MattBurkett

http://www.gaprecision.net/ Check out George's work. It is pretty awesome!

Actually Rob/Slave, the top guys know each others times and generally don't keep it a secret. We generally have a better (more timely) idea of exactly where we are in a match than the officials doing the scoring. If the wailing wall is such a distraction for you, why are you looking at it? Most shooters go to the World Championship to know how they stack up against the rest of the world and then to have fun. Wow, from all the threads on this match and a bunch of phone calls that I have received from people that were pissed off about it I am glad I was at the Rocky Mountain 3 Gun World Champs! A great match and it didn't have all that drama associated with a Soap Opera. Not to mention I had my ammo. :-)

I think the one thing that most people forget about trooper class is that it is even more Open than Open class! Anything goes as long as you carry it! Multiple top ends for different kinds of stages. Different barrels for the shotgun. You can change anything and do anything. Talk about an equipment race!!!

My beta works great. I have used it this year at the Smm3g, Ironman, Dpms and Rm3gWC. From the DPMS post I made to my email list and on my blogger: •••••• Tip 2 How to keep a Beta mag working! I know everyone complains about keeping Beta mags working. They are the 100 round dual drum mags for the Ar-15’s. 1. Keep them full of the dry graphite! 2. Use 6-8 times and sell it and get another new one! 3. Keep an eye on the lips and the front of the feed area for any damage. 4. That’s it! That’s how I keep my Beta’s constantly functioning properly. I forgot to add, keep the little cover that comes with them on it and keep them clean in their bag. ••••••• Click here to sign up for the email list.

Ohhh, ZAK nice one! One thing that I thought about today that was fairly interesting: If the Open Class gets removed, what happens when you get tossed out of Tac whatever for an illegal piece of gear? Where do you go then?

Hehehe, I won't be so subtle next time!!!

Guy, I hope you sensed the sarcasm in my statement. It seems to me sometimes that all people want is another class to get a different trophy or something since they may not win the class they are in.

"The game will tilt towards the people who have the best toys and $. " Actually the people that consistently win, shoot better and put more work into it than the people that lose. FYI almost any sport is won by someone with the time, money, and dedication to do what it takes to win. "IMHO, if you are going to allow the shooter to transition to their handgun, due to malfunctions or ammo limitations, then something should be done to keep the GAMERS from taking advantage of the situation." I love the Gamer tag. Call it what you want and be bitter about it. If it is inside of the ruleset it is legal. Just because someone didn't think about it before hand doesn't mean its bad. Also, why not let the shooters shoot what they want and decide what gun they want to shoot on a course of fire? OMG freestyle shooting??? Better watch out, that allows creativity and the GAMERS will probably win even more matches - wait umm they win all of them now. The discussion about cost and the different divisions is rather pointless. How much more does 308 and 45 ammo cost? Bet it wouldn't take long to offset the cost of going to open. An interesting little note: The difference between Open and Limited guns in USPSA is generally around $400 (scope/comp). At about 10-12K rounds, open is cheaper to shoot because the bullets cost $35 less a thousand (jacketed). We could always just include the price of a trophy in everybody's entry fee then all divisions, special categories, etc. would be covered.

Wow, what a way to encourage a thread to bloat! Open - keep it. This is where all the cutting edge stuff gets worked out or toasted. I would rather just see what we used to have which was all guns compete alike. I could see it as Open (do whatever you like as long as your pistol doesn't fall out of your holster) and He-Man. At least the equipment is completely different between the two unlike tac irons, tac scope and open. Tac irons/Tac scope - lets be realistic here. What is the average age of our competitors? Between 40-50. An 8" plate at 300 yards with irons is unrealistic for someone with any sort of vision issue. Heck, it sucks with a scope after shooting two other guns and running up hill! Nearly all NATO militaries are going to scopes on their standard infantry rifles so the "tacticalness" is kind of proven now. Multiple scopes? Why not? That is standard issue also. As for the 30 round limit concept - why? Beta mags and 40 rounders (not to mention AK drums) have been around and used in conflicts for years. Bi-pods? I don't think that should be allowed when there is an open division. If you allow them, what is the difference between open and tac scope rifle? Just the extra dot sight on the side is all. I don't have a problem with pistols being on during a stage. I would only suggest that the holster cover the muzzle if this is enforced. Another idea: If the match directors wanted they could give the shooters the option of whether or not they wanted to carry them during every stage. I guess the ideas that have to be nailed down are: Are we playing a game or trying to be tactical or somewhere in between? If we are trying to be tactical, what level of the playing field do we stop the progression of equipment? I know of two military groups that are using tec-loaders on their shotguns. And yet people consider those game equipment. In the real world, the line between "game" and "tactical" equipment has become blurred if it exists at all. Scopes are going on all three guns, some units are using comps on all three guns and nearly everything else that would put someone in Open class is being used on a daily basis in Iraq or one of the Stans. Sidenotes: I don't shoot limited or tac scope for only one reason. Speed loaders for the shotgun make too much sense. It is the only gun we reload like we are back in the 1800's shooting a cowboy match. Also, why do we allow comps on the rifle but not the shotgun or pistol? A comp on a shotgun makes a lot more sense than on a .223 rifle. When we are considering changes, we should take into account a big question. Will the change actually grow the sport or just move people around in divisions?

This is what I remember right now. Overall and Open winner: Me Tactical Optics: Daniel Horner He--Man: Pat Kelly Just getting ready for my drive back to Scottsdale. Will have some more info then. Take care, Matt

See everyone there! :-)

Quick question - what is allowed with bipods? Can you take them on or off or use different ones? thanks!

Oh heck yeah we have that stuff out here. If I remember right it doesn't work for me though. And actually Jerry is just a Senior. :-)

Umm, Kurt is there Valium available in OK? hehehe

Well just finished up the match. Will have a whole report available for my email subscribers hopefully tonight, most likely tomorrow. This is what I remember from the results. Open 1st. Matt Burkett :-) 2nd Jerry Mickulek Tactical Scope 1st Michael Voigt 2nd Daniel Horner Heman 1st. Tate Super Senior Jerry Mickulek Ladies Kay Clark Mickulek Tactical Irons I don't remember. The prize table was unbelievable again this year. Coolest part was $1750 cash for the division winners! Over $130K in prizes on the table!

See you guys there! :-)

Thanks everyone! It was a kick in the ass! If you get a chance, you can read an article I wrote and see over 300 pics and a few videos at http://www.mattburkett.com Just getting ready for the DPMS 3 gun! FYI Prague or Barry isn't even a question! hehehe Take care! Matt

Fomeister, I don't think the gun would be in for repair, but the shooter sure as hell would be! Clay, comprende. Might increase sales although with the broken English (which is significantly better than my Czech!) we may have to subtitle them.

Eric, No problemo! Thanks for the info, thats what I was guessing too. :-)

John is living up in ID next to Demi Moore and shooting clays alot apparently along with a lot of bird hunting. Mid-South is a great facility and if you ever get the chance to shoot down there go! The last time I was there, they had 30 bays, 2 kill houses and over 600 steel targets that either were static (rifle), pull reset or auto reset with an air system. Very cool. Got to teach the USPSA junior class there several years ago. Ross and Jim at the range are great guys and run a fantastic range. Most of the time the facility is booked by the military so good luck getting in. They do have a metal mania match every year that would be worth attending if you can.

This is one of the most frequent questions I get from students and it seems to purely depend on the ability of the student. For me it is almost always better to be covering ground. It varies depending on difficulty of the targets, distance to move and what you have to do for the rest of the stage. A good practice drill is to work on a 5" or smaller group at 15 yards while moving in different directions. Working on your cadence will help with the smoothness issue.

Over in CZ getting ready for the Euro 3 gun and was wondering if there are any clarifications on bipods for the open rifle class. Can you use more than one? I have 3 with me and it maybe beneficial to switch to different ones for different stages. Can it be removed or does it have to stay on the rifle for all stages? Any other rules or oddities that I should be aware of for the open class guns? Thanks! Matt

This match should be a kick. Got my conf. just prior to leaving for the Euro 3 gun in CZ. The sidematch looks like a hoot. Safety on or off? Gun shouldered or not? Anyone with some spreaders for sale? :-)

Wow. Don't know if I have anything to top that stuff! Funniest dryfiring incident at the casa was when Timo from Finland was practicing in the back room. Beep, snick, click, snick (mag out), snick mag in. Can be really annoying if your not the one practicing. About 10 minutes in, just about the point it was becoming background noise as it was very consistent in its pace, I hear Beep, snick, click, snick AAAARRRRGGGGOOOOWWWWWWEEESONOFAAABITTTCCCCCHHHHH! Followed by a long unrecognizable sentence in Finish. I lost it! He wasn't wearing shoes and had brass basepads. I don't think his pinky toe will ever be the same.

Just an FYI I have heard repeatedly from some highly respected individuals that the Fed. Gold Metal Match brass is horrible for reloading. Does great for the first shot out of the box, but, too soft for use afterwards. I would also go .308 for the first gun and .260 for the 3rd or 4th gun after some experience is gained. There are no good bullets in 7-08 and the you can't really pushem fast enough anyway according to the data I have seen. Good luck either way!