dleat

First of all, THANK YOU for your service! I am afraid what you experienced happens more often than we know. Obviously the ones who act like that don`t come here and brag about it. I could try to make excuses for it but I really don`t any valid reason for this to happen. I hope you can find a better place to shoot.

Justsomeguy, I am 68 (well in a week or so) and shot my first handgun at 64 and USPSA match at 65. There is no way I will win against the younger faster shooter. I know that going in but I can tell you the difference between most of them and I has shrunk considerably. It will never be 0 and I don`t care. I am 5'5" and 190. Speed of foot is not my strong suite and it is important to winning in this great sport. I only compete against myself, which is by the way, the only one anyone can compete against. It is just you and the course of fire out there. Go out and shoot those trick targets and talk to others about the correct way to do it. They are just something else to hit with a bullet. If you are accurate you will suceed against them, just take your time. You can shoot USPSA to win and, or, shoot it for the pleasure of it. I don`t enjoy it even a little less because a few others shoot a stage in half the time I do. I call that a victory because their time was was four times faster than me when I started. Go have some fun with it, you just might get to like it!!!!!!!!!!!

Grumpy, that friendliness is a big part of what makes new shooters want to come back after their first match. Later it is because we love this sport. I am glad you ran into a group like that.

People who have a good time shooting their first match will likely come back. Those who don`t , won`t. You have covered the equipment and competition differences and problems cause by those very well. What you haven`t covered is the human side of their experiences. I believe very strongly whether a person has a good experience shooting their first match in either sport depends mostly upon us, the other shooters. We can either chose to devote some of our time and knowledge to helping the new shooters enjoy the match or not. Believe it or not, building a sport is hard work. Failing to work at having these shooters feel good about being there will result in a small return precentage. There are always a few people at a match who like to help others out, use them. Some shooters will simply be too "into the match" to spend time with a newbe and thats ok. There is nearly always someone who can help and do it in such a way as to make the new shooter feel good about having been there. RO`s are almost always helpful but they have a more important function to preform. It hasn`t been that long since I was that new shooter and I was 65 years old at that time. It was due to a couple of younger shooters that I didn`t feel isolated and alone in this experience. We are now good friends and I am very much enjoying this wonderful sport. I am not as articulate as some of you but I think you can figure out what I believe in.

Shot Lead 125`s and 147`s thru mine. Good accuracy and some leading. Cleaned it! They need to be examined often and cleaned untill clean when necessary. If you can`t or won`t do that, then get another barrel or gun.

I believe the effect of this star has on a new shooter will depend on the attitude of the people in the squad. If the RO`s and the squad members the new shooter has been talking with encourage him and describe the best process for shooting the thing there won`t be a problem. If the squad members make that shooter feel as though they are being talked about or laughed at, that shooter is most likely gone for good. I don`t think the quality of a new shooters experience depends on the stages. It depends upon the people they are shooting with. Make them feel a part of this great sport and the rest will take care of itself.

I also say 9mm for reasons already presented. I have a 6" Caspian 9mm single stack and use the 10 rd. Wilson mags. The mags must be seated firmly on reloads if loaded to capacity. I have had no problems that could be attributed to these mags since I got them. About 500 rds per mag so far.

A store in the Kalamazoo area has Federal SP primers in stock and will sell 1k per day to any single customer. I have had a 5k Win. sp backorder from Cabela`s since March. I had to call to prevent a cancellation but now will ride the backorder out untill delivered. I bought 30,000 Fed sp primers about a year ago for my revolvers so I can get by on those for my nines if I have to. This will settle out in a few months but is very rough on those who want to start reloading.

I was 65 in 2006 for my first match. Old time shotgunner now enlightened.

I really don`t pay much attention to my classification at all. I shoot classifiers because they are a part of the match. As such they can affect my finish in that match. I am a fairly new, older D shooter and if I get a C card from USPSA I guess that would mean i`m getting better at classifiers. If it doesn`t reflect in match scores what good is that. It just seems to me the classifier system is not set up to test the skills we "usually" use in a match. By that I mean the percentage of strong and weak hand only shots required is much higher in the classifiers than in matches. There are few if any in our local matches and while there are some in larger matches the percentages between the two simply don`t match up. I think if the classifiers are going to represent my skill level as a USPSA shooter they should also test most strongly the skills I need to shoot matches. The two just seem disconnected to me. I still have enough trouble shooting good points freestyle. Untill that improves why would I waste my precious time working on my weak hand shooting. Just for classifiers? I don`t think so. I know there are many who care deeply about what class they are and can quote their precentage exactly at all times. Fine for them but that just doesn`t do it for me. I am sure I could improve my class by practicing for just that but it doesn`t seem the way to get better at matches. Ok I don`t usually write this much in a year. Thanks! Dennis.

I have loaded several thousand 124 gr. AA#2 rounds. 4.0 Gr gives me 1068 out of my XD9 service and 1080 out of a Glock 34. Both make minor PF. Loads are a little snappy but controllable. I have used this load on steel and for USPSA production with good (for me) results. I have had no problems with accumulation of dirt or residue of any kind. I know few use this powder but I really don`t understand why. Just works.

Got my conformation back already. Last year this was my first out-of town match ever. I loved it and got to shoot with Jerry M. Sat. afternoon. What a rush. Great match. Glad to see it continue. Hope to meet some of you there.

geo Is there any way to tell if we got a 9x18 instead of a 9mm? What should the od of the resized case be for a 9mm?

We tend to practice to our strength`s way too much and not to practice our weaknesses enough. We get more immediate satisfaction from doing well. You have to develope a practice routine which works on where you are weak as well as your strengths. You will gain a great deal of pleasure from seeing weak areas improve, it just doesn`t come as quickly.

I had Springfield do the trigger, sights and refit the bbl on my XD9 service. It was not accurate within 5 inches at 20 yards from a rest as stock. Upon return it will do 2-2.5 depending on ammo but doesn`t very much in accuracy no matter what I feed it now. They did not charge me return shipping. XD had only about 500 rds when I sent it in. No problems since. However it cost me $1 more than the gun.