34 replies to this topic

[FullThr0ttle21]

So I'm new to this sigte and shooting sports in general. I've been shooting for just over a year and sport shooting for only 3 months now (2 matches 3 practices)
at yesterdays match I was shooting singel stace and after taking on 8 steel with and 8 round mag I dropped it reloaded it to engage3 a paper target and shot twice dropped the mag to reload (while moving to a port hole) and dident seat the mag fully got a shot off then it fell out. reached for my last mag (middle of my back) and had to load ,rack, and fire 3 times. wasted close to 10sec and got an A,C and A,A . this 10 sec still haunts me because during all this loading dropping reloading the RO was asking if i was dont to show clear and kept saying "i'm not done yet" ,"no still hot" stuff like that it got me reall frazzled. worst thing is I dident have to reload >_< DoH!

[a.roberts]

I've done that before. Except I ran out of mags.
Live and learn.

[PKT1106]

Don't feel bad, the first tac rifle match i shot, I heard the beep, went to engage my first target and realized I forgot to take the safety off. While frantically trying to find it, I managed to hit the mag release on my AR.

[Flatland Shooter]

So I'm new to this sigte and shooting sports in general. I've been shooting for just over a year and sport shooting for only 3 months now (2 matches 3 practices)

Just part of the learning curve. It will get better with practice and experience.

Give it a few years. Then when you do the same darn thing at the wrong darn time, see if you feel any different. (You won't.)

I've been shooting USPSA for over 25 years and it seems like every once in a while I make a mistake even a newbie wouldn't. I think the technical term is Brain Fart.

Bill

[ntphd]

So I'm new to this sigte and shooting sports in general. I've been shooting for just over a year and sport shooting for only 3 months now (2 matches 3 practices)
at yesterdays match I was shooting singel stace and after taking on 8 steel with and 8 round mag I dropped it reloaded it to engage3 a paper target and shot twice dropped the mag to reload (while moving to a port hole) and dident seat the mag fully got a shot off then it fell out. reached for my last mag (middle of my back) and had to load ,rack, and fire 3 times. wasted close to 10sec and got an A,C and A,A . this 10 sec still haunts me because during all this loading dropping reloading the RO was asking if i was dont to show clear and kept saying "i'm not done yet" ,"no still hot" stuff like that it got me reall frazzled. worst thing is I dident have to reload >_< DoH!

Yep, I'm sure most of us have been there, done that, and bought that T-Shirt.

I've had trouble now and then on long stages. I've walked through several times, planned my reloads, etc. Then, when the timer goes off, I'll pop into "If I'm moving, I should be reloading" mode. That can really bite ya on the boo boo if you're not carrying enough mags, have any seating problems, etc. Not to mention the time reloads add, even if you're doing them correctly.

[a matt]

At the Fl Open this year the stage had mags and gun on the table start. I charged the gun put a mag on my magnet ( i shoot limited ) shot the first 6 paper and 2 steel targets. Running to the 2nd shooting area I dropped the mag in my gun still having 13 rounds in it. I had to run back to the starting posttion and get another mag so I could finish the stage. I think it happens to all of us at one time or another.i completely forgot what I was shooting and where I planed my mag changes. After that mistake it was try to finish with out any MIKES, my time was about 12 seconds off the pace for that stage. Oh well It was just one stage out of 10 . Forget that one and go to the next stage ready to roll.

[blaster113]

I done that a few times too, most recently at A2 with a nearly fully loaded big stick for my Open gun

[bigfish]

It happpens to everyone, it just seems like the better shooters dont let it mess up the mental aspect of the rest of that stage as much as some to the less experienced shooters. When they just keep going like nothing happened you just might not relize what just happened.

[sroe3]

Everyone has lapses. You can't beat yourself up. Learn from it and move on.

I dropped a mag off my belt last month on a long stage. It had a piece of pasting tape stuck on the base pad and caught my sleeve. Made me think (first mistake): do I have enough mags to finish the stage? Shot a mike while debating skipping the last reload. Decided to skip the reload (second mistake) and shot the gun dry on the last array. With one steel remaining I decided to unload and show clear (third mistake). I received a FTE and a mike for the popper. Down 20 points due to the dropped mag. My 6th mag was still on my belt. I could have shot the stage entirely as planned if my brain hadn't gotten in the way.

[Giant81]

been there did that on my first match. I was on the last stage and had been firing the entire match ast limited-10. Just before I shot the last stage I found out that I was registered Limited, so I loaded my 15rnd mag all the way up. Yup, you guessed it, mid way though a shooting position that I could have cleared with the remainder of the rounds in the 15rnd mag, I dropped it for the other 10rnd mag I had oh well, cost me a bunch of time but live and learn.

[chaosshooter00]

It happens to everyone more than we like to admit. What bothers me more is it sounds like the R.O. got in your head at the end. Not cool. At a level 1 event, I'm hoping that he took the time to explain how to prevent yourself from making the same mistake in the future and encourage you to come back. New shooters like yourself are the future of the sport, keep your head up, nobody went to GM overnite.

[FullThr0ttle21]

It happens to everyone more than we like to admit. What bothers me more is it sounds like the R.O. got in your head at the end. Not cool. At a level 1 event, I'm hoping that he took the time to explain how to prevent yourself from making the same mistake in the future and encourage you to come back. New shooters like yourself are the future of the sport, keep your head up, nobody went to GM overnite.

Thanks for noticing that, it may have been more my problem but I need to find a drill press to finish installing my base pads anyways. no drill press in the apartment.

im going to keep shooting, it was my first single stack match and i can only get better, i decided to just try to beat my self not the class A SS shooter that shots with us. props to me for a good attitude.

[Dlsvt]

Happened to me the first match with a magwell. Dropped the magazine after the first shot and wedged the next round to the left. Mag extensions were ordered the next day.

[PrinC]

It happened to me as well in an IPSC Level 3 match when I decided to use my friend's G35 with a 6.70z magwell installed and regular mags. In mag changing while running I thought I rammed the mag deep into the magwell, since I don't have one on my G35. Was I wrong when I heard the sound of a dropped mag on the ground. Thank God I had three other magazines on me and just loaded one in the event of a mishap.I can tell you it just messes up your game plan. my team members were so pissed with me as they knew if I had just shot my own gun this would not happen. I tried saving seconds on the shoot but lost seconds in the process.

[Landeeno]

This happend to me last weekend at a match. Not only did I help set this one particular course up so I had everything visually planned, but I just kept going over and over what I was going to do in my head for atleast a cpl hours, the stage was 32 shots and I had 16rd mags, I knew exactly where my reload would be and all I had to do was load one extra in the chamber before the start or reload when the slide locked back, instead I dropped the mag during the course just as I'd planned got to the final shot and the slide was locked, I wigged out loaded an extra mag and finished the last shot fairly quick, as I was walking back picking my mags up I realized I dropped my first 1 with one little bullet left. That "awwwwwwww darnit" feeling consumed me. Haha, but only my second match and I had a blast so we live and learn.

Ps, it was the "fast and furious" course if anybody else has shot it then you'll know what I'm talking about.

[Poppa Bear]

I did both on the same stage once. Stage required 20 rounds but 6 of it were steel plates in the middle. First shot had to be taken from the start box and the last shot had to be taken from the end box. With a barney bullet I could shoot it clean and still have the one left over. With 6 plates in the middle and a lot of NS around them I decided to not take the chance and planned to reload as I made the move towards the final box.

I took the early paper, shot the plates in the middle clean, and could now finish off the stage without a reload, BUT I programmed myself to reload on the way to the last position. The mag I grabbed was a 19 round re-loadable or 20 round if I started with the slide to the rear. It had 20 rounds so it dropped out as soon as I fired the first shot and I now had to grab a third mag to finish the stage off. I figure it cost me about 3 seconds making the unnecessary reload and then replacing the mag that fell out.

[lrf]

Shot a match for the first time in a year this month. I shoot production, did my first reload more quickly than I planned, it threw off my stage plan, I got my brain scrambled and ended up with an fte. Next match went considerably better(for my skillblevel, shot it clean at least)

[remoandiris]

Shot a match 3 weeks ago. At the starting position of the last stage, a short field course, I knew I needed only 2 mags for the stage. Friend's voice sounded in my head saying take one more mag than you'll need. I pushed the voice off.

Reloaded while moving to second array. Had a brain fart moving to the 3d array, hit mag release button at the same time I realized I didn't need a mag change and didn't have a 3d mag. DAMNIT!! Mag landed top down in the sand. Retrieved mag, inserted, fired round in the chamber and got a jam. Ejected jammed round and got another jam. Sand can really screw things up. 2 FTSAs and 5 mikes. That hurt.

My friends got a good laugh out of it. Them - "Why did you do a mag change?" Me - "I had a brain fart."

[mattwaage]

got a new CRspeed holster and had it adjusted a bit too low. Everytime I would draw my mag release button would hit. I would get the gun and sights up and see this shiney thing tumbling downrange... At least that was just in practice.

In a match a few days ago we had a starting postion of handgun loaded on top of barrel. Timer buzzes, grab pistol, magazime tumbles out onto the barrel. AH!@#!$$. luckily I grabbed it and loaded quick but threw off my whole run. Missed where I was supposed to stop, etc... Tried to replicate it at home on the countertop and it wouldnt do it, barrel had just enough arch to hit the button

[zmanktm]

Shootin 3 gun Nationals last year and not once but twice grab my AR and promptly drop the mags in the dirt….

[daves_not_here]

You didn't give up the fight! That's not a fail.

If a brain fart haunts me I work on how to prevent it or practice to handle it better in the future.

I've got a list of "what to prevent and to practice to handle better".

My latest was: not dropping a magazine because my hand was blocking the other side of the release (Glock).
I kept on pressing harder and harder thinking it was jammed.

My top three:

Press check at load make ready. - Gotta have a bullet in the chamber to play!

Tugging on the mag at load make ready. - I never want it to go like: beep -> bang -> explicative -> slide lock reload .

Scan at the end - make sure I got all of em!

DNH

[Landeeno]

Was having one of my best runs thus far in my career (3 matches) at the last match and got to the last 3 targets and had to reload in my transition, pulled the mag out of the pouch threw it on the ground (not intentionally) and luckily just luckily I had enough time before my shoot that I loaded up a third mag, thankfully I had spent hours a day for the past few weeks working on my reloads and I threw the magazine on the ground, grabbed another and reloaded all within 3 seconds so looking back it broke my heart immidietly, but I was happy with my recovery. I believe a brain fart a match will keep the practice continuing. Atleast for a Newb like me.

[daves_not_here]

I agree, a brain fart will definitely keep the practice continuing! Farting is fun anyway!

It is the mistakes and failures that we learn from.

DNH

[New4John]

So I'm new to this sigte and shooting sports in general. I've been shooting for just over a year and sport shooting for only 3 months now (2 matches 3 practices)
at yesterdays match I was shooting singel stace and after taking on 8 steel with and 8 round mag I dropped it reloaded it to engage3 a paper target and shot twice dropped the mag to reload (while moving to a port hole) and dident seat the mag fully got a shot off then it fell out. reached for my last mag (middle of my back) and had to load ,rack, and fire 3 times. wasted close to 10sec and got an A,C and A,A . this 10 sec still haunts me because during all this loading dropping reloading the RO was asking if i was dont to show clear and kept saying "i'm not done yet" ,"no still hot" stuff like that it got me reall frazzled. worst thing is I dident have to reload >_< DoH!

This should make you feel better

My link

It happens. Keep smiling and roll on.

[rhett45acp]

This happened a while back, but even at the time I had been shooting 10+ years. I have always used a “barney” bullet. No matter what the stage or configuration. I just always have. It’s almost in muscle memory.

I was at a small match and was socializing before the classifier. I was pasting, talking and doing all the things you do except thinking about being on deck. I am called to the line and given the make ready. I barney up, get my mojo on, waiting for the standby and buzzer. The RO, which I have shot with before, comments “are you sure you are ready?” I shake my head (I know, incorrect range commands ect..)

Standby
Buzz
Bang
Click

Yep, forgot to put the real full mag into the gun and started with no magazine! Lot’s of laugher all around and the one, who is laughing the loudest, is I, at myself.