Steel Challenge

[clum553946]

Well, I shot a small local Steel Challenge match yesterday, the first time I've shot any competition for over 20 years & boy did I stink it up! I used my old Les Baer Premier in 45 acp & I think I need some more tweaking to get the job done better! My two biggest problems were sight aquisition & using the wrong loads. My older eyes had a problem picking up the sights quickly. I have the old standard target sights that are black & was thinking a front fiber optic sight would be better. It was overcast yesterday & I kept pulling the shots low & to the left. I test fired it before the match & it was spot on at POI. One string I shot was so laughable that I probably could have done better with a handful of rocks! Lol. Looking back, shooting at speed, I just couldn't settle the sights fast enough & missed some targets I usually don't.

The next thing was the loads. I was using cast 185 gr swc over 6.7 AA #5 which is a mild load, but still enough recoil to slow me down. Anyone have any thoughs about using the Lee 160gr 452-160-RF with a light load of W231 & a 12 or 13 lb mainspring? I thought about going to an even lighter bullet since the targets are so close together, but I thought I'd start here.

All in all I had a good time getting my feet wet again. I never have shot Steel before & when it was all said & done, I still got 2nd in my class (there were only 4 shooting single stack) & 18th overall out of a field of 28. Heck, at least I didn't shot my foot off on the draw! I thought of shooting a Para Ordnance P16, but glas I didn't. That was the class that all of the speed demons shoot in! I will stick with single stack 45 acp for now. I had been out of shooting for almost 20 years & started back again about a year & a half ago & all of my practice has been shooting paper at a slow rate of fire. My gun club doesn't allow draw from the holster & no Steel Target practice, so I had no rapid fire experience until I walked into the match. I know I'd never be able to compete with the younger speedier guns, but would like to do 25-30% better. Any suggestions or ideas would ne appreciated. Thnx, Chris

[contender1]

While I only play at Steel Challenge,,, I do compete in USPSA with a 1911, single stack, in L-10 category.

Advice?

At home,, you can improve a LOT by simple dry fire practice.
First,,, MAKE SURE you gun is unloaded. Then check it again. No ammo anywhere in the room.
Next, put up a target for focus.
Work on your draw, grip acquisition, sight alignment, & trigger control. ALL of the serious national champs & all the better shooters keep their skills sharp by doing this weekly. Just many repetitions of the basics will improve your abilities more than you know.

[clum553946]

Thank you, I do dry fire practice, maybe not enough! I was also a little nervous being it was the first time out.

[dubber123]

I ran a steel plates match for about 7 years. The best thing I can tell you is to go slow, and don't miss. Everyone wants to go fast, and that is the surest way to go slow, (misses). Many times at the shoots the "slower" shooters beat the faster ones when the scores were tallied.

I got suckered into a run and gun pistol shoot where hardly anybody was supposed to show. Well, 110 shooters were there. I had no practice from the holster, and had to borrow one for the match. I felt like molasses compared to some of these guys. At the end of the day, I finished well towards the top. All those A zone hits counted after all.

Aim well, squeeze off accurate shots, and have fun. The more you shoot, the faster that procedure will become.

[contender1]

dubber reminded me of a saying we have in USPSA.
"You can't miss fast enough to win & you can't hit slow enough to win. You have to be balanced."

By going a bit slower & getting hits,,, you will be fine.

[Vann]

I've always believed in blacking out my sights, that's the only way I would shoot for years. Last year I up graded my 2nd Gen G17 with a new match barrel, springs, recoil rod, connector and Warren Tactical Sevigny competition sights with a red fiber optic in the front sight. I have to say that glowing red dot really draws the eye. If you're having a hard time with your sights I say go for it, however I still believe in blacked out rear sights. In most cases my front site and the target are the only things I focus on unless the target is small or out out there a good ways. If you have a good grip and practice your stance and hold, the rear sights should naturally fall in line. I feel that fiber optics in the rear sights make things too busy when you are trying to shoot fast.

Just my opinion,
Vann

[clum553946]

I just put a fiber optic front sight on but left the rear sights black & I agree with Vann that putting on fiber optic rears would be too busy. Just from dry practice, the front does draw your eye to the sight picture. I really think I just need to also get some live fire practice & also slow down until I get better. Thnx everyone for your responses!