Category: Shooting

Thanks to Kevin Baker for taking this video of me shooting one of our stages along with Dave Hardy.  Todd Jarrett is the guy coaching me through, and Dan Smith of ICC is the guy coaching Dave.

This was a tough stage.  You can to shoot three shots at the steel plate directly in front, then move toward the plates on the side, then six shots in the last plate.  If the movers came into view, you had to double tap them.

Our time at Blackwater is at an end.  I am back in the hotel at Norfolk, Virginia.  I still have a few more posts to do on the experience, but I definitely want to send out a few really big thank yous for helping put this together:

• Kerby Smith, Director of Communications for ParaUSA, who put this all together, and shot with us, with great skill, I might add.
• Thanos Polyzos, CEO of ParaUSA, who supported our event, and was down there with us.
• Todd Jarrett, who put together and taught the course wonderfully.
• Michael Bane, who sent his film crew for DRTV and The Shooting Gallery.
• Patrick Harlan, Internet Marketing Specialist for Crimson Trace who supplied us with laser grips.
  
• All the folks at Blackwater USA, who were very good to us.  They run a world class training facility.
• All the folks at Blackhawk, who supplied us with SERPA holsters that worked great for us on our weekend, and various other goodies we used on the range, and who drove us to and from in their bitchin’ bus.
• Dan Smith of International Cartridge Corporation, who supplied us with all our ammunition needs, and is a great shooter, BTW.

Lots of other folks helped out, including Bitter, who didn’t make it.  Let’s also not forget the National Rifle Association, who by taking bloggers seriously, helped make the case for other folks taking us seriously.  I also want to thank Kerby and Michael specifically for creating a spot for the Blog Bash organizers, even though we didn’t make the voting.  I feel bad Bitter couldn’t make it.  I know Bitter feels bad she couldn’t make it.  And believe me, when I get back and talk to her about everything and how totally cool it was, she will definitely be sorry she couldn’t make it.

More to come about our weekend.

This is your last chance to vote in the contest between Joe Huffman and Caleb at Blackwater. The odds have gone from 100% in Joe’s favor at the beginning, hovering between 75% and 85% most of the time, now dropping to 70% as we approach the last day.

As soon as I see a post about the results, I’ll remove the poll.

UPDATE: The poll is now closed. Joe Huffman beat Caleb both in the poll and on the range.

I have been very impressed with Todd’s instruction.  Todd is mostly concentrating on tips and techniques that will make us better shooters.  I have never done shooting on the move before, and never shot at anything that moved except for clay birds.  I thought I did pretty decently on both, doing my best to follow some of Todd’s advise.  The cool thing about what Todd has taught us, is that I think I could come back and show other people his tips.  Here are some pictures below of Todd Jarrett at work.  Click on the pictures to see descriptions of what you’re seeing.

Now I just have to go home and practice, practice, practice everything Todd has taught.

There’s nothing gun bloggers like better than Blackwater provided transportation of a shot up car.  Blackwater is the largest single buyer of used cars in the State of North Carolina.  They buy them for everything from stunt driving to their own version of Smash Up Derby, usually involving a lot of breaking through barricades, and often firepower.

The really great thing was that I managed to fish about 40 once fired Lake City brass out of the vehicle.  The really funny thing is, the radio in the vehicle still worked just fine.  I guess the Blackwater mechanics have their priorities in order.  Thanks to Blackwater for telling us “Hey, if you need some help getting to and from your range, the keys are in the ignition of those shot up cars, feel free to use them.”

This morning we got our hands marked up by Todd Jarrett to teach us a proper grip. Let me tell you, it works. My speed and accuracy improved markedly. I still have some difficulty with the draw, but there’s nothing that will correct that except for repetition.

Todd also had us shoot a silhouette target at 25 yards. I did respectably, but let me tell you, Caleb got all of his hits in the kill zone. I had to shoot low and right to find the bullseye.

Here’s some video of a few familiar bloggers shooting plates with Todd Jarrett with us today at ParaUSA Gun Blogger Summer Camp.  Caleb is looking pretty sharp.  It’s going to be an interesting settling of this bet.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pot6c7H8G78[/youtube]

Tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun.

On Blackhawk:

These guys are making and designing a lot of cool gear.  SayUncle and I were particularly interested in their upcoming tactical stocks for the Ruger 10/22.  We saw a prototype version, and they say the final production version will be better, which is good because I thought the prototype was pretty sharp.  Blackhawk has been absolutely great to us as bloggers, giving us two different holsters that work with the 1911s we’re using.

On Blackwater:

As Tam and Kevin said, it’s like Disneyland for gun nuts.  It’s a really impressive facility.  Blackwater has been completely open with us, gave us a pretty thorough tour of the facility, and let us drive around their track in the Blackhawk Bus.  If Blackwater has a reputation for being creepy mercinaries, I’ve gotten none of that impression so far.  So far, my only impression is of a world class training facility.  Though, they do have black helicopters.

On Todd Jarrett:

Todd is a true professional.  I’ve very much enjoyed the instruction so far, and have discovered shooting steel is about the most fun you can have and still keep your clothes on.  Plus, excuse my jumping up and down like a little girl (which Caleb is), but Todd Jarrett complimented my shooting!  Tomorrow is definitely going to be fun, and I don’t care how hot it is out.  He’s corrected a few things I was doing, and I’m going to do my best to stick with his instructions.

On the Para LDA:

It’s a little too early to draw a final conclusion, but for this Glock shooter I find the LDA trigger to be very familiar and comfortable.  Keep in mind I do not own a 1911 currently, so I am not, by any means, a 1911 critic, but I can compare it to what I’m familiar with.  The operation is similar to a Glock trigger, in that you have take up, and then a point where it breaks, but the action is a bit lighter than with the Glock, and I shoot a little better with it.

More pictures and impressions to come along later.

I can’t post photos from the range, but I can post this image:

That dewpoint of 68 can’t be terribly comfortable. Consider what the National Weather Service says about dewpoint numbers:

• less then or equal to 55: dry and comfortable
• between 55 and 65: becoming a bit “sticky” with muggy evenings
• greater then or equal to 65: lots of moisture in the air, becoming oppressive

Hopefully they have lots of water out on the range to keep hydrated.

Don’t forget that over at the Second Amendment Blog Bash site, we have a poll up through the end of the weekend at Blackwater on who will win the big shoot-out – Joe Huffman or Caleb.

So far, 86% 78% 81% of voters think Joe will win the bet. If you think Caleb can out-shoot Joe, it’s time to get over there and make your vote count. If you think Joe will top Caleb, make sure you show him your support by voting.

Make this a memorable Battle of the Gun Blogs!