[needknees]

Not to try to steal Aristotle's thunder here, but I recently picked up a single stack and have been playing around with reloads. Note to self: do not sign up for the single stack classic without a gun... you'll end up buying instead of borrowing! For being basically the same idea it's quite a bit different than the G34 I'm used to... and just a *tad* different than reloading a revolver .

Anyway, please pick my technique apart! Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=02zAlDtQ8Qw

Other than doing two reloads in rapid succession (and I need to stop practicing like this, it rarely if ever happens in an actual match and I don't want to develop bad habits) here are some things I've noticed about the single stack. It takes a lot of shifting around for me to hit the mag release. I want to stay uspsa AND idpa legal so that leaves oversized buttons out. The Kimber I picked up has an extended release, and while it does help it still takes a big flip to get it around where I can reliably release the mag. I still have to do this on my 34 but it's not quite as pronounced. However, it feels like I'm reestablishing a correct grip with my strong hand before the mag hits home. Second, even with the magwell I really have to pay attention to what I'm doing while indexing. Damn skinny mags!

It's been really crappy here lately, I haven't had a chance to actually shoot this gun outside. I hope I can hit reloads on the move with it!

What else am I missing?

This post has been edited by needknees: 13 January 2009 - 07:28 PM

[Catfish]

that looked pretty slick.

if you can try to "flip" the gun in your hand to make the mag button easier to hit that will get rid of some wasted movement at the front end but really, those two reloads looked very good.

[steel1212]

Just 2 mags??? Your shooting Single STack keep on going around

Other than that it looks good and smooth.

[nashvillebill]

Yeah, really. I had a little shot CDP, but my first SS match I like to never found that third mag. It was also surprising how hard it was to get a full mag to lock into an old Colt when the slide is forward. Little things I have learned, new things to practice.

[needknees]

Thanks for the replies everyone .

Catfish - That's one of the big things I've noticed myself doing to actually get around to hit the dang button. The muzzle movement is likely coming from that flip to the side.

steel1212 and nashvillebill - I was actually getting ready for the (other) shooting sport... I figured this Kimber would make a nice ESP gun in addition to shooting single stack. We were supposed to have a match last Sunday but something about 8" of snow and 35mph winds put the kabash on that. I do definitely need practice with the USPSA rig, but I already had the IDPA gear on so I threw the vest in the corner and grabbed a camera. However, I do shoot production so I'm used to reaching around my back to grab those mags.

What's the normal amount of mags for singlestack? I planned on running similar to my production rig - one in the gun and four on the belt, but likely having the barney mag easily accessable for an "oh shit" situation. Are most people running four or five mags on the belt?

[bofe954]

Do you know what kind of times those reloads are, just curious...

I carry 5 mags on my belt. 4 is probably enough, and I've debated using my 5th as my barney since I don't recall needing it, much less needing all 8 rounds.

If you think about it, a long course can be 32 rounds. 1 in the gun topped off and 3 on the belt would give you 33 rounds, which to me is cutting it a little close. So you figure at least 4 on the belt. The nightmare would be a course with a lot of arrays of 3 targets with movement in between so you were dropping mags after 6 rounds.

[needknees]

bofe954, on Jan 14 2009, 09:32 AM, said:

Do you know what kind of times those reloads are, just curious...

I carry 5 mags on my belt. 4 is probably enough, and I've debated using my 5th as my barney since I don't recall needing it, much less needing all 8 rounds.

If you think about it, a long course can be 32 rounds. 1 in the gun topped off and 3 on the belt would give you 33 rounds, which to me is cutting it a little close. So you figure at least 4 on the belt. The nightmare would be a course with a lot of arrays of 3 targets with movement in between so you were dropping mags after 6 rounds.

I should have had the timer out for this video . The first day I got it (last Thursday... ) I went up and played around at my club's small indoor range for a bit - my reloads there shot to shot were 1.62-1.88, but I didn't have near the practice with it at that time. I would *guess* these reloads are coming in just under a second. That'd put the shot to shot time around 1.3, which I would be very happy to pull off in a match situation... which is a whole different level of difficulty .

I'll do some practice on a par timer tonight and throw another video up.

[HuskySig]

Your initial presentation of the gun looks great. Your arms are close to full extension, but not locked out. When it comes to your two reloads, your gun and arms don't quite reach that full extension. To me, it looks like there is significantly more bend in the elbows.