Mayonaise

I had a bad lot of Winchester small pistol primers with the same problem Joe describes several years ago. It got to where I could spot them on the tray and cull them from each batch. I've not had that problem with their large pistol primers. I actually switched to Winchester from Federal as I find the Federals to be pretty soft and had a high number of crushed primers. A problem I haven't had at all with the Winchesters. I'll give the CCI's a shot next go around. I really hate how the cost of primers seems to have jumped in the last year.

I don't see the rule as contradictory to the Vicker's count. Depending on the COF it's either very easy to call or very difficult. It's usually obvious and a lot of times SO's will let it slide giving the shooter the benefit of the doubt. Goes back to COF design. The concept of dumping rounds runs counter to the spirit of the game. In a truly defensive scenario dumping rounds raises several serious problems. Therefore it seems reasonable that blatant round dumping in an IDPA match SHOULD warrant a serious penalty like the FTDR. That said I don't know many shooters that haven't done it at some point or other in a match and gotten away with it. When in doubt in a big match just don't do it.

Most of what I hear is good natured ribbing back and forth. We're all brothers with common interest. There's nothing constructive about ripping each other apart. That said, both games are what they are. Problems arise when people want to mold or reshape one to be closer to the other. They both exist for a reason. Different games for different mindsets and we're usually attracted to one more than the other for that reason. Less Yakkin' and more Kakkin'!

Is an FTDR warranted when an SO overhears a shooter discussing dumping a round prior to shooting and then does it, even if it's only one round?

I've run a number of flashlight stages. No matter how you design it someone always seems to get sequences crossed up and points a gun at their weak hand. Good to have an extra SO close to help out, like having the shooter hand off their light during loading and unloading. I rarely threw a reload at them as that just raises the skill bar beyond many shooters level of training or proficiency. Mark

I like the ones from www.pistolpacking.com. PM me if you're interested in the Comptacs. I don't use mine anymore. 9mm and are idpa legal.

Good points Ted. I tend to cant the gun upward during reloads. The key issue is trigger finger control. I haven't see anyone get upset with revo shooters since the cylinder is unlocked barring some extraterestrial intervention a discharge is highly unlikely. The "Sabrina" effect occurs as a byproduct of TV or crowding cover. Like you said that's an issue easily addressed and something I go over during any new shooter orientation. That said I was at the 02 nationals and watched a shooter earn his DQ for launching a round over the berm during a reload. He was crowding the barrels and put himself in the position of having to do a Sabrina reload. MD's should take this issue into consideration when designing COF's. Don't force the shooter to crowd cover by designing a stage where if they back out from cover a reasonable amount where they expose themselves to another threat target and get called for a cover violation. Mark

I ran an indoor match for a couple of years. I ran a 180 rule vertical and h orizontal. Surrounded by concrete and steel deflectors there is no place for the bullet to go so it was a real concern. I always incorporated that in my safety brief with each new shooter and always addressed it as I saw it when people forgot. I don't believe in the 180 rule. I believe in muzzle safe points since that opens up the possibilities for COF design. Mark

Muzzle safe points should be clearly defined. That said I saw this video shortly after it was posted. I noticed the muzzle issue right away and watched it a few times to be sure. Had there been muzzle safe points placed you probably would have been more aware of what you were doing. Bottom line is you were crowding cover so much that you gave yourself no room to manipulate the gun during the reload. Take it as a learning experience. Hopefully the MD learned about the importance of muzzle safe points as well.

First person I saw do that was the Headhunter himself. JD Knap did it at the nationals in 04 on his Carl Lewis movers. And Hack suggests it in his new column in the TJ. Works for me.

No cover, all targets are within' 2yds depth of each other, then there is no priority unless specified.

At big matches the score keeper or another SO should be tasked with watching the targets while the CSO watches the shooter's gun. If you've been around enough you can spot the doubles pretty well. If the SO isn't sure, make a call, benefit of the doubt should always go to the shooter.

Shooter gets the procedural if he hasn't retrieved and stowed the magazine before the next shot. Mark, Clay is correct. Shooter can reshoot the entire stage, not the string as long as the classifier is a match. Mark

The match hotel last year wasn't that great. They screw up my reservation that I had made 6 months in advance and even confirmed a couple of times prior to hitting the road. The new match hotel should have been better. It cost about $45 more per night over 2004. Tunica is hard to beat. Centrally located. Mid-South is a great facility. CASA is fine but it's not Mid-South is all. Just doesn't feel like a nationals after being spoiled with Tunica. We drove into Memphis and hit Beale St and if you wanted to gamble you had it right there. Though I go mainly to shoot. I felt like I was at something special. I just don't feel that way about CASA. Feels more like a State match to me.

is it too heavy??? what is the weight limit after Dec for a SSP 39oz The 5906 is 38.3 oz empty. The mag will put it over.

I shot the S&W Performance Center 5906 at the Carolina Cup. That's a sweet gun. Won't be legal in SSP after December though. No advantage to shoot it in ESP against the 9mm 1911's either.

Joe, No way the Heinie on my 17 will come off. Perhaps they've changed since you last used one. It was hard going on. It won't budge. +4 for the Heinie/Dawson setup! Mark

But we had fun, didn't we? Let's not wait so long to do it again. ...Mark I'm shooting the single stack classic. Mayo

My gun didn't fit once when I used some Wilson extended magazine base pad magazines I had bought (thinking I could save some wear and tear). big deal! I ground them down so they fit with plenty of room to spare. I've seen guys have to give a bit of a push to get their gun in and a good tug to get them out of the box. BFD! Some people have way too much time on their hands.

2 series 1 Kimbers. Both have EB grip safeties and trigger work. One is a pure game gun I picked up with a welded magwell and fiber front sight. The other is my carry gun which I actually shoot more now. 18lb spring, no FLGR just a plug. I also shoot some matches with my Series 1 Kimber Compact Stainless Aluminum. I just try to kee the round count down on that blaster though.

Try Polyurethane

Every official club is given a box. You can buy them for $15 I think from HQ. I asked them to bring a couple to the nationals for me last year. A couple of us wanted one to have.

That's the way I see it Jerry. Why kick the guy for clearing a malfunction. Hard to gain an advantage that way. Common sense should prevail.

I put on my gamer hat when I design them. I also put on my SSP, CDP, ESP and Revolver hat and shoot the COF in my mind. I think set it up and do the same thing, in my head to make sure I have it right. After time it's easy.

I'm assuming you mean down loaded to 3 rounds total in the gun. If the shooter clears the jam and inserts a new full magazine to finish the COF I see no penalty as long as they shoot no more than the limited number required. Depending on the COF he will have completed at least one required reload. I don't think you penalize the shooter for clearing a malfunction. If the gun jams and he can't fix it right away, you score it with his time plus 3 seconds for each unfired shot left, plus the points down. I had this happen in the standards at the 2004 nationals. 1911 broken extractor. I opted to keep the gun in the fight which meant my 1911 became a single action gun. Shoot, strip, rack, insert mag, rack, shoot. Repeat 11 times. Mark