CHA-LEE

I am trying to understand the correlation to my comment. Was the person who dropped their gun (Fumbled their reholster) not liable for their actions? Was that a tragic accident? Absolutely. Accident or not, the person fumbling the gun is still liable for their actions. I also use that very example for shooters who like to smash their gun back into their holster after making ready is a proven fatal mistake behavior. Another common example of poor choices is someone doing a "Home Brew Dremel Trigger Job" on their gun and end up with an AD in the holster and a bullet in their leg. Or better yet, the people who shoot themselves in the leg during the draw because their booger picker is on the trigger before the gun even clears the holster. Yet another poor choice. Freedom = Choices. Not all choices are good ones. Being an adult means that you OWN all of your choices, even the bad ones.

Do you practice PROGRAMMING a stage in Dry Fire or Live Fire training? If not, how do you expect to do it in a match?

When I transitioned from 3 Year to Life membership mid cycle in my 3 year membership they pro-rated the Life membership to take advantage of what was left on the 3 year. This also happened about a decade ago and there has been a lot of change at USPSA HQ since then. You should confirm with USPSA HQ to see if that process is still valid.

As shown by the responses in this thread both for and against specific trigger weights this is a tricky subject. I am not a fan of putting a warning label, helmet, air bag, seat belt, or arbitrary chosen limits on something because a subset of people can't stop doing stupid stuff. The following mantra holds true and always will....Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. If someone wants to use a 1lb trigger on their gun, go for it. I honestly don't care because they will also take ownership of the associated Reliability, Liability and Risk associated with that choice. We are adults and as such we need to own our decisions. We can advise people to make more prudent choices but we can't and shouldn't force people to make a choice. Freedom isn't free. Freedom affords people the opportunity to make the wrong choice. Accountability and Freedom of Choice are tied together. Choose wisely my friends as the wrong choice when playing games with deadly weapons can result in fatal Accountability.

A sub 1lb 1911/2011 trigger job is possible. But as many have already pointed out that light of a trigger is on the ragged edge of reliability. At least in the Action Shooting sports use case (Rage Blasting tens of thousands of rounds every year in sometimes sub optimal range conditions). When I started shooting I also fell into the "I need a super light trigger to shoot better" fallacy which really doesn't have much improvement on match performance in of itself. When the buzzer goes off everyone is smashing the crap out of the trigger with 10+ lbs of force most of the time so does a super light trigger make a difference in that situation? I will take a short and crisp action trigger that is heavy any day over a mushy or creepy super light trigger. Being able to feel a definitive difference between the take up prep and sear push through is important. My preferred trigger weight is in the 2.5 - 3.5lb range. But I have also shot 5+ lb trigger guns without seeing much difference in my hit quality on target. Learning how to pull the trigger without displacing the sights during that process is an important skill that we all need to continually hone. Super light triggers mask peoples problems with pulling the trigger properly. People with trigger pull skill issues will always battle poor or inconsistent hit quality at speed. The sobering truth that every shooter needs to face at some point is that mastering trigger control takes time, effort, and regular practice. That skill can't be bought like a super light trigger can. At some point you can't buy or equipment race your way out of improving raw marksmanship skills.

Get better allen wrenches

There is a set screw in the side that is used to set the tension on the pin. I would also recommend taking the set screw out and putting blue lock tight on it.

If you want to do a traditional First/Second surface sear cut I really like the Marvel Ultimate 1911 Sear Jig. The removable sear block has holes in it which allow you to put a feeler gauge between the sear feet and the location pin hole. Then simply use the desired feeler gauge size to replicate the exact same First Surface cut angle. This allows you to quickly and easily set and replicate the first surface cut angle after removing and replacing the sear from the jig. I have used this Marvel Ultimate 1911 Sear Jig to do at least 50 different trigger jobs for myself and others over the years and its a mega time saver. I also prefer the Brownells Ceramic Stones (Black & White). I listed links to these goodies below. I have no affiliation with Brownells so I am not posting their links to "Shill" their products for a kickback. Brownells is simply a great retailer for shooting stuff and also supports the Practical Shooting Sports which is awesome. https://www.brownells.com/tools-cleaning/gun-tools/handgun-tools/ultimate-1911-sear-jig/ https://www.brownells.com/tools-cleaning/paint-metal-prep/abrasives-polishing/hammersear-file--stone-kit/

When you shoot tens of thousands of rounds on a single gun, the gun itself starts to become the "Cheapest" part of the equation. For example, 30K of ammo X 0.20 per round = $6000 in ammo alone. That's at least 10 "Glocks" worth of ammo shot through the gun. Most well built guns will last at least 50K and a lot of times 100K if the ammo isn't abrasive and wears out the rifling. If the gun was built by a knuckle head then its not going to last as long as you expect. Depending on the gun type, you can measure parts or slop within the parts to gauge how worn out it is. But in all reality the true tests are Accuracy and Reliability. If the gun is still accurate and functions reliably, but the parts are starting to get loose due to wear, who cares. Its getting the job done. I also want to point out that nothing lasts forever. I have seen way too many people bitch about $500 guns wearing out "Too Soon" when they have shot 30K or more though them. Once again, who cares. Throw it away and get another one. Its literally the Cheapest part of the equation at that point.

Let me guess..... You are shooting 220gr 40 Cal bullets because they "Shoot Soft"? Add enough powder to push the bullets fast enough so they stabilize in flight. Yes doing this will make them less "mouse fart feeling" when you shoot them. But you will be able to hit what you are shooting at. Pick one...... 1 - Super Soft Shooting and the accuracy sucks. Or..... 2 - Normal recoil impulse and you can hit what you are shooting at. You can't have both.

I use a 25 yard zero for everything these days. I have listed the benefits of this below... 1 - I want the Point of Impact (POI) & Point of Aim (POA) to be identical at 25 yards because those are traditionally the hardest shots in a match. Basically, put the dot on the target and that is where its going to hit. No need to be doing conscious thought hold overs on the clock to generate a desired POI. For example, with a frame mounted dot (Open Gun) if you have a 10 Yard Zero your point of Aim at 25 yards will likely need to be BELOW the head to generate a middle head POI. That is super distracting if its a head shot only at 25 yards and the dot is literally on the No Shoot or Hard Cover below the head to generate a head shot hit. 2 - I only want to deal with one direction of POI shift from Far to Close. With a 25 yard zero I only need to understand that as the targets get closer the POI will gradually get lower and lower with a 2 - 2.5 inch lower hit at 5 yards. In the big picture this slightly downward POI shift on the closer targets is a statistical wash given that my downward POI bias is going to be more affected by my recoil management and trigger mashing while shooting close targets at a rage blasting pace. In this reality, picking a higher aiming spot on the targets is needed anyway to mitigate the lower biased hit tendencies anyway. For example, my "Default" aiming spot on a USPSA target is about 3 inches down from the top of the A-zone perforation in the body. 3 - Zeroing your gun at 25 yards exposes Ammo and or Gun issues way easier. I have seen some loads shoot boss status groups at 10 yards but open up to unacceptable sizes at further distances. Its also much more difficult to determine how much being off by just a little bit at 10 yards will translate to POI shift at distance. For example, a POI which is horizontally off a little bit at 10 yards can translate to a complete miss on a popper at 40 - 50 yards.

This reply is likely going to put some people in a sour mood, but here it goes..... Tuning Recoil/Main/FPS and slide weight all REQUIRES an solid and effective grip on the gun. If the gun is flopping around within your hands like a fish while you shoot, NONE of this stuff is going to matter. Slow Motion video will tell you the whole story of what is going on as the slide cycles during recoil. If the grip/frame of the gun is moving around independently within stationary hands, then the solution is to work on your grip mechanics and pressure. Not monkeying with spring or slide weights. If you are gripping the gun effectively (It DOESN'T move independently within your hands while shooting). Then a tell tail sign that weight of the slide is too much is if you can't eliminate a muzzle dip as the slide snaps back forward regardless of how light of a recoil spring you use. In an optimal scenario you want the slide to snap back forward and the muzzle to return directly to a level state without dipping low or staying high. I also want to point out that we are all unique in how effectively we grip the gun while shooting. There isn't a "One Setup is the Best" which is also going to be fully optimized to YOUR grip mechanics. If this is done properly from one person to the next, each person SHOULD end up with a unique combo of Recoil Spring, Main Spring, Firing Pin Stop Angle, and Slide Weight. Here is the reality...... Not many people are willing to take the Time and $$$$ to figure out an optimal setup for THEM. For example, if you are doing this testing properly, you should end up with a slide weight that is too light which would result in scrapping a slide and starting over. VERY, VERY, VERY, FEW people are willing to do this tuning to that level where they are cutting small amounts of weight out of a slide or frame a little at a time then retesting each config. All the while KNOWING that they will eventually go too far and the parts will be wrecked and need to be replaced. This means that the majority of people are settling with a slightly less than optimal configuration because they don't want to ruin and replace expensive parts to get it tuned to exactly what they need. Long story short, the vast majority of peoples "Slide Cut" decisions are nothing more than fashion enhancements where function improvements are maybe a byproduct.

Are you worried about Fashion or Function? From a Function perspective have you performed slow motion video while shooting it using different weight recoil springs to determine if the slide is really too heavy and needs weight removed? Or are you in Fashion mode much like a Honda Civic owner bolting a Wing on the back of their dookie rocket to make it look faster?

Weld up the safety and recut it to the correct depth

If all you want to do is chop a mag tube in half then shorten it a competent TIG Welder could do that. Find a local metal fabrication shop and see if they can or want to tackle the chop/weld job.

I use Photochromatic Purple Lenses made by Rudy Project. They end up being the perfect tint level regardless of lighting conditions for me. They look much darker in the mirror vs what I see through the lenses. When I shoot indoors or Dry Fire indoors I turn the brightness to the lowest setting and use those Purple lens glasses and it chills out the dot brightness to an acceptable level. I would prefer one notch dimmer if it would go lower. But I wouldn't want that to sacrifice the usable brightness levels outdoors. When I am shooting outdoors I usually have the brightness 2 - 4 levels down from the brightest setting depending on the overall lighting conditions.

Use slightly tinted lenses while shooting indoors or dry firing. That will chill out the brightness of the dot. If you are sensitive to the blooming try a bigger MOA dot. I really like the 10 MOA FTP Alpha 3 dot. Its a crisp circle with zero flare when I have it set at the proper brightness level.

The RO(s) should be paying attention to the volume of conversation coming from the rest of the squad and address the issue accordingly when it gets out of hand. This can get really bad when two squads get log jammed on the same bay and there are twice as many people "Yip Yapping". As an RO I have requested log jammed squads to remove themselves from the bay when it gets really out of hand. I have also used "SHUT UP!!!" stated loudly at the squad when they don't get the hint from repeated friendly asks to quiet down. On the other side of the coin, as a shooter, you can't expect there to be complete silence during your Make Ready or even shooting the stage. There will always be a certain amount of "Yip Yapping" going on while attending matches. You need to build the skill of blocking out the extra chatter which does happen and you really don't have control over it happening or not.

As for your demo video.... I think that the primary issue is not enough friction/pressure on the gun for your Support hand. You can see the gun moving within your support hand during recoil. That is indicative of a Grip Pressure or Grip Friction issue. Fix this issue first, then worry about spring rates second.

Check out these two videos I made a while back about tuning Recoil and Hammer spring weights. This same stuff applies to pretty much all Semi Auto pistols so don't dismiss it based on the title of the video talking about 1911/2011 blasters.

I can replicate the observed dot flickering scenario if I aggressively shake the gun horizontally (twisting my wrist while holding the gun strong hand only). I can also replicate this if I aggressively turn my whole head away from the sights to the next target in an excessive manner. I have yet to see this dot flickering scenario while actually shooting the gun or transitioning between targets. I also use a physical structure behind the gun where everything except for my eyes are locked up with the point of the gun. For example, during a transition I flick only my eyes to the next target then my whole upper body moves as a single unit to get the gun onto the next target. This is how its supposed to happen when you drive the transition movement with your legs instead of your head and arms.

Most Semi Auto pistols are designed to have the slide bottom out on the frame HARD every time the slide cycles back and forth. There is no such thing as using a spring heavy enough to make it "Not" bottom out. Use whatever recoil spring rate that is needed to produce a directly back to level muzzle condition when the slide snaps back forward.

10 MOA for the WIN!!! I love that dot size on the Alpha 3.

Keep in mind that the Firing Pin Stop (FPS) is setup completely differently on an AFTEC vs a EGW HD extractor. I have always setup the FSP and Extractor as a mated pair regardless of the manufactures of the individual parts.

I never had the opportunity to meet JMP in person but reading his book "Shooting from Within" absolutely had a positive impact to my journey in the Practical Shooting sports. I wish that his book with still in print. I had to borrow the copy I read from a friend who stumbled upon it via eBay