Where a New Shooter Can Practice

[Tom Hawker]

I’m new to SASS and have attended one match as a spectator this year. The problem I’ve encountered is difficulty learning and practicing. I don’t have a private range, and my club’s range is only available for sanctioned events (typically competition). As far as I know, other ranges in my area don’t allow drawing from a holster. Why not ask the club for help? Well, I don’t know anyone yet, heh. I’m not comfortable just showing up to shoot a match—I would like to learn some basics first.

 

Where have some of you new shooters out there practiced and learned proper technique before attending a match? Or should I just bite the bullet and try competing in a match?

[Boggus Deal #64218]

If you don’t know what to practice, how can you practice it? Show up to a match, let the match director know you’re new and they will help you get sorted out. The key things are to be safe and have fun. 

[Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329]

My Experience is basically what Bogus Deal said. 
Let folks know that you're new, and they will basically fall all over themselves helping you get started.

 

You can practice at home in your basement.  
Get yourself some good snap caps, set up scenarios on the basement walls with paper plates, and a table to set your guns on, and run thru them, practicing holstering, drawing, target acquisition, transitions, etc.

If you file off the rim on one snap cap, and place it in the rifle where the extractor grabs it, you can even practice "shooting" your rifle.  

A good practice guide like Doc Shapiro's "Breaking the Shot" helps too

--Dawg

[Rip Snorter]

Speer has primer driven plastic training bullets and cartridges.  Before I lived on the ranch I had a large carpet scrap hung at the back of the garage and would pin targets to it,  You do have to have a 38 / 357 unless they have added more calibers.  Edit:  Have also used CFD wax bullets driven by shotgun primers, but unless you are on a decent sized property, at a distance from neighbors, Loud!  More calibers - I used 45 Colt.

[Choctaw Jack]

Tom,

Lots of CAS match videos on the internet. Watching them gives a good idea of what goes on while shooting a match.

For learning the basics , I  enjoy the videos by Jim Finch.

Very well done and informational.

Choctaw

[Cotton Eye Joe]

I've only been shooting CAS for 6 years, and in that time I've probably only participated in about 20-ish matches. So not a ton of actual match experience. I think dry firing at home would help for some familiarity in movement. Disappointed to see the lack of BLM land to shoot on in Kansas. Kinda surprised by that, I expected to see more. 

 

I've seen plenty of first-matches. No one expects you to have a clean match (even though you might!), and folks are more impressed if you follow instructions vs seeing someone rush to failure. After a couple stages, you might surprise yourself at how comfortable you're getting. 

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

When practicing dry firing also practice transitions.  Learn how to reholster or restage one gun while picking up another.  Keep things organized so hands don’t get crossed and firearms don’t land on top of each other (as happened to one shooter on my posse at Land Run).  Learn how to do this in a stand and deliver stage or moving left or right.

 

In your dry firing room have no live ammunition.  Also, family pets are unsuitable practice targets.  I keep a junk cap and ball revolver near a TV and watch the final few minutes of old westerns.  There is always a shootout and I help the hero dispatch the villains.  It’s more fun than dry firing at postem notes.

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

I think everyone has their own method that worked for them.  I started after taking guns and ammo to my local range to get the feel of them.  Practice was at local CAS matches, which wasn't difficult as most of the shooters were new to the game ( 30+ years ago).   I did attend a few matches as an observer before "competing" and got to shoot a little after the match was over, with the RO's permission.  Mostly learned over time; one match at a time.

[Rye Miles #13621]

You can go to the range and at least practice shooting  your guns. As far as drawing, as what was said, practice that and transitions at home with snap caps. I like the A Zoom ones myself. 

[Griff]

The one commonality between all current shooters is that at one time they were all new.  Most folks can still recall their first match.  Mine was 40 years ago this month... I still remember showing up, thinking I was prepared... and boy, was I wrong!  I was welcomed and loaned what I needed.  Took a couple of months for me to get situated, and I'm still changing things up.  

[Rip Snorter]

We had a little group of guys, little then, of a dozen or so.  We would get together at a public range and set up competitions within range rules.  One of the group lived on a rural property, and we had matches there as well with a lot more flexibility.  Winning? Just bragging rights.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

1 hour ago, Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329 said:

...A good practice guide like Doc Shapiro's "Breaking the Shot" helps too

--Dawg

 

Good suggestion.  Doc put the whole thing online as a free download years ago.  It's still there.  Each chapter is a separate PDF file:

https://cagunslingers.com/errata/BreakingShot/BreakingTheShot.html

 

1 hour ago, Choctaw Jack said:

Tom,

Lots of CAS match videos on the internet. Watching them gives a good idea of what goes on while shooting a match.

For learning the basics , I  enjoy the videos by Jim Finch.

Very well done and informational.

Choctaw

This can be like going to hundreds of matches (the watching part - not the asking questions part).   I have lots of videos of stage shooting on my channel, and some of them are slower and some are brand new.  But a lot of them are the real fast shooters.    Don't let the speed daunt you.  The fast ones are still the ones to watch for learning mostly because they usually have the best transitions besides shooting fast.  YouTube lets you slow down videos quite a bit as well if you like.

 

And regarding speed, when you go to your first match don't even think about trying to go at your top speed (well some people are just more competitive and will anyway), but take your time, concentrate on the shooting sequence and seeing your front sight on each target.  Tell the Timer Operator that you welcome coaching during the stage.  They often would do so anyway, but if you get lost on the order ask which target is next.  Shoot towards the end of the posse so you can watch other shooters - that will help get the sequence better in your mind.

 

For technique, here's Longhunter's channel, also Dead Eye and Mordecai the Hunter

 

https://www.youtube.com/@SASSLonghunter

https://www.youtube.com/@DeadEyeCowboyActionShooting

https://www.youtube.com/@mordecaithehuntercas

 

[Longfoot]

My wife and I are only a couple years into this game.  Our lessons so far:

 

1.  Like most shooting sports, Dry Fire Practice Counts!  For A LOT! Your garage or basement or backyard is your greatest training asset.  Make a few scaled targets to hang on a wall.  We've painted white targets, in the most common arrangements, on brown craft paper and just blue tack that to the wall.

2. Its as much a game of transitions as it is shooting quickly.  Practice gun handling, transitions between them and choreography as much as actually cocking and firing.  There's a lot of time to be found in consistently delivering shot shells from belt to chamber.  And, learning to be doing different things with each hand, like holstering a pistol whilst collecting the rifle and all the other combinations.  On youtube look for Longhunnter's or Dead Eye Dillards videos.  

3. When practicing outside of competition, shoot on target sized paper (and mark your pasters), or paint your plates after every stage.  Its incredibly helpful to know where you're hitting, how close your shots are, if you could trade precision for speed, if you have any mechanical faults in your grip/index, etc.  If any changes you've made are effecting where or how closing you're hitting.  Pattern your shotgun on paper and know where your point of impact is compared to point of aim.

 

And, go to a match.  Tell them your new.  Ask for someone to walk through with you and don't be ashamed to be one of the last in a posse to shoot the stage, having learned from watching others. 

 

And, go slow initially.  Make your hits.  In the words of a friend and mentor, "You can't 'Miss' fast enough."

[Joe LaFives #5481]

 

So you can do something like this.  cut out black cardboard put velcro loops on the back, put long strips of velcro hook on cardboard (old refrigerator cardboard works great. Use your bed as the table since you can stage and "throw" them down  with damage at all

o 

[Popcorn Kelly]

While I did some dry fire practice, nothing beats shooting live rounds when you're starting so I built my own target, stands, etc.,  I made a video explaining how I did it.  SEe below.  Specific instructions are in the info/comment section. 

I bought all the hangers on Amazon.  I couldn't find them the last time I looked.  I'm sure they're available somewhere.  I simply set this up at our range.  Sometimes I'd just focus on pistols, other times on the rifle.   Here is the link to the video:  

  

[Jack Spade]

Sending you a PM.  I shoot with the powder creek cowboys and have my own range.  Would be happy to help you get started.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Tom, we have practice nights at Powder Creek during the week starting at 5:00 pm. They’ll continue until daylight savings goes away. Check our website calendar, or talk to Cooncan or another board member (Two Shoots, Dandy et al). 

[Tom Hawker]

Thanks for all of the responses—I appreciate the advice!

 

@Jack Spade Has offered to show me the ropes, and I intend to make some time to get together with him later this month,

 

@Abilene Slim SASS 81783, I've only ever seen an occasional Thursday night practice announced by Cooncan, which I was never able to make due to conflicts, and I don't see any practices listed on the club calendar. Maybe I can wander up there on one of my free evenings and see if anything is happening.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

6 hours ago, Tom Hawker said:

Thanks for all of the responses—I appreciate the advice!

 

@Jack Spade Has offered to show me the ropes, and I intend to make some time to get together with him later this month,

 

@Abilene Slim SASS 81783, I've only ever seen an occasional Thursday night practice announced by Cooncan, which I was never able to make due to conflicts, and I don't see any practices listed on the club calendar. Maybe I can wander up there on one of my free evenings and see if anything is happening.

Howdy Tom, don’t wander up there unless you’re sure a practice is scheduled. They’re generally twice a month but are lightly attended, if at all. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to one, so it’s best to check with Cooncan on their status. 
 

I’ll be shooting Fire & Ice weekend of the 25th. If you’re there, I’d love to make your acquaintance!

[Cpt Dan Blodgett, SASS #75655]

"Practice" perish the though and my times show the lack there of.  The up side is fast guys get to play with their guns maybe 1.5 - 2 min in a 12 stage match, I get a full 15 but do occasionally shoot clean and nobody has more fun.  Be Safe Have Fun.

[Sedalia Dave]

If'n you shoot slower the fun lasts longer.

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

There are lots of videos on YouTube to watch to get the basics down .

You can dry practice  your holster draw from  home .

Most ranges allow you to pick up guns off the table in front of you too shoot .

Good luck .

Welcome to the dance .

Rooster 

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

2 hours ago, Rooster Ron Wayne said:

There are lots of videos on YouTube to watch to get the basics down .

You can dry practice  your holster draw from  home .

Most ranges allow you to pick up guns off the table in front of you too shoot .

Good luck .

Welcome to the dance .

Rooster 

Practice reholstering accurately and reliably too.  I saw a top shooter at one major match drop a revolver when he missed his holster.  It cost him first place.

[Tom Hawker]

Thanks again to all of the kind responses. I was able to meet up with @Jack Spade over the past weekend. He took me through the basics of a match and gave me pointers on technique. There's nuance you can pick up with a little bit of one-on-one mentoring that you'll never obtain watching hours of YouTube videos.  I was also able to get some lead on steel at Jack's range, and I'm now confident I could try my hand at a match without being too much of a hindrance.

 

It's great to see how willing everyone has been to help!