Dustin, the match director at the Range St. Louis West, is great about supporting local shooters preparing for an upcoming major match by adapting stages from published matchbooks, or partial stages, as best he can. March’s match was practice for the 2021 Gulf Coast Championship (More on that Later).
We shot 3 stages, and I was really starting to find my way with the dot by the time the match was over, even though the optic had totally come loose (but not off) before the last stage.
Take a look at the video, and then I will list the bits that were either “great”, “okay”, or “needs work” as I see it.
The Great Stuff
- Stage 1: Engaging the hardcover “head-only” target as soon as I did, entering that position.
- Stage 1: Adjusting the Dot on the Fly moving from position 2 to 3 with minimal effect on the overall time.
- Stage 1: Movement in and out of the steel popup engagement.
- All Stages: Cadence through Transitions!
The Okay Stuff
- Stage 1: Tracking the swinger would have been great, but was a little low. Made two solid hits just below the zero down area.
- Stage 3: Moving sooner and shooting sooner, getting close to greatness.
- All Stages: Splits!
Stuff that Needs Work
- Stage 1: Checking the Dot as part of “Load and Make Ready”.
- Stage 2: Prescription Glasses, especially when using a target focus like when using a red dot optic.
- All Stages: Getting enough visualizations of the stage plan in (even at local matches) to make it bedrock and serve as meaningful major match day practice.
After watching the video, let me know if I missed anything in my list, or if something needs to move around.
Overall it was a great match, and an even better time with close friends. I hope you enjoyed the video and the break-down, and lets get together again soon.