Monthly Shooting Practice Routine

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  • PunchDrummer
    Senior Member
    • Jan 2012
    • 247

    Monthly Shooting Practice Routine

    Hi! I had Bay#1 to myself while I was testing my new Zetronics "zShades" Sport Glasses / 1080P Camera. If you've never been to an indoor range or if you just enjoy watching the activity, this POV is a pretty cool experience.
    Sorry if the marksmanship isn't wowsers, and apologies if this content violates any policies. Thought I'd share with my friends.
    Give it a chance - little message at the end. Thanks for watching.
    (The glasses are great to record your 'bagging if you set them down.)

    1) Align laser with barrel with target.
    2) Align sight(s) with laser and target.
    3) The pistol is now calibrated. The rest is trigger control, myelin, and Zen.


  • mcpingist
    Speed Bag Trainee
    • May 2016
    • 9

    #2
    Thanks, Kevin. I couldn't watch the whole thing right now, but appreciate the post. I'll check it out more thoroughly when I have a little more time. I recently put a Crimson Trace green laser on my S&W Shield. I've only had it to the range a couple times for very brief sessions. I love the idea, and think with some more practice, that it will be a great addition. I did experience a couple issues, though. If I just use the laser, I tend to get lazy on having the sights lined up at eye level, which is obviously dangerous in the event your laser malfunctions. If I try to use the sights and the laser together, it seems to take me longer than if I just use the sights alone.....kind of defeats the purpose, or at least one of the main benefits of the laser. I've shot quite a bit over the years, but not much the last few. I think some of my problem is that I haven't drilled enough lately to have the muscle memory down on raising the gun to where the sights line up at eye level. That should come with more practice, but I'm starting to think maybe I should remove the laser until I get that ingrained better. Thoughts?

    Comment

    • PunchDrummer
      Senior Member
      • Jan 2012
      • 247

      #3
      Hi - I'm glad you got to see a little and that what I post may help in some way:
      I'm no "expert" by any means, but intimately understanding the intricacies of a using a laser is important - as your experience has brought you to understand. You're right-on! The laser can become a crutch, and requires practice in it's own right. It requires an additional brain cycle - that what I "feel" when I open-up a little (later in the vid.). I favor the sights in daylight, but getting that extra little green blinking starburst peeking from the tip top of my front sight helps a lot too (demonstrated vocally in the vid.) - although I can feel the time slip by if I pay too much attention. Your natural point (using F sight if you can), and iron-sight skills are important. I'm impressed you felt a change, because what probably most commonly happens is indeed, point and shoot. Look for that front sight.

      I've got 25+y/o Crimson Trace grips on a .38 Snubbie. (Can't go wrong with S&W+CT!) You need to train to NOT use the laser. Generally, if possible, it should be off until you are ready to pull, and off again right after that. I would keep it physically mounted on the gun to take advantage of its weight and to be familiar with it considering how fast things happen, and how intimate you have to be with the thing you're pointing with. You are correct - now make it work for you by practicing at home considering the reality that you'll probably never see your sights, as I think you're alluding to, although if we train correctly at the range, acquiring the F sight should become as natural as the point. I think lasers are great to help calibrate the sights to the pinpoint - especially with that reflective tape that I use at home too, mounted high, but they may be more trouble than not in a civilian (me) encounter. I agree that acquiring the laser at the target is more costly than acquiring a good sight picture, especially in daylight, and that you can develop poor habits, including a poor stance, looking over the gun, and worse - dependence. You can't really beat it in low-light though if it is aligned - even if not. A laser is not magic; trigger-control and skills with the uprights is tantamount, but I wouldn't feel comfortable without one.
      Nice combo you have - those Shields are great for carry, and GREEN is so much better than RED!

      If I could soapbox for a moment: Generally, the front sight should have your sharp focus. Put a *tiny* dot of [orange] nail polish (I prefer mine in the center of the white dot (lucky TINY drop off a toothpick) - after trying one on the iron right above), and focus on that. I think you have white dot sights, and nail-polish remover doesn't hurt mine - can't say about yours. I also have a little on the sides of my F sight forward of middle as to not give me an invalid perception of the width of the sight. Dry practice at home manipulating your eye-dominance (ie: alternate between a L/R-handed stance - I demonstrate that with the 1-handed shooting after I warmed-up.) Once you can shoot with both eyes (mostly) open, and can switch eye dominance at will, you can have a lot more fun hitting what you want and really see what you're doing - laser included. I don't know about your sight, but I can't see the target behind mine - I think the idea is that if you need a dot, you're going to have to look through that dot (with the non-dominant eye on the target) instead of a 6:00 hold with the top of the iron. That's where the little [orange] dot shines - the start point of an imaginary projection. Good reminder - I forgot to do a weak-side set with both hands.
      Nothing beats dry-fire and safe aiming skills at home, polished by a session at the range once a month at least. If you haven't, review the benefits of dry-fire and the accumulation of "myelin" (the stuff that makes "Muscle Memory"). It's perishable. You get a healthy dose of it with each Speed bag encounter though - although slightly different pathways are established.

      I hadn't expected to go as far as posting a video, but watching yourself shoot may reveal flinches, poor grip technique, or other behavior you don't otherwise notice.
      You might enjoy watching when things go a little faster after my warmup, and the other target goes down. Shooting is very similar to the Speed bag in what it develops in your head. It's all good, and I'm glad there are other people who are thinking about how to really carry and shoot responsibly!

      I had fun, relaxation, and that smile that baggin' and shootin' bring.


      Originally posted by mcpingist View Post
      Thanks, Kevin. I couldn't watch the whole thing right now, but appreciate the post. I'll check it out more thoroughly when I have a little more time. I recently put a Crimson Trace green laser on my S&W Shield. I've only had it to the range a couple times for very brief sessions. I love the idea, and think with some more practice, that it will be a great addition. I did experience a couple issues, though. If I just use the laser, I tend to get lazy on having the sights lined up at eye level, which is obviously dangerous in the event your laser malfunctions. If I try to use the sights and the laser together, it seems to take me longer than if I just use the sights alone.....kind of defeats the purpose, or at least one of the main benefits of the laser. I've shot quite a bit over the years, but not much the last few. I think some of my problem is that I haven't drilled enough lately to have the muscle memory down on raising the gun to where the sights line up at eye level. That should come with more practice, but I'm starting to think maybe I should remove the laser until I get that ingrained better. Thoughts?
      Last edited by PunchDrummer; 06-29-2016, 07:21 AM.

      Comment

      • mcpingist
        Speed Bag Trainee
        • May 2016
        • 9

        #4
        Thanks again, Kevin. Sounds like solid advice. Like with most things, practice is key. If done regularly, and with proper technique, practice will gradually work to erase the erosion of skills that years of disuse and even age have handicapped us with. We may not get to what we once were (speaking of myself, an older guy), but we can certainly improve dramatically.

        Regarding practice without the laser, mine has a button mounted to the grip (front strap) that actuates the laser when you grip the gun. With practice, I think I could reliably/consistently activate it when on target, and not before, but I'm not quite there yet. I'm going to take a look and see how easy it is to remove/replace the battery. Sounds like that would be a good option for me. I think I could really benefit from some laser off for 1st half, laser on for 2nd half, range sessions. Excellent advice on dry firing also. I've done that some, but admittedly, not enough. Bit of a pain having to rack the slide after every "shot", but it will pay dividends, no doubt.

        Staying on the laser topic, the advantage of a laser at night is obvious to almost everyone. Opinions on daytime use vary, though. Personally, I have bought into the school of thought that says that because of the severe stress of the situation, even professionals, when confronted with an armed threat at very close range, tend to not be able to see anything but the threat, meaning they can't pick up their iron sights. A laser, assuming good training and muscle memory, the thinking goes, should be much easier to find, as it will/should be lighting up the bad guy's torso, which is hard for your eyes to miss. My son disagrees, and believes if you train enough, any stress will be overcome by extensive training. I understand that is true for some, but believe we never know with certainty how we will react until, God forbid, we're thrust into a life and death scenario. Personally, I've read too many accounts of well trained professionals who emptied entire magazines at very close range and never hit their assailants, to trust the "training will overcome anything" thinking. When the lives of loved ones are at stake, I want to have every advantage I can. Whether the laser gives me that, even in daylight, is a matter of opinion, but based on what I've read, at least up until now, I feel it does. Thoughts from Kevin or anyone else are appreciated.

        Mike

        Comment

        • PunchDrummer
          Senior Member
          • Jan 2012
          • 247

          #5
          Shooting Routine alone at "On Target" - edited down.

          Edited down for your pleasure. I should know to let it marinate for a while longer before posting....






          Originally posted by PunchDrummer View Post
          Hi! I had Bay#1 to myself while I was testing my new Zetronics "zShades" Sport Glasses / 1080P Camera. If you've never been to an indoor range or if you just enjoy watching the activity, this POV is a pretty cool experience.
          Sorry if the marksmanship isn't wowsers, and apologies if this content violates any policies. Thought I'd share with my friends.
          Give it a chance - little message at the end. Thanks for watching.
          (The glasses are great to record your 'bagging if you set them down.)

          1) Align laser with barrel with target.
          2) Align sight(s) with laser and target.
          3) The pistol is now calibrated. The rest is trigger control, myelin, and Zen.

          Comment

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