Chuck Anderson

My open gun was built by: (in order of the Gunsmith's who've had it and worked on it) SVI Factory, Josh Halfman, Brazos Custom, Gene Shuey, SVI again, Robert Johnson, Doug Jones, and Millenium Custom. I think it actually works now.

There was a time when many people said 6" guns weren't feasible too. I know darn well it's possible to get a gun that long to run because there are some out there. Not many, but I've seen a few full custom guns with 7 inch slides. Yes 500 would be an issue, but it was with 6" guns too. The difference for me when shooting a 6" gun is the amount of perceived time it takes to index that extra inch of barrel lined up. For me when I'm going fast I just get the front sight between the rear blades somewhere. That takes longer with a 6" gun. You get a better shot, but the perception is still there for me. I'm not telling anyone to not buy a 6", I'm just saying there is another option. You're never going to convince me that 6" is the ONLY way to go. As far as the super squad goes, they do have a lot invested in 5" guns. I guarantee that most would be willing to swap and put another top end on their gun in about 10 minutes if there was a guaranteed improvement in performance. You're telling me that guys who spend 10's of thousands of dollars travelling to major matches every year wouldn't spend a thousand or two (if they couldn't get it done even cheaper through sponsors) to win a match instead of coming in 2nd? These guys don't handicap themselves with their equipment.

I've had awesome luck with EGW and more recently with Matt McLearn. Matt's got a couple crappy jobs that I dumped on him right now. He just fixed a 1911 Single Stack .40 for me that two other gunsmiths had screwed up. Works great now. He's also got a .45 that I built (the horror) that he's double checking to see how badly I screwed it up. Not too many gunsmiths that would be willing to do that.

I would say the opposite is actually true. The GM will get less benefit out of a super high cap mag than the C class shooter. GM shooters will be able to better analyze a stage to determine the best spot to reload and they are less likely to blow a reload. They also reload faster than a C class shooter. If you're running in C class and miss winning you Division by 15 points, could a big mag have made the difference? Maybe.

I've shot a couple. I haven't shot them enough to be completely profficient with them. I'm not saying don't get a 6", I'm just saying 6" isn't the only way to win. There are a lot of shooters that like it, and a lot that don't. If 6" guns were the only way to go, why aren't more guys on the Super Squad shooting them? A lot of it will depend on your shooting style. Fast hosers, will do better with a light fast gun, more deliberate shooters will tend to like the 6" and get more benefit from it. So if the 6" is so much superior to the 5 Inch, where is your 7" gun?

Yep, give it 5 yeasr so everyone will have the opportunity to go buy magazines that will then be deemed illegal.

That's not necessarily true. A long course is any course longer than a medium course. It doesn't have to be 32 rounds. I've seen a lot of 20, 21, 22, and 23 rounds stages at Nationals. I won a stage at a Multi Gun Nats a few years ago using a 24 round Minor 9mm. It was a 24 round hose fest where you could shoot the whole time. As far as a 6 inch being better than a 5 beause someone wouldn't use a 4 inch. That is not quite accurate. By that logic a 7, 8, or maybe 9 inch gun would be preferable. The choice of a a 6 inch gun has a lot more to do with the individual competitor choice. There are still a lot of world class GM's that don't use a 6 inch gun. There are lots of threads on the advantages and disadvantages of a 6 inch gun.

It's not about being argumentative. It's about answering the question you asked. Has ESP Divison ever been won at the IDPA Nationals with anything other than a gun with a plastic grip? STI/SV/Glock/XD? I don't know much about IDPA but I doubt it. You're right. Clearly the fact that someone who has won 6th place in a match beats you makes you an expert. I've taken 4th in that match, but what do I know. The problem with magwells may or may not apply to you. I wouldn't use one for IDPA because I still do legitamate Tactical reloads, and having the extra ring of metal around the grip slows me down, a lot more than it speeds me up. It's not a matter of a mag well reducing my time, it increases it. If you're just doing reloads with retention and don't have two mags in your hand at the same time, it probably will speed you up. Yes there are some people on this forum that may or may not know what they're talking about. There are also some top level competitors and gunsmiths that contribute. If you don't like the answers, may you should look at the question you ask rather than attacking the people trying to answer it.

Knoxx Industries made drum mags for the 870 and 500 series. They only work with pump guns though. Not sure if they're still in manufacture since the company was bought by Blackhawk.

Wow, Gary, I really don't see how that interpretation is supported by the rules. There is a very specific rule that covers unpasted targets, yet you would disregard it? If the score can be determined the rule specifically says, no reshoot. If the shooter was messed up by it, that's kind of the way things go. If you don't like the rule, you're certainly one of the few people in a position to change it. But acting as an RM and arbitrarily changing it for one shooter, in one match is not the way to go. It's certainly not fair to the other shooters who had an untaped target who didn't realize the RM wasn't going to follow the rule for the untaped targets and ask for a re-shoot. What about a Nationals scenario with two RM's. I know John is not going to grant a re-shoot for an unpasted target where the score can be determined. So what happens to the shooter who gets a reshoot on the first 9 and is denied on the second 9? That said, I wouldn't be specifically opposed to a rule change allowing a reshoot in this case. But it would have to be one very specifically worded.

Yep, didn't realize we were stepping on the Eddy Brown match till way after ours was announced and it was too late to change. We'll likeley move it up a week next year.

I just ordered mine straight from STI. They had them in stock.

A brink of a frame. That is like saying that every guy out there using an STI 1911 frame is stupid and slow. Great reasoning, but not accurate. You do realize that the STI uses a plastic grip, just like the Glock right? The piece of steel in an STI is pretty darn small. For the folks using an Edge that has more weight, the weight is out front and is there to counteract recoil, not make the gun faster. You don't need weight with a 125 PF load. You asked the question about using a metal frame. Not one person has said it's a good idea. The multi world champs Vogel and Sevigny both use plastic frames. You can do whatever you want, but a metal frame is not going to help you at all in IDPA. I'd also take a look at how big of a magwell you want. With Tactical Reloads, having a smaller magwell or none at all may be more beneficial. If you really want to do something different to your gun, how about a Fulcrum or Vanek trigger, or stippling the grip, or maybe adding a beavertail to your polymer frame.

Glock has had a number of issues, but the rate of problems compared to any other gun is miniscule. Glock currently is putting out over 60,000 guns a month. I'd have to take a look at the numbers but I'd guess that's more than the number 2-4 manufacturers make in a month combined. There are literally millions of Glocks out there. We've sheared frame rails at the agency I work for, and for some reason they come in bunches. But we've also got several hundred of them and they go through about a million rounds of ammo every year or so. Best bet if you want to buy a Glock, buy it. Call Glock with the Serial and find out if it needs a new frame. If it does, they'll give you one for free. Then when the first GSSF match shows up in your area, take the gun there and give it to an armorer. He'll detail strip it and replace any parts that need replacing for free as well. There is no other manufacturer with this type of service.

Tendon is doing better. The doc OK'd me to shoot this match, although I'll probably be sitting down for most of the shooting and I doubt I'll be setting any records on Outer Limits. We're both hopeful I might actually make it to Nationals this year. You gonna make it out for this one? We need some wheelgunners.

Tri-County Gun Club is hosting an NRA Tactical Police Competition on August 29, 2009. This match is for Law Enforcement, Private LE and Military only(retired folks are welcome as well). These matches are new to the NRA and are a good way to get some LE folks involved with 3 Gun and competition. This match is set up for duty guns and duty gear. If you are interested in shooting the match, but don't have a rifle or shotgun, there will be some available to use. You just need to provide your own ammo. Applications for the match are up on the NRA LEAD site, http://www.nrahq.org/law/competitions/tpc/20090829.pdf This is a prize table match with several thousand dollars in prizes donated by our sponsors. Information about NRA TPC matches can be found at http://www.nrahq.org/law/competitions/tpc/index.asp There are some very different rules, from what USPSA/IMGA or just about any other competition will be used to. If you're not LE, you can still participate in this match though. Send me a PM or email if you're interested in being an RO. RO's do not have to be LE/Mil. They can shoot the match, time permitting (and I will do everything I can to make sure there is time). The only down side is the non-LE folks will not be eligible for the prize table or awards.

This years NW Regional Steel Shoot will be held at the Tri-County Gun Club in Sherwood Oregon on July 25-26. We're doing all 8 stages from the Steel Challenge. So this will be a great opportunity to warm up for the Steel Challenge if you're going. Or to be able to compare your scores to the best of the best who will be shooting in a couple weeks time. We made a few changes this year. We combined our Limited and Production divisoin into one Iron Sight Division. We also added a Revolver division. We added Revolver this year because we had several people ask for it last year. However there is not one revolver shooter signed up yet. We also added another special event to the standard .22 Iron and .22 Optic. We're going to have a division for Carbines. Pistol caliber or .22, Optics or Iron. All the carbines will run head to head. If we get enough people registered for this we may change that as well. I'm working on the prize table now. It will be distributed among the divisions and based on order of finish. We still working out the details on that but it will not be a random draw like last year. Applications are up at http://www.ussteelshoot.com PM me if you have any questions.

If you haven't already bought the scope mount you may want to consider going another way. The weaver mount and railway will put the scope up quite a bit higher than you need. If you use the slide ride version of the scope mount you can drop it down at least a 1/4 inch. Also, if you you go with the SJC mount you have a lot more flexibility with what holster you're gonna use.

Croc is definitely a no go. I'm 50/50 on Nationals right now. The doc is saying Ft. Benning is still only a possibility right now.

I like the change. Thank you.

After only about two years, the ready to race 625 I bought off the forums is actually ready to race. When I got the gun it was allegedly tuned by Randy Lee and had his trigger job. Well unless Randy Lee is not very good at his job, it hadn't been to see him for a long time if ever. When I got it almost every cylinder was out of time and wouldn't lock up. The gun was shaving huge amounts of jacket off and obviously accuracy wasn't there. Since then it's been to a new smith, who said, while it had a Randy Lee hammer, it didn't look like anyone with half a brain did the trigger job. I also had the sights swapped to LPA and SDM front. I've got my ammo supply, holster, clip holder, and a hundred or so clips, Nills-Griffe grips and a new Hogue cylinder latch. Now if I can just walk again, I'll be back in action.

Another options would be just gluing something to the bottom of the mag pads. Just a piece of plastic will get you the thickness you need but cheap. I use the Arredondo extensions on my guns with wells. Good length and very reliable.

I gotta agree on the Pump/Iron, Auto/Optic breakdown. Otherwise you're pretty much obsoleting the Pump guns. If there is no split, I doubt anyone will shoot pump. Also if you're looking at changing the rules. I'd still love to see the 1911 requirement go away. I would much rather shoot a G21SF than any of my 1911's.

I've never had issues with any of my handguards, I use JP mostly. I normally keep mine cased as long as possible to keep dirt and crap out though.

Are you running USPSA matches or not. If you are, you need to follow the rules, and you're not even close from what you've written. If you're not running USPSA, don't even list it as such. If it's a non USPSA match, do what you want, restrict capacity, whatever your group wants to do.