Rob Boudrie

Milford Lovett Jr. replaced Pete Goloski as match director. Pete remains involved in the 2009 NEI/A7, and will continue to work as match staff. I had a long talk with Milford last night, and I have great confidence in his ability to do a great job as Match Director. He's already lining up range staff, and adds to that list as he continues to call in favors. We are getting to the point where some of the weekend times are close to full (details at www.uspsa.org/squadding). If you want to shoot at one of those times, you may wish to send in your application soon.

They will be effective after a comment period.

One of our locals returned from Afghanistan, and has been put in for the Purple Heart and Silver Star for his exploits. While standing around at a recent match he told me he felt more pressure waiting to shoot a stage than in a firefight. Interesting.

Bingo!!! If someone complains about the speed of results, and they are not already paying their dues by regularly working ar your match or someone else's, offer them the job.

There are two kinds of clubs - non profit "member owned" and "commercial". If it's "your club", the officers are answerable to the membership. If it's a business, he has no reason to call it "your club". The only reasonable reason to ban pickup at indoor ranges is firing line control, or to keep a match moving - rental booths, a clientele of "mixed skill levels" (sometimes to put it mildly) and an always hot line can make retrieval difficult.

Yikes!!! We you wearing glass lenses for safety on a range, or did plastic break like that? I doubt polycarbonate safety rated lenses would have broken from splatter. It's also worth considering some with side shields in case the splatter whacks you when you are not looking straight down range.

HQ got the postcards a out just a bit early. The system was coded to make the exams available starting 30 days before your certification expired, however, the notification included people expiring at the end of march (about 32 days from now) I have changed that limit to 45 days so these people should now be able to see their exams.

If you're expecting sympathy from the Caliban because you are a competitor, expect to find it between S--t and Syphlis in the dictonary. When the CA ban passes and classified an Olympic competitor's target pistol as an "assault weapon", state senator Don Perata remarked "If Olympic shooting is her goal, Perata says, she should find a state more friendly to the sport, much like Olympic skiers go to Utah and Colorado to train." ps: Senator Don Perata uses his clout as a senator to get an "unavailable to normal people" CCW.

I don't have any photos, but my setups CTR-02 with 18" 1/9 super light barrel (this exact bbl is no longer offered), JP stock with the bar at the bottom, Weaver 1-3x scope in a JP mount and JP conventional sight on the rail at 2:00 and a Harris bopod. I have the lightweight stainless bolt carrier and conventional bolt (I'll upgrade to the Leitner-Wise one of these days). I also have the JP ACOG but took it off since I wanted a true 1x for the short range stages common at a local club. LRP-07 with the 22" 1/11.25 bbl and a Leupold 4.5-14x50 scope, Harris bipod and ACE stock.

I've been involved in some the the prep for the 2009 season, so here are my comments: USPSA has secured the rights to a high quality, Windows based Steel Challenge scoring program (the same one used to score the 2008 SC). I have worked with the developer on data transfer protocols, and we have a single file results upload that transfers all details of match results (every time, every stage - not just aggregates to the USPSA database). If you look at the results for the 2008 Steel Challenge at www.steelchallenge.com, you will be viewing results from the on-line database populated directly from this scoring program. One of the reasons is has taken so long to get the scoring program ready for release is the need for it to function as part of a integrated system that ties in directly with a results/standings database. We also needed changes to support SCSA specific requirements such as membership numbers and a library of standard stages. We weren't going to fall into the trap of accepting a program that generated text files that could be used to easily post results, but did not have the structure needed for good data flow management. USPSA HQ is currently working on preparing the program for release (install issues, etc.) I don't have a date, but I can say with certainty that Dave Thomas considers this a very high priority project, and I have confidence it will be ready for the 2009 season that will soon be starting. The ranking system is not in place, but this is largely a chicken and egg situation. Once we have a few matches in the system, I'll be able to write whatever sort of ranking system USPSA wants in a very short period of time - and use all data submitted from the new scoring program (you can be assured matches you submit using the new scoring program will go into the ranking system even if it is not yet released). The USPSA classification system is run on computers at the corporate megaplex in Sedro Woolley and uploaded to the web once a month. The standings will be calculated directly on the server (with backup data transmitted to Sedro), so I expect the updates to be more frequent than once a month (most likley, they will be updated on a daily basis if any new match results have been uploaded) USPSA is very aware of the need to give members, and clubs, value for their mission count. The reality of the situation is that "doing it right" was not a simple task. We need all the ducks in a row - Scoring Program, database structure, upload procedure, mission count payment/management system, etc.

My wife got a full refund for her root canal, but lost the tooth and ended up in the hospital for three days being treated for a side effect of a medication she was prescribed for a condition she didn't have that was "discovered" as a result of the dental care. Good thing the surgeon the MD referred my wife to for "treatment of lower mandibular osteomeylitis" knew a bit more about the subject that the MD who mis-diagnosed her .

The box is not machined, but made out of plate steel (I assume it's steel since it's so heavy), with the sized connected by two hex bolts in each corner. This makes for nice square corners without the need for any broaching. Allen cap head screws hold on the bottom, the top is hinged, and it's painted with a heavy black crinkle finish. The only thing that messed up my plans was the large engraving "USPSA BOX" on the top.... I was going to try to convince my wife it was her new jewelery box so nothing would get damaged if the house was hit my a meteor. This think looks like it's mil spec. I'm only the caretaker though - it's my understanding that an Area Director passes his mag gauge and gun measurement box on to his successor when the time comes.

Ditto. I visually check all rounds, but the Case Pro has eliminated the need to check each round. I used to think it was overpriced until they sent me one I had to give away (match sponsorship donation) and I just knew I had to have one. I've been delighted with the purchase.

The Lathe of Heaven (the original, not the remake) Plan 9 from Outer Space (well, not really a top 5 - but a classic none the less) The various Godzilla epics

The NRA, and IMHSA are written into the NY law regarding non-residents possessing handguns in-state without a NY pistol license. The NRA competitions division has been absolutely wonderful about granting formal written recognition to our major matches in NY State so that we can have this base covered. MA law does not require "NRA certification" to become a MA carry permit instructor but, as far as I know, it's the only certification readily available to civilians that is accepted without question. So that's two more states that formally recognize the NRA in their laws or policies.

I had an oil change shop (a chain operation) break a $200 sensor on my Hyundai Sonata doing an oil change. I made the manager of the shop an offer he couldn't refuse, offering to take compensation in the term of free oil changes (I usually watch, so I am certain it really gets changed) until the value balances out. I was taken care of, the shop manager didn't have to get his district manager to approve a "damage payment", and I keep getting these zero balance bills with the "Senior Discount" field equal to the cost of the oil change when I take the car in every 3000 miles. If you were certain you'd be using that shop for the next 250 oil change, you could make them a similar offer

The should do both, and charge your card when they ship the product.

Is that the Gennessee Conservation League? I used to be a member there in the mid 80's, and the photos (except for the car) look familiar.

There is user registered at www.thefiringline.com who lists his location as "Western NY" and uses a screen name that matches the license plate in that photo.

I just bought a Dell Studio Hybrid, since it fit my needs for a small desktop I can use for a Linux server (it will be driving the results display at the 2009 Handgun nationals and be used for some other USPSA projects as well). $400, and fully contained in a very small package. On to the ***HATE*** - I Hate the fact that major PC manufacturers all insist on charging the "microsoft tax" and not offering the option to buy the unit in a bare metal configuration without an OS.

Just look at the correlation between advertising and articles and you'll have you answer. An upstart that includes gun magazine ads in it's business plan will find they have no trouble getting coverage, whereas established firms that don't advertise are never the subject of feature articles on guns. The issue is not "free stuff for gunwriters", but "advertising dollars for the publisher". After all, it's the publisher, and not the gunwriter, who decides what gets printed. They are instances of integrity overriding the usual business decisions. The Alex Hamilton article on the S&W shrouded barrel problems was certainly not something that went through a "would our advertiser like it" filter.

Their site and claims are bad enough to make it a crude satire of a scam .... and that's before you notice that the professional org and accrediting org they cite just happen to have their domains owned by the same entity that owns the domain for this so-called school.

I was thinking of the case where you are 5 of 7 years into the SOL, and make a payment before SOL expired. It's my understanding that such a payment would reset the last activity date and you'd start on the SOL all over again. There is also the chance that the creditor would take the position that payment on a post-SOL debt was in fact re-affirmation of that debt. No, but they could have re-issued you a card. If they did not do so, it was because the company was choosing not to do so, not because they "couldn't". I'd find a new company as soon as the mess is straightened out.

1. Googe for "zombie debt". 2. If you pay any part of the debt it will reset the 7 year "Aging" clock until it disappears from your credit dossier 3. You can make an individual agency halt by telling them they are not permitted to contact you, and that you may be contacted only in the service of legal process (see the federal debt collection act for details) 4. Never concede the debt exists and is valid. Demand proof - many times, agencies by computer files stating you have debt but do not have any proof.

Every January, a handful of USPSA members and non-USPSA members of the local gun club staff a USPSA table (offering an intro course to our sport) and a table for the club. We generally get 2-3 people to join the local club in the weeks following the match and fill our course. This time, it was quite different: Main parking lot full; overflow parking lot full; access road to the overflow lot curbside parking full; office building parking lot next door full (normally there is plenty of room in the overflow lot) Crowds so thick you sometimes had to walk edgeways to move Restroom lines extending out the door (I've never seen that before) 8 "on the spot" club memberships sold; 5 additional ones sold at the club the next Monday; several more expected the following Monday Loads of interest in the USPSA class - I've already received two registrations in the mail the Tuesday after the show and expect quite a few more Met several people wanting to learn how to get a handgun license (this is MA) - not gun owners attending the show because they are nervous. The show was a madhouse - Obama and Holder have really energized quote a few people.