autopilot on, turn on dot, sight picture – nope! Warning given (no sight picture in IPSC). “Look down, look down don’t look ’em in the eye…“

Stage 2

• Strong hand only stage, the first of the 2 stages I worked and saw some great runs. Mine is average. Clean, but average. Fastest time was at around 6-7 seconds, giving up 8-9HF.
• Might be a good idea to hit the range and practice more strong hand (and weak) shooting. Or maybe use this for Bullseye?
• 138th

Stage 3

• Unloaded start: The dreaded port swinger, the second stage I worked.
• You had to shoot when the target wasn’t there, but just at the point of being there. Too early, and you hit dirt. Too late and the target had just passed. I shot 5 and got 2 in (maybe 3). I saw dirt splash a few times, so I knew it didn’t hit, so I made up.
• Clean! 57th.

Stage 4

• Most went left, then right, and knelt at both ports. I chose a more mobile approach, going right first, and just bending over for the one close target through the port.
• Far steel is only 1 makeup.
• Ended on the left port, and kneeling as others did.
• 119th

Stage 5

• Far paper and small poppers. Took my time, shot when the dot said so.
• 3 on the tuxedos, as I learned from the 2019 FLOp.
• Steel 1 for 1, clean!
• 96th

Stage 6

• How do I go from 1 for 1 on 4 far small poppers to 3 extras on closer ones?
• 163rd

Stage 7

• A lot just bolted to the left on the start, then returned for the 2 I shot first. Maybe it’s faster to draw while moving to the first position, even if you have to go back to the same general position.
• Back to 1 for 1 on steel, and on the move.
• 3 on the tuxedo again.
• 127th

Stage 8

• 2 shooters in and it starts pouring. Cease-fire and RM decides to end for the day.

Day 2

Stage 9

• Most went right while loading, while I went left.
• Too much time on the steel/activators and swingers.
• I didn’t go deep enough for my second position for the second swinger to take the one on the left, so I had to nudge a bit.
• 172nd

Stage 10

• Shot as planned, including the reload.
• Mike on the wide open in the first array, probably as I was exiting.
• 171st

Stage 12

• Steel needs to be 1 for 1.
• Swingers need to get both hits on the same pass, rather than my norm of 1 per pass.
• 160th

Stage 11

• Unloaded start, stomp pad activated both maxtraps. I’m good on the first, but I rush for the second as it closes and take a makeup in the end. That makeup was the only hit.
• 1 mike, 176th.

Stage 13

• Weak hand only, and only 2 makeups for the steel.
• Better than other weak hand only runs that I can remember. 149th.

Stage 14

• Option to shoot everything from the back. I opted for the closer shots.
• Clean,157th.

Stage 15

• Should’ve started on the first activator, then the left popper (which is what I shot first), so I could go back to the second activator next, instead of shooting it last.
• Clean, 159th.

Stage 16

• Maybe I should’ve shot the last 2 I did through the door in the beginning as others did. The swing left to right was way wide, and shooting it from the start position would’ve yielded a shorter transition.
• Before I opened the door, I had the gun up on the maxtrap, ready to go as I’d seen others late on the second shot as they repositioned from opening the door.
• 149th.

Stage 8

• 1 shot each and I probably could’ve gone faster on the first 6.
• Most went normal prone, but I went side prone for better mobility.
• 1 extra on the small, far popper, sideways is acceptable.
• 161st

The Good

• Day 1
  • clean/accuracy
  • Stage 3 – highest at 57th
  • better placement than Day 2
    • probably because Day 1 started at 12:30pm while Day 2 started at 7:30am?
    • also, Day 1 may have tired me enough for degradation on Day 2
• 2 mikes for the whole match (on Day 2)
• Better endurance this year than the last 2 years (despite probably performance impact on Day 2 from Day 1)

Needs Improvement

• Split consistency on different target types (wide open, no-shoot, hardcover, zebra, etc) and ranges
• Improve endurance so multiple days don’t impact performance as days proceed
• steel 1 for 1

Last Year’s Points of Improvement

• Shooting on the move – better this year
• More pistol matches – more mid-week WAC matches
• 40 Open ain’t gonna cut it. Too flippy. Round capacity too, but not so much as how slow my gun is. – working on it
• Keep up the PT. Physical capabilities limiting potential. Started getting worn down near the end of the long hot day. Work on:
  • knees
  • agility
  • continue with weight loss
  • – Physically fit better this year than previous 2. Still lots of room for improvement but definitely improve

Finished 147th out of 252 and 73rd out 102 in Open. (better placement than last year: 168th out of 284 and 81st out 106 in Open)

USPSA, TBSPC/Ruskin, 7-7-19

Open Division

• Open Edge in .40SW using 155gr BB RN loads
• DAA belt system

Stage 5

• Start with mag in, chamber empty.
• Oiled up the gun a few days prior to the match, as I’ve done before. I’d experienced the optic getting hazed out by oil residue as the gun vaporized it during cycling, so I oil up not when I gunned up at the match when this happened, but the night before. I’d actually oiled the darned thing Thursday night for the Friday match that I eventually skipped. And on the third target on this first stage, I thought the battery had died – but no, just a really thick film of oil on the glass. Shot pace is down to a crawl as I shoot the first half looking for the dot through the haze.
• On the reload and run to the next box, I quickly wiped the lens so I could finish shooting with a dot.
• 24th out of 49.

Stage 1

• Shot as planned and looked good as I shot.
• 2 mikes on the intermediate middle array targets.
• 17th

Stage 2

• Shooting on the move to start.
• As Bob commented after the run, “nice and smooth up until you started missing” (the popper where I did the steel tango).
• At least steel is 1 for 1.
• 14th

Stage 3 – Classifier

• As specified.
• Needs speed.
• 14th

Stage 4

• Tried a different approach (as usual)
• First half is as planned but I’m just slightly out of position to see the popper completely. I have to lean out and this leads to the miss/makeup.
• Rain coming and my score is incomplete in the results – zero stage.

The Good

• Shooting on the move
• Malfunction free

Needs Improvement

• Targets farther than what I see at the WAC.
• Wipe the chamber hood of excess oil.
• Keep working on DOPE for outdoors (more outdoor matches, not just WAC)

Finished 25th out of 49 (with 0 for Stage 4) and 8th out of 9 in Open.

USPSA, WAC, 7-2-19

Open Division

• Open Edge in .40SW using 155gr BB RN loads
• DAA belt system

Stage 2

• Pace increased as the targets got closer.
• 10th out of 40.

Stage 3

• Gun loaded, on barrel.
• Trigger freeze on the brief pause on the right target.
• 14th

Stage 4

• Hand touching wall on the left. I tried touching with my foot in a sidekick position but the bounce induced when recovering dissuaded me from doing so.
• On the move – I chose exactly when on the path and the target sequence.
• Pace increasing as targets got closer.
• 5th

Stage 1

• Steel 1 for 1
• 8th

The Good

• Stage 4 – steel 1 for 1, shooting on the move, targets individually planned out
• Appropriate pace for target distance and type
• Malfunction free

Needs Improvement

• Keep working on DOPE

Finished 7th out of 40 and 3rd out of 6 in Open.

USPSA, WAC, 6-25-19

Open Division

• Open Edge in .40SW using 155gr BB RN loads
• DAA belt system

Stage 2

• Steel 1 for 1
• 10th out of 52.

Stage 3

• Unloaded start from table with both gun and starting mag on table. Extra mags on belt, standing behind and hands touching table (but not gun or mag).
• Mike on one of the paper on the second array.
• I downloaded the first mag to 24, and the round count was 24. At the first miss on the plate rack through the port, I should’ve noted to reload on exiting the port for the remainder of the plate rack. Instead, I ran dry and performed a standing reload. On top of that, when I guessed the gun was dry – at least I didn’t wait for the gun to go ‘click’ – I reloaded, only to have the gun go ‘click’ anyway.
• 35th

Stage 4

• Counterflow plan – starting on the opposite side allowed me to shoot more targets while exiting the position, plus the 4 popper array presented itself better going in that direction.
• Steel 1 for 1
• 17th

Stage 1

• Counterflow again on the last 2 boxes where I went right to the swinger first as most went there last.
• 12th

The Good

• Stage 1 – steel 1 for 1, shooting on the move, and clean.
• Going ‘counterflow’ on Stages 4 and 1 for better target presentation and less travel
• Malfunction that showed on the last 2 matches didn’t

Needs Improvement

• Plate racks
• Round count and mag management awareness – plan for reloads and contingencies
• Keep back on re-learning DOPE so split consistency improves.

Finished 16th out of 52 and 6th out of 11 in Open.