What are the 5 ways to avoid train wrecks?

Let me start by explaining what a train wreck is in competition shooting. A train wreck is when any number of problems catch you off guard during a match. Your brain locks up, your shoes fill with butt sweat, and everything falls apart. This article aims to prevent common mistakes made before an event to avoid a catastrophe.

Make a checklist of all your equipment.

Write a list of everything you need for a match. When I say everything, I mean everything from your rifle down to the socks on your feet. Cross everything off the list when you are loading your vehicle.

I think every competition shooter has gone to an event and accidentally left something at home. It throws a wrench into the brain gears when this happens.

The subject of forgetting equipment came up at a match one time. The whole thing was tipped off because my friend forgot the bolt of his rifle at home.

That night he drove eight hours round-trip to retrieve the missing item so he could shoot the match. And that started the conversation. I heard several horror stories of things people forgot through the years. They were pretty funny stories, but at the same time, I was thinking, “man, that would suck.” I could easily write an entire article just on the tales I heard.

Make sure your screws aren’t loose:

Tighten every screw that can come loose before you depart. I have seen people lose matches because of this mistake. If you don’t check, it will come back to haunt you. (Note: Zero your rifle again after you have torqued all your screws. Ask me how I know?)

This problem still plagues me occasionally. It seems every time I skip this step. It bites me in the butt. I have finally gotten over the assumption of everything being as it should be. Trust me, it’s no fun being in the middle of a string, and you have to grab a wrench because something let loose on you.

Inspect all your equipment:

You don’t want to arrive at a competition and have an unwelcome surprise. Any issue that could have been simple to remedy at home now becomes significant. I know what you’re thinking, but Duct Tape doesn’t fix everything.

Buy a Borescope and learn how to use it:

You don’t want to be in the middle of a match and smoke out your barrel. (Again, ask me how I know?) The best way to avoid this is by checking the inside of your barrel with a borescope. They are simple to learn how to use. A borescope is a tool worth its weight in gold.

In the beginning, I and several others tend to have some of the same questions. How do I know if my barrel shot out? How do I know when to clean my barrel? Do I need to break in my barrel? A national champion shooter answered all of these questions to me in five words, “your borescope will tell you.”

Have backups for all of your equipment:

I don’t know how many times having backups has saved people. You’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I understand that having backups can be expensive. Do the best you can with what you have.

I know these are only a few ways to avoid train wrecks, but you have to start somewhere. Suppose you want to dive a little deeper into the subject. I recommend reading the article 6 Ways to Get Into the Zone. Also, the book, With Winning In Mind is a good read.

This sport is about making mistakes and learning from them. If it were easy, everyone would do it. At a certain point, you won’t make mistakes and will be welcomed into the winner’s circle.

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