Three simple questions that you can apply with a critical eye for all the things that you may or may not be practicing. For example, if you’re a private citizen and you spend a significant portion of your practice time on skills that you’ll likely never have to use in a gunfight (like Todd’s example of shooting over your shoulder in a car) then you’re probably just putting junk in your toolbox. My favorite example of “junk in the toolbox” would be shooting your defensive DA revolver in single action mode. It creates another step that your mind must cycle through in stress instead of it going straight to “smooth DA press”.
This Saturday and Sunday, I’ll be at Wholesale Sports Outdoor Outfitters in Federal Way, WA talking to people about the upcoming election and getting folks involved in the fight to preserve our right to keep and bear arms. Here’s the store’s address:
1405 S 348th St
Federal Way, WA 98003
Tel: (253) 835-4100
Fax: (253) 835-4101
I’ll have Don’t Tread of my Gun Rights yard signs, volunteer info, bumper stickers, and lots of information on how you can get involved in getting pro-gun politicians elected in Washington, so come by this weekend to say “hi” and get involved!
A fast shooter’s perspective on fast shooting follows the video.
That’s Molly Smith from Team S&W shooting Smoke and Hope, the fastest of the Steel Challenge stages. In the video, she posts times of 3.01, 2.81, 2.91, 4.14, and 2.93. Her slowest run, the 4.14 is thrown out per Steel Challenge rules, giving her a stage time of 11.66 seconds. That’s fast, but to truly understand just how fast it is you have to have some perspective. In terms of professional speed, it is very fast – on that stage she posted a better time than Randi Rogers’ Open run and Jessie Abbate’s Limited run.
So why is that so cool? Because she’s ONLY 14. She is literally half my age, and she’s shooting times on Smoke and Hope that are world class fast. In 10 years, think about how much practice she’ll have had, think about how fast she’ll be then. There is a theory called the 10,000 Hour rule, which basically states that the people who are great at something (Tiger Woods, Bill Gates, Todd Jarrett) are not necessarily more skilled innately, but have over 10,000 hours of practice at their specific skill which has allowed them to develop it. Whether or not you think the 10,000 Hour Rule is bogus, it’s hard to argue that having 10,000 hours of practice at a specific sport is not going to make you really, really good at it. To give you an idea of how 10,000 hours breaks down, for me to hit 10,000 hours of trigger time assuming I started today and practiced 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, and 50 weeks out of the year it would take me 20 years to reach 10,000 hours. I would have mastered the sport just before I turn 50.
Molly on the other hand will run into 10,000 hours a lot quicker than me, and that’s a good thing for her and for the sport. I really enjoy seeing junior shooters out there pulling triggers, and Molly has the potential to be every bit the legend in the shooting community as Jerry Miculek is.
Yesterday with the arrival of the mail came my second paddle holster from Comp-Tac, this one for a J-frame revolver. My fire engine red paddle holster is a straight drop, because I use it primarily for competition with the Ruger SR9c that I’m using in IDPA and the Quest for Master Class. This holster is set up with a muzzle rearward cant, which makes it a better choice for concealed carry as the gun when carried at the 4 o’clock position will hold better to the natural angles of the body.
I’ve had a lot of holsters, and like most gun nuts out there am always interested in finding a really great holster. I have to say, for outside the waistband holsters, I have been ridiculously impressed with Comp-Tac’s quality. There are some paddles on the market that really aren’t suitable for concealed carry – they may stick the gun out too far, or they may not offer the right amount of speed, or they may just be junk. The thing that’s really impressed me about Comp-Tac’s paddle holsters is that while they do hold the gun in tight to the body, they’re still fast. I don’t get a fistful of shirt when I’m grabbing for gun, which means I can get very fast presentations from concealment.
As I’ve said, I like Comp-Tac so much that I buy all my gear from them. Belts, holsters, you name it – plus they really do have GREAT customer service. I’ve had more than a few emails back and forth with them, and they’ve always been great with me. Is their paddle holster more expensive than a lot of other plastic holsters on the market? Yes it is. Is it worth the extra money? Absolutely. I have thousands of reps through my SR9c paddle holster, I’ve done things to it that would destroy a cheapo-Israeli paddle, and it’s still going along quite fine. I’m sure that eventually I’ll break it, but I suspect that won’t happen until well after I’ve gotten my $57.50 worth of use out of it.
I actually prefer paddle holsters to holsters that you have to wind the belt through – Comp-Tac’s paddle is designed so that it’s just as stable as a belt loop holster, but the easy “on/off” is really nice. It’s quite pleasant to be able to just remove the gun and holster as a package from the belt – it lessens the opportunity for something bad to happen with the gun if the gun never leaves the rig.
Bottom line? I have thoroughly consumed the Comp-Tac kool-aid, and I’m totally okay with that. It’s a quality product, great customer service, at a price that’s worth it. You won’t be sad if you buy one.
I want this gun. And I know that guy! I may have reservations about the absurdly high pressures that .17 HMR runs, and I may not be able to actually think of anything to do with it other than turn squirrels in to a pink mist, but I want one.
As mentioned below, Jerry Miculek won Open Division, here are your winners from all divisions at the USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals.
Heavy Metal Tactical: Adam Popplewell
Limited: Kurt Miller
Open: Jerry Miculek
Open Woman: Maggie Reese
Tactical: Daniel Horner
Tactical Woman: Tasha Hanish
As usual, Tactical and Open had the largest number of competitors. Limited Division and HM Tactical had relatively small fields, which is likely due that the bar for entry in Tactical is relatively low – lots of people have an AR with an optic, and that’s what you need for Tactical division.
Congratulations to all the shooters, and especially to the winners of this year’s USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals!
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