Having completed my retrospective of 2022, it’s time to look ahead and give 2023 a bit of direction. Given how 2022 went and where I’m standing right now, I think it’s a safe bet to continue the deep dive into pistol shooting both in the context of competition and self defense. As much as I’d like to boost the hunting and rifle shooting mix, I don’t quite see it in the cards at least not yet. After all, I don’t have a crystal ball that I can use to predict the future with. So in many ways, I think 2023 will be very similar, but definitely not more of the same.
As I mentioned, I don’t see any significant amount of hunting opportunities on the horizon. This may very well change as the year progresses, but I’m not going to set goals around it since at this point it wouldn’t be realistic. So that’s that.
Competition wise, I’m going to continue attending a lot of matches and developing my pistol skill. I’d like to achieve B level classifications, if not better, in USPSA and Steel Challenge Carry Optics divisions. I’d also like to obtain an Expert classification in IDPA Carry Optics division. I think those goals are achievable and realistic. Additionally, I’d like to do a few more two-gun matches and throw the carbine in the mix, but that will be limited by ammo prices. There is a very strong possibility I will also venture out beyond Carry Optics divisions at some point this year with Revolver division being the strongest possibility.
Self defense is another area that I will continue to focus on. At a minimum, I’m planning on earning a Rangemaster Advanced Firearms Instructor certification and a Rangemaster Master Firearms Instructor certification. I’ve booked both of those classes so, unless I blow the advanced level qualification, I’m looking at atleast 40 hours of instruction from Tom Givens. I suspect there is a high likelihood of attending another course or two sometime in 2023. If the opportunity presents itself, I wouldn’t mind taking another shot at a Turbo Pin from Gabe White’s Pistol Shooting Solutions course.
In terms of the blog, I expect gear reviews will slow down a bit. That is unless the manufacturers I have relationships with invite me to review some future products or they happen to agree to send me a product at my request based on requests I receive from readers like they did in 2022. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any gear reviews. There will definitely be gear reviews, but I expect they will be less frequent in 2023.
So, yeah, the forecast is calling for a lot of pistol shooting with some occasional rifle work. All of which should be plenty of fuel for a steady flow of blog posts for y’all’s reading pleasure.