CC712400

One of the guys I shoot with was trying this and he seemed pretty happy with it. I tried it and I didn't particularly like it because I kept accidentally hitting the release.

Best I can tell, to do the full monty it seems like barrel, magazines, and extractor tuning. Some folks fit a new comp and barrel set so they can go back and forth, but not sure if they have a second extractor too. Other seem to just run the 9 in the 38 gun and say it works fine. Seems like minimum for a "proper" conversion would be a barrel and reliability modifications (mag spacers and a new or tuned extractor).

First time I bought primers from Widener's they didn't ask for info, but then the second time (earlier this year) they asked for a copy of the driver's license. I just emailed them a pdf copy from a scanner. You can buy stuff in bulk, and even with shipping and Hazmat, it can come out to better prices than you can find them locally. Powder is a lot tougher though, especially when you don't have a load in mind already. If you already have bullets in hand or a bullet weight you want to load for, you can probably narrow down what powder speed you need. I downloaded a copy of the Hodgdon burn rate (google "powder burn rate") so that I could compare burn rates and find substitutes. http://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/Burn%20Rates_121211.pdf

At a local match, on a fairly simple stage; T1-3 from box A, T5-6 from box B, and T4 somewhere outside of and between boxes A and B. Straightforward enough. Start shooting, and right after T3 I feel that the gun isn't in battery even before going to T4. Still being 100% in the zone, I cycle out the round even before transitioning to the target, and engage T4 just in time to remember that I'm still standing squarely in box A. Two procedurals and a lesson that missing isn't the only thing you can't do fast enough...

I have a large quantity of 100gr bullets and Bullseye powder. Trying to see if anyone has successfully used very light weights with relatively fast powders. Compensated open gun, looking for major PF.

Sitting on a good pile of lightweight (100gr) frangible bullets (.355) and about to start loading for 38Super/comp, just looking around to see what experience people have with loading lightweight projectiles in relatively "big" cases. What is the fastest burning powder people here are using for 38Super/comp, how about lightest bullets?

I don't like changing a plan once I'm on deck. Unless I have at least one shooter between me and the buzzer, I'm not doing any tweaking. I've had way too many last minute switches that turned into train wrecks because I forgot to incorporate a reload, or forgot to make sure a target is engaged from a particular spot. I find it helps to have a rule for how long before (no more changing once I'm called on deck, in the hole, etc), keeps me from spontaneously deciding that I actually "have enough time."

I shot production and single stack for two years, and after a little improvement I stagnated. Switching to limited changed everything around and has made me a better shooter all around, even going back to production. That said, it definitely takes a few draw-and-dry-fire exercises to make sure I remember which gun I'm shooting.

I find that AR magazines use up a lot of space, and don't add much. A 40rd mag in the gun should cover almost all stages, and a 30rd mag as an emergency backup in the back pocket is fine. I keep four to six, 4 count shotshell holders, two or three pistol magazines (double stack 15rd, in a double mag carrier and one single carrier), and my pistol holster. Fully loaded, my belt carries: 6x(4 count) shell holders = 24 shells + 8 in the gun = 32 shot shells. 40rd mag + 30rd mag back up = 70 rifle rounds. 3x(15rd mag) = 45 pistol rounds + 16 in pistol = 61 pistol rounds. That's a lot of ammo... Pistol holsters should have enough retention to hold it in while running, regardless of whether or not it is "locked" in place. Unless you don't plan on running between shooting positions.....

I shoot a variant 1 full size USP in 9mm with LPA fiber optics.

I've got an early HK USP in 9mm that's been dry fired for years and years (probably 6 digit dry-firings?) with no problem. Snap caps aren't bad things to own though, and if you're worried about it, snap caps can't hurt.

Had a squib this weekend too. Was lucky in a different way though. Mine happened on the first of two shots on a target that was 5ft away, so I'd already pulled the trigger for the next shot. The lucky part was that the squib had just barely moved into the barrel, and it was still occupying the space where the bullet on the subsequent round should have been. The result was that it failed to go into battery. If it hadn't done that, I would've been a very unhappy camper...

I think the big difference between insurance shot and make up shots are in the name. Make-up shots are taken after the fact, once you either called a bad shot, or saw a target with too few holes in it. Insurance shots are shots you were planning on taking before you even line up your sights on the target. First time I ever shot at 100yd at a match was from an angle, at 1/2 and 1/3 scale targets, with irons. Before coming to the line, I KNEW I was going to take three shots at all of the partial scale targets. I had quite a few targets with three holes in them, and none with only one, but there were certainly a few that only had two... Fundamentally though, most people probably use insurance shots like a crutch, in the same way that looking for holes in paper and listening for the sound of steel are too.

If ambidextrous controls were more prevalent, I would probably opt to shoot left handed to make use of my left eye dominance. With an AR that's set up for right handed operation, I'd rather forgo the little bit of clarity in favor of more familiar and consistent controls. I find that at close range (with a red dot on my AR) the issue of clarity doesn't seem to be a big deal, and while shooting at long range I close my dominant eye.

It would be interesting to see for sure. Personally, I don't imagine it would change much. I don't know any Limited shooters who just are sitting on "Lim-legal" Saiga's, and I don't see more than one or two shooters turning out to an event that allowed them, especially with the mag cap. With a 5rd cap, I imagine that tube guns would do better, especially in experienced hands on short stages. Make it advantageous (allow 8+1), and there's going to be a lot of angry tube-gun folks running around.

If going first ends up being something that just happens (and that you can't prevent, such as in a 'random' system) then learn to embrace it when it happens. I've been shooting for just over a year now, and at our last local match, I ended up going second on both stages, while scorekeeping the rest of the time. I accepted it, took an extra minute to be sure I wasn't missing any targets, and just shot them. Ended up shooting my best runs for the last few months. Find the good things in what you get. For me, going first this week meant that I didn't have time to get anxious about being last.

I would think that recognizing the problem is the hardest part. If you've got a partner with you during practice, ask them to throw a couple curve balls by letting them load your magazines. While doing other drills, your partner has license to plant a dummy round or snap cap in a magazine. Building the muscle memory for tap-rack-bang will shave a good couple tenths of seconds. Cutting out the "WTF is going on?" reaction may save complete seconds. You won't practice eliminating the WTF factor if you're anticipating the failure. Also, you can load different numbers of rounds in the magazines.

I've had a few unhappy ones, even a few scary ones, but more attention to detail in all aspects (not just the loading or inspecting, but also in brass prep, and load work-up), has always been the solution. Plus, no matter how scary or costly some baddies can be, one look at factory ammo prices is all I need to feel excited about reloading again.

I slam my magazines in on my my USP, and it's pretty reliable about releasing the slide. For the rare occasions that it doesn't, my left hand is already moving to position, and it's easy to hit the slide release lever with my left thumb. Then again, the slide release on a USP is about 5 times bigger than a Glock. As far as damaging the magazines, I can't imagine that it would hurt it any more than dropping a half-loaded magazine, lips down, onto concrete.

With squibs, something does happen. TRB is for clearing after nothing happens. If you squib, and you TRB, you're in the exact same boat you were before, assuming that it actually cycles. That said, I suppose if you're digging up components you found in a stash from the 1950's, well... probably not a good idea to use that for competition anyway.

Well, you're lucky in that the other 38SC shooters don't pick up their brass either and most of the lay persons don't make a habit of collecting anything but rifle cases(at least at our home range). Ignore it during the match, come back later in the week to do a little cleaning of house, and you can probably make up most of your lost stock. It would mean another trip the range though. What a shame. Not really a solution for away games though, and brass catchers don't really seem like a viable option.

I would imagine that fingers and 180 violations (especially subtle ones) are debatable reasons to yell "stop" from the peanut gallery. If you hear the RO say "make ready," and you can clearly see someone downrange, that's a "STOP," no matter if you're range staff or not. It's your obligation as a shooter to prevent clearly unsafe situations. In most places though, breaking the 180 by a single degree is a rule break, more than a safety issue (NOT saying it isn't a safety issue, just that the rules are a bigger thing here than the impending bodily harm of starting a shooter with someone downrange). I think the real question here is what qualifies as a rule break, and what breaks the expectations of safety. To make a point, sweeping oneself is an instant DQ. But if you're holstering or drawing, you're allowed to sweep lower extremities. Are your lower extremities less important than your upper ones? Are you less likely to AD while holstering or drawing? Just something to think about.

I feel like I can sympathize, because I know that when I first started in the fall of this passed year, I beat myself up for every single match that I had to look for my results, starting from the bottom. I've been shooting since October of '09, and last week I got 3rd in my division at a local match. It wasn't a big win, but it was the cleanest match I've had since I started. I managed to nick one no-shoot the whole night, and I was pushing myself to the edge of my speed limit. I'm going back again tonight to see if I can't push that envelope just a little further. The best attitude here isn't a win-at-all-costs one, but one that takes everything in the sport with a grain of salt. Sometimes, even when we do our best and give it all, we still don't end up on top. The "2nd is 1st loser" mentality is great for pushing and motivating, but sometimes you gotta stop running up the mountain and let yourself feel good for how far up you've come. Coco's right though, show up with that attitude to a major match, and you may walk out feeling pretty bad about standings, even if you shot it to the absolute best of your abilities. There's a lyric from a favorite song of mine that I try and live by. One of the lines says "the next best thing to playing and winning, is playing and losing."

My rule is that if you wouldn't point-shoot it, don't cant it. This is especially true for sights that are higher off the bore axis. At the Wildcat multigun match a few weeks ago, there was a 100 yard shot on 2/3scale targets through a port that forced the shooter to cant their rifle. From that range, with the relatively high sight axis, there were a lot of misses.

Just re-read the OP. If that's your worst match screw-up EVER, I'm jealous!