Multi Gun - lessons learned at Kentucky 2010

[slow1911s]

Just a few things I learned or was (painfully) reminded of:

• Loading a shotgun on the clock is a fine motor skill activity. If you don't practice, you will loose it.
• Practice your empty rifle starts. Can you seat a full P-Mag with the bolt closed? I couldn't. Downloading is something I should have thought of, but didn't. Loading a metal 20 rounder was probably a better solution given the stage.
• Practice loading your shotgun on the move. It's worth mentioning again.
• Practice shooting distant rifle targets from unsupported positions.
• Practice getting into and out of supported positions with the rifle.
• If there are banks of multiple targets, make sure you shoot YOUR OWN targets. The winner of Tac Irons owes me for that!!! Ha!

 

[rvb]

If there are banks of multiple targets, make sure you shoot YOUR OWN targets. The winner of Tac Irons owes me for that!!! Ha!

Did they have multiple shooters on the line? was it a fixed time type of scoring? just curious...

-rvb

 

[slow1911s]

No, it was the 100 yd stage. They had the target arrays replicated three times so that you could shoot one competitor, clear him/her, shoot the 2nd, clear him/her... and then go downrange to score.

What it comes down to is that (1) I was in a unfamiliar shooting position (which I need to practice), and (2) I didn't take the time to verify my targets.

The upside is that my error resulted in a reshoot for other competitor. His rifle went single shot on his run. He fixed it and had a smoking run on the reshoot, ultimately making the difference in 1st place in Tac Irons which he won.

 

[BillD]

That is selflessness Dave. To help another shooter at the expense of your own score. You are a good man.

 

[rz317]

Dave,

These are all great suggestions, and I'd like to comment on a few of them...

Just a few things I learned or was (painfully) reminded of:

• Practice loading your shotgun... -The importance of being able to reload your SG smoothly and quickly cannot be stressed enough. Loading a shotgun, eats up more time than any other single aspect of 3-Gun. Time sent practicing reloading your shotgun will yield the greatest return on investment... and you can practice this for free at home whenever.
• Practice your empty rifle starts. Can you seat a full P-Mag with the bolt closed? I couldn't. Downloading is something I should have thought of, but didn't. Loading a metal 20 rounder was probably a better solution given the stage. -This is an area I will not accept anything less than perfect. My advice... if you own a mag that cannot be seated fully loaded in your rifle with the bolt down, then get rid of it... sell it, or at the very least mark it so to you know not to use it for such scenarios, or better yet, just don't take it to a match. AR mags are relatively inexpensive. Buy several and only keep the ones that will seat in your gun without having to give it an extra love-tap. If you are unable to find any mags that will do this, then try a new mag catch, or better yet, just get a new stripped lower, they're relatively inexpensive too.
• Practice getting into and out of supported positions with the rifle. -This is an area that I didn't realize how important it was until I saw myself on video and saw how much time I wasted before I even got my 1st shot off at a plate. The good news is that like reloading your SG, you can practice this for free at home... after making sure the gun is unloaded, practice bracing up on various "props": walls, door frames, table legs, hand railings, etc. Practice kneeling, reverse kneeling, prone, standing. Experiment and find out what works best for you. Are you steadier with more of less tension on the prop? Take a magic marker and put a dot on a few Post-It notes on the wall, and see how steady you can hold your reticle/sight on the dot to test these things.

Ryan Zamberlan
Multi-Gun Director
AtlantaCC.net

 

[rz317]

Also, especially at a match like this, know your holdovers!

Ryan Zamberlan
Multi-Gun Director
AtlantaCC.net