TimH

Draw, shot, reload, shot. Total time 1.58 sec. So far, thats about my fastest for that. I've topped that 4 aces in the video with a 1.89 sec. run

This might help too...

Well, lets look at just the first array of the stage from Area 4 that we have been discussion. That particular array was engaged based on timing of an activator, so think "par time". How much work can you do in that specific "par time"? The simplest plan would be to shoot the static target, then the activator popper, the clamshell, the tux target, and then finishing the array with the mini popper behind the activator. However, this plan being the simplest, its also the slowest. The most aggressive plan for that array was to shoot the activator, the static, the tuxedo, the mini popper, and THEN the clamshell. There was a higher level of risk, but the reward was 2+ seconds faster as you weren't waiting for anything and were doing a ton of work in the given "par time". Now, to answer you question regarding ease of target vs. transition speed dictating how you engage an array? The answer is always: IT DEPENDS. In the case of the above array scenario, we get the fastest time and best stage results by "cross transitioning" the gun 4 times over the same array! Granted that's not always going to be the case, however, it goes to show you that working your transitions in practice will have you feeling much more confident at match day. Put your theories to practice regarding coming in on easy targets, or cross transitioning from inside to outside and back to inside again. Work them out with a timer and record you HF's in practice and see what works best with just about any given scenario you can come up with!!

I have a couple 1911's with standard weight slides that I run 14# recoil springs in with 173PF loads However, my current 1911 (an Atlas custom) has a much lighter slide weight and I use an 11lb recoil spring with the same ammo

Shadyscott makes a great point about the tux target

you could have easily grabbed the open target next to the big popper and then to the tuxedo as the transition was nearly nothing from popper to paper. that would have saved a second. Jared, yes, the fastest prod run was in the 11's but we're talking Heatherington here. As for a solid run, mid 13's would easily be doable for Brad. The reload coming out of position 1 wasn't bad (I don't see much time wasted or spent here) as everyone with a low-cap gun had to reload there. the biggest brunt of time lost was simply not enough confidence on the first array, and the other being the last position at the port. Your body positioning there could have been better and you'd have saved about .70-1.0 sec just setting up on that better and minding your splits on that far tuxedo Anyway, that's just my unasked for $.02...

Wow! Thanks for all the kind words! Yes, the two largest time deficits on el prez are a slow turn/draw and transitions. If your reload is in the 1.1-1.3 sec range, I wouldn't focus a HUGE amount of energy on trying to reduce it as much as transitions. That's where the lowest hanging fruit is. Reducing your reload by .2 saves you just that.... .2. However, if your transitions hover at say .35 and your splits at .20, then reducing your transition time to .20 WITH NO OTHER CHANGES will instantly reduce your overall drill time by .6...This is HUGE! Now, as for the turning draw...most shooters spend too much time on the mechanics of the turn but either don't load the weight on their feet right to allow the turn to "snap" or they simply overthink it. Over time, I've tried a lot of different techniques, however a simple "about face" style of turn gets the job done well and super consistent. The biggest issue is to not spend so much time refining sight picture on the draw. Reducing that in and of itself can shave off an easy .3-.4 sec. So just with improving those two areas on the drill results in a pretty attainable 1.0 sec savings!!

Well, I shot my Sig Max 1911 over the weekend at the MO Fall Classic. Just because Sig made a business decision, doesn't mean I'm immediately selling off all my Sig stuff. I was shooting one long before the opportunity to shoot with Sig, and I'll continue to do so even now.... Unless of course someone or a company puts something amazingly better in my hands, I don't see any reason or need to switch

Max and Lena are just fine and are still with Sig Sauer. Sig decided to drop the Team Sig (gray shirts team). Max and Lena will continue with their contracted roles with Sig Sauer

Ehh, no bitterness from me. I'm appreciative of the opportunity I was given. I was rocking a Sig before I was selected for the team. I'll be rocking a Sig now as well. Their decision doesn't change how I feel about the products I represented. If I didn't believe in them, I wouldn't have stayed with the team. I have no regrets. In the end, it's all business. I get it. Am I sad? Sure, we've been a family for the last 2 years. But that dynamic certainly won't change just because we're no longer wearing the same shirts.

I chose to shoot major at A3 which was pretty neutral major/minor and placed well. I also chose to shoot major at Indiana 400 even though a lot of the stages favored minor over major. I placed well there too. I'm shooting the MO Fall Classic this weekend in Rolla and will be shooting major there as well. A close look at the stages show that there are a couple steel heavy stages where minor might have a slight advantage, however I'm going to continue playing major as its tough to give up the points on open and partial targets where speed can be a bigger factor.

So far, I've got just about 60K through mine. I replaced the barrel on mine with a KART NM in May 2016 (was getting a little gassing blowby causing a decrease in know major PF loads with the stock barrel at 50k -HOWEVER NO LEGITIMATE LOSS OF ACCURACY). Only other component serviced has been replacing the extractor at the same time as barrel. Everything else completely as it came on the gun when I got it new in 2013. I haven't noticed any degredation or extreme wear on anything with the pistol. I think I've proved the gun is good to go. Tim Herron TY68934

I personally like the fact the Sig Max is already equipped setup and ready to go for competition. Nothing needed but a set of mags. You can find them for around $1200 or even a little less if you shop. The Trojan is pretty bare bones and still requires magwell, ambi safety, and a few other parts to match comparably to the Sig. By doing so, you've exceeded the price of the complete Sig by a fairly significant margin. IMO, best "bang for the buck" "straight from the box to the podium" pistol is the Sig MAX I'll disclose that yes, I'm sponsored by Sig Sauer. However, I purchased my Max and ran it more than a season before being picked up by Sig. I like the gun so much that if Sig dropped me tomorrow, I'd still be shooting it.

What Jake said. And you need to grip the bejeezus out of the gun to keep the sights still ALL THE WAY THROUGHOUT THE SHOT

IMO, trying to ride reset can be begging for trigger freeze when trying to run at high speed. I'm not personally an advocate of "feeling for reset" or "riding the reset"

IMO, trying to ride reset can be begging for trigger freeze when trying to run at high speed. I'm not personally an advocate of "feeling for reset" or "riding the reset"

Here's a demo and explanation of the white wall drill

It's a Dawson F/O front sight. Easy enough to get a replacement from Dawson. If you ordered today, you'd probably have by Thurs/Fri. Easier and much more confident to just fit and replace the front sight vs. Loctite. I'd have a hard time being confident behind the gun at Nats being afraid the sight may move again

I run a Max .45 1911. I use Wilson ETM's exclusively. I also run the Dawson ICE "no gap" magwell insert and use Dawson "no gap" basepads with the ETM mags. Its a fantastic setup. I believe the Dawson basepads are a necessity because otherwise with standard basepads and the ICE magwell, there's not enough basepad to properly seat the mags in the gun reliably. Using the Dawson basepads ensures that there is enough base left below the magwell and not flush or recessed. And yes, everything fits in the box fine

Biggest thing and lowest hanging fruit for you is TRANSITION SPEED. You're in a habit of addressing each and every target in an array individually. It's causing you to shoot "bang, bang.........bang, bang..........bang, bang..............bang, bang" On targets that are similar in distance and width between at close ranges, your transitions should be much faster and should basically match your splits "bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang" Notice the lack of pause between targets? This is where you'll find overall speed. One other thing is when you move (most notably on the uprange movement on stage 2), MOVE!! When you're walking the stage, you should be picking up exactly the sport you want to move to and get there FAST. You looked to have no stage marker (a spot you pick out to draw your attention to getting precisely to) and seemed to move, then hunt, then move, then hunt....till you got to a position that allowed you to engage the array. There should be no hunting. Only execution of movement that gets you to the specific spot you want to be as quickly as possible. Hope this helps a bit

X3 on never hearing that .40 feeds better than .45. I'd say that statement just doesn't hold much merit. I personally shoot .45 in Single Stack due to ease of reliability with .45. As for mag seating issues, I use Wilson ETM's and they seat extremely easy with 8 rounds. I'm not a believer in the whole .40 slide speeds are faster than .45 , yada yada. Considering most run a 180g .40 or a 200g .45, PF is about the same as well as velocities of the round. Unless for some reason you can prove to shoot a .40 faster (bill drill/splits) because of slide speed and returnability vs. a .45....This just isn't the case. If you shoot .15-.18 splits with a .40, the same will be shot with .45. Not to mention that tuning slide reciprocation is different between every shooters 1911's. Depending on not only recoil spring weight, mainspring weight, slide weight, FPS contour, etc. all make a difference. I originally got into .45 as it was the caliber of 1911 I had when I started the game. I tried .40 for a while and ended up with a very finicky and just plain unreliable pistol that took well into a season to sort out. After all the headaches I had with it, I parked it and went back to .45 and never looked back.

Hey guys! I truly appreciate the kinds words regarding recommended training with Matt Hopkins and myself!

why not just swap the mag release back to the other side and continue to use finger for actuating? I'm a lefty as well and utilize the same technique you do. Every pistol I have, I actuate the mag release the same way.....Because consistency

Jake took the words out of my mouth LOL

moto, Yes, I advocate leading every facet of what we do with the eyes. Table starts? Focus on the gun and picking it up (lead with the eyes). Transitions (lead with the eyes), reloads (look the mag into the magwell), WH transfers (look the gun into the support hand), spotting the position you want to be in a stage (look to the point you want your feet to be and get there)......See a pattern? Lead with the eyes. They feed every bit of information to allow you to comprehend and compute (with more time) on what to do. Ever fumble a mag change? Were you looking it into the gun or did you take your focus off the task? Overswing a target during a transition? Did you lead the gun with your eyes first or did you just try muscling the gun to the next target? Bad grab on the gun during a table pickup? Were you focusing your eyesight on the gun throughout the pickup or did you avert your focal attention to something else before you completed it? Overstep a position on a stage? Did you spot on the ground (or spot on a wall or barricade) to exactly where you wanted to be with your eyes first to ensure you get to just the correct position or did you avert your attention elsewhere and miss it? LOL, see the theme here? If these are things that a shooter is having deficiencies with, I strongly challenge and encourage them to pay more visual attention to the individual task. More times than not, they're losing visual acuity to the task needing the attention and that's when bad stuff happens.