2-26-2011 IDPA Texas Tactical (ARC)

[SIG_Fiend]

Thread for the event. Feel free to discuss.

From now on, in competition event threads like this, I'm going to post my own observations, and I encourage anyone else that participated in the specific event a thread is about, to post with their own comments and observations. This way shooters can go back through the event threads, track progress, trouble shoot, and other things.

 

[sdsmith0322]

I had a great time, was good seeing everyone.
I need to keep my danged finger off the trigger unless I'm firing

 

[SIG_Fiend]

My observations from this event:

1) I've come to the conclusion that for concealed carry performance takes a huge precedence over comfort. If you need a gun to defend yourself, you need it as fast and efficiently as possible, otherwise what good is it? I have decided that any future holsters I use will have no sweat guard. As many of us know, the current modern grip method that proves most effective with semi auto handguns is known as the "thumbs forward" grip. The grip is initially established with the draw. To do this properly and consistently, we need to start the grip when we establish our grip on the gun in the holster. This means web of the hand is driven high and hard into the grip tang. Also, the gun hand thumb needs to be flagged high on the grip so that when the support hand begins establishing the grip on the gun right before the press out, the gun hand thumb doesn't need to move and the support hand can just slide into place. With holsters that have large sweat guards, if you establish grip with a high flagged thumb, your thumb will be either grabbing the sweat guard and possibly impeding the draw, or else it will bump into the sweat guard and be pushed into a less than optimal lower position which will require re-positioning before completing the support hand grip. Bottom line, large sweat guard = maximum comfort = inferior performance. My current CC holster is the Comp Tac MTAC. While I love this holster and it has been the most comfortable I've found, due to the sweat shield I have noticed that my draw stroke has deteriorated drastically compared to what it used to be. I will likely just cut the sweat guard off because of this.

2) It's interesting how the body adapts and changes subconsciously without you realizing. I've realized lately that I've subconsciously been getting a more aggressive thumbs forward grip. The end result is my support hand wrist is locked full forward and my entire support side arm is actually a bit higher than my primary arm. When lots of people do the thumbs forward grip, they have both arms pretty much evenly extended and elbows bent a little bit more than they should be for optimal recoil control, which results in a little bit more muzzle flip than a true perfect thumbs forward grip. By locking out the support hand wrist the support arm is a bit more straight whereas the primary arm is bent a bit more. Both arms are still extended relatively equal, however what is achieved recoil wise is more consistency in the gun tracking through recoil, and also greater recoil control which is a function of the increased skeletal support from the support side as well as all the muscles and tendons working a bit more effectively in that position as far as I can tell. All I know is my body naturally started moving to this position within the past 6-12 months, and ultimately my performance and consistency has increased drastically. Initially when I first tried this more aggressive thumbs forward grip, I found it to be uncomfortable for my wrists, felt like I couldn't grip as tightly due to the wrist angle (which is physiologically true) and just didn't like it at first. Now that I've been using that grip for awhile, with everything stretching out and getting used to it, I can do it naturally without thinking about it and it is no longer an issue. Moral of the story, new things don't always feel right or feel comfortable. Stick with a technique and give it an honest try before dismissing it as it can take time for the body to adjust.

3) With the higher and more aggressive thumbs forward grip I've subconsciously started using, I've been running into a problem. My support hand palm is so high it is pretty much riding on the slide stop and is occasionally bumping it up and locking the slide before the mag is empty. This problem has been getting worse and worse. I have tried the factory extended slide release as well as going back to the stock slide release and have had the same frequency of error with both. Ultimately, grip is most important as it determines how consistently you run the gun. I have come to the conclusion that my current grip is as near perfect as I can tell and offering me the best performance, therefore it is not acceptable to me to consider adjusting my grip to compensate for this issue. My solution? I am going to take the stock slide lock lever and cut off the exposed part. This will allow me to still get slide lock on empty, nothing will protrude so there will be nothing for me to accidentally bump on, etc. The only dilemma is I now have only 2 choices for releasing the slide. There is the standard over the top power stroke, which is simple, universal, and a robust/reliable method that will work on anything. The second is the mag "bump" cheat code (only applicable on certain guns). Since I shoot a Glock, if I insert the mag very hard, I can usually get my Glock to consistently drop the slide automatically. This is a less reliable technique than the power stroke, however it is worth me experimenting to see what percentage of the time I can get this last method to work as it significantly speeds up the reload. It is funny how we come full circle sometimes. I foresee myself switching back to the power stroke method, at least for my Glocks. While I typically like to use techniques that offer me the fastest manipulation time, there is a lot to be said for simplifying your "tool box" with several universal techniques as opposed to tons of small techniques that can get overwhelming or confusing. Other guns are a whole other story.

 

[SIG_Fiend]

Niki's Stage 5 run

 

[SIG_Fiend]

My Stage 5 run:

 

[sdsmith0322]

I just confirmed it, up until stage 5 I was only 1 point down. Because of my injured leg and me not being able to get in the proper postion required I took 11 points in the 5th stage

 

[Texas1911]

The first stage I did well, but the last 4 I did pretty sucky. I'm almost afraid to look at my times.

 

[Texas1911]

Stage 4 I almost was dead last, and stage 5 I had the fastest time of the match, but I missed one of the targets, so that was 10 + 1 FTN, ugh.

 

[double_r76]

Oh snap... watching videos is going to get me in trouble. I thought Texas Tactical ran the same stages at ARC and Cedar Ridge, but that doesn't look like anything we shot today. I might have to make the trip up there and shoot with you guys, IN ADDITION TO shooting down here. I could definitely use the practice!

-Randy

 

[beav]

The match on Saturday was my first time doing anything like that and I had a blast! I'll definitely be going again. I think my favorite was the stage with the desk.

-Randy W.