521 points at SCP ISSF Air Pistol Tournament

Even facing a broken side frame of my Varga shooting glasses (that caused more mental disturbance then real physical handicap), I managed to score 521 / 600 points at the SCP - "Sporting Clube de Portugal" ISSF 10 meter air pistol match part of the "Rui Ramalho" Tournament, at Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - held this Saturday, January 29th, 2011, early morning.

The last series, with 90 / 100, was the true "miracle worker" that helped me to get over the 520 barrier - and to compensate for the mediocre 82 score on the first series (with three hits on the 7 mark... shame). The 4th and 6th series, with 89 and 90, proved that with a better "on sights" stance and a shorter "decision time" the 10s are... "easy" - also after a lot of "denial" I end up giving a 3 up "click" on the vertical sights... and yes (!) the low impacts are gone.

My Morini 162 EI air pistol along with Peltor mufflers and H&N pellets

521 / 600 - score details

My ISSF 10meter air pistol scores from 2007 to Jan 2011

522 points - 2011 first ISSF air pistol match

Last Sunday, January 16th, 2001 I scored 522 / 600 on the Portuguese Shooting Federation " Opening Tournament ", ISSF Air Pistol 10 meter match. With no separation for 1st and 2nd division, and a National scope, I reached 24th among 41 competitors. Match was held at the Jamor shooting range (Oeiras, Portugal).

You can find multimedia coverage at the following links: photos (+100): http://www.cptpp.com/gallery/2011/index-20110116-torneio-abertura-pac-fpt-jamor.html and video (HD): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMt4H2dzYb8 - in the last chapter of this video report you can watch the automated process of target scoring - using Rika hardware and Soft Shot software.

I was modestly satisfied with my result (on my previous training, about 2 weeks ago, I scored 524 / 600) but with a lot of recurring  "homework" to take care - i.e., on systematic sights concentration, overall environment dissociation, and increased comfort on subconscious "free" shooting. I keep missing the 530 mark and I want to reach it this year really bad !

... line # 14... my "old" Morini and the rest of the "desk kit"

... detail on my Varga frames with Knobloch iris

details on my 522 / 600 score

overall match scores and ranks

92 points at Kuchenreuter training session

Just arrived from the Carregueira (Belas, Sintra, Portugal) shooting range where I managed to score 87 / 100 and 92 / 100 (my personal training record up to date) on "full match simulation training" at MLAIC's Kuchenreuter division - with my T. Dedinski's .36 Billinghurst hunder hammer muzzle loader black powder pistol - using 10 grains FFF loads ("Rio" brand) and .354 bullets from the Riflebulletcaster GmbH & Co.KG.

On the first 6 shot target (photo on the left) a trigger error forced me out of the black with a 6 hit mark on top - and then back to the two 7 hit marks down bellow (forcing me to correct "by wrist" - rookie's classical mistake). On the second 7 shot target (photo on the right) I found myself "back on track" and truly inspired - all impacts on the 9-10 ring. Final score, 92 / 100 is made with the 10 best out of 13 impacts. And 94 was "at reach" - since a "8 almost 9" on the first and a "9 almost 10" on the second where very close to gather 2 extra points on the final score...

What a way to celebrate the 100th shot with my new pistol and to overcome last week episode of "stuck in the barrel". Now let's see how will I handle the result under pressure on the first national match coming in approx. 2 months from now, February 6th, 2011 (that will take place at this same shooting range).

... the personalized 14k gold monogram

Close up on the "workbench" - RWS primers on bottom,
vintage russian "Azam" pocket chrono on top
and the luxus walnut griped "Billy" .36 on the right side 

Stuck on the barrel - my first black powder shooting incident

It's one of those "faux pas" that most on the MLAIC community says "It will never happen to me - I'll always follow the procedures, and never skip any steps - that will only happy to losers". I was, in part at least, one of those "claimers". But today, December 26th, 2010, after two average match simulation training sessions (13 shots each, 87 / 100 on the first and 85 / 100 on the second), and while doing some "long range" testing (50 meter ISSF pistol target)... it happened... I got distracted (talking around, changing lanes, etc)... and I end up loading only cotton patch and lead ball - no powder, no corn semolina - only the "bullet". And so I end up facing the "nightmare" - a "stucked ball" on my .36" Billinghurst black power muzzle loader pistol...

Time to use the extraction tool... a long aluminium rod, topped with a wood handle, terminated by a brass "cap" where a steel screw is placed - it will then "drill" into the stuck lead ball and, with some effort, extract it to the outside of the barrel.

... just after extraction out of the barrel - cotton patch still attached

... cotton patch removed and the "pierced / screwed in" detail can be seen.
The steel screw went easly into the lead ball  - but to get the all set
from inside the barrel required some "smart use of muscle"

To screw into the stuck lead ball, with the steel screw "tool" on the aluminium and brass rod is, per se, a easy task - but to remove the all set from the barrel... it was another... ball game. Thanks to the help of my good old friend R.Vilhena the all thing was removed using a "smart approach" - hammer impacts on a piece of wood againts the wood handle of the removal rod.

... a piece of wood (a debris) found at the shoting range trashcan
proved priceless to help removing the extraction rod from the barrel

The hammer (aluminium handle and body, large plastic impact points - so no risk of damaging the pistol steel) and wood "trick" will provide short term but highly concentrated impact movements - that the "pull" approach is unable to generate. With those hard strokes (yes, some "graphical" jokes were made at the shooting range during this process) the removal was be made with minimal effort and in less than 2 minutes of "hammering out" work. Any attempt to remove the extraction rod by simply pulling it ... will only tire you (and add desperation).

The two "action photos" bellow are a "home reenactment " of the extraction process - for educational proposes (and yes I now have this 30 centimetres long piece of pine wood on my tool field set). 

 

Fire from the Billinghurst

... two "photo capture" moments, from the December 11th 2010 video of the "shooting première" with my german made black powder muzzle loader Billinghurst .36 precision pistol.