Maximis228

Stock main spring is 19-21 lbs on most 1911/2011s. 17 lb will get you a lighter pull weight and still reliable set off all primers. 15 lb can work (That is what SV uses to get their super light triggers of sub 1 lb) but you run the risk of not popping all primers and you will need to swap the spring more regularly to keep the trigger reliable. I would just use a 17 lb and call it a day.

I tossed a new barrel link in and I'm getting slightly better accuracy but its marginal at best.

No kydex holster is worth waiting this long for. Main reason I cant vote for him for A5D either.

You will want a good 5-10 yard buffer at the rear for the side berms for people to stand around (inside the bay and not on the road between bays).

AA7 is known to be a VERY dirty load due to burned/unburned gun powder getting everywhere. Ive seen charge weight as low as 9.0 for a 124 and as high as 11 for a 115 using AA7. IMO its not a great powder for 9 major. But I also think WAC is perfect for 9 major. Many people call me crazy.

25-30+ yards deep is ideal but isn't necessary. At the end of the day you will design stages to fit the bays you have access to. I design stages for a few clubs with vastly different size/shaped bays. Each bay has their own unique characteristics. We have some bays as short as 10 yards and as long as 60 yards. Some as wide as 40-50 yards and some only 5-7 yards wide. If you never plan to host major matches, 5-8 bays would be perfect for local matches/training/hosting classes. If you want to be able to host a major, then at least 10 bays will be needed (12-15 bays would be better).

They need to be sat very deeply to work well with striker fired guns and low pull weight DA guns.

^THIS

I dislike Ben very much. But no one comes close to putting out the amount of free (YouTube & Social Media) or cheap (Books) content within practical shooting. His methods evolve with the sport. Yes he's mean and says bad words and many other things we can argue about... but the dude knows what he's doing and he makes shooters better VERY fast. I would look into your local heat that offers classes (Local M or GM) first. They will be able to help you get to the next level. If you put in the work and are looking for more juice to squeeze as you get up to M and GM yourself, then take classes from people like Ben, JJ, & Eric Gruffel. No point in spending the big money until you are ready for that level of training.

I work with a home services company in Baton Rouge. I can promise you people are spending tons of money all over Louisiana right now.

I've seen just as many issues with 38 S/SC. I've been shooting 9 major for about a decade now. Easily 300,000 rounds loaded using mixed range brass. I've cracked 1 slide and cracked 1 barrel lug during that time frame. I've seen local 38 S/SC guys do much worse. People who chase the uber flat gun with ridiculously high charges (AA7, 3n38, Major Pistol and the like...) while compressing powder are the ones who run into issues. People laugh... but my 7.2 WAC under a 124 JHP pushing 173 PF has been awesome for me. I've tested out every combo under the sun and I always come back to WAC.

Costs of most parts are up 25-50% over that time frame along with coating going up too. The 2K barely covers the cost increase in recent years. Also wait lists are growing everywhere. Per rumors I'm hearing... Atlas builds north of 200-250 Guns per month. They continue to build a waitlist at that level. Most custom 2011 smiths build 2-6 guns per month, at most. It's no surprise pricing is going up. It's a builders market right now.

You brain will be mush after 2 days of class. I don't see value in taking anything longer. I would save your money for a class that is closer to you and buy the ammo in the mean time.

I was informed this morning that Tom Palmer has passed away. Tom was long standing RM within USPSA. Tom worked countless matches for decades throughout the midwest and the national level. Tom ran local USPSA clubs as well. He taught me everything I know about running a USPSA club and designing stages. He was one of the biggest influences on my shooting career. Tom and his loving wife Deb built an amazing family together. I was not lucky enough to have met any of their children or grandchildren, but I was lucky enough to be able to listen to Tom tell stories about them. He will be missed by many.

You need to roll thru the middle position more aggressively. You actually stop moving at one point. Your draw is a bit slow as well. I would also come into the final position more stable. Your aggressive entry made you out of control and slowed your first shot down a lot. Its also really bad to train "falling" out of the fault line.

Lots of context is missing from this post. The OP admits to not seeing it themselves. Many people are saying this person needs to be given special treatment given its their first time... My question then becomes... at what point does a person get DQed for this type of infraction? Match 2? 5? 20? This type of mentality has previous led to the USPSA community collectively decide to stop calling DQs for finger on the trigger while moving. Every match I go to I see this 3-5 times if not more. NO ONE calls it. Maybe you hear the random "FINGER" call and then some coaching after, but that's it. Same people do it over and over again. Either the rules matter or they don't.

Recent results from a batch of 20,000 9 minor. I’m blaming this on some really bad brass that is multi fired 9 major. Tons of cracked cases were caught during processing but clearly not enough. My processing dies are around the 250k range or so. how long do carbide dies last? I’ve heard anywhere from 100,000 - 1,000,000. I would imagine rollsizing helps extend life as well as using Multiple sizing dies when processing (Dillon and EGW U).

Thats due to people not liking change. In recent years, we change the nationals format yearly. Each year we get less and less consistent participation. People are creatures of habit, and they will keep coming back to an event that provides consistency. For the last decade or so the national matches quality has gone down. There is no wonder that people get turned off by this and stop going. They then tell their buddies/future penitential shooters/RO's, who are then turned off on the idea of attending. I'm seeing the same thing happen with Level 2 and 3 matches now. People no longer see the value in going to these matches outside the core dedicated 5% of USPSA shooters that attend those higher-level matches. I'm one of those people. I used to go to 6-8 majors a year. Now I maybe will attend 1. Maybe... Build high quality matches... be consistent year after year... listen to shooter feedback. This is the easiest way to growth and success within USPSA Majors. Even something as small as changing the location of the match to a new venue will kill it. Look at Ryan Rocks in MI. They have moved the time and location a few times in recent years and now can no longer sell out for a charity match that used to have a waitlist. The old BITBG single stack match is another example. Small change in format to allow other divisions killed SS entirely. That match has now morphed into the KY state match instead. Essentially killing a major that used to sell out consistently.

Be the change you want to see. Put on iron sight only matches. Design stages you like and submit them to MDs. People will do anything but create the fun they want to see themselves.

12-18 month lead times while being lied to constantly is much worse IMO. This is a positive step in the right direction for the industry.

SHO and WHO makes up less than 5% of overall points available at a match. Usually its less than 2.5-3%. This is why no one cares to practice it. Its barely even a part of the game to begin with as is.

3+ GMs need to shoot above a certain % to count as a classifier for your % of match finish.

I'm less concerned with the HHF being wacky as I am with the complete lack of consistency from club to club. Many of the USPSA classifiers have very bad diagrams. I've also learned overtime that people don't know how to use a tape measure. I've shot the same classifiers at many different clubs and they often can look different. Most notably no-shoot placement on targets. This fact alone brings every single classifier into question. Also... Classifications are an indication of skill level. That doesn't mean you perform at that level every match. There is a reason we use an average of your best 6 of the most recent 8 classifiers.

"Grip swap was fairly easy. Snug fit, but not overly tight to where material needed to be removed. EGW leaf spring required some more tuning than normal compared to other grip swaps I’ve done. Hammer follow with the stock set out of the bag, but very easy to adjust. "

Snuck out to the range and shot about 250 rounds on the new build. It ran flawlessly with MBX and Atlas mags. The accuracy is leaving A LOT to be desired. The worst grouping 2011 I've ever shot. I was having issues zeroing the gun at 18 yards (What I usually zero my guns at due to being indoors a lot). So I decided to shoot 5 round groups starting at 5 yards and going back from bags (Supporting the frame, my wrists, forearms and elbows). 5 yards - 1 ragged hole 10 yards - 1.5 inch group 15 yards - 3.5 inch group 20 yards - 6 inch group Comparing to my Staccato Ps or Venom Custom 2011s it 3-4x the size groups at 20 yards. Using the same load I've used for all 9 minor guns (4.0 of TG under a 124 Plated RN - 1.135 OAL). The barrel has noticeable movement when in lock up at the front of the slide. I sent an email to LFA but I'm doubtful anything will come of this.