[Flexmoney]

Bianchi Plates

6 plates. 6 shots. Hands above shoulders for the draw.

It is run at four distances...10y, 15y, 20y, & 25y. Each distance is run twice. You start up close, do your two runs at that distance, then move back to the next distance.

[edit to add:]

Each distance allows for one extra second on the PAR time.

10y = 6sec.
15y = 7sec.
20y = 8sec.
25y = 9sec

Total of 48 shots. Each shot is worth 10 points. So, 480 total points available.

[Flexmoney]

Every time I shoot the local Action Pistol match I always come home with this phrase in mind...

There are no Bravo hits on steel.

There are no Charlies, no Deltas, there is no 8-ring... It's 10 points or nothing.


I sure do like the idea of shooting each plate right in the dead center. The plates are 8 inches in diameter. If I can aim in the dead center, that allows for a bit of slop that might creep into my shooting.


Please share you tips on shooting the plates!

[BigDave]

Regarding the Plates, I remember BE once saying something like "Take all the time you need to make your first shot." That advice has served me very well.

If you have the facilities to shoot the plates at distances longer that 25 yds, do it. I know many folks who practiced at 50 yds - I never got the chance. Also, use all of the time that they give you for each string. USPSA shooters, especially, will treat it like it's score Comstock. Bad Move. The folks who do well with this - TGO, TonyH, Bruce, Doug, Mike, Kevin - all use the same time to finish the strings. If the string is 6 seconds, their last shot is at about 5.6 or 5.7.

[Action Pistolero]

Shoot the plates as close to the center as you can at 10 yards. From then on aim at your hits.

Like BigDave said, Take your time on the first plate.

The montra that I say to myself is dot trigger dot trigger across the rack. I don't count shots. That's just useless information. A few years ago at the Cup it was a good thing that I was shooting on the first rack. I was so tuned in that I was looking for the 7th plate. If I had been shooting on any other rack and the shooter shot the plates left to right I would have just kept on going.

With notch and post sights I find that I have to aim at 6 o'clock at 10 yards. At 15 it's more towards the middle and the 20 and 25 is just above center. In this case my focus is on the serrations of my front sight and nothing else.

The main thing to remember with a Metallic or Production gun is to know where to aim at all the distances. Since we have the new target that is now a lot easier.

[xsniper]

I am trying to come back to AP after a very lengthy layoff, but my piece of advice (to myself) on the plates is never relax your concentration. I was clean and left my very last plate standing at 25 yards in the 1994 Cup. In my opinion the 25 yard stage is the easiest.....I just thought I was in the shoot-off and relaxed. And like you said, it wasn't 2 points down...it was 10 points down, just like that.

[Flexmoney]

Do people go prone? Is that still legal? In all gun divisions?

[goneracin]

Flexmoney, on Jul 28 2009, 12:47 PM, said:

Do people go prone? Is that still legal? In all gun divisions?

yes. Legal at least in open. people normally go prone at the 25, and 20. Some guys go prone at the 15. I cant get my old ass down there fast enough from the 15....

[benos]

Nothing new from me for the plates. Take all the time you need to shoot the first plate dead center. Shoot all the plates at 10 and 15 as close as possible to dead center, then aim at the bullet marks at 20 and 25. And definitely learn to use all time possible at each distance so you shoot each place as close to the middle as possible. To expedite that, when you finish each string, ask yourself what the time was before looking at the timer.
be

[Action Pistolero]

All gun divisions can go prone on the plates at the 15, 20 and 25 yard lines.

Everyone can go prone on the Practical from 15 yards on back.

The only event where things change is the Barricade. Open shooters can use the barricade as they wish. Metallic and Production shooters can use the Barricade for support but the gun cannot touch it except during recoil and the shooter cannot grab the barricade with their fingers.

[Bafaction]

I can agree with you all Make sure you take you time to hit the first plate then watch the dot and place the shots inthe middle of the plate. One thing is never get the toughts that this is easy or get to confidient with them as you will have a miss then it will bring you back down to reality.

[kimmbeckwith]

my only suggestion on the plates is you don't get extra points for shooting them under the alloted time! I've see so many shooters shoot them almost a seond and half faster than they should. I have seen some real good shooters miss plates through years and all of them said "I pulled the trigger and the dot wasn't even close to the plate, but I was in sync".

[xsniper]

So, whatcha think...right to left, left to right. Anybody think there is an advantage one way or the other. I used to shoot them left to right, and now, for no particular reason I shoot them right to left. It just seems comfortable.

[caspian1]

When Kevin and Travis are practicing plates, kevin has two plates down before Travis breaks his first shot. Then Travis finishes before Kevin does. Sometimes I think Travis has forgot to load his gun. That is how much he is concentrating on getting a hit on that first plate.

[Action Pistolero]

xsniper,

The direction that you shoot is more of a personal preference. I shoot them right to left. For me it feels more natural. When shooting strong hand only I shoot right to left but weak handed I shoot left to right.

[Flexmoney]

I'm not buying the time thing.

I can't see where thinking about using the time or not has relevance. To me, that sounds like a distraction from executing.

What is needed to execute? Sights and trigger, right?

Why get caught up with "time" at all?


Blaspheme ?

[Flexmoney]

Action Pistolero, on Jul 30 2009, 04:29 PM, said:

xsniper,

The direction that you shoot is more of a personal preference. I shoot them right to left. For me it feels more natural. When shooting strong hand only I shoot right to left but weak handed I shoot left to right.

I do the same for SHO & WHO.

I started shooting (freestyle) going right-to-left because I didn't want to have a preference. Then, down the road, the iron sighted gun I shot at minor power would just dribble the brass out. In Steel Challenge...with wide and quick transitions between targets, I would catch up to the brass and sometimes it would dance on top of my slide...between the sights.

So, that was another reason to go right to left...just to get the brass out of the "picture". (Surely not a common issue.)

[Chuck Anderson]

Okay, now you guys have me confused with all this SHO, WHO stuff. Are the plates Freestyle or is there a SHO or WHO segment?

[goneracin]

Flexmoney, on Jul 30 2009, 05:14 PM, said:

I'm not buying the time thing.

I can't see where thinking about using the time or not has relevance. To me, that sounds like a distraction from executing.

What is needed to execute? Sights and trigger, right?

Why get caught up with "time" at all?


Blaspheme ?

remember
no score other than a 10, or a 0.

rush your shots and miss a plate. 0. not an 8. not a b hit, or c hit. 0. -10 for that rush.
if you have plenty of time, why not take your time and make sure? getting a .2 or .3 split is pointless, you dont get rollover minutes.....

Now if you dont need the time, standing there wasting time is pointless, but I like to try to take an extra .2 or .3 and make sure before blasting away.

I dont see it as thinking about the time and making sure to use the time, its more a "dont rush my shot" kinda thing.

[goneracin]

Chuck Anderson, on Jul 30 2009, 05:38 PM, said:

Okay, now you guys have me confused with all this SHO, WHO stuff. Are the plates Freestyle or is there a SHO or WHO segment?

freestyle. the SHO and WHO is referenced to the practical event.

[xsniper]

No, Chuck..they are free style. We were just talking about why we might choose one direction over the other. You definantly want both hands on the gun for the plates.

[Griz]

Chuck Anderson, on Jul 30 2009, 05:38 PM, said:

Okay, now you guys have me confused with all this SHO, WHO stuff. Are the plates Freestyle or is there a SHO or WHO segment?

The normal Falling Plates match is Freestyle (except at 10 yards where you must shoot standing). There is also an "Ambidextrous Match" shot on the plate rack that you will run into sometimes at state championships which includes SHO and WHO strings.

Quote

(a) 10 yard stage 6 shots, freestyle; 6 shots strong hand only unsupported; 6 shots weak hand only
unsupported. Time Limit-6 seconds per string
( 15 yard stage - Same as 10 yard, but time limit 7 seconds per string
© 20 yard stage - Two 6 shot strings, freestyle; 8 seconds per string.

[kimmbeckwith]

For me why fight the normal recoil of the gun. The normal recoil puts me on the next plate shooting left to right.

[xsniper]

Shucks... now you have me wondering what I am feeling, cause I thought my normal recoil would move me right to left. I can't wait to shoot tomorrow and find out .

[BigDave]

Flexmoney, on Jul 30 2009, 11:14 PM, said:

I'm not buying the time thing.

I can't see where thinking about using the time or not has relevance. To me, that sounds like a distraction from executing.

What is needed to execute? Sights and trigger, right?

Why get caught up with "time" at all?


Blaspheme ?

I think that comment about using the time is intended more for folks who play games where speed has some impact on the score. A reminder that there are no bonus points for clearing your rack before the other shooters, if you will. And, if shooting them fast had some sort of advantage, Doug, TGO, Bruce, Tony, Kevin, Mike, and Jerry would have those racks cleared in about 3 seconds every time.

But...

They don't.

They use all of the time they are given. Why? Because that's how long it takes to consistently clear those racks at each distance.

[Flexmoney]

goneracin, on Jul 30 2009, 05:46 PM, said:

remember
no score other than a 10, or a 0.

rush your shots and miss a plate. 0. not an 8. not a b hit, or c hit. 0. -10 for that rush.

Nope...not talking about rushing. Rushing is more of that speed thing.

Why go slow or fast? What does that get?

Why not just shoot the plate?