McAllyn

Ugh, we lose Top Shot but get to keep American Guns and Sons of Guns. Guess we know what people want to see on TV now don't we? Probably could have picked up viewers if the smokin' hot Border Patrol chick had done some hot tub time or the whiney giant guy threw a beating to the computer nerd. It's sad what we have become. Mac

Dollar for dollar, I've had a hard time beating the value of the S&W M&P15 Sport. It does lack the forward assist and dust cover, but at roughly $600-700 when you can find them, they make a great way to get in at an entry level price. They are fully compatible with any options you might like to change out later, stock, grip, handguard, optics, etc. Mac

I have a Battle Comp on my utility rifle and a Miculek comp on my 3G rifle. I will mimic the above post in that they are two different objects designed with different purposes. The Battle Comp does a great job at flash redirection and a moderate job at compensation. The Miculek does nothing for flash redirection but an incredible job at compensation. Very similar concept to the Leatherman or Swiss Army Knife. LOTS of mediocre tools that will serve, but NO tools that do their job near as well as the individual specific tools themselves. Mac

I painted all my Glock bases red, but since everyone else has red bases, I numbered them, too. Can't tell you how many times I've looked in my range bag and found 3 #12 red-based Glock magazines. It's really embarrassing walking around to all the shooters and asking if they picked up my red-based #11 or #4 magazine by mistake. Mac

No way I'm missing this one. Loved both of them thus far, I know this one will be just as awesome. Mac

I have the Trijicon rebranded BOBRO 30 extended and while it holds my TR24 very secure, I had to flip the mount to get my cat tail to clear and I just can't seem to get enough eye relief to be comfortable on my 3G1. I've got an LT109 on the way to see if there is any difference. If the LT works out, I'll keep the BOBRO for a long range scope for load dev and lobbing bullets across the holler at my range. Mac

When I did it, it cost .60 per bid. You buy the bids in advance, then everytime you bid, you spend one of your bids, whether you win or not. Like the example above: iPad = Won for $50.00 (bid increments of .01) 5000 bids @ .60 each = $3000 If the person who won the iPad used less than 420 bids to win it ($700 worth of bids) they got a good deal. However, QBids still made $2300 in profit. The only way to get the spectacular deals they advertise is to shark the auctions and try to snag something just before it ends. But then again, everyone else is doing that, and every bid resets the closing timer. Oh, and it's not like eBay, all the items belong to QBids, not other people. So, QBids gets all the profit. Mac

"This is gonna' sound stupid, but..." and "Don't take this the wrong way, but..." Do these people realize that prefacing something with a disclaimer does not exempt them from the consequences of the comments that follow? Mac

I find conference calls very productive... for my Angry Birds fixation. Mac

Thanks for a great class guys. I can't tell you how glad I am that I didn't bag it from the hotel and decided to come out in the rain anyway. I learned a TON, and can't wait to put it all in use at my next local match. Mac

I'll second the Square Deal B. I bought one used at a gun show, then with all the extras (manuals, calipers, scale, tumbler, bullet puller, and media separator) I ended up spending less than if I bought a 550 machine only. Of course, I ended up buying a 550 later... and a single stage, and duplicate caliber conversions... etc. I have two reloading labs setup, one at my apartment and one in a buddies garage. BTW, make sure you get a bullet puller, or as I call it, "The Crap Hammer." That's because every time you put a case in it, you say, "Crap, I messed that one up." That is a tool you will need REGARDLESS of what style reloader you end up with. Mac

At the BitB, someone was talking about the Wii game "Reload" I've never seen it, but they say it's a pretty good static dry fire game. Mac EDIT: with the PS3 6-axis, Wii-motes, and I think the 360? the gyroscopic positioning would allow for leans, ducks, and reaches. The Move, Wii-fit board, and Kinect would allow for body position simulation. I still think the analog sticks would have to be used for movement though, because I think running in place wouldn't work as well as we would hope. (Although, no one on this forum needs the cardio worse than I do.)

like a combo snap cap/wimote or snapcap/sightbore laser. that would be cool Except that single action and safe action guns would only be good for one shot. Mac

Once I get the mag holder on the belt, I chuck the end of the belt in my vise and pull, wiggle, and swear it into place. The P/W/S technique is described in full in the forward section of any Hayne's or Chilton's auto repair manual. Mac

At Powder Valley, I just ordered the 1pounders. Yes, they are ~$4 more per pound, but I'd rather pay a few dollars more than not have any at all. When they have the 4 pounders, I get what I can. Mac

I'd say build the rig for production. DAA or CR belt, Blade-tech DOH holster with Tek-Loc, 2 Blade-tech Double Mag holders with Tek-loc. Shoot your prod gun for a while, and you can even load up full and shoot LTD-minor (assuming it's a 9mm). Then you could buy a DOH with Tek-loc for your Para and the mag holders should be adjustable enough to put the Para mags in. Everything will be movable long the belt to switch back and forth until you find which division you prefer. Once you make the decision, you would have a full rig for Prod, or possibly change the mag holders to CR's later for LTD. A lot of people are using Blade-Tech DOH even in LTD because it's not TOO much slower, and very secure for movement stages. Mac EDIT: Pro-Pain above has it better, use CR mag pouches. Buy 4. You will only need 3 for LTD, but having an extra on the belt won't hurt. Then you'll just switch back and forth on the DOH holsters. Don't know why I didn't mention this, since I run CR's on my Prod and LTD rigs.

"If that thing was in my neighborhood, the council would tell me to take it down, it's a death-trap." - Karl Pilkington Brilliant. Mac

Another option is to get a shooting/reloading partner. Not only can you split the costs of the gear, but you can also buy larger amounts of components (lowering costs by buying bulk.) My buddy and I have a lab setup in his garage with 5 reloaders, 3 tumblers, conversion kits and dies for about 35 calibers, and STACKS of components. Plus, it's great to spend time with friends reloading and shooting the bull. Mac

FWIW, you can get a complete used rig (gun, mags, belt, etc.) from high end builders for substantially less if you keep your eyes on the classifieds here and the USPSA website. Many times, that ends up being better in that the used guns typically are backups that have already been tested and tuned. My used Open rig fully ready to rock was about $1800 complete. Mac

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd - The Wall Eagles - Eagles Greatest Hits Vol 1 Eric Claptop - Timepieces U2 - 18 My criteria is pretty simple. If I can put the CD in my truck and not skip tracks, it's good to go. Syncronicity and Brand New Day from the Police\Sting also make it very high on the list, as well as Continuum from Mayer and Songs You Know By Heart from Buffett. Mac

I tried using POV and hat-cams from youtube and on other's DVD's, but the perspective is always off, the gun movement is always in the way, and sometimes the camera has a wonderful view of the ground during a reload. What I did was use my HD vid-cam on a tripod and static arrays of swingers, poppers, metric and classic targets, etc. Then I used my timer for the start signal and par times. Most of what I've setup is from Classifiers since there is no movement. It's really boring to watch as a movie, but strap on the rig and press play and you're off to the races. I have 3 par times for each array: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and that's all menu driven at the beginning of the DVD. For warmup, I use the beginner, then once I've run through all the arrays, I move to intermediate. I don't really play with Advanced yet, because, honestly, I miss the par times on Intermediate about 90% of the time. The beauty part is since I'm now in an apartment instead of my old house, I don't have to tape up targets all over the place every time I want to do some practice. I think it flows pretty well, but that's just me. Mac

Looking forward to this class. Oh, and I'll still be the fat, bald guy in the red Glock rig. Mac

A flattop would offer you the best choices in the long run, but personally, I'd take the scope off your current AR, get the 930, and spend the other 2-300 on ammo and match fees. Spend some time with the more experienced shooters and see what they are running. Find your weaknesses gear-wise, and work to correct those over the long haul. I know for me, when I first got started, it was not my gear that hindered me from progressing. Mac

Corey and Mike and everyone else involved, thanks for another fantastic match. I only had 2 people laugh and point at my red rig, so for the next match, I'll duracoat my Glock in red and black tiger stripe. We'll see if that works. It was great putting some faces to names as well. Mac

I won't be hard to spot. Fat bald guy in a Benos shirt with McAllyn on the back and a red DAA rig. Feel free to point and laugh.Mac