Steve-Turner

Name: Steve Turner

Age: 45

How long have you been shooting bullseye pistol?

11 years

How long have you been a Master/High Master?

Master 6 years

What are your current average NMC scores for...

Both guns are averaging high 280's again after a few years of lagging scores.

What is the highest NMC score you shot for...

RF) indoors 50' 298-10x, Outdoors 297-11x

45) indoors 50' 296-4x, Outdoors 289-16x

What guns/accessories do you use for...

RF) FWB AW-93

CF) I have a Rock River Arms 9mm, but have not shot it a lot.

45) Either a RRA of a Colt built by Don Weber

What ammo/load do you use for...

RF) Mostly SK or Wolf (they are the same)

CF) Atlanta Arms or NSK (eventually I'll get around to reloading 9mm)

45) Lead load is 3.8gr WST with 185HPSWC

Jacketed load is 4.4gr N310 with Nosler or Zero 185JHP

What are the three most critical attributes for shooting high scores and why?

1) Discipline to train, rather than throw lead downrange (also known as practice). When I was coming up I shot a lot NMC's and 900's. Initially it helped me become comfortable with the match flow, but it became a habit. Focusing on one aspect of shooting at a time and more dry firing would have been better.

2) Confidence. I am not by nature a confident person. Confidence can be developed through self talk, visualization and training. It is confidence in the shot process, not scores. I know that if I follow my process, most of the shots will be in the "good scoring rings" and if a few sneak out into the "bad scoring rings" I can accept that. There will always be bad shots, but 1 bad shot (or even 2 or 3) doesn't mean I'll have a bad match. It doesn't mean I am a failure and it doesn't mean that my shot process if flawed and I should start trying different things in the middle of a match.

3) Dry Fire. Olympians and National Champions dry fire a lot. Very few Marksmen and Sharpshooter dry fire at all. There is a pattern.

What is the one thing you struggle with the most?

Just 1 thing? Precision shooting is a constant struggle with so many things. That's what makes it hard (and interesting). I guess maintaining the right mental attitude and alertness. It is always a challenge to stay calm at a big match or when I know I am shooting really well and it is just as hard to stay focused and excited through an entire match that can last all day or at a league match after a tough day at work. Mental attitude can cause many different problems, snatching the trigger, not concentrating on the fundamentals etc., but the root cause is mental control.

What training exercise do you feel is the most productive?

Dry fire, dry fire, dry fire. When you shoot live rounds the BANG hides a lot of bad habits.

What "gizmo" (blinders, polarizing filter for scope, shield for weak eye, etc.) do you feel

is the most helpful to you?

Does a red dot count as a gizmo? :) I have to use a blinder. I am left eye dominant but shoot with my right eye. I've shot using my left eye but the grip works better using the right eye. I've tried shooting with both eyes open a little and my brain gets confused.

What are the 3 most common problems you observe with new shooters?

I don't have a lot of experience working with new shooters, but here's a few things I see

1) Thinking the gun is the problem

2) Constantly changing things

3) Thinking that the target is important. It's hard to believe that almost everything important is happening at the gun; the target is only there to distract us.

What part of your shooting routine do you feel is unique to you?

Not sure if it is unique, but I spend a lot more time getting setup for the first shot of slow fire than most shooters. It takes me 1 1/2 to 3 minutes to take my first shot. I am pretty sure that my grip, finger placement and trigger pull is unique to me. It's not like it is supposed to feel, but it is the only way I've found to eliminate "trigger jump".

What was the one "thing" that helped to propel you into the Master class?

There was no one thing. It was a succession of things. I guess they are all related to continually raising my expectations. When I was a marksman I thought I had a good shot process and followed it consistently. When I was an expert my process was much better and I was much more consistent. Now that I am a master trying to make high master I know that I have to refine each step and perform them nearly perfectly. Hopefully next year when I am a high master trying to break 2650 I will look back at today and think how sloppy I was when I was only shooting low-mid 90's in slowfire.