Welcome your Questions, Concerns, and Curiosity.

[blueorison]

Guys, friends,

I have a couple of weeks off from work at the Nature Center and my kids.

I have not done a project for the forum in a while, aside from the video reviews I do on the open forum and FsN/Shooting mechanics tutorials videos I post on the members-only forum.

I want to take this time to help answer any questions that I am able to, in regards to practical shooting, what works and what doesn't and why, etc.

All those questions you sometimes are too afraid to ask on the open forum because it's been beaten to death, or because the revered "Tactical Community" has already decided on youtube and Tactical forums. I welcome them all, and find that showing someone why something is right/wrong works/doesn't work in video form is a much better solution as a response. A picture speaks a thousand words; a video does a million or so.

Feel free to ponder on FsN shooting or whatnot.

For those who don't know my background, I'm just a kid who enjoys hanging out with new friends at competitions and off and on the range, here on this forum (where I have met many great life friends), and at the matches that I hold for the more energetic forumites.

I also was given the pain of Captaining the University of Texas Pistol squad which I reformed from an NRA-shooting-only-squad to a USPSA/Multigun squad. A few years ago, EA also gave me the honour of captaining their squad. I shoot EA ammunition and use their gear in shooting TxStateTac Night Matches and IDPA Carbine matches. I also shoot Multigun when I save my pennies and borrow rifles.

My circle of friends I shoot with is usually LE/MIL/Ret. here in Texas and people from LaRue Tactical, STI, and AR15Targets. I'm usually the only kid, so I shut up and learn a lot from these great people.

Blue out.

Texas is the best country in the world

[smpsmp]

Blue,

I wish you were in our shop to answer questions today. I got the joy and privilege of trying to explain to someone why teflon/molly/whatever other coatings are out there don't make a bullet armor piercing, and why hollow points aren't cop killers. Had the joy of trying to do this to someone who's never fired a gun, and was from New Jersey.

All I could think was, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot are you doing in a gun shop in central PA?

Finally I couldn't help myself, and asked him where I could get these magical, uranium tipped, entire city block destroying, pass through everything but kill even if hitting a person's finger, ammo. He finally began to realize that was a bunch of crap I just said, but still didn't understand why someone needs hollow points.

So Blue, I do have a question for you. How the hell do you have any patience with crap like this?

And actually one more, between the Streamlight TLR-1, Surefire X300, and Insight WX150, which would you take and why? Cost isn't an issue, but still taking into account of the best bang for the buck.

Thanks in advance.

[Rapier1772]

Blue,
On the subject of lights - for your night matches I see you have weapon mounted lights. I've had consistently bad luck with weapon mounted lights/lasers - cheap & high dollar ones alike. Do you have anyone who uses a flashlight in the freehand instead of weapon mounted & how do they fare in the competition?

[Visceral_Malice]

Looks like I'll be out your way at the end of the month blue. Mayhaps a shoot date?

[blueorison]

Looks like I'll be out your way at the end of the month blue. Mayhaps a shoot date?

You're definitely welcome. I have USPSA shooting stands, sticks, and targets. Timers, if you want to be neuralized, I can borrow from a friend.

Not a shoot date, but a training and fun shooting stages, one.

[blueorison]

On the subject of lights - for your night matches I see you have weapon mounted lights. I've had consistently bad luck with weapon mounted lights/lasers - cheap & high dollar ones alike. Do you have anyone who uses a flashlight in the freehand instead of weapon mounted & how do they fare in the competition?

Great question, Rapier. Yes, we do. Many actually do use the FBI or other method of handhelds. How do they fare in competition? Just as they would practically do in real life. It is very slow and you will have a hard time lining up your light with your sights with your target... no matter how much you train. There is too many lines of sight and sight planes under stress.

I recommend a weapons-mounted light (WML). Usually I tend to refer to the adage, Do what works for you. However, in this case, I have seen the dangers of using a handheld, and the unnecessary-ness of it. Buy a good light holster for your mounted light and you will avoid 2nd guessing and dangerous seconds wasted. That said, can you elaborate more on your bad luck with WML's? I too, share your "bad luck". I've broken 3-4 WML's, already. Like you, they were brand name and otherwise.

So Blue, I do have a question for you. How the hell do you have any patience with crap like this?

And actually one more, between the Streamlight TLR-1, Surefire X300, and Insight WX150, which would you take and why? Cost isn't an issue, but still taking into account of the best bang for the buck.

Thanks in advance.

SMP, I have to sit through that all the time. You just have to bite your tongue, then realize you can laugh about it later in between shooting breaks. Thinking about it with a different perspective other than "this guy is frustrating me right now so much that I want to smack him in the head with a rock but am afraid it is harder than the rock and would smash it" really helps. Just avoid long answers, and stick with the very shortened-down logic. This will keep you from fuming, and let him do most of the talking. When he's done, he will realize he answered his own question.

This goes back to my rule on people in life; the majority of people are stupid. When you realize this, you will be less frustrated and more inclined to avoid the poison of harboring anger and bitterment towards them. The biggest tenants of the sample group are those who try to be as PC as possible and think everyone is a racist.

SMP, I hate to tell you this, but all of the above name-brand lights will break eventually, before your firearm barrel wears out. This, of course, depends on how much you actually use the light and the environment and what you'll use the gun for. The body of the Streamlight is quite strong on the outside, alike the Surefire, and their CS is very good. The Surefire is a powerful light in a strong host, but it has parts that will wear down and break, including the mount. My theory is that some people with pretty safe-condition FsN pictures they post with their beautiful expensive tactical lights have not shot the gun hard enough to break those lights, that's why we don't get reports of them breaking on FsN's. I will elaborate more below.

I have broken my Streamlight on my FsN and sent it back. The insides of the light is simply not shock-proof enough. They replaced the insides and then it was sent by me to my teammate, Mr. Freeze, for bomb-proofing. The light now is mounted to my G31, where it should be. The light couldn't take the recoil of the FsN, as many can't. I have also used multiple off-brand lights on it, and it has broken those, also. The recoil impulse is as with the SCAR's, too much for equipment to take. It seems that FN makes weapons so hardcore that other mfg's have to beef up their sights and lights to keep up with durability.

MIL I have shot with did put enough rounds through his Streamlight to also break it on his FsN. While 2 FsN Streamlight breakages is not a great sample size, it is enough information to make me take it off my FsN. You could always try a Viridian, but I am not recommending it, and will choose to keep my comments about them to myself to avoid people getting angry at me.

Surefire's are much more expensive. However, I have not tested them extensively on an FsN. This requires at least 1k full-power rounds. I have seen them break firsthand, but it wasn't because the insides were dead. It was external breakages on the mount, causing the light to fly off a pistol during live fire (I have heard 2nd hand that Surefire's CS isn't as good as Streamlight). This isn't a new observation, MIL have used Surefires hard and some prefer to shim them to the rails to increase tension on the contact sides, avoiding jarring wear and things popping off.

As for the Insight, I have an M3X that was gifted to me by my friend on the forum, Sheepdog. I have used it on my FsN and it has worked fine. The body is made of polymer so it is lighter. Be aware that it might not stand up to forum-ninja wannabe tests of running it over with their modern warfare virtual tanks, however. With kind of hard-use I put to my platforms, I use the M3X as a backup. I have NOT used the Insight WX150 but it looks rather spectacular. At 100+ it's not that far out of penny-saving. Would love to test it out and take it through the paces. If I get an opportunity I will report back.

I apologize if I was making an incorrect comparison to these lights on the FsN. You didn't specify on which platform, so I was speculating.

As it goes, if you're asking for general advice to which light I would mount on a more standardized caliber platform, money being a slight factor, I would choose the Streamlight. My guess is that it isn't really Streamlight's fault for it breaking on the FsN. The FsN breaks everything. They probably only tested it on mainstream calibers. Their CS is excellent and got my unit sent back ASAP. I have used it in matches mounted to plastic fantastic 9mm's, match 10mm's, and .357SIG's with hundreds of rounds shot in non-static match conditions. It has stood up to the above 3 calibers. I like my Streamlight a lot, and would never give it up.

On a last note, without regards to durability, the Surefire sticks out a little more than the Streamlight, and I prefer the Streamlight design of the light's body. This is mainly due to balance, but it doesn't bother me enough to amount to a black and white decision. With a note to the potency of both lights, they are both very powerful and their beams have a great spot. This is very important for me in choosing lights. I often shoot pistols at 100 yds and the main requirement in my usage of a light is that it has a good spot that can throw a tight beam beyond conventional pistol engagement-distances. Both lights do very well with this. Shooting with WML's goes much beyond the thought process of "adding a light". I do want to try out the Insight WX150, however. It could very well withstand the FsN if it is well-built on the inside and insulated. With a metal body, it is in the same division as the TLR-1s and the Surefire.

There is a lot to consider, and it completely changes the philosophy of the approach to defense and offense, not to mention shooting mechanics and dynamics.

I hope I was of help.

(review was revised after 10 minutes and reviewing older footage and notes.)

[Rapier1772]

That said, can you elaborate more on your bad luck with WML's? I too, share your "bad luck". I've broken 3-4 WML's, already. Like you, they were brand name and otherwise.

I've personally bought & used NCStar, Viridian & one brand name I don't remember lights. The off brand stopped working after half a mag, the NCStar quit working after shooting a couple of mags through - both would still work intermittently if you beat on them a bit. The Viridian never would work like it was supposed to - even after I sent it back to the factory. I've been reluctant to buy another weapon light ever since; believing they would be just more wastes of money.

I have also seen the problems other shooters have with other brands. The Streamlight has been doing the best but still see problems. Only seen one Surefire & it did fine but one is hardly a decent sample group.

The Surefire flashlight that I mounted to my AR w/scope rings is doing well though; no problems with it at all. But that is a flashlight & I'm talking about WMLs which are supposedly designed for that purpose.

[blueorison]

@Rapier:

I've had the same experience with offbrand lights. Their internals are just not built to withstand the recoil impulse. They will flicker off and on.

Handhelds that use flashlight mounts to attach to rails are pretty much good to go. I have seen a seemingly good light - Fenix, go out. Many flashlight enthusiasts like Fenix, and it has been used increasingly by shooters.

[firestorm248]

On my FsN I have a TL-2 and i have never had a problem with it myself and put about 1000 rounds through with it mounted

[blueorison]

On my FsN I have a TL-2 and i have never had a problem with it myself and put about 1000 rounds through with it mounted

Great info. Maybe Streamlight changed something in their build process?

[firestorm248]

No clue, had mine for about 5 years though

[blueorison]

No clue, had mine for about 5 years though

I got mine only a couple years ago. That said, I can't think of an explanation, :laugh:

I use the TLR-1s strobe model. Maybe they aren't as hardy as the older models? Who knows. I did hear from LE that some of theirs broke, but Streamlight replaced all of their units. This was a while ago, much before the TLR-1s.

[blueorison]

Hey guys, a member just messaged me,

"Kind of pretentious, isn't it? You're a college student? Putting yourself forward as a wise and knowledgeable sage? Seems pretentious to me."

I apologized to him and am apologizing to you, if that's what my post at the beginning of this thread seemed like. I was trying to get across, "I have some free time, please let me know what I can do to help you out." Apparently this didn't come across, no matter the language I used in my post.

I apologize to everyone if I came off as pretentious. I'm no Sage, and I purposely proclaimed "I'm just a kid" in my first post to iterate that very fact. I even reiterated it in the last line

I really don't know what else to do, I'm sorry if I offended anyone, I am only trying to help out.

Thanks.

[panzermk2]

And this is the message I sent that person,

...

I have a couple of weeks off from work at the Nature Center and my kids.

...

I want to take this time to help answer any questions that I am able to, in regards to practical shooting, what works and what doesn't and why, etc.

Kind of pretentious, isn't it? You're a college student? Putting yourself forward as a wise and knowledgeable sage? Seems pretentious to me.

Not really since he is the capt. of EA's pistol team, capt. of the UTLonghorn pistol team, winner of hundreds of USPSA, IPSC and IDPA up to the state level competitions, shoots more ammo in a week then most do in a year and has created a dozen+ training videos some at my request no he is NOT being pretentious.


In fact he is be very generous.

Jay
Pr. Elite Ammunition

When Blue acts an azz I call him on it, but this is BS. Blue knows his sh@t and mark my words in a few years will be giving guys on the national tour nightmares.

[firestorm248]

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[MrSlippyFist]

There's one in every bunch.

[firestorm248]

I will say this, Blue has never hesitated answering any question I have put to him. I have found his information very informative and useful. If fact just today I sent him a stupid question I had about optics and lasers in pm. Blue has always put himself out as very approachable which is something you often don’t find in the gun community, I for one appreciate his contributions.

You don’t need to be military or LEO to be an expert in firearms, and just because your military or LEO doesn’t make you an expert. This college student (Blue) has more firearms knowledge then 95% of my old security forces sqd which was 500 military cops

Just my 2 cents.

[Rapier1772]

Hey guys, a member just messaged me,
"Kind of pretentious, isn't it? You're a college student? Putting yourself forward as a wise and knowledgeable sage? Seems pretentious to me."

To that member:
Have you bothered to actually read what Blue has written & watch the videos he has shared? Do you know what he does at his college? Pistol team captain, EA rep, & a knowledgeable/helpful gent.

Did you actually read the OP or just the parts you wanted to use in calling someone out?

I appreciate Blue's advice - he gets to play much more than I do & is willing to share his knowledge & experience. I am willing to learn from others as it tends to be faster & cheaper than learning all that on my own.

By the way, I am also a college student. By the definition I was taught, the only pretentious part of Blue's OP was that last line. :laugh:

[blueorison]

Guys I appreciate your kind words. I intend no disrespect towards the person who sent the PM to me, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't overstepping my place on the forum and that my language was ok.

I have been pointed out by PanzermkII in the past and am trying to learn to be a better forum poster.

I mean no disrespect. I thank you for your honesty, whether it be positive or negative feedback.

I'm just here to help out, not boost my pride or my ego. A forum should be a place we can learn and make friends. I know I have learned so much from everyone here, and would love to be able to give back even a part of that. :cya:

[ddouglas]

Blue...since I sent you a private PM on this, I was a little surprised to see the comment in the forum. I was not offended by your post...it just seemed odd. I have been a member of this forum for several years and I am very impressed with both the quantity and quality of the content here. And that includes the number and quality of your replies to statements and questions posted here. So there was no negative inferences intended in my PM to you. But since you write here so frequently and in such depth on many topics, your post just seemed odd: why would you offer to answer questions when you've been doing that for a considerable time? And it seemed pretentious. I did not write you to offend you, I was just privately offering my reaction to your post. OK? Still buddies?
Dennis Douglas
Bend, Oregon

(BTW, for some reason I was unable to open your PM replies to me.)

[Thedirtyheat]

Blue I have a good one I have been working alot to improve my pistol shooting lately because it is a very very important skill for me. I know dry firing is the most important and consistent sight picture does seem to be what causes me the most trouble. I was wondering things to do to help this but more so what I can do to get the most out of my range visits, everytime I go to the range I try to fire atleast 300 rounds. I would like to know what you recomend to get the most out of my range visits. I tend to stick to around 8-10 meters away because that's where im most comfy, and I don't see any reason to go out to 20 or whatever. I just want to know drills and things you recomend to get the most out of my range time and things that will help me further improve. I shot a ton of rifle growing up just never pistols

Ps we will give you a break Dennis since you're an Oregonian in my book your ok

[jgreenberg01]

Personally I thought it was pretty pretentious of Blue when he consistently hit the targets faster and more accurately than any of the other shooters (including me... hell, especially me) in last summer's practical shooting match.

Oh wait, maybe the word I was looking for was... Legit

:p

[cHaMeLeoN352]

Blue I have a good one I have been working alot to improve my pistol shooting lately because it is a very very important skill for me. I know dry firing is the most important and consistent sight picture does seem to be what causes me the most trouble. I was wondering things to do to help this but more so what I can do to get the most out of my range visits, everytime I go to the range I try to fire atleast 300 rounds. I would like to know what you recomend to get the most out of my range visits. I tend to stick to around 8-10 meters away because that's where im most comfy, and I don't see any reason to go out to 20 or whatever. I just want to know drills and things you recomend to get the most out of my range time and things that will help me further improve. I shot a ton of rifle growing up just never pistols

Ps we will give you a break Dennis since you're an Oregonian in my book your ok

I have been working on a technique that has been extremely helpful to me at the range in improving my trigger control. I hope you won't mind me chiming in here Blue...

I bought some "snap caps" from the local range for various calibers, which allows me to practice dry firing drills without damaging my firing pin. Also, it allows me to load them in the magazine and simulate the action of the firearm.

What I have been doing is taking 4-5 snap caps and loading them randomly in the magazine. Without knowing whether I have a live round or a snap cap, this helps me practice consistency in trigger control and train out flinching. I have been told it takes 20,000 repetitions to drill an action into muscle memory; whether this is true or not, the main idea stays the same...practice, practice, practice! :guns:

Here is what I am talking about:

[Thedirtyheat]

I have tried that an practiced with it instead of snap caps I simply load up a couple random rounds without powder/primers since I reload my own, I still seat a projectile so it feeds properly and must agree it's a very useful technique that helped me.

[blueorison]

Blue...since I sent you a private PM on this, I was a little surprised to see the comment in the forum. I was not offended by your post...it just seemed odd. I have been a member of this forum for several years and I am very impressed with both the quantity and quality of the content here. And that includes the number and quality of your replies to statements and questions posted here. So there was no negative inferences intended in my PM to you. But since you write here so frequently and in such depth on many topics, your post just seemed odd: why would you offer to answer questions when you've been doing that for a considerable time? And it seemed pretentious. I did not write you to offend you, I was just privately offering my reaction to your post. OK? Still buddies?
Dennis Douglas
Bend, Oregon

(BTW, for some reason I was unable to open your PM replies to me.)

Douglas, no offense was taken, you should be able to open my PM's, they are still there, but there was no animosity in the reply, just a question of how to better pose my original post.

No harm done.

I opened this thread because in the past sometimes I would evaluate certain ideas and equipment on posts in which it was sometimes off topic, or I did not want to comment in order to avoid offending the OP who liked the gear.

Instead of doing a review on the gear I use, as many others in the shooting community do very well, my approach is more to let people use what they use the best, and perhaps help them with any question they have for THEIR gear, not mine. This way it would be more centered on them, not myself.

This thread is just a free for all question and answer thread where people can ask open-endedly questions that they may not usually do on other threads that have been started about very specific topics, so as not to go off-topic (like it matters! We're famous for going off-topic!)

Hope that clarifies anything.

Silly enough, people after seeing this topic just PM'd me to discuss, anyway, instead of asking it on this thread, HAHAHAHA :lmao: :lmao:


I like talking through PM's, it's' much easier.

[blueorison]

@Cham & Heat:

That's a great technique. I put in dummy rounds in the magazines when I am training a newer shooter. This allows them to see for themselves when they jerk the trigger how the sights react as the gun is not going off. They also can clearly observe the entire gun pointing at the ground in front of the target

Definitely helps awareness!

Heat; I took your points and recorded a video response. Sadly I'm an idiot and I did it with a camera that had HD mode on, so it is taking a while to process. It should be up soon, then I'll upload it to youtube and post it to this thread. I was able to discuss points that I wanted to in the past, but did not get the chance in other reviews. You brought up very good points that I was able to elaborate upon in the video.

Thanks.

[flyingirish04]

And this is the message I sent that person,

...

I have a couple of weeks off from work at the Nature Center and my kids.

...

I want to take this time to help answer any questions that I am able to, in regards to practical shooting, what works and what doesn't and why, etc.

Kind of pretentious, isn't it? You're a college student? Putting yourself forward as a wise and knowledgeable sage? Seems pretentious to me.

Not really since he is the capt. of EA's pistol team, capt. of the UTLonghorn pistol team, winner of hundreds of USPSA, IPSC and IDPA up to the state level competitions, shoots more ammo in a week then most do in a year and has created a dozen+ training videos some at my request no he is NOT being pretentious.


In fact he is be very generous.

Jay
Pr. Elite Ammunition

When Blue acts an azz I call him on it, but this is BS. Blue knows his sh@t and mark my words in a few years will be giving guys on the national tour nightmares.

I do the same. Lord knows the board is littered with our spirited disagreements. I call em like I see em, and Blue, you aren't being pretentious. Thanks for offering your help. You grip video alone has helped my pistol shooting, especially with the FsN. So anything more you can offer in pistol shooting instruction, I am all ears. :thumb:

[panzermk2]

Blue...since I sent you a private PM on this, I was a little surprised to see the comment in the forum. I was not offended by your post...it just seemed odd. I have been a member of this forum for several years and I am very impressed with both the quantity and quality of the content here. And that includes the number and quality of your replies to statements and questions posted here. So there was no negative inferences intended in my PM to you. But since you write here so frequently and in such depth on many topics, your post just seemed odd: why would you offer to answer questions when you've been doing that for a considerable time? And it seemed pretentious. I did not write you to offend you, I was just privately offering my reaction to your post. OK? Still buddies?
Dennis Douglas
Bend, Oregon

(BTW, for some reason I was unable to open your PM replies to me.)

I was the one who made it public, but if you notice I deleted your name to hide your identity. Blue made me aware of the PM due to, looking for the correct words here, well sometimes Blue shows his age and shoots his mouth off before engaging his brain. He has been made aware of this in the past and is very sensitive of this. I was made aware of the PM by him to check if there was any validity. In the past there have been a few times when, well, he has had his up where the sun don't shine and this was corrected. This time he was not only not wrong or over stepping his bounds but insulted. It even insulted me to read that attribute applied to him which is why I posted the PM.

He is at times,
Young dumb and full c** ,
Does have Negligent Discharges of the mouth at times,
Fashion challenged
Highly skilled with a firearm


Pretentious though is not one of them.

[panzermk2]

OH and having ND of the mouth is not just limited to him. The other night I sent an email to someone and managed in less then on sentence to insuklt the hell out of the receiver and make myself look like an a$$hole on the proportions Med. O.

[Thedirtyheat]

Ouch lacks fashion sense!!!!

[panzermk2]

Ouch lacks fashion sense!!!!

Come on is any really surprised about that one? :lmao:

[Thedirtyheat]

No I just wanted to further rub it in.

[blueorison]

Ouch lacks fashion sense!!!!

Come on is any really surprised about that one? :lmao:

....

I think... I would rather be called pretentious...

[Thedirtyheat]

Blue you joined the shorts club by simply pulling up a random competition video, most people have to try, maybe it's because your a migrant... Hahaha

[jgreenberg01]

Ouch lacks fashion sense!!!!

Come on is any really surprised about that one? :lmao:

....

I think... I would rather be called pretentious...

Should I mention your, um, driving skills?

:p

[blueorison]

Blue you joined the shorts club by simply pulling up a random competition video, most people have to try, maybe it's because your a migrant... Hahaha

huh? I started the SSS Club...

And to defend my fashion taste,



I think my choice of wearing an FN shirt that looks rad without being tactical at all and doesn't even look like a gun shirt can help defend my position. I also like my buddy SpaceCoyote's "Celebrate Diversity" t-shirt!

By the way Heat, your video is uploaded I'm posting it now. Part2 is still uploading.

[blueorison]

Heat, I spent all day yesterday formulating and approach and trying to dissect my unconsciousness. The rest was spent stuttering on video till 4am last night.

Here are the 3 videos that were the result:

In this video I examine

Staying Dynamic as a person/Shooter

Shooting theories and philosophies

The whole "You're a competition shooter", thing




The next two videos are responses to the questions in your post. I try to cover all vital aspects of your points.

Dry firing - do I need it as part of my training?

Getting a .22 pistol in the same platform to practice for a larger caliber cost/benefit?

Basic conventional sight picture techniques/The technique I use

Visual input in shooting and being active/Seeing is everything.

Training to how you fight/Beyond to what you fight/The Why

Why shoot and practice beyond practical self-defense yardages.

Rifle shooters learning pistol/Pistol shooters learning rifles

Shooting the quantity of 300 rounds on range - practical/efficient

Getting shot out/the effects of being shot out/What this means





Let me know if they help. At one point I say "astute point" but I try to speak so quickly to compress the video time it sounds like "stupid or stupe". Just so you know I was complimenting your point, not disregarding it, haha. I'm going to take a nap

[MikeSantor]

Blue,

Perfect timing on this. I think this may be pretty applicable to me as well. As we have talked before in PMs, I have been shooting less than a year. I got a RMR for my fiveseven almost immediately. Within the last 8 months or so after thousands of rounds through my fiveseven and hours upon hours of practicing my draw and site acquisition with the RMR I think for a beginner with basically no help from knowledgeable shooters(except the little we have chatted through PM), I got pretty proficient with the fiveseven and RMR.

About a week ago I was sitting around thinking about shooting like I find myself doing all the time, I started thinking about the fact that im not a seasoned shooter that it might not be the best idea to become so proficient with something like the RMR which can be looked at a little like a crutch. So I found my rear sites which I thought I got rid of and threw them back on.

I felt like I jumped into shooting too fast without the right guidance and I needed to go back to basics and learn from the ground up. I felt like i was cheating myself by getting the accurizing done and the RMR right off the bat and not spending the time on the basics of shooting. I dont know if this makes any sense but this is just how I felt so I figured I would roll with it.

Anyways, I dont know if I can start using this method that you explained yet but I figured I could give it a try and see how well it works out.

Im done rambling for now. Thanks Blue.

[jgreenberg01]

Hey Blue, that was awesome. Three things:

1) All really good tips, but the sight picture tutorial may be the best one I have ever seen.. Thank you for that!

2) Ironically enough, I just bought a .22lr pistol. I didn't do it for training though - I have been inspired to shoot a LOT more because of this extremely realistic virtual shooting competition I do on Thursday nights. I just can't afford to put that many rounds downrange with my FsN, .45acp or even 9mm.

3) I finally tried that half-man sized target at 100 yards. What do you think is a more challenging target, that or a 3/4"x3/8" gummy bear at 30 feet. Yes that's a serious question!

Thanks again for the videos, once again invaluable information my friend!!!

[blueorison]

About a week ago I was sitting around thinking about shooting like I find myself doing all the time, I started thinking about the fact that im not a seasoned shooter that it might not be the best idea to become so proficient with something like the RMR which can be looked at a little like a crutch. So I found my rear sites which I thought I got rid of and threw them back on.

I felt like I jumped into shooting too fast without the right guidance and I needed to go back to basics and learn from the ground up. I felt like i was cheating myself by getting the accurizing done and the RMR right off the bat and not spending the time on the basics of shooting. I dont know if this makes any sense but this is just how I felt so I figured I would roll with it.

Anyways, I dont know if I can start using this method that you explained yet but I figured I could give it a try and see how well it works out.

Im done rambling for now. Thanks Blue.

Mike as usual, about every other PM I read from you I seriously think you have the same brain as I do. :cya:

Not just the comment I highlighted in red, but your entire post just makes me smile. Shooters time and again try to take shortcuts in training and in gear. They buy gear that will make them more "accurate" and put more time on youtube and DVD watching than they actually go to practice the concepts they are taught through those media.

I cannot put it any other way but this: your post is 100% on the money. More like 110%. One thing I didn't elaborate in the video and do not think wise about some competition shooters or shooters in general, is that they will take their kids or new shooters and put them in Open division with a 1lb trigger and red-dot sights.

Without the foundation of knowing how sights work using irons (the only way to do it), that shooter will start from a completely different departure, branching out from a tree with shallow roots. Good (or insanely good 2lb EA Accurized) triggers also spoil shooters. I mentioned that rifle shooters are used to light triggers; it's so hard for a "hunter" to learn to shoot pistols. They get it in their head, but their body doesn't care.

Train harder than you fight. If you continue to use iron sights and crosstrain with different guns/triggers (borrow a Glock from your friend for a week, if he'll let you), when you go back to that nice FsN trigger and MRD, you find exponential speed that comes from experience, NOT pushing your speed envelope (something you should rarely ever do, but everyone and their mom tries to in error).

You always have to remind me you're a new shooter, because when I listen to you speak you have more wisdom that so many firearms people on the net and on the range. :thumb:

P.S. Your package is on the way to you tomorrow.

Hey Blue, that was awesome. Three things:

3) I finally tried that half-man sized target at 100 yards. What do you think is a more challenging target, that or a 3/4"x3/8" gummy bear at 30 feet. Yes that's a serious question!

Thanks again for the videos, once again invaluable information my friend!!!

Anytime, brother, no hetero.

To answer your question, that depends on what kind of pistol you're using and your sights. With iron sights and a match-grade gun/bbl/trigger I would say that the difficulty would be about the same. With a stock gun, the 100 yard target would be harder because of the barrel's accuracy (loses 4-8 inches of accuracy in some cases), non-match ammunition with too much pressure variation, and stock triggers. Stock triggers, even with the best shooter, take much more at 100 yards to hit a small target. It's not so much the trigger control but the trigger mechanism itself within the gun.

But honestly half-man to me seems easier than 30 feet gummy, hands-down. I've shot both and the gummy challenge still freaks me out. And I haven't even gotten there, yet. I'm still trying to get to 75 pushups. Grrr.. I blame you. :furious:

[Thedirtyheat]

I can get you to 75 push ups hahaha! I just did you test I used the orange dots that cane with an old targe that you used to cover up hits and made about a sticky not sized orange blob out of them. Tried to do what you said my problem was I pretty much didn't focus on the sights at all using this method there wasn't really even any focusing on the front sight haha that said it went well it will take more practice to master I agree. And some live fire time. But o felt like I had good success I was spot on 9 out of 10 times 1 out of 10 I would be a little low right with the front sight which is where I miss when I miss. Jeez I'm always long winded sorry everyone.

[blueorison]

Try this once you get a few more repetitions.

Instead of two hands, use just your firing hand to punch out.

If you're doing it correctly, the sights will line up. If not, you can identify it, and go from there.

[MikeSantor]

P.S. Your package is on the way to you tomorrow

Yours too. Got it packed today and ret ta go. :thumb:

[jgreenberg01]

But honestly half-man to me seems easier than 30 feet gummy, hands-down. I've shot both and the gummy challenge still freaks me out. And I haven't even gotten there, yet. I'm still trying to get to 75 pushups. Grrr.. I blame you. :furious:

Hey, since you brought that up, it makes no difference to me if we do 75 or 50 pushups. I was simply being a wise-a$$ when I said 75 - I didn't think anyone would seriously consider it to tell the truth.

Maybe if we backed the count down to 50, more people will be able to play. Yeah, I know I don't typically vote to make the challenges easier, but 50 is still hard and we can do 75 next time when people have had more time to build up to it.

Just a thought...

[blueorison]

Well, I've given in to the rest of your "make it easier for people", so I guess I'll bring it down.

If we're bringing it down then I'll do it one-footed just to make sure you don't get off easy.



At this point, we already have at least 3 people at the 50 mark who can perform the challenge!!! Excited to see some results.

[MikeSantor]

I ended up torxing my sholder at BJJ about 3 weeks ago and i cant lift more than 20lbs over head on my left side. I stopped practicing and started healing. I wont make the deadine for the match but as soon as im healed i will be back at it for personal satisfaction.

[f3rr37]

Great thread blue!

As many people know, blue and I don't always see eye to eye, but he's a good kid and means well. What most people don't know about blue is that if he can't prove something he won't post it. There have been quite a few times where myself or other's have questioned him and his abilities and he's posted videos to prove it. Not only does he prove it, but he does things that most of us could only dream of doing while sitting on the couch eating Oreos with milk.

Blue, keep up the good work, we appreciate what you've done to contribute to the forum.

Here's my question: What's the best holster for the FiveseveN?
Kidding. :p