d_striker

I played that game last summer. I wasn't expecting to win as I've tried that thing at least a dozen times in my youth. I just wanted to shoot the full auto BB gun. Surprisingly, I punched out the whole star and won a cheapo GIANT stuffed animal. I didn't want it and neither did my GF. We gave it to some little girl.

I shot the Aurora match last Sunday. It was a great time with a bunch of really fun stages that included different options for movement. My original goal for this match was to keep my eyes on the front sight and call shots but that went out the window once the timer went off. I was trying to move fast and wasn't paying enough attention to calling my shots. I had something like 10 misses for the day and finished in the bottom half. I felt good about shooting on the move though. It's becoming more and more comfortable and less of an awkward feeling. The major lesson I learned from this match is that I need to slow down and only shoot as fast as I can see. I need to give more attention to targets that are 10 yards away and further. Right now, I'm not giving far away targets the attention they deserve. I hope the Pueblo match is a go for this Sunday. It's supposed to be a high of 40 with a 20% chance of snow.

while I can't comment on the Blade Tech, I can offer some of my own experience. I have a Blackhawk Serpa holster. The XD subcompact, XDm, and regular XD all fit into the Blackhawk perfectly. This makes me think that the frame dimensions are identical regarding holsters.

Thanks Frank. I really need to slow down and get my hits. I had something like 10 misses for the day. If we could take my movement and pair it with your shooting, we'd be a force to be reckoned with. It was a fun match and I had a great time.

Why did they question your Pf?

Here is some good reading with quite a few minor .40 loads. I've only tried Bullseye with a 180 lead bullet. I had to bump up the charge .3 grains from what was referenced in order to cycle the slide reliably on my xdm with a 14 lb spring. Good luck. ETA-forgot the link http://www.handgunsmag.com/ammunition/40lite_091806/index1.html

After following this thread and reading the same arguments over and over, sometimes contradicting each other, the only real reason to stay at 10 is to accommodate ban states. Is this enough reason to stay at 10? I don't know.

Some of those percentages don't add up to 100. I only added some from the gator classic in my head as they didn't look right.

Thanks a bunch.

I guarantee 99% of them would shoot production over Limited Minor if they had at least 3 mags and could load to 15.

Nice reloads. I'm new to USPSA as well. I've practiced reloads over the years, though. It wasn't until recently that I started practicing my reloads with dummy rounds (bullet with no powder or primer) in the magazine. I think that it definitely changes things when you have weight in the magazine. I've also found that setting the timer to a random start delay provides better conditioning for response to the timer. It's easier to respond when you have an idea of when the timer is going to go off. Setting it to random adds an element of uncertainty which I feel is better, overall.

Anyone know if there are any local matches midweek around Orange County, CA?

I really haven't shot jacketed outta it. I'm gonna get a box of Winny White box and run through it, but problem is, it's just a guess, as when I shoot the Winny, it will be in a match, no time to test, and I'm 500 miles from home. So, I'll be shooting damn near major in a production match. Where are you?

That's too bad. I like the two xdm's that I have. I will say that the mag release sucks to shoot in production though. Unless you have hands like a gorilla.

Mine shoots a very tight group with a Lee TL401-175-SWC and both Bullseye and Universal. What's your loading process with this bullet? Have you slugged your barrel? Have you mic'd a bullet? Have you pulled a bullet and measured it after seating? The accuracy that you're describing sounds like your bullet may be undersized...Just a guess. How does it shoot plated and/or jacketed bullets?

You nailed it on the head right there. Using arbitrary numbers, applying 50 lbs of force @ 40% effort is better than applying 50 lbs of force @ 90% effort. Again, my experience relates to golf...One ideally should only grip the club with enough force to prevent loss of grip of the club. This usually works out to about 35%-45% for most people. Gripping it any more than 60% tends to prevent crucial things from happening. A 90% death grip is not good. However, there is a tremendous amount of force required at the transition from the backswing to the downswing. This is where a strong grip is necessary. There is quantified data that shows a direct correlation between grip strength in the left hand and driving distance. But yeah, long story short, the more force one is able to apply with less effort, the better.

I do the same thing while sitting in the office to build grip strength for golf. Now it's for shooting as well. (People don't realize how similar the two sports are. The fundamental concept of both is to hit your target.) I focus on primarily building strength in my pinky, ring, and middle finger in both hands. I don't focus so much on the index fingers. I usually do sets of 10 and hold for 10 seconds for each rep. I haven't thought of holding for 100 seconds... Dead hangs on a pull up bar work great as well.

So you're saying that you can earn a spot at Nationals if you win your class (eg-C class in Limited) at a Section Qualifier? Slot distribution policies vary from section to section. Some do it based on match performance, some by volunteerism in the section, some by who asks first, etc. There's no single answer. As previously mentioned, check with your SC to see what the process is for securing a slot from your section. Pike's Peak Practical Shooters looks to be your local club. Contact them about who is SC for your area (couldn't find it very easily on the new USPSA site, though I hope that function is coming soon). Thanks for the great info. I have it figured out now. Looks like I'm out of luck for 2011. My only shot is to show up and try to walk on. It seems that a lot of people have luck doing this but I'd hate to spend the cash on airfare, hotel, rental car, etc and not get a spot.

So you're saying that you can earn a spot at Nationals if you win your class (eg-C class in Limited) at a Section Qualifier?

There are two different forms of the word "prop" being used here. No one has yet stated the distinction. 1.) As in a stage prop, ie-walls, barricades, barrels, etc. "A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is any object held or used on stage by an actor for use in furthering the plot or story line of a theatrical production." 2.) To support something, as in propping a gun or magazine as FullRace defined above.

That match was definitely a wake up call for me. I have a Viridian X5L coming for the bedside gun. I thought about the night sight route, but I've always wanted a light/laser. Also, I think it would be easier for the ol' lady to use, if she had to, when I'm not there.

My gun is finally running. I'm really liking how it's shooting. A 14 lb recoil spring with loads making about 170 PF are resulting in a really soft shooting, fast cycling combo. The front sight comes right back to where it left from, if my grip and posture are correct. I shot the indoor match at the local club. It was a lot of fun and I got another classifier under my belt. I had two misses on two separate stages. The misses were both on the first target from the draw. I'm not sure if I was going Alpha--Mike or Mike--Alpha. What I do know is that my focus was shifting to the target to confirm hits way too much. I was looking at the target to confirm hits rather than calling my shots. The first miss was on a Virginia count classifer. I knew I missed from peeking at the target, but I couldn't make up the shot. I didn't know that I missed the second time on the 3rd stage as the target was about 15-20 yards away. I have a match on Sunday to look forward to. You never know what the weather is going to do in Colorado, especially this time of year, but the forecast looks good. I'm going to focus on exclusively calling my shots at this match. I wish I had time to practice but it's getting dark way too early this time of year.

No, it's not automatic. If there are enough GM's in your division, and you shoot to a higher percentage (say you're a B shooter who finishes at 75%+), then that would bump you to A. If you win your class at your Area championship, you also get a slot. R, Bart Class? Are you sure it's not Division? First in any class, in any division, should get you a slot (President's Medal thingy). R, So whats the deal with section qualifiers?

You can't shoot a P220 in Single Stack. Try telling the newbie that shows up with his XD how he's on an even playing field with the guy that has a $3500 2011 in his holster, even if they both have only 10 in their mags. Even if it is true, they're not going to believe it. It's the same thing that people think/say when I'm shooting an Open gun and they comment how much easier it must be...then I'll pull out the Production gun to shoot the classifier, and they see I'm almost the same amount ahead of them with a "normal" gun. The last time that happened, a guy saw me pull out the M&P and said "Oh, I can't wait to see this". I'd run the classifier around 3.2s down two or three points. I ran it in something like 3.8s with the M&P, also two or three down...none of those guys were even under 6 as I recall. It's all about perception, and the perception (correctly) is that Production really is an even playing field right now. R, Its the exact same for everyone telling that same person to load it up and shoot Limited minor with their xd. At least going to L10, everyone has the options of shooting major.

Well, there was reference to throwing them in the scrap heap.