Friday, January 31, 2014
Giveaway Winners!
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Sunday, January 26, 2014
Young Shooters
A young friend of mine has decided that she wants to shoot in 4H. I know nothing about 4H Shooting Sports, but am willing to help out where I can.
I'm primarily a defensive shooter. That is, all of my shooting, for the most part, is centered around using my guns in self-defense. Yes, I compete, but that's just so I can practice shooting while moving, from cover/concealment, and in unorthodox positions while under pressure. I'm not an IPSC, IDPA, or USPSA shooter.
I'm comfortable using my rifle and shotgun in a tactical manner, but am barely competent with rifle target shooting or shooting clays (Z and Mez, stop your laughing, I said barely competent). So, I'm a little nervous about helping my young friend, G. She got a .22 Savage for her birthday and was a little intimidated by it. It is a bit big for her, but I think we can work around it. If her parents get one that fits her perfectly this year, she'll outgrow it by next year.
My plan for our first meeting was to get her over being intimidated by her rifle. I gathered some tin cans and water bottles and started her prone. The goal for today was to just get her over her intimidation of her rifle and get her comfortable maneuvering it.
It didn't take much time for her to get the hang of it. In fact, she hit everything she aimed at from the very beginning. We talked about breathing and how to make minute adjustments using a squeeze bag under the buttstock. After she shot a couple of magazines, we moved her back a few yards. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I had planned on only working on prone with her, but after an hour or so, she asked to move to a different position, so we went to kneeling. This position was a bit more difficult for her, but she managed about ten shots.
I had only intended for her to shoot about an hour, but she was still interested and having fun, so we went for an hour and a half. I think our continued goal will be to increase her comfort with her rifle. She was leaps and bounds more comfortable and confident by the end of the day. She's learning so quickly that I'm going to run out of ways to help her.
My plan going forward is to continue to work on the basics while just plinking before we start worrying about target accuracy. I want her to have the confidence that she's going to hit what she's aiming at before we add the pressure of paper targets. She's doing so well with prone and kneeling, that we should be shooting off-hand in just a couple of weeks. I would certainly welcome any tips for helping her with off-hand. I know the precision shooting stance is completely different from what I'm used to shooting, so I'll be studying and practicing before I start trying to teach it to her.
Do any of you have any experience with 4H Shooting Sports? Do you have any tips for me? I would welcome any advice you have.
I'm primarily a defensive shooter. That is, all of my shooting, for the most part, is centered around using my guns in self-defense. Yes, I compete, but that's just so I can practice shooting while moving, from cover/concealment, and in unorthodox positions while under pressure. I'm not an IPSC, IDPA, or USPSA shooter.
I'm comfortable using my rifle and shotgun in a tactical manner, but am barely competent with rifle target shooting or shooting clays (Z and Mez, stop your laughing, I said barely competent). So, I'm a little nervous about helping my young friend, G. She got a .22 Savage for her birthday and was a little intimidated by it. It is a bit big for her, but I think we can work around it. If her parents get one that fits her perfectly this year, she'll outgrow it by next year.
My plan for our first meeting was to get her over being intimidated by her rifle. I gathered some tin cans and water bottles and started her prone. The goal for today was to just get her over her intimidation of her rifle and get her comfortable maneuvering it.
It didn't take much time for her to get the hang of it. In fact, she hit everything she aimed at from the very beginning. We talked about breathing and how to make minute adjustments using a squeeze bag under the buttstock. After she shot a couple of magazines, we moved her back a few yards. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I had planned on only working on prone with her, but after an hour or so, she asked to move to a different position, so we went to kneeling. This position was a bit more difficult for her, but she managed about ten shots.
I had only intended for her to shoot about an hour, but she was still interested and having fun, so we went for an hour and a half. I think our continued goal will be to increase her comfort with her rifle. She was leaps and bounds more comfortable and confident by the end of the day. She's learning so quickly that I'm going to run out of ways to help her.
My plan going forward is to continue to work on the basics while just plinking before we start worrying about target accuracy. I want her to have the confidence that she's going to hit what she's aiming at before we add the pressure of paper targets. She's doing so well with prone and kneeling, that we should be shooting off-hand in just a couple of weeks. I would certainly welcome any tips for helping her with off-hand. I know the precision shooting stance is completely different from what I'm used to shooting, so I'll be studying and practicing before I start trying to teach it to her.
Do any of you have any experience with 4H Shooting Sports? Do you have any tips for me? I would welcome any advice you have.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
The Glock I Wanted To Hate
Most of you know I shoot a 1911 and some of you might think that because I shoot a 1911 that I'm not a fan of the Glock. I actually *love* Glock. I just got frustrated with having to do "the juggle" after each shot because no matter what I did, the gun just never fit my hand.
(And, in the interest of full disclosure, my Glock was possessed. Shit broke on it that just doesn't break on Glocks. No one believed that it was possessed until they had to shoot it, then they were believers. It was a lot like telling someone your house is haunted and they think you're crazy until they have a run-in with the ghost.)
The Glock had to go, so I sold it in a fit of anger and put the money toward the Para, which fit my hand. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the Para, but I've been waiting for years for Glock to make a gun that fits me. When the G42 came out, there were lots of immediate haters because of the caliber. I wanted to hate it, I really did. But then I shot it at Media Day.
This was the Glock I'd been waiting for.
Picking it up was like putting on a favorite pair of jeans. It doesn't matter to me that it's only a .380 (and, yes, like everyone else in the world, I would have preferred a 9mm), because it fits my hand and feels like coming home.
Just for comparison, here's a picture of me holding the new G41 Gen4...
The difference is astounding. I shot them both side-by-side at Media Day. I shot the G41 very well, but had to do "the juggle" between each shot.
The G42 was a dream to shoot.
Picking it up didn't involve any positioning or re-positioning as I tried to find the sweet spot that would allow me to reach the trigger. I just picked it up and shot without having to do "the juggle". It was a unique experience. I wasn't as accurate as I had hoped, but a pocket pistol isn't typically as accurate as a long-slide .45, so I'm not worried.
I'll tell you what: I loved it so much that I'm selling the Tomcat to buy this new Glock.
(P.S. Don't forget to enter our giveaway. We brought a lot of stuff home and would love to share it with you!)
(And, in the interest of full disclosure, my Glock was possessed. Shit broke on it that just doesn't break on Glocks. No one believed that it was possessed until they had to shoot it, then they were believers. It was a lot like telling someone your house is haunted and they think you're crazy until they have a run-in with the ghost.)
The Glock had to go, so I sold it in a fit of anger and put the money toward the Para, which fit my hand. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the Para, but I've been waiting for years for Glock to make a gun that fits me. When the G42 came out, there were lots of immediate haters because of the caliber. I wanted to hate it, I really did. But then I shot it at Media Day.
This was the Glock I'd been waiting for.
Picking it up was like putting on a favorite pair of jeans. It doesn't matter to me that it's only a .380 (and, yes, like everyone else in the world, I would have preferred a 9mm), because it fits my hand and feels like coming home.
Just for comparison, here's a picture of me holding the new G41 Gen4...
The difference is astounding. I shot them both side-by-side at Media Day. I shot the G41 very well, but had to do "the juggle" between each shot.
The G42 was a dream to shoot.
Picking it up didn't involve any positioning or re-positioning as I tried to find the sweet spot that would allow me to reach the trigger. I just picked it up and shot without having to do "the juggle". It was a unique experience. I wasn't as accurate as I had hoped, but a pocket pistol isn't typically as accurate as a long-slide .45, so I'm not worried.
I'll tell you what: I loved it so much that I'm selling the Tomcat to buy this new Glock.
(P.S. Don't forget to enter our giveaway. We brought a lot of stuff home and would love to share it with you!)
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Wow, It's Been A Busy Show
SHOT Show technically doesn't end until tomorrow at noon, but we're throwing in the towel. We've found some cool stuff and are ready to kick off our giveaway! We'll be giving away five grab bags and two autographed copies of Lynne Finch's book, TAKING YOUR FIRST SHOT. The grab bags will be a random assortment of swag that will include a shirt and a baseball cap, plus whatever other cool stuff we can stuff in the box before we can seal it up.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
A 'Product'ive 2014 Lies Ahead
2014 is already shaping up to be a stellar year here at The GunDivas. We are really excited about bringing you a number of product reviews, covering a wide variety of gun and shooting related items. SHOT Show has brought to our attention numerous products that shooters use frequently and other "wish list" type items that will be very useful out on the range.
Some of the products that we will be reviewing include ear protection, eye protection and cleaning/lubricating solutions. I know, not terribly exciting but certainly worth taking a look at. On the more exciting side of things, we will be taking a look at some knives and two camera systems; one for technique purposes and the other for tracking shots on target down range. I can't wait. I think we might even throw a review on a crossbow in just to mix things up.
I really am excited about what we have in store for 2014, should be a fun year.
Stay on target!
JBird
Some of the products that we will be reviewing include ear protection, eye protection and cleaning/lubricating solutions. I know, not terribly exciting but certainly worth taking a look at. On the more exciting side of things, we will be taking a look at some knives and two camera systems; one for technique purposes and the other for tracking shots on target down range. I can't wait. I think we might even throw a review on a crossbow in just to mix things up.
I really am excited about what we have in store for 2014, should be a fun year.
Stay on target!
JBird
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Shot Show 2014: Tavor trigger solution!
For those that remember my review on the Tavor rifle, one of my complaints was the crappy trigger. The good news is Timney Triggers now has a drop-in replacemeunt for the Tavor. Pull weight is approximately 3-4 pounds with the typical Timney quality. Nice clean break and reset. I will do A further review as soon as I can buy one and get it installed.
From Shot Show 2014
-Mez
From Shot Show 2014
-Mez
Monday, January 13, 2014
Industry Day at SHOT Show in Pictures
Many years ago, when I was working at the gun shop I heard wonderful stories of "Media Day" at SHOT Show, where members of the media get to go shoot the new product lines. As a gun shop employee, I was never eligible for the wonderfulness that was "Media Day". Fast forward several years and I'm now a "media professional" and able to attend. Last year was a miserable mess. Miserable. 25*F before the wind chill. We had the afternoon session and missed a lot of vendors who had packed up and left early (probably in an attempt to avoid frostbite).
They've recently begun to allow buyers to attend, which (I'm assuming) brought about the name change from "Media Day" last year to "Industry Day" this year.
This year, we went prepared for the worst and got the best! We were invited to the morning session, and were allowed to stay through the afternoon. The morning was a bit breezy and cool, but not cold.
(We'll post reviews of the guns we shot throughout the year, but I wanted to do a quick overview of the day.)
Lots of rounds down range and lots and lots of grins.
Just like in years past, I'll be giving away swag bags from the show once we're home. Stay tuned for the give-away...
They've recently begun to allow buyers to attend, which (I'm assuming) brought about the name change from "Media Day" last year to "Industry Day" this year.
This year, we went prepared for the worst and got the best! We were invited to the morning session, and were allowed to stay through the afternoon. The morning was a bit breezy and cool, but not cold.
(We'll post reviews of the guns we shot throughout the year, but I wanted to do a quick overview of the day.)
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| Springfield XDS 3.5 (.45 ACP) |
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| Devil Dog .308 Precision |
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| Remington 1100 Competition |
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| Mez trying out the Taccon Trigger System |
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| Beretta O/U, customized by Cabela's |
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| Just a cool picture of shooting clays |
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| Throwing knives at SOG |
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| Food! |
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| Caracal .308 |
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| Steyr AUG/A3SA NATO |
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| Who needs Daryl Dixon? I can shoot my own crossbow. |
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| *sigh* IWI Tavor. I love this gun. |
Lots of rounds down range and lots and lots of grins.
Just like in years past, I'll be giving away swag bags from the show once we're home. Stay tuned for the give-away...
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Friday, January 3, 2014
Shooting Buddies Are Important
I can't say it enough - I love my shooting buddies. Shooting with each gives me different experiences; we all have different strengths and weaknesses and can help each other.
I have three people I primarily shoot with: Tara, Mez, and occasionally Z. I shoot with other people, too, just not as frequently.
Today was range day with Tara. We try to get together every Friday for some range time, but it usually ends up being one Friday every couple of months. My time with her is all about fundamentals. Or would be if we actually shot on our Fridays. Today was one of those days where we actually shot. About half the time, it's just "girls time" and we might or might not ever fire a round.
Shooting with Mez is always a challenge because he's always pushing me past my limits. And God help me if we add in Z. Between Mez and Z, I'm swimming in testosterone, but I'll be damned if I get left behind because I can't keep up.
Double Tap and I have never just gone to the range together, but I do try to hang out at FiTS when I can and I see him at the monthly matches. Even if I'm not shooting FiTS, I learn so much by watching him coach other shooters through their scenarios.
There are a handful of people I prefer to shoot with at the monthly matches. I learn something new at every match and prefer to shoot in a group with people I can learn from. I'm solidly in the middle of my class at the matches. Since I treat the matches as a chance to practice things I can't normally practice at the range (shooting on the move, use of cover, etc.), sitting squarely in the middle is okay with me.
In the past year or so, we're seeing more and more "gamers" at the matches, which, well, sets my teeth on edge. I try to be of the "to each their own" mindset, but the guys who come with their race guns and pretend they're professional shooters who just miss really fast, argue every single penalty and then quote the IDPA rule book (we're not shooting IDPA) really make me crazy. Those are the shooters I try to avoid.
I'd rather surround myself with shooters who will help me use my cover/concealment more effectively or who will offer tips to actually improve my defensive shooting, thankyouverymuch.
Each of my shooting buddies offers me something different and while I'm not sure I offer them anything in return, they are essential to my growth as a shooter.
If you don't have at least one shooting buddy, you're missing out. Invite someone out to the range with you next time you go. If they're not a good fit (they have poor safety skills or your shooting personalities don't mesh) as someone else next time, but it's definitely worth your time to cultivate a 'tribe' of shooting buddies.
I have three people I primarily shoot with: Tara, Mez, and occasionally Z. I shoot with other people, too, just not as frequently.
Today was range day with Tara. We try to get together every Friday for some range time, but it usually ends up being one Friday every couple of months. My time with her is all about fundamentals. Or would be if we actually shot on our Fridays. Today was one of those days where we actually shot. About half the time, it's just "girls time" and we might or might not ever fire a round.
Shooting with Mez is always a challenge because he's always pushing me past my limits. And God help me if we add in Z. Between Mez and Z, I'm swimming in testosterone, but I'll be damned if I get left behind because I can't keep up.
Double Tap and I have never just gone to the range together, but I do try to hang out at FiTS when I can and I see him at the monthly matches. Even if I'm not shooting FiTS, I learn so much by watching him coach other shooters through their scenarios.
There are a handful of people I prefer to shoot with at the monthly matches. I learn something new at every match and prefer to shoot in a group with people I can learn from. I'm solidly in the middle of my class at the matches. Since I treat the matches as a chance to practice things I can't normally practice at the range (shooting on the move, use of cover, etc.), sitting squarely in the middle is okay with me.
In the past year or so, we're seeing more and more "gamers" at the matches, which, well, sets my teeth on edge. I try to be of the "to each their own" mindset, but the guys who come with their race guns and pretend they're professional shooters who just miss really fast, argue every single penalty and then quote the IDPA rule book (we're not shooting IDPA) really make me crazy. Those are the shooters I try to avoid.
I'd rather surround myself with shooters who will help me use my cover/concealment more effectively or who will offer tips to actually improve my defensive shooting, thankyouverymuch.
Each of my shooting buddies offers me something different and while I'm not sure I offer them anything in return, they are essential to my growth as a shooter.
If you don't have at least one shooting buddy, you're missing out. Invite someone out to the range with you next time you go. If they're not a good fit (they have poor safety skills or your shooting personalities don't mesh) as someone else next time, but it's definitely worth your time to cultivate a 'tribe' of shooting buddies.