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.