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Timer for practice


Cottonmouth Mark

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For dry fire I’ve started using the App Par Pro on my phone. Works just as well as a timer.

 

As for timers, I like the Competition Electronics Pocket Pro.

 

Dutch

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I had an IPSC shot timer app on my phone. Beeped and recorded my shot string times. Had a log function so I could track progress. Worked for my home range.

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I'm a Pact Club timer fan.

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I’m looking for something to train to and record, not save, performance as a beginner. 

Id like to track transitions as well as dry fires ( elapsed time to complete a stage).

pretty sure I’ll order a Pocket Pro 2, as well as get a cheaper good app. I’m not going to totally lowball practice as a newbie when ammo is so scarce. 

Any video would be secondary as I have another tool for that if desired. 

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4 minutes ago, Cottonmouth Mark said:

I’m looking for something to train to and record, not save, performance as a beginner. 

 

You can still shoot video.  Play it back to get the info you want.  Then delete it. Do again.  No need to save it or transfer it or anything else.  

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5 hours ago, Cottonmouth Mark said:

pretty sure I’ll order a Pocket Pro 2,

 

Very easy to set a Pocket Pro (or other typical match timers) up to give you a start beep and a finish-by beep (called Par Time).  That works for both dry fire and live fire.  For dry fire, drop a half second off and practice until you beat the finish signal.   Then reduce it again. 

 

With live fire, you can see splits on individual shots, and by a minor subtraction of a shot, calculate times for transitions.

 

And, you have the same sound signal that you will hear in matches.  

 

Good luck, GJ

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I second the video. Warden records a stage at our local. I get to watch myself wander around like a new calf looking for mama (2 shoots in). 

But after watching I can see where there is a LOT of room for improvement. Transitions, gun handling and staging. The video is letting me target train so Thanks Warden! 

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I tried a couple iPhone apps. They missed some of my shots (or registered voices near me as shots). The problem is the microphone on the iPhone just isn't designed for this purpose. I found this out when I was looking at writing my own app to be better than what I tried... And decided the apps out there are about as good as they can be (just not good enough). This was at the iPhone 5 stage of this platform evolution.

 

I'm planning to buy a dedicated "real" shot timer. A USB or Bluetooth connection to keep the data would be a nice feature. Still, it has to actually work, extra features have no value without the core function. It has to hear my shots and ignore distant sounds and nearby voices.

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5 hours ago, Cottonmouth Mark said:

Ok for an IPhone app, and I willling to pay, what should I get? Some mentioned don’t even exist it seems as not in Applestore

Par Timer Pro is the app I use and it is in the App Store. I just double checked. 

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PRACTICE??  What is this "Practice" of which people speak??  Does not compute.  I've always thought of monthly matches as a "sort of" kinda practice.  

 

Dedicated practice smacks too much of "WORK."  Icky Foo.

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22 hours ago, Cottonmouth Mark said:

Got it. Works well for par times. How about something for timing dry fires?

CM,\

I don't think you will be able to find a device to record the sound of the click of dry firing however here is a suggestion for a fairly close estimate.  With timer on belt establish how long it takes for you to slab timer after beep to stop it.  Then after beep draw and click on one round, slab and record time.  Let's say it is 2 seconds.  Beep to slap is probably .4 to .5 seconds so 1.5 for first shot.  Now do sequence of five slapping at end of string.  Say it is 6 seconds.  subtract 2 seconds (1.5 for first shot and .5 for slap time) thus a second split for each of four clicks.  Yes, a bit crude but it is giving you an idea.  Remember that dry firing should be faster than the real deal, but you don't miss either.:) 

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load a primed case in th # 5 position in your guns for a string ender.  I thought of this one day when I was sure Miss Lorrie would be gone for most of the day.Most every thing went well until she came home, took a couple of big sniffs and said, "HAVE YOU BEEN SMOKING?"

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1 hour ago, Billy Boots, # 20282 LTG-Regulator said:

... remember that dry firing should be faster than the real deal, but you don't miss either.:) 

So if I read that right....

 

To save ammo and run faster.... I'll just dry-fire at the next competition!
Ripping fast!  And no misses either!

 

But wouldn't that be a Spirit Of The Game penalty?

 

FYI, I practice on a laser simulator. I get the beep, first shot, and split times. Have not figured out a good shotgun solution yet but can put lasers in my revolvers and working on plans for getting the lever-action set up.

 

And a few software challenges for creating stages using common sweeps and have some ideas for making the software (at least look like) certain targets get multiple hits.

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14 hours ago, Noz said:

load a primed case in th # 5 position in your guns for a string ender.  I thought of this one day when I was sure Miss Lorrie would be gone for most of the day.Most every thing went well until she came home, took a couple of big sniffs and said, "HAVE YOU BEEN SMOKING?"

good idea....but you got caught....again.

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13 hours ago, John Kloehr said:

So if I read that right....

 

To save ammo and run faster.... I'll just dry-fire at the next competition!
Ripping fast!  And no misses either!

 

But wouldn't that be a Spirit Of The Game penalty?

 

FYI, I practice on a laser simulator. I get the beep, first shot, and split times. Have not figured out a good shotgun solution yet but can put lasers in my revolvers and working on plans for getting the lever-action set up.

 

And a few software challenges for creating stages using common sweeps and have some ideas for making the software (at least look like) certain targets get multiple hits.

Good luck on that dry firing at match.....and the laser practice..

 

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Practice?  What is this word I keep hearing?  Is practice even allowed? :rolleyes::P

 

I have a PACT timer for the range use, primarily because that is what my home club uses, and it works fine. 

 

For the few times I have practiced at home dry-firing, I have used the IPSC Shot Timer app on my phone.  I found that it could pick up the click of the hammer falls so I could use it inside without needing a primer to set it off.  It may behave differently on different phones, but it worked for me on three different phones.

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38 minutes ago, Dogmeat Dad, SASS #48563L said:

Practice?  What is this word I keep hearing?  Is practice even allowed? :rolleyes::P

 

I have a PACT timer for the range use, primarily because that is what my home club uses, and it works fine. 

 

For the few times I have practiced at home dry-firing, I have used the IPSC Shot Timer app on my phone.  I found that it could pick up the click of the hammer falls so I could use it inside without needing a primer to set it off.  It may behave differently on different phones, but it worked for me on three different phones.

DM,

Think my flip phone is out of this idea?

:unsure:

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BB,

 

I think your Flip-Phone is out of a lot of ideas!  :rolleyes:

 

A well known SASS Pard, Chuckaroo, recently retired his Flip-Phone.  Never thought I'd see the day.  He even does text messaging now, so there is hope for you too. :D

 

Dogmeat

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15 hours ago, John Kloehr said:

 

 

FYI, I practice on a laser simulator. I get the beep, first shot, and split times. Have not figured out a good shotgun solution yet but can put lasers in my revolvers and working on plans for getting the lever-action set up.


Would something like this work?

 

image.png.52e26a6ed5eaf66b3009cce15ed6bce7.png


https://www.shotgunadapter.com

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58 minutes ago, Ozark Huckleberry said:

Would something like this work?

I don't want to step on CM's thread, but I have looked at similar adapters.

 

The lasers do not like to get dropped, and alignment is important for accuracy. As to dropping, shucking and reloading on the clock is essential for practice. I'm trying to combine the mechanics of this sport with accuracy...

 

Which requires setting target "masks" in the software with reasonable estimates of shot patterns.

 

As to recoil, I am also looking at airsoft mechanisms to introduce some recoil in a shotgun simulation. My dry fire testing shows I am a lot faster without recoil on the shotgun, but it does not make a lot of difference (for me) with revolvers or the lever rifle.

 

If there is interest in what I am doing, I can start a new thread on the topic of Laser Simulator Training.

 

Anyone interested in it, PM me. In the meantime, back to CM's question.

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FWIW, I found an iPhone app called  "Make Ready!" that seems to do a pretty good job of picking up dry fire hammer clicks once you get the settings adjusted.

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Hands down,    I prefer the Pact 3 timers.    Louder than anything else. Durable.  Mine has been dropped many times.  5+ years old and still going.    

 

I like that it shows first shot, total time & last shot split without pressing any buttons.    also has forward and backward buttons to search thru the times 

 

 

3GC

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6 hours ago, Dogmeat Dad, SASS #48563L said:

BB,

 

I think your Flip-Phone is out of a lot of ideas!  :rolleyes:

 

A well known SASS Pard, Chuckaroo, recently retired his Flip-Phone.  Never thought I'd see the day.  He even does text messaging now, so there is hope for you too. :D

 

Dogmeat

As much as I like Roo, I am not following his lead just as yet. 

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14 hours ago, Happy Jack, SASS #20451 said:

I'm with Billy. Just got a new flip phone last month. Old one was only 3G and it ceases to exist in US end of this year. Got a new 4G flip. Kyocera Dura XV. Great phone.

Flip phones and PACT timers, great combination. :D

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At one time they made a simple shotgun adaptor for laser practice.  Each unit would require one adaptor plus one laser round (usually a 9mm laser round).  Problem is with money,  XXX for how many you need.  A double barl  shotgun is two X plus the real heart of  shotgun practice would require X number of reload practice rounds.  At least with laser you can do away with the time, most of the good laser systems have built in timer systems capable of handling most of the data.

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