Not a Competition Shoot

[bkbrno]

Attended my first organized shooting event. 5 stages with different challenges. Mostly did it because we had to draw from a holster and things were not static like at the range. This event did not count for any points or standings in any of the various shooting organizations. All for fun.

Everyone was super nice. More than a few had some pretty elaborate rigs. I showed up with a simple paddle holster, forgot my mag holder so I used a pocket. I'm used to minimal equipment so I wasn't the least bit concerned. Crack heads don't always show up when you are kitted out, sometimes you have to perform with what you got. For today's shooting, I used my PSA Dagger which is completely stock.

I placed 4th on the hardest stage. It was a tiny target at 15 yds, one shot. The other 4 stages? I managed to something stupid and lost points. 25th out of 35 overall.

Met some nice people, found a couple of things I need to work on, built more confidence in my Dagger. The grip angle of the Dagger is between 1911 and Glock. Bit me in the ass in the heat of "battle" with a couple of misses high.

 

[Bobster]

Attended my first organized shooting event.
I used my PSA Dagger which is completely stock.
I managed to something stupid and lost points.

I look forward to the 2-3 events I attend every month. There will be no prize money, sponsorship or national standings or anything like that (at least not for me ) but it is fun and challenging at the same time.

RDS on the Dagger? I like shooting with irons once in a while.

You'll "grow" out most of the stupids but there is always the possibility the gun or ammo will be stupid and cost you time and points. But malfies don't come announced and being able to clear a jam or something like that under "pressure" is a good exercise.

I got a lot of my OWB belt and holster rig from TEMU. Dump pouches, mag pouches, 2" nylon belts, a few holsters, S-land "knock-off" QLS, etc. A couple of the holsters were not as advertised and they gave me my money back (no return needed) and I kept (and modified) the holsters with no concern about irreversibly modifying a $100 "name-brand" holster. For mag pouches I use the Glock sport pouches with my GL-9s. I also use the Glock "sport" holster with my Lone Wolf frames but they do NOT fit the Dagger frames (or P80). I heat the belt "ears" on the Glock pouches so they are close to 90° and snip the belt dividers so they cant forward. I have a Blackhawk knockoff holster with finger retention at the trigger area that I NEVER had a problem releasing but got tired of everyone cautioning me about NDs so I removed a pin and off came the latch and spring (and concern). My rig goes on over my shirt and pants cowboyish-style. With the QLS, I can swap holsters for different guns fairly easily and I have a "low" adapter better suited for my long apeish arms.

 

[bkbrno]

The main thing I got out of it is that under pressure, no time to correct, my hand/eye is calibrated to 1911 grip angle. Anything more Glock like is going to have me aiming high. I long thought this, I've witnessed it myself in draw practice, others have told me it isn't a thing. For me it is, case closed. The Dagger may get some grip modifications.

I lost a few points on misses and I don't miss (that bad). One miss was because I had the gun canted and should have compensated right and down instead of straight down. Also, this was a one hand drill. Three aimed rounds at a target then a steel target with as many rounds as it took to get 3 hits. I stuck a 30 round mag in my back pocket in case it got ugly. Didn't need to use it.

I'm not getting a bunch of gear. What I use for concealed carry is fine by me. Train like you fight, fight like you train. Light and fast, like a Ninja.

 

[bkbrno]

No RDS. Not a convert. After digging through my tool bag for an Allen so my buddy could tighten the loose screws on his RDS, I don't want the aggravation or lost reliability of a loose optic.

I have an RDS, Whorosun, on one slide. I can't shoot any better with it. As long as my eyes are good enough for iron sights, I'm sticking with old school.

 

[Bobster]

...my hand/eye is calibrated to 1911 grip angle. Anything more Glock like is going to have me aiming high.

With empty gun holstered, with a "safe" (to aim at) wall in front of you, find (or mark/tape) an aiming point on the wall. At ready position, close your eyes and draw the gun, pointing at the mark on the wall. Then open your eyes and see where the sights are. Personally, I found myself aiming high with the Dagger because it has a mid-point "swell". With the Lone Wolf frames, I found myself pointing a little lower and closer to the aim point. The LW grip swell (with adapter) is lower and more similar to a 1911 with curved main spring housing, which I am "comfy" with. At least it "feels" that way. With irons you'll instinctively adjust your aim as you draw and sight but with RDS if your grip "points" high, you'll have to drop the front to even see the dot, taking more time.

Also, this was a one hand drill.

I strongly believe part of training is learning to aim/shoot with one/both strong and weak hands/eyes. Once one gets "good" with two-hand strong, then try one-hand strong, then two-hand weak, then one-hand weak. Try to use the same side hand/eye even if you have to close the dominant eye briefly. I'm cross-dominant so this took a little getting used to for me but it avoids having the gun skewed in my right hand trying to aim with the left eye (both eyes open).

There are often one-hand and/or weak side stages in some matches. With rifles, the minimum is to shoulder on the weak side. With rifle or pistol, I'd rather just shoot lefty/lefty and practice left-handed manipulation of a right-hand gun.

 

[bkbrno]

I've tested my natural aiming point a lot. I know where I'm going to aim without thinking. It takes me a split second to correct with a Glock grip angle. In a real situation, I may not have that split second available, that was my worry. The main take away for me, from this competition, is that I'm going to hit high, given a little time and a couple of shots, I can and will correct. Real world, normal defensive distance, I hit at the top of the center ring instead of the center. What's that, 2 inches? I now know to aim such that center mass is clearly visible above the sights. In a 2 and 1 situation, I'll have the sights aligned before I go for the smaller target.

Overall, I tested myself with a slightly different pistol than I am used to and I have confidence I'll make good hits with it in a defensive situation. Shooting one handed, with the new grip angle variable, I didn't think of the proper correction until after I shot the round. It never occurred to me that I needed to go adjust on a diagonal not just down. I saw the round hit high, dropped down on the target and missed the second shot to the left. The sight alignment was on a diagonal because I had the pistol canted. Hopefully that makes sense.

At the range, I'm going to swap back and forth between different grip angles and see if I can adapt seamlessly. If and when I do another one of these, I may shoot something more familiar and see if there is a huge difference. If there is, it's off to find a more natural pistol for CCW. I like my 80% but not comfortable using it for CCW. I did talk to a guy that had a GST100. He said it went together easy and had no issues like his GST9 80%.

I'm pretty confident in my ability to shoot one hand/either hand, and several other grips and stances.

My daughter seems to be cross eye dominant. We are working on techniques to deal with it. Lena Miculek says she is right hand left eye dominant. She did a youtube talking about it.