AP training and transition to FP?

[jonsolberg]

Hi all.

I've been shooting pistol for roughly one and a half year, mainly
focusing on the international precision events (even though I've shoot
a fair share of national matches, both rapid and slow fire
events). Since getting a license for firearms here in Sweden now is a
tedious and lenghty process I've mostly shot AP (even though I now own
a license for a Walther GSP .22lr sport, .32 S&W L and TOZ-35M free
pistol).

Currently my personal best with AP is 565 in training (though, my
match scores are significantly lower with 550 as best of the seven or
so matches I've managed to finish in this time). In the weekly club
matches (40 shots) I generally hoover around the 370 mark, with 376 as
my best score.

In training on a good day I'm able to keep a sub-nine ring hold with
bad trigger handling causing most of the 8's and an occasional 7 (my
best score still had one 7 and three 8's of a total 60
shots). Generally 8's cause my most concern since this is were I loose
most of my points in a match. I generally make my bad shots at the
beginning and end of the match, probably due to nervousness in the
beginning and lack of stamina and concentration in the end of the
match. Current best series is 99, but generally, I'm more around the
92-93 mark.

I generally try to shoot a full length AP match a day after work
(generally around 2-2 1/2 hours of training with warmup, sighters and
training analysis) focusing on one issue (focus on sights, breathing,
hold or anything else I've recognised being a problem during previous
training sessions). If not shooting, I do bicycle racing, running or
indoor climbing, depending on season and weather. I keep a training
log (which I am well accustomed to from years of orienteering at elite
level) and try to do dry fire and holding excersises when I feel I
have time over. I keep a match plan, although I could probably be much
better sticking to it (mainly taking down when I don't manage to get
shots fired in time).

I haven't started training with my free pistol, but am in the process
of doing so since the winter's been very mild this year.

So:

- My main goal in AP is to consistently hold 9's with a 560+ match
score. Any tips of specific excercises to achieve this?

- I still need more match training: apart from the obvious (compete
more) any recommendations on how to make my training sessions more
similar to competitions? Compete against other training club
members? How do you manage different skill levels?

- Since I am in the process of making the transition to FP this
spring: is there anything in particular I should think of, keeping
my AP experience in mind? Any major differences in how to prepare
for training and matches? And FP specific excercises? Is it a stupid
idea to expect a score over 500 in the beginning (or should I just
try it out and see what happens)?

I would greatly appreciate any tips and pointers regarding this.

[Freepistol]

You will easily shoot over 500 considering your AP scores. However, try training with the FP without keeping score. Keep shooting on a target in training until you can no longer tell where the shots are going. You may get 18 or 20 rounds on it before reaching that point. When you go to your first FP match, you will have no expectations of score, so just shoot.

One other thing I have found is that the AP target is more forgiving of sight alignment, so pay more attention to keep those FP sights aligned.

Good shooting!
Ben