racine

I'm posting because after recovering my chrono bullets at the MS Classic I found one lead loaded 1.126 and 222grs with a round flake powder (231?) in my batch of 180 gr molys. I don't know who's or what it was doing there but I was surprised that it had the same Truncated FP as my moly but a bit longer. I didn't know folks were loading them that heavy for 40 though I seem to recall reading that Leatham was using VV310 for 40 loaded long. I wonder what these cases look like after firing but I didn't want to shoot it our of my KKM barrel.

What I dislike are shooters who seem to enjoy mouthing off too much. For example, at a recent match the weather was warm and everyone helped with range duties, except one who sat on his ass and maybe walked forward with tape ONCE. So I don't mind him yaking but when he doesn't lift a leg to help that irritated me to the point I didn't banter back as usual. I actually liked this fellow until this match. I recently introduced a new shooter to the sport and also helped him with his first major level 2 match. I shared with him info on guns selection, holsters, mags/extension and all. Now all he wants to do is beat me. I don't mind that so much as that he is so competitive and gets mad if he does poorly or if I outshoot him. At a classifier, a new RO(woman) gives him 2 misses that another overrules to 1. All he can say to me is "...what a fat f*c#$g b*t#@h she was..." I was stunned and reminded him that everyone is new and makes mistakes. He comments that if they only allowed qualified shooters at big matches then there would be more room for better shooters. WOW, I am grossly disappointed and wonder if I've made a mistake? What ever I've shared with him has cut out a major learning curve I went through and here he is acting stupid. I'm deciding not to shoot with this fellow again if I can help it nor do I want him on my squad. Any thoughts?

I had a great time despite the warm weather. Water was everywhere and plenty of friendly, helpful and outgoing folks. Thanks to John Heiter for all his good work and the great ROs who facilitated the fun of the Classic. The crawfish n beer was great, the band great and the vendors very helpful. Thanks again to the entire RO staff, hope to see you all again next year... BTW, the 2 new shooters I brought along had a great time and both won plaques!

So how does that work? I want to shoot USPSA lim class but I can only use 10 round mags??? That's like moving into Lim 10. So will TSA confiscate my 20 round mags at the airport? Maybe I should consider shooting IDPA. What clubs come to mind for either discipline near the Simi Valley area? Thanks in advance.

My commment was reflective of comments by that old 'consumer reports' style gun mag called Gun Tests. They reviewed Pelican, SKB, starlights and 5 different other gun cases for breakage from drop testing, water leakage, durability. The Starlights came up on top with the others like Pelican breaking handles off and all of the others leaking. Perhaps fragile was not the correct term but what I took from it but in light of what I've seen on the tarmac, durability was my priority. FWIW, I purchased an expensive hard sided luggage bag for my travels and since 2000 3 airlines have busted and replaced those cases 3 times. Nothing noted with my starlights. Has anyone seen any new reviews or evaluations they can report? I'm supporting a US company built by scientists that also support USPSA shooting. As far as the Camera boxes, I'd bet they're labeled FRAGILE and heavily insured thus more than likely treated with Kid gloves. What I'm sharing is my experience traveling with 3 guns or more with these cases over a period of 10+ years not traveling to the sandbox for hard deployments. Take it for what it's worth.

Seems that the Storm is a nice waterproof case as well-helps that it, like the Starlights are US made. You probably can't go wrong with either. My only concern with the Storms are the large handles-I'd worry they'd break off with the rough handling by the airlines. They also have 2 extra clasps on either end. I just flew from Denver to New Orleans with 1 rifle and 4 hand guns with my starlight. Our bags were soaked (even my hardsided Delsey bag leaked rainwater)in the pouring rain on arrival but none of our guns even felt any moisture. Not bad for an 11 year old gun case. Remember Starlight advertises their cases to be waterproof so much as showing pics of the cases floating with a man on top. Either of these brands would be way better than the leaky and sometimes fragile Pelicans or worse the SKBs.

Just food for thought but a buddy of mine had a WWB squib load last year and couldn't load the next round. That factory ammo can be faulty is sobering. If a squib round had moved a little further down the barrel then one could have had a KB even with regular major PF.

Damn dude, another pearl of M14 /M1A wisdom! Thanks Kurt! And Barry...it is well documented that the best rifle for HM Iron is the M1A! Don't fight it just go get one! Patrick I curious what kind of a compensator you would put on an M1A vs. the standard flash suppressor. I would think that alone would be a great asset to it's usual muzzle rise? Miculek? Thanks.

I should also mention that I was hit with a 230 gr. lead slug on my forehead as I was riding on a pickup gate on the other side of a berm. A stage was underway on the next berm over and the shooter had engaged a popper and somehow ricocheted that over towards my head. I saw stars for about 30 seconds and a hard thump as I heard the slug hit the bed next to me. It drew blood under my hat. Whether that slug came from the shooters gun or from a loose round on the ground is unclear. What is clear is the velocity felt at impact. I still have that slug to remind me. No broken bones in my hard head but a clear warning to keep eye protection on at all times.

I don't know if anyone had mentioned an incident that happened this early summer. It seems a guest was watching a steel match from a reasonable distance( USPSA club in LA), when the copper jacket of a round ricocheted and tore his jugular vein or artery. He was rushed to a local hospital and underwent emergent surgical repair of that vessel and survived. This incident caused the club to review the protocols in place and it appears it was an unusually rare circumstance but nevertheless capable of happening. I don't know what power factor was involved but I do know when the power factor was in the 170s I used to get quite a bit of shrapnel especially from the 38super shooters. One particular instance was to my arm that drew blood from a distance of about 75 yds up a slight hill. This has caused me to re-evaluate allowing the use of factory FMJ loads for steel matches by non-reloading shooters. I'm looking to move steel to 15 yds for the non-USPSA matches.

I hear what your saying here but a DQ is still a major burden I have to deal with for a long time. In about 14 years of USPSA, I've had 3 and each time it happens I'm burdened with guilt and remorse. The first time was as a D shooter too nervous at the 1st stage of a major match after a year layoff and having an AD just after the buzzer. I don't remember the 2nd one but the 3rd one happened this last Sunday. This time I was relaxed and focused on shooting but the AD happened and I stopped, USCH. I spent a good deal of time repenting and regretting to the point of loosing sleep. I had stuck around to help RO, score and chat with some old friends but I could not hide the shame of this major AD over a berm. I might just have to take a break from this to come to terms-maybe even quit. Somehow endangering my fellow shooters or innocents is just too much of a burden I'm not sure I can live with.

Unlike some other competitors, I'm in it for the fun of the game. I run what I've got be it 1911, Glock, HK or whatever. Winning isn't everything.

You can use them but you'll loose a little velocity to the plated/jacketed bullets. Moly Magic gets them clean when you're done with Hoppes #9.

per SMOKSHWN; "If you're gonna be dumb, ya gotta be tough Didn't really think of this before as I had rifle cases on my brain but for the last 8-9 years we have been using Pelican cases exclusively to carry our gear in the fire department. A rough guess would be that we have well over 300 cases in service at any one time. To say that the level of abuse they receive in day to day operations is excessive would be an understatement. Very rarely do we take one out of service for a structural/integrity failure. Generally if there is a failure the circumstances are horrendous enough that there is always a " no shit there I was " story to go with them. Personally we actually lost two boxes out of a compartment when a door opened on the freeway and other than some road rash both boxes were fine and there contents were unharmed." Are you referring to firemen? I'm glad those Pelicans are holding up for you guys. My reason for the Starlights was based on an independent abuse testing regimen on gun cases done over 16 years ago by GunTests, a consumer reports type of publication for guns back then( and they support USPSA). They had tested over 10 different hard cases on the market and the Pelicans showed cracking and fluid leakage to the inside. The only case to come out on top were the Starlights. Nothing against Pelican but since they all cost so much I opted to try the Starlights and have been very satisfied. BTW, Delta is notorious for charging travelers for everything even going over by 1-2 lbs. FWIW, it's a good idea to read their travel regs to get weight and dimensional restrictions. Print those and carry them with you. I find other air carriers give you some lee way but I've never been charged extra for my golf bags, skis or Starlights-try Southwest.

I cannot fault an RO, CRO or RM for DQs that may seem arbitrary or nebulous to some of us not so experienced shooters. Some DQs seem blatantly obvious and some not but then again I don't do 2-3 national matches a month or travel from state to state competing and know the blue book cover to cover. I'm lucky to do 2 big matches a year. That said USPSA is a game, a fun game but with rules some see as black and white while others see in technicolor. Because of the emphasis on fairness and safety I've never before disagreed any of the DQs I've received-merely debated,listened and learned. What I wanted to comment about is that ROs react to what they alone perceive and everyone perceives things differently. I work at not judging one for doing his job, very well or just adequately, because he is the one holding the timer. To expect all ROs to have a perfect grasp of USPSA rules and regs is a bit of a stretch, though we'd like to see that. That said I respect any calls they make and trust their judgement when they're in the thick of it. I will from time to time debate if they've missed something but for the most part I have to trust they're judgement as much as they'd trust me with mine. To that end, I'd rather play for the sake of sportsmanship rather than just for the sake of winning at any cost.

I too witnessed this event. The fellow was using that old magnet type Hogue holster. Facing uprange, loaded, preparing to start when the RO stated "shooter ready." The shooter shakes his head no and grips his gun in preparation and slowly moves the gun up about 1/2" to make sure it wasn't locked then slid it back down. His finger was on the slide the whole time. The RO asks him to USC, and turns around to call another RO. The shooter has the weapon downrange now and reminds the RO to watch him USC. I was this shooter and I regret how much anxiety this has caused my fellow brethren... I have nothing to say except that I was focused on the stage and that I'm supremely sorry for this lapse. Yesterday in my disbelief I checked how much I move the gun when I did this and yes it exposes 1/4" of the trigger area behind the trigger but the trigger area no less. The other RO did sternly warn me and others not repeat this again. I can only surmise that because the gun did not clear, did not expose the barrel, I was allowed to continue-but I would not have protested a DQ. How many times do shooters partially unholster their guns in preparation for starting? That was the reason the other RO suggested he re-consider a DQ, that some other shooters had done this that he had observed but wasn't the RO to stop. At that point he warned everyone present to avoid this. Facing downrange, are shooters not allowed to do a practice draw as I've seen happen??? Again, my apologies to all present-chalk this one up to experience and thank you for all your honest feedback. DC

Flex I had an old army bud who did that to his car. He put 4 different car horns on his crysler (truck, VW, fiat, etc.) you never knew it was him honking. I do like the train horn idea but where do you get one? BTW, I moved to Miss. 7 years ago and pickups don't use turn signals here, don't stop at stopsigns, dump trash in the bed and wait for the freeway so it flies off, and almost always drive 80+. But what ticks me off is when locals pull over to the right, stop and without looking make a U turn while on the cell!? Or worse when they stop at freeway on-ramps to wait for cars to pass.

I think the Starlights are tougher and definitely waterproof over the Pelicans. I've seen broken Pelican cases and I know the airlines drop my starlights. I've had mine for 11 years and traveled with these( with 3 guns) and never had an issue even in pouring rain. The latches are tight but isn't that what you want? Learn to open them and it ain't bad. They do ease up after a while but still stay secure. With the case flat pull the latch straight away from it with 3-4 fingers. If you can't then you're gonna have to live with that girlie-man nametag for a little longer. I'm 155lbs/ 5'6" and can't bench 300lbs but I can do it. Better yet buy American.

I did some reading about 10 years ago on gun case reviews and what I took from that was that Starlight makes an awesome and watertight case while the pelicans, skbs, etc... tended to break and leak despite their claims. I've had a starlight since about 2000 and have seen it go through tough airport baggage guys, pouring rainstorms and despite frequent travel, all it gets are scratches, minor dents and great appreciation. They are US made and truly water proof. Starlight supports USPSA 3 gun and regular events. I'm on my 2nd Starlight case and I don't intend to replace either one in the future. Oh yeah, you will need to replace the foam cushions because you want to take all you guns with you safely. I'll put a SG, rifle, pistol, mags, red dot & mounts on my double rifle case. FWIW, none of the latches, handles and grips have ever faltered- and they cost as much as those imported cases as well.

That's pretty nice but a bit spendy. I gave my baby carrier to a friend a long time ago so I just used an older but big golf cart-bag and cart. I cut out the dividers to have 2 sections side by side. I placed styrofoam on the bottom. It was simple, easy, fast and the cart bag carries plenty of ammo, lunch, water and all the other stuff. The club cover zips over the barrels when it sprinkles and I place driver and wood socks over both shotty and rifle muzzles in case.

Raymond, Thanks for posting so many good photos of this job. It inspired me to do my stock as well and now I'm much happier with the adjustment. Racine

Steve, It's funny how we can sometimes perceive dishonesty. Left there it's just a thought. When 1 or 2 other shooters voice the same sentiment then that club gets typecast by those of us who want a fair game whether we are A,B,C or D shooters. I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt but when a seasoned LOCAL shooter warns me of such dishonesty and I see it first hand it's detrimental to the sport especially when it's a GM or M shooter who is running the match and the stats. I'm willing to give this club another chance this year but if I see this garbage again, I'm demanding my money back and never coming back. There are too many other clubs and shooting disciplines who I would probably enjoy better.

I can't comment to this directly since I've never run GR sights on any shottys but I remember Marty Hayes who ran the Firearms Academy of Seattle telling some cops that ghost rings were too slow. I actually find that using vent rib with a FO sight is plenty fast for me.

Mike.45, Dude, I followed your directions and fit a Speedfeed IVs on my FN. I'm pumped that it's easier to handle the shotty with my bad rotator cuff. All I got to do now is shoot the thing. I'm going to take my Remy 1100 and compare/contrast. I appreciate your detailed post. I did not have to use the copper pipe for the new stock though. I tried my stock plate/washer and 19mm bolt and it all seemed to fit well. Thanks again. Racine

I have both the Photochromic Red and Clear and have been using them for 3 years without any distortion in sunny, clear, cloudy and rainy weather. Just used them at a recent regional match without issues. Your prescription may be flawed-this happens from time to time. Or your red/clear lenses could be flawed? I'd see my opthamologist first and have him look at them-your optical centers could be off.