Paul B

Could not agree more. Have shot and RO'd many stages where the paster boxes are torn open so more people can tear off a strip of pasters and slowly pull off each paster. The box is made so it is a dispenser and it is very fast if you use it correctly. Designate a few people to do pasting and keep the dispensers intact.

Having just returned from a trip down I-65 in Indiana the thing that gets me the most is the unending line of semi's that have to pass one another when they are going 1/2 mph faster. The pass takes 2 and sometimes 3 miles tying up traffic on the mostly 2 lane road. I guess they are just bored! Taking longer than a 1/2 mile to complete a pass should be a citation.

Oh and what about the 215 tons of yellow cake uranium that was shipped to Canada after the war and never was heard of in the press again.

My limited gun can hold 23 .40's (22 in the mag and 1 in the chamber) and the 22 rd mag is reloadable. Ever since I have had the capability you would not believe how may stages I have noticed that are 24 rounds. As near as I can tell, all the extra rounds give you is confidence on shorter courses and sometimes the ability to change your reload point. I agree this is not going to win any matches or stages without a good driver but I need all the confidence I can get.

This may be of interest to Florida Residents: The following is a cut and paste from an insurance industry bulletin as a few companies are asking questions in the application process. Under a new law in Florida, personal lines property and auto insurers cannot deny or cancel a policy, or charge an "unfairly discriminatory" rate, based on the lawful possession, ownership, and use of a firearm by an applicant, insured, or member of the applicant's or insured's household. Insurers are further prohibited from disclosing the lawful possession or ownership of a firearm by an applicant or insured to a third party or affiliated entity of the insurer unless the applicant or insured agrees to the disclosure, or if the disclosure is necessary to bind coverage, continue coverage, or adjust a claim. The disclosure prohibition does not apply to communications between agents and carriers when an applicant or insured requests a special endorsement to insure a firearm or firearms collection. According to an analysis of the bill by legislative staff, personal lines property insurance includes personal liability coverage for bodily injury, property damage, and medical payments, effectively making homeowners insurers subject to the restrictions, which take effect July 1, 2014.

The debate on whether a gun tipping over has been debated on these forums before with somewhat the same result. The strict rule constructionists seem to say "If it tips over and hits the table it has fallen". The freestylers say "it is not a fall but a tip over since the gun was already touching the surface to begin with - it just move because of an external influence". While I believe that we should be as safe as possible calling this a "fall" per the rules is stretching it and is a slippery slope. If it is a fall there are numerous other situations where we could DQ hapless shooters when the start is with the gun in a specific position other than holstered. For example, I have had to put my gun in a box and as I set it down with the butt touching the surface, my hand hits the top of the box and the rest of the gun drops an inch to the surface - DQ or not? Overall, I think the objection to standing up a gun is actually by those against gaming of every kind and I would advise anyone who has a strict constructionist RO not to stand up their gun. By the same token if the classifier wants someone to not stand up their gun then the WSB should say so. By the way, I have a gun that will easily stand up and I have timed it both ways and believe it or not the time difference is actually negligible.

I feel your pain. We used to have the same problem with intermittent outages sometimes as long as 8 hours. Finally, I bought a 4400 Watt generator and guess what - went years with not a single outage. Guess it was cheap insurance.

Won't do much good to go to Amidon as long as you passed. I reported an incorrect question/answer to him before and his answer was they were reviewing the questions and would keep a note of the one I pointed out as incorrect. Otherwise the only record of the test results is Pass/Fail - not a score.

In answer to the OP's original question, If you think you hear a squib - stop the shooter. I do not take chances with this. I would rather give multiple re-shoots than have one kaboom. If the shooter gets peeved after an "almost" squib I am sorry.

The thread on moving hot from stage to stage in one bay started me thinking. Having been around this sport for 3 decades I have seen a lot of evolution - some good and some not so good. The really good is that there seems to be a lot more interest than in the past from a lot more competitors and the equipment choices are tremendous. One not so good part in my estimation are the huge expansion in the non-shooting time we all have to experience at matches. The size of squads has gone up from around 6-8 when I started (sometimes 4-5) to a normal of 10-15 and sometimes even 20. Also going up is the number of stages clubs want to run in matches. I understand clubs with physical limitations that have to double up stages in one pit but with a few exceptions these often result in exceptionally long wait times between stages and during stages. I also understand where there are two short stages in one pit they can run pretty fast, but not with props and more than 12 rounds per stage. If a club has only three bays they should probably limit themselves to 4 stages. If they have 5 bays try to have a match with 5 stages rather than 8. For me this reduces the boredom factor and the stand around time significantly. Maybe it just because I cannot relax at a match and really envy those who can actually take a nap - they will shoot better rested while I am tired from anticipation after taking 7 hours to shoot 6 stages. My apologies to those who enjoy the stand time.

I have stopped shooting at one range in my area because of all the things going on behind the firing line at steel matches. The steel firing line was forward of the permanent firing points. It is very disconcerting to hear someone racking a slide behind you when you are getting ready to shoot. Once someone actually had an AD into the concrete floor of the permanent firing line. Needless to say I was very vocal about this and I really do not care if I was welcomed back or not. I think since this, though, the range management has been tightened up but I doubt if I will ever go again anyway. On another note the scariest thing I have ever seen in a USPSA pistol match was at a range that will remain nameless. The stage involved a full size popper and 2 targets to the left and then a run to a doorway and targets in a hall to the right. The problem is that just behind the popper (rearward falling) was a 10 feet high berm but behind the berm by about 125 yards in a direct line was a cell or phone repeater tower with 2 guys up top working on it! They were actually waving at the shooters and watching the match. I refused to shoot the stage until they came down and ended up zeroing the stage but others went right ahead and shot it. I actually wanted my name off the match roll, but thankfully nothing happened -- luck or chance.

Why are 90% of all commercials about a drug (with most time spent on the side effects), about a hospital, about a doctor, or about a disease. I guess this may be the only industry that has any real money to spend on advertising. Not even mute helps. I am really tired of being reminded of all the bad stuff that can happen to me.

Hospitals truly are the worst in terms of billing/accounting practices. The hospital we have to deal with does give good care and has talented staff, but then the ball gets totally dropped in billing. We have received bills for service 11 months after the service was performed - then immediately rejected by the insurance company because they were so late. This resulted in a complaint to the state attorney general which eventually sorted out the problem. Like Nik I simply will not pay till I know the insurance company has paid. Another time they billed the insurance company over $7,000 for a stress test for my wife. I was shocked by this because the insurance company paid their discounted amount around $2,000 but the hospital then wanted me to pay the full deductible on my crappy health plan (no I do not want a crappy health plan but when you get to a certain age the choice becomes limited). This went to the attorney general also, but the hospital snowed them with a long letter and lots of billing jargon which the attorney general's office was actually afraid to dispute. I guess that is what HSA's are for.

Nik, I know what you are saying, but by definition, an unsafe action has not yet occurred or the correct command would be "stop". Yelling "trigger" or "muzzle" means you think the shooter is close but has not done anything unsafe yet. Actually, I have seen at least one situation over the years where someone yelled "muzzle" causing the shooter to double take on a target while their feet were still moving which actually caused them to pass the target resulting in a DQ and a truly unsafe situation.

'You can ask for whatever you want -- but if you need a warning, I'll give you one, and I'd encourage any other RO to ignore that request. I don't issue many warnings, as I don't love the whole concept; but if I see a looming safety issue, I'll feel compelled to say something before the competitor endangers others on the range..." While the rules do allow for warnings of this sort, they can be distracting at best and dangerous at worst. After seeing certain RO's continually give warnings to other shooters, I have asked them not to give warnings to me when I shot - just the command "stop" if I DQ'd. While this has happened rarely they have always been able to keep their mouth shut during a course of fire. When I RO I have only used these kind of warnings when the shooter is new, welcomes this type of guidance and does not mind the distraction. If someone asks me to not give warnings, I respect their wishes. While the RO does not have to agree to my wishes or those of other shooters who ask not to be distracted, the shooter has the option of asking for another RO or simply avoiding the match if the RO cannot be avoided. Hopefully RO's who are accommodating to shooters' wishes will be in the majority.

Not a lawyer, but would advise keeping everything low profile as O'Hare is actually in the City of Chicago. Federal statutes may protect you, but like NYC it is all at their whim. See the following: It is operated by the City of Chicago Department of Aviation. Most of O'Hare Airport is in Cook County, but a section of the southwest part of the airport is in DuPage County. The Cook County portion is located within a section of the city of Chicago contiguously connected to the rest of the city via a narrow strip of land about 200 feet (61 m) wide, running along Foster Ave. from the Des Plaines River to the airport.[9] This land was annexed into the city limits in the 1950s to assure the massive tax revenue associated with the airport being part of the city. The strip is bounded on the north by Rosemont and the south by Schiller Park.[10] The airport is named after Edward O'Hare, the U.S. Navy's first flying ace and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II.

I'm a dyed in the wool Canon fan as their photo algorithms allow much better results when photoshopped and all my images go through photoshop. I always thought the difference was like the difference between Kodachrome film and Ektachrome film. The Canon images are like Kodachrome - more fluid and smooth while Nikon is more like Ektachrome with more contrast. That said, I'm disturbed by the direction that Canon seems to be going. The MkIII comes out on the heels of the new Nikon D800 with 36 megapixels for an actual lower price. I know Megapixels are not everything and more is sometime less in terms of image quality, but the Nikon listed features are pretty compelling. Not discussing the actual performance of each camera as neither is yet available generally, but the Nikon is actually a cheaper and possibly better alternative. Additionally, there are rumors and some actual quotes floating around that Canon is going to change course somewhat to concentrate on mirrorless technology - at least they are supposed to keep the same lens systems. I would actually welcome the mirrorless technology as it is the way of the future and eliminates a weak point in DSLRs, but I am wary of the learning curve for Canon as this kind of change could produce more than a few mistakes as they learn. I will hope for the best.

Last time we shot the Florida Open, we went on vacation afterward. Found a gunshop/range in Orlando that held indoor matches at their range and they stored our guns for a reasonable fee (they did not ask for the fee but we paid them anyway). Worked out great. In and out privileges whenever they were open - and we shot their match. Universal during the day.

Mactiger had the best comments on this thread. I have designed stages and run matches at several clubs. Indoor ranges usually have the most Range limitations - for one you usually always must shoot forward and never to the side. You have to work with this limitation. I shot a match once in Dallas where we were told we had to cover our guns (rain covers) when we walked from stage to stage because the soccer fields next door did not want to see guns. We all complied and thought nothing of it. We cannot beat our chests too much about these minor annoyances as most every club has them and no matter what everyone thinks we cannot afford to lose the ranges as much as they can afford to lose us. On the other hand I was once shooting a match at a large club in the south where there was a stage set up with a cell tower just above and slightly left of the center of the bay and about 200 yards away. There were workmen at the top of the tower during the match in plain sight above the berm. Then to top it off there was a mini-popper (back falling) and a target directly beneath where the tower was above the bay. I DNF'd the stage and so did a few others but most shot it. I wish the club there had a rule about shooting in that direction but they did not. By the way the workmen actually seemed to enjoy the show and waved at us now and then - go figure.

If you look at Appendix E-1 of the 2010 rules the measurement of a magazine is from the very back of the feed lips (there is no follower shown) to the longest portion of the basepad. It is not from a move-able follower. The diagram is very clear what is to be measured. Then someone had to make a gauge. I have never seen a machinists drawing of the gauge, but the important dimension should have been the one in the above appendix. If Amidon or anyone else approved a gauge without a very oblique angle for the rest of the feed lips at the top of the magazine then they were wrong. The rest of the feed lips should never touch the gauge. If someone measured from the follower then they are also wrong. Whether it was Amidon's decision or not the gauge should fit the rules or change the rules. Deciding on whether a person moves to open based on a certain amount of hand pressure on a mag in a gauge is simply not an objective way to check equipment.

There are really two potential problems. One: bullets are getting out of the range. This is a serious problem and requires lawyers, NRA and probably a lot of construction. Two: The neighbors just don't like the noise from a Sunday Morning match waking them up at 9:00AM. This may require a lawyer, but a lot may depend on whether Indiana has a Range Protection Act such as in Ohio. I must confess I am an Indiana resident but I do not know as I live on the border and only belong to Ohio clubs. I belong to 3 clubs. Two of them have had bullets leave the range and had to go through the gauntlet but are still operating. The third only had a few noise complaints and citing the Range Protection Act pretty much silenced these so far. Of course it is always good to get along with neighbors, but sometimes it is nice to have some legislative or legal protection. In any case if it goes further, be sure to bring the Developer into the legal festivities so they can pay for non-disclosure of the range presence.

Having had Kidney stones on both sides 2 years ago I know how bad it feels. I had to have both broken up with the machine because they were too big to pass. NOT FUN!!!!!!! My urologist told me the main cause of stones is, in fact, dehydration. Diet is a contributing factor and in a low percentage a main factor. I live in a colder climate so he indicated his practice is almost all in the summer when people don't drink enough fluids. He vacations in the winter. I asked him if he wanted to analyze the stones and he said it won't make any difference as long as you stay hydrated. By the way, after mine were broken up, I was still passing pieces for a year - so much fun. Also I can't take the codeine pills they usually give you so it was grin and bear it or just bear it!!!

Well I sure can't find any reason for a penalty here (other than maybe on "style" points). See 10.2.1. If he started in the shooting box and has not touched anything outside of it yet he is still in it. Conversly, if he started out of the box and had not yet touched down in the box (with at least one foot - other in the air) he is out of the box. If this is a penalty then I have seen a lot of GM's incur one as they shoot a tight target around a barricade when they are trying for a fast last shot.

Maybe as Neomet said I have seen too many claims (thousands), but in my experience it is not how many people who have to be covered that governs the limit of liability needed but the risk potential coupled with what the market will bear. What I mean is if an incident happens and the injury is severe - say a spinal injury with paralysis then the suit amount is going to be in the multi-millions. A $1 million club policy will be gone immediately. In fact, the limit will probably be offered up by the carrier right away to lessen their defense obligation. An economist will say the injury is worth probably north of $5 million which means that any and all who were involved will be "strip searched" for their insurance coverage. In my opinion does this mean the club should carry more? Yes if they can. I always suggest $5 million if it is obtainable and can be afforded by the club. This is usually structured with a primary policy and an umbrella which is a cheaper way to do it. It also means that if you do any kind of RO or match duties or if you are just a competitor, I would suggest you not have just $300K in personal liability but also a personal umbrella. The concern is the potential injury not the number of people who split the pie.

The insurance part of this question includes several parts: 1. First there is your club's liability. By this I mean the owner lessee or legal entity responsible for the land and what occurs on it. Often this is pretty simple as the entity that owns or leases the land is the same one that operates the shooting sports. For example the club itself is affilliated with USPSA. In these cases the club purchases liability (and property and D&O, etc.) in its name and covers all activities subject to the terms of the policy. The "subject to the terms of the policy" part is the kicker. Many clubs use the NRA sponsored insurance program and I did a review of this program a few years ago and found out a lot of interesting information. (Note I said a few years ago so some of this information may have changed and you should review your current policy to confirm.) The NRA pro-forma policy covers the Named insured and covers club members while acting as such. It may not cover for example a non-member RO, CRO, etc. even thought the Named Insured and other members sued would be covered. There are numerous other limitations in the NRA pro-forma policy, but this would become a blog quickly if I were to go through them. 2. If the USPSA club is a separate entity then they would have to buy their own insurance. This could be an NRA program policy also, but could be a specifically designed program through some other insurance carriers. There are at least 30-40 who will do various forms of this coverage and your insurance agent can usually access most of them. The key would be who is insured beside the Named Insured. "Members, officers, employees, volunteers and competitors" would be best. 3. Single event coverage can also be purchased from a wide variety of carriers for special matches where the operating entity(ies) are not perfectly clear. For example charity matches, area matches etc. This is often very reasonable if the agent and company are knowledgeable about the shooting sports and it is well worth it. Remember the above comments on who is insured. 4. There is no exclusion in most personal liability policies (usually Homeowners) for shooting activities. So the non-member RO mentioned above could have coverage under their homeowners for their liability for voluntary activities. If something were to occur, though, I would not depend on a renewal of that policy. There is often an exclusion for business activities so it would be a legal question if paid RO's were more than volunteers, but I would certainly testify in court that the usual payment is a losing proposition and still a volunteer activity and not a business. There is also usually an exclusion for intentional acts but this is usually only applied if the person does something truly intentional and and not accidental. Think the RO grabbing the gun and shooting an enemy. As for the liability releases, I will leave it to the lawyers, but in the thousands of claims I have seen they seldom work to really protect the entity.