Lessons learned the hard way

JTMaddox

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Jun 24, 2012
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St. Louis, MO
Was talking to a shooting friend about some of the dumb mistakes I’ve made while attending 3-Gun matches. While not quite enough to write a book (yet), seemed like it might be the start of an entertaining thread on BoomerShooter…

On one stage I quickly engaged an array of 5 targets at 150 yds with my rifle calling my shots and moved on to the next array. As I transitioned I glanced back and saw all of the targets still standing….I engaged them again and started to move on when I saw they were all STILL standing…disgusted with my self and confused as to where I was hitting and thinking maybe I was shooting too low or hitting the guard I swung back to reengage the same array when the RO said “ you've already hit them all twice, how many times do you plan on shooting them?” It was the first time I had even shot Larue targets and they were adjusted to reset quickly. I was knocking them over and by the time I glanced back they had already reset themselves… :) know how the targets you are shooting are going to react :)

On a long range rifle stage I engaged the (6) 100-150 yd targets quickly going one for one with each shot. I then transitioned to the (6) 300-380 yd targets found my holdover and started banging away. I wasn’t hitting anything. I shifted from holding center mass to holding below the bottom of the target and worked my way up the target to holding well above not even seeing the strike of the misses anywhere. Frustrated ,and knowing if I couldn’t get on the closest target in 8 shots I wasn’t going to get on the rest of them, I took a quick shot in the direction of each target and finished the stage with (6) FTN’s…. when I got to the next stage with close in rifle targets I went to adjust my scope back to 1X
and saw that it was already on 1X…I was so pumped up shooting the stage that I didn’t even notice the targets were a lot smaller than they should have been and since all the holdovers only work on 4X I was likely hitting close to 20 feet below
the targets the whole time…. :) check your scope setting on every stage, even if you are “sure” what it is set at :)


I developed an awesome plan to shoot a stage where you engaged a bunch of pistol targets then some optional pistol/rifle targets through and around an SUV then long range rifle. I grounded my pistol, retrieved my rifle swung back to engage some 30 yd paper targets and realized that just because I could SEE over the top of the SUV doesn’t mean I could SHOOT over the top of the SUV…. :) bore/sight differential is a cat lady :)
 
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Lol! I think we have all been there in each of these. If you want to keep the LaRues down you gotta shoot .308.
 
On a rifle only stage with (5) paper targets at 25 yds, (5) 75-100 yd targets shot from a braced position behind a barricade, and then a run to a roof top barricade where you engage an additional (5) targets at 250 yds I decided to run coupled p-mags and take of my belt and the rest of my gear. I shot the paper, dropped a couple shots on the intermediate targets and then moved to the roof top where i had a difficult time finding a good shooting position. I dropped a couple of shots while i struggled to get settled in. By the time I found a solid position I had run out of ammo...I hit the magazine release with my trigger finger as I reached to grab the spare mag off of my belt at the small of my back....as I groped for the mag that wasn't there I watched dumbfoundedly as my coupled p-mags rolled 5' down the roof onto the ground. I guess i looked confused enough for the RO to take pity on me since he picked it up and handed it back to me saying "you think you might need this?"... :) run the gear you practice with, and practice with the gear you plan to run :)
 
I think we have all run into the barrel hitting a barriecade before. I little rubbing on that barrel goes a long way!
 
When I posted this I was thinking I'd get to read about some other people's stupid mistakes and not feel so bad about my random displays of dumbassery...now I'm wondering if maybe I'm just a bigger dumbass than most... :)
 
When I posted this I was thinking I'd get to read about some other people's stupid mistakes and not feel so bad about my random displays of dumbassery...now I'm wondering if maybe I'm just a bigger dumbass than most... :)

Probably not. Some just don't admit it.
 
I once or twice put my spring and followers back into my mags backwards after cleaning them between stages. Luckily I saw them the next time I cleaned mags and didn't find out the hard way.

I let my shotgun mag tube dip into the sand once when it was sticking out the end of my bag. A little sand in the follower makes feeding the last round or two pretty difficult.
 
Learned the hard way: sort your brass BEFORE you tumble it.

Few things are less fun than prying 9 out of 40 with pliers.
 
poopgiggle said:
Learned the hard way: sort your brass BEFORE you tumble it.

Few things are less fun than prying 9 out of 40 with pliers.
I learned that the hard way also
 
At old fort you had to push the top barrel off then engage targets. I give an all American Push when the top barrel slid off easily I almost flipped over the bottom barrel

My 2nd 3 gun match
At double tap it was a 100 degree plus day on the rifle stage first target gets 1 rd second target gets 2 rds and so on for five targets then switch to the other side and shoot opposite so all targets get 6 rds total
somebody shot all targets correctly except they did not go to second shooting box (lots of procedurals)
another shooter ends up with 2 rds in first target, 4 rds in second target and so on finishing with 10 rds in last target
I step up RO says are you sure you understand the course of fire
I said there is no way we can screw this stage up again, I then put 2 rds in each of the first five targets. At target five I said crap and added extra bullets to the other targets respectively
 
I can't tell you how many targets I ran past last year but I bet I did it at nearly every match. Run, shoot, run, go "Oh elephant dung!", run backwards, shoot, run back forward. The funniest is stopping to go back and the RO telling me I hit em all.

LISTEN TO THE STAGE DESCRPTION!!!
DO YOUR WALK-THROUGH!!!
 
on a 3gun stage, i have a great walkthrough and i end up going first, feeling good, i actually shoot the stage great, but i put a 1 inch group of 5 shots (with my AR) on a no shoot that i didn't see due to offset...
 
I was shooting 150-200 yard steel from the back of a pickup truck using the cab as a rest at a 3 gun match. I wanted to get as low as possible so I didn't use my magazine as a rest like I usually do. I just pushed the front of the mag well against the back of the cab. I kept missing and couldn't understand why because those are usually chip shots for me. Then I saw the smoke rising from the muzzle break burning the paint off of the cab. I had been rest the muzzle against the roof and didn't realize it.

Lesson learned, be careful how you get into a steady rested position before you start shooting. I haven't made that mistake again.

Tom
 
benjamin-benjamin said:
on a 3gun stage, i have a great walkthrough and i end up going first, feeling good, i actually shoot the stage great, but i put a 1 inch group of 5 shots (with my AR) on a no shoot that i didn't see due to offset...
Those no-shoots with the clay in the middle always seem to find some kind of a lesson to teach me.

1st: It was sight offset. 3 no-shoots all lined up with an orange clay in the middle of them. Three broken clays and about 18 rounds later we find at least 5 shots in each no-shoot right under where the broken clay was.

2nd: It was a rifle-pistol stage that had 1 round of rifle. COF was starting with the unloaded rifle, prone, and only 1 round loaded in your mag. At start you loaded and fired said 1 round at that clay. If you missed it was a no-penalty mike, if you hit it took 5 seconds off your time. At the start I loaded the mag, chambered the round, aimed and heard a click. Oh elephant dung! I don't have another 'effing mag! Doh! So I ease the bolt back see the round is chambered, let the charging handle go, hit the FA and try again. It went off this time and yes I did hit the damn clay. I think me and Cyrwus were the only ones in our squad that did. Lessons learned this time is always have a backup mag and those forward assists do come in handy.
 
Scott Hearn said:
Those no-shoots with the clay in the middle always seem to find some kind of a lesson to teach me.

1st: It was sight offset. 3 no-shoots all lined up with an orange clay in the middle of them. Three broken clays and about 18 rounds later we find at least 5 shots in each no-shoot right under where the broken clay was.
Well Scott I typically don't have a problem with the clays it is the full size uspsa targets at 20 feet with the rifle I had several FTN's. (Shooting to fast)
The Feb 3 gun match got me I had a penalty in every stage I am glad Feegee & Kirt weren't there or I'd still be hearing about it.
 
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