racine

Whose woods are these, I think I know His house is in the village though He will not mind me stopping here The coldest day of the year The woods are lovely dark and deep But I have miles to go before I sleep Miles to go before I sleep... Dedicated to a dear friend, fellow shooter, Korean War Veteran ( joined at the age of 16), diversely skilled, prolific and talented shooter, gifted member of Al-Mar's old shooting team, rangemaster for Douglas Ridge Rifle Club-Oregon, mentor, father and Marine- Joe Cook. Rest in peace my friend, you have crossed the bar and will be well remembered... DC

I think that your personal needs supercedes what you may "think others" expect over you. I took a break from USPSA and any shooting this last 1 1/2 yrs simply from because I wasn't having as much fun. I disliked my relocation to a new club that seemed to played favorites and had members with hair tempers. I haven't hardly practiced this last year and when I do shoot it's primarily for getting out and fresh air. I don't expect much and am not concerned I don't shoot in my class as I more for just having fun and some camarderie. My quest for A is on hold while I take up golf and get back in shape. Worry not and pursue your needs... Racine DVC-for fun

I have been pretty fair with him and trusting him enough to buy his products. He guaranteed me that magwell to work from day 1 with the mag extensions I had. The only thing that got in the way of following through for me was Katrina. So now as much as I trusted him I'm stuck with an $80 dremeled aluminum that I can't get to go 90%. I want to send it back to him but even he doesn't want it back. I'll give him till December then I'll ask him for my money back and see how good his warranty is...

Well it's October 2007 and he said he was sending out a magwell asap sometime in July. I did get to speak to him today and he is having problems with his source of magwells with no clear end in sight. This may or may not be resolved as his take is [font="Arial Black"]that the problem is out of his control but that he has no answers.[/font]

Flexmoney, I'm getting a strong feeling this is an exercise in frustration and futitlity. No responses in the last 3 months from this guy (despite emails, phone messages, and faxes) and his verbal guarantee is meaningless with out any response from him. His phone message machine has been full and no-one is answering any of my calls. When does one start the "BUYER BEWARE" messages to all shooters??? I mean $80 is $80! Racine

I'm not quite sure what to do with the first gen. Novak magwell I got. I bought it sometime just before Katrina and promptly forgot about it till this spring. Well, my Taylor Freelances don't work with it nor will the Dawson Precisions. I tried contacting Novak but to no avail and just sent him a second email. I had to dremel the magwell to make the TF work for recent matches but as I recall he guaranteed the well to fit all mags. Anyone got ideas? No answer on his phone...

I have to say my biggest screw up was doing a 3 gun event at the very last minute. My work schedule did not allow for pre planning as I was struggling to find a relief worker who showed up at the very last minute. So here I go, just glad to be able to get away but I drive 3 hrs + with ammo I scrambled together at the very last minute. I had no plans to win but merely to compete and blow off some steam. Pistol stages went well, rifle coughed due to lack of practice and me using old reloads. Shotgun fubared badly as I bought ammo that did not cyle in an auto. In the end PPP killed my match and so I thought I'd share this. Now, I know what to expect should I get this desperate to shoot. New shooters, give yourselves plenty of time getting there and time to set up without rushing. Lately if I can't guarantee I can attend a match in a timely manner I just don't. It's just too nerve wracking waiting for relief help to show up.

Very nice match John. You planned good weather, good turnout, good refreshments and snacks at every stage(even healthy for you), efficient RO's, good lunches and even limo service between stages. Can you ask for anything more??? Yes, a repeat next year! Bravo! Racine

Basically, all of these apply. I prefer the challenge of solving stages and shooting on the run to standing alone on the range. I've got the love, do you got the love??? Lately though this has been challenged. I don't know if by circumstances per chance but I personally value my time off and if I have to drive 1-4 hrs to a match only to find it cancelled without ANY notice, I'm just pissed! To show up to a locked gate with 2-4 other cars also waiting is enough to keep me wanting to consider other sports. This has happenend to me about 3X in the last 12 months. The last match I attended was a 2 hr drive one way and almost 2 months later the scores AREN'T EVEN UP YET??? I know it's a volunteer sport and I do help when and where I can but these kind of oversights are a DISSERVICE to your fellow shooters. Am I being unrealistic, unreasonable in my small expectations- you tell me, but I have to admit, it is taking a lot of motivation now to get me to go back to some clubs... Racine

I use my regular plugs with Peltor 6's under a larger boonie for rainy days. My wide brim summer hat holds muffs under it too. Not too GQ for those fashion nazis but they're my ears and my head. AAMOF, during the winter when it's raining I'll wear a fleece beret under my boonie with the Peltors on and it still works. I've never had anyone, not a soul comment on my comfort preference in the last 6 yrs so I doubt anyone really cares( I sure don't). Racine

I too had a M4 version that to me was pure junk. It would group 12" at 100 yds and nothing the factory could do could improve on it. I guess what I'm saying is that quality control is iffy. Some guys get real tack drivers and others lemons. I lived close to the factory so it was not such a big hassle but still one nevertheless. Even the factory gunsmith's rifle would hiccup at local 3gun events, not a good impression on other shooters or for the company. You decide here...

Paraman1, Thanks for the offer but it may be more work than it's worth for you. I appreciate the offer. I'll have to consider the Clark Barrel Band to see if that works and go from there and let you know if that works. If you decide to make some you may consider selling it to 1100 fans as it does not seem to be an option available from anyone. Thanks, Racine

The mag tube was a 10 rounder in it's unlimited life but was shortened to 8 rounds. Back then the clamp(s) fit towards the end without any noticeable spreading. Since the shortening, even positioned towards the end, the clamps will spread the barrel & mag tube. Where does one get a machined clamp? Thanks for all the responses, they're much appreciated. Racine

I've got a Remmy 1100 with a +3 tube and barrel to 21". My problem is the magazine tube/barrel clamp used to fit my 28" barrel now spreads the barrel and mag tube apart. I bought a different brand but the problem still exists. Now I have no way to attach a sling. My question to some of you Remmy gurus is, does going without a barrel clamp lead to any match screwups, malfunctions or breakages that you know of??? I know that Browning had a pic of a similar setup minus the clamp. Thanks much for any and all assistance in advance. Racine

I've got to chime in here. I'm backing the starlights all the way. I've had one for the last 7 yrs and traveled all across the country with 3 guns(Remmy 1100, 20" 223, pistol with all sorts of extra parts, mag, etc. Even in the pouring rain my cargo gets to me dry and nary a broken part. Yes 2 of the handles take some work to open but that's manageable even with my svelte frame(150 lbs/ 5'6" aging), but then again I've never had a problem loading any of my hicaps all the way like some guys do? Gun tests mag ran a side by side of almost all of the gun cases back last century and found the starlights bested the pelicans! So this shooter values a good value, not to mention good customer support. Racine

Thanks for sharing your honesty with us Sam. Insight sometimes comes as hindsight and only then as 20/20. I took up USPSA for the love of shooting and then as a relief from the strains of my job. Shooting has bouyed me above the madding din of human competition in my field of occupation for the last 10 yrs- prior to that it was skiing. Finally my work took overwhelming precedence and eventually necessitated my re-location. Shooting in another section was interesting but what has caused my loss of interest in shooting has been the lack of attention to the new shooters the local clubs provide. I've traveled to at least 4 matches in the last 12 months that were cancelled without notice leaving me and several shooters high and dry. With time being a precious commodity, I've taken up golf and tennis to which I don't have to travel 45"-1.5 hrs for nothing. I miss shooting but I also value what little time off I now have. I've attended your matches in Glen and enjoyed them and hope to be back someday. For now I'm content shooting 18 holes. Racine

Actually it is the wind that sings Mariah. My family missed church today but I almost never did when I lived in the rockies. Being alone at 12K and seeing forever was church and heaven put together. I lived to ski and I was one with God frequently. I've thought and have been encouraged to board but having skied since '78 I currently am still in love with the sport. I would probably recommend a helmet especially if your in a crowded resort or like skiing trees and tight chutes. I personally leave the masses and find solitude in the high nowhere and then "feel God's pleasure" (Chariots of Fire). I used to ski with an open headset to my tunes which is a few more steps to heaven sober but with the crowds getting thicker I stopped. So riding a foggy or cloudy high lift straight up in the Grand Tetons with the words "...there walks a lady we all know, who shines white light..." upon my snow and makes me float among the clouds is nothing short of ethereal. Keep Your Powder Dry, Racine

One heck of an impressive shooter without the attitude you see with some of the other grandmasters and masters. He is willing to share some of his thoughts about the sport. I wished he was doing classes when I lived out there.

Thanks!! I don't know how practical that is when your shooting a stage and wearing muffs/ plugs or worse both. When I'm shooting I'm focused on the course of fire and speed. When I had my squib I heared a sound but when wearing muffs every shot is a poof. Should I consider another brand of muffs that lets me hear the actual shot vs a poof? I'm not saying it's not doable but it will take shooting a stage/match with a great deal of apprehension??? I'm at least glad the gun takes the majority of the punishment but that's not guaranteed either.

Don't you just love the Crazy Croc! It has got to be the best test of shooting skill/endurance and gun reliability eh?! The jungle run can go 70 rounds and they even threatened to go 100 at one time. My squib was my first reloading SNAFU in 10 yrs. Thankfully it was at an NRA Action Pistol match and the gun went pop followed by a failure of the next bullet to fully seat. I thought it was junk in my chamber or too long a round. So 4 tries to reload later the RO stopped me and suggested a bullet in the barrel and sure enough it was. If it had been in a little further it would have been some kind of a KB. Someone was looking out for me then. First time I shot the Croc I ran out of bullets practicing and switched from CMJ Rainiers to Molys for the match but didn't adjust the powder charge and I ended up shooting 190 PF. Not a problem for a 30 round stage but the Crocs are all 40+ all the way to 70. I got some serious grip fatigue at round 40 at every stage. Those Lim 10 guys got some serious reloading practice during the Croc not to mention they all looked like Bandidos with mags clear around the waist.

I know of a Master in Lim who shoots a G21 with Bevan Grams bases and claims they hold 18 +1. My double stack USP 45 holds 17 +1, though not the 20 +1 of my 40 sw.

So I'm curious, what happened with her arrangement with Glock? "If you're not interested in performance, you can still be a great internist, but if you are going to be a surgeon, you should be focused on technique. You should be an absolute nut about how to perform better." -Albert Starr, M.D. (inventor of the artificial heart valve)" "...I don't pay my ...nists to think, I pay them to do what I tell them to do..." Heart Surgeon quoting Albert Starr. My response- "...I'm sorry, I don't know Albert Starr, but I trained with Denton Cooley( Michael DeBakeys protege') and he encouraged his students to think outside the box..."

Phil, I think your best bet here is to contact Bruce Gray at grayguns@aol.com. He is, I believe, the guru of working on the HK USP and competing with it. Unfortunately for HK he has moved on the Sig. I also used to ride my safety but have been transitioning to dropping my thumb past it(no decocker setting) and riding on my thumb joint. This has help me comfortwise and seems to improve my grip and trigger feel... Racine

Thanks for steering me to Dave at Precision. I'm loaded to 1.225-1.230 and no problems so far. Looks like chrono time is due, AGAIN! I was doing just fine with n 320 but I'm using n 310 which is super fast. I am getting quite a bit of primer cratering but with the Fed. LPP I think this is expected. I also finally got to shoot again today for the first time in about a year and a half. Katrina put a real damper on my game, but I have to admit I also took up golf. Many thanks guys... Racine

No, just 230 gr. Round Nose with no wax grooves and a fat shoulder. My question is threefold. What can I do to facilitate seating the entire cartridge fully( crimping harder?)? Is using the beginning load of 3.7 gr. of V V 310 (fastest powder VV makes for 45acp to date)to 1.229-1.232 OAL too short when recommended OAL for 230 gr is 1.260??? I know it is a beginning load but loaded this short it seems to come out close to or over major. I haven't had the chance to chrono yet. And last, how do you determine if your close to over pressure using the Softer Federal Primers( I've heard that cratering, primer flow is NOT an accurate depiction of over pressure. Or is this false?)? Again, I appreciate your help and anyone with experience here and will say thank you in advance... Racine