So i went and shot in an SSSA (Stock, single stack association. Pretty much a competitive shooting bracket for people who love the 1911 or the browning hi-power, or other similar single stack magazine pistols.)

So i have been a competitive shooter for sometime, and shot in several competitions, and even have a few rewards for it, but I'm posting here to vent something to a group of people that are not directly connected to the event.

The thing I'm venting is: my god i sucked it up today. Guys, and gals, have you ever performed so badly at an event that you were actually embarrassed it was you? It was bad today. Really bad. so bad i had to just laugh it off with the other shooters because it was horrid. here is what happened.

I was running a shooting course. i had a starting stage, and from there, i had 3 targets that i had to put two shots on, get to a barricade, change magazines, and engage 3 more targets to finish the stage. easy enough and i have done it several times.

Only this time, i came out, hit the three targets and got to the barricade. i reached behind me, grabbed the magazine and pulled it out of the pouch, and went to reload. in a hurry, i ended up throwing it behind me because it slipped out of my hand, hitting the range officer with it. While it didnt hurt him, he actually caught it, it was more than a laugh. to make matters worse, i grabbed another magazine and dropped it in the snow. i finally got reloaded and finished the stage, but it cost me like 20 seconds, so unless the competition started missing really badly, i wasnt winning this one.

Stage 2 i was so focused, so zoned in i forgot to reload my firearm and started a stage that needed 10 rounds to finish with 3 rounds in my firearm. needless to say, i had to reload on a "speed course" and missed out and lost more time. on top of that, my aim was off, despite using the same load of 5.71gr of W231 with a 200GR SWC that i have been shooting for i don't know, about 5 years now, out of the same STI competition 1911. I have worked up that handload from scratch, and have routinely shot clay pigeons off of a backstop at 100 yards.

Then disaster struck, i was shooting another stage. it had 3 2-shot targets, a reloading barricade, 2 hostage targets, another barricade to move to, then 4 2-shot targets. I was doing great until i dumped my 1911 into a mud/snow mix because i slipped on the snow. The good news was i kept the firearm in a safe direction, the bad news was that the gun was full of water, snow, and mud. At that point, i just dropped out of the competition, as i was so embarrassed.

While i was safe as always with my firearms, i screwed up nine ways to Sunday, and we did have a laugh about it after it was over, my pride walked away crushed. I know I'm a better shooter than that, but man i felt like an idiot.

Im not joking, i looked completely like an idiot out there. Thankfully the local guys knew better (some of them were telling the out of towners to watch out for me because I'm good...hahahaha) but i just felt like a moron.

Has that ever happened to you? Not necessarily with a firearm or a shooting competition, but have you ever performed so poorly in a competition that you are just embarrassed. I normally have a pretty good opinion of things, and am a pretty good sport, but i was just so embarrassed i had to get out of there.

With rifles I didnt suffee the problem you had. Same with Crossbows. Bows on the other hand... I started out good but my skills over the years went down hill.

Whilst it sucks, I believe this happens in every arena. I used to get paid to cull kangaroos and wild pigs. Some days/nights I would be on fire, metaphorically .. other days/nights the fire was more literal.

This extends to sports, xbox games, etc. heck, even at work we have dud days.

We all have off days .. Except for playing golf. I firmly believe that the 'good day' is the rarity.

Halfway through the prone round of a highpower rifle match, I realized I was crossfiring on another target...

I used to play competitive paintball. Some days you were the Terminator, some days you were the Terminated!

I see why i dont do competition shooting now *L*. I am a good enough shot for my purposes but not i suspect of the calibre needed for such things. i will content myself with the range i set up behind my house

I've not shot a proper firearm since I left the infantry and to be honest i've had no desire to ever handle a real rifle or pistol again for a long time.

I have done a lot of 'airsoft' shooting for fun and to keep fit over the last decade but the spinal wound i got in the army gets worse every year (deteriorating discs and nerves) so i do less and less of it.

Im off to canada in May for my 40th and staying with friends. we're going to have a day out on the ranges there.

It will be wierd firing something 'real' again after so long.

I used to be a pretty good shot, one of the better shots in my platoon. I remember once missing out on my marksmans qualification by 1 point and being *really* hacked off about it... i missed that last shot because i was being cocky and taking shots at my mates target in the next lane as he was lousy and i was trying to help him out

The rifle we had at the time had a bad press (L85a1 or the 'sa80' as most people know it) but it was actually incredibly good if well maintained. After i left H&K overhauled the entire compliment of them and made them possibly the best assault rifle in the world now. A little heavy compared to an M4 or similar but a lot more accurate and the bullpup design makes them really well balanced.

I always liked the Enfield L85A1. Got to play with a few on a couple of occasions. Even with the bad press, (and im not sure i understood exactly why everyone didn't like it) i always felt like they were better built rifles than my M4A3.

I dont know what Stoner was thinking, but blowing the carbon back into the action of a firearm is never a great idea when the firearm is designed to operate in low maintenance conditions.

I will/still work on the occasional Steyer, Enfield, HK, and rarely, if its a class III (full auto) deal or purchase, i have even ran across one of the L85A1's that needed maintenance. A little cleaning, and a good break down and spring replacement had that sucker shooting right as rain. **** accurate too.

I will say, when the A2 configuration came out after HK reworked them, i agree with you. I would rather carry one of those if i cant carry my M14. At least if i have to use a .223/5.56 rifle (which is really a fairly diminutive cartridge) i would carry that or a Steyer Aug A1 any day. Not that i have a problem with my M4, that rifle is just fine, there is just better. The extra weight from either rifle doesn't bother me much, but I'm not trapped in a sandbox anymore carrying it for months on end either.

At my age, i do good to carry a glock 27 all day, let alone an infantry rifle and gear.

used to do small bore rifle matches then "High power" then got into precision "airguns" when i got stationed in Germany.. also still want to try "3" gun.. once you get over the sticker shock of a GOOD air rifle they are a blast to shoot. also want to try "3D" archery or I think that's what its called..lol I got a "Plinking" range on my property and mainly just shoot Cans/ 9mm brass and field target silhouettes, now.. The brass makes a nice sound when you hit it!! the centers from clay pigeons are good too. i get them from the local ***** range. lots of unbroken centers laying around. There are no local gun clubs that host meets. but there are a surprisingly large number of airgunners in my state and 2 or 3 times a year somebody hosts a "Fun Shoot" and friendly competition. Neat thing about airgunning is its CHEAP once you get a good airgun.

My grandfather used to take me to "Turkey" shoots when I was young. I won many of those before I discovered girls then driving.

I was very good with my .22 rifle, still have it 30+ years later. It was given to me for X-Mas when I was 7 or 8.

I used to get paid $.25 per blackbird as a pre-teen to kill them to keep them out of the corn fields.

Never really got into hunting.

My wife and I have carry permits and several pistols. My wife, the daughter of a cop, whips me every time we go out target shooting to keep our skills sharp.

My shootin' got a lot better recently when i got an improved grip for my Taurus Judge. The factory one is terrible. And the recoil with the standard grip is rough . But the Pachmayr aftermarket grip is excellent. My wifes Ruger 9mm is a fine item as is though

I've shot some pool does that count?

used to do small bore rifle matches then "High power" then got into precision "airguns" when i got stationed in Germany.. also still want to try "3" gun.. once you get over the sticker shock of a GOOD air rifle they are a blast to shoot. also want to try "3D" archery or I think that's what its called..lol I got a "Plinking" range on my property and mainly just shoot Cans/ 9mm brass and field target silhouettes, now.. The brass makes a nice sound when you hit it!! the centers from clay pigeons are good too. i get them from the local ***** range. lots of unbroken centers laying around. There are no local gun clubs that host meets. but there are a surprisingly large number of airgunners in my state and 2 or 3 times a year somebody hosts a "Fun Shoot" and friendly competition. Neat thing about airgunning is its CHEAP once you get a good airgun.

Yeah, i would image airgun ammunition is very cheap. I have looked into it, just to explore something new, however, every time i get ready to dive into it, some jackass drops an AR off on my desk or brings it by the house with a pleading look on their face to "make it good" and i get sucked back in.

Of course, i have no one to blame for this buy myself, but its way easier to blame patrol officers as to why i spend hours working on pistols and rifles than it is to accept the fact that i do it out of a labor of love.

My grandfather used to take me to "Turkey" shoots when I was young. I won many of those before I discovered girls then driving.

I was very good with my .22 rifle, still have it 30+ years later. It was given to me for X-Mas when I was 7 or 8.

I used to get paid $.25 per blackbird as a pre-teen to kill them to keep them out of the corn fields.

Never really got into hunting.

My wife and I have carry permits and several pistols. My wife, the daughter of a cop, whips me every time we go out target shooting to keep our skills sharp.

Thats funny, because i used to go to turkey shoots all the time, and still do when they have them (normally a few times a year). I also go out about 3 or 4 times a year to keep the coyotes out of my grandpa and grandma's cattle farm, and will think the pack, especially when we have a heffer getting ready to give birth. spent a lot of time keep varmints out with a .22, then a .223, and so on.

My Wife, like you is also a pretty good shot. She carries a 9mm springfield and is pretty **** good with it. Much better is she with her pistol than i am with my glock 27. it is fun though, she can routinely knock over bowling pins at 50 yards with her 9mm 4" sprinfield with normally a few shots on each one, and thats saying something for a 9mm!

My shootin' got a lot better recently when i got an improved grip for my Taurus Judge. The factory one is terrible. And the recoil with the standard grip is rough . But the Pachmayr aftermarket grip is excellent. My wifes Ruger 9mm is a fine item as is though

i put a hogue on my competition 1911, and it made a pretty big difference. I cant imagine what the felt recoil was, because a friend of mine has a Taurus titanium .44 special and that thing, with even a moderate, not even a heavy or near max load, would kick like a **** mule when it would go off, mainly because it didn't weigh anything, but also because the stock grip, that weird semi spongy material just shifted in your hands when it went off.

I like Ruger a lot. A friend of mine purchased one, and we compared the Ruger SR9C to a 9MM Springfield XD 4" and a Glock 17 and in all cases, that ruger shot as well if not a little better than the glock, and had a much better trigger. Ruger is supposed to be coming out with an SR.45C and when they do i'll probably spring for one, I was really impressed with the SR9C, and later when i got a chance to play with one, the SR40C

I've shot some pool does that count?

Nope, not for this conversation, but your welcome in this conversation anyway

I've been active in shooting for 28 years (military - contractor) but never competed in any civilian shotting events but I do sometimes consider getting into SASS - CAS (cowboy action shooting). Anyone can suffer a bad performance day in any sporting event. Better to have that off miserable day on range than the battlefield.

I find the older I get the period era of my firearm interest gets older and older! All my most recent purchases have been late 1800's era with the exception of a 1940's carbine. Still looking at getting in black powder too.

CAS is a hoot, if you pardon the expression. Many of my friends shoot CAS, with their ruger blackhawks and winchester 30/30, and model 1891 shotguns.

there is some cool stuff to see too. One guy, who recently passed away unfortunately, could split single cards on the draw at about 10 yards or so, and could hit golf balls at 15 or so yards on the draw, he was **** fast too. He shot nationally for a while, and got to compete with the best.

I dont think i could ever shoot from the hip and hit anything, but i guess he practiced and practiced. Man lived at the range practically all his life. He got into CAS before it was called CAS and I'm telling ya, watching him shoot an exhibition was one of the coolest things i have ever seen.

In terms of battlefield, i thankfully don't have to worry about that, and thankfully, the guys at the range aren't giving me too much grief over my last shoot. Now they just "drop" their magazines and call it doing a "Scott". We all get a good chuckle out of it.

I've not shot a proper firearm since I left the infantry and to be honest i've had no desire to ever handle a real rifle or pistol again for a long time.

I have done a lot of 'airsoft' shooting for fun and to keep fit over the last decade but the spinal wound i got in the army gets worse every year (deteriorating discs and nerves) so i do less and less of it.

Im off to canada in May for my 40th and staying with friends. we're going to have a day out on the ranges there.

It will be wierd firing something 'real' again after so long.

I used to be a pretty good shot, one of the better shots in my platoon. I remember once missing out on my marksmans qualification by 1 point and being *really* hacked off about it... i missed that last shot because i was being cocky and taking shots at my mates target in the next lane as he was lousy and i was trying to help him out

The rifle we had at the time had a bad press (L85a1 or the 'sa80' as most people know it) but it was actually incredibly good if well maintained. After i left H&K overhauled the entire compliment of them and made them possibly the best assault rifle in the world now. A little heavy compared to an M4 or similar but a lot more accurate and the bullpup design makes them really well balanced.

I was lucky enough to go through NZ Army basic training in the very first platoon to be given the newly introduced Steyr AUG rifle. The guys before us were jealous as hell, because they were doing all the parade ground drills for the Steyr but with the M16 (which was a little awkward). Each of us were issued with a brand new "plastic-fantastic" rifle. There was some skeptism about it at the time if I recall, but I like the weapon. It was lightweight and shot well on the range with its built-in 1.5x scope and was easy to strip and maintain. I taught my section how to strip and reassemble them blindfolded.

On exercise in the NZ bush, it was much preferred over the M16, because it was more compact and easier to manoeuvre in tight surroundings. I always thought a bullpup rifle would be awkward, but the Steyr wasn't.

I quite like the Steyr to, although i would upgrade the optic sight to an ACOG in a heart beat, 1.5 x magnification is sweet FA.

Here's what i got at home a RRA AR-15 5.56 mm

and some target practice from a few weeks ago. (only shot from 25m, the patch is about 25mm diameter, wish i could get this grouping from 100m)

I'm not sure whether the NZ Army's Steyr's sights have been upgraded since I left, but the first issues were bog standard. We were told to try and use the iron sight on top of the scope at anything under 100m.

I'm not sure whether the NZ Army's Steyr's sights have been upgraded since I left, but the first issues were bog standard. We were told to try and use the iron sight on top of the scope at anything under 100m.

They have got some that are upgraded, all that was done is swap the receiver group out for one with a picatinny rail and add the ACOG. The regular issue Steyr just have the 1.5 times optic sight, the doughnut and cross-hair is good enough to use for short range opportunity targets.

When did you leave the green machine?

Late 80's. I wanted to get a trade behind me and I couldn't get a corps transfer to the Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, and decided RNZAC wasn't going to leave me much of a career post-army. The only qualifications I got there was a couple of classes on my driver's licence.

I just got back into shooting last Summer. Got a new job with a little more disposable income and all, y'know?

Once it warms up, I'm probably going to try doing some IDPA. There are a couple of ranges nearby that do IDPA on Saturday mornings. I've no doubt I'll be terrible at it, but it seems like it'd be a lot of fun!

During the "Week of the Eagles" event at Ft. Campbell in 2011 I lead my brigades team in the division marksmanship competition. The entire week prior I had been given free reign on a rifle range and all of the ammunition we wanted with the only caveat being that we would mentor and coach the soft skill Soldiers who could not qualify at a concurrent rifle qualification on the other half of the range. My team was made up of people I had hand picked (we all ended up from my Company as it was the only Infantry company in the brigade) and we practiced until we could score 40/40 from the standing position only, using M4/ACOG.

Of the 6 grunts on my team (including myself) I was the only one to place and I would have had first if I had not put a round into the berm at the 50m target (I cursed out loud when I saw the dirt fly). I placed third out of the whole division by one single shot.

There was a plus side though; of the 40 or so who came to my team for re-training, 22 scored Sharpshooter on their requal while the remainder (aside from about 3-4 if I remember correctly) were able to pass scoring as Marksman.

I was glade none of my old shooting buddies were at the rang last time I was there. It had been a year since I shoot my .223 and I forgot I had to adjust the scope to shoot from 100m to 200m. Could not group within an inch and was introducing a friend to shooting at the time. Lucky for me she did not know any better. I think I spend to much time shooting dice and not my rifle

I've not fired a real firearm since i left the army around 2001 (well left reserves in 2001, reg army 2000)

I used to be pretty **** good. One of the better shots in my section, i missed my marksmans badge by one point as i was helping my buddy who was a crap shot by taking a shot at his lane after i'd taken mine to help him get through his annual personal weapons test. Should have stuck to focussing on my own lane.

I always swore i'd never fire a real firearm again (i do a lot of airsoft 'hobby' shooting and blank fire re-enactment) after leaving HM Forces but im off to Canada in May and my friend in Toronto is taking me out for a day on the ranges.

So should be fun, i'll let you know how it goes.

I was never a great shot with a pistol, we just didnt use them enough. I was issued an L85a1 assault rifle and for a while carried the L86 light support weapon. I was very good with the latter and im not bad with a belt fed M249 or GPMG but pistols.... I think i fired them three times in three years and a few on the gas recoil 'small arms trainer' electronic ranges and was decidedly average

Late 80's. I wanted to get a trade behind me and I couldn't get a corps transfer to the Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, and decided RNZAC wasn't going to leave me much of a career post-army. The only qualifications I got there was a couple of classes on my driver's licence.

I know that one. I signed up for a commission in the infantry for the 'glamour' (i wanted guards or cav but was bluntly told as my family didnt have a title or a private income of 60k a year or more or an estate it was highly unlikely).

Infantry was fun but apart from leadership....very few transferable skills.

I'm good at shooting man size targets at a fair old range, i can operate a mortar and i can live on sod all in a wet trench for a week and still see the funny side of things.

Not a lot of call for any of that in civvy street.

Really wish i'd joined a support corp with a trade rather than a teeth arm