Loves2Shoot

Nice post, you know when you "win" don't let losers get you down. Ignore ignorant people, and tell you buddy if you win your class at a mojor match you should proably have been in the next one anyways This sport is about self improvement and fun right

Ditto to the above, .45 just cost more to shoot.

I shoot with one eye because I have no eye dominance, and I just accept that when I shoot irons it is one eye and it seems to work ok. That being said, there is just something about the speed you can achieve once you know how to shoot and go back to the dot. It is just fun, and I don't have to switch between glasses. Whatever you do I'm sure you'll work it out. DVC

I think you have it backward Hop the brown targets should be lawyers not the white targets

I wouldn't call one extra shot scewing up the star. Methinks you were leaning right trying to lean the bullets into that center popper

How many card carrying PGA golf pros can't compete with Tiger, VJay, and the others at the very top that are at another level, yet they made the requirements for the "pro" card? Tiger doesn't have a diamond encrusted super dupper mega platinum super ninja golf god card. Maybe he should, or maybe he doesn't need one, everyone knows that in each sport there are those who stand a step above the rest

Not enough to matter.

D/C/B/A Shooters can earn their cards from repetion too. I've earned my classes straight up, but Robbie would most likely kick my ass. Just because you carry the same card doesn't mean you have the same skill, that is just plain common sense. That's why we have matches. Then should people earn their A, B, C, D cards the same way to, right? Why would you get your M or GM card different then the rest? I'm missing your logic. A M/GM Card is not a badge of honor, it just tells you who your competition for the match is, and if your goal is overall finish, then the cards are worthless. I'd compete in a bring what you have classes/divisions be damned class.

Why have classes at all? What good does it have to have a M or GM card? If you don't win, you don't win. There is a much bigger problem with people who are AFRAID to move up a class because there is tougher competition. With your reasoning move everyone down two classes and invent E and F class.

Ditto to Ron, the Barnhart drill is very effective. I think it works better than the longer distance between shots. You can't afford to drop it the gun. If you shoot open just increase the distance.

Great post Bob. Ditto Alma, Flex, Bruce. QUOTE The pro shooters are already getting paid, they don't shoot matches for the $$$, you can make more $$$ teaching a class for the day than that payout. Yes, that is absolutely try, BUT, you have to establish an identity and a track record of winning or performing at a very high level before a bunch of people are going to start dropping $400-$500 per day for your instructor skills. Correct, I don't know anyone who charges that much a day, unless it is one-on-one. You can get quality instruction for $150-300 a day all over the country, a class of 5 at $200 = $1000. There are a lot of good shooters who can teach for affordable prices. Travis and Max can get 10 people at $500 for the weekend, $2500 each -minus costs. Better than the payout of a match by a lot, especially after match expenses. You make more teaching than shooting, like The Burner. QUOTE SOCIALISM in shooting is a crappy idea IMO. Your gonna have to school me on this one. Redistribution of wealth. Compensation based on a "handicap." Not rewarding those who are the best, trying to make everyone feel "good." The thinking, "If I win D Class I should get equal compensation to the winner M Class." If you are tired of winning shock buffs, do something about it, or, just have fun. You don't get rich shooting IPSC, some of the best shooters in the world barely make a decent living. QUOTE You see it as isolation? I see it as an incentive for shooters to strive for. Once you make Professional class, you have a shot (no pun intended) at competing for more money. I see it like the PGA, even the last place finisher still gets some money under the graduated pay-out system. Why couldn't a similar system work here? The money you talk about "winning" is barely enough to cover the cost of the trip. Big money in other sport is provided by sponsorship, not doling it out yourself. The expenses to shoot at the top level can be huge, your paybacks don't even cover a couple weeks ammo. QUOTE If you want them to come, bribe them.. We are, with more prize money Not really, it becomes top shooters passing around the same money. QUOTE Not quite sure what you're saying? Are you saying the matches should pay the GM's to shoot? I certainly don't think that will fly, and I don't know any club that doesn't work very hard to provide a great match. I'm saying that might help, at the top it is very close, charging them more thinking they odds of a relatively small prize to investment will "lure" them in isn't very likely. QUOTE Like CHP5 stated, make it 95% of a major match score and include Area matches and you'll have many more in the Professional class. Off the top of my head you can move Shannon Smith, Seeklander, Butler, Tomasie, Miguez, Strader, and add Ara Maljian. This is just from Area's 1, 6, 7, and 8. Off the top of your head is wrong, you would have to change it to one match or the "best of." Then you have to shoot how many major matches? It becomes very cost prohibative. You could vote them in, but that might just piss them off, having to pay all that extra coin just to shoot. My last comment, this is an amatuer sport, creating a "god" class, why? High overall is high overall, does having a M or GM beat a Super GM have value? The difference between good and great is very tiny. Any legit M could be a GM, the last 5% isn't much. If you happen to shoot some classifiers that suit you strength it will happen without intent. (That's how it happened to me) I would never have gotten it if I had to shoot strong or weakhand stages. Maybe we should just hand out blue capes with red S's, that would be cheap and stroke the egos of those who are in it just for the "GM Card." GM is just the begining... ... not the end.

Most classifier's are very straight forward, so I'm not sure there much good praticing them before hand. Ditto on the setting up of stages that you think will be at a match somewhere else because they probably won't be the same. If you practice a stage at your club before a match, well that isn't something I would think to be right, especially if it has "circus" props. Come, see, conquer

Loves2shoot, Can you go into a little more detail on the trigger mod's you did? Thanks, spankymac <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I did some welding to take up the slack and reduce the travel, cleaned up and reduced the sear/hammer engagement, and took a tad off the firing pin spring. I DON'T KNOW HOW SMART ANY OF THIS WAS, but it works (so far) I really want to find some lighter springs, if anyone has a line on these let me know.

Then please do the math (best 6 of last 8) and educated yourself about what that scores tell you, like Bgary stated, you will understand what we are saying. The scores are on the USPSA website. Many times second place at major matches don't get 95% (even Travis, Jarett, blah blah blah.) Most GM's don't care anyway about their classification, they just want to win or get better each time out.

If you did it that way here are a list of Limited GM's that might not be GM's from Major Match finishes this year: Mike Seeklander Phil Strader Matthew Trout Douglas Bryant Chaffin Emanuel Bragg Estuardo Gomez Erik Lund Kert A. Gaskill Taran Butler Travis Tomasie Michael Voigt Blake Miguez Shannon Smith Yong Lee Chuck Bradley I would love to be in THAT list of non-GM's. You would have to drop EVERYONE a class (or two.)

The pro shooters are already getting paid, they don't shoot matches for the $$$, you can make more $$$ teaching a class for the day than that payout. You up my fee by $200 and I'm not coming. The rewards aren't better. SOCIALISM in shooting is a crappy idea IMO. The only difference between a regular shooter and a great shooter, is hard work. Sorry if I sound pissed, but the idea of isolating the greatests shooters cause they are better, work harder, and invest more is lame. If you want them to come, bribe them or pay them or provide a great match, don't charge them more. The "regular shooters are the one's that benefit most from them being there. They get to see how good they "could" be, and most great shooters are more than willing thier experiences with everyone. PS. There are maybe six guys who would even be in this new class, especially if you made 98% by major match performance. Do the math over the major matches for the last 5 years and it makes even less sense.

Ditto, if anything they should get a reduced fee I've invested more money than I want to think about getting to the level I'm at, and it I were to make it into the top 2% I sure as hell wouldn't want to pay more to shoot. If you want to win a prize, practice your ass off, once you hit GM high overall is the only prize you get anyway. If you are pissed you don't get a good prize, practice more. I'm sick of the entitlement mode of thinking. "The GM's are so much better than me, the only way to get a good prize is to take them out of the equation." BS, I was a D class shooter once too, I could have stayed there if I wanted to and still had lots of fun, but I wanted to do as well as I can. Why penalize those who work hard, that pisses me off. The prizes you can recoup at a prize match are a drop in the bucket to the sacrifices you've made to make GM.

ROFL

Shooting with GM's isn't the only way to get better there are lots of GM's who got there without have GM's to shoot with regularly. Lawman (Chuck Anderson) could be a GM and proof positive the M can be deceiving, that guy can flat shoot (anything.) As a shooter with limited funds and time, you have to measure your options. If you have a choice between shooting a match that can pad your budget and one that doesn't it makes your choice eaiser. With shooting, teaching, and family obligations prioritizing your weekends can be difficult to decide what to do. Ditto to James Ong. ~

Use your sight as a speedometer and trust your speed (Flex?)

Never had a problem with mine. Do you angle them drastically?

Anyone ever seen one of these? 20 shot revolver This revolver might be fun

Good post. "To compete it to win." An old motto but very true to me. I used to climb mountains and the success was never in reaching the summit, it was in each step that got me there. The same thing applies to shooting

The 14lb is working so far, don't have enough rounds through it to call it bullet proof. I have had 4 failures to feed, but that may have been the mags. $1000??? I've got $565 into mine (plus a few hours of tinkering though to figure out how the bugger works) Very nicely designed. I call it my Glock, Sig, 1911 gun I'm sure your is better done, but if it shoots 100%+ classifiers the first time shooting it with the mods, it will be sufficient for me This gun is a realtively inexpensive gun that can take you to GM with very little mods. If it holds up to being used, I'll buy me a couple more.

I slap some of my stock guns, I don't slap my 1911's. I has to do with the reset of the trigger for me, you can slap soft or hard if you have control of the gun. That being, said I know you can have fast (and more importantly accurate) splits doing either, but until you have fairly good control of your firearm, it is harder to slap accurately than it is to sqeeze acurately. It is easier to be fast than acurate, and that is a huge reason why so many people get stuck in the class they are at. They see good shooters shooting splits not knowing that a good shooter has control of each shot. So they try to emulate what they see, that is why there are so many "hosemasters" who can't hit a popper at 30, 40, 50 yards. If you can't hit a poper every time at 30 yards, well, I don't think it is your splits you need to worry about holding you back. I think the requirements of your trigger and the way your body works should determine how you pull the trigger, not what someone else does Those who envy TGO and TJ for their speed might consider looing at why they win, IMO it is because of their control and intentions, not trigger speed. I spent lots of years in A class because I was focused on the wrong things (going fast) and I made it to the top class only after I changed my focus to doing everything with purpose and control, that's why I say what I say.