[First shot good, second shot not so good]

I have been sporadically shooting USPSA matches on and off for a few years now. I love the shooting but with four kids and job that requires randomly scheduled hours it is hard for me to attend regularly. My questions is can anyone give me some pointers on how to improve getting my sight picture back after the first shot? I have the luxury of walking out my back door and shooting at paper. Up until now I have been shooting a single stack 45. A couple weeks ago I bought an SV limited gun in 40. I had the suggestion that the decrease in mag changes will help my times tremendously. The second area of trouble that I have is that dang second second shot. Does anyone have a suggestion on physical strength exercises, gun holding techniques, shooting exercises that will help me keep on target or get back on target more quickly? Thanks in advnace!

Sounds like you are trying to shoot fast splits, but are not tracking the sight properly. Shooting fast double taps requires a gun set up properly for the load. This means you need to try different recoil and or mainspring combinations to get the sight to track smoothly and consistently. Your grip also determines how well the gun will track. The grip pressure should be roughly 60% with the support hand and 40% with the strong hand. Make sure you are not squeezing the grip on your second shot in anticipation of the recoil. This would cause shots low and left in the C ring for a right handed shooter.

Double taps are a misnomer. You are not simply slapping the trigger, you are seeing the sight picture, even if it is a "flash sight picture" for two separate shots. To improve my sight tracking technique, I would do "Bill Drills" at 7, 10, and 15 yards. The varying distances will determine how much sight picture is required for the given distance.

[2011 + hacksaw + files + small drill press]

Did you crown the muzzle after you cut the barrel? If not, do you think it may improve accuracy?

[wilson 10round 9mm]

Not all mag catches are created equal! The mag catch ledge may be thicker than others, which may make the magazine a tighter fit. In fact, EGW sells and oversized mag catch, which pushes the mag higher up in the frame, which can sometimes help to prevent nosedives when the first round feeds.

I recently purchased Wilson 10round ETM 9mm mags, and they fit perfectly in my Colt. Glad you figured out the problem and fixed it!

[HOW DO YOU SORT BRASS FROM DIRT?]

I use my Dillon media separator. I throw the dirt and brass in, close the cage, and crank a few revolutions. Hopefully the rocks you mentioned aren't too big, because small ones will be removed.

I then throw the brass in my vibratory case cleaner, add the crushed walnut media, and clean.