hkguy

in this case the CoF dictates how the shooter stages the mags prior to starting the CoF. The shooter still technically started the stage loaded to division capacity. Ill bet the CoF did not specify that the shooters stow ALL loading devices prior to leaving P1.

i go to my third mag speed loader on nearly every stage. If i get to my 4th speed loader then im starting to get worried, but then again im a revo shooter. When i did shoot SSP, i would rarely get that 3rd mag out but like others have said, you should check/adjust your gear, if nothing else a $15 blackhawk mag pouch will solve your problem. The third mag is nice to have in case of malfunctions or for high round count stages.

i have 5.11 pants and shorts to wear depending on the weather, an eotach vest, and either an appropriate shirt for the weather. Im a bit different in the shoe dept, i found the Saucony Progrid Xodus shoes to work very well for IDPA in a variety of ground types.

Im pretty sure you will need to run the classifier twice. one for SSP and one for ESP. If you do not plan on making any changes to the gun, you might be able to convince the MD to let you shoot one classifier count for both given the lack of ammo availability but i would plan on two. what division do you plan on running for the season? I would just pick one, classify for that division and go from there.

I know its late but... keep your booger hooker off the bang switch until you are ready to fire your brain is the ultimate safety do not wear brown jersey gloves while shooting slugs from a Ithaca Model 37, one could break their nose...(yeah learned that that hard way at an early age) practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.

factory 158 gr .357 mag is very tame from my gp100, though not as nice as my powderpuff .38 loads. I was looking at this as an easier way into ESP but i soon realized that the loads would be hard on brass and my reloads would be slow because i would not be running moon clips. The OP can go the .357 route to test the waters, but IMO if your going to shoot ESR, do it with a S&W 610 or S&W 625 if you want to be competitive

yes, but hard to do unless your running stout .357 mags. a 610 or 625 make min PF much easier and the reloads are easier too.

during my undergrad i was kind of seeing this sorority chick and i was looking at some of their old composites. I kid you not, of of her chapters alumni was "Candy Wiener"

both good and bad techniques As Jim said, it's an ideal crucible to learn and reinforce high speed, accurate, safe gunhandling under the pressure of a timer. What bad techniques do they teach? not necessarily teach but our sports can reinforce bad techniques in new shooters bring to the match with them. Some are more or less receptive to coaching to correct these bad habits. Last season i had to break out the first aid kit in three of the 8 matches we had to take care of slide bite.... same guy 2 of the 3 matches too. the rule book leaves a lot to the imagination as to what stage designers can and cannot do. If you feel the stages do not reflect the spirit of the sport, perhaps you could step up and submit a few stage designs a month for your club or volunteer to help the MD.

both good and bad techniques

seems like this target/stage was set up to challenge the OP (and it sounds like it did) and the rest of the shooters at the club. Some will make it look easy and others will struggle, its all about attitude! In reality you still have a large area to hit to either get a -0 or -1 even if the target is half covered. I remember last year at my club we had a 6 in steel plate set in front of a non-threat that we had to shoot at on the move at about 20 yards. Most shooters hit the NT but it was still a fun target because it really made you focus on the fundamentals. i've shot both disciplines and neither is really "defensive". both are games played by different rules, one you run and gun, the other you wear a "cover garment" and utilize "cover". INMO if your MD is not designing stages/elements within stages to push your comfort zone as a shooter he/she is not doing their job.

when i was shooting SSP (was MM at the time), i would compare my scores to a few SS and EX shooters at the club to see how i was doing. Now that i am one of two full time SSR shooters at my club, i compare my scores to the guys who used to shoot with and give them a little grief when i shoot better than them with a revo

I like getting an e-mail from one of the big distributors saying my back ordered Pmags will be shipping today!

how is that different than shooting ESR/SSR capacity wise? there is no capacity difference shooting your gun that holds 5+1 and my revolver starting off with 6. Yes it really changes the dynamics of how you plan a stage and how you shoot, but to me that is half the fun. I've shot a few matches with my Kahrs instead of my HK P30 or STI Spartan, i did not do as well as i normally did, but i had a blast shooting my carry gun and carry rig. to the OP on another note, i went and shot a BUG gun match and had a really good time. Perhaps you could step up a BUG match at your club so everyone can bring their "carry gear"

Im hoping to shoot a match or two this year, but it is not as popular in MI as it is in other states. I would throw my name in but i have plenty of AR mags and many more back ordered. My problem is i waited to long to get a pistol to shoot with My hats off to the OP. Quite a gesture! Here is my shotty Here is my rifle

i would guess not, but i bet SSR, ESR, CDP and Bug become much more popular

my wife got me a 91/30 mosin nagant and my FIL got me some VZ grips for my 1911 im having built right now!

alot depends on shooter skill too, do not forget to factor that in. a novice/low marksman will take a considerably longer to classify than an EX/MA. my club averages about 25-30 mins a shooter and we can class 35-45ish shooters in about 4 hours using 4 bays.

There's a difference between "legal" and "allowed"...Even at a local match it is still "illegal" (against the rules) but many local clubs will "allow" someone to participate with what they have, as long as it is safe, until they decide they want to really compete. agreed, i had a slip of verbage, i should have said allowed "illegal" equipment set ups. Alot depends on the club size and age. I regularly shoot at a club that has 100+ shooters show on for the monthly match, not much leeway is given for shooting rigs and guns (some youngsters under 10 are allowed to shoot .22s with mom and dad). I have also helped SO at a club that is brand new this year and is a USPSA club through and through. The MD bends the equipment rules so the USPSA shooters can give IDPA a try and see if they want to invest to that kind of equipment. I also shoot at a club that runs "idpa style matches" and encourages people to shoot their carry rigs. I agree there is a time and a place for black and white enforcement of game rules and there are times for bending them to get more people into our sports

yup, at the local match level, its up to the MD on if its "legal" or not. At a sanctioned match, its a no go.

why not explore the option of having a 40 top end build for your existing trojan? if im not mistake all you would have to do is swap uppers and possibly the ejector and mags and then your good to go using your existing rig. This would be the cheapest route and should leave you plenty to get a press and start reloading.

im going to try and make it to the last match

I am looking to get either a 2011 or 1911 build started this off season and i cannot decide which route to go. My wife has a Spartan 9mm which is fun to shoot in IDPA and steel challenge and the gun fits my hand well. I like the idea of being able to use a 2011 for IDPA/USPSA/Steel/3gun. I like the feel of the 1911 but would like to shoot a 2011 and see how it feels in my hand before i lay down a good deal of $$ on one blindly. My question is, is there anyone in West Michigan that would be willing to meet up with me and try out their limited gun/steel/3 gun 2011? Unfortunately shops close to me don't stock these. if this is not the right place to post, i apologize

your gun needs to make weight with the mags you intend to shoot with. you have quite a few areas you can tinker with to drop weight. the guide rod, grips, and safty are all places you can mess with to reduce weigth. FWIW my ESP 1911 using dawson 10 round mags tips the scales at 42.9 oz

sounds like this RO had a stick up his rear end. at my club we have everyone load the mags up to capacity and we recommend shooters bring 4-5 mags to speed up the process.