Paul B

These changes of show slots on OLN have been commonplace. It's almost like they decide what will show each day when they get up in the morning. This is even in spite of what they put on their own website. On the other hand there are now at least 5 or 6 shooting type shows on this channel so I really wish they would get their act together.

No, unfortunately, we were discusssing on x-mas eve and Al and Yujiro both said the LDA trigger was too long for them.

I realize that the rules say no modifications to the grips, but I wonder if that would apply to removing the grips entirely and just using skateboard tape? I know of some people who would love to shoot an LDA, but with shorter fingers it is hard to reach the trigger. I imagine the same would apply to glocks and XDs, but on a para it's easy to just remove the grips and shoot without them. This makes the grip sizr perfect for smaller hands.

I am using an aluminum shock buff in my p16 Para. It has a very positive feel and lasts a lot longer than the plastic buffs. It's hard to describe the difference, but it has made me a little faster with the gun just feeling more positive. By the way, I just made my own out of aluminum bar stock. It's not very hard with a dremel and a belt sander.

You may have a difficult time meeting all your requirements. 1911 type, open class, and less than $1,000. Just a few thoughts: Put off going into open class until you get a feel for the sport. Buy an inexpensive single stack 1911 (there are many varieties and they are all pretty good).This should cost you less than $1,000. Buy some mags and a cheap holster and you can still start shooting matches for <$1,000. If you want to start with a double stack for the feel try a Para Limited model and you still could get by for less than $1,000 if you shop well. Attend a few matches and be sure you like it before you jump in with both feet. Once you are attending matches deals on open guns will, no doubt, present themselves if you catch the bug like the rest of us. To find a local match go to www.uspsa.org and use the clubfinder. For accessories and even whole guns try www.shootersconnection.com

I had this problem a lot with SP2 powder which is like fine sand and gets into everything. I was disassmbling everything every 500 rounds. To make things go faster I drilled a hole in the side of the primer punch assembly the size of a tube from an aerosol brake cleaner and spray it out this way. It was a little easier, but it is still a problem unscrewing it from the shell plate. This can happen with any fine powder, specially if your powder measure is leaky or you miss a primer.

If the PS is intended to increase participation in majors is it really needed? The only majors I've heard of that were suffering from lack of attendance were the nationals and a few other matches that may have priced themselves out of the market or just became shooter unfriendly. I'm just wondering what we would expect to get from a point series match wise that we don't get now. I guess some majors have a few unfilled slots, but I hear others that are full and with waiters. Sorry, but maybe I don't have a full picture.

If they could make a cologne that smelled like Hoppe's I'd be happy --- and probably lonely.

Bought 3 of these directly from Para. Have used them for years.

Barretone Ok, I won't go and I suspect there would be more of me as word gets around. It isn't the $10 it will be the funding scheme that will get under their skin like it does mine. I don't think anyone feels bad about covering reasonable expenses of the organization, but I, for one, won't subsidize a pot for a few people who will be winning prizes anyway. By the way, I don't go to major matches to see or compete with our cadre of professional shooters, I go to have fun with friends and test my shooting skills. I can't think of one major that I've attended because "Robby will be there or Todd will be there." That's not to take anything away from their abilities, but "average joe" shooter doesn't go to beat them. If we have a point series competition, it should be funded by those who are interested, not imposed on those who are not. If some want more money then get a corporate sponsor - can anyone say "Chevy Truck Challenge."

Of all the ideas the one I like the least is the one where everyone has to pay extra at major matches so we can maintain a point series mechanism. For someone who only can attend 1 or 2 majors a year, this would just be extortion from one shooter to give to another who will probably be winning other prizes anyway. To ask the match director to eat the cost is also not practical as it will erode the match quality and possibly enthusiasm. If the point series cannot stand based on the contributions of shooters who want to be involved then it should not stand. Higher visibility is OK but let's keep it voluntary.

Powder coating, while tougher than regular paint, is not as tough as blueing, chrome or some of the gunsmith paints that are available from Brownells. It's also a lot thicker and may cause some clearance problems unless you are very careful. Powder coats scrape and bruise a lot easier than you think and repairs to the finish are a bitch. For a silver color, consider matte chrome, electroless nickel or silver gunsmith paint from Brownells.

Flex, thanks, but I know which rule book is in effect, what I don't know is if the IPSC rules committee interpretation of the rules has been accepted by USPSA or if it is automatic. I know the whole green rule book was not automatic.

I had an awakening several years ago when a fairly young shooter (a lot younger than me) said one of those "ultimate truths." He said while shooting as we do it appears to be an individual activity it is really a social activity and we like to shoot with our friends. Splitting up a requested squad for some is easily enough to kill the attendance of all the shooters. I know I've cancelled before for just this reason. In this case it seems the match organizers have not recognized this truth and will set up a situation with a lot of extra paperwork for themselves. Hope they reconsider. This is one of the major reasons I find the on line squading system being used in some USPSA matches to not work well. I requires all competitors to log on and juggle into a squad before all the slots go to others. Just some thoughts.

I'm really, really happy about the rules changes, but are they just for IPSC or has USPSA adopted them also?

I believe there is a benefit to a bull barrel as the extra weight seems to help muzzle flip somewhat. After seeing friends with the AET barrel, though, I think it may be a solution in search of a problem. I have a Scheumann standard bull barrel in my P-16 and could not ask for better accuracy nor does the so called torque seem to be a problem as the barrel tracks straight up and down (running an 11lb recoil spring and an aluminum shock buff). Practice with the money you save and it will be worth a lot more to scores. By the way the one thing that did seem to make the gun track off to an angle was when I was shooting it with a Sprinco which is now gone.

Mine hold 28 rds of .38 super easy with a stock Para follower and Para floorplate (the inside plastic thingy). I've never really tried to go to the max, but should be 1 or 2 more in there with a Grams follower and no floorplate - maybe more if I changed to super comp.

I had my local gunsmith make 2 170's. All it took was a 10 rd body and a high cap body. They are welded together at the right place and reinforced with the appropriate size rod in the mag indentations. They work great. I'd post pictures but haven't mastered that task here yet. The para 170 will have slightly more capacity than the S_I magazines.

If you have a friendly gunsmith have him run a .40 reamer in the new gun just to be sure. It might be you will want to do a little polishing on this gun anyway if it is that tight as you will eventually get "glocked" by a fat round and it will happen in a match not practice. I actually use my factory para barrel as a case guage for my Schuemann that is now in my Para. If it fits the factory para it fits the Schuemann. I had the Schuemann freebored just a bit and just normal polishing took care of the rest

I've been working up a steel load for .38 Super and have been getting some interesting results. I'm trying for a load with a 115 gr bullet that yields a power factor in the 130-135 area. Started with one of my open guns with a 5" barrel (shorty) that I've used for full power loads. This gun is a tack driver with 115's and N105. One hole groups at 25 yards. I changed the spring from 11lbs to 8 and the first load I tried was 4.0 gr of Bullseye with the 115's. The gun functions perfectly and the power factor is 132, but the accuracy is really bad - 4" to 6" at 25 yds. I finally moved to VV N330 and at 5.8 grains power factor is 134 and accuracy is acceptable at 2". What I can't understand is why the fast powder just seems to be inaccurate, but mid range to slower powders work much better. By the way, tried some VV N310 and got the same poor accuracy as Bullseye. The gun has a Nowlin barrel and a standard twist for .38 Super (It's not one of those super slow twist barrels). All other variables - length, primer, etc. are the same. I even tried these loads in my other open guns with Nowlin barrels with the same results. I'm guessing that there may be some bullet deformation when the fast powder pushes the bullet into the rifling, but it is puzzling.

I think this is a perfectly legal answer to a table start. I've used it and it is actually much safer than the fumbling around that I have seen picking guns up from a table. A GM actually showed me this start position. If in picking up the gun it should happen to tip over, I don't believe this is in any way a gun fall. If so, then the next time I RO a competitor picking up a gun laid flat and it slips a half inch back to the table I guess it would have to be a DQ also. In fact the gun is not out of the competitors control and is not pointing in an unsafe direction. If a competitor is shooting over a barricade and it slips off the edge of the barricade but still in the competitors hand has it fallen? There is a big difference between the normal movement that occurs in picking up a gun and the term "fall." I suppose someone could interpret a situation where the gun starts standing up, but I push it over with my left hand into my right as a fall, but it should not be.

The Texas star just moves on it's own based on the change of weight as diferent plates fall off. The windmill has a pulley on the back with a string and a weight. There is also a starter weight which falls off after giving the array a kick start (it starts really slow without this starter weight. The rope can be wound around the pulley or the shaft to change the speed somewhat. That is why you can sometimes get inconsistent speed and starts if not set up the same every time. It is activated by pulling a stick out from under one of the target arms - usually by a popper. Have not seen a bobber yet, but it looks better to me than the windmill.

I agree with you rhino. If everyone shoots the same challenge I don't care how hard it may appear. What I have a problem with are stages or props that can act differently for different competitors. For example I've shot stages where the targets appear/disappear at random intervals. I've also seen revolving displays that slow down or speed up during the day. Even the famous Texas star can fall in this category if not set the same way every time. This reduces the shooting challenge to luck and not skill and really puts the match organizers on the spot if arbitrated.

In 20 plus years of shooting I've fallen 2 times. One was on grass and the other on gravel. The fall on grass was much more pleasant. I've shot on all kinds of surfaces and into all kinds of backstops and was wondering if there are any opinions on what are the best. My pick for surface is probably wood chips which give pretty good footing all the time and stop the mud. They probably don't hurt much if you fall. I'd probably pick grass next with sand and gravel down the list. Small pea gravel is better than the larger stones. The best backstops I've ever seen were made of sand. With pistol rounds there were absolutely no ricochets. I've heard the army doesn't like sand for rifle because it can cause ricochets, but that is not my experience. In fact the only matches that I've attended where you never heard a ricochet of some sort was with sand backstops. Even at very shallow angles the bullets just seem to stop in the sand. Earthen backstops would be next with railroad ties and tires not on my list because unless very well done they actually cause ricochets.

Skywalker, might I suggest another option for your consideration. If you picked a city such as in my area of the country (Indiana) and could stay a week. you could shoot 4 matches of at least 5 stages a piece. 2 Sat and 2 Sun matches and additionally maybe a steel match on Friday night (might even be able to make one of those matches a major). Plus I'm sure we could set up some range time in between for practice. Then, of course there are amusement parks etc. to eat up the time in between. I think this may also be possible in Arizona, but here we usually have a match rich environment in the summer.