MRevolutionIX

In 2001, during my first year in the Air Force stationed in South Dakota. I was fortunate to be stationed with a bunch of "gun nuts" and naturally their hobby and passion rub off on me. The main focus of the group was benchrest shooting and varmit hunting (prairie dogs, coyotes, etc.) For those that have ever been involved in the two, know the maticulous attention to detail in the gears maintenance and cleaning, reloading ammo to attain the most accurate groups and shooting fundementals. Realizing this now, I believe some of these skills has stuck with me and has helped me get to where I am now. Like all members in the military... People come and go. I soon find myself being the last member of the group and eventually sell off all the guns, reloading gear and anything associated with shooting to fund other hobbies I picked up. Fast forward to 2010 while stationed in Utah. I meet a 2nd Lt. and he realizes that myself and a few others that I know have an interest in firearms and asks, "have you ever tried USPSA?" Of course we have no idea what he is talking about and after he describes to use how matches/stages go. We are ready to jump in head first! I attended my first USPSA match in February of 2010 and soon realize my shooting and gun handling skills need a lot of work. Watching others and the way they move and how accurate they were mesmerized me and at the moment knew I wanted to "be that good". I immediately start researching online on anything and everything that will help me become a better shooter. At matches I surround myself with some of the better shooters to try and absorb some of their technique and knowledge. I start to read anything competition related and most importantly try and incorporate things that I have learned in dry and live fire practice. My initial Production classification was as a C shooter, soon to be bumped up as B shooter the following month where I currently am as a 73% B shooter. When I first learned about the classification system and the way it worked, I thought it was everything... I wanted so bad to be a higher classified shooter in the least amount of time. I wanted others to see the "letter" next to my name and for some reason, I really cared about how others viewed me and my skills. After being in this sport a couple of years and after some reevaluation. My approach and goals are strictly to please myself at my own pace. In December of 2011, I was fortunate to attend the Utah State Championships. Being my first big match,I felt emotions I never experienced during any other match. In my mind this was the platform that would reflect all my hard work that I put in. I managed to place 4th in Production and to me, was a huge accomplishment. The "Big Match Bug" bit me and I couldnt wait to attend another big match! 2012 AREA 1. Wow!.. What an experience! Still riding the high of the state match. I go into this match focused. The months between the state match and Area 1 turned into a crazed obsession for me. I wanted to be 100% prepared and didnt want to leave knowing I could have done things to perform better. This match was out of the norm for me... I didnt shoot on a squad that had any familiar faces from my local clubs. I didnt even have another Production or even a Limited 10 shooter on my squad. It hits me!.. I am all on my own during this match and the results will be a true reflection of my shooting skills and mental capability. For those that attened and stuck around for the results and presentations know there was almost a 3 hour delay in the arbitration period. I still dont know what the delay was about but it made for a long nervous time for me. I know the results were posted online and on the results board but I wanted to leave it a surprise... Actually the truth is I was too affraid to view them and ultimately scared of experiencing a huge let down! While I sit and wait, I feel emotions going 300 mph! At one point I felt like throwing up. It may sound silly or funny to others but everything I put in and worked on led to this point. The time has come! The announcements are about to be made... After going through some of the other divisions, "Production B"... I am really nervous now. My hands are starting to shake! 4th place... 3rd place and 2nd place... My name is called! I cant believe it! I actually placed high enough to take something home! I feel a huge weight lift off of my chest and I feel like I just won the superbowl! Yeah I didnt win 1st place in B or even overall production but I felt like this was proof of the hard work and dedication I put in. It felt awesome! I ended up placing 17th overall with a 78%. While on a military trip to Colorado this month I was fortunate to be able to compete during their state match (anytime I am on the road stateside. I bring my gear just incase there are local clubs where i am at). During this time I experience how tight and helpful the USPSA community can be. This match was not on my list "to attend" and everything was put together at the last minute. Ammo that I was going to use wasnt my norm. I didnt know where the range was. I didnt even have a place to stay during the first day of the match. It didnt matter, I couldnt pass up a big match just a couple hours away. During lunch during the first day of shooting. A fellow shooter and I were talking and the coversation led to what we were doing after the match. I told him,"my plans are to find a place to stay tonight!" A member on my squad over heard me and she offered here place for me to stay. I thought to myself,"WOW! This type of thing never happens!" Of course every situation is different and I guess they felt comfortable around me. I just dont know if this type of thing would happen in any other sport or setting. I took them up on their offer and now have a few great friends out there in Colorado! Great people that I look forward to shooting with again! The gesture really took a lot of the stress off of me and helped me during the remainder of the match. I managed to squeak out a 4th overall finish in Production. Not really the ideal "big match" preparation but I am happy with my finish and most of all I made some great friends. I have some vids posted on my Youtube channel which can be found here www.youtube.com/sti2s2k. My very first vids are from my second match and seeing the progression through the months is gratifying. I know I have a long way to go and look forward to where this road takes me. More to come with updates on training sessions, match finishes and skill progression...

I was out at Area 1 this year and while attending a shooting clinic by Mike Hughes. He says it will be out this summer. He also said that 95% of the SIRT platform requests have been for the M&P and he knows there is a demand for them.

I got mine from Speed Shooters Specialties.

After being frustrated at the kind of accuracy I was getting out of my 9mm Pro and researching the numerous solutions people posted. I went ahead and dropped in a KKM barrel... WOW what a difference. I now get 1.5" or better groups at 20 yards with the same ammo that was printing at 4-5" witht the factory barrel. I dont reload so i was trying all different brands, weights, etc. and nothing seemed to worked. For those having these same issues, I highly recommend trying this barrel out! It has restored my confidence in my production set up!

Can I join? 68.93% Production Division A68897.

Couple days out before I head down there. The Utah state match in December was awesome. I can only imagine the quality of the match this time around! Im excited to get out there!

Thanks for the reply Leo, I am excited to attend and see whats going on. Do you know how much it costs to shoot a club match? Do I need to join the club first? Mark First time shooters shoot for free and fees are $20 for non range members and $15 for range members per match. You don't necessarily "join" any of the clubs but can by range memberships that discount the actual match fee.

Hi Mark. I started shooting USPSA in Feb of 2010 and have been hooked ever since. We have a great group of guys out here in Utah and most are very eager to help out new shooters! My first outing was just to "observe" and I ended up with borrowed gear from other shooters and shot my first match. I hope to see you out at the matches! Leo

Just be sure to double check your PF before you go to a major match. "Should" doesn't always equal "does." BB Very good point! After travel, hotel, and match costs. It would be a shame to shoot a major match for fun!

I dont know about WWB but I run 115 gr Remington UMC and make 135 PF out of my 5" Pro. I am one of those guys that have had issues with WWB and extraction.

I got a chance to get a 22 in my hand and even though it feels like any other M&P, the trigger and sight picture were not close enough for me to use it as a substitute/trainer. I do feel it is a cheap alternative and any trigger time is better than none, but I wouldnt solely train with the 22 and expect to do well with the Pro.

I run the stock rear sight and a .100 wide dawson serrated front on my pro. I will probably try out a .110 or .115 wide on my spare pro and see how that goes.

Thank you. Is there a following of this forum with some of the local shooters?

Just wanted to introduce myself to the forum! I am fairly new to the sport and just started shooting USPSA since February. From what I have seen so far about this forum... there seems to be a lot a good information and knowledge! Some videos of my matches below \/