What is Team Gun Blogger.com?

• We are committed to getting the millions of new gun owners out to the range and encouraging their safe use of guns in competition, training and practice.
• We embrace “new media” because we are new media: We love guns and shooting so much, we write about them in our spare time.
• We are a group effort. We want to shorten the decision loop for new gun owners by giving them a variety of options to consider on one site, rather than forcing them to run all over the web looking for reviews and “the basics” of shooting.
• We write about what we shoot. We don’t try to come off as experts on guns or sports we know nothing about.
• We write about what it’s like to own a gun, not just briefly shoot 200 rounds through it and ship it back to the manufacturer.
• We believe that the practical shooting sports are an essential element of safely owning and carrying a personal defense firearm.

Women Shooting IDPA

Saturday, April 21st is Cabela’s National Ladies Day Out.  The day-long event features hands-on seminars, product experts, giveaways, discounts, sweepstakes and more. The first 100 women at each retail store also receive a commemorative t-shirt.

Women visiting the Phoenix Cabela’s location should say “hello” to Jacqueline and learn about shooing International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) matches. Jacqueline will be staffing Phoenix Rod & Gun Club’s IDPA table at Ladies Day Out and can help you get started in this fun and challenging sport.

Phoenix Rod & Gun Club‘s Practical Division is offering free shooting for ladies at all May IDPA matches.   Check the calendar and come on out and shoot with us.

Dipping My Toes In The IDPA Competition Pool

You think you can shoot well?  Have you actually tested your abilities against other people?  Do you still shoot well under pressure and stress?  Do you like a challenge?  If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you need to try shooting a match.

Getting Started in Competition

Last March, Phoenix Rod & Gun Club held an introductory International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) shooting class.  It was a basic class that introduced shooters to the concepts, rules, and basic stage layouts (match shooting scenarios) of IDPA.

IDPA competition has a major difference from other shooting sports, as you must draw your gun from concealment on each course of fire.  Jacqueline and I attended the class, along with Kevin from Misfires & Light Strikes, to see what the sport was like and if we wanted to participate.

As we went through the class, we had to shoot in ways that I had never experienced shooting at a regular public range:  Quickly and safely drawing the gun from concealment.  Shooting while walking backwards. Shooting weak hand only.  Shooting from behind cover, while keeping your lower body and at least 50 percent of your torso behind cover.  And more!

These tasks were quite a novel challenge compared to shooting bullseye, using a Weaver Stance or an Isosceles Stance, and shooting while standing still.  It felt like I needed Yoga classes to learn how to properly shoot from some of the positions.

The Perils of Procrastination

Fast forward from March to October, Jacqueline and I were still talking about how challenging the shooting positions were, but we hadn’t made time to shoot a single IDPA match.  Then, I saw a notice for the South Mountain Showdown regional IDPA championship match.  We had to shoot in it!

Why test the water when you can dive headfirst into the deep end?

To shoot the South Mountain Showdown, we needed to be current members of IDPA, have an IDPA shooting classification that ranked us against other shooters, and we needed know the rules.  After we joined IDPA online, we found a classifier match and classified as Marksman in the Enhanced Service Pistol division.  We managed to shoot three local club IDPA matches before the big match.

What could go wrong with preparation and planning like that?

A Big Dose of Ugly, Icy Cold Reality

The day before the Showdown, the nerves kicked in.  What are the rules again?  What am I supposed to do?  What am I doing shooting a big match before I have experience with this type of shooting?

I had developed a plan to deal with the nerves, but like the match preparation and practice, it wasn’t enough.

Those over-driven nerves wrecked my concentration on the drive to the range.  What are the rules again? How am I going to do this type of competition?

Brian Gollmer of Team Predator Tactical shooting the 2011 Showdown

 

As the match went forward, my plan worked, despite the tremendous performance anxiety.  I did what I really needed to do, which was focus safety first, second, and last.  Drawing from concealment and shooting from seated positions with a barbers cape on, sitting in a van, standing an a mock ATM, standing with hands at surrender, answering a door, etc.   Each stage was a test of my safety, abilities, skills, and memory.

The Result

The nerves kept me from shooting at my absolute best, but the best I could do at the time turned out to be not so bad.  I understand the effects of stress and pressure on my shooting.  The areas I need to work on were magnified dramatically.

Jacqueline and I have been shooting IDPA almost every week since the South Mountain Showdown.  My footwork is better, my ability to shoot in awkward positions has improved, and I can now walk and shoot accurately in any direction (most of the time).  I also have a shiny trophy for 3rd place Marksman shooting Enhanced Service Pistol at the Showdown, as well as the courage to keep testing my skills and seeking improvement.

 

If you would like to see well written coverage of the entire match, check out the article by the South Mountain Showdown Stock Service Revolver Champion, Massad Ayoob, on page 8 of the March edition of GUNS Magazine.

Go shoot an IDPA match at a range near you, but start with a club match first.

 

This is Your Brain on Competitive Shooting

It’s been about a year and a half since I dove head first into the world of competitive shooting, and while I’m making some progress with my speed and accuracy, there’s something holding me back, and I can’t seem to shake it. I’m no stranger to the stress, anxiety and pressure present when participating in sports (especially since my nature is to be ridiculously competitive), but there is an element of practical pistol shooting that I have never experienced before, and it’s making me look like more like Jerry Lewis than Jerry Miculek when I’m shooting a match.

Some call it the Red Mist. My better half has referred to it as bezerker. It is an indiscriminatory and unrelenting force that is laser-focused on sabotaging your performance. Ridiculously clever and devious, it will allow you to build up your confidence just until you step up to the line and into the shooting box. And then the timer goes *beep*, the red mist appears, and all careful planning and strategy disappears as if it never even existed.

If you’ve been watching Top Shot on the History Channel, you may have noticed that the Red Mist makes a cameo appearance in almost every episode. During episode two of season 3, it appeared during the elimination challenge and prematurely knocked my favorite contestant and WOMA home girl, Sara Ahrens, out of the competition.

During Sara’s commentary at the end of the show, she recognized the role the red mist played in her loss when she said, “I’ve had practice in friend and foe targets, it’s just a matter of I’ve never done that next to another person. I’m kind of being overcome by the intensity of the situation.”

Yep, that’s the unmistakable mark of the red mist. It doesn’t just effect your performance on the range, it also leaves a trail of amnesia and dumbfoundedness in its wake, making it that much more difficult to overcome.

So, is it possible to defeat the Red Mist, and if so, what’s the secret? Watching shooting greats like the Leatham’s and the Miculek’s make it pretty darn obvious that it can be overcome, but how does a mere mortal like me fend off this unwelcome creature that has the power to take over my brain at will?

I recently had the opportunity to ask World Championship competitive shooter, and all-around awesome woman, Eva Micklethwaite how she deals with the pressure and anxiety that builds up when she’s competing in a big match. Eva was kind enough to explain to me what she did to conquer the Red Mist when she found herself a bit “freaked out” by one of the stages at the recent USPSA Area 3 match:

It’s the preparation I do BEFORE I even step on the range that helps me with that. At this particular stage, though, I told myself to take your time and get through it. Don’t rush it, stay focused, and be patient with myself and the trigger. Basically a mental talk off the ledge. Once the buzzer goes off, instinct kicks in as well.

Experience helps a lot, you’ll get there. Mental strength is also a BIG part of this game. And if all else fails….breathe!

Looks like I’ve got some dues to pay to the Red Mist. If you’re looking for me, check the local ranges. I’ll be the one trying to reload my left thumb into the magazine well.

Reprinted with permission of greatsataninc.com

 

Run and Gun, Fun Gun

Mz. VRWC from Great Satan Inc. got a a nice shot of her beau RO’ing me in tonight’s Carbine/Shotgun match at Phoenix Rod and Gun Club.

Proof that even the slowest of shooters will look fast if you drag the shutter speed enough…

Reprinted with permission from Misfires & Light Strikes

Ready for Your First Practical Pistol Match?

Are you ready to shoot a practical pistol match?

Robb Allen over at Sharp As a Marble has a plan for his USPSA match on Sunday. ExurbanKevin at Misfires and Light Strikes has a plan for his IDPA match on Sunday. Mz. VRWC and I are participating in an IDPA Regional Match this weekend, called the South Mountain Showdown, at Phoenix Rod & Gun Club. Surely, I have a plan for shooting this event, I think. The plan has to be somewhere around here, now where did I leave it?

The plan, meticulously based on the only three IDPA club matches I’ve shot so far…is:

1. Muzzle safety – Don’t point the gun at anything I don’t intend to destroy, including my own body parts, or my match is over early (instant disqualification).
2. Maintain the 180 degree rule at all times – Don’t point the gun in a direction greater than 90 degrees to the left or right of the downrange berm (instant disqualification).
3. Only shoot has fast as I can accurately shoot – Any faster than that will waste ammo, time, and incur penalties. (You can’t miss fast enough to win.)
4. Have fun and enjoy the experience.
5. Maintain a relaxed approach to fend off the Red Mist, facilitating quick and safe draws from concealment.

That’s it! That is my plan for this match.

I know how to pull the trigger smoothly, line up the sights correctly, and how to be safe while handling firearms. Any other “things” I could plan on doing would probably exceed the mental bandwidth available after the timer buzzes.

Watching other shooters fire at lightning speed can create tremendous performance anxiety. At some point, you realize that you can only perform at the best of your abilities. You need this realization to keep your competitors’ performance from inducing the Red Mist.

Many people focus on the hoped for outcome of the event, at the expense of those tasks that have to be performed to achieve that goal. When those tasks are performed correctly, the sum of those tasks will equal the desired outcome, which is a winning performance. My focus will be on managing the tasks I have control over. If I do everything correctly, the result will be safe competition, zero-down scores, and a good place in the results.

Now I just have to remember my plan…where did I put that plan?

Reprinted with permission of greatsataninc.com

Womens 5.11 Tactical Taclite Pro Pants Review

I’ve previously established that I’m not tacticool, but I don’t mind admitting that there are some gadgets and widgets in the tactical gear world that I would be happy to own. I now have another item to add to this list: 5.11 Tactical’s Taclite Pro pants for women.

I’ve looked at purchasing tactical pants in the past, but the options for women have always been extremely limited. While there are a few companies that make women’s outdoor clothing, the vast majority of tactical and outdoor sports pants are made only for men. Another issue that has prevented me from finding a pair of pants that are suitable for competition shooting is that I’m a bit vertically challenged, and pretty much all the tactical-ish pants for ladies I’ve looked at are ridiculously high-waisted. I don’t enjoy wearing pants that go up to my armpits in my daily life, and that would be a serious no-go when I’m shooting.

5.11 Tactical decided to tackle the ill-fitting women’s tactical pants issues, and they have recently updated their line of pants for women with a more friendly fit. I got the chance to see their new styling during Media Day at SHOT Show earlier this year, and they caught my eye right away. One of the ladies in the 5.11 Tactical booth was sporting a pair, and they not only looked sharp, the waist looked to be at just about the perfect height (just under the natural waistline).

Thanks to 5.11 Tactical, I now have a pair of Women’s Taclite Pro Pants of my very own. I selected my most often worn pants size, and I was very pleased to find that they fit great through the hip, seat and legs – not loose enough to be called “relaxed”, but still plenty of room to move around in. The top of the pants fall just below my natural waist; I could not have asked for better placement. I was surprised to find that the waistband was on the loose side (hey, maybe I lost some weight. More cake!), but the little areas of elastic on each side of the waist seems to help keep the waist from drooping. I’m almost always going to wear them with one of my competition shooting belts, so this is a non-issue for me. I’m considering that a plus, as the slight looseness will allow me to throw a pair of long underwear on underneath without them being too tight.

The only fit issue I had to deal with was the overall length – a good two inches too long for me. I knew this before I received them because they are only available in regular and long. I managed to hem them myself with no problem (and I didn’t even cheat with hem tape this time), but I really wish 5.11 would add a “petite” length to their line of tactical pants. After all, I’m perfectly average, according to the Government.

The Taclite Pro’s are made with poly-cotton ripstop, which is why I chose them over 5.11′s standard, cotton canvas tactical pants. I figured I would get more use out of a lighter weight pant, and since they are treated with Teflon for a stain resistant finish, I have a chance of keeping them snazzy looking for a decent amount of time. I have a habit of wiping my dirty, grimy magazines off on whatever I’m wearing, so having some stain resistance is a nice bonus.

To put these pants through their paces, I decided to wear them at the two big matches I shot in November: The IDPA South Mountain Showdown and the USPSA Area 2 Championship Match. The IDPA match was an all-day, 8 stage match, and temperatures were unseasonably low with dark rain clouds looming almost all day. I was concerned the fabric would be too light for the weather (anything under 75 degrees=cold), but my legs never felt cold, and they were so comfortable that unlike everything else I was wearing, I didn’t want to rip them off after wearing them for over 11 hours.

For the Area 2 match, I wore them on Saturday, our second full day of shooting. The weather was, again, unseasonably cool with the threat of rain. Once again, the pants felt great all day. I’m really glad I chose these pants for Saturday because it turned out to be the day with some of the most physically challenging stages. The reinforced knees came in very handy while going prone and the deep front pockets allowed me pick up after myself quickly after pulling a couple of yard sales with my magazines. In addition to feeling really comfortable in these pants all day, I also received an inquiry and complement on them from one of my fellow female squad mates, who is of similar stature and has the same problems finding pants to wear while shooting.

To see the pants in action, here’s a video of me shooting stage 7 of the Area 2 match. Yes, the popper on the far right was supposed to go down. (Note to self: the *ding* of the steel does not always mean it went down) Might I suggest focusing on my mag changes instead?

I really like these pants. So much so, I’ve already purchased another pair in black. I decided to purchase a size smaller then the original pair, and that might have not been the best idea. The waist fits better, but the seat, hip and upper leg area are a little too tight (So much for more cake). If you are a skinny-mini, you should be able to get away with purchasing a size smaller than normal, but if you’ve got some shape going on, I’d recommend sticking with your regular pants size.

The tactical pants reviewed above were supplied to me by the fine folks at 5.11 Tactical in exchange for my unbiased review. The 2nd (and soon to be 3rd and 4th) pair I own was purchased with my own monies. Reprinted with permission from GreatSatanInc.com