Thanks Al!

So I headed down to my favourite range in the bay area, The Optimists Rifle and Pistol range in San Leandro. It's my favourite for a number of reasons, first, it's got a damn good name. Second, it's next to one of my other favourite places to go, The Dumps (Technically the Davis St. Transfer Station). It has an indoor range and a set of nice out door ranges, one 50 yard and one 100 yard. It's off the beaten path yet it's near stuff, and it's just a nice place to go. Well it just got extra points in my book today.

I went there and was trying to figure out what is wrong with my shooting, grip, stance, sight image, what ever. Well the first target I had was proof enough that I had all of it, and probably more, going on with my shooting. I had everything all over that damned target, low, left, right, center, all over the damn thing.

Then this little older asian man walks up to me. Waited for me to stop firing and said "You are pushing the gun forward, don't do that". It was in a nice tone, and he showed me what I was doing, I was anticipating the shot. He nicely went over everything that I should be doing, and was a really nice man. After his instruction I went out and got a new target, and instead of being all over the place I was a perfect triangle from the center out, all in the jerking / tightening fingers of the Shooter Correction target but only out to the 6 ring on a NRA 25 yard timed rapid pistol target. His name is Al, and he is one of the volunteers at the range. Really nice, sweet old man. I was very lucky to have run in to him.

I am gonna try to get out more and work on eliminating that flinch and building up my muscle memory for other things, like my grip and what not. I also ran in to an issue where my slide wasn't locking back after I would fire the last round of a magazine, at first I thought it was an issue with the magazines then I remembered something that Brad had said at the safety class yesterday, and that was that with a high thumb grip an extended safety on a glock could get in the way of the thumb. I think what I am doing is when I grip it I depress the slide release a little bit and prevent it from locking back when empty. I will have to adjust my grip, or just replace the slide release.

Also, I know that GLOCK refers to the thing as a slide stop, but come on, I have no interest in fooling myself, it's what I use most of the time to release the slide from the locked back position.

Anyhow, If you are in the area, do check out the Optimists Rifle and Pistol range. It's a great experience and I really like the facility. Very much my speed. Thanks again Al!