3 Gun Tips and Tricks

pauls seems to have to most experience with this issue, I am sure he will be along shortly and can give a detailed expaination.

LOL

RULE #1 of PRACTICAL SHOOTING
If one uses a matchsaver during a course of fire, and does not shout matchsaver while doing so, that person must buy the squad a round of beers after the match.

This rule supersedes all other rules that the match director may have in place for any given competition.
100% enforceable, regardless of acknowledgement of the rule (Onagoth) and no expiry of payout of beers.


The only thing that comes out of my mouth during a course of fire is usually curse words.
Lets just say, I owe my regular squad mates about a case and a half of bears each.....

hell, I owe guys in Denmark and Estonia beers.
 
1. Make sure your holster will retain your pistol while running, jumping, crawling, etc. I recommend a kydex one with some form of retention other than just friction.
2. Make sure all your gear is secure and won't fall off. It's tough when you get to the last bank of targets and need another magazine and you realize that they all fell out while crawling through a culvert or low wire obstacle or just jumping down from a roof barricade.
3. Pattern your shotgun with your chosen loads and chokes at distances so you know when you need to switch up chokes or go to heavier shot if able to.
4. Zero your rifle and understand your holdovers for distances both long range and short range. Impacts of height over bore on POA POI is good to understand.
5. Understand what canting your rifle 90 degrees either way does to your zero at multiple distances. I reccommend 25, 50 and 100m.
6. When shooting through a barricade port with your pistol, don't stick your pistol through the port, if you do muzzle flip may cause you to smack your front sight into the top of the port and smash your fiber optic if thats what your running.
7. When shooting around a barricade from the kneeling, keep your outside knee up, use your support hand to lock the forend of you rifle to the barricade and plant your firing hand elbow on your outside knee. Will make a much more stable platform.
8. Work to understand what you need in terms of slight alignment for accuaracy versus speed. By that I mean you need to know what kind of slight alignment and sight picture you can use to hit an full size steel IDPA target at 25m vice a 6" plate at 50m. If your looking to shoot at speed they are not the same.
9.Know how to rectify stoppages with all three guns. Nothing eats time like a double feed and not knowing the steps to clear it fast.
10. When shooting a Texas Star/Whirly Gig etc. start at the top and work your way down from side to side, if your good you will be shooting almost static targets. Starting at the bottom is your way to a very rapidly spinning target that is hard to shoot.
 
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I learned just yesterday to make sure you keep your shell holders just far enough away from your duty belt release button that you don't accidentally unlatch your gear while scrambling to reload your shotgun...
 
10. When shooting a Texas Star/Whirly Gig etc. start at the top and work your way down from side to side, if your good you will be shooting almost static targets. Starting at the bottom is your way to a very rapidly spinning target that is hard to shoot.

Which is fine until there's a specified start plate to get it spinning.
 
TIP:

Make sure that you are familiar with the scoring system for the match you are attending.

For example:

In "time plus" scoring, a missed target is (at our club anyways) worth a 5 second penalty.
So, don't spend 20 seconds trying to hit a steel knock down target when the miss is worth less than spending a magazine on it.

You do have to attempt it though or you will receive a FTN penalty on top of the miss.

Just little ways to game the stage....
 
Do competitors manage to keep a running count of how many rounds are in their shotgun during a stage?


I don't count. But if it's not going bang it's being loaded. Now some clubs have guns must be empty when grounded or dumped. I would count for that
 
TIP:

Double check to make sure that your mags are all topped up before you start a stage.
Nothing like grabbing a mag from your belt only to find 2 rounds in the mag....:cool:
 
Listen to the stage brief or risk shooting a stage like this guy...

[youtube]mshn-IyJXpo[/youtube]
 
TIP:

Double check to make sure that your mags are all topped up before you start a stage.
Nothing like grabbing a mag from your belt only to find 2 rounds in the mag....:cool:

After a stage with rifle I empty the mags I've used (if they're not empty already) and reload them with 10 round stripper clips. Fast, easy and no counting required.

It helps to prevent what you mentioned.
 
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