Nik Habicht

Smith & Wesson 8 round mags only ---- and they need to be for the 945, which has the mag release cut in a different place than the 4506 mags. It's the same tube, just with an extra cut. A friend of mine shoots one in L10 and really likes the gun. Good Luck!

Joe, I think you misread the original question. The first part of the question was about feet in the box. The second part of the question was specifically about the second string on the third stage. Since the directions tell you to engate t1-t3 from either side of the barricade, make a tactical reload behind cover, then advance and engage t1-t3 from around either side of the barrel, why couldn't you use both sides of the barricade or barrel if you wanted to? I suspect that it would be slower to use both sides; i.e. why would anyone want to?, but isn't this in fact allowed under the current rulebook on this string?

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Sometimes it just helps my thought processes when I'm trying to figure something out to pour it out on the screen. By writing things become clearer. Kyle, I think that the big revelation at Sunday's match is that I play it to conservatively some times and I should challenge myself a little more. After all, since I'm not even close to placing in my class, it's not as if I can crash and burn and lose first C by being more aggressive. Brian, I know I called the two headshots, 1 dead center, the second just low of dead center, but as I was shooting the second steel, doubt crept in. During scoring the hits were just where I called them. Of course I've only been calling the shot regularly for the last couple of months, and I've had ammo problems in that time, so maybe more successful, shot calling trigger time is what's required to boost my confidence in my shooting. Off to dryfire I go....

Wherever Dave was shooting, I was not in the vicinity!

I seem to have trouble trusting my shooting on moving or precision targets. If there's any difficulty to the shot, it seems like I psych myself out and cost myself lots of time. Case in point: 3 port stage. Port one some paper and one steel, that activates an out and back in port two. I shoot the steel last and hustle to the port, where I blast five rounds on the out&back. (3 As and 2 Cs) there's some other paper to shoot in this port and one popper that activates another out&back in port three. I shoot the steel last, reload on the move, and have already planned to shoot the open papers first and then shoot two headshots on the out&back. After that I'll finish with two 1/2 size poppers at maybe twelve yards. Everything goes according to plan, until I shoot the second popper, and let my eyes drift back to the headshots on the out&back (1A and 1B) and need to use a second shot to knock down the popper. Then I get it in my fool head that I missed on one of the open papers and I transition there and put another round in it. The local GM tells me that I need to trust my shooting, because there are two As on the target, and my makeup round was a C. Also, I came around the corner reloaded in plenty of time to shoot the out&back. So in a nutshell, how do I teach myself to not play so conservatively on the target engegement order and to just put two rounds at moving targets? Is it much like anything else, that I just need to do it? That if I take the steps and fall flat on my face, I just need to pick myself up and try it again on the next stage? And if necessary again and again? Is the path to learning paved with risktaking?

During the walkthrough, I'll try to decide how I'm gonna shoot the stage. Then as the first couple of shooters go, I'll make sure that I know where, in the course, I need to reload. Then I paste and brass even when I'm the on deck shooter. Why? Because I'm thinking about pasting and brassing, not re-thinking how I already decided to shoot the stage. For me, it makes for a more relaxed start, and then I can just get to seeing what I need and shooting.

Brian, I'm thinking that Charles should win for playing by the rules but that Bill H. should win for gaming this one the best! Oh, rats, there's the first correct answer rule..... This was a cute question!

Flex, Great explanation! Now one question. If I shoot twice at a paper target (where the course description calls for two hits) and miss both times, why do I get a failure to engage penalty? I engaged the target, I just did it badly. Now if I don't see a target, then I see where the penalty would come into play, because I didn't shoot at it.

Duane, I've got big hands with very short fingers. (How short? I'm 6'3", my wife's 5'4", our fingers are the same length.) I've theorized for a while that it's the fingers that make it possible. On the other hand, after I acquired a Sig 228 (because some gunwriter I read used one for two years as a carry gun, either before or after a G19) I discovered that I could regularly lock the slide back in the middle of a mag....... Great gun, just not compatible with my hands. Traded it for a Glock 19. If I didn't have to buy digital cameras this year, a Wilson Combat would be tempting..... or an SVI.

I may be the exception, but I've been able to use the straight thumbs grip successfully with all my Glocks.

John, Guess you wouldn't have nejoyed the three gun match we shot Sunday. 21 degrees when I arrived at the range, blustery, windy, cold all day, high of 27 degrees. Had a ball....

Slightly off the topic I know, but http://www.ammoman.com has Federal 2.75 inch slugs for $109.- for 250. Cuts your cost to about 43 cents each.

According to the latest version of the IDPA rulebook, "a procedure penalty is assessed when the competitor does not follow the procedures set forth in the course of fire description." One of the examples cited is "The competitor’s foot touches the ground outside the shooting box at the barricade on Stage 3 of the Classifier. One procedural penalty is assessed regardless of the number of shots fired." So it would seem that you cannot step out of the box as you slice the pie. Another example cited is "failure to do a tactical re-load when specified. If the competitor makes an honest attempt to retain the partial magazine and it falls from the competitor’s pocket or pouch after he/she has begun to move to another firing point, no penalty should be assessed." This would seem to loosely suggest that the magazine must be secured prior to moving. However, the gun is considered loaded when you seat the fresh magazine or close the revolver's cylinder, so you should be able to leave cover without violating the leaving cover with an unloaded gun rule. In the FAQ section it gets really interesting. "HOW DO I HAVE TO RETAIN THE PARTIALLY LOADED MAGAZINE AFTER A TACTICAL LOAD? To be in the “spirit” of the stage, you must retain the magazine in one of the following ways PRIOR to the firing of the first shot after a tactical load: pants pocket, vest pocket, jacket pocket, waistband or magazine pouch. The use of specially designed pockets, shirt pockets, or holding the magazine in the hand or teeth is NOT permitted." This answer says that the magazine must be secured PRIOR to the first shot being fired, so it would seem that you can advance and stow the magazine at the same time. Just make sure that the magazine is secured before you fire the first round from the barrel. I'd like to hear an answer from IDPA on that question. Is that the question you posed? Jim? Bill? Anyone? Where's Bueller when you need him?

Quote: from davecutts on 10:39 pm on Jan. 1, 2002 I hate picking up brass, but i really hate when......those of you who enyoy food (in large quantities and at frequent intervals) walk on and crush my pretty 45 cases. Ugg.....big man steps on brass is soon to find brass up a$$ I resemble that remark!

She runs circles around me in the accuracy department ----- but then she should since she takes 3-4 times longer than I do. However, she has no interest in competition, but she'll go to the range with me occasionally.

Sam, I'll be first in line for the ass-kicking.......

A redhead? That means you're related to my wife..... She swears all redheads are related......

I use it on all my Glocks primarily because it hangs around longer. That means I'm less likely to shoot a dry gun. It also makes cleanup easier, because the Slide Glide traps all kinds of particles in it, and it will pretty much wipe right off. Nothing bakes on and requires really hard scrubbing anymore.

SG: Maybe you should change your tag line to read: I should have been born a blonde?

Stephen, Sorry about the run on sentences above. I was on my way to bed, and annoyed with myself because I had meant to respond to the question earlier. Gunscrubber makes the job much easier every six months or so. I don't know about brake/carb cleaner. Brian? Any other mechanics, present or former, want to weigh in on that? The alternative to Gunscrubber is just to use a toothbrush and a solvent like Hoppe's 9, and spend more time scrubbing. When I clean guns every six months or so, I'm usually cleaning 6-8 guns and I want the speed advantage that Gunscrubber gives me. If I'm just doing one gun, it's o.k. if it takes half an hour.

I use gunscrubber on the frame, the slide, the exterior of the barrel, and the recoil spring assembly. I then hit it pretty hard with a toothbrush and powerwash it with gunsrubber again. The bore gets some dry passes with a brush, followed by lots of applications of whatever bore cleaner I was able to buy. I follow that with several patches, squirt some Breakfree in the bore and run a boresnake through several times. Then I place one drop of Breakfree on the connector at the right rear corner of the frame. I put some slide glide on the slide rails, reassemble the gun, lock the slide to the rear, smear some more slideglide around the barrel, close the action, put some more on the barrel hood, cycle the action vigorously several times, wipe off the excess. Then I usually wipe all metal down with a soft rag that's been dampened with a few drops of break-free. On the Glocks I shoot a lot, I do this about once a month and before major matches; on the occasional shooters every six months or so. I do check for lubrication before I shoot though.

.....cat turd........

Buy the Mark IV. If you don't, you'll soon wish you did.......and that leads to you spending the money twice! Ask me how I know......

So I broke a window and as I was climbing......

Shot this one in Production and Limited. Production (the bad) Shot the first string in 12:02, the second in 14.25. Scored 11 As, 10 Cs and 3 Ds. Total 91 points. I shot the two front targets (the outer targets) first, then took the far, center target. Why? Because I had a brainfart. Shot at an indoor four classifier match. When I shot this Limited in May, at my first ever match, I racked up a time of 24.54 combined and 110 points with the same 9 mm Glock. I shot that one left to right outdoors.