Second to last! That's an improvement from last time.
Granted, we only had 19 shooters, not the 30+ that normally seem to be there, so I was probably going up against the cream of the crop. However, it was an… interesting experience to say the least.]
First stage I simply smoke checked. In fact, I came in 5th for that stage alone. Something felt right when I shot. I didn't push my shots, took what felt like my time but was rather quick, nailed the steel with single shots, and generally shot the best that I could. From there, it went downhill.
The second stage was the polar opposite of the first. First and foremost, I had a pretty decent jam. Had to yank the magazine out then push the round down through the mag well, which accounts for the super extra time I wasted. Then, during racking of the slide, the rear blade took out a huge chunk of my left index finger. Bled like a stuck pig (got blood everywhere too. Kinda creepy seeing blood all over the magazines), and then from that point on, I was overly ginger with my left hand. Pulled a Caleb and took out a few innocent bystanders too.
The 5th stage was a disaster (we shot 1, 2, 5, 6, 3, and 4, in that order). This was the hardest thing I've ever done with a pistol. Just look at it.
I called it the "Hey, where the hell are the targets I'm allowed to shoot?" course. From any one point, you couldn't see more than 3 or 4 targets. I managed to completely miss 2 targets in my dash from side to side. Plus, an innocent was harmed. I actually didn't enjoy shooting this one, it was definitely above my skill level. But you don't learn by doing just the easy thing.
Stage 6 was fine. No boo boos, decent hits, just slow. I prefer a slower time but better hits any day. Fast misses just don't cut it.
Third stage, shot very well, again just very slow. I'm ok with that. Really. It was a maze like course which really favored those with 300 round, belt fed pistols. Had two jams but nothing I couldn't clear, but I had a hard time doing it properly with a wounded finger. I'm used to this cut, though. I've hit the same place probably a dozen times. You'd think I'd learn.
The last stage, #4, was similar to #3 – slow, but fairly accurate. I say fairly because it took me three shots to get the last steel down because the $#&*( was hiding behind a barrel with only 3" jutting out from the side.
Everyone there was phenomenally helpful. This is only my second IPSC shoot, and only the 4th time I've ever been behind a buzzer. I made a few 'range no-no' errors, one that involved me not stepping far enough back and pointing my muzzle straight up, something I'm surprised I did. I also misunderstood the RO during one stage when I was drawing to see how to shoot the course and he hadn't realized I wanted to do that. Luckily I was, of course, unloaded and no harm, no foul.
Also, it turns out the recipe I had for my .45ACP rounds was off in the OAL department (remember I was having a bear of a time getting them consistent). The recipe I had said an OAL of 1.215. Looked a little short to me, but hey, who am I to argue? Turns out, everyone looking at my rounds said they were way too short and to try 1.250. The short rounds kept catching under the lip of the feed ramp and caused me all sorts of not so fun problems (see finger, index). The remaining 100+ rounds I have I will lightly tap with a bullet puller to get them to poke out a bit more, then reseat them to a longer depth. This will hopefully fix the feed errors I had.
I am exhausted. I shot well enough, but I definitely was pushing my shots. I missed low, meaning I didn't aim 3/4 high like I was taught. Grip was good, I didn't find myself having to regrip after several shots. I know I should grip a bit harder nonetheless. A damaged finger had a little bit to do with things, but not enough to blame it all on.
Can't wait until next month to do it all again! Just gotta remember to bring a hell of a lot more water.