If you've shot or observed even one match, or watched some match video on YouTube, you're probably already aware of the most visible staff: Safety/Range Officers. While they're an important part of the shooting sports, they're part of a much larger team, including a team that isn't just there for match days. In an early post, I talked a bit about the work that goes into just one one-day event, but there's so much more...and sometimes, just saying thanks isn't enough. As we head into the warmer shooting season, I want to say a few words about range maintenance and work generally. While there are range facilities and shooting organizations with paid staff, many clubs and events run on the shoulders of passionate volunteers. You may not be aware of the many skills and the amount of grunt work that allow you to enjoy the shooting sports, or what you can offer to keep your club running on a day to day basis.
Last weekend, I was delighted to participate as an instructor at A Girl & A Gun Club's National Conference, where I taught a range of competitive shooting classes both on and off the range, as well as live fire sessions on target transitions and alternate shooting positions. With over 100 women attending from across the United States (and the UK!), plus speakers, instructors, staff, and vendors for the two and a half-day event, you can imagine the logistical nightmares involved in putting together what amounted to a combined professional conference and major match. It's easy to think of and appreciate the event planning and other "big" tasks that go into pulling off this type of three-ring circus, but it's also important not to forget the smaller things like putting together swag bags or stapling up targets. And while firearms-related skills are certainly an important part of this type of event and organization, it's not just that. You don't need to be a master-level shooter to be able to help with financial management, coordinate sponsors and vendors, design programs and swag, or make emergency runs to the store...and all of those things are just as necessary.
Special events aren't the only thing that need all hands on deck, though. My home club, like many shooting clubs, is almost entirely volunteer-run. As with a regular for-profit business, ranges need administrative work like managing bank accounts, reviewing membership applications, handling legal and insurance paperwork, and coordinating scheduling - along with physical upkeep and upgrades from the mundane work of keeping the clubhouse clean and the security system running to overseeing range safety improvements and target installation. We draw on the expertise of many members' "day jobs", including donated professional time, and it's always helpful when someone lets us know that they have knowledge, skills or access to resources that help in those areas. It's not just the white collar types of skills either. We've been very thankful in the past year or so for members with heavy equipment who are able to move the massive amounts of dirt required to expand and upgrade shooting bays. Don't be fooled into thinking that special skills are needed for all that needs to be done, though. The biggest tasks we tackled at the work day we had this weekend just needed people who could wield shovels, rakes, hammers, and drills - nothing more complicated than what you might need to do around your house. For those of us who have physical limitations, there are similarly important tasks needed year-round that can be as simple as stuffing envelopes for membership renewal letters.
Shooting is a lot of fun, but there's a lot of work that's necessary to keep our events and our ranges open. If we all kick in a few hours here and there, then we all get more time to get to the making loud noises part. How many non-shooting hours have you put into your range lately? What skills can you bring to your home club?
31 March 2013
05 March 2013
The Winter of My 1911
Many shooters, competitive and recreational, take a break during the colder and shorter days of winter. Even for those of us who don't shoot at outdoor ranges, the holidays and other obligations often make it tougher to get out to the range between October and March. While I don't shoot as much over the winter as I do in the spring and fall, the match I co-direct does run year-round as do several other local matches. I also try to take advantage of my extra free weekends to get in some off-season practice and to fit in a few more private students than I usually have the time to take on during my competition/training season. I also like to use winter as a time to set my shooting goals for the upcoming year. One of my most popular posts has been about shooting your own match, and this quiet time is a good time to consider what that means to you moving forward.
As I ended last season, I was concerned that my improvement was starting to plateau. In order to combat that, and to give myself an opportunity to broaden my skill set generally, I decided to switch competition platforms. I committed to spend the winter months shooting a 9mm 1911, with a plan to go after classification in both USPSA Single Stack and IDPA Enhanced Service Pistol in the spring classifier matches that traditionally run in my region. Even with the slightly slower pace of matches, I thought this and consistent dry-fire practice would force me to learn enough about shooting this gun to be able to make a more informed decision about its positives and negatives, both in my hands and generally. My 1911 is a Commander-sized model with an extended magazine release, a slightly over-sized ambidextrous safety, and a beavertail. It also has a larger and beveled magazine well than is normally standard, and aggressive checkering on front and backstrap and under the trigger guard. Mine happened to come with these features stock from the factory, but it's a pretty complete collection of common modifications I've seen to the platform. About a month into the winter, I also switched to a pair of VZ Grips Slim Gator Back grips generously lent to me by a friend.
This winter, I learned that while single-stack guns like the 1911 are often recommended for shooters with small hands, they still may not present the best fit. Even with slim grips and an extended magazine release, I do have some issues reaching the controls and finding the mag release for reloads. I'll be getting slim grips with a "scoop" or "super scoop" to help combat that problem. I also have had to work hard on some very subtle aspects of my trigger press, as the slide trigger on the 1911 is a bit different from the hinged trigger on my M&P. Because the geometry of the grip is such that I do have to reach to get to my standard trigger, I have to be very careful not to nudge the gun as the trigger breaks. A short trigger may fix the issue, but in the meantime I've been doing a lot of wall drills and my personal variations on the dime/washer drill - something that will certainly benefit me when I return to my M&P.
My 1911 has been a return to 3-dot sights for me, which I'd left behind over the summer when I switched to a red fiber front/straight black rear sight set on my M&P. The front sight blade on my 1911 is also quite a bit fatter than on my M&P, and fills more of the gap between the rear sights. All of the lessons I've had in focusing on the front sight, and really seeing the perfect sight alignment became even more important with these 3-dot tritiums. Just lining up the dots isn't enough, especially with distance shots....a lesson I fully intend to transfer back to every other gun I shoot.
One of my initial concerns had been whether or not I could adjust to using a manual safety, since this is my only non-.22lr target pistol with a manual safety. It was almost entirely a non-issue. Over a handful of nights in dry-fire, I made a minor adjustment to my right thumb during the grip acquisition phase of my draw stroke. By pointing it a bit higher as my hand came down on the grip, my thumb naturally ended up on top of the safety, clicked it off as my hand rotated the gun towards the target, and stayed in place to ride the safety. I don't find that the slight change in where my right thumb starts on the grip acquisition to affect my draw of a gun without a manual safety. As a bonus, it's trained my right hand to really get high up on the grip, which has improved my recoil control.
When I discuss gun choice with new shooters, I often steer them away from the 1911 as a first gun, partially because they have more complex maintenance requirements than many more modern designs. While my 1911 was reliable all winter, I was forcefully reminded me of this when it more or less screeched to a grinding halt functionally, with no warning. I shot it last Monday for a short IDPA match and had no problems. On Saturday, my planned USPSA Classifier Match [pdf], I had an odd feed issue with one magazine in the 4-magazine field stage I started with. I then proceeded to shoot 6 classifier stages with malfunctions in every single stage ranging from simple stovepipes to doublefeeds to the unique - and as far as I know, unnamed - experience of looking down and seeing a round in the chamber, a round trying to feed, AND a casing stuck on the extractor. Not the best thing that's ever happened to my classifier scores, and the type of problem that's not easy or fast to diagnose and fix on the range during a match. It certainly gave me a lot of practice with my mental game, though.
I've learned a lot about 9mm 1911s in the past few months. And while I respect and appreciate the platform more now than I did, I'm also pretty sure that I don't like it as a long-term option for me. I think I'll still return to it occasionally for fun though, or to work again on the skills it's made me focus on. And I'd definitely recommend trying something new for a few months or a year to anyone looking to break a plateau. What will you try?
As I ended last season, I was concerned that my improvement was starting to plateau. In order to combat that, and to give myself an opportunity to broaden my skill set generally, I decided to switch competition platforms. I committed to spend the winter months shooting a 9mm 1911, with a plan to go after classification in both USPSA Single Stack and IDPA Enhanced Service Pistol in the spring classifier matches that traditionally run in my region. Even with the slightly slower pace of matches, I thought this and consistent dry-fire practice would force me to learn enough about shooting this gun to be able to make a more informed decision about its positives and negatives, both in my hands and generally. My 1911 is a Commander-sized model with an extended magazine release, a slightly over-sized ambidextrous safety, and a beavertail. It also has a larger and beveled magazine well than is normally standard, and aggressive checkering on front and backstrap and under the trigger guard. Mine happened to come with these features stock from the factory, but it's a pretty complete collection of common modifications I've seen to the platform. About a month into the winter, I also switched to a pair of VZ Grips Slim Gator Back grips generously lent to me by a friend.
This winter, I learned that while single-stack guns like the 1911 are often recommended for shooters with small hands, they still may not present the best fit. Even with slim grips and an extended magazine release, I do have some issues reaching the controls and finding the mag release for reloads. I'll be getting slim grips with a "scoop" or "super scoop" to help combat that problem. I also have had to work hard on some very subtle aspects of my trigger press, as the slide trigger on the 1911 is a bit different from the hinged trigger on my M&P. Because the geometry of the grip is such that I do have to reach to get to my standard trigger, I have to be very careful not to nudge the gun as the trigger breaks. A short trigger may fix the issue, but in the meantime I've been doing a lot of wall drills and my personal variations on the dime/washer drill - something that will certainly benefit me when I return to my M&P.
My 1911 has been a return to 3-dot sights for me, which I'd left behind over the summer when I switched to a red fiber front/straight black rear sight set on my M&P. The front sight blade on my 1911 is also quite a bit fatter than on my M&P, and fills more of the gap between the rear sights. All of the lessons I've had in focusing on the front sight, and really seeing the perfect sight alignment became even more important with these 3-dot tritiums. Just lining up the dots isn't enough, especially with distance shots....a lesson I fully intend to transfer back to every other gun I shoot.
One of my initial concerns had been whether or not I could adjust to using a manual safety, since this is my only non-.22lr target pistol with a manual safety. It was almost entirely a non-issue. Over a handful of nights in dry-fire, I made a minor adjustment to my right thumb during the grip acquisition phase of my draw stroke. By pointing it a bit higher as my hand came down on the grip, my thumb naturally ended up on top of the safety, clicked it off as my hand rotated the gun towards the target, and stayed in place to ride the safety. I don't find that the slight change in where my right thumb starts on the grip acquisition to affect my draw of a gun without a manual safety. As a bonus, it's trained my right hand to really get high up on the grip, which has improved my recoil control.
When I discuss gun choice with new shooters, I often steer them away from the 1911 as a first gun, partially because they have more complex maintenance requirements than many more modern designs. While my 1911 was reliable all winter, I was forcefully reminded me of this when it more or less screeched to a grinding halt functionally, with no warning. I shot it last Monday for a short IDPA match and had no problems. On Saturday, my planned USPSA Classifier Match [pdf], I had an odd feed issue with one magazine in the 4-magazine field stage I started with. I then proceeded to shoot 6 classifier stages with malfunctions in every single stage ranging from simple stovepipes to doublefeeds to the unique - and as far as I know, unnamed - experience of looking down and seeing a round in the chamber, a round trying to feed, AND a casing stuck on the extractor. Not the best thing that's ever happened to my classifier scores, and the type of problem that's not easy or fast to diagnose and fix on the range during a match. It certainly gave me a lot of practice with my mental game, though.
I've learned a lot about 9mm 1911s in the past few months. And while I respect and appreciate the platform more now than I did, I'm also pretty sure that I don't like it as a long-term option for me. I think I'll still return to it occasionally for fun though, or to work again on the skills it's made me focus on. And I'd definitely recommend trying something new for a few months or a year to anyone looking to break a plateau. What will you try?
14 January 2013
On Building New Habits
Politics aside, Beauty Behind the Blast is intended to be a blog about shooting. As with most sports, the new year is also a time many people choose to start or recommit to various shooting-related goals. With the price of ammo going up and availability going down, dry fire is probably becoming increasingly popular. Between that and the travel time to my range, beefing up my dry fire routine is one of my primary New Year's resolutions. Unsurprisingly, this isn't my first foray into trying to make dry fire a regular part of my routine, but I've been working on new approaches I'm hoping will make this attempt stick - and maybe give you a few ideas if dry fire is one of your resolutions too.
While I'm only a few weeks into this round of making dry fire part of my routine, I think it's likely to be more successful because there are many parallels to how I made exercise a habit. Over three years ago, I decided I needed to work out more regularly. Since I'm still hopping on my elliptical five days a week, there must be some lessons to be learned there. I've broken them down to five key areas that I think made my morning run a sustained success and that I'm working on applying to my evening dry fire: finding effective motivation, making it a part of my day, finding a repeatable routine, allowing myself false starts, and - circling back to the first area - discovering that I enjoy the results of my work more than I dislike actually doing the work.
It seems pretty obvious, but it helps to have a reason for your new habit - one that you can articulate clearly. There's no universal right answer here because it has to be something that speaks just to you. Maybe it's wanting to be more comfortable with your gun. Maybe it's making sure that you have the handling skills necessary to effectively shoot in self defense. Maybe it's wanting to bump up to the next classification or place higher at your next match. For me, I find it helps to have a specific motivation. The first couple times I tried to make my daily workout stick, vague goals like "be in better shape" or "lose some weight" weren't really helpful. The motivation that worked was much more concrete: rehab my blown knee and make sure I was strong enough to reduce joint pain and prevent future injuries - or at least make sure that future rehab was easier. Similarly, I have a "story" about what I want to do with my shooting, and the goals I want to meet, to motivate me with my 2013 dry fire resolution.
All of the best intentions in the world aren't enough, though - if they were, all of us ladies would be our ideal size and weight, with the perfect wardrobe, and the most personally fulfilling careers. Therefore, like having a concrete goal, having a concrete plan to meet that goal is important. While there are many resources on specific dry fire routines, I want to concentrate on a few of the underlying process parts. First, it's important to build time into your regular routine for your new task, and to reduce as many of the barriers as possible to getting started every day. Second, your new task needs a doable, repeatable routine. My run is the first thing I do every morning before work, and I go so far as to lay out my exercise clothes the night before so that I don't even have to be fully awake to get started. I also have a set workout for every day of the week: If it's Monday, it's my day for a 5K.
Since I can't cram more into my mornings, I've decided that 7:30 each evening is the time when I'm most likely to be a lazy bump on my couch. I set a recurring task on my phone to buzz an alarm every night at that time to tell me to dry fire instead. On nights that I don't dry fire, I have to make a conscious decision to turn off the reminder. I've also done my best to reduce my excuses by setting up my gear to be as dry fire-ready as possible: holster, mag carriers, and belt are set up with an extra pair of pants, extra mags are pre-loaded with dummy rounds, targets stay set up against my safe backstops. I just need to step into a different pair of pants and open my safe (or snag my airsoft pistol) to get started. I've also done the preliminary homework to review a set of drills and pick out the ones I'll do, so I don't have to think about it when I get started. While there are some fantastically complicated exercises out there, you probably won't do them if they require more time to set up than to run through.
You've set your goal, gotten everything in order to dry fire, but then you skip a couple nights...maybe even a week or two. What next? Don't let it discourage you. Pick tonight to be the night you re-start the routine. False starts happen - sometimes because you get unmotivated, sometimes because your day job gets overwhelming, sometimes because you get stuck in a whirlwind of social life, sometimes because you get injured. That's okay. Take a deep breath, get your schedule cleared out, set your gear back up, and get back on the horse. I also keep myself on track by deciding in advance what allowable excuses will be. I commit to working out every day I go to work or work from home, but not on days I take off or am on the road early. Similarly, I've decided I will dry fire at least five minutes every night that I haven't live fired and that I get home at a reasonable time. That way, a night or even a few nights off in a row won't derail me.
And at the end of the day, a lot of making a good new habit stick is to make sure you want the results more than you don't want to do the underlying work. It's what stops us from having that brownie for a snack, because we really want to look good next summer. It's what keeps us hitting the books and struggling through classes, because we really want to get that degree/certification/license. And it's what inspires me to dry fire and practice, because I'm really looking forward to making my 2013 shooting goals. What about you?
While I'm only a few weeks into this round of making dry fire part of my routine, I think it's likely to be more successful because there are many parallels to how I made exercise a habit. Over three years ago, I decided I needed to work out more regularly. Since I'm still hopping on my elliptical five days a week, there must be some lessons to be learned there. I've broken them down to five key areas that I think made my morning run a sustained success and that I'm working on applying to my evening dry fire: finding effective motivation, making it a part of my day, finding a repeatable routine, allowing myself false starts, and - circling back to the first area - discovering that I enjoy the results of my work more than I dislike actually doing the work.
It seems pretty obvious, but it helps to have a reason for your new habit - one that you can articulate clearly. There's no universal right answer here because it has to be something that speaks just to you. Maybe it's wanting to be more comfortable with your gun. Maybe it's making sure that you have the handling skills necessary to effectively shoot in self defense. Maybe it's wanting to bump up to the next classification or place higher at your next match. For me, I find it helps to have a specific motivation. The first couple times I tried to make my daily workout stick, vague goals like "be in better shape" or "lose some weight" weren't really helpful. The motivation that worked was much more concrete: rehab my blown knee and make sure I was strong enough to reduce joint pain and prevent future injuries - or at least make sure that future rehab was easier. Similarly, I have a "story" about what I want to do with my shooting, and the goals I want to meet, to motivate me with my 2013 dry fire resolution.
All of the best intentions in the world aren't enough, though - if they were, all of us ladies would be our ideal size and weight, with the perfect wardrobe, and the most personally fulfilling careers. Therefore, like having a concrete goal, having a concrete plan to meet that goal is important. While there are many resources on specific dry fire routines, I want to concentrate on a few of the underlying process parts. First, it's important to build time into your regular routine for your new task, and to reduce as many of the barriers as possible to getting started every day. Second, your new task needs a doable, repeatable routine. My run is the first thing I do every morning before work, and I go so far as to lay out my exercise clothes the night before so that I don't even have to be fully awake to get started. I also have a set workout for every day of the week: If it's Monday, it's my day for a 5K.
Since I can't cram more into my mornings, I've decided that 7:30 each evening is the time when I'm most likely to be a lazy bump on my couch. I set a recurring task on my phone to buzz an alarm every night at that time to tell me to dry fire instead. On nights that I don't dry fire, I have to make a conscious decision to turn off the reminder. I've also done my best to reduce my excuses by setting up my gear to be as dry fire-ready as possible: holster, mag carriers, and belt are set up with an extra pair of pants, extra mags are pre-loaded with dummy rounds, targets stay set up against my safe backstops. I just need to step into a different pair of pants and open my safe (or snag my airsoft pistol) to get started. I've also done the preliminary homework to review a set of drills and pick out the ones I'll do, so I don't have to think about it when I get started. While there are some fantastically complicated exercises out there, you probably won't do them if they require more time to set up than to run through.
You've set your goal, gotten everything in order to dry fire, but then you skip a couple nights...maybe even a week or two. What next? Don't let it discourage you. Pick tonight to be the night you re-start the routine. False starts happen - sometimes because you get unmotivated, sometimes because your day job gets overwhelming, sometimes because you get stuck in a whirlwind of social life, sometimes because you get injured. That's okay. Take a deep breath, get your schedule cleared out, set your gear back up, and get back on the horse. I also keep myself on track by deciding in advance what allowable excuses will be. I commit to working out every day I go to work or work from home, but not on days I take off or am on the road early. Similarly, I've decided I will dry fire at least five minutes every night that I haven't live fired and that I get home at a reasonable time. That way, a night or even a few nights off in a row won't derail me.
And at the end of the day, a lot of making a good new habit stick is to make sure you want the results more than you don't want to do the underlying work. It's what stops us from having that brownie for a snack, because we really want to look good next summer. It's what keeps us hitting the books and struggling through classes, because we really want to get that degree/certification/license. And it's what inspires me to dry fire and practice, because I'm really looking forward to making my 2013 shooting goals. What about you?
30 December 2012
An Accidental Activist
Dec 2015 Update - In the wake of San Bernardino, I've realized that the more things change, the more things stay the same. I don't particularly care for getting political, but I don't feel like I am left any choice to protect both the options I want to keep available for my self defense and for the sport I am passionate about. I'm no hero or hero wannabe; I just want the right to keep effective tools at hand rather than to die cowering and with regret. I've become a safe and effective shooter for love of the game, and I see no reason I should be forced to leave those skills at the range when someone means to and is able to do me imminent, grievous bodily harm.
It's not that I think it likely that I will be in the vicinity of some sort of mass attack, or that evil overwhelmingly walks among us. It's that if it does, when it does, I'm not left hiding and wishing for a better way to survive. If I were diagnosed with a terminal disease, I'd feel the same way: I'd want to live and to fight for every day I can have with the best quality of life I can get. I don't live in fear; I live in the powerful optimism that life is beautiful and worth fighting for (hat tip, Cornered Cat).
Like the rest of the world, I watched in horror as the recent events in Sandy Hook unfolded, along with other violent events of the past few months. I don't have a specific frame of reference to say that I can understand what the victims and survivors are feeling, so I can only offer my sympathy and condolences. My friends span the entire political spectrum so in the past few weeks I've heard most of the rhetoric that's been swirling around mental health treatment, school security, gun ownership, and more. I generally try to stay apolitical but it'd be like talking around the mastodon in the room to not speak at least briefly to gun rights, gun control, and my journey towards advocating for simplification of existing laws and enforcement of what is in place, rather than adding more layers of regulation in response to the call to "do something".
When I first learned to shoot, it was mainly because I thought it was the sort of skill every girl should pick up - just like learning to change a tire or use power tools. The fun part of it came as a surprise, and I bought my first .22lr pistol to enjoy going to the range every couple weeks to plink. In order to make it easier to comply with transport laws, I got my license to carry firearms soon after. That was my first hint that complying with gun laws might be a little more complex than I suspected. Even though I waited many weeks for my license to come through, and learned that the sheriff's office called and spoke to each of my references, that extensive process apparently wasn't enough for me to stay legal everywhere I went. In fact, one of the routes to the range involved hopping into another a state to get back into my home state, and I had to remember to follow federal interstate transport laws to stay legal. Figuring out how to get licensed in a manner that would allow me to just stop for dinner on the most efficient route home, then finding the required training classes, getting the right pictures taken, figuring out where to get fingerprints done...I had no idea at the time how complicated it could get!
Over time, I noticed a theme - being a law-abiding gun owner wasn't easy, and it got even harder once I started thinking about the intricacies of permissible self-defense. Before I got into shooting, I'd only considered the use of deadly force as an academic problem. After I became more proficient, partially through defensive and tactical shooting classes because they were the most accessible way to get formal training, it seemed obvious to me that my newly-won skills were something I could use in my everyday life...one that involved late evening walks through a city known for crime but was where I worked and went to school, and a minor disability that makes running away less of an option than it might be for others. Even so, it wasn't an easy decision to make, and one I learned raised many of the same questions other responsible gun owners ask: the practicalities of how to carry, the morality of balancing my life against an attacker's, the legality of where I could have my gun and when I could use it. And that last question? So incredibly confusing to tease out the exact circumstances when using a gun in self-defense wouldn't lead to me becoming a criminal defendant.
As I acquired more guns for different aspects of my new hobby, I learned that many features I found fun or useful - or even necessary - were formerly illegal under the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, currently illegal in certain states, and now proposed to become illegal under new proposals. Features like collapsible stocks, which allow me to properly shoulder a rifle, pistol grips that are more comfortable for my hands and wrists, or suppressors that help protect my hearing. The full capacity magazines that came with many of my pistols can't be taken into many neighboring states without breaking the law. And if not illegal, many items are or are proposed to be taxed in a way to make an already pricey sport even more expensive. For example, a short-barreled rifle that would be easier for my 5'4" self to handle requires a $200 tax stamp and 5-8+ months of processing.
I didn't want to become a firearms activist. It started only because I couldn't understand why it was so difficult to avoid inadvertently breaking the law. It continued when I realized that my new friends in the firearms community were well-trained, level-headed, thoughtful people - not exactly the hot-headed, violent, impulsive types I was led to believe permeated the gun owning crowd (though they're out there! just not everyone, or even most everyone). And as I stand here today, I've realized that I must stand for my community or risk losing what brought us together. So this is one of my New Year's resolutions: to continue to be a good example of a gun owner, and not to stay silent about it. I'm going to teach more, train more, and be a vocal reminder of what this shooter looks like: a law-abiding, white-collar professional passionately enjoying a hobby that has given me good friendships, a way to defend myself, and a sport that I will physically be able to continue with indefinitely. But only if the proposed legislation comes to a grinding halt.
It's not that I think it likely that I will be in the vicinity of some sort of mass attack, or that evil overwhelmingly walks among us. It's that if it does, when it does, I'm not left hiding and wishing for a better way to survive. If I were diagnosed with a terminal disease, I'd feel the same way: I'd want to live and to fight for every day I can have with the best quality of life I can get. I don't live in fear; I live in the powerful optimism that life is beautiful and worth fighting for (hat tip, Cornered Cat).
Like the rest of the world, I watched in horror as the recent events in Sandy Hook unfolded, along with other violent events of the past few months. I don't have a specific frame of reference to say that I can understand what the victims and survivors are feeling, so I can only offer my sympathy and condolences. My friends span the entire political spectrum so in the past few weeks I've heard most of the rhetoric that's been swirling around mental health treatment, school security, gun ownership, and more. I generally try to stay apolitical but it'd be like talking around the mastodon in the room to not speak at least briefly to gun rights, gun control, and my journey towards advocating for simplification of existing laws and enforcement of what is in place, rather than adding more layers of regulation in response to the call to "do something".
When I first learned to shoot, it was mainly because I thought it was the sort of skill every girl should pick up - just like learning to change a tire or use power tools. The fun part of it came as a surprise, and I bought my first .22lr pistol to enjoy going to the range every couple weeks to plink. In order to make it easier to comply with transport laws, I got my license to carry firearms soon after. That was my first hint that complying with gun laws might be a little more complex than I suspected. Even though I waited many weeks for my license to come through, and learned that the sheriff's office called and spoke to each of my references, that extensive process apparently wasn't enough for me to stay legal everywhere I went. In fact, one of the routes to the range involved hopping into another a state to get back into my home state, and I had to remember to follow federal interstate transport laws to stay legal. Figuring out how to get licensed in a manner that would allow me to just stop for dinner on the most efficient route home, then finding the required training classes, getting the right pictures taken, figuring out where to get fingerprints done...I had no idea at the time how complicated it could get!
Over time, I noticed a theme - being a law-abiding gun owner wasn't easy, and it got even harder once I started thinking about the intricacies of permissible self-defense. Before I got into shooting, I'd only considered the use of deadly force as an academic problem. After I became more proficient, partially through defensive and tactical shooting classes because they were the most accessible way to get formal training, it seemed obvious to me that my newly-won skills were something I could use in my everyday life...one that involved late evening walks through a city known for crime but was where I worked and went to school, and a minor disability that makes running away less of an option than it might be for others. Even so, it wasn't an easy decision to make, and one I learned raised many of the same questions other responsible gun owners ask: the practicalities of how to carry, the morality of balancing my life against an attacker's, the legality of where I could have my gun and when I could use it. And that last question? So incredibly confusing to tease out the exact circumstances when using a gun in self-defense wouldn't lead to me becoming a criminal defendant.
As I acquired more guns for different aspects of my new hobby, I learned that many features I found fun or useful - or even necessary - were formerly illegal under the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, currently illegal in certain states, and now proposed to become illegal under new proposals. Features like collapsible stocks, which allow me to properly shoulder a rifle, pistol grips that are more comfortable for my hands and wrists, or suppressors that help protect my hearing. The full capacity magazines that came with many of my pistols can't be taken into many neighboring states without breaking the law. And if not illegal, many items are or are proposed to be taxed in a way to make an already pricey sport even more expensive. For example, a short-barreled rifle that would be easier for my 5'4" self to handle requires a $200 tax stamp and 5-8+ months of processing.
I didn't want to become a firearms activist. It started only because I couldn't understand why it was so difficult to avoid inadvertently breaking the law. It continued when I realized that my new friends in the firearms community were well-trained, level-headed, thoughtful people - not exactly the hot-headed, violent, impulsive types I was led to believe permeated the gun owning crowd (though they're out there! just not everyone, or even most everyone). And as I stand here today, I've realized that I must stand for my community or risk losing what brought us together. So this is one of my New Year's resolutions: to continue to be a good example of a gun owner, and not to stay silent about it. I'm going to teach more, train more, and be a vocal reminder of what this shooter looks like: a law-abiding, white-collar professional passionately enjoying a hobby that has given me good friendships, a way to defend myself, and a sport that I will physically be able to continue with indefinitely. But only if the proposed legislation comes to a grinding halt.
11 December 2012
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
I'm rather uncharacteristically late with my holiday shopping this year, but we still have a few days left in Hanukkah, some shopping days left before Christmas, and some families who celebrate on a non-traditional schedule anyhow (one of mine is exchanging gifts on New Year's!). For those of you who are as behind as I am, I offer a few stocking stuffers for a beautiful shooter in your life - perhaps you. I'm going to focus on small craftswomen and craftsmen, since I like to support them as much as possible. Also, these are all products I'm personally familiar with in some way, so if I've left something out, it's only because I haven't gotten my paws on it yet to try it out for myself.
Anybody who's seen me on the range in the last year knows that I'm a big fan of Brilliant Backstraps - a colorful and glitzy add-on to any standard semi-automatic Smith & Wesson M&P Pistol (unfortunately, not the .22lr version or the Shield), as well as for the Sig Sauer P226 and P229. I'm one of the early testers of the product and in the spirit of full disclosure, got my first backstrap for free, but have since purchased others to outfit more of my collection. The best part of using Brilliant Backstraps, in my eyes, is that you can change them out easily and they don't impact the function of the gun. I talked to Tracy, the woman behind the glitter clouds, this morning and she tells me that you have until the end of the week to get your orders in for any standard backstrap if you want it by Christmas.
Unfortunately, this post is too late to make the Christmas ordering deadline for PHLster, a small Kydex holster shop in - surprise - Philadelphia, but gift certificates are available. And if you really can't wait, the same people behind PHLster have also released a series of DIY Kydex holster videos on YouTube as PhillyEDC. While their website selection is limited, they, like many shops, can work with you for custom pieces. It's always worth asking the question if you find a company you like because you might get surprised by what they can turn out for you if you are patient...an especially exciting option given the many colors of Kydex now available. I was in PHLster's shop when they crafted the competition rig for my 1911 and can attest to their quality work (they're also my holster sponsor, so there's that, but I truly do like the gear they've done for me).
If leather is more to your taste, there are many similar small shops out there. I had some input on JesseGunLeather's line of brightly colored and patterned women's holsters, and love the not-basic-black looks of their products. It's too late to order in time for Christmas from many of them but even getting in an order can be a gift when wait times are measured in the 6-8 month time frame for makers like Milt Sparks, who made one of my favorite holsters, the Versa Max 2.
Since many of us have too much "stuff" cluttering our range bags, another option is to give the gift of training. Whatever level your giftee is at, there's training available for him or her - from a basic NRA skills class to a private or small group lesson from someone like me or another local training group to stretching out more advanced skills, it's out there. For women especially, it can be a treat if you can find women's-only classes. I'm incredibly excited to be teaching at Breaking Barriers, A Girl & A Gun Shooting League's 2013 conference. Spots are still open, and a membership in the club or a check for conference fees might be just the treat for a woman shooter in your life. I'm also very pleased to announce that I'll be hosting the amazing Kathy Jackson of Cornered Cat for a women's defensive pistol class at my home range in Southeastern Pennsylvania, in April 2013. A bit of a plug, yes, but training of any form is still a great gift...and one that can be very forgiving of being a procrastinating shopper.
Having pretty gear doesn't conflict with being a good shooter, and getting top-notch training is part of what makes for more fun on the range. I've only listed a few things above, but anyone who's received a MidwayBrownellsCabellas catalog knows there's a lot of choices out there. What will you give to the beautiful shooter in your life? That's you! What do you want for the holidays?
Anybody who's seen me on the range in the last year knows that I'm a big fan of Brilliant Backstraps - a colorful and glitzy add-on to any standard semi-automatic Smith & Wesson M&P Pistol (unfortunately, not the .22lr version or the Shield), as well as for the Sig Sauer P226 and P229. I'm one of the early testers of the product and in the spirit of full disclosure, got my first backstrap for free, but have since purchased others to outfit more of my collection. The best part of using Brilliant Backstraps, in my eyes, is that you can change them out easily and they don't impact the function of the gun. I talked to Tracy, the woman behind the glitter clouds, this morning and she tells me that you have until the end of the week to get your orders in for any standard backstrap if you want it by Christmas.
Unfortunately, this post is too late to make the Christmas ordering deadline for PHLster, a small Kydex holster shop in - surprise - Philadelphia, but gift certificates are available. And if you really can't wait, the same people behind PHLster have also released a series of DIY Kydex holster videos on YouTube as PhillyEDC. While their website selection is limited, they, like many shops, can work with you for custom pieces. It's always worth asking the question if you find a company you like because you might get surprised by what they can turn out for you if you are patient...an especially exciting option given the many colors of Kydex now available. I was in PHLster's shop when they crafted the competition rig for my 1911 and can attest to their quality work (they're also my holster sponsor, so there's that, but I truly do like the gear they've done for me).
If leather is more to your taste, there are many similar small shops out there. I had some input on JesseGunLeather's line of brightly colored and patterned women's holsters, and love the not-basic-black looks of their products. It's too late to order in time for Christmas from many of them but even getting in an order can be a gift when wait times are measured in the 6-8 month time frame for makers like Milt Sparks, who made one of my favorite holsters, the Versa Max 2.
Since many of us have too much "stuff" cluttering our range bags, another option is to give the gift of training. Whatever level your giftee is at, there's training available for him or her - from a basic NRA skills class to a private or small group lesson from someone like me or another local training group to stretching out more advanced skills, it's out there. For women especially, it can be a treat if you can find women's-only classes. I'm incredibly excited to be teaching at Breaking Barriers, A Girl & A Gun Shooting League's 2013 conference. Spots are still open, and a membership in the club or a check for conference fees might be just the treat for a woman shooter in your life. I'm also very pleased to announce that I'll be hosting the amazing Kathy Jackson of Cornered Cat for a women's defensive pistol class at my home range in Southeastern Pennsylvania, in April 2013. A bit of a plug, yes, but training of any form is still a great gift...and one that can be very forgiving of being a procrastinating shopper.
Having pretty gear doesn't conflict with being a good shooter, and getting top-notch training is part of what makes for more fun on the range. I've only listed a few things above, but anyone who's received a MidwayBrownellsCabellas catalog knows there's a lot of choices out there. What will you give to the beautiful shooter in your life? That's you! What do you want for the holidays?
30 November 2012
It's the Biggest Presentation of Your Life
I recently attended a seminar on effective business communication techniques and realized halfway through that the same strategies that make for a good presentation to the Board of Directors are the ones that can prepare you for your best possible shooting performance. Whether you shoot competitively or for self-defense, the same principles are helpful.
One of the keys to effective presentation, whether oral or written, is to simplify. Be concise. For communication, that means using the least words possible to convey a complete picture. For shooting, that generally means paring down excess movement and other distractions. Moving more efficiently is smoother and ultimately faster, plus you'll give yourself less rope to hang yourself with when you confuse yourself with a more complex than necessary manipulations. Just this week in dry-fire, I found that my left hand was making nearly two feet of extra movement in the surrender draw. I'd already been in the habit of making sure that my right hand was on the same vertical plane as my gun, so that it only needed to drop down to meet the grip, but my left hand was coming down nearly to waist level then coming back up to my upper right chest just like my standard draw. By moving my left hand from surrender directly to my upper right chest, it's now waiting to meet the gun and leading to a more sure support hand grip sooner in the draw stroke. And I can't get it caught up in extra clothes I might have on, especially now that it is colder outside.
That little tweak to my technique only came about because I've been practicing - another key for communications success. Remember that while visualization is important, getting out and doing the real thing is also important for your gun handling skills. Practicing with your actual gear is also how you find out whether or not your gear works. Just like making sure that your projector works for that important PowerPoint presentation and that you know how to use that nifty new wireless remote you got, you want to make sure your gun functions properly before the performance that matters. I know some people who are very glad that they brought their carry guns to a recent BUG-friendly IDPA match at my home club. Not only did they get to practice with what the set up they intend to use in real life, but they may have found out that their guns weren't as reliable as they thought. It's hard to know things like that unless you practice. Like finding out your elevator pitch is five minutes long instead of 30 seconds when you finally speak it out loud after writing it out, you won't know until you try it.
When putting together a presentation, it can also be helpful to evaluate your work with fresh eyes whenever possible. If you have a mentor or coach, ask them to watch and give feedback. Or you can use video to critically examine your technique. Finally, just taking a break after working out a new skill and trying it again later can help you spot holes, just like putting aside written work product for a little while makes for a stronger edit later. One of the constant mantras in both shooting sports and self-defense training is that shooting is a perishable skill that will decline if not used regularly. That can be a good thing for training purposes because taking a break accomplishes two things: First, a long practice session spent learning a new skill can result in increased speed and polish beyond our "cold" abilities before nosediving into fatigue and sloppiness. Going back to that skill can help you determine where you really stand in mastering it, and control for both physical and mental fatigue. Second, you may find when you return to working on a skill that you aren't doing it in the best way possible for you, based on changes between when you originally learned it and now. Perhaps you're wearing different clothing, or you've learned a new technique in the meantime that doesn't integrate with your old way of doing things.
One of the keys to effective presentation, whether oral or written, is to simplify. Be concise. For communication, that means using the least words possible to convey a complete picture. For shooting, that generally means paring down excess movement and other distractions. Moving more efficiently is smoother and ultimately faster, plus you'll give yourself less rope to hang yourself with when you confuse yourself with a more complex than necessary manipulations. Just this week in dry-fire, I found that my left hand was making nearly two feet of extra movement in the surrender draw. I'd already been in the habit of making sure that my right hand was on the same vertical plane as my gun, so that it only needed to drop down to meet the grip, but my left hand was coming down nearly to waist level then coming back up to my upper right chest just like my standard draw. By moving my left hand from surrender directly to my upper right chest, it's now waiting to meet the gun and leading to a more sure support hand grip sooner in the draw stroke. And I can't get it caught up in extra clothes I might have on, especially now that it is colder outside.
That little tweak to my technique only came about because I've been practicing - another key for communications success. Remember that while visualization is important, getting out and doing the real thing is also important for your gun handling skills. Practicing with your actual gear is also how you find out whether or not your gear works. Just like making sure that your projector works for that important PowerPoint presentation and that you know how to use that nifty new wireless remote you got, you want to make sure your gun functions properly before the performance that matters. I know some people who are very glad that they brought their carry guns to a recent BUG-friendly IDPA match at my home club. Not only did they get to practice with what the set up they intend to use in real life, but they may have found out that their guns weren't as reliable as they thought. It's hard to know things like that unless you practice. Like finding out your elevator pitch is five minutes long instead of 30 seconds when you finally speak it out loud after writing it out, you won't know until you try it.
When putting together a presentation, it can also be helpful to evaluate your work with fresh eyes whenever possible. If you have a mentor or coach, ask them to watch and give feedback. Or you can use video to critically examine your technique. Finally, just taking a break after working out a new skill and trying it again later can help you spot holes, just like putting aside written work product for a little while makes for a stronger edit later. One of the constant mantras in both shooting sports and self-defense training is that shooting is a perishable skill that will decline if not used regularly. That can be a good thing for training purposes because taking a break accomplishes two things: First, a long practice session spent learning a new skill can result in increased speed and polish beyond our "cold" abilities before nosediving into fatigue and sloppiness. Going back to that skill can help you determine where you really stand in mastering it, and control for both physical and mental fatigue. Second, you may find when you return to working on a skill that you aren't doing it in the best way possible for you, based on changes between when you originally learned it and now. Perhaps you're wearing different clothing, or you've learned a new technique in the meantime that doesn't integrate with your old way of doing things.
Effective communication skills transfer well from the business/academic world to shooting. Whether you consider your important shooting "presentation" to be your next match or your response to a dangerous situation, you can use the same skills you use to pitch a deal to new clients or write a memo to your boss. And as a bonus, you're developing and practicing skills that will help you at work, no matter what you do.
21 November 2012
Now Do It Again. And Again. And Again.
Last weekend, I did something I like to do once or twice a year to measure my progress: shoot an IDPA classifier. Standardized courses of fire can be a great way to exercise a variety of skill sets and confirm how you're doing against an objective standard. During the regular shooting season, I often pick a few people to compare my performance against, but that method relies on seeing the same people regularly and assuming a certain amount of consistency in their shooting. It can also be difficult to use those people as a yardstick if they are improving at a different rate than you are or if you are trying to compare results across different types of matches (whether that means match directors with varying stage design styles or different gun sports entirely). However, classifiers and qualifiers are a way that you can actually shoot against yourself, since the course of fire will be exactly the same every time.
I'm pleased to report that my speed and accuracy have continued to improve every time I've shot this particular classifier. I'm not nearly so pleased to report that while my raw times and penalty points for Stages 1 and 2 have dropped significantly from my last attempt this past spring, my Stage 3 returned to one of the worst overall scores I've posted in nearly two years. It was a lot faster, but that means little in a game where every miss adds 2.5 seconds to your final time. In the spirit of my last post, I'm concentrating on the high point of shooting my best Stages 1 and 2 ever, but I'm also reflecting on one of the biggest problems I'm facing right now: consistency.
Part of the challenge in getting consistent results is how difficult it is to keep all of your skills growing at the same rate. This is perhaps most obvious in how easy it is for many of us to learn how to shoot well at close targets, while hitting a wall when engaging at further distances. There are many elements to being a "good shooter", whatever your discipline, and it's hard work to remember all of them and execute on all of them. Think back to the first time you fired a gun or the last time you brought out a new shooter: stance, grip, sight alignment, sight picture, trigger press....all that, in addition to just knowing how to run the gun. Then think about all of the things you might add to that, depending on the particular gun game you are playing: breathing and breath control, recoil management, follow-through, follow-ups, target transitions, multiple shooting positions [pdf], trigger prep, optic use including holdovers/holdunders, stage management... It's a lot! Individually, many of these skills aren't hard to master, but doing them all together is something else entirely, especially as you are trying to improve on each one in turn. It takes practice to learn how to run when you are still mastering walking and chewing gum at the same time.
So back to classifiers. Because they are generally intended to test a wide range of skills, they require the shooter to be able to perform at a consistent level across multiple areas. Getting good at one thing and doing it one time isn't enough. We have to bring up our abilities across the board and maintain those levels of performance consistently in order to really show meaningful improvement.
I'm pleased to report that my speed and accuracy have continued to improve every time I've shot this particular classifier. I'm not nearly so pleased to report that while my raw times and penalty points for Stages 1 and 2 have dropped significantly from my last attempt this past spring, my Stage 3 returned to one of the worst overall scores I've posted in nearly two years. It was a lot faster, but that means little in a game where every miss adds 2.5 seconds to your final time. In the spirit of my last post, I'm concentrating on the high point of shooting my best Stages 1 and 2 ever, but I'm also reflecting on one of the biggest problems I'm facing right now: consistency.
Part of the challenge in getting consistent results is how difficult it is to keep all of your skills growing at the same rate. This is perhaps most obvious in how easy it is for many of us to learn how to shoot well at close targets, while hitting a wall when engaging at further distances. There are many elements to being a "good shooter", whatever your discipline, and it's hard work to remember all of them and execute on all of them. Think back to the first time you fired a gun or the last time you brought out a new shooter: stance, grip, sight alignment, sight picture, trigger press....all that, in addition to just knowing how to run the gun. Then think about all of the things you might add to that, depending on the particular gun game you are playing: breathing and breath control, recoil management, follow-through, follow-ups, target transitions, multiple shooting positions [pdf], trigger prep, optic use including holdovers/holdunders, stage management... It's a lot! Individually, many of these skills aren't hard to master, but doing them all together is something else entirely, especially as you are trying to improve on each one in turn. It takes practice to learn how to run when you are still mastering walking and chewing gum at the same time.
So back to classifiers. Because they are generally intended to test a wide range of skills, they require the shooter to be able to perform at a consistent level across multiple areas. Getting good at one thing and doing it one time isn't enough. We have to bring up our abilities across the board and maintain those levels of performance consistently in order to really show meaningful improvement.
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