I don't even get how people CAN hoot and holler. I get all choked up thinking about the thousands of folks that gave all so I can be standing there listening.
I've been using a Tens unit on my right hand for about 5 years. The arthritis at the base of my thumb can be pretty darned uncomfortable at times. A few minutes with the Tens when it flares up and all is well again. I could not have made through a year of SSR shooting without it.
I have the TruGlo tritium fiber optic sights on 2 guns. They're as good as night sights can get in my opinion. They are VERY bright and easy to see. The only draw back is that the front sight is really wide and out past about 25 yards, it's hard (for me) to get a refined sight picture. I use a gun with a skinny fiber optic front sight and a plane black rear when shooting in the daylight but the TFO's are hard to beat after dark.
I've shot quite a few night matches and out of all the different night sights I've tried, the TruGlo TFO sights are by far the easiest to see in total darkness.
In my opinion, it's the luck of the draw. You could get a really great gun and you could get a mediocre gun, regardless of manufacturer. But, even with a mediocre gun, add a lot of practice and it could shoot like a great gun.
I shoot SASS (not lately), and you forgot to add the cost of the gun cart and the duds. $1400 isn't even close.
It's a lot of fun and if you really get into it, the competition is fierce.
Last weekend at a USPSA match, I had my wallet open while paying the match fee and a guy sees my SASS card and barks out my SASS handle and asks where the rest of my guns are.
I was shooting with a friend today and he shows me the new LWD barrel he got for his G21 so he can shoot cast bullets. He was getting a lot of light primer hits with it. Put the stock barrel back in, no problems. Not sure of the chamber was cut too deep or what.
The KKM in my 34, the Storm Lake in my 17 and the LWD in my 21 all work fine. Maybe I'm just lucky.
In my personal opinion (have no science to back me up), I believe that women are typically less aggressive than men. Of course, there are always exeptions. I'm beaten by women on a regular basis.