Penny

Yeah, I did notice that. Guess they got tired of all those mikes! My dad is named Mike too. I was squadded with Mike S on Friday, and Mike R Jr took care of my ammo for me and RO'd Outer Limits all 3 days. I was on my way to put some things in my car when Shred told me I needed to stick around for the drawing. Guess I'm going to have to be nice to lots of people now.

It was a fun match. I finished about 9 seconds slower than what I thought I could do and finished at 104 seconds. Not great, but 10 seconds faster than last year, and more consistent than I've shot the match before, so I'll take that as progress. I had an adventure on Outer Limits since the cows decided to come down the mountains as I was about to shoot my second string. You never know what you're going to see out there! Nice to meet DougC and some of the other forum members out there. I'd like to say thank you to the whole match staff for all their hard work. A special thank you to Briley Pistol Division for being a major sponsor of the match each year. I can't believe I won the raffle -- guess I'll be taking up 3-gun or Team Challenge now Thanks also to all the other sponsors who generously donate for this match I'll have some pictures of Shred and Athena in the shootoff beating Jerry M & Todd J, along with Lena Miculek in her outstanding debut performance in the rimfire match -- will try to get them up Wed or Thurs. Penny

I used to use my left thumb to hit the mag button on the way down to grab a new magazine. I put the lightest weight spring in the mag catch. That technique worked really well for me for a long time, and was fast. I switched to a Jimmy Mitchell ambi mag release a couple of years ago. I love it. The angle doesn't quit work for me to hit the button with my trigger finger, so I hit the edge of the button with the edge of my middle finger. My mag changes are even faster now. What I like about Jimmy's mag catch is that it uses the "standard" grip and you can remove it and replace it with the standard mag catch pretty easily. SVI offers the same ambi setup that Lisa M shoots, I think, but I don't know how that differs from others on the market. For some reason, I was thinking that the grip was different. I'm sure someone will enlighten me?? Penny

shooterbenedetto, You should be able to get your packet, squadding info, etc. at the range from Thursday on, or at the match hotel Wed. afternoon. Most of the squads shooting one entry will shoot half the match on Fri. and the rest on Sat. Those shooting two entries (e.g. limited and open) will shoot one gun on Fri and the other on Sat, so I'd guess you'll be in one of those squads. .22 pistol/rifle and I think shotgun are all on Thurs. Things should be pretty laid back, so don't stress too much. See you there Penny

I don't consider myself an expert, and certainly don't have all the answers, but I'm happy to pass on information when I can. I think the face of medicine will change over the next few years as more of these new treatments get approved. For all those on the forum who are going through tough times, hang in there! Penny

I don't disagree with anyone's comments, but I can tell you that progress _is_ being made. I know that is no consolation to those diagnosed with late stage cancer right now. Some background: I've unfortunately experienced several close friends' and family members' struggles with cancer over the years, and Texas South Section just recently lost another shooter and all-around great guy to cancer. My mom was a hospice nurse for a long time, and is now in radiation oncology. I've had my own run-in with malignant melanoma, although I caught it early so it was no big deal. The first person I knew with cancer was my first-grade teacher who was also a good friend of the family. She was amazing. She was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer in early 1974 and participated in one of the first clinical trials for a drug called Adriamycin. She endured all sorts of treatment and managed to survive just over 5 years. She fought hard and didn't give up even though the initial prognosis gave her only a few months. Knowing what I know now, that was tremendous back in the 70's. As a result of that experience and others close to me, I ended up in the cancer research field. It's often frustrating because it takes so long to go from a little progress at the bench to actually producing something that might help a real patient. Also, "Cancer" is a huge collection of different diseases that require much different treatments depending on what cell type/tumor type/hormone responsiveness/ etc. exists. The signalling networks that switch genes on and off at the right times are sensitive -- something that has to be on during development is important for normal growth, but when it's turned on in the wrong cell, you end up with a tumor. That's why "tumor markers" can have lots of false positives or false negatives -- it's really tough to distinguish normal from bad. SiG Lady is ABSOULTELY RIGHT about much cancer treatment "swatting at gnats with sledge hammers." Part of it has been the slow progress in understanding the signalling pathways/growth changes that makes a tumor cell different from a normal cell. For a while, chemicals like Adriamycin (doxorubicin) were miracle drugs. They kill any cell that's growing fast. The idea was that the tumor was growing fast, so the drug would preferentially kill the tumor. In many cases it worked well, but the patient got very sick because the drug also killed the fast growing normal cells in the gut and the fast growing normal cells in the hair follicles, etc. I do want to say that the past five years have been tremendously exciting in terms of progress made in cancer research. For the first time, we now have "drugs" that specifically target pathways that are altered in cancer, instead of globally acting chemicals or poisons. These new drugs are sometimes referred to as "biologicals." For example, one of the first biolgicals on the market was STI-571 (currently known as Gleevec). In chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), many of the patients have a chromosome translocation (acquired error) that results in an abnormal fusion of two genes - BCR + ABL. The Bcr-Abl fusion is an out-of-control protein that turns on stuff that shouldn't be turned on. STI-571 is a targeted antibody that specifically shuts down Bcr-Abl, but doesn't act on anything normal. Now, we are starting to talk about CML patients actually being CURED rather than treatment or management of the disease. There are a number of other biologicals coming out now, both for general prescription and in clinical trials. Herceptin is a targeted biological that specifically targets a pathway that is out of control in many breast cancers. There are many more, but these are just two examples. Not every biological works for every patient with the same type of cancer, but this new class of treatment options is going to make a big difference by greatly improving survival for lots of people. Early detection is always the key. The earlier any type of cancer is detected, the more likely it is to be cured. Second, if you or someone you know has cancer, find out everything you possibly can about treatment options. Don't believe everything you read on the 'net. Don't just take what one doctor tells you as gospel. If you aren't satisfied with your doctor, get a second or third or ? opinion. Keep asking questions and fight like hell to get well. Keep fighting or give the patient as much support and encouragement as you can. Be aware that there are many clinical trials ongoing for new (not yet approved) treatments. Finally, and I really hate to say this, but be realistic and honest about the options. Ask the doctor what is the best expected outcome. Obviously some people can exceed best expectations (Lance Armstrong comes to mind..) But, if a chemo regimen is going to make a patient terribly sick for a month and the best expectation is to gain a month of life, is that the right choice? Sometimes hospice is an option. When my mother-in-law was faced with cancer for the 2nd time, she was tired and didn't want to fight anymore. She opted to discontinue the chemo. We didn't want to lose her, and told her that. But we also told her that we would help her and support her in anyway we could, and that she was free to make the decision about whether to continue treatment. Many doctors will keep treating the patient until the patient tells them to stop. Unfortunately, some doctors neglect to make this fact clear to the patient, and the patient experiences more pain and suffering than the disease alone would cause. However, if treatment can significantly (you decide how to define significant) improve survival, then FIGHT! I guess I got on a bit of a soapbox, but things are improving. It's just that the pace is so slow, it's hard to tell. New treaments are coming out that are better than ever, early diagnosis of many tumor types has improved tremendously. There is still so much to be done, and lots of bureaucracy in the way, but there is hope. Know that many scientists are trying hard to help. Penny p.s. Disclaimer: I am NOT an M.D. You should consult your physician and NOT miscontrue MY PERSONAL OPINIONS as medical advice. I DO NOT practice medicine.

Yes, Briley is still building guns. The website has been "under construction" since about May, and the webmaster apparently doesn't know what a pistol is. There was briefly an "Other" section that listed some of the pistolsmith services. Like the others mentioned, if you call the 800- number on the website for orders/info, you can talk to Jeff Ort (IPSC GM) or Claudio Salassa. I recently got a Platemaster that I'm happy with. Claudio et al. built it pretty fast - finished it about3 weeks after they got the frame. Penny

For what it's worth, TSA folks at LAX last year were great. My husband and I gave them a copy of the Steel Challenge rule book last year, and a couple of the guys seemed interested in checking out the match. I think the most important thing for getting in and out of there is to pack your stuff within the rules, and give yourself plenty of time to get through the screening without too much stress. Carmoney - sounds like you'll need to leave after the shootoffs so Sam gets to school on time. Maybe DougC or somebody can stay over and pick up your prizes for you -- you just have to give them your name tag. Also, w.r.t. packing ammo -- we ran into a little problem with interpretation of that 11lb/person rule on American Airlines. They only allowed 11lb/bag because one bag can only be assigned to one person. They also didn't want to let us put ammo in the same bag with the guns, even though the guns were in separate, locked hardcases inside a hard suitcase. Eventually we got it all worked out by rearranging stuff and getting a supervisor involved, but our typical "Steel Challenge Travel Plan" usually involves us checking 3 suitcases for two people. We also box up our mags, tools, holsters, etc. in the checked luggage -- it's just not worth running into problems with the carry on stuff. Another tip for open guns --- take the batteries out of your scope before the plane ride. Temperature changes can do weird things, even to fresh batteries. I pack the batteries in my carry on luggage -- the bright sun on white plates can make a dim dot seem even fainter. If you're shooting both Open and Ltd, I don't think you'll be able to check enough ammo. You could ship it to the match hotel. Another option is to contact Mike and Linda Roberts who own "Keep It In the 10 Ring", in Fillmore. Phone is 805 524-3660. 263 Central Ave., Fillmore, CA 93015 They help at the match each year and will be doing the FFL work. Have fun at the match! Shred and that guy with the sweet dog are right. It's a great event, and can be a fun vacation trip. Plus you get to shoot a lot too! Stop and say hello! Penny

Since the thread title mentioned "gems" ... I enjoyed "The Pride Method: Mind Over Matter in Combat Shooting". by John Pride and Jon Winokur 1986 ISBN 0-932373-03-8 -Penny

Lots of bad weather and power outages in the Dallas/Fort Worth area last night. I'd guess the server is probably down temporarily. -Penny

I tried out some Hornady 185s with 5 grains Hodgdon Titegroup in my single stack. It was about 150 PF and very soft shooting. I might knock it down .1 or .2 gns, but probably won't go any farther than that for minor. My previous minor load was 135PF: 155gn plated +5.5gn Winchester 231. Penny

Our last bullet purchase was Hornady 121 gn JHP HAP (Action Pistol) for .38 super from Lock Stock & Barrel. www.lockstock.com You can get them in bulkpacks of 4000. Unfortunately the XTPs are sold only in boxes of 100 (last time I checked). Last spring, I finally took the time to test fire several different loads with bullets from various manufactures through a few different .38super guns. I expected to see variation, but the degree of variation was huge! Also, using at least 10 shot groups instead of 5 showed some interesting patterns. My gun liked the Hornady XTPs, but the HAP was a close second. IIRC, we had some trouble finding a source to buy Hornady bullets. I think Midway had several varieties in small quantities. Penny (no ties to any of these companies...)

you and the timer paper and steel pushing the limits of yourself and your gear constrained only by your conscious thoughts

I think you'll have a good time at either match. I haven't shot the Open (yet). but I always hear good things about it, and have enjoyed shooting the Shirley Skinner-Make-a-Wish match in Waco many times. Here is a link to a lengthy description and photos of last year's Limited match. http://www.krtraining.com/IPSC/Matches/200...imited2002.html I always look forward to shooting with Jimmy & Artie Mitchell, and they do a good job putting on matches. Penny

Karl scanned in many of the photos we took at the match. Most of them are of our squad (#39), along with a couple of TGO, the women's squad, and other squads near us (had a lot of time on my hands since we spent more time waiting than shooting....) Here's the link http://www.krtraining.com/IPSC/Matches/2002/RaceGunNats/index.htm Be sure to check out Roy and Bill modeling their BE.com t-shirts on stage 7, and of course, a great shot of C-class Champ Kathy on stage 16. This was a frustrating match - I finally started to get my act together on the last day, but by then it was too late. I enjoyed visiting the Bend area though. On Friday, we rented bikes and explored lava beds and rode around some waterfalls on the Deschutes River to salvage what was intended to be a vacation. Penny

My strategy has for improving speed between boxes has been to make the weight shifting as smooth as possible, and it takes me 3 steps. I just kept experimenting until I found a combination of steps that felt smooth to me. Doesn't work for the people I practice with, and their method doesn't work for me. For OL, I've also practiced a lot by substituting white paper targets for the gongs. For me, it seems like it's all about confidence - I know where my gun is sighted in for various distances between 7 and 45 yards and I just try to trust what I see. Now if I can get that consistency thing worked out..... ;-)

Here's a link for an .mpg movie of the Texas Star, along with contact info for its creator, Terry Ashton: http://www.krtraining.com/IPSC/MATCHES/matches.html -Penny

My solution for a few years was to use a fairly light spring in the mag release and hit the mag button with my left thumb as my hand was coming off the gun. I practiced the movement a lot so that it was a fluid motion where my left hand sort of slid off the gun and hit the mag button on the way to picking up the new magazine. This method was very reliable for me and my hands are small enough that I didn't crush the mag release when I didn't intend to. I could reliably do a 1.5 sec mag change with A hits at 7 yards with this technique, and for quite a while I was satisfied with that. But, eventually, I got to a point where I couldn't go any faster on the mag change using that technique and decided that I had finally progressed to a skill level where I _think_ I'm capable of going just a little faster. So, I spent the latter part of last year trying the shifting grip, and I'm with Shooter Grrl.... My hands are too small to be 100% reliable with that shift, even after dremeling a channel for my right thumb in the plastic grips. The danger factor value is higher than the tenth or two that I'm saving. This year's project is now to try the left-hand mag release with my right index finger. -Penny