Whoops!

It appears all the slides with the new style cuts are stroked. Which, honestly, is a great move for Tanfo. Better reliability and recoil characteristics.

Someone pm’d me the same question, so I figured I would go ahead and post my answer here. Didn’t realize it was asked here as well. I’ve had lots of both platforms. Tanfo’s are easier to work on and replace parts. More important than that though, it seems like the metallurgy is more consistent with Tanfos nowadays. I’ve seen and heard of way too many 2011 parts breaking. In the end, people can kick butt with either platform. If I were going to get a 2011 right now, I’d get a Razorcat because Lim’s use of gasses to control recoil is top tier and I haven’t seen his parts breaking as much (he sources his own metal to make his parts). JJ and KC both use Lim exclusively for their 2011 open guns. But, I didn’t spend the extra 3k (considering magazines as well) because Grauffel can beat both of them with a Domina. And with a Stock II. Tanfo has the honor of making a competitive open gun as well as the most competitive production/carry optic gun. And those are the main reasons I’m sticking with Tanfo. I don’t see myself buying another 2011 ever again. But, I will strongly consider the Laugo Arms Alien when it reaches full production. What I usually do is put the manufacturer sku into wikiarms and go with the least expensive option that pops up.

Right, because the entire sport isn’t worth the investment as a result of people like you.

Why would anyone want to get into a business where the people participating in it are so toxic and don’t even believe in what they are doing? Fear and insecurity don’t make a good customer base. It’s not that you guys have the only boring amateur sport, it’s that the business environment is obviously not conducive due to the mentality of the average participant involved. In this thread alone, we have three people representing firearm’s or gear manufacturers who love cheap advertising, many insecure retired people who don’t want their “hobby” to amount to anything that could take the spotlight off of them, and a couple toxic posters who would be just as well served by the Doodie Project. Also, to be clear, it is boring to watch most of you shoot. It’s not boring to watch the real competitors shoot.

Lol, auto racing is so boring. Have you ever sat in the stands? Thank god they sell beer.

I believe he’s talking about the width of additional metal that is left under where the dust cover was removed when it was stroked. If it isn’t low enough - it can impact the barrel and keep the gun from cycling the length of the stroke. This is all part of doing the stroke correctly and making sure the new guide rod dust cover surface is impacting the frame in the appropriate place. It isn’t hard, as long as you keep an eye out for what the gun is doing when you pull the slide back - making sure it is using the whole length of the cut you just made. And, check for appropriate impact on the slide and frame after work is done. From the pics, I don’t believe the OP’s gun will have an issue - it looks like the cut was low enough. But you should always have an appropriate gunsmith do this work yadda yadda yadda.

Older manufacturing processes left voids and grooves in the barrel that would cause drastic leading (especially with older, inconsistent hardness lead ammo - or modern Remington lead garbage) and actually lead to failure of barrels if they weren’t cleaned. Newer manufacturing processes don’t, at least not that I’ve seen.

Yes. I’ve seen a slide mounted RMR stop working as a result of recoil, but for the most part they are amazing. I’ve never seen anyone break a Holosun 407 or 507 and it’s what I currently use. I’m sure it’s happened???

As has been alluded to - Major is a bad powder for minor loads. Way too much unburnt powder, which, in my experience, actually does cause reliability issues. As for the tuning question - Use the lightest recoil spring that you can tune your gun for - (it’s possible to tune a 2011 to use a recoil spring that is lighter than 6 pounds, but you have to put in the work). Use the lightest hammer spring that sets off your ammo. Use the slowest powder that burns consistently in your open gun. Work the load up around minimums. The manufacturer never really tuned your gun - they put in a combination of springs that worked most often with factory ammo when their manufacturing tolerances were taken into account. There’s a lot of progress to be made on an individual platform that a manufacturer can’t make on every gun sold.

Sorry I didn’t have time to reply earlier. First, don’t think the answers are going to be impossible before trying to find them. Ask the people actually doing it. Try a survey. Most things can be fixed. Everything in business can be fixed. Personally, I would not have any squads with more than 10 people. Rather that means making more matches, or building new ranges - it’s doable. Hard - no doubt about it. But doable. And if we convinced the manufacturers to start throwing money around - it would get a lot easier. Let me draw another parallel - automotive manufacturers spend 100’s of millions of dollars a year racing cars they don’t even sell. Because they know the competition sells cars, even if it’s hard to show that ROI.

This is easiest to address in survey form. Ask the other people in the club why they aren’t doing USPSA and what we can do to encourage them to compete.

I said sporting bodies, not sports. Name some of the sporting bodies that run events with any of those and classify their highest level competitors, and then lets do a direct comparison. Before the thread gets closed, I’d like to add: I’ve RO’d more matches than I can remember. I never once thought I should get a prize for doing that and always appreciated the people who make USPSA a sport. You can’t have a sport without competition.

That doesn’t make mathematical sense.

I’m sorry the people you shoot with are too lazy to make more matches. I can show you how to easily negotiate that with ranges if you need help. That being said, they would also be more likely to help with that if there were more financial incentive. On top of that, I just looked up matches in the area of several people in this thread who said they’re always full. I found multiple matches with openings. They weren’t all USPSA, but part of a smart growth strategy would be converting non-USPSA matches. Print media is advertising for everyone who walks by it in the store. As long as stores have magazine shelves, It is not dead. There is a large part of the market which has not been captured yet, and I can give you business contact for the Vice President of advertising at SEMA if you need help figuring it out. So much short-sightedness. That isn’t currently causing any plagues in our country, right?

Don’t try to sabotage something without your real name. I’d like to know where your interest lies. Corporations are centralized planning. The firearms companies don’t allow each factory to work for themselves or source equipment for themselves. The PGA Tour isn’t run by a different entity at every event held. This is one of the only major sporting bodies in the US that basically says “OK event planners, you do you after you fill out the appropriate paperwork.” But, it is obvious that as a result of this, some event planners have grown to love that power. What they fail to realize is that sometimes, by giving up a little power . . . You can gain a whole lot more. And sometimes . . . That’s better for everyone involved at the competitor and organizational level. Now of course a lot of people would hate this effort - aka anyone currently getting free or cheap advertising. Anyone celebrating being the center of attention at local matches. Anyone who wants status quo and doesn’t have to work. But, we need to reward the people who work hard to make this sport what it really is.

You left out the key part of the equation - the speed of the swinger.

CZ style performs the best. 2 lb or less single action with minimal reset. Not a ginormous slide like the Sig. Not a long reset striker fired like the Canik. Can function with a light recoil spring like a 1911. Personally prefer the Stock II because of the availability, ease of fitment of Unica parts, and squared trigger guard. Also like that the Stock II doesn’t put as much weight out front as the Shadow. Can’t say enough good things about Holosun - but if you’re not worried about drop durability and have plenty of bucks to spend - SRO. If you get a Stock II, add a Hennings steel trijicon mount, add a Holosun 407c, and add Unica trigger parts - I don’t think you’ll ever be wanting for anything else and will be in around $1400 for a 2 pound single action that repeatedly goes bang. Just don’t forget to add the extra power extractor spring. I also like the SSI Nitro Fin.

If enough people are involved, more matches will be made. Weekends have Saturdays and Sundays. Show of hands for anyone who has 8 matches a month that are all full. If any gun magazine can make it, Front Sight can make it if they include more interesting content. Tests of race guns - yes please. The entire firearms market is moving upscale and it’s hard to find legit tests of the more expensive product. Show me anyone who bought a Shadow 2 that just wants to have it and I will show you two people, I’ve personally met, who bought Shadow 2’s to get into competitive shooting, and haven’t had a good opportunity to learn it in a low pressure environment. One is a bank teller that I randomly met while making a deposit. No s#!t. We are the reason CZ is now widely sold in gun stores across the US. Are we benefitting from that, or did we provide them a ton of free advertisement because we’re stubborn and try to approach them for sponsorship on an individual match level?

It did not. Also, had my first issue with it today. The mag feed lips spread too far apart on the 170mm mags (other mags were still factory dimensions). They spread to .360” and that width caused double feeds. In my experience, ideal width is about .348” Pair of non-serrated pliers fixed them.

I’ve yet to see you make a single concrete point, but eagerly await the day you contribute anything. Honestly, it sounds like a lot of you have a strong personal bias for USPSA to not succeed. Either that, or you want me to baby step you through a professional process. You either work for the industry that is taking advantage of it, or you are completely happy being the center of local matches. Good for you, it’s not going to have any longterm implications for the existence of the sport. I’m sure of it.

Never met Mike. Met Phil. Pro Am was a valiant effort and although it tried harder than everything else so far - it did not provide what the industry needed to see. Keanu had more views in a video of him practicing shooting with Taran than many of the trailers for the actual movie had. This thread was started from another; and although there have been multiple concrete suggestions - I know it’s hard to have the willpower to read and put together everything. Let me consolidate suggestions and list them chronologically in order of what needs to be done: 1. Nothing with the way the actual game is played. Rules remain the same. 2. Advertisements - gun owners should know there is an outlet for them to shoot competitions on a regular basis. Part of this is print media. 2a. No reason for anyone to buy a shadow 2 (Or similar purpose made gun) and not know where they can use it. 2b. No reason for gun owners to walk into gun and sporting goods stores their whole lives and not know USPSA is a thing 2c. No reason for a magazine already made by the organization to not be available to the general public. 3. Marketing 3a. Marketing surveys - find out how much the average USPSA competitor spends on guns, gear, and ammo, in comparison to the average gun store user. Find out who benefits the most from that spending. 3b. Find out how often someone who attends a USPSA event is converted to a competitor. 3c. Calculate cost to get someone to attend a USPSA event. 4. Administrative Changes 4a. Sponsorships for all major matches should be handled by the parenting body (USPSA). Funds should be distributed from that parenting body. The way it’s done now is akin to each Wal-Mart store negotiating with distributors for products. The overarching corporation has so much more leverage in this regard. 5. That additional sponsorship and participation money from the prior activities should be focused on growth. 5a. In a capitalist economy, if you want people to take notice, you offer more money - i.e. bigger prizes 5b. Everything builds on everything else. Now that you have more participation, more marketing, and more prizes - you can revisit the companies who were hesitant about supporting your organization before. 6. I don’t feel like putting this down yet. Too many sub points. Let me put down another question - why do you think Fortnite is allowed to teach tiny kids to shoot people on national TV and there isn’t a ginormous backlash? My answer would be money. I think the gaming industry is a terrible, horrible industry and this sport has the potential to teach a lot better practice and influence society in a much more positive light than those corporate jackasses in the gaming industry do.

This is exactly why it needs to go main stream. There is going to be something that pits public opinion further against us and we’re going to be wiped out of existence without the public even knowing what they did. At least give us a chance to stop that instead of just being an unheard voice. But, nothing needs to be gimmicky in order for us to have a voice.

I agree it’s been getting better and I also help local matches. However, it’s not getting the major changes it needs to stay alive. I normally anticipate these type of things before most other people. And most people usually ignore my early warnings. But, I always try to put these things out early enough for anyone who can act on them to act on them. And there’s no way we can even come close to comparing the level of talent in USPSA to the level of talent in the NFL. We don’t have anywhere close the capital necessary to identify and develop talent like they do. And, as long as the top competitors in our sport are making an average living wage, The general public is not going to aspire to be Top USPSA shooters.

Yeah, that’s the whole point of having elected officials in a not for profit right? To do the things that will benefit the intent of the organization the most. I’m not allowed to hold a paid or elected position with USPSA because of another job I have. All I can do is help light the way and volunteer. And I’m telling you now, organizational changes need to happen if this thing is going to last.

We posted at the same time. No one should be making more major matches right now. USPSA needs to fix that aspect of the way they do business before it can be a realistic expectation that industry will buy in and match directors won’t be suffering and busting their ass off for the foreseeable future in order to have an acceptable prize table and an appropriate amount of liability.