davsco

with it sideways, the frame of the optic lens is pretty much sitting on the top of the slide, so anything sticking up to shield the optic will block your vision. the one in the pic is on my steelmaster which is shorter so it takes more blast being closer to the muzzle. did the same on my sti dvc open which is longer and it still needs cleaning but not as often. of course, if your pistol doesn't have a comp on it, your optic's glass prob will stay cleaner a lot longer.

really can't use a blast shield with a sideways mount, as the optic would be blocked. i generally have to wipe off the lens every stage or two as it def gets dirty.

it's the OUTSIDE not the inside of the box, where the clearance needs to be (well, maybe, both, but certainly the outside). i woulda just had the RO or MD scrape away the dirt on the outside of the fault line so one could stand on it without faulting.

suggest hitting a multigun match or two to see what folks are using and how they're handling it (holster etc). if you want rock solid pistol retention, prob want to mount your optic on the slide. will need something more akin to an 'open' holster if you mount the optic to your 1911's frame. they're pretty solid also but most of your gun is exposed and more subject to hitting stuff and getting jarred loose (or the barrel full of mud like mine did once while kneeling and shooting the AR with pistol holstered). and to the point above, i suffer from high-dot-itis. mostly shoot iron sights, so when i switch to a red dot optic, because they generally sit higher than my fiber optic front sight, i do have probs at least initially finding the dot because it's higher up off the slide/barrel. i turned the cmore on my open gun sideways to get the dot closer to the bore and that def helps.

since the mag tubes basically sit at the bottom of the dawson 'extensions,' they're basically 'flat' maybe a mm or two. def not adding 7-11mm.

just remember that if the staff is included in # of shooters, you need to back out their match fees. maybe you already did that. as a finance guy, i am interested in match economics.

viper takes 2032

i have two different ones by blade-tech, both work fine and have tek-lok attachments.

not the OP, but my first nationals and 2nd time at frostproof (first time was years ago for a falling steel match). match was fun, not drastically different/more difficult than the local, state and area matches i have done, other than # stages of course, but still challenging. happy that there were no real involved memory stages though there were a couple that required a real plan and not just following the path. man that humidity sucks though, thought it would be a little better in november but guess not. match ran very well, really no waiting around. they had plenty of cold drinking water which was nice. other than a brain fart or two and forgetting i did actually have a front sight, it was a good match and i'm glad i did it.

let's face it, shotgun is by far the most onerous part of 3 gun. different chokes, shot v slug, shells falling out of shell holders (which take up too much real estate on your belt vs handgun/rifle mags), reloads every 8-9 rounds. then some places have you sling shotguns, crazy slug shots with a smoothbore barrel and/or mixing up shot and slugs within a stage. sure folks get tired of the shotgun way quicker than handgun or rifle. i shoot both 2 & 3 gun and a fair portion of 2 gun shooters won't do 3 gun because of all this. thinking MD's have email info for past participants and can reach out for real life answers to why they ain't coming back.

yeah goretex ain't all it's talked up to be. i always try to buy rain jackets with pit zips, they can let out a lot of warmth when needed.

i emailed them a few years back and they were working on a straight drop piece, but i guess they're not there yet.

real nice action pics!

went from howard leights to pro ears 300, no complaints, comfy, good sound reduction, can hear conversations and your steel hits pretty good.

the only thing i've really done with my sti's is install the brazos tuned trigger groups to get a lighter, crisper trigger. extended/widened mag release also.

yep, just replace

the prob i have, is where the heck did i miss - low, high, ahead, behind? not like rifle or pistol where you can see the splash/dust. sure the best guess is low and/or behind, but how do you know for sure?

as a customer, i like to pay at the match, and if folks register and don't show up a time or two, don't let them register anymore. stuff happens and i hate getting stuck with match fees on the rare occasion i don't attend (though i always let the MD know as soon as i know i won't make it).

yeah just shooting with iron sights. seems their gen 5 g 34 is MOS-only.

other than price, any downsides to the glock MOS handguns vs non-MOS relating to USPSA shooting? maybe higher sights? anything else? and since i'm asking, any backwards compatibility issues with a gen 5 regarding using gen 4 magazines, sights/sight cuts, etc? thanks! edit - this gun would not have a dot on it, just production using iron sights

i'm def not buying from any one or any site that misleads me.

bringing the mags with you to a match is good, but let's just say that having them in your mag pouches and not back in your range bag, is also good, when you dump your handgun (3 gun match) and it's time to rock with your AR...

glock sounds like the ticket for you, maybe a 35 or your 22. local kid with a glock, albeit with a carry optics/slide-mounted dot, spanks most if not all the open (ie 2011 with frame-mounted dots), pcc (also with a dot), carry optics and limited shooters.

https://www.idpa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/IDPA-Rulebook-2017.pdf if you mistakenly don't shoot an array within a fault line, a 10 second FP would apply. if it's clear you purposely faulted a fault line, a 20 second FTDR would apply. 5.2 Flagrant Penalty (FP) A Flagrant Penalty (FP) adds ten (10) seconds and is assessed, instead of a PE Penalty, in cases where an infraction results in a competitive advantage, such as failure to follow the instructions in a CoF and gaining a competitive advantage that cannot be addressed by a PE (i.e. score works out in competitors favor with a PE added). 5.2.1 Flagrant Penalties are assessed when: A. A shooter fails to follow the shooting procedures set forth in the written stage description and/or uses inappropriate equipment with the obvious intent of gaining a competitive scoring advantage. B. A shooter breaks a rule of the game. C. A conduct violation described in the Shooter’s code of conduct as determined by the MD. 5.2.2 Examples of an FP (non-inclusive list): A. SHO/WHO strings / stages shot Freestyle 2017 IDPA Rulebook 21 rev 2017.3 B. Not going prone when required C. Not fully engaging all targets as required D. Not following stage requirement that takes longer than 3 seconds to perform E. Shooting an entire array while faulting the line F. Staging an ammunition feeding device incorrectly G. Extra rounds in magazines All FPs must be approved by the MD. 5.3 Failure To Do Right (FTDR) 5.3.1 A 20 second Failure To Do Right penalty is assessed for gross unsportsmanlike conduct. Non-inclusive examples of this conduct are: Cussing out an SO, throwing a piece of their equipment on the ground, throwing a tantrum for any reason or violating the shooter’s code of conduct. 5.3.2 The FTDR is intended to be used solely as a penalty for acts on the part of the shooter to circumvent or violate the rules and by doing so gain a competitive advantage. A FTDR may be issued for violations of the Course of Fire, but not in cases of shooter errors where it is obvious that the shooter gained no competitive advantage by their actions. It should not be assessed for inadvertent shooter errors. In these cases, the shooter should be assessed a PE or FP, rather than an FTDR.

know there's been some rules changes, but if you intentionally break rules there are some onerous penalties. so if you shoot from behind cover/fault lines, then just step out and blast them again, it won't be just a 3 second penalty.