25th Match: York Practical Shooters USPSA, September 15th, 2024
PCC Division, with my usual Keltec Sub2000
Placement: 44th of 99 overall (60%) | 5th of 12 PCC (60%)
Scores: https://practiscore.com/results/new/6ddc78e5-2ef3-43d9-bb47-15dd81a73fca?q_division=0
Video: https://youtu.be/06eEt-RRt4g
Something about the York match is really great. Even though the location itself is incredibly loud with the layout of the ranges, it is still probably my favorite match. It does help the squads I manage to get in, the people are great. But the stages are always interesting and challenging.
We started off the day on Stage 5, and went by alphabetical first name, so I was first up. Unlike the first time I was at York when the same thing happened, I was ready this time and it didn't bother me at all. (Though I did forget to turn on the camera for that stage.) I put down a respectable time but hit a No Shoot and didn't make it up, and had one other miss on a tuxedo. This stage also had a VERY low port that was interesting. I have been trying to take some advice from a GM PCC I shot with the day before. He told me that unless I register that I had a miss, don't try a makeup shot to make a C or D an A, I'll lose more time than it is worth. That does seem to prove true, but I need to get better at registering misses, I guess.
Stage 6 was classifier CM18-07, a small stage with a reload. I had 3 Cs which I would have preferred to be As, especially on such a small stage, but my reload was also fumbled slightly with the mag not dropping very fast again. (As mentioned in the previous post.) The day before I had a stock 33 round Glock Mag, so this time I used my 33 round glock mag with the +10 extension, figuring the extra weight would help it drop, but it didn't. I then realized that perhaps the grip of the sub2000 was on a slight angle instead of straight down, so the weight of the mag being so long acted as a lever adding extra friction. I am 99% that is what was happening, so on the next classifier I switched up. I got a 63% for this classifier.
Stage 7 was a small stage, 3 targets, mandatory reload, then do them again weak hand/shoulder. Unfortunately, even after a reminder I totally blanked and forgot to switch to weak shoulder after the reload. 6 shots, 6 procedurals, -60 points on a 60 point stage, so that one was a big fat zero. For the most part I laughed about it, though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in myself. On a positive note, even with completely bombing that stage, I still placed about "normal" for me compared to past months.
Stage 8 was classifier CM24-01, my chance at redemption from the day before. Since I had a theory on the mag dropping issue I did a quick test on my make ready, and used a standard 17 round glock mag, and it dropped right out. Combine that with also not hitting any no shoots, and I managed a 79% classifier, solidly in the A class range, and a welcome win after the bombing of the previous stage.
Stage 9 was a quick stage, 5 targets, some movement, a stage I would almost expect to be fixed time. I ran it quickly, a really good time actually, but 3 Cs and 1 M killed the score. Still middle of the pack though. Stuff like this shows that I'm almost there on speed, but I gotta get better accuracy at said speed.
Stage 1 I got a tip from Chris Gelnet* on stage plan, which ended up making two targets that would have been a fairly close shot, into a moderate shot to save time and movement. I was skeptical, but running that stage plan, compared to Bea running my original plan, I was almost 2 seconds faster. Unfortunately for me, her hits were better, so she placed right above me on that stage, but it was a good exercise to push my limits. *If I haven't mentioned Chris Gelnet before, he is a local GM open shooter that is very chill and helpful. He often wins the overall in matches, including at least a few major matches, yet he still is very humble and willing to share tips with us newbies.
Stage 2 I don't have specific notes on, except what seems common. I had a solid time, but the hits suffered. 2 misses and a no shoot.
Stage 3 was an odd one. A fairly small stage with a few options for where targets were visible. It was tricky to figure out what stage plan would be most efficient. On this stage Chris gave me his plan again, but I stuck to my own stage plan here. He was faster than me by 3 seconds, but I was still 18th in the overall for that particular stage, so I think I made the right choice.
Stage 4 may be my favorite stage for the day, or at least the one I am most proud of. (Though nailing the one classifier with an A class run was satisfying too.) It was a fixed time stage, 7.5 seconds, 10 targets, 2 shots each,(100 points possible) and a decent amount of movement to be able to get everything. There were plenty of people who didn't move all the way left to save time and just hit the targets they could. Before the match started I set a par time app on my phone to feel how fast it needed to be, and it was definitely doable. For reference, Chris Gelnet I think only took 6.5 seconds to do it. I don't know how close I was on time, but I got everything, and the hits had a lot of Cs, but no misses, and a lot of that was while I was moving. 78 points out of 100 possible for the stage, obviously room for improvement, but a very solid score. I was quite happy to have that to end the day on.