JWBaldree

I was playing around with a nationals budget, 15 stages, 3 day match, 2 days for RO match, 2 week foot print on a range for set up and tear down. Granted, I made a bunch of assumptions, because I don't know what actual expenses are but I went low on revenue leaving out title sponsorships and what I feel are high on expenses. I also assume that USPSA or the range has a certain level of infrastructure, such as canopies, ice chests, walls, steel, etc. and is not paying for everything new at every nationals. Looks like $390 per shooter is about break even, but even if I drop entry fee to $325 it's still just a $17k loss. The only way I can figure USPSA is losing $70k in a match is if it is heavily subsidizing the prize tables. No, I have never put on an area match, much less a Nationals, and again I do not have any inside information as to what actual expenses are for Nationals. This was just a mental exercise for me, based on seeing some level two match financials and MDing my own specialty matches, mainly 3 gun, with a three day foot print, comping ROs, and providing lunches for all and trophy awards. Feel free to point out where I made assumption errors or things I left out, you won't hurt my feelings. If the mods think that this was inappropriate to post, then please delete and apologies in advance.

I went through this exact same headache in year two of my Czechmate ownership. I tried all kinds of Loctite and primer combinations, and the problem just kept getting worse. VC3 thread locker was an improvement, but the end screws would back out eventually, within 300 rounds. I blind tapped the screw hole closest to the trigger so I could use a longer screw, but still had issues. Replaced all the screws, still had the problem. I took the gun to a machinist I use and asked about having him cut, drill and tap for screw locks for the mounting screws, a-la Mauser 98. He looked at me like I had 3 heads and said we just needed to add some fixed locator pins to take up the recoil load, and allow the screws to perform just their function of supplying clamping load. The locator pins for the MRDS's or their mounting plates do the exact same thing. We set a date for me to bring the gun back so he could do it while I waited. In the meantime, I was perusing CZ Customs webpage, and looked up their Czechmate mount. Low and behold, it has holes for locator pins already drilled in the mount, and the machining schematic is attached in the 'details' section. I printed off a copy, picked up some pins, and my guy drilled, reamed and installed the pins in 30 minutes. If I ever decide to ditch the full size CMore optic for something cooler I will be good to go with the CZC mount. Knock on wood, my problem has been solved since. I still use VC3 for thread locker as I feel it is way moar gooder than Loctite for small screws and it gives me a warm fuzzy.

Hey Chapo, quick Pro-tip on the Dillon seating die. I got way more consistent COAL using the round nose seater instead of flipping it around to the what-seemed-obvious-for-me-to-try flat nosed seater, with both MG and PD JHPs. One other thing: I mentioned that I was using the Lee FCD, which will not affect your COAL. If you were going to try a Lee seater die then disregard.

For reference, I run a Czechmate with 115 Montana Gold or PD 115 JHPs, 8.4 gns of HS-6, 1.16 plus .005 COAL, and range pick up who knows how many times through the press brass. My loads are nowhere near being compressed, COAL doesn't vary by more than .005, and 20k plus problem free rounds through the gun. Grams tuned my mags, and I bought a Manson throater and gave the barrel a couple of twists so that the JHP's would plunk. I use a Dillon sizer and seater, and a Lee FCD. I'm guessing you have either a seating die issue or a really inconsistent batch of bullets. The other obvious issue might be the auto drive on the press. No way is range brass accounting for the variance in COAL that you are seeing. I'm guessing that at your longer COAL's you have so little neck tension that the bullets are tilting in the case upon impact with the feed ramp and that is leading to your feeding issue. Figure out your COAL issue and the FTF will take care of itself.

I would hope this is not the case, as it would be a world class d-bag move. Basically 'We have to kill USPSA to save USPSA'. While one can make the argument that USPSA has been doubling down on stupid, irrational and crazy, attacking it from the other end of the bell curve with that stupid, irrational and crazy won't make anything better. I'm not making the argument that no one should criticize, I'm saying that at least make that criticism constructive and not self-destructive. It would be nice if the board would at least acknowledge the disfunctionality going back into the Kim Williams era, and at least make an effort to make USPSA corporate not look like the Boss Hogg, good ole' boys club, of the sport we all enjoy. We as members also need to recognize that we have received all of the professionalism / disfunctionality that we have voted for and paid for as well.

Agreed. The appeal of Top Shot to my kids was the exploding targets, slow mo video of bullet impacts, different and unusual guns, and heads up competition. Even as a competitor, there are only so many times I can watch the same game plan being run on 3GN or a USPSA stage, and after John Wick the average person is going to be yawning at GM level performance. I can see TV coverage working more easily for steel challenge and pro-am style events, especially if it could be made more heads ups racing style or varied like coverage of different holes at a golf match. Throw in some side match shoot-offs with exploding targets mixed in and maybe you have some entertainment value for the masses. You don't need to add personality drama, but some competition drama wouldn't hurt.

I opened up the survey, intending to answer the L10 and Production ones. I haven't shot LO, so my input probably wouldn't be valid. I only answered one question for L10, and that was a Yes for kill the division. If one's state is capacity restricted, there is a rule for that, making L10 a dumb division that nobody shoots. I then moved on to the Production survey with great interest, where I answered zero questions because not one available answer mirrored my preference, which would be to mirror CO with 140 magazines, as that horse is long out of the barn. As a former Production shooter, I'm not really seeing a huge advantage to 15rds, except for maybe some short and medium COFs. At best it is saving one reload per stage. 15 rounds means 2 reloads for a 32rd COF, instead of 3 reloads for 10 rounds. Whatever. I really don't mind reloads in stage planning. If USPSA is changing it, go with 140s. USPSA membership needs to first answer two long term strategic questions: Does gun/action type really matter and is minor the wave of the future? The first one has been debated to death, and much like Ds vs Rs politically, there are some unwavering opinions. Personally, I could care less and will continue shooting CZs for everything, including steel and 3gun. The 75 frame just fits me. For me, the bigger question centers on the role of Minor. Personally, i would like to see minor PF raised to 140 or so, to mimic most production ammo. Yes I know the subcompacts won't make 140, but I don't care as the subcompacts all play over at IDPA and not at USPSA. Name the last subcompact you saw at a Level 2 or 3. Having said all of that my divisions would simply be: Open: major and minor, as is. PCC: as is. It is keeping a lot of old guys shooting matches. Hi Cap Irons, basically LO without the dot. Minor only. HI Cap Optics, basically LO as is. Minor only. Lo cap Irons: 8rd major / 10 round minor. Lo Cap Optics: 8rd major / 10 round minor, slide mounted optic The above seems to cover all the bases and would simplify Nationals to 2 or 3 events. USPSA should also maintain Single Stack and Revolver rule sets for anyone that wants to hold a specialty match, but eliminate them from normal match divisions. Mi Dos Centavos, and worth every Peso you paid for it.

Yes you can run minor with the comp, although I would recommend dropping the spring rate a few pounds and stick with 115s or 124s. Tune the factory mags, or send them off to Grams and get them done, or buy the MBXs. After that, load mags, shoot, rinse, repeat.

Fully agree with this. I moved from an SP-01 production gun to an open Czechmate, and I could care less about mag capacity. FWIW, Grams tuned mags with Grams guts and CZC base pads. While I can easily cram an extra round round in them, I pretty much run my 170 at 28 rounds and my 140s at 22 rounds. They are 100% reliable, and reloads snick in with very little effort. While I learned going 11 for 11 shooting production, it does slow me down because missing sucks, and why would I want to go slow shooting a hi cap division? I also learned how to make a reload in under two footsteps shooting production, and I've yet to see the medium or large COF where I didn't have two steps to cover at some point for the one reload that I'll need shooting hi cap. If that load spot is in the middle of a COF, I'll usually start with 140 because why beat up a 170 for no gain? If you like the CZ platform like I do, pick some quality base pads and guts, and quit worrying about getting that extra round stuffed inside. I'll take 100% reliable over 99% reliable and one extra BB any day.

I had this last weekend, as the peanut gallery was getting loud over something or another and my shooter was having a hard time hearing my commands. No biggie, it's a gregarious group at my home club. I just politely asked if they could tune it down a notch. Problem solved

I dunno but my youngest daughter says her videos of me pulling a CTFTD (Crash The F To Death) snowboarding get more plusses than our match videos that she used to put up on Snappy Gram or wherever. I'm guessing most people practice clicking on 'functional idiots' or being functional idiots. Probably hard to find a Trainer for such, unless of course one earns a full ride scholarship to the alternative high school.

No one said there would be a test today. Besides, functional idiot wipeout videos generate more clicks on Youtube than functional idiot match videos, so there's that.

I think I have this figured out. Say I'm eating at the bar at my favorite Mehican Cantina and want to work on rappelling off of the barstool after two pitchers of margaritas. If I'm wearing board shorts and flip flops like normal and no one is watching then it would be considered practice. But if I'm wearing my Tier 6 operators vest and the bartender is offering critique then it is training. What do I win?

USPSA has requirements for starting a new club. If memory serves, you'll need to find ten USPSA members to sign on the application to USPSA for club status. If you haven't done so already, get ahold of the USPSA office or your section coordinator to find out specifics and get the application materials. Next up is do you want the club to be separate from the range or a part of it. Being an entity of and administered by the range is way easier and cheaper, as they would handle all insurance and accounting issues, plus any tax filings that would be needed. If the range wants you to be a separate entity, then be prepared to create a non-profit LLC and spend a little time with an attorney to get the entity created correctly. As for equipment, how many bays does the range have? I'm guessing two. You'll need at least 16 target stands per bay which means 32 if two bays. Which means 64 target sticks, 70 so you have a few spares as these are consumable. You can make fencing easy by using 1/2" PVC and snow fencing Run the PVC across the top and bottom of the snow fence and zip tie it in place. Use paracord and attach a cheap carabiner to the PVC. The carabiner gets clipped to the range's target cable system and you have easily moveable walls that roll up for storage. Figure six to eight wall sections per bay. Tablets are cheap. Buy one per bay plus a spare. You can thank me now for the aggravation this will save you over trying to paper score everything. Targets may seem cheap, until you realize the volume that you will be going through. And forget about about painting hard cover, just buy preprinted hardcover targets. You can thank me now for the aggravation this will save you. Not to mention the ass-chewing the range owner will give you for trying to be a modern urban youth artist in their parking lot or store room and getting overspray and fumes everywhere. Plan on an initial target outlay of at least $1000, because freight is expensive on these and really expensive if you just buy a case or two. Next up, find at least two more and hopefully five more people that will commit with you to running this club. You'll need the help, and sooner or later life is going to happen, someone will move, or burn out, or have a kid, or a wedding to go to. Stuff happens. Lots of invested people make running a club through transition times easy. Having one or two people acting as HMFIC usually means a poorly run club that dies through burnout or mediocrity after a couple of years. There are lots of sources for stages. BookFace has a group for that, and USPSA has a library of stages from majors. Running 4 stages on two bays is easy to do, if you put some thought into it. Start with your two most complex stages and have both squads shoot them. Then modify one as needed to make it different, and put a classifier on the other bay. Have your stages all drawn out so that competent people can build them unsupervised. As MD, walk the stages before you allow them to be shot and look for shoot though's and opportunities for range damage (indoor ranges hate having their walls shot). Once you have an idea on organizational structure, staffing, USPSA affiliation, equipment needs and budget, then go pitch the range ownership with a formal proposal. Best wishes for you. Building anything from scratch is rewarding.

That's my point. Despite the written explanation, 98% aren't getting it. NROI needs to further explain, or at least dumb it down for us. Trust me, I'm fully on board with words meaning things, speaking the King's English, etc. Which is why I'm having a hard time with this QotM answer too.

I caught the podcast this afternoon, and while in general I like the podcast and the question of the month, I thought the NROI group missed an opportunity with this topic. Right, wrong or indifferent, those of us that serve as ROs obviously have a lot of confusion with this, despite the answer that was written on the Blog. Perhaps NROI will revisit this in another podcast and can elaborate further on their reasoning. I did appreciate the group discussing how they discuss these QotM topics and answers with the RM and RMI staff, but despite that I'm going to say that 98% of us still aren't grasping the concept that they are trying to convey in this instance.

I'm of the opinion that match fees should reflect the needs and goals of individual clubs. Newer clubs need props, targets, steel, paint, etc, and that all requires cash. Either high(er) entry fees, more shooters or more activity days. The last club that I helped manage, we accomplished our growth through activity days. With enough equipment to outfit double the number of bays that it has, a solid five figure bank account and room for more shooters at matches, there really isn't a need to raise match fees ($15 for club members, $20 for non-club members, plus a $10 range fee for anyone not a member of the private range where the matches are held). As far as teardown, the shoot and scoot guys generally don't bug me. Where I'm at, some people get there early to set up, most help throughout the match, and some stay late to teardown. Does the new dad who snuck out for the first time in six months need to stay? Or the guy who's wife is going through chemo and got a free morning to himself? Life happens, and as long as they were at least good squad mates, I don't get too wrapped around the axle over it. If I forced all the scooters to help, would they really do much of anything anyways? We've always been fortunate enough to have enough quality help in my AO that I wouldn't want to trip over some lolligagger or restack the stuff that they haphazardly dumped without care or concern. Now the one guy that I can't truly abide is the one that when he shows up, everyone else groans. The guy that doesn't help set up, in fact he shows up late arriving during the shooter's meeting, doesn't help reset, won't RO on the timer or pad, has no clue it's his turn to shoot, and doesn't help teardown. Basically, the world revolves around him and his entertainment. That D-Bag can go find another match to shoot, because I don't want him at mine, and I don't even want to squad with him at others.

The one guy that I can remember 'medically' giving up competition did so due to what he perceived to be mental lapses. Older guy, used to shoot with his son and grandsons, he picked up PCC back when that became a USPSA thing. Normally he was the type of guy that one would consider a very safe shooter and an excellent squad mate. Anyhow he picked up two 180 violation DQs in a row with the PCC, and decided that he was just not with it enough to keep competing and bowed out because he was afraid of injuring other shooters. Last I heard he was still hunting and keeping active, just no longer interested in racing with guns. I haven't seen anyone who shouldn't be out there due to a physical limitation, though I have seen people recovering from surgeries or minor boo-boos wear braces and take it easy, just to see friends and stay active. I figure if you are strong enough to help reset, then you are probably okay to play within your limits. I get much more concerned over shooters who are obviously mentally off their game, and have as a match director questioned a few and sent one home.

I've been through this rodeo with my Czechmate. The two outside screws that hold the mount to the frame were constantly backing off, letting the mount slightly flop around. It got to the point where it start flopping like a trout on land after half a mag I tried blue locktite, red locktite, and both with locktite primer, all to no avail. I did some research, and found that red and blue aren't appropriate for screws that small, so I ordered in a couple of different flavors, don't really remember if they were green or purple. Didn't matter, because didn't work. Stumbled across another Czechmate shooter from out of town who was swearing by VC-3 thread locker. That worked, for about six months. Screws started loosening again. Next step was replacing the screws, as I thought maybe the threads stretched. Didn't work. Figured I'd try getting some thread bite where I could, so I bottom tapped the rear-most blind hole and installed a longer screw. With the VC-3, that bought me another 4-6 months. We have a lot of Czechmate shooters at my home range, so I asked some more. Nobody had my problem, but all were running the CZ Custom mount, usually with DPPs or a SRO, and no complaints of loosening mount screws. I'm like your Pops in that I have a bunch of old CMores, and wanted to try and keep using them. I talked with a local machinist about installing 'fatter' screws or fashioning screw locks (like a Mauser), but he suggested adding locating dowel pins to take the recoil load, much like the way mini red dots mount up. That's when I remembered that CZ Custom had two extra holes in their mount pattern. Pull up that mount on their web site, and you can print a copy of the machining template. I took that to the machinist, and that is where he located the pin holes, so if this fails I can at least buy the CZC mount and use a smaller red dot like the rest of the planet is now using. One note, I couldn't find the 2mm dowel pins in my AO, so I went up to slightly larger 3/32" pins. If I use the CZC mount, I'll have to ream those holes out for my pin size. The machinist charged me $50 for his time. At this point, you want to know if it worked. I just had this done a few weeks ago, and haven't shot enough to give you a thumbs up or down. Sorry. But it's where I'm at in my screw loosening saga. Good luck with your Dad's gun.

Cut off wheel and then bevel the edge. Refinish however you please.. Easy peasy.

I did this for my wrong handed daughter on a CZ 75 a few years back with no issues. Both gun and daughter are still going strong.

Because it optimizes the twenty inch barreled gun that the shooter already owns for the game of three gun. Just because the division in the game of 3 gun is called Tac Optics, Tac Irons or Tactical, well. what's in a name? It could be called Rainbow Unicorns division, but if the rule set remains the same everyone that wants to win will be running a 12 shot tube in their barrel length of choice, or the barrel that is currently on their shotgun. Don't look for logic in the application of Webster's use of the word tactical, look for logic in exploiting the rule set of the division of the game.

First off, good job on owning up to your DQ and the short-comings of your club, and for wanting to make things better. As to your age, I really don't care how old, young, male, female, handi-capable, or super squad material one is. When you show up to participate in any action shooting venue, the standard is can you do so safely; not how good or cool you think you are. I also don't care how old, young, male, female, handi-capable, or super squad material one is when ROing either. The standard is can you apply the rules fairly and consistently. I do kind of question if you are on the current rule set, when you say you've read the handbook and know all the rules. USPSA hasn't distributed updated rule books for a few years (rules available on-line, no hand books), and I've been ROing for ten years or so and don't claim to know all the rules. As an example, NROI 'got' me with the March question of the month. Think of the rules a little like Algebra. I can tell you A + B = B + A, and you can say "I read that, and I know it." But two or three assignments later you might miss the perfect opportunity to apply that maxim in a practical form in the appropriate step while attempting to solve a problem. When your teacher points it out, you respond with "Darn, thought I knew that." Experience tends to fix these issues and beat into us the practical application of things we have read and thought we knew. Enough zen. You are right, your club needs one person to serve as official MD. It also needs another person to serve as the match Range Master. Both parties are the HMFIC for their respected areas of responsibility. The purpose of the RM is to be the head RO, as it were, at locals that people can come to when they disagree with a DQ call. This gives everybody a chance to reflect on a call, apply the correct rule to the call, and make sure things get done correctly and hopefully without question. A good RM also walks stages before a match, hopefully with a trusted ally, and looks for potential safety or design problems. Think trip hazards, 180 traps and shoot throughs. Choose this person wisely. The MD's job is purely organizing the match, collecting money, assigning stage building jobs, supervising tear down, and getting results posted. That's a huge job for one person, and successful clubs have a MD that knows how to delegate and lots of helpful club members that are willing to put on a match. Note that a MD can also serve as RM. Either way, the buck has to fully stop with the MD and the RM, and the flavor and flow of the match will ultimately be dictated by those two. One final note. Spend some time on the NROI website. Watch their videos, and read the blogs and questions of the month. In two or three hours you can up your rules knowledge and RO skills exponentially. Maybe catch a podcast or two if you have the time. When you RO at your club, do so assertively and with confidence. When you find out that you made a mistake with a call, say "My Bad", apologize and learn from it. I'll take a ten year old that does this any day over a seventy year old that says "thats the way we've always done it and we all just want to have fun." The latter run the clubs that can be inherently unsafe and wonder why they don't attract new shooters, or wonder why some of their regulars have migrated to other clubs or hobbies.

Can one call a slightly delayed DQ? Yes; sometimes the shooter doesn't here the word STOP, sometimes the RO may feel that 'shocking' the shooter might make him do something even more egregious, and sometimes the RO needs a second or two to process the violation to be certain of it, and by then the shooter has completed the COF. IMO, however, the DQ had better be issued before the Range is Clear command. Now for the part you aren't going to like.As MD's you and your dad are setting the tone for the match. From the quality of the stages to the admin and stats process to the quality and consistency of the ROing. From your OP, it sounds like you have been equally inconsistent in applying the rules, and got a little upset because that inconsistency didn't work out for you. The biggest headache you'll have going forward is fixing your club's RO problems without making it look personal. Having shot at many clubs in many states, plus sectional, state, area and national matches, I can guarantee you that competitors value consistent, fair and accurate officiating. I can also guarantee you that the biggest club killer is being seen as lax on safety rules or club nepotism with regard to calls. Does your club have certified ROs or CROs that have kept current and that are respected? If not, do they have uncertified people that know the rules, and are respected for fair application of said rules? Because these people are going to make up your new ROing committee that is going to fix your problem over the next few matches. You should be working on getting the whole club up to speed with regards to the proper range commands, the responsibilities of both ROs (the guy on the timer and the guy running the tablet, both are ROs and have areas of responsibilities for the COF), and your expectations for how the match is going to be run going forward. Plus you'll have the added challenge of doing this without making it seem like sour grapes.

The new March question of the Month, about clearing a jam with finger inside the trigger guard while keeping the gun indexed on a target. NROI taught me something new in their podcast regarding this specific case.