Triangle Tactical Podcast - Competitive Shooting, Mostly
200 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 214 ratingsCompetitive shooting, mostly. Some concealed carry and gun rights stuff mixed in too. Most of all, I try not to take myself too seriously.
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Episodes
Triumphant Return
October 22, 2018 20:20 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MBMemes: If you haven't been following Triangle Tactical on social media, you've been missing out on all the shooting sports memes that I've been making. Carry Rig: I picked up a new carry rig. I've been rocking a Glock 19 for the longest time but I found myself wanting something smaller while doing dad stuff. The G19 was just getting too heavy and big while carrying the baby carrier, diaper bag, and everything else that goes along with having a little tyke. So, I picked up a Glock 43,...
Well... Bye
May 31, 2018 02:06 - 39 minutes - 36.1 MBThis is the last episode for a while. I'm taking the summer off to get used to life with our new baby, planning to come back with Triangle Tactical Podcast "Season 2" around August or Septemberish. See you then, carry on.
Range Officer Stuff
May 25, 2018 01:49 - 29 minutes - 26.6 MBThis week I talk about some RO stuff, after reading about a DQ online that the RO may have not helped. Also, we've got a few First Match voicemails that are FANTASTIC.
Cheating Cheaters who Cheat
May 18, 2018 23:27 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MBThis week I talk about cheating in the shooting sports, and what to do ab out it.
6 Year Anniversary Q&A LIVE!
May 10, 2018 02:13 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MBThis is the 6 year anniversary episode of the Triangle Tactical Podcast! To celebrate we're going live and answering what is probably the best batch of questions I've had for a Q&A show ever.
Outliers
May 03, 2018 02:43 - 33 minutes - 22.8 MBI've become interested in hearing from people who are the best in the world in other sports recently, so I've been actively seeking out podcasts with people who are the best of the best in what they do. I kept hearing references to an interview Joe Rogan did with an ultramarathoner named Courtney Dauwalter on his podcast. She won a race called the Moab 240, which is a 238 mile foot race through Moab Utah. She won the overall by something ridiculious like 11 hours or something. Later in th...
Jeff Wallace Answers Your Reloading Questions
April 24, 2018 02:16 - 1 hour - 50.3 MBThis week Jeff from NC Shooters Supply is on the podcast answering your reloading questions. We had a lot of y'all submit questions, so first and foremost thank you for sending them in! There's a TON of information in this episode, but please feel free to put any more questions you may have in the comments, and we'll get them answered in the future.
How Travis Beal Got Good at Shooting
April 16, 2018 02:35 - 30 minutes - 21.3 MBThis week I had a local Production Master Travis Beal come on the podcast. Travis and I used to be close to the same level, and then all the sudden he rocketed past me and started really killing it as a shooter. As it stands now, he's going to become a Grand Master any time, and it's all because of the change of mindset he had after getting disqualified at a major match.
Competitive Equity
April 11, 2018 21:05 - 33 minutes - 22.8 MBChris asked on the Facebook group about competitive equity at matches: Ports - all ports being the same high or low height. Should they be mixed height? I'm taller than most shooters. Not the tallest guy on the range, but above average. Personally I don't have a problem with MD's mixing up the height of ports, as long as they aren't going too crazy with it. Tall shooters can get low, but short shooters can't get higher. I think there's a size and height of port that can work for every ...
Why do people quit shooting?
April 07, 2018 01:27 - 39 minutes - 27.3 MBI mentioned a theory on the podcast a couple weeks ago about how I expected that higher class shooters would probably pull away from lower class shooters on the shorter stages moreso than the longer stages, but gthat it was just a theory because I didn't want to do the math. Well, I got an email from Louis, and he pulled the data from the different stages at the 2017 Production Nationals and... I was totally wrong. Louis broke down the stages from Nationals, then charted the median pe...
Mistakes Experienced Shooters Make
March 31, 2018 03:58 - 34 minutes - 23.8 MB5x5 Classifier Seems like the 5x5 classifier is causing some issues at IDPA matches. Something I hadn't thought of, but each shooter is putting 20 scored holes in the target with that drill, and that is a lot, especially with a bunch of shooters. Not sure how I feel about this. In USPSA rule 4.2.3 Paper targets must never be required to receive more than 12 hits before being scored and patched. I think that's a decent rule, because we get so used to only scoring 2 hits on the paper...
Q&A: Questions from the Group
March 24, 2018 03:43 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MBI've been dying from allergies all week so I didn't get much show-prep done, but I did get a bunch of good questions from the Triangle Tactical Podcast group that I answered on this weeks show.
Range Officers Toolkit
March 16, 2018 21:34 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MBThere was a recent question in the Triangle Tactical Facebook group asking about what sort of things a Range Officer should bring when working a match. I thought I'd put together a list of things that are nice to have and make them into an episode. Coincidentally, most of the things on the list are also helpful to have around in your practice sessions as well, so even if you're not a range officer, you might pick up a couple ideas for your personal use. Pistol grip thing that snaps onto...
Frustration
March 09, 2018 03:33 - 39 minutes - 26.9 MBI had a very frustrating practice session at the range on Monday. I burned about 500 rounds just shooting a plate rack because it's been something that has been really killing me at matches recently. Here's what happened: I could kill the plate rack at 10 yards. Anywhere between 3.1 and 3.5 seconds, no misses, no problems. At 15 yards, I was an absolute mess. I'd hit the first plate, then start missing all over the place with no obvious reason why. Then, at 20 yards, I was actually s...
Gear thats No Good for Competition Shooting
March 02, 2018 02:25 - 51 minutes - 35.2 MBSERPA There was a post on the r/competitionshooting subreddit this last week from someone talking about how they were an IDPA match last weekend and a new shooter was drawing from his SERPA holster at the match and plugged himself with a round at the hip, which then travelled down to around his knee. I don’t really want to beat the SERPA horse anymore, but I’ll tell you that in my years of competition, I’ve seen 4 people AD while drawing their pistol, and all 4 were using a SERPA. Here...
Ch Ch Ch Changes!
February 20, 2018 04:21 - 40 minutes - 27.9 MBThe USPSA Board of Directors announced some changes to several divisions in the BoD meeting notes from earlier this month, and in this episode I discuss the highlights and lowlights. I'd encourage you to go to the USPSA website, log-in, and actually read all of the changes. Far too many people have just been asking for the Cliffs Notes version of the new rules, instead of just reading the rules. Read. The. Rules.
Q&A: Is my Glock 19 holding me back? Heard any Production rumors?
February 14, 2018 03:09 - 49 minutes - 33.9 MBBryan What is a good age to start a junior shooter? A lot of it probably has to do with maturity/responsibility. Start them with a pellet gun, BB gun, .22? Bryan My practice range is an indoor range, and can be rather loud at times; what is great practice drill to do that does not require a shot timer? Mark Hello Lucas. Thank you for your show. You've helped me get started in competitive shooting. As a middle-aged guy, my biggest challenge is my eye sight. I only use glasses for readi...
How About Group Coaching?
February 10, 2018 03:51 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MBMost folks out there can't afford to take a shooting class more than about once a year or so, and most people don't get instruction that much. Previous podcast episode on coaching here. I hear a lot of people talk about how they struggled for years doing things incorrectly. How they then changed something in their practice and saw improvement. People talk about how boring dryfire is because they're doing the same crap over and over and over, day after day, month after month and they'r...
Focus
February 02, 2018 02:51 - 33 minutes - 23.2 MBLast week when I was on the range doing all the shooting for last weeks Junk Science show I noticed something that I’d never noticed before. When I was doing the step into the box draws, I could reliably shave a tenth of a second when I put my focus on the draw stroke, and not the step. If I just let the step happen, and put my focus on the draw, a pretty average draw was about .95, .96, .97, something like that. However, when I focused on the step, and let the draw stroke just happen,...
JUNK SCIENCE: Are Race Holsters Worth It?
January 26, 2018 03:59 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBFor a long time I've wondered if the expensive race holsters that hold the gun just by the trigger guard are really worth the money, so that's what I've decided to find out for this episode. So, here's what I did: I setup a 10" steel plate at 10y. I tested both holsters with 50 draws in the following ways: Kydex - Stand and shoot 50 rounds. DAA Alpha X - Stand and shoot 50 rounds. Kydex - Step into the shooting area and shoot 50 rounds. DAA Alpha X - Step into the shooting area a...
Q&A: Killed in the Streets!
January 18, 2018 00:20 - 48 minutes - 33.1 MBEric Lucas, I have a question for your Q&A if you would like. I know this touches on a subject you have talked about in the past. The closest USPSA club to me is an hour away. They shut down fairly early in the season. Last summer I still wanted to do some more matches and the next closest match is a 3 hour drive one way. Their website said that set up was at 3pm, shooting started at 6pm and should be done by 9pm. It seemed to imply that being present for set up was mandatory. I calle...
Where to Start in Practice
January 11, 2018 03:43 - 33 minutes - 23 MBBeen thinking a bit about practice, and where I should be spending my time in practice since I haven’t shot a match in about 4 months. What are the areas that I need to work on? Probably everything, and if that’s a thing, starting can seem overwhelming. I mentioned on the podcast last week that I suck at lifting weights, but because I suck at it, I’m seeing tons and tons of progress, and that’s really motivating to keep lifting weights. I can deal with the sore muscles and trouble walking ...
Things I'd like to see in 2018
January 06, 2018 03:40 - 33 minutes - 22.9 MB[powerpress] I’d like to see ALL of the major shooting sports stop fudging around with the rules all the time. We’ve been playing around with provisional divisions in USPSA for a couple years now, just make them official divisions. The USPSA part isn’t really a big deal, so lets talk about IDPA for a second. OMG. I literally can’t keep up. It’s like every couple months there’s either another rulebook, or another update, or something posted on a random blog at idpa.tech (that I’m still n...
Ask Me Anything
December 27, 2017 02:36 - 1 hour - 43.1 MBI always like to do something different for the last episode of the year, so this year I had y'all ask me anything you wanted to ask. So, thanks for a great 2017! 2018 is going to be great!
Marty Wood - NC USPSA Section Coordinator
December 18, 2017 09:30 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MBThis week on the podcast I interviewed Marty Wood, the new NC USPSA Section Coordinator. We talked about everything from the future of USPSA in North Carolina, to announcing the date and location of the 2018 NC Sectional match. I wanted to say a special thanks to Marty for driving to Raleigh to meet with me to talk about all of this, and I'm really excited about seeing what happens with him at the wheel as the section coordinator of NC USPSA. If you want to get ahold of Marty, his email...
What to do with Junior Shooters who don't help?
December 13, 2017 23:53 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MB2018 Goals. I'm writing it down here, throwing down the gauntlet for 2018: I will make USPSA Production Master before my birthday at the end of June. I refused to make this goal last year, but 2018 is the time to make it happen. You read it here first folks. What are your goals for 2018? How are you going to make them happen? What to do with junior shooters who don't help? This question came in from a long time listener who is noticing a trend of junior shooters who only shoot, ...
Things That Matter
December 07, 2017 03:45 - 36 minutes - 33 MBSpecial Episode Coming Up! I always like to do something different for the last episode of the year, and this year I'm going to do an AMA (ask me anything). Here's the thing: for the last podcast of 2017, I'll answer any questions you have, that ARE NOT related to shooting. Go to http://triangletactical.net/AMA Enter your question in that form. Please don't ask your questions in the comments of this post, or on Facebook or anywhere else, as I will not be able to answer them (I can't tr...
Rants, Raves, and Follow-ups
November 30, 2017 02:49 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBIf you’re local to me, listen up. If you’re not local to me, just bear with me or skip ahead 30 seconds or so. At the end of the year I’m killing the Triangle Tactical competitive shooting calendar on the website. There are a couple of reasons for this: It costs more than a hundred bucks a year for the software to keep it running. Not a huge deal, but it’s a factor. The time to keep it running is substantial. I can’t seem to keep it accurate. Matches start and stop even when they’re su...
What's Killing Our Matches and Burning out our Match Directors?
November 15, 2017 03:31 - 40 minutes - 37.1 MBI'm not sure if it's because it's nearing the end of the traditional "shooting season" or what, but I've been talking to a few different people about how their match director is about to quit, or they themselves are a match director, and they don't know what to do because they're totally burned out, and they're not sure how to keep that burnout away. So, on Sunday I released a survey trying to gather some data on what is killing matches. First, I asked respondents to rank the health of...
So, You Want to be a Sponsored Shooter?
November 05, 2017 22:02 - 32 minutes - 29.6 MBBefore you enter into a handshake deal for some free stuff, there are a few things that you should consider. Go to the show notes for this episode and get my free .PDF with 10 things that you should think about and do before you pick up a sponsor. Gear that Doesn't Suck Streamlight ProTac 2L It's the time of year when it's getting darker earlier, and staying dark longer. Having a dependable flashlight with you is a big help. I literally use mine every day.
How to use a Shot Timer in Practice
October 26, 2017 02:09 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBTyler asks: "Hi Luke. I have a question for this weeks Q and A show. My buddy just got a shot timer, and we will be using it this week for the first time. We want to use it as effectively as possible so I'm putting together a spreadsheet to track how we do time wise. What should I track? Splits? Total time? Time to first shot? I honestly don't know where to start or what all the shot timer can do. I just want to know if I'm getting faster with my shots on that end and how that stacks u...
When Should You Buy Something New, Even if it isn't an Upgrade?
October 12, 2017 02:31 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBWhen is it time to replace gear, even if it isn’t an upgrade? I think everyones answer is going to be different to this question, but here’s my thoughts on it: I’ve got this old Glock 34 that I’ve been shooting forever. It has an unknown number of rounds through it, and I’ve replaced a bunch of parts in it over the years. At one point the gun started grouping really far to the left, and I could actually see wear on the locking block where it was starting to lock up off-center. No idea ...
Lookin' Cool
September 26, 2017 01:14 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBLast weekend there was a triathlon here in my little town, and we got to people watch a lot of folks cycling past our neighborhood. Cycling is my first love. Far and away above shooting, and I really cannot wait until I’m healed up enough to get back in the saddle. One guy in particular came riding by, and he stuck me as a little odd, and then I thought the things he was doing related well to a lot of the things people do in the shooting sports as well. Dude rides by. Full on triathlon...
JUNK SCIENCE: Drop Step
September 20, 2017 03:44 - 40 minutes - 36.8 MBThere's a good chance you're reading this wondering to yourself "What is a drop step?" You're most certainly not alone. In the gif below, notice how I step out of the second box, and push off with my foot? That's a drop step. via GIPHY Some people say they’re okay in certain circumstances, others say that they’re never any good, and somewhat recently I came across an internet argument where people were making all sorts of claims (good and bad) about the drop step. So, naturally, I figur...
2017 Carolina Classic
September 13, 2017 01:54 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBOn Friday, I shot the 2017 Carolina Classic USPSA match. It was hands down, the best run match I've ever been to. I was the first shooter on the first stage, and I started shooting at 12:54PM. We shot 9 stages, and I sent my wife a text saying that I was on my way home at 5:52PM. 9 stages + Chrono in less than 6 hours. Awesome.
START HERE: Introduction to the Triangle Tactical Podcast
September 07, 2017 02:23 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBIntroduction to the Triangle Tactical Podcast Last week's podcast was episode 250, so I figured this would be a great time to re-introduce myself to the audience, and have a good place for people who are new to the podcast to get started. Every now and again I get a question from someone who'd just found the podcast asking where they should start since there are so many episodes in the back catalog that it can be difficult to know where to start, and understand my point of view on things...
What's in you range bag, Lucas?
August 30, 2017 02:53 - 42 minutes - 33.9 MBI have 2 range bags. One that I call my practice bag, and another that I call my match bag, although they both go with me to both. Match Bag This is an old backpack, actually the bag that I took to college with me… 14 years ago. Gun rug fits well in the laptop sleeve, easy to carry between stages, etc. Gun, mags, outer belt, inner belt, ammo, etc. Also keep my eyes/ears/extra eyes/squib stick and gun parts box in this bag. I try to keep it fairly lightweight so I’m not trying to drag...
Experienced Shooters Have a Duty to Help New Shooters
August 23, 2017 02:01 - 41 minutes - 38.4 MBExperienced shooters have a duty to help new shooters at their first match. Before the stage brief is read on your first stage, ask if there are any new shooters on your squad. Once everyone knows who the brand new shooters are, and eliminates the concern about giving advice to someone who's been shooting for 10 years, and just hasn't really made any progress. Match Directors could start a sort of "ambassador" program, where shooters volunteer right in Practiscore to be an ambassador fo...
Balancing Matches and Practice
August 15, 2017 02:10 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MBWhat's the right balance between practice and matches? I'm not exactly sure what the *right* balance is, but in an ideal world, I think my practice schedule would look like this: Dryfire every day Livefire weekly 2 Matches a month I like this for two reasons: It's fairly realistic with a little planning and dedication. It's enough practice to really see decent improvement if you're actually doing it. Gear that Doesn't Suck: If you're reloading your own ammo, and you're shooting m...
What Makes a Good Match Great?
August 10, 2017 02:12 - 49 minutes - 45.1 MBThis episode is based on an email I got from Mike, who is helping to get a new USPSA match started at Low Country Preserve in Tabor City, NC. What advice would you give to a new match director to make a local match really fun and interesting? Honestly I think you should lose the focus on fun. Now, don't take that the wrong way, here's what I mean: USPSA shooters have the most fun at USPSA match. Stick to the rules, build good stages and stick to the rules. Did I mention that you shou...
What Do You Do When a Range Officer Doesn't Do His Job?
August 01, 2017 00:00 - 32 minutes - 22.3 MBDuring the live chat for last week's Triangle Tactical Q&A Live show Austin asked a question about what to do when a Range Officer isn't doing his job? Austin asked (I'm paraphrasing here) but basically, what do you do when the RO on your squad lets a shooter slide for breaking the 180? Apparently a shooter drew before turning on a turn-and-draw, and the shooters on the squad were jumping out of the way when he did it. In this instance, the Range Officer didn't stop or disqualify the s...
Don't Stay in Your Circle, Be Out.
July 26, 2017 02:20 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MBEvery week I put together the Patreon Only NewsBlast Podcast, and it seems like every week I get a really great article from the Grand Island Independent in Grand Island, Nebraska about a shooting competition that's taking place in Grand Island. It's always about different shooting sports that are taking place in that area, and they've all been cool, and I'd never heard of most of them. This got me excited because the local newspaper is going positive stories on the shooting sports in a...
What's the Difference Between IDPA and USPSA?
July 18, 2017 21:33 - 36 minutes - 25.3 MBIn the live chat for the last Triangle Tactical Q&A show, Austin asked "What's the difference between IDPA and USPSA?" I didn't have time to get to it in the Live Q&A show, so I thought I'd talk about it here on the main podcast. Here's the rundown: Concealment: IDPA requires you to have your gun concealed. You'll generally see people using a vest to conceal their gun, but a vest is not required. USPSA does not require your gun to be concealed. Divisions: For the most part, th...
Most Gun Reviews Suck for Competitive Shooters
July 11, 2017 03:42 - 37 minutes - 25.6 MBIf you're looking to buy a gun for competitive shooting, one thing you may notice is that a lot of gun reviews really aren't helpful beyond telling you what the features of the gun are. A bunch of people doing gun reviews just open a box, and fire up the camera. This can be useful for letting you know about features and whatnot, but if you're buying a gun for competition, you're probably going to want to know a lot more than that, especially if you haven't shot your first match yet. I'...
What's one piece of advice you wish you had known before your first match?
July 02, 2017 23:00 - 39 minutes - 26.9 MBI give a lot of advice here on the podcast, and talk about things as I see them in the shooting sports, but I've found that my perspective isn't always the same as everyone elses, and that's why I love these call-in episodes where you send in your thoughts on a topic. There's been a lot of talk in the shooting sports world about on-ramps to competitive shooting, and how there's not a great way for new people to get started, especially if they don't already have a friend who is involved. ...
5 Things That Will $%&@ Up Your Next Match
June 28, 2017 01:50 - 41 minutes - 28.2 MB5 things: The things that you do when you're not shooting can have a profound affect on your shooting. Here's where to get the details on all 5 things. Tip of the Week: Even if you're wearing a giant, ugly, dork hat like me on a hot sunny day on the range, you should still put some sunblock on your face. Apparently the UV rays can reflect off the ground and burn your face anyways... ask me how I know... I left Sunday's match with a sunburned face, even after wearing my ugly dork hat...
JUNK SCIENCE: Turn and Draw
June 19, 2017 17:44 - 39 minutes - 26.9 MBThe turn and draw is a pretty standard start position for competitive shooting matches. Generally in a turn and draw, you'll start facing up range, wrists above shoulders, and then on the buzzer you'll turn then draw your pistol once it's inside the 180*, and start engaging targets. The conventional wisdom about the turn and draw is that you should always turn towards the gun, because the gun then has less movement to make to get on the target. I seemingly makes sense on the surface, but ...
Shoot Everything
June 12, 2017 23:52 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MBIf you're new to the shooting sports, don't settle on whatever shooting sport you decide to shoot first is. Go shoot a bunch of different disciplines. The shooting sports are like high school cliques. If you go to IDPA, you'll hear people talk junk about those USPSA gamers. If you shoot USPSA, someone will talk junk about the tacti-fools at IDPA. If you shoot 3-gun, you'll hear someone talk junk about the guys that only shoot one match. Here's the thing though, and I mean this: Each ...
The Biggest Problem With Advancing Gun Rights
June 06, 2017 01:24 - 38 minutes - 26.4 MB[powerpress] Long story short, I believe the biggest barrier that we face to advancing gun rights isn't politicians, but swaying the vast majority of the general public who are indifferent, or on the fence about guns. What I've found is, if you're just a normal person who likes to shoot, and talks about it in a normal way, most folks are pretty receptive. However, if you're rocking a "Hillary for Prison" shirt and whatnot (i.e. dressed in a way that automatically politicizes a conver...
Practice and Match Thoughts
May 31, 2017 00:44 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MBBeing the 5th week of the month, and a holiday weekend, I'd usually take a week off from the podcast, but I had some things from this weeks practice session and Sunday's USPSA match that I wanted to talk about. So, on this weeks show, I move away from the usual podcast format, and just give you some top of mind things from this last week. Patreon If you haven't checked out the Triangle Tactical Patreon yet, you're missing out. The 4th episode of the Triangle Tactical News Blast podcast ...