Wakal

The usual suspects from San Angelo will be there! The stages look entertaining, and the team concept is interesting. We have been looking forward to this match We will see tomorrow if all the Range Control guy's semi-private practice has been enough to win...the match has been 'open' to practice the stages Tuesday through, oddly enough, noon today. Not in the afternoon, of course, when the out of town folks have managed to get off work and drive to Fort Hood, though Busy weekend...three days, four matches Alex

I'm curious what days the match will be. Here it says July 8-9. http://www.bulletworks.com/Online-Regisration.html Here it says July 7-9. http://www.uspsa.org/uspsa-match-details.php?indx=639 I guess BEForum is a wonderful thing and all, but it ain't a match if it ain't scheduled on USPSA...but it ain't the right dates unless it is on your own website Alex

Fred, Liota, and I will be up for the RO match if you need it earlier Alex

Own 'em both. Like the 1-4 for our game better. And if you haven't bought either, the TAC30 1-4 is half the price and works just as well.

I think one of the reasons that the Nationals are so expensive is that someone, somewhere got the idea that they NEED many, many RO's per stage and that RO's NEED shirts, hotel rooms, per diem, travel expenses, and a puppy (not sure about some of that ). Speaking with my own match director hat on (from the Level III matches I've run), just covering match fees (scoring the RO's with the rest of the competitors) and hotel bills gets enough dedicated RO's to make a match work. Two RO's per stage, enough "wandering" RO's to provide cover as needed, and drop the cash-draining travel/per diem expenses. Put the money into mid-range stuff on the prize table; the tables seem to be front loaded heavy and then mid and low level shallow. Even better, drop the &%#% prize table altogether and go to a random draw so THERE IS SOMETHING TO DO during the six hour wait for scores. Getting staff capable of timely scoring is a whole diffent issue The top shooters will be miffed since they won't automatically get supercool kit that they can peddle off, but they are paid to be there anyway and will go no matter what since...hey, they are paid to play. No need to lure anyone in to the match, damn it, this is THE NATIONALS. Back on topic...I think the Nationals are important because they are (supposed to be) the final crucible of competition for the year (I also think ALL Area matches should be held BEFORE the Nationals for just that point). How a candidate for President proposes to run them is important to me. I find it amusing that MV THIS year, an election year (?), finally got the Nationals scheduled before mid-year. Hmmm...not important enought to take care of his ONE enumerated job in a timely fashion in NON-election years, but...well, a coincidence Alex

None of my OKO has ever randomly shifted zero...in the middle of a stage... We have all been beta-testing C-More for years, but the "real" production model (with all the known flaws corrected) has never shipped Alex

Fred and I spent quite a bit of time wandering around the Briley back rooms the last time we were in Houston...they work on a lot of very old and/or very expensive shotguns, and do amazing work. We were both impressed, and we don't usually pay much attention to Fudd guns They, much like Turnbull, get compensated well for their expertise, but there is a LOT of expertise there Alex

Nothing to do with the scopes, no matter how nice...randomly gusting up to 45mph winds across uneven terrain don't care about your glass Alex

I noticed that...the DPMS "slick side" uppers are now tall, so none of the AR pattern sights or scope mounts fit properly. The "forward assist" uppers are still the correct height. Cornered a couple of sales folks at SHOT, and they told me that they made the standard uppers...taller...because the "distance" shooters were bitching about having to buy expensive mounts instead of regular rings. Easy to forget just how small of a market the three gun crowd really is...which is a shame, IMO. A

Yes. There are two heights of gas block (in the standard DPMS 308 line; you would need "low" if you are ordering a complete upper from them). I've used regular .750" gas blocks with that "A3" 308 upper without issue, though, after turning down the barrel (the 24" 308 stainless barrels are OK, but only after being fixed...down to .750 and chopped to 18" Alex

Jim or Benny both do great work for a fair price. Some folks like their products a lot (however spiffy they may be), and charge accordingly I use another "from-the-ground-up" custom AR builder, but I recommend either Jim or Benny without any reservation...hell, I just bought a Benny 308 for my own rifle heap Alex

I'm mostly worthless as a shooter (and only marginal as a human being), but here is my opinion of a few of the triggers I build up regularly. 1. Standard trigger parts, re-faced/honed/polished, with a set screw run under the pistol grip up into the receiver to take out as much pre-travel and reset as possible within the limitations of the hardware. Cheap, takes less than five minutes, gives a medium-heavy trigger good enough for plinking and cheap enough that even GI's can afford. Not my first choice for competition, but functional. 2. JP adjustable trigger. With a bit milled off the trigger tail to properly clear the safety when configured correctly, pre and overtravel set, light springs...simple, repeatable, solid trigger. I like these a lot, although every once in a while they come in over-hardened and go to live under the mill in pieces. For myself, I like to use the heavier springs to ensure ignition with the military ammo I use in practice. I consider these to be the "gold standard" of triggers; they have been around a long time, everyone knows them, and they seem to be the benchmark by which all others are measured. Cheap, too! 3. Jard. Feels great when properly set up, but they are a *&&*%$^& to build. I've seen a few of them "go away" and either become non-functional or...too...functional...if any of the five million set screws reset themselves. I don't trust them, but that is just me. 4. Timmney. Their drop-in unit is pretty sporty looking, expecially with the "lightened" trigger. Clean pull, nice reset, reliable, easy to install. 5. Wilson drop-in. Solid unit, feels ok, kind of pricy. Nothing wrong with it, but other triggers do the same thing cheaper. Someone told me once that Wilson only makes two things, little blue bags and money 6. McTriggers. I like the flat single-stage, although the new flat two-stage units (as seen at this year's SHOT show) were very interesting...the new housing is very solid, as opposed to the sheet metal of the current versions. The pull is heavier than the Gold or the Timney, but the reset is crisp and they work every time. I like these a lot. 7. AR Gold. Nice pull weight, great reset distance, horrible reset weight. I hate waiting for the trigger to push forward when I get my booger hook off the bang switch, and the Golds feel like I'm...waiting... Darst's and Jerry's have a heavier reset, but the folks at PACT gave me platitudes instead of service when I asked them about triggers set up the same way instead of...soft. Expensive, and not to my taste as-issued. I'll take a couple apart eventually and see what I can do to fix it (James did give me some tips), but they should be right immediately instead of only as a custom build for their sponsored shooters. Geissele. I have a two-stange in a REPR, and when I remember it is a two-stage it is great (that is all me, though). The Super 3Gun Trigger (the flat single stage one) is awesome. Acceptable weight, clean break, solid short snappy reset...my favorite in the high-end triggers! Alex

Just left a few months ago. Haven't heard when I'll be back, but "if" isn't in doubt only "when" Alex

It is really hard to get most shooters to specify exactly what they want. Folks seem to want to fat-finger a $2,500 rifle and bitch about this part or that instead of telling the builder exactly what they want up front...for a $2,500 build Much easier to spec out exactly what you want, regardless of source. The 3-Gun market is pretty small. I'm not sure about Jim or JP, but I know a little shop that builds 300-350 rifles a year, and only two or three of those are "real" competition guns despite the owners being rather active Master-rated USPSA guys who live for 3-Gun. Most of their builds are $600 "is that as cheap as you can go?" 16" M4 types with tuned (but basic) parts, despite being able to build a custom-contoured fluted PVD-coated Noveske barrel billet set under a Z6i with a comp that works Alex

35-40 yard pistol shots? FAR? Heh...good thing "that person" doesn't shoot the Texas State Limited, or that evil Jimmy character would show him what "far" is. Not that I'm complaining And it is NOT what you huddle around when you fell through the ice up north A

My long-term employer just told me (in writing, by numerical ranking if not directly) that my current duties made me effectively unemployable and (in their considered opinion) worthless, despite my direct boss and ('branch office') heaping me with awards and accolades as 'indispensable' and 'essential.' Go figure. My new goal is to snag as much cash as possible out of their education budget, earn degree number eight (and possibly nine) before dumping them like last week's leftover Chinese food and then sucking up that sweet, sweet retirement check every month for as long as I can keep breathing Alex

The NFA branch has been kind enought to "append" a matrix to my registered SBR receivers that have every caliber I can think of listed along with a list of barrel lengths and a note that as long as I keep one short barrel "dedicated" to that AR lower it may be configured in any caliber and barrel length listed. Now I have several drawers full of spare uppers. I seem to shoot the 12" .223 the most, both with and without the Surefire 556K. The 10.5" 9mm is cool, and some of the other configurations are fun, but as Cap said you will end up with some safe queens and one or two that get shot a lot. Of course, now that I have a 07/SOT I do play more with the short uppers than I did before, mostly for the CDI factor. I am glad that my reflexive anti-social tendencies over the years have resulted in almost all of my AR's having full auto carriers. Makes it much easier to swap uppers to any of my full auto lowers Our next crazy projects (now that the MP40 is together and running and we have converting AR's to a assembly line process) will be a Grease Gun, then maybe some Sten and Sterling builds and a M1A1... Alex

I hate that those people are allowed to get away with that crap. My crazy old man (long retired from a real job) works part time as a PO to keep from being bored. He tells stories of guys on their 15th+ drunk driving conviction, doing 30 days probation and getting busted again driving drunk a few months later and getting another 30 days. One asshat was picked up TWICE (more) for driving drunk BEFORE his trial for the FIRST DUI went before the judge. This country needs more ropes and people who know how to tie knots that have thirteen wraps, not more prisons. Alex

Dat Glock Foety...you gots to be a professional to haz one... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeGD7r6s-zU Alex

All the scores are NOT posted yet...Saturday is still incomplete (my squad shot all stages, but many of their scores are missing)... Another listing sorted by stage (instead of by shooter's first name) would be nice too Thanks, Alex

I glanced at the title and thought "...AR-15 stripper?" ...pulling off the scope cover...sliding the rail covers slowly down the rail...one at a time... Alex

12" suppressed AR with a PVS14 OK? Lights are for cigarettes Alex

I've filed "gun" claims with my homeowners insurance (Allstate), the NRA firearms folks, and Collectibles Insurance (www.collectinsure.com) Of the three, the CI people were the cheapest for the most coverage without all the depreciation bs, fastest to file a claim, and by far the fastest to pay out. I carry $200k for guns and swords, under $500/year for coverage anywhere (even if I mail stuff). Alex

I have been shooting my faux-Jerry 4" 625 up in Austin every two years, but used my beat up Model 28 for the last one. Hard to beat a big 4" N-frame using 38 special...now I use that to teach folks how to deal with a crappy long-ass heavy trigger (then they wish they had a 1911 ) without worry about recoil. I may use my Ruger Alaskan (although with 45 Colt) this year Alex

Yes. Have not seen a Nordic launch a tube downrange with a hilarious "spriong" and the gentle patter-patter of shells bouncing off the ground to the accompanyment of the shooters sulpherous yet casual blasphemies. Can't say that about the Choate, or this Choate, or the other Choate over there, or...well, I've lost count of how many of those I've seen come unglued. Pay the extra money, get what you pay for Alex