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Speed Up Revolvers


Aunt Jen

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Send me a PM with your mailing address and I'll send you 10 dummy rounds, good for revolvers and rifle. Red silicone in the primer pockets and shaped wood dowels for bullets.

 

Then PRACTICE every day.

 

Sure helped me.

 

AR

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I'm okay on my 1873 and my shotgun, but I'm just not fast as DD (for CC) on revolvers.

 

Thumb doesn't go all that fast.

 

Ideas?

 

 

Some may have to do with the type pistols you have.

Also the grips.

 

But dry fire is going to help.

You won't learn to go fast. Until you practice going fast.

And can do a lot of that with dry fire practice.

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Some may have to do with the type pistols you have.

Also the grips.

 

But dry fire is going to help.

You won't learn to go fast. Until you practice going fast.

And can do a lot of that with dry fire practice.

 

I agree with AL.

 

 

..........Widder

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Practice

 

I use Stainless NRV, slicked a bit per springs and Super Blackhawk Hammers.

 

A LOT if dry firing won't hurt them?

 

 

No. Most that hit the winners circle have dry fired a TON.

 

The ones that helped me have 12 or more World Championships and that many National Championships

All in CC or Duelist. Had me dry fire with each hand 50 times without stopping. Took me a long time to get that far.

They wanted me to build up the muscles in each hand. Not sure you really need to do it that many times.

But you do need to build those muscles up.

Then they would have me to it less times. But do them real fast. To learn to build speed.

 

Also. Take a few matches and don't worry about misses. Just run as fast as you can. Then after about

3 matches like that.

Go back and shoot trying to go clean. Did this for my wife who hated to have even one miss in a match. And would

not speed up to push a miss. Finally after getting to just run flat out and not worry about misses for a few matches.

Then going back and trying to shoot clean again. She shave 2-3 seconds off her times.

So now we do that from time to time. Have a match or two that all we work on is speed and not worry so much about

misses. Then go back and try and shoot clean. Or times almost always go down after doing that.

 

You can also practice transitions dry. This shaves a ton of time off. Lots of good transitions for a double duelist.

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Do you guys recommend always using dummy rounds when you dry fire? I never really have, but then again I have never really practiced much.

 

Does anybody have an opinion on the best commercial dummy rounds? A-Zoom, Tipton, Carlson's?

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Do you guys recommend always using dummy rounds when you dry fire? I never really have, but then again I have never really practiced much.

 

Does anybody have an opinion on the best commercial dummy rounds? A-Zoom, Tipton, Carlson's?

AFAIK and have read you can dry fire Rugers and not hurt them. I am pretty sure the same can be said for the Uberti clones. Open tops and original Colts are another issue. As for other designs I couldn't say.

 

Personally I made up some dummy rounds. I made them with Copper Jacketed bullets so that they would stick out from my live rounds. Red silicone in the primer pocket as a second indicator.

 

Practising I load 5 and put the 6th in my gun belt. Then draw and fire. Every so often I shoot 5 then reload the 6th. It has a mark on the case head so that I can identify it. Allows me to practice reloading and re-indexing on the clock. You never know when the ability will come in handy.

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Do you guys recommend always using dummy rounds when you dry fire? I never really have, but then again I have never really practiced much.

 

Does anybody have an opinion on the best commercial dummy rounds? A-Zoom, Tipton, Carlson's?

 

 

Rugers? No. Not really needed.

 

Others?? Yes I sure would.

 

I prefer A-Zoom myself. And. If I am dry firing a lot (have not done that in a while) I even go ahead and

use them in my Rugers. Might as well as I already have them.

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As I recall, in the Ruger manuals it say that you can dry fire them, BUT I also tend to think that they were not thinking of a large amount of dry fire as some folks do as practice for CAS.

 

My own personal practice is if I am just doing a quick function check or just running thru each pistol once, I don't bother using snap caps. If I am doing regular and or extended dry fire practice I use the snap caps or dummy rounds. In my mind, it's cheap insurance or protection. Doesn't guarantee that something won't break, but offers some protection.

 

Been thinking I want to speed up my pistols as well, now if I could just find my snap caps and get my hands to stop hurting...

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Yes and no. I am certainly not well versed on the subject, but my understanding is that perhaps the main function of a snap cap is to prevent over travel of the firing pin.

 

With a live primer, the firing pin contacts the unblemished surface and drives into it to fire the primer. With a spent shell and primer, the firing pin won't contact anything until the bottom of the dent in the primer and will either stop more suddenly, or want to go just a bit farther as it loses the momentum. Either would cause slightly more wear and tear on the firing pin and transfer bar.

 

Snap caps have a spring loaded primer surface that will travel forward just a bit, and then spring back in to place. Dummy rounds with silicone or some other substance in the primer pocket provide a fairly durable surface for the firing pin to strike. Either one will wear out in time and use.

 

Anyway, as I said, I figure snap caps are cheap, can't hurt, and may help, so I use them. I don't know that a spent shell with spent primer would offer much or any protection.

 

As I also said, I am not well versed on the subject, I'm not very mechanically inclined, hopefully Garrison Joe or others will speak up and fill in the gaps or correct misconceptions if there are any.

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Hi Griz...

 

So, okay, so I'm thinking what if I just put 6 spent rounds in there (no bullet, no powder, spent primer)?

 

It's just to give the hammer something to hit. ??

I suppose you could add a drop of silicone on the spent primer and dry fire that way, but I think that it is better to get snap caps. The weight difference will build your thumb strength and muscle memory for shooting live rounds. I suppose you could make up your own dummy rounds, leave off the primer and powder, and then put silicone in the pocket, but snap caps are about $15-$20 for 6 so I figure it's a cheap insurance policy, as Griz says.

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Dry fire practice will help a lot, to the extent that the pistol fits you and that you can train without installing bad mechanical motions into your drills. The next time you're shooting live ammo with a timer, have someone write down all your split times. That's the time between shots. Then look at how long you take between each shot, and in transitioning between firearms. The pistol string might be 1-2 seconds per shot, so improving that could buy you back 5-10 seconds per string.

 

The time you transition between pistols to rifle, or to shotgun, might be 5-10 seconds as well, so improving your transitions might also buy you back 10-20 seconds.

 

All those numbers are make-believe, you need to get real measured data, and base your improvements off of that.

 

Smoothness is a major component of speed, so simple repetitive motions, done often, will smooth out and you'll go quicker as a result.

 

Best of luck,

 

Shadow Catcher

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Once you have increased speed via dry firing, switch to live fire but do not use a target. Just practice firing as fast as you can down range with live ammo and no target. After about 25 or 30 rounds, then put up targets. I like the drill, draw, fire one, draw, fire one, draw fire two, draw fire one. Then do same with other pistol. One area of significant improvement in pistols comes from gun handling and not how fast you cock the hammers but it all help. After doing that a few times, then draw and dump 5 on one target as fast as you can, then the other pistol. Do this for 25-50 rounds, then alternate targets for 5 rounds for each pistol. Repeat sevcral times. By then your fingers should be sore.

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JEN,

 

In my original Vaqueros, I broke the transfer bar in one of them at approx 250,000 dry fire cycles and replaced it.

 

In the other Vaq, I broke the transfer bar at approx 350,000 dry fire cycles.

 

After over 1.5 million dry fire cycles from EACH pistol, nothing else broke.....period.

 

Before I ever started my dry fire practice with these pistols, I had my gunsmith ensure their timing was good and he put hammer stops in them to help keep me from cocking the hammers back too far.

 

Nothing else was ever done to them except a few thousand LIVE fire cycles in live practice and SASS matches.

 

I never used any dummy rounds or snap caps.

 

EDIT: once those pistols reached above the 1.5 million cycle mark, I took some hard earned money and hired Lassiter to short stroke them. I should have ask him to short stroke them when I first bought them.

 

 

..........Widder

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I'm okay on my 1873 and my shotgun, but I'm just not fast as DD (for CC) on revolvers.

 

Thumb doesn't go all that fast.

 

Ideas?

 

Something you may want to consider is having them short stroked along with Widders suggestion of hammer stops. Then you will have less movement in your thumb/hand to get them cocked.

Edit; I see Widder had the same thought.

 

Then you bet, practice practice.

 

But, use real snap caps. Personally as a gunsmith I don't think dry firing is a good idea on any of these guns, even the Ruger. The hammers hitting steel to steel is hard on parts. Colts and most SXS's tend to flare the pin holes or the pins, Rogers tend to break transfer bars. Rifles tend to break the FP. Steel on steel is harder on the parts. If you have ever hit a solid steel item with a steel hammer you instantly can tell the difference in the sound compared to hitting something like brass or other soft metals. You need a soft metal like a primer to dampen this.

But continuously dry fire into a spent primer isn't a good idea either. The dent gets so deep it has no effect. I have seen snap caps made with silicon in the primer pockets. I don’t think that is a good setup for long term use, either. Silicone is too soft.

If you want to make snap caps that fit your gun, start with empty brass, drill the primer pockets out to the same OD as the primer, cut a piece of brass rod the same diameter as the new hole and long enough to extend about 2/3's into the case, then fill the case with silicon to glue the rod in. Grind the rod flush with the case head and seat and crimp a bullet. Now you have snap caps with primer like metal too dampen the firing pin in your gun and will last.

For the rifle just grind a portion of the rim off so the extractor doesn’t pull it out every time you lever the gun. This will work with shotguns as well.

Next best setup is to de-prime then super-glue a piece of a hard rubber “O” ring Same OD as the primer in the primer pocket then trim it flush.

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Good... Snap Csps, practice

 

TRANSITIONS...

 

Okay. I've had myself filmed. One day I was on a posse with Lead Dispencer---what a variance. He is so great. And he video'd me, then me him.

 

I can see clearly that long time between guns is one of my problems. I guess I want want to hurt them. I lay them down carefully...

 

I notice that then I seem to halt for a second and square myself for a movement or picking up/shouldering my next gun, etc.

 

I shoot DD. My rig is SxS. I am comfortable with that, but a bit slower with my left.

 

I say, "I am reliable, not fast."

 

When best shooters are shooting a stage at 20 secs, I may shoot it in 30s if I'm Real quick, more likely 40s, maybe wiorse. Depending.

 

In the video, I can seer myself pause between guns. I'm gentle laying rifle and shotgun down. Long habit.

 

BUT I am thinking about this, now. :)

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Once you have increased speed via dry firing, switch to live fire but do not use a target. Just practice firing as fast as you can down range with live ammo and no target. After about 25 or 30 rounds, then put up targets. I like the drill, draw, fire one, draw, fire one, draw fire two, draw fire one. Then do same with other pistol. One area of significant improvement in pistols comes from gun handling and not how fast you cock the hammers but it all help. After doing that a few times, then draw and dump 5 on one target as fast as you can, then the other pistol. Do this for 25-50 rounds, then alternate targets for 5 rounds for each pistol. Repeat sevcral times. By then your fingers should be sore.

 

I do a variation of this in both dry and live fire. Draw one pistol, fire, holster, draw other pistol, fire, holster, draw first pistol, fire, holster, repeat until my arms and/or thumbs give out. You can save a lot of time by practicing transitioning from one pistol to the next. This drill also works on the most commonly missed shot I've seen in all competitive shooting, first shot out of a pistol. (Ask Grizz about that. ;) )

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I do a variation of this in both dry and live fire. Draw one pistol, fire, holster, draw other pistol, fire, holster, draw first pistol, fire, holster, repeat until my arms and/or thumbs give out. You can save a lot of time by practicing transitioning from one pistol to the next. This drill also works on the most commonly missed shot I've seen in all competitive shooting, first shot out of a pistol. (Ask Grizz about that. ;) )

 

Thanks Philly, and I was trying hard to forget about that...

 

Like I ever will. :D

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I do a variation of this in both dry and live fire. Draw one pistol, fire, holster, draw other pistol, fire, holster, draw first pistol, fire, holster, repeat until my arms and/or thumbs give out. You can save a lot of time by practicing transitioning from one pistol to the next. This drill also works on the most commonly missed shot I've seen in all competitive shooting, first shot out of a pistol. (Ask Grizz about that. ;) )

 

 

Yep. I do that same thing.

Get two things out of it. Now only drawing and firing the first gun.

But that transition to next pistol over and over with both pistols.

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Yep. I do that same thing.

Get two things out of it. Now only drawing and firing the first gun.

But that transition to next pistol over and over with both pistols.

 

AL,

 

If I may add to your post.

This type dryfire practice gives the shooter 3 things out of it. Besides what you stated, it also adds the element of Reholstering.

 

I've witnessed (we all probably have) shooters wasting a measurable amount of time trying to reholstering, sometimes 3 efforts for just one pistol.

 

Its hard to transition to that next pistol, if you can't get the 1st pistol back in the holster smoothly and efficiently.

 

The dryfire practice Philly and Anvil Al mentioned above helps in your Reholstering technique.

 

 

..........Widder

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Yep. I do that same thing.

Get two things out of it. Now only drawing and firing the first gun.

But that transition to next pistol over and over with both pistols.

 

Al, started loading the bullets I bought from you tonight, good stuff man, thanks much!

 

Even shooting two handed I find the draw fire one holster draw other fire one holster repeat a good drill.

 

Obliviously I didn't do that before WR as I missed the very first shot of the match with my pistol on the biggest dang target there. In my defense, or to make a lame excuse, it was picking up pistol from table though... :D

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AL,

 

If I may add to your post.

This type dryfire practice gives the shooter 3 things out of it. Besides what you stated, it also adds the element of Reholstering.

 

I've witnessed (we all probably have) shooters wasting a measurable amount of time trying to reholstering, sometimes 3 efforts for just one pistol.

 

Its hard to transition to that next pistol, if you can't get the 1st pistol back in the holster smoothly and efficiently.

 

The dryfire practice Philly and Anvil Al mentioned above helps in your Reholstering technique.

 

 

..........Widder

Don't know if I can add anything... Or just comment.

 

But I picked up a new rig, thinking that some forward cant and a rig made for CAS would help me out, and I know I was way more awkward going to the reholster, shooting DD/CC. Don't know how much time it actually cost me, but it cost me at least a little.

 

There's a whole lot to be said for your efficiency when you practice/use the same equipment worn in the same place every time.

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Video record yourself shooting to identify tasks or equipment to improve.

Increasing hand and arm strength with medium weights on a daily basis is a favorite routine for me.

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Dry firing shouldn't hurt them especially with dummy rounds. Have you tried different grips and hammers, if so I have you tried a short stroke revolver. You wouldn't think that SS the revolver would save much time but it does if you are able to reach the hammer and cock if fully allowing your thumb to slide off just before firing is the best way for a dipuelist. If your able but getting to full cock is awkward then try some SS Rugers I prefer Bisleys myself even before going duelist but that's because I have large hands and you could only get the Bisley hammer with the Bisley grips and be sass legal then now iirc you can use any hammer with any grip. If you have small hands try birds head grips with the different hammers and see which combo works for you once you get the guns that fit you then your times will start to be good or even great. But it does take daily practice once you get the rifle and revolvers singing then work on the SG and reloads after that you'll need to put everything together and work on your transistions. Have you watched the evil Roy and long Hunter videos yet. If so rewatch them before each new training activity.

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Dry fire, dry fire, and more dry firing. I have found this to be a GREAT way to practice. Like many have said in the previous threads. You really get a lot out of it. Like getting faster with your pistols. Transfers become smoother.

 

I even have a range in my back yard. But I do WAY more dry firing practice than actual live fire practice. I dry fire practice quite a bit before a big match. Especially with my shotgun and transfers. Good luck! :)

 

Cheatin'

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