Competition 2024

[alfsauve]

My goal for 2024 was initially the Bianchi Cup.  Got in touch with the two closest clubs, Tallahassee and Panama City, they shoot monthly and were very welcoming to hear that I might come down for their matches.  Even maybe the afternoon before practice.  It's a long way for a local match, but more importantly I'm just not ready.  First there's the gun.  I'd prefer my 6" 686 revolver even though it's just a recognition category and not a true division.  That means everyone shoots it in the Open divisions because then they can have red-dots, comps and wings (wings are tabs you rest against the barricade to steady the gun).  On top of that, while they've shortened it by a day, it's a long 2 day drive over, then a day of check-in and range familiarization, 2 days of shooting (2 stages a day) and then a day for tie breakers and re-shoots followed by 2 days back.

I was holding out that maybe in 2025, CMP, who now manages Bianchi, would hold it in Talladega.  So I'm putting that on hold for the time being.  I'll check with the Talladega folks when I go in May to see if not THE Bianchi cup if maybe they'll be holding local matches in the future.

IDPA:  I'm sitting at 7 points toward World and if I run down to Valdosta and shoot in Rolling-on-the-River  (Tier 4) match I'll have 10 total which should easily get me in World.

USPSA:  I'm sort of shot out on it.  Might do River Bend's year end match like last year, which we did with K targets sort of like PCSL.

STEEL CHALLENGE:  My friend Mark Hu has pointed out that I'm in the top 100 in Iron Sighted Revolvers (yes there are more than 101) and has encouraged me to practice more.  I've got one slot in World Speed Shoot in May and will only do the one gun this time.  I'd love to at least move up to B class.  3 local matches before then.

GLOCK:  I put down my G17 two years ago after coming in 3rd place (AmCiv division) at River Bend.  RB is the second largest of Glock's matches and attracts a lot of competition.  Well Kevin mentioned in a post of his how he'd like to make Master (didn't say which discipline) and I thought you know I could make Master in GSSF if I applied myself.  River Bend takes a <60 to win and I didn't have time but to run a 100 rounds indoors and ended up with a 74.35.  I knew going in this was only for practice. That was good enough for 10th place and top Super Senior ($75).  What I need to do now is go to some of the smaller matches where a 70+ can win.  So I'm running down to Shorter, AL next month where last year it was won with a 73.17.  Practice, especially at plates, is what it'll take.  Let's say the goal is to at least win one GSSF match.  I already have indoor league Stock, Unlimited and 500 Club under my belt.

ICORE is a take or leave it for this year.  Our March match was rained out.  The Regional and National are too far away.  If I can work it in great.

Given up on indoor IDPA and USPSA, or hit-factor matches, as we call it now, and will concentrate on 2 range sessions a week one indoor and one outdoor.

[Rastus]

You go Alf.  How far a drive is it? I want to encourage you to man up....

 

[alfsauve]

Shorter, AL. 161miles
Talladega, AL 110miles
Valdosta, GA 260milles
Green Valley R&P, MO, 600miles

[alfsauve]

Sorry.  Pictures.  Proof.

[Rastus]

600 miles is not a two nighter.  850 might be.

One of these will get you by: https://www.escortradar.com/products/escort-max-360c-mkii

[Sponsor]

[alfsauve]

Bianchi Cup on hold while I work on the gun and practice the course of fire (plates, practical and barricade).  And the official word from Talladega is they're looking into what it would take to hold Bianchi Cup matches there.  2025 is back in MO.

Went to Shorter, AL and shot GSSF.  Met one of my three goals.  Shot plates in under 20seconds.  However, Glock M and 5xGlock I didn't come close.
I did finish top Super Senior ($75) and 3rd place amateur against the masters in Competition ($75) AND got a $50 Glock store credit random prize.

Met Andrea Everett one of the top Glock shooters.  Her score in Competition was 44.75s.  Think she was using a G34.  5xGlock 19.97, Glock M 14.35, Plates 10.43.  Nice lady and we have some friends in common.  Shot on same Squad for 2 stages.  It can be discouraging so for plates I went to a different bay.  Plates if 4 times through so she's doing  2.6sec average from a low ready start.  Record for the match was 2.27sec, btw.  That's not that impressive, but the 5xGlock, 5 paper targets each at a different distance, 7 to 25yds she averaged 6.6sec.  I think she dropped one point (2 rounds on each target, 3x through).

Thought about shooting in the Master Stock division, same as the Competition division but no long slide (G34) guns allowed.  Mostly everyone is shooting G17.  Trouble is there aren't separate prizes for amateurs as there is in Competition division.

So off the Valdosta for Rolling on the River, a tier 4 IDPA match.  It'll put me at 10 match points for World IDPA, which should get me in easily.

[alfsauve]

Valdosta's Rolling on the River IDPA match in April was moved to May because of the torrential flooding in south GA.  On Wednesday the MD posted a picture of himself wading in one of the bays with about 18" of water.  The river hadn't even begun to crest at that point at that point and by Saturday the were 3' under water.   I withdrew from the rescheduled May match because that was Mothers Day.  (Happy spouse, happy house.)

Instead in April I did ICORE, IDPA and Steel.  Then in May we had a morning of Steel Challenge practice.  MD set up two stages and everyone just took turns shooting until they ran out of ammo.  No scores were kept.   I got invited for a private practice session by my friend Mark who has purchased a "Practice Set" of steel plates.  He can set up any one of the Steel Challenge stages.  We've been up to River Bend 3 times so far.  Practice only one stage a day.  I've been putting 250 rounds down range which is the equivalent of shooting the stage 50 times.  I bought myself a 10" and 12" plate and hanger and before Mark got to the range I did 100 draw-and-shoot-first-target drills at varying distances.  I ended last Thursday's practice (Showdown stage) with a 4second run.  Not Master level but right at "A" class shooter.  Best I've ever done.  Two more practice sessions next week maybe one just before I leave for World Speed Shoot.

[alfsauve]

<dislike using YouTube so have moved it to Vimeo>

Here's my last practice run at Steel Challenge last week.  4.06seconds.  Just a hair under "A" classification.  If I actually practice the stages "A" should be within reach.


https://player.vimeo.com/video/948375455

[alfsauve]

WORLD SPEED SHOOT

Did the practice help?  Yes it did.   
Did I do good?  No I didn't.   Worse match performance ever.  No excuse.  Got rattled on the first stage and couldn't shake it until about the 5th.  My goal was to move to B class in ISR.  I did not.   I did however set 3 new stage best scores.  I'm within 2 Seconds of B class now.

It was a pleasant day. A good squad mostly of shooting buddies and my new Zuca Range cart worked out fantastic.   I'm busy designing and printing a PCC mount for it.

Here's my last stage where I'm pulling it all together.  15.56 which is B class.  I'd need 14 for A.



https://player.vimeo.com/video/954476431

[alfsauve]

Need to cut my overall time by 5 seconds to move to B class in Steel Challenge.  I only cut 3 seconds at World.  So last Saturday I went to a local Steel Challenge match and cut 3 more seconds off.  Yeah-h-h-h-h.  I'm B class in Iron Sighted Revolver.  No stages in the "A" level yet.

Now I'm going to work on PCCI where I'm already B and will try to move towards A.  Neat thing is the PCCO division is PCC OPEN, which means you MAY use optics.  So what'll I do at the So River matches where you can have 2 entries is enter as PCCO and PCCI.  That way I can shoot PCCO with iron sights as practice on each stage then shoot it again in the PCCI division.  Twice the ammo, twice the fun.

Practice session with a local Master shooter are really helping.  What I'm finally getting the hang of is Smooth and Steady, not fast and jerky.  Had several practice strings of 5 to Go stage this week that were 3.5seconds, which is exactly what I need to make A.