Definitely feel like that is me sometimes. I need to be better with what I have rather than always trying to acquire more.

so true

'getting more gear' is the easiest thing... learning to use it expertly is hard yo

that's one thing i learned from my time in the Army: sometimes the 'issue gear' was not the greatest honestly. but its what we had and we used it A LOT under very adverse conditions and became very proficient with it

but nowadays its easy to go online and buy the latest 'gucci gear' with the click of a mouse

and of course a high percentage of people don't do much more than admire it and then put it back in the closet

--------------------------------------

I bought TWO muzzle loading rifles online this week. Seems like every January and February I go crazy for them.

Why does this happen every winter? One, because I just got done hunting with them a month ago. And two, because IT'S TOO DAMN COLD TO DO ANYTHING ELSE, might as well do the next best thing.

You know? I don't expect to come here and be attacked like this.

This place is getting more and more like another forum I know where it's the default answer to everything. Like it lends some "street cred" (forum cred) to the first guy who posts it.

My pistol has lots of muzzle flip. "You need to take a class."

I can't hold my crosshairs steady. "You need to take a class."

I think my reloads are slower than they should be."You need to take a class."

My rifle jumps when it fires. "You need to take a class."

My hand loads have lots of runout. "You need to take a class."

I'm having issues mounting my scope."You need to take a class."

This screw keeps backing out. "You need to take a class."


Man, this is gonna be some fucking class!



I know people who do this in real life as well.
They're the guys who give classes.

"Mainly what we talked about is how I should by a big car when driving on the freeways. Big General Motors car, you know? Maybe a Cadillac... maybe his." -Spalding Gray

Mark123 - was there a deleted post in this thread that I missed?

Maybe Mark123 meant to fire the [SARCASM] emoticon, but had a ND and fired the [MAD] emoticon downrange instead, on accident!

This absolutely applies to guitar gear.

Buy more amps and guitars hoping something will magically make you better.

.

The truth often hurts.

Right up front I’ll state that I enjoy having new guns. And that I’ve purchased a few over the years – some of which I don’t really have a use for anymore, and rarely shoot. I’m not the Lone Ranger here.

Visit any gun forum – SF is no different. A crap ton of threads along the lines of:
- Look what I just bought.
- You will buy….
- What should I buy?
Such threads often have many replies, with tons of encouragement.

But we find few threads on:
- How can I improve my techique?
- Competitions and training.
- Courses, schools, and instructors.
And generally limited participation in these threads.

As stated, it’s easy to buy stuff. Click a mouse, enter a credit card.

Learning, developing, and perfecting a skillset takes years. Maybe even a lifetime. Maybe it will never occur. Learning processes are often fraught with frustration, setbacks, plateaus, and desires to switch to an activity that’s perceived as easier and more fun.

Some people just want to own guns, whether it be a few or a gazillion. That’s OK. Many people collect stuff, and they receive great pleasure from doing so.

IMO a higher level of gun ownership is perfecting the art & science of using said firearms. But then I was raised in an environment of competitive sports, academics, and vocations. I find satisfaction in doing things as well as I can, then learning how to get better.

I first saw the cartoon offgrid posted in another website. I think it’s funny as hell, even though sometimes it’s about me – staring into the mirror.

Offgrid’s cartoon applies to other activities, too. I know he played a fairly good game of golf at one time.

The golf equipment industry is huge, reportedly with sales of over $6 billion per year. That’s a crapload of golf clubs sold each year. Golf clubs can last years, especially if they’re of good quality and reasonably maintained. My current club set is 22 years old. Not the best equipment out there, but when I strike the ball correctly, they perform quite well.

The golf industry constantly tries to tell Average Joe Golfer that new clubs will make him perform like Superman – higher, faster, more powerful. Today’s club model life cycle is generally only 2 years, sometimes with a tweak in cosmetics in the off year.

As I contemplate buying a new club set, I’m finding that combined driver & ball technology statistically adds about 1 yard of distance per year. I’m now using recent vintage golf balls, so maybe I’ve already gained 5-ish yards of the 20 potential.

I play with co-workers and their buddies who are 10-15 younger. They’re vocal about how the “effin’ old guy” hits the ball further and more consistently. Now that one of them has a launch monitor and an indoor simulator, they’ve realized my club head speed is noticeably faster. Although I’m not happy with my inconsistent ball striking, they realize I strike the ball more consistently.

Years ago my favorite ski racing coach was shooting the breeze about winter skiing and summer golf. Regardless of activity, he said most people have a LOFT problem. I got the golf reference, as loft is a term for how clubs are designed. But not skiing. He emphasized “L.O.F.T.” – Lack Of Fucking Talent. Pretty certain some beverage spewed out my nose during the subsequent convulsive laughter.

Regardless of activity, I try not to have a LOFT problem. It’s not easy, but the journey is ultimately enjoyable.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:

Offgrid’s cartoon applies to other activities, too. I know he played a fairly good game of golf at one time.

Friend sent me this cartoon, golf is what came to mind.

Well, the training industry is very saturated right now. I trained a LOT from 2000-2010. Rogers, Midsouth, Thunder Ranch, Pat Rogers, to name a few. Then I got busy working and teaching a full schedule.

I recently started taking classes again and forcing myself to take the time to compete.

It is fucking aweful. The number of SEAL/Special forces/delta/ranger guys that have hung out a shingle and aren’t really teaching anything of value is alive. Got news for you. There are only so many ways to shoot urban prone. There are only so many innovative looks at using a barricade.

And it gets worse. From the time I stepped on the range till the time I left, I was recorded. Even when we were loading magazines, there was at least one camera on us the whole time. Very creepy and off putting.

I can see why this makes people hesitant to get out and train.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
You know? I don't expect to come here and be attacked like this.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
This place is getting more and more like another forum I know where it's the default answer to everything. Like it lends some "street cred" (forum cred) to the first guy who posts it.

Of the four posts which come before yours in this thread, please point out to me which one referred to "taking a class".

I don't understand this thread at all, and I don't like it one bit when a member says shit like you're saying, cas. What are you talking about, and why are you pigeonholing my forum with this bullshit? Somebody posted a cartoon, for God's sake, and the next thing I know, you're criticizing this forum.

Somebody explain this crap to me while this thread is still open.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
Well, the training industry is very saturated right now. I trained a LOT from 2000-2010. Rogers, Midsouth, Thunder Ranch, Pat Rogers, to name a few. Then I got busy working and teaching a full schedule.

I recently started taking classes again and forcing myself to take the time to compete.

It is fucking aweful. The number of SEAL/Special forces/delta/ranger guys that have hung out a shingle and aren’t really teaching anything of value is alive. Got news for you. There are only so many ways to shoot urban prone. There are only so many innovative looks at using a barricade.

And it gets worse. From the time I stepped on the range till the time I left, I was recorded. Even when we were loading magazines, there was at least one camera on us the whole time. Very creepy and off putting.

I can see why this makes people hesitant to get out and train.

I've seen a ton of videos of instructors on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsmans Channel and I've seen very little that was of use to the average person.

It sort of reminds me of how a lot of women don't want to work, so they look for some part time thing working out of the home. I think a lot of those Instructors are in the same boat, no special education, no real skills other than knowing how to shoot a gun fairly well. You'll see these same guys working for gun stores and ranges.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:
Visit any gun forum – SF is no different...

But we find few threads on:
- How can I improve my techique?
- Competitions and training.
- Courses, schools, and instructors.
And generally limited participation in these threads.

That isn't limited to gun forums. I took up golf, recently. You see the same thing on golf forums. Even one of them run by instructors that go out of their way to promote instruction and training over new, shiny gear.

I'm as guilty of it as anybody else. So what? It's the way I enjoy the shooting hobby. Does my hobby have a practical application? Sure it does. Could I train/practice more and be a more effective shooter should I even need to employ a firearm for self defense? Couldn't we all? But I probably practice (what I do can hardly be called "training") more than the average gun-owning bear, so...

Same with golf. So I went out and bought a higher-end putter, despite the fact I hadn't even practiced enough to become good with the putter I had. Big deal. My money. Made me happy. Maybe someday I'll rise to the putter's capabilities. Maybe not. Either way: I'll still appreciate and enjoy my super duper putter--just as I do any shiny new firearm or shooting accessory I buy.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Somebody explain this crap to me while this thread is still open.

The comment struck me as unwarranted, too, so I got nothin'.

That comic might explain why I have three identically-sized block planes.

I am not a golfer, so no gear for that. But, when I moved to the Yoop, a buddy told me I should begin to fly fish, since there is trout water here.
Down the fly fishing gear rabbit hole I went! The cost of decent gear was overwhelming and other fly fishing types always wanted to sell me ever increasing in cost gear. So I went fly fishing. Actually failed miserably and the only bites I got was from the clouds of skeeters that hovered over me.
I was bemoaning this situation to my buddy. He asked if I took a fly fishing class. When I said no, he said "thats your problem, you have the gear but you dont have any idea how it works or how to use it".
Eureka! Comes the dawn! Until I checked out the better schools and the cost of attendance. Sold off the fly gear. Now I bank fish with spinning gear and catch a shitpot full of fish!
Fly fishing is the golf of fishing.
And I hear Sporting Clays is the golf of shotgunning!

I am guilty of this with backpacking and climbing gear. Tupperware bins full of crampons, axes, rope, headlamps, gloves, mittens, stoves, etc. I found a pair of unused snowshoes last month that I had completely forgotten about.