Bill Filiaga

Paint the targets after every shooter. How else can one be sure that the shooter earned a hit or miss. Its all about fun for me, I'd have quit shooting the games years ago if not so.....The only real issue I have with shooting back to back guns is the length of time I have to stand around, Ro'ing, painting, picking brass etc.. WAITING for my turn to shoot!!! The only advantage shooting back to back, that I see on a competitive side, would be if the two guns shot are identical in every aspect except recoil... Two different firearms ie. rifle/pistol. or two types of handguns ie revolver/semi the advantage not so much........Shooting back to back can also be a bummer, especially if your head is not in the game. You don't have the time inbetween to get your head straight. - Bill

I support all the USPSA leaders that really make it happen. Your local club officers, your match director and all those who volunteer their efforts and time producing awesome COF's. Not to mention the Section Coordinators and Area Directors. And don't forget all those certified Range Officers, Instructors and everyone who volunteers. Even the spouse's & kids of all these volunteers. These are the folks of USPSA- These are the people you are supporting when you pay for a match. I am proud to be a USPSA member and to be associated with those who "GIVE" to the sport. I'll be shooting with a lot of these folks at Nats in a few weeks.....it will be awesome.....it will be fun.....plus I will meet new and interesting folks....I will reunite with some of the best people I know in this world...... for a few days in the sun.......What else can a handgunner want? USPSA is not going anywhere and those of you who wish to destroy it or its reputation......kiss my ass......and good luck!!!

Im in the 50's, been shooting this game since mid 80's, there were several years where I burnt out and quite for awhile. Important thing is to have fun and meet some very cool people. The classification is not something I have really pursued. Knowledge and improving skill level is why I started shooting. Remember the higher you are classified the harder it is to stay at that level. Good practice when you can and shooting big matches will make a big difference in you skills. Taking a good class from some accomplished shooters will help you with what to practice, it will also save you $$$ in ammo trying to figure things out yourself. When I shoot big matches my goal is to stay in my class percentage wise. But I know my limits and tend to just have fun poking at the young bucks who get very irritated when the old fat guy moves though a stage with faster times/score!!! Goal number 1 HAVE FUN.

Barry, where did you hear about this new slot policy?

Chuck, I noticed over the years that the really good experience RO's do this and check the splits......I wish these things would be taught @ RO classes........

Don't you guys think that if your timer is picking up slide sounds then it is also picking up echo's...... I always try to verify the time is correct when running good shooters, ie. I make sure the last shot is recorded on the "BANG" and make a mental note of the time before showing the score keeper...... Of course this doesn't always happen with less skill shooters cause I am busy watching them. When Score keeping and the RO shows me the timer, I also look at the splits sometime you can pick up timer malfunctions if the split don't coincide with what you hear....ie very very short split (echo).... a very long split when the shooters cadence is different could mean brass hitting timer , sounds from the bay over, or RO accidentally causing noise on timer.....either way the situation can be fixed and made fair for the shooter if caught.

A lot of RO's look like they are in a purple haze after ROing all day in 100 plus degree weather...........I always watch closely when scoring if the match means anything to me..... Heck, sometimes I get into that haze while ROing, shooters paying attention have corrected me before on C vs A or that D that wasn't seen on the border line just off the target. Its all part of the game, its a skill set learning to deal with RO's......some shooters are GM's of RO manipulation, I have ROed some competitors and said to myself "CRAP" not this dude again.......... I have a question...CAN A RO ask for another competitor?

my quote button is not working..........

So she hit a vision barrier NS, with no other shoot targets nearby hmmmmm........ we need to have a talk ....... Seems to me you ruled by the book.....and made the right call.....sometimes asking for another RO may not be possible .....OH, so maybe your daughter could RO your wife instead......I'll bet she would make the same call!! Thanks for all your family does for our shooting clubs here in the interior.

I can't recall any instance where I absolutely wanted a different RO....However, there has been times I say to myself "CRAP" not this RO again.....But then I knew what to expect from them and went with the flow, there is always the rulebook to rely on with any discrepencies...... That being said, some folks just irritate each other, I would have no problem giving up the timer if I irritated someone enough to cause them grief or extra stress during a course of fire...........

No, we don't have a match ammo supplier. We are recommending that you ship your ammo to your hotel (this isn't Vegas, I don't expect them to bend you over). If you need an FFL, I would contact http://www.ranch-home.com/kennewick/ in Kennewick. They are a match sponsor and I'm sure will be happy to help. Oh well. I'll probably have to withdraw, then. We can't ship from Alaska, and I don't dare risk untested ammunition, if I can even find enough of it locally. Tom you missed out on all that powder and bullets I had for sale or trade.....wish I would have read this earlier......

As usual I stuck my foot in my mouth. I unintentionally upset some of our crew and am getting beat up about it. Hope many of you reading the forums learn something from this thread so that is was for not...........There are some very good and constructive replies. I am too old to and too busy to worry about politics.....I believe I may need to change my thinking a bit. I'll think on that! Sarge! you are wise and I do like reading your posts.

How do outlaw gunners gain range access without certified Range Officers? For you large 3 gun match organizers. Which are the best certified Range Officers to utilize when planning match staff? NRA, SASS, IDPA, USPSA etc......

I hate reshoots, seems the wrong people at the wrong time get them. level 1 matches sometimes test our integrity ...... especially for some of us better shooters......hmmmmm I guess bragging rights trump. And if a beer is at stake weeeellllllllll,,, gaming time!! Anyway, I always try to knuckle test every popper I reset if it looks or feels wrong..... I have never been to a level 1 match where the poppers were calibrated before or during, as to the rule book..... I agree, lets leave the rules alone for the next 10 years!!! I'll suck up infrequent aggravation, the fun factor is what matters and keeps me coming back for more......

Points to consider and lessons learned from this event. MD's do not oppose your RO's decisions when they correctly apply the Safety Rules. Rationalizing NOT enforcing USPSA Safety Rules has really high risks; 1)Someone could/will die 2)Club range access is at risk 3)Club insurance is at risk 4)Club reputation is at risk 5)More ammo for attorney during liability/negligent lawsuits Everyone makes mistakes. I thought posting this event would be beneficial to all USPSA RO's and Match Directors, if kept anonymous. Didn't mean to hurt anyone feelings.......

I ratted no one...did not use any ones names or who's club/Match I was shooting at.......NICK YOU JUST DID.....

Thanks for the Hi-Jack of this thread guys!! What a shitty week, probably should not be typing right now, a little liquiored up.......... A family member shot and killed himself by accident a couple of days ago, age 49......a friend, long time gun guy, hunter, shooter put a 45 slug into chest....... We have gun handling guidelins for a reason.....I don't like to call them safety rules because the only safety is between the ears... ALWAYS pay ATTENTION.....mistakes CAN last forever. Inforce these guidelines always, don't worry about hurt feelings or chasing folks away.....it aint worth it!!

I really hate Small Pistol .45 acp cases!!!

Ha Ha....some of you like living on the edge!!! Someday......surprise..... regret........ashamed.......hope........ pride.....hurt.....maybe....lucky..... wife.....kids.......dog.....neighbors.......only sheet rock & 2x4's................. Anyway, I cock the hammer, once in awhile (oopps) slips to halfcock, I rack the slide, sometimes I hold the trigger back but mostly not.......most of my competition guns have been dry fired in this manner at least as much or more then cycled by live ammo.........no issues. I like Bennie Cooleys Blue mags for weight and mag change practice...........

Its interesting that some of you think it is ok to drop a unloaded gun after "unload and show clear".....how about dropping the gun after "Make ready" before a mag is inserted and chamber loaded? Also, most of you know that things can happen really fast, RO's touching/tackling shooters can be as dangerous at the violation itself, don't you think? I am very happy to see that most of you stand by the RO's call. The rules are there for a reason.....all of them......especially the "Safety" ones. I believe that the RO did not want to fight the battle with the MD in front of everyone, but chose to use the situation as a learning experience for everyone off of the range after the match instead of at that moment...... One last question. For all you Range owners/operators, how would you react if you found out the club officers/MD's using/leasing your range were not following USPSA safety rules?

A well seasoned Range Officer DQ's a New Shooter. After the "If clear hammer down" command the shooter presses the trigger and quickly goes to holster and drops his gun. The New shooter immediately before he can be stopped picked up his gun. The RO then DQ's the shooter, as the RO turns around he is approached by the Match Director and the Assistant Match director who saw the error. Both spoke out against the DQ and insisted that the shooter be given a break because he was not told about picking up a dropped gun and that he was not DQed. The RO said that he DQed the shooter for dropping the gun before the "Range is Clear" command. Then turned to the shooter and congratulated him for his lucky day....The RO did not continue to argue in favor of the DQ, instead he let the decision of the Match Director stand and did not break out the rule book. What would you have done if you were the RO? Whats your thoughts on how the Match Director handled the situation?

All sports have officials that should be doing something else. But we expect better at the superbowl vs. a little league ballgame. Major Match means different things to some however; Level I is like a MacDonalds hamburger....some level I are like Carls Jr hamburger with cheese. Level II is like a prime rib dinner Level III is like a prime rib and lobster dinner Nationals and Worldshoots are like level III and a $200.00 bottle of Champaign It really sucks going out expecting a Prime Rib dinner and getting a hamburger even if it does have cheese.

The check the rule book kinda guy is good.....I was just wondering what you all think...thought I was missing something...since there have been some changes lately and I am old school.... I noticed that one of our clubs has a level 1 match listed as "Major" in several places including the USPSA website!!! Hmmmmm, guess I should inform the match director of his error....don't want folks showing up thinking the match is something it is not!!!

What is USPSA and/or your definition of a "Major" match? Over the past 25 years my impression was that it means a level II or III match with only certified RO's and CRO's running the COF's. Also, that all COF are approved by NROI..... Am I wrong?

115 gr Montana Gold JHP HS6 9.0 Gr OAL 1.145 Temp 94 Alt 2800 2013 Area 1 St George Utah 1480 fps 1487 fps 1476 fps Power Factor 170.7 I took two loads with me the second being .2 gr heavier, which I did not use.... The 9.0 gr worked well, they let me test chrono before the match started, it was 98 degrees, the 9.0 load Factored @ 172.2......Before I left Alaska, with 37 degree temps and much closer to sea level, the 9,0 load factored @ 169..... While I was there I got a chance to fire a couple of different 38 SC open guns shooting heavier bullets with different loads. My 9 major 115 with HS6 was very close, maybe a slight bit snappier...Anyway was happy with the load and the way the gun shot. I think I am hooked on OPEN.........