Alright, this year was maybe a little better than last year, but not quite perfect. Let’s review…

I took 3 classes this year. I enjoyed all of them quite a bit:

• Green Ops M.A.R.C.H / TCCC Training
• Active Response Training Close Quarters Gunfighting
• Private Stop the Bleed class

That’s 20 hours of classes, which is pretty low for me. I did train a bit more than in previous years with the ACE software, but I’m definitely lower than I want to be. Turns out shooting matches all the time and having kids eats a lot of free Sundays.

I shot 34 matches (!) of varying sorts in 2023, including two majors, at least according to Practiscore. It might actually have been more because AGC is not always great about uploading scores. They were an even mix of USPSA, IDPA, outlaw steel, multigun, and outlaw IPSC (KAPSA). This is the most matches I’ve ever shot, and while not all of them were amazing finishes for me, I think I am on an upwards trend.

I also listed off a number of goals last year:

Goal #1: get serious time shooting with night vision. Definitely did a lot of this last year! Accomplished.

Goal #2: shoot at least 20 matches. Accomplished and then some. I didn’t do particularly well at either major match I shot, but I’m still glad I went.

Goal #3: take at least 4 classes. Didn’t make this one. Maybe next year!

Goal #4: Clear dot torture at least once. Accomplished, with my P322 of all things.

Goal #5: Dry-fire every day in a structured fashion. Didn’t make this one, but definitely thought some of my dry-fire with the ACE was extremely productive.

Goal #6: Finish some big posts, and post more. Accomplished. I actually have one more I want to knock out, but I’m basically done.

Goal #7: Shoot IDPA CDP and USPSA Single-Stack matches. Accomplished.

Goal #8: Shoot USPSA Open with my Bullesteros. Missed this one.

One other thing I’m super proud of is that the SASP team I coached did really well at Nationals again and had multple podium finishes. I’m also glad I finally tamped back on firearms purchases. Granted, some of this money went into thermal (specifically a JerryC5) and IR lasers, but it’s still probably less money than I’ve spent in previous years.

Just because it’s fun to reflect, I’m also going to go over firearms purchases and sales in 2023:

BOUGHT: Tippman Arms M4-22 Elite. New to me. I love this thing so much.

BOUGHT: Tippmann Arms M4-22 RCR. This one was a real saga to get working, but it’s great now.

BOUGHT: Masada Slim. It’s OK, but not amazing.

BOUGHT: Bul Cherokee Mini Gen1. Mostly because it’s a unicorn. I’m now realizing I never posted anything about this, so I’ll try to get a post up soon about it.

BOUGHT: Polymer80 PFC9. I loved my old one, and this one was cheap. Might turn into the gun I bring with me on trips since I won’t care as much if something happens to it.

Now, what are my goals? It appears I may be traveling professionally a bit more this coming year than in previous years, plus we had to get a new car, so I’m going to try to keep things modest…

Goal #1: shoot at least 20 matches. Given how many I shot this year, this should be easily accomplishable.

Goal #2: take at least 4 classes. This was kind of a big miss for me last year, and I’m going to do better this time. One problem I’m running into is fewer Sunday classes, so I need to be more aggressive about signups, I think.

Goal #3: Dry-fire every day in a structured fashion. The ACE was a real game-changer for me, and it’s time to use that more. I had a brief blip when the handset changed and I had to get a new holster going, but I think I’m good now.

Goal #4: Shoot USPSA Open with my Bullesteros. I have a real open gun, I have a real open rig, and I’ve got a pile of 9 Major. There’s no reason I shouldn’t shoot in Open division at least once.