Shooting more better recently

I was asked to recap some of my most recent experiences after shooting my first 100 slow fire. I did it for the first time at a match on Saturday and of all thing with the 45.

I have been bouncing back and forth between looking at the dot or the target, For me I have been turning down the dot intensity and looking at the target for the long line and a 2moa dot. When i borrowed another shooters gun i found my self staring at the dot with the 4moa, very similar experiences on the target.  

I don't think my hold has changed any since the start of the year to now. What has changed was:

Actually committing to the trigger and confidently squeezing... I guess you could say like everyone has said before, trust your hold and get on the trigger.

Getting on the trigger more as i lower from the top of the black...i thought i was before but now i know i was just stacking weight on the trigger and waiting till i was in the middle to continue the pressure. I can tell now i have evolved a bit because, shots that i don't feel were dead center Xs are slightly above the rest of the group... before i was plagued with a few shots way low.  

Aborting when the though of i can save this shot entered my brain. If i felt like i was holding too long i put it down. If i felt like the trigger was never gonna break i put it down.

Focusing on the task at hand of shooting a really good shot 1 at a time. Before i thought i was concentrating and seeing the target or dot, now i know i really wasn't, it really has tightened the groups a bit.

Somethings i hope to correct and work on are keeping to a game plan to perform well and not be distracted by my performance. It has been expressed to me by some really good shooters that i should tell my self that I performance at this level or better so it doesn't distract me or get me excited....or that the idea i'm getting form them.  Something like... it's like me to shoot this well.

Having faith i can make them go bang in the middle has helped a bit as well, focusing on the positive maybe? Or knowing i can do well because i have before in the past?  

One thing i did which i hope to correct is i stayed out of the scope after the first few shots were where I said they should be. Not sure i can handle to pressure yet of scoping every shot.

Doc Toler scoring.  100-5x

Nice shootin!

Very nice Chris. Keep it up.

And...you started shooting better after I had to miss those matches. Appreciate you leaving that part out.

I've heard quite often to only scope the first few to see if your on call. then just let the force be with you.

Good post, Chris, but I think people really want to know what you ate before the match. And what brand of brass you're using. You know, the kind of stuff that would help us shoot more tens and less sixes.

James, that's a good question. Someone asked the same thing at the advanced small arms firing school at Camp Perry a couple years ago.  One of the panelists answered, "can you handle the truth?"  The point was if you couldn't, then maybe you shouldn't look.

rreid wrote:Good post, Chris, but I think people really want to know what you ate before the match. And what brand of brass you're using. You know, the kind of stuff that would help us shoot more tens and less sixes.

WAWA coffee, WAWA sizzling sausage breakfast croissant, and a WAWA Italian sandwich for lunch. Now I will just wait for my WAWA sponsorship....

All starline brass that's been fired multiple times, I didn't bother to clean it and I loaded up zero 185lswchp and 3.8BE with a shoulder of bullet to case rim of .933 along with a .4695 crimp.

I did a very unconventional thing... I loaded a mag of 5 and fired a round, dropped the mag and loaded another round and did that for the entire slow fire. It kept me from rushing through slowfire....and distracted everyone else.

SECRETS OUT!!!

No WAWAs in California. Guess I'm SOL.

Never heard of WAWA ... will green mountain work?

john bickar wrote:No WAWAs in California. Guess I'm SOL.

You guys have In n Out

Chris Miceli wrote:I was asked to recap some of my most recent experiences after shooting my first 100 slow fire. I did it for the first time at a match on Saturday and of all thing with the 45.

I have been bouncing back and forth between looking at the dot or the target, For me I have been turning down the dot intensity and looking at the target for the long line and a 2moa dot. When i borrowed another shooters gun i found my self staring at the dot with the 4moa, very similar experiences on the target.  

I don't think my hold has changed any since the start of the year to now. What has changed was:

Actually committing to the trigger and confidently squeezing... I guess you could say like everyone has said before, trust your hold and get on the trigger.

Getting on the trigger more as i lower from the top of the black...i thought i was before but now i know i was just stacking weight on the trigger and waiting till i was in the middle to continue the pressure. I can tell now i have evolved a bit because, shots that i don't feel were dead center Xs are slightly above the rest of the group... before i was plagued with a few shots way low.  

Aborting when the though of i can save this shot entered my brain. If i felt like i was holding too long i put it down. If i felt like the trigger was never gonna break i put it down.

Focusing on the task at hand of shooting a really good shot 1 at a time. Before i thought i was concentrating and seeing the target or dot, now i know i really wasn't, it really has tightened the groups a bit.

Somethings i hope to correct and work on are keeping to a game plan to perform well and not be distracted by my performance. It has been expressed to me by some really good shooters that i should tell my self that I performance at this level or better so it doesn't distract me or get me excited....or that the idea i'm getting form them.  Something like... it's like me to shoot this well.

Having faith i can make them go bang in the middle has helped a bit as well, focusing on the positive maybe? Or knowing i can do well because i have before in the past?  

One thing i did which i hope to correct is i stayed out of the scope after the first few shots were where I said they should be. Not sure i can handle to pressure yet of scoping every shot.

Doc Toler scoring.  100-5x

Thanks for posting this Chris. It's always interesting to hear how and what makes you shoot better. I feel a person gets a different point of view of the same facts that are always posted on how to do better. For me what you said in your own words seemed to connect well for me. Hit the range last night and trained with some of your observations and it made sense to me. Even called shots were correct. Got a 90 slow on 50ft target, no hits in the white all night. Thanks.
Stan

Chris Miceli wrote:

john bickar wrote:No WAWAs in California. Guess I'm SOL.

You guys have In n Out

Yeah, but they don't open until 10:30.

My ham, bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast burrito from Donut Delite was only good for 2650 on Monday. Wawa would have me punching above my weight class like you are right now.

(That's not snark, BTW. You are hitting it hard at the moment - write down anything and everything you possibly can about your shooting right now, no matter how insignificant it might seem. That includes training, and Wawa, and how much sleep you're getting, and your physical activity in the last few weeks, and any changes in lifestyle, and and and and and...)

And then get comfortable in your "new normal". And then push it higher

john bickar wrote:

Chris Miceli wrote:

john bickar wrote:No WAWAs in California. Guess I'm SOL.

You guys have In n Out

Yeah, but they don't open until 10:30.

My ham, bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast burrito from Donut Delite was only good for 2650 on Monday. Wawa would have me punching above my weight class like you are right now.

(That's not snark, BTW. You are hitting it hard at the moment - write down anything and everything you possibly can about your shooting right now, no matter how insignificant it might seem. That includes training, and Wawa, and how much sleep you're getting, and your physical activity in the last few weeks, and any changes in lifestyle, and and and and and...)

And then get comfortable in your "new normal". And then push it higher

Thanks John, once big thing i've noticed is things are just happening, possibly not pushing my self to have a perfect hold. Just as you any every other shooting has said, get that trigger moving. 

Also... your comments are always enjoyed i really like the ones with some flavor. 

hopefully next year i will make it out for the Memorial Day or Labor day match.

I know folks are dying to know all his secrets and nerd out over his crimp size, but after having a Zins class with Chris earlier this summer and finding that we really got along and getting to know him further through months of sharing shooting experiences and inspiration via text and email, I can tell you his secret sauce for shooting success.

Sure, he has some nice guns and is a good shot, but there are places that you just can't get to without this key.

HE LOVES SHOOTING BULLSEYE.

Chris Miceli wrote:
hopefully next year i will make it out for the Memorial Day or Labor day match.

It has been a tradition here at Sunnyvale Rod & Gun Club to shoot our monthly Sunday 2700 in Sacramento, the Monday holiday 2700 match in Cupertino, followed by our Wednesday night league 1200 match.  This year, we shot in 108 degree temperature on Sunday (with a revised 1800 along with 2 EIC matches).  Give yourself a little more vacation time to shoot all three matches.  This year the 3 matches fell within 4 days.

At another local shooting club, we have an "ABB" (Anyone But Bickar) award for the esteemed honor in placing 2nd place.  John has been shooting on another level recently and I asked what has been different lately.  He replied more "focus" and "in better shape."  I think our readers would like some words of wisdom elaboration, if John would be so kind. 

During the league match, John started out with a 199-8x .22 SF and finished with a 1191-62x total aggregate score out of 1200.  The 1191 was a club record but as crazy as it may seem, the .22 SF did not beat his prior record.

I am embarrassed to say how much time I wasted trying to figure out what the social media acronym WAWA meant.  But regardless, what a wonderful achievement Chris.  A 100-5x with a .45!

joy2shoot wrote:I am embarrassed to say how much time I wasted trying to figure out what the social media acronym WAWA meant.  But regardless Chris, what a wonderful achievement.  A 100-5x with a .45!

Hehe, just a gas station

https://www.wawa.com/

joy2shoot wrote:I am embarrassed to say how much time I wasted trying to figure out what the social media acronym WAWA meant.  But regardless, what a wonderful achievement Chris.  A 100-5x with a .45!

We Are Well Aimed

That works too.  I was thinking What A Wonderful Achievement.....

WAWA--what the other competitors do after Chris shoots...

Chris shoots next to the hard holders from Texas during Perry, then suddenly becomes a much better shot. Coincidence, nope, your welcome.....


Hahaha, good shooting bud!

willnewton wrote:HE LOVES SHOOTING BULLSEYE.

I spend a lot of time talking about how shooters should focus on having fun, being a good sportsman, and all that jazz. Because I believe it. Some of my best scores were in matches where I just didn't give a toot--I cleaned my first match RF the target after I withdrew.

Then I catch a lot of flak from Serious Sams about how I'm "accepting mediocrity" and garbage like that.

'Grats, Chris.

Hey Chris, here's what I say to serious Sams when the talk turns to the minutia of reloading and I don't care if they believe me; I refer to taking all of my crappy reject reloads to the range (about 100 or so) and shot a 1911 WW1 gun with minor mods and factory sights. No shots were out of the 8 ring, okay maybe a seven or two. I am sure there were some clean strings in there. This was all at 50' still, it was a lesson to myself. I don't pay too much attention to other folks subjective opinions, but try to remain as friendly as I could when I encounter them.