vincent

How many different ways did you see shooters prepare for a stage? Where folks using stop watches as part of stage prep? What kind of head games did you notice the super squad members playing during the match?

I got my Edge from Dawson Precision. They tune it up a bit and I had the Aftec exctractor, Bomar rear sight, Dawson front sight, ICE magwell, and trigger job all done before it was shipped to me (these were the recommended upgrades from the Dawson sales rep). The gun ran great from day one using some borrowed magazines (see below on magazines). I got mine with the stainless guide rod as the Recoilmaster was not proven at the time. The only problems I had were with the stock STI magazines. I had STI bodeis, Dawson +1's and stock STI springs/followers. On more than one occasion the follower would flip over and stick at the bottom of the body and make the magazine useless. Plus I had some basic magazine related feeding malfunctions. Based on recommendations from this forum I sent them all off to Beven Grams for tuning and with his tuning and spring/follower kits this gun/magazine combo is now one of the most reliable setups in my safe. On the hard chrome, I would wait to get this done until you have fully broken in the gun and are 100% sure that it is setup the way you want. After hard chrome little things like cutting the grip safety a little higher become harder to do.

Thanks for the tips. I didn't realize that you would need to hit it that hard. Luckily I almost never need to pull a bullet so this isn't a common issue.

I was trying to pull a bullet on one of my 38 Super cartridges this weekend and could not get it to work worth a darn. It is the Dillon kinetic bullet puller. I have 3 parts - the main large plastic "hammer part, the small collet that holds the bullet, and the cap that holds the collet in place on the end of the "hammer". Am I missing something? When assembled I can push the bullet out of the collet with medium finger pressure. How is this thing supposed to hold a bullet tight enough to deal with smacking it on the bench. I tried it several times with no luck. What gives? Doh! I just called Dillon to see if I was missing a piece and it turns out I was not using the puller correctly. I didn't realize the collet was made to hold the case in the extractor groove. I mistakenly thought it was supposed to grip the bullet. I'll try it the correct way this evening and see if I have better luck.

If a person thinks that they can afford to not practice draws, reloads, and accuracy based on what division they are shooting then they have more problems than equipment. Everyone should have a foundation of good accuracy, draws, and reloads. How often you reload in a stage isn't an excuse to lay off the basics. ---------- Everyone's a bit different. You have to know what your goals are. I'm an accomplished IDPA shooter, did OK in Limited, and have lots of experience with iron sights. I think that shooting Open will help me improve more quickly in what I want to do next. Instead of dealing in generalities I'll put down why I went to Open: 1) The dot provides better visual feedback which I want to leverage to improve my ability to call the shot. A side effect of this is I hope to improve my ability to get out of positions. 2) The higher magazine capacity means fewer reloads and more options on when to reload which allows me to concentrate more on movement including moving in and out of position. 3) Everyone in Open has the same advanced gear which pushes the shooting faster than ever. I want to use this increased tempo to push my comfort zone up a notch. Only time will tell if this actually happens. ---------- There will always be people who think that Formula 1 race car drivers are slackers because the car does everything for them. These folks know that only street racers are real drivers. You have to decide for yourself.

I just had an Open gun built and the upfront cost of Open isn't much more than Limited if you compare apples to apples. And when you look at the big picture the extra few hundred dollars is a drop in the bucket. Either way go with a top gunsmith because nothing hurts improvement more than having to worry about your equipment. The reason I went Open this season is that I heard that it helps speed improvement as well. Now I've got the gun so it's time to do my part.

A good source for Starline 38 SuperComp brass is Angus at GhostHolster.com. He is using the USPS flat rate shipping to provide a good delivered price of $102/1000 delivered or $198/2000 delivered. http://ghostholster.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=32 What is the word on current runs of the Armscor brass? I heard mixed stories about it last year.

One note about USPSA/Limited is that you are more likely to have a gun with a disabled slide stop that will allow the slide to go forward on an empty chamber with only the empty mag to slow it down a little. I don't think the difference in reloads matters nearly as much as quality parts and proper fitting (if it matters at all). I think in IDPA you likely to find more 1911 shooters that are happy with a 3lb trigger pull and the setups with more engagement are supposed to be more durable.

The videos are great. If you missed them it is worth going back and checking them out. http://www.despair.com/spin.html

What I was told is: If it moves, make it light. If it sits still, make it heavy.

<quote>Other than cheap brass ...</quote> That is a huge reason! It's hard to beat $10-15/1000 for once fired .40SW cases. That's like saying, other than the fact that it's cheaper why don't we use more titanium alloys in our guns. Answer: what we are using now works and it fits the price point that most people are willing to pay. Also USPSA/IPSC .40SW "match ammo" is generally loaded lighter than factory so unless the reloader is doing something unsafe by choice there should not be pressure problems with a 165PF .40SW load.

Way to go <texas accent>lil filly</texas accent>

My understanding is the LASIK still involves creating a flap in the cornea, removing cornea under the flap to make the correction, and then putting the flap back over the corrected area. Some of the newer systems use a laser to cut the flap instead of a microkeratome (knife). I'm not sure which method to cut the flap has proven to be the best. With PRK the flap process isn't performed. The correction is done to the outside of the cornea.

I don't know anyone who has gotten PRK, but I know several folks who have gotten LASIK. Everyone has liked LASIK as a whole and have been happy. It can cause some issues with close range focus depending on age. I have personally been thinking about LASIK for some time but haven't been able to talk myself into it. Best of luck.

If I could accomplish one thing this season it would be to actually figure out some ways to improve my movement skills. I look forward to hearing more information on this thread. What I find the most interesting is what methods you are using to determine what works best for you. Thanks again for the info.

Heeellllooooo. This is the Hate forum. You aren't supposed to talk about your reliable guns on this thread. This should be all about hating.

It also sucks that you can spend huge sums on a gun and then have to spend another bucket full of money to get magazines that work 100%.

I've seen kettlebells that are over 100lbs each so I don't see the weight as being a problem for most folks. I've seen good kettlebell, clubbell and dumbbell workouts. For most fitness seekers the program is more important than the shape of the weight.

Here is a crappy pic of mine in the IDPA box: It is a factory SV "Cross Competitor" (ala Matt Burkett) in 9mm. Everything is 100% SV. At the time I didn't shoot USPSA so I didn't think of getting it in .40. This gun runs great and is super accurate. The key thing for IDPA is getting a magwell and magazine/basepads that fit in the box. A factory SV magwell with SV 124mm mags and SV aluminum wedge basepads works great (as you can see in the pic). The gun has clearance on all sides and is easy to get out of the box for stages with a box start. I recently got an Open gun from Derek and would recommend his work too.

"lil filly" LOL. I've got to try and remember that one!

I agree with Ted on this one. What is "defensive" is determined by what is making one use thier weapon not on what one does after the decision to use them. Once the fight as begun one should be as aggressive as needed to survive the situation. The direction your moving has nothing to do with it. IDPA scenarios always start after the decision to shoot therefore that is not in the picture.

I took the DMZ tour in 1988 and it was interesting. Coming up from Seoul through the tank walls and seeing the big charges ready to fire and seal up the road makes you think. It was fun watching us watch them and them watch us. I also enjoyed the stories of the mini-battles in the negotiation rooms over the height of the flags. Too funny. Well worth the time if you can make it.

I'm just coming out of a period of burnout. At least I think I'm coming out of it I am switching to Open to drum up some excitement. The "new-ness" of it all makes it seem more interesting for awhile. I'll probably shoot more for fun this year than previously but I do plan on doing some real practice as well. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks for the great work!

Looks legal to me. Of course I've been shooting one in IDPA for a couple years. Matt Burkett has as well. I would be very suprised if it were a problem.