Ransom Rest Help Request

[Cody302]

O.K., A little quick background before I hit the questions. I accidentally threw away my Recoil Spring Plug in my Super. I didn't want to mail order one from Brownell's or Advanced Tactical,`cause I didn't want to pay $8 in shipping for an $8 dollar part.So on the way home from the Lab Thursday I swung into Briley to pick one up,but they didn't have the standard 5" short guide rod 'closed end' spring plug. I told the kid.."Screw it! Just give me a full length guide rod and plug!!". Got home.......too long.....barrel bushing wouldn't clear the the end of the rod. Took a 20" diamond disc to it,then re-beveled the end,everything seemed cool.

The very first 40 rounds I put through this gun @ 9 or 10 yards,standing,no rest-modified weaver were as follows

The next 50 rounds @ 9 or 10 yards,standing,no rest-modified weaver were as follows............


notice no picture..................I won't show you...........that's how bad I sucked.

So my questions are #1.Are there any ranges that have a Ransom Rest you can rent,so I can find out if it's the gun or me?
#2. If not, is there anyone in the Houston area that owns one,and wouldn't mind bringing one the next time they are going to the range,and me meeting them out there????

 

[Cody302]

W'hell, I'll take that as a ............no

 

[SIG_Fiend]

Hmm, that's weird. I thought I posted a reply yesterday. What I was going to say is that 9 times out of 10 it's the shooter and not the gun.

One method you can try to determine if it's the gun or you is the "surprise break" trigger pull method. Basically what you do is focus hard on the front sight and don't even think about the trigger (basically keep your mind from focusing on the actual trigger pull). Sometimes it helps to tell yourself FRONT SIGHT, FRONT SIGHT, FRONT SIGHT, until the shot breaks. While doing this, you very, very slowly apply pressure to the trigger. Start with very little pressure and just slowly increase it. Don't "try" to break the shot, just slowly increase pressure and then the gun will eventually just go off, in effect "surprising" you. If done correctly, this will eliminate any possibility of an improper trigger pull. Once you get this one down and do it a few times, it should be pretty apparent whether trigger pull was an issue, because if it was then you should already see a pretty significant improvement in your groupings.

After a quick search, this video was about the best I could find to give you a visual idea of the surprise break: Link

Sorry if I'm just restating the obvious. I'm not really sure of where your experience/skill level is Cody, so I'm just starting with the basics. Heck, I'm still on the basics myself.

 

[Cody302]

Fiend, You are just about dead on. The target above was shot with MagTech 130gr. FMJ's. My 1911 was having ftrtb's, due to a clocking extractor and after every shot I had to use my thumb to sink the slide the last 2mm-3mm into proper battery. I sent the gun back they replaced what they had to and then did a "reliability" service job on it and had it back to me in 11 days.Now,as the target above says....that was 40 rounds,the last 10 I took with me after installing the full length guide rod,except I bought Fiocchi's this time and mixed the MagTech in with them. The MagTechs screwed me again,`cause when I pulled the trigger........................nuttin' happened.That's when I caught myself diving the nose. So,I know I'm jerking the gun around. I really just wanted the rest to seal the deal in my head and I can say "Your the IDIOT not the gun!!".Probably 9 or 10 times I had follow-up shots......that weren't supposed to be follow-up's. I'd love to take your advice and concentrate on the front sight,but I just realized I can't get a sharp image of the top of the front sight with these GI nubs. What do you think about me trimming off the rearward half of the front blade so I get a clear line of demarcation instead of a vague hump??

ps- your not going nuts, several times I have posted replies that never showed up.

 

[SIG_Fiend]

If posts aren't showing up or you happen to be having any other issues, pm Alan (Texas1911). He's the forum software guru and should be able to get you squared away. I think I probably forgot to hit submit reply as it was late last night and I was tired.

One other thing that really helped me was a video I watched basically helping you visualize why you don't have to worry about the gun wandering just a little bit. I also had an issue with trying to keep the sights as still as possible, and rushing the shot because the sights were getting close to my intended POA and I didn't want to "miss". This rushed feeling led to me inadvertently yanking the trigger. Basically, the moral of the story is don't worry about the muzzle wandering a bit as human beings can't possibly hold a gun 100% motionless.

I would highly recommend watching the Shooting Missology DVD from Tactical Response. I just checked their website, and for some reason they no longer have it listed?! That's odd, though maybe they have some errors on their website or something. Here's their website if you want to contact them and see about getting a copy:

Tactical Response Gear

The price was $40 last I checked. Out of all the videos I've seen, this one was the single best so far. I'm still relatively a beginner, having been shooting handguns for only about a year. This video really jump started me, dispelled a lot of myths, and made me realize things are far more simple than they seem. The content in the video is relatively basic when you think about it, however the way it is presented really goes a long way towards answering many questions.

I'm still learning myself, so take my words with a grain of salt.

 

[Cody302]

I do find myself guilty of rushing the shot `cause I'm getting vaguely near my intended mark. I do need to do something on the subject of my front sight.......soon. I'm just not getting a definitive point of reference of the top of my front sight.

 

[SIG_Fiend]

So is it that older 1911 style curved front sight? Is it part of the slide or dovetailed in? If it's part of the slide, that's a tough one. If you cut it, you'd have to be pretty careful you don't touch the slide, and I'd apply some blueing or something to prevent rust. It's maybe something better left to a machinist. If you don't really care about the cosmetic appearance and just care purely about the functional aspect, then by all means Dremel away.

What about the front sight are you having trouble focusing on? Is it just due to the curved nature of the sight? Another thing that did wonders for me was learning that you really don't have to have extreme visual clarity when focusing on the front sight. The main thing is just to focus your mind on it. If, for example, you had say vision problems or eye dominance issues or some other issue that didn't allow you to see the front sight with perfect clarity, it's not that big a deal. Even if it looks a bit fuzzy, all that really matters is just focusing your mind on the sight so that you have a known reference point (the best reference point) as to where the bullet is going. I know this is probably not quite the problem you are having it sounds like, though I thought I would mention it as it may help.

I myself had a problem with focusing way too much of my mental energy on trying to maintain an absolutely crystal clear image and focus on the front sight. It really ended up stressing me out and wearing me out mentally focusing soooooo hard on that while also focusing incredibly hard on my grip method, trigger pull, etc etc. The real zen moment, IMO, is reaching the point where you figure out the proper trigger pull, figure out what grip method works for you and your intended use, figure out sight alignment.....basically figure out and experience all of these individual aspects. By experiencing them, I mean actually experiencing doing them the right way, so you get that feeling for how to do it (that really helped me). At that point it's just a matter of combining them, and basically sitting back and letting the gun do the work for you as opposed to "trying" so hard and feeling stressed about it. I'm still getting there myself.

Cody, I just sent you a PM.

 

[LittleGun]

I've been shooting only for a few weeks, but I've made good progress. The key for me was finding a combination of grip, sighting, and trigger pull that felt natural for me and incorporated good technique. I get lots of suggestion from more experience shooters. I welcome criticism and feedback. Tactical shooting classes are very helpful and they build confidence. Keep trying and keep practicing. Your mind will figure it out, sometimes suddenly and unexpectedly.

 

[Cody302]

Thanx LittleGun, I appreciate that.

 

[308nato]

I have a 1911 that has the solid front site and I was having trouble
seeing it to line it up,so I got some day glow light green site paint
and did the front site and both sides of the rear notch and that
really made it easier for me to see what I was aiming at.
Just another idea that might work for you.

 

[Cody302]

Thank Ya' -Thank Ya' between Tomball & Waller. I think I still have some photophoric additive running around here somewhere,and I just might add a bit to some white paint.Thanks for reminding me,now I just have to find it!

 

[308nato]

yer welcome , I hope it works for ya.