RaymondMillbrae

JavaBrewer, It was the stock 870P barrel. And if memory serves me correctly, the white dot was mounted onto a metal base, which was then brazed onto the barrel. If you look at some of the pictures, you can see where I actually knocked it off and ground it flush to the barrel. As for the tapping and drilling, it was all done by hand...no press. Let me also say, this is not the best setup for competition. But for home defense, property defense, or a good bear defense rifle with slugs...it is awesome. In Christ: Raymond

Hey folks, I was not sure where to post this, so I just took it to this subforum. If I was incorrect, feel free to post it appropriately. We have an NROI Level-1 class coming-up in July. (Richmond Rod & Gun, Nor-Cal). And since we are preparing for this class, it would not take too much more to get an NROI CRO (Level-2) class going. Would any existing Level-1 RO's in the San Fran Bay Area be interested in attending an NROI CRO class? I have already checked with the USPSA Big-Dawg, and there are no NROI CRO classes scheduled up north for 2012...as of yet. But if y'all are interested in furthering your "edu-ma-cashum," especially in stage design and stage evaluations, let me know. If you are looking to better yourselves, then this would be a great opportunity. As you well know, these classes are far and few in between. It will cost moolah, as well as time and a place for the class - which we at the RRGC are willing to supply in order to improve the level of our sport. (The better our RO's are trained, the better the matches and the shooters underneath us)! Anyhoo...if y'all are interested, please let me know. It will take some prior planning, and I would like to NOT throw this at the USPSA Big-Dawg at the very last minute. He has a life as well...outside of hunting...as far as I know. Oh...by the way...I would like to see at least 20 level-1 RO's attending this class. This is an advanced class, so let's lead by example. Looking forward to good, positive feedback! In Christ: Raymond UPDATE: You will need to be a level-1 RO for one year (in good standing) and have worked two level-2 matches, or one level-3 match - which you will need to provide information for in your application.

DanO, while an internet video sounds like a great idea, it will flop on it's face. Especially if you are an organized club like ours, with legal libility. Would you hire a gunsmith that only took an internet gunsmithing course? Would you hire a security guard to watch your property after they only watching a video? Would you accept someone being a black-belt in a certain martial art after only watching a videos? And lets not even get into the scheming liars! The ones who "say" they watched the videos, only so they could bring their black rifles onto your range to run-n-gun to their fantasy glories!! Uuuuuuuuuum...NOPE! Nothing beats face-to-face training. Even if you only take a few hours to teach these guys the range safety rules, and PHYSICALLY watch them run-n-gun/abandon/pick-up staged long guns/recognize the proper range commands under your supervision...you will be better off. As well as having amuch better shooters at your club. Like I said before, people will be people. And there will still be infractions and safety violations. But at least with hands-on training, it will be greatly ruduced. The media also LOVES to advertise the negative aspects of a shooting club. So being able to say that the shooting requirements are strict, and that every shooter is "qualified/trained" to shoot here, is a great plus. There are a lot of exceptional shooters here on the BE forums. But just because they are great shooters doesn't mean they know the logistics of running a club safely, or the actual liability of something going wrong. (Like a shooters kid shooting himself in the leg. Or someone accidently shooting someone else). Clubs have been closed down for less! Say, "No" to videos, and put the effort into good training/orientation before shooting. Our system is not the best, nor absolutely 100% bullet-proof. But I can say that the system we have goes above and beyond what most clubs do, and I can sleep at night knowing that I did the best that I could to let our clubs President sleep soundly. Anyhoo...that's my take on the matter. In Christ: Raymond

Bob Tx, I am running the multigun practice at the Richmond Rod & Gun Club (RRGC), as well as teaching the SAFE MULTIGUNNER CLASS. (This is the class that SargenV posted about in post #29). Here is our story: Our club has a SAFE HANDGUN COMPETITOR CLASS that was writted by Big Bill L. It is an introduction into IPSC shooting, based out of an older USPSA safety curriculum which is now out of print. I saw a lot of outdated stuff in the pistol curriculum, so I rewrote and updated it. And while I was doing that, I thought to myself, "Why not make a seperate one for multigunners for future use"? At the time, Dan C had started a multigun practice at our club, and it was starting to take root. But being safety OCD that I am, I saw a few safety issues - or loopholes - that needed to be addressed and fine-tuned. In time, Dan got overwhelmed with the MG practice, RO duties, and personal matters - so I told him he could step back and I would handle it. This is where I personally took the bull by the horns and ran with it. Remember the multigun curriculum I had written? Well, if I was running the practice, any shooter under my wing better have a good understanding of the safety rules. No way "tacticool pal" was coming off the street and running-n-gunning without the safety basics. So the multigun class became manditory if you wanted to shoot at my practice. No exceptions. Once multigunning started to grow at our club, we noticed a need for a long gun committee. So we gathered a handful of multigun freak-a-zoid's, and a long gun committee was born. This first step aleviated the burden of any one person having to deal with an entire long gun match. We now know that we can count on each other for anyting we may need help on, to include stage designs and many other matters. Our multigun committee now oversee's everything multigun at our club. (Multigun matches, rifle matches, shotgun matches). This is huge...mentally. The MG commitee also gets together in regards to voting on the rules. Everyting must be voted-on, and pass, by unanimous decision. This ensures we are all on the same page and backing each other up. You can come to any of us in regards to a long gun decision or question...and we will all be on the same page with the answer.(Or be able to get you the answer a phone call away). Anyhoo...one of our main concerns was safety. Safety and liability. There was NO WAY we were going to let any "Joe Schmoe" come off the street with a long gun, and no idea of the safety rules, and shoot one of our long gun matches. (Can we say, "Liability Issue")?! And it is not "just" liability. What about the other shooters attending the matches? Didn't they DESERVE to know that they were in a safe environment? So we extended the SAFE MULTIGUNNER CLASS to all persons shooting a long gun match at our club. Not just to my MG practice...but to ALL long gun events. (There are a very few exceptions to the class). So that was the genesis of our current multigun committee and range SOP. One of the things we have done is to start promoting the multigun format. We do this via websites (CLICK HERE FOR AN EXAMPLE), and word of mouth. Once word of a multigun practice got out, and the interest was sparked, we also provided the avenue to do so - MULTIGUN ORIENTATION. You take the SAFE MULTIGUNNER CLASS - and not only can you practice here, but you can also attend any of our long gun matches. I also spoke to Tom H (from Sac Valley) and got is blessing they would also honor our SAFE MULTIGUNNER CLASS to shoot at thier club. This was also a great form of advertising, as now shooters could shoot multigun matches ALL OVER THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. (Good ju-ju for those interested in getting into multigunning). The SAFE MULTIGUNNER CLASS starts at 0800 hours, and is over at 1330 hours. (About 2-hours of classroom, 3-hours of range time, and 30-minutes to tear down the stage and paperwork). I keep the class to 12 shooters at a time, and this enables me to give them the attention and answers that they need. The class costs $25.00 shekles - and when they are finished, we give them a voucher to shoot a USPSA pistol match for free. (So basically the class is free). I also designed and printed cards for the shooters that complete the class. This is "proof" that they are familiar with the range safety rules, and have also run a multigun course a few times under my tutilage. This verifies they are now familiar with the range commands, and are aware of all the safety issues concerning abandoning a long gun, and picking-up a staged one. I am also an NROI Multigun certified RO, so the shooters are taught the USPSA MG rules. If they are interested in the IMG rules and such...no biggie. I can expand on them as needed. But once again, all our long gun matches are USPSA MG rules...so tat is what my MG curriculum is based on. Like SargenV staged above, we have had SUPER MINIMAL instances of safety violations from the new MG shooters. People are people, so nothing is perfect. But this class ensures our shooters know the rules, and have no excuses for any safety violations if caught. It is a win-win situation for everyone. The shooter, the shooters around them, the spectators, and the RO's working the bays those days. Here is a link to the SAFE MULTIGUNNER CLASS I hold every 2nd Saturday of the month. (Click on the link). And HERE is a link to the Hot Shots website. Anyhoo...that's our story...and I'm sticking to it. In Christ: Raymond

Looking forward to it!!!! In Christ: Raymond

Great points are being put out on this thread! Many of the things I have read can be corrected for future events...I am sure of this! I think that letting the RO's shoot the match the day before is a great idea, and would definitely help some of the match equipment failures in the future. (The BOD just needs to figure-out what is fair compensation to attract shooters/RO's to come out and do so). Some of your comments in regards to the actual dump barrel designs, and also WHERE they are placed in the stage to prevent 180-issues, is also good information. The fact that there were some DQ issues, range equipment failures, and also "inconsistency" in some of the range rules, are also being heard. Some of y'all here know me. I am on the Richmond (California) MG committee for our club, and am also the MD for all the MG matches we have at our club. (We are one of the Nor Cal shooting clubs). And I personally have my ear to the ground, and will be reconsidering some of the things we will do at our club, based on the feedback I have heard here on this forum. I think if the USPSA BOD can seperate the wheat from the chaff of this thread (the non-constructive/emotional responses, verses specific points that cover the pro's and con's of doing certain things), I am sure they will be considered, and action will be taken to make things better. I am in no way saying, "The rules are the rules...so live by them". This is a shooter sport (of which I am also), and the BOD needs to listen so the MG matches become better and better. Personally, I heard a lot of great things from the shooters. Everyone (well...most everyone), had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the match. It was a crazy logistic effort to get everything going smoothly, and as expected, there were glitches. But as is life, we learn, we correct, and we move forward. Thanks again for all the great shooters, all the great attitudes, and all the excellent stories I got to hear. It was a great match, and I will (Lord willing) be back again next year. In Christ: Raymond

Why? Saves resetting time? In Christ: Raymond

Raymond, the problem with 1) above is inconsistency and change over the several days. Two shooters on my squad had an "extra" plate drop off when firing one round, they were not stopped, and it WAS obvious. The problem with 2) is, there is NO gray area. The rules, as written are defined. The variety of rules at matches conflicts with the programming of some shooters. I am not defending Daniel, nor the RO who Stopped him. But, the problem is more than just a rule interpretation. I specifically asked ROs on 3 stages if a round could be "burned" and was told yes. In fact I burned on on that same stage. Above we have a shooter admitting that he broke the safety rules by taking off his belt with a pistol in the holster and was not DQ'd, while another was sent home for the same thing. Many of us are used to doing this, and IMHO, it is the same as walking around with a gun in a pistol rug, and with all due repsect, I think the official ruling from NORI should be revisted. By a strict reading of the rules, half of the stages were not legal at all. No knock on the stages designs, I thought they were good, more a knock on the rulebook that prohibits some of the elements of most of the stages. Some RO's asked for chamber flags, some told us to put them away. The officiating between stages was inconsistent in several regards. Many 3G matches are "My match, my Rules", sometimes this felt like "My stage, my rules", THAT is frustrating, and hopefully it is now being addressed. I spoke with 3 ADs at the match, plus Voight and gave my views on various topics. Now we have to trust that what they are working on will bring about better rules suited to MG. When you have the biggest rulebook, you have the most work to do in maintaining the integrity of the rules and of the sport. THANKS for your work, and please don't take this as disparaging of the ROs. I beleive most did the best with what they had. The leadership has seen the issues and has stated they are addressing them. No need to defend what is being fixed IMHO. We are all in the same boat, so we should all want it to float, not sink. I've been a propronent of USPSA MG, but there is stil much work to be done. Vote in the election and strike up dialog with your AD to help them understand what 3Gunners want. IF we could shoot and work as ROs, I would have, and it CAN be done. Mark, I wholeheartedly agree with your points above. The one catch is our humanness. The RO's are human, and sometimes we make mistakes as well...no matter how clear the rules are. This is one of the reasons I HIGHLY RECOMMEND shooters take (at least) the level 1 NROI course. There are times when you "should" question a call. And as such, you will find that sometimes the shooter wins. One good example is the fact that a shooter can appoint a designated representative to follow the scoring RO during his scoring of the paper targets. In USPSA MG matches, the RO's are allowed to score the uprange targets after they have been shot and the shooter is continuing downrange. Well, once the target has been scored and taped, the score sticks. But the shooters designated representative may catch something (he believes it is an "A" shot, and not a "C" shot), and may hold the target for reevaluation before being scored/taped. Many folks did not know this, and I only saw TWO shooters take advantage of this. Once again, it is all about the shooter knowing they have this tool at their disposal. And I have to stick to my guns and say that there "are" grey areas. Some things are very obvious, but are not covered under the rules handbooks "word for word". Like John Amadon once told me in a personal email, "It is the spirit of the rule, and not necessarily the word verbatim". If I clearly see an unsafe act...do I just turn a blind eye and ignore it because I cannot specifically find it covered in the rulebook? One of the things about multigun is the amount of handbooks that need to be covered in order to rule everything effectively. Some topics are covered in the USPSA Shotgun rulebook...others in the USPSA Precision Rifle Handbook...others in the USPSA Rifle Handbook...others in the USPSA Tournament Handbook...and yet others in the USPSA Pistol Handbook. *sigh* While at the USPSA MG Nats, I took advantage of attending the newest NROI MG Course. And in taking the final exam, there were five rulebooks we needed to cross reference rulings with. (See above). It makes you scratch your head and tell yourself to take deep calming breaths. I had a pardner shooting a stage where he ended-up having TWO firearms in his hand. It was called a "DQ" by the RO. But my buddy (being an NROI MG certified RO) went out of his way to look-up the rule in all the four rulebooks...and ultimately won his case. He was NOT DQ'd, and got the reshoot. (He drew his pistol while he still had a shotgun in his other hand and was on his way to a barrel to ground it. In the Multi-Gun Adendum (5.1.9), it says that a competitor "...must never be required or allowed to use more than one firearm at a time". BUT it doesn't state a disiplinary action for doing so. Handgun, Rifle and Shotgun rule books each DQ for using two handguns, two rifles, or two shotguns, but the MG addendum doesn't DQ for mixed firearms). Along the same lines, why did one shooter get DQ'd for removing his belt and holster while the handgun was still in the holster, and the other shooter did not? I am not sure why one shooter was NOT DQ'd, as I was not there to see that situation. But the other shooter WAS in my stage when it happened, the RM was called, and the call stuck. I have also seen some bad calls in the past, and just cringe because of it. But if I am not ROing the stage, I have learned to keep my mouth shut. Otherwise it is easy to get sucked into the role of "RO Lawyer" and want to help everyone. (Which I want to do, but usually refrain from). Bottom line...do the shooters know their "rights"? Some RO's may make a bad call (which happens, and will continue to happen), but it is the shooters resposibility to be well armed in the knowledge of the rules. As for the use of chamber flags, that was specifically covered in the CRO/RO briefing.. A flag must have been in place if the firearm were not staged, on the preload table, or on a rack...PERIOD. If the RO's messed-up the chamber flag usage...well...they messed-up the chamber flag usage. (Can't help you on that one. But this was covered in my above interpretation of "human flaws"). But I know that no one was DQ'd because of this. And lastly - as for the RO not stopping the stage for more than one plate falling from only one shot. Hmmmm...well...that was the RO's call. It "should" have been called an equipment failure, and been a reshoot. But like the ole saying goes, "If the RO did not personally see it, he cannot enforce the ruling". Now if the RO did see it...well...umm...I don't know what to say. I guess the shooter got something he did not earn. Sorry. OK...enough typing. Time for dinner now. In Christ: Raymond

Gose, the cost for the RO's to shoot would also include their transportation back and forth to the range, extra room days, an extra polo (if they did not already have one), and an extra breakfast and dinner per-diem...for approximately 45 RO's. As for the specific stage you are mentioning...you are correct. Most just needed to reload 3 shotshell rounds, if they didn't miss. In Christ: Raymond UPDATE: Woops...I made an error. I initially figured TWO extra days for the RO's to shoot the match. It would only be ONE EXTRA DAY, at a cost of approximately $4,000 extra dallah.

OK, shooters...here are my observations. 1) USPSA MULTIGUN Rules for clays and steel are as follows. You need to engage/break them yourself. Nothing will be "given" to you. For example, if you hit a popper which activates flying clays...if the clay breaks on the way up, you do not "just shoot at the largest piece". It is called an equiment failure, and it is a reshoot. Another example would be the Texas Star. Lets say you shot the 12:00 O'Clock plate, and one or more OTHER plates fall off - this is also an equipment failure, and will be called a reshoot. Once again, nothing is "given" to the shooter. C'mon shooters...I am sure y'all have been around the block enough. You know there are folks who will engage the Texas Star, use a buckshot round as their first shotshell, and aim it right in the middle of the plate and the frame. (Which essentially has enough "umphh" to knock down the first plate, and also rattle the frame enough to possibly knock loose one [or more] other plates). No, no, no. You earn what you shoot. Is it a little more time-consuming? Yes...but it also gives you what you earned. (Now...if there are contstant equipment failures, that is a totally different story, and must be address as they arrise). 2) It would be great if the RO's could shoot the match before the competitors. (I would love the honor of doing so). But as it was, it took almost 3/4 of a day to even get the stages up to par. Our first day here consisted of the CRO's and RO's getting there first thing in the morning, and going over the stages with a fine tooth and comb. Everything had to be meticulous, and all the "stage flaws" needed to be found and corrected. I know in our stage alone a few things were caught that needed to be changed. (Targets moved around/angled a bit, flaws fount in equipment, removing possible 180-traps if possible, fault lines adjusted for shoot-throughs, etc...). Nothing major, but a time consuming project. At this level of a match, we have 200 competitors who will look at every crack and crevice, and try to find "loopholes" to exploit. And as RO's, it was our job to make sure everything was primarily safe...and then gamer-proof. (Not that there is anything wrong with the latter, but you know what I am talking about). On top of that, not all the RO's are the same age or build. So some stages took a lot longer to get ready than others. And even though it didn't take some too long...it took other much longer. And if the RO's were to have shot the stage before (in the Vegas heat), it may quite easily have taken more than a day to do so. (Once again it is an age/health/experience factor). Would I have loved to shoot it? Yes!! Will it be possible for RO's to shoot it in the future? Don't know. This will be something the "Nats Gods" will have to figure-out and crunch. Bottom line, I am here to RO, and that was where my mind was. I was here for "Y'ALL," and also for my own personal learning experience. 3) In regards to AD's - Rule 10.4.6 and 8.5.1/8.5.1.1. are a little in the grey area. If a shooter engaged all the targets, then turns his head and body away from the targets to move to the next shooting location, AND THEN the shot fires while the firearm is not shouldered (the hand, wrist and ulna were rocked back fully unsupported)...what do you call that? One-handed shotgun shooting...or clearing? And if the targets had already been engaged...what targets were being engaged? Did the shooter take "one full step"? The RO does not remember. But what the RO did see was the former. Hmmmmmm. Ultimately the stage CRO made the final call, and that was that. RO's are not specifically here to DQ shooters. We are here to make sure everything is safe, and everyone gets a fair shot. Whatever tha ultimate call was, I am sure it was made for a reason. (By the way, it is perfectly fine for a shooter to fire his rifle or shotgun in a safe direction to ensure it is empty before barreling it. Many shooters did this properly)!! 4) This match is pricey. From my understanding (even though the match fees are over $200.00 per shooter), we made almost no profit from it. As a matter of fact, I believe I heard one of the more "senior RO's" tell me we were actually at a loss. This is a function set-up by the USPSA for shooters...and the shooters only. It is for the love of the sport. I am not throwing-out numbers here (cuz that is not my business)...but I kinda sat down and worked it out on my own, and it was pretty darned pricey!! AS AN EXAMPLE - I figure 60 match staff will arrive and stay from four to 9 days (flights, rooms, transportation, breakfast vouchers, dinner per-diem, shirts/polos to wear), rental equipment (ATV's/transportation vehicles/gas, tents, paying the range the cost of closing down a few days for us), targets/clays/wood/props, prize tables, etc... And like I said...quite pricey! And if the RO's were to arrive two days earlier to proof AND shoot the stages (assuming we could finish shooting in one day), it would add close to $7.000 to the cost. OK...nuff said about that. OK...these were just my thoughts. As an RO, my job was SAFETY. Safety is the number 1 priority. Secondly is a level playing field. I wanted to make sure everyone had a good time, and knew (without a shadow of a doubt) that the playing field was level...and they earned what they shot. Bottom line, I had a great time. And even though I did not shoot the match, the experience of ROing, learning, and meeting all the shooters (in a shooting environment) was awesome. Would I do it again? Darned tooting!!! Maybe see y'all at the next one. In Christ: Raymond

Hey, shooters... based on all the "rumored reasons" for DQ's (as of this posting), they are all correct. I was one of the RO's at the match, and can attest to the latter. There were multiple reasons for shooter DQ's. Some were because of the high-level of the match, and everyone was running at Warp-12 speed. Some were because the heat wore them down a smidgen and made them get a bit careless/sloppy. And some were made by just silly mistakes from both new and experienced shooters alike. Overall it was a fantastic match, and the stage set-up's were excellent. The turn-out was exceptional (over 200 shooters), the weather was great...and they had around 26 firearms on the prize tables!. The caliber of shooters was awe inspiring, and the squads were also great. I cannot remember one squad that did not tape, set-up, or paint their stages. I agree with the comment above, in regards to equipment failures, and the dump barrels not being quite deep enough. The equipment issues could not be helped. Great minds got together and tried to weed-out every possible equipment failures before they could happen. But alas, they still snuck by us. And when you have over 200 shooters peppering stage props...well...you can never foresee what will ultimately hold up...and what won't. (Especially with those monster .308 rounds, or the heavy-handed shooters). As for the barrels, I also have to agree with y'all. They were padded to prevent damage of components if they were slammed into the barrels, as well as preventing them from bouncing back out enough to fall out. But in my opinion, a smidgen too much. Some of the longer long-guns were "butt heavy". And because they did not go into the barrels as deep as some expected, some shooters slowed-down in order to "make sure" the long-gun did not tumble out of the barrels. But then again, it was still a level playing field, as nothing was changed or modified, and everyone shot the exact same stage. All in all, it was a fantastic match. We heard nothing but great things from the shooters. (Unless things were not going according to their plans). The RO's busted their (our) butts to keep y'all on schedule, and sometimes even missed their lunches. (Our stage was never on time, and we had to eat lunch on the stage when we could). I cannot speak for anyone else, but my days consisted of a 0515 hour wake-up, breakfast, straight to the range at 0645 hours, running the match, returning back to the hotel at 1830 hours, eating dinner, and then in bed by 1000 hours every night. Then the rat-race started all over again the next day. The weather was nice, and I ran around a lot during the match. But then again, I'm in pretty good shape, and run 6 to 8 miles per week. Being out in the sun was the hardest part. Not that it was overly hot. But not being able to get out of it kinda wore me down a bit. I also noticed that towards the end of long days, some of the shooters were also sapped of energy from the sun. In closing, it was a great match. I enjoyed seeing new, and familiar, faces. Lord willing, I will see y'all again next year. Maybe not as an RO, but as a competitor. Hmmm...but then again...maybe as an RO again. *smiles* In Christ: Raymond

Not sure about the 18" inch model. But my FN SLP Mk1 uses a .060" inch FO red tube...which I recently switched-out to a .060" GREEN FO tube. (Purchased at Dawson Precision). Easy change. Took me no more than 5 minutes. In Christ: Raymond

Thanks everyone. Really appreciate the advice. Raymond... I've been struggling a bit with the "run it wet" versus dry. It being such a double edged sword... My planned use of this firearm is for HD, but who knows where I'll end up with it... Sporting clays, MAYBE hunting (not very likely to be honest, but if the SHTF...) Anyway - I struggle with the wet versus dry because I'm not going to be firing it every weekend or even every month. (Well maybe - we'll have to see how much I enjoy it...) I just worry about grime buildup from the oil residue, along with dust, after sitting for weeks - sometimes months, on end. Even if I clean it after every time out. Is the right oil then something highly refined like Nyoil? (I know that some would say the FNH SLP is overkill for HD, and I'm going back and forth on this a bit... Right now my thinking is that I want the most reliable shotgun that gets me more than 2 shots, minimizing risk of operator error during a fight-or-flight situation... If I was a LEO, I'm sure such errors are much lower than they would be for me... But you get my point I think - and I'm just worried if I'm bumping up my risk of equipment failure by moving to a semi-auto to reduce the operator error risks of a pump. Hence doing everything I can to "feel better" about potential equipment failures - including the SLP which with the dual gas cylinders should behave better than say an 11-87.) I'm no pro, by any stretch of the imagination. But if you want to let the shotgun sit for long periods, then use some lite viscocity lithium grease. I have a Remmy 870P behing my office door (our safe room), and I use the Brian Enos Slide Guide Lite for the shotgun. I'm not too worried about the dust settling-in and locking-up any moving parts. I also NEVER have a round chambered in my HD shotgun. (Pistols, "Yes"...but not my shotgun). I have the magazine tube topped-off, and that's it. If push comes down to life threatening situation, I just pick-up the shotgun and rack a shotshell into the chamber. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. There is big debate about the reliability of a semi verses a pump if left alone for extended periods of time. And in my personal opinion, a pump is more reliable...especially if let alone without use for months on end. Yea, the semi-auto's are reliable. But this is said by COMPETITORS, who usually compete every weekend and have their shotguns in a high state of preparedness and lubrication. In my opinion (FOR EVERYTHING), the less moving parts, the more reliable. Have fun with your FN SLP. It is a great shotgun, and you should really dabble in a USPSA Multigun match sometime. You will be hooked, and your shotguns skills will improve exponentially. And don't let anyone intimidate you by saying that body size is why they can control recoil. It a "A" factor, but not the "ONLY" factor. Technique and practice balances things out nicely for short-un's. (I am 5' 4", and Dan Horner is also a small-un). Best wishes. In Christ: Raymond

When I received my FN SLP, it ran pretty good with my home reloads. When I started using it for 3-gun matches, home-rolling my loads was not cost/time effective because of the rounds put downrange with practice and matches, so I purchased Rrio shotshells by the cases. They worked OK. But every 20 or 30 rounds I would get one or two FTE's. And if the shotgun went neglected for a while (non-cleaned), it would FTE even more frequently. Not acceptable for competition! So I switched to the Wally World Federal bulk packs (2 3/4", 3 dram, 1 1/8 oz, #7.5 shot), and they work flawlessly. I even tried the Winchester bulk pack (with the identical load as the Federal bulk packs), and they did not work. Anyhoo...the Federal shotshells are the ones that feed reliably in my shotgun for competition. As for breaking-in...well...if you pull the bolt handle all the way to the back and lock the action open, then let the bolt go forward (ever-so-slightly/slowly), you will see that it does not lock up when it gets to about 1/4" inch from closing. But I removed my bolt and polished all the rough edged, seams, and any part that had wear from metal to metal contact. And now it is silky smooth and slick. When I clean and lube everything, no matter how hard I try, I cannot get the bolt to stay open/unlocked. It will always, positively, lock into battery. I guess you can do this after a few high-hundred rounds of use. But I shot the tar-nations out of my shotgun, and noticed that it would not lock-up if the bolt was let forward super slowly. But after I polished everything, it is smoother than a baby's bottom. That's about it for my break-in period. Polished the bolt and action, and also switched to the Federal bulk packs. Oh yea...run it wet. My FN SLP runs longer betrween cleanings when I run it wet. If I neglect it a bit, I notice that the cyclic action actually slows down a bit. In Christ: Raymond

In Christ: Raymond