Sunday, February 08, 2009

Serious crimp!

This weather is killin' me lately. If its not crappy, its changing rapidly, which does two things: first, it means that Saturday shooting before work isn't usually pleasant. We've been shooting in high wind, biting cold that just cuts through your cold weather gear, rain, and rain when it's warm. Not the best of conditions, to be sure

There isn't much of a spring rainy season here; we get dumped on quite heavily at times, but we only get a couple/few days of rain at one go. In the spring, the weather is awesome for shooting: kinda cool with high clouds and sun. Good weather to be running my new black iridium Sweep lenses in the M-Frames. If I can't shoot good, I can look good. lol! Spring is going to be the time of much shooting, especially matches before it gets to the deep summer, brutally hot AND humid season.

That's been the biggest bummer for me: the weather is just wreaking havoc on practice. I'm still out there almost every Saturday, but I really need to shoot some more to get to where I want to be. I am reasonably fast, but not as accurate as I wish to be. There are two ways to get there: shoot a lot more, and get the trigger on my MnP tuned up. Ideally, I'll have both.

I'm going to start shooting matches again, just for some variety in training. Our local Surefire Military Sales rep (coolest damn job in the world, believe me!) has been working hard to get IDPA off the ground in this area, and only Matt has been able to go shoot 'em. The next one is coming up in March (probably), and I'd like to get tuned up to where I don't finish last. From what Matt said, that probably won't be what happens, but somebody's gotta be last. Haven't decided where I'm gonna shoot most; CDP or SSP. I'm going to be picking up a Glock 19 this month as a combo birthday present and reward from the company for all the extra hours I put in during our spin up to post-hurricane security operations down in the Gulf states. I know it doesn't sound like much as its described; "they're going to allow me to spend my money on a Glock", but the price is so obscenely low that it is a "thank you". Since they can't give it to me, this is, by far, the next best thing.

So, it looks like the match guns will be one of my 1911's (in addition to the work gun pictured elsewhere on my blog, I have Series 1 Kimber Custom Royal), the MnP9 with the 10-8 rear sight, and a Glock 19. I have the option of getting a 17 which are in as-new condition, but I have magazines for both the 19 and 17. If I get the 19, I can use both. If I get the 17, several of my magazines will be useless until I get a 19. At this point, ammo is so expensive that if I get a second gun (I'd have a 17 and 19, then), it'll seriously squeeze my ammo budget. I like competing with the 1911. I shot my custom SA in matches in San Diego fairly regularly, and used both 1911's in classes back there. I really like the 19, but it's kinda small for my size XXL hands, and that will put me at a disadvantage in the match. As long as I shoot the match tactically, I don't really care where I finish, but if I can avoid last, that's what I'd like to do. Besides, I carry the MnP every day. Once my Safariland ALS for the MnP shows up and I get it dialed in, it'll be the gun I'm most used to. I've had the Man Guns longer (that SA I got in a trade for an SnW 4006 about a dozen years ago), but as I said, I have the MnP with me daily right now, and when it's slow, I do such things as practice drawing, moving short distances and simulating shooting, and like that in the store. I only do that when nobody's around, so I do a decent job of avoiding looking goofy to the public.

I really would like to pick up another case of PMC Bronze 9mm, but damn, that stuff is hard to come by right now. Jimmy's looking for ammo all the time, and he was able to secure some Magtech stuff that came in this week. We've got some American Eagle right now, but I don't know when we'll see more, or what it's gonna cost. Between the ammo and the weather, I'm almost surprised I've been able to shoot at all! lol!

1 comment:

NotClauswitz said...

Well, I just got me a Birthday Sig - that's 20 years old. LOL-that P220!
Sheesh, now I need more .45ACP!