GOF

Just add one more booth to the chrono station. It is what it is... irrespective of how one "feels" that day.

Is there an online library where a USPSA MD can go to find COF ideas? Thanks for any info.

I'll second/third Bayou bullets. They are an excellent product... clean & accurate. Less expensive than plated by a modest margin. Their 9mm 124 TCG is the most accurate bullet I have found for my 1/16 twist 9mm KKM M&P barrel. I'm not that happy with the barrel, but the 124 TCG makes it a solid shooter (once I got the hoods stoned in and got rid of that 5 inch "1st round" flyer).

Works well for me in 9mm 125PF... also works well in .38 Spl/.38 LC. Meters well (as has been noted) and burns clean. It's a good powder!

Round nose, or flat point bullets, tend to bounce off, and not transmit energy if not dead centered. A JHP with a wide, sharp, mouth tends to 'bite' into the pin and transmit all the energy to driving the pin backwards. I kinda like .44 Spl or .45 ACP JHPs in the 230/240 grain weight at about 750/800 fps. Very controllable... and they move pins! Pins is a lot like Steel Challenge.... you can't make up for misses by shooting faster. A miss cost a minimum of .30 seconds, and as much as .5..... then you get pins rolling around on the table and messing up your other shots. Go 5 For 5 with good bullets and Pins is fun.

Like he said... targets! Throw a spritz of spray paint on them and GO! Or why not centerfire targets at the base of the berm?

Shannon has run a number of major matches, and USA has hosted more. I've shot some there and It's a good venue... and the first week of November is as "sweet" weather wise, as Florida has to offer. It should be a GREAT event.

And NOTHING that looks more "TactiCool"

My experience with N310 & N320 is that N310 meters acceptably.... while N320 is quite erratic. The only thing I use N320 for is .38 Spl Steel Challenge loads (the iron sights don't move on the target under recoil... and there is no PF in SC)..... but I can still hear the "Crack", "Bang" .."Poof" difference when shooting.... although it doesn't affect recoil or POI. The difference in pellet size between the two powders is very noticeable, especially when a N320 pellet gets caught on the edge of the drop tube and extra force is needed to drop the powder charge.

If all you have to make is a 125 PF you can make a true "wussy" load for a .45 ACP. A 230 grain bullet at 575 fps makes it with room to spare, and with recoil like a .22LR. You would likely have to get a different recoil spring for gun function. A 200 grain slug only has to go to 650 fps. They can be sweet... if you address the recoil spring. The only real drawback is when shooting poppers or knock-down plates. You can't really go "bang-ting". You might have to go "bang-wait-ting" But if you like the way the gun feels and shoots..... why not go for it.

The only thing that really needs cleaning is the brass. And that should be done before you start loading. I clean brass, load it, and shoot it.

Any hobby you get truly interested in and want to pursue is going to cost money. It just depends what you want, or can afford, to spend on it. And, how interested you are in pursuing that hobby.

I have one... about 1,000 rounds various ammo, no malfs. The ability to shift between the supplied iron sight plate (nice sight picture) and the picatinny rail plate for a reflex sight is nice! The grip is small. Skateboard tape worked for me, since the gun starts in hand at SC. Accuracy with various quality loads (CCI, Aguila, Federal) runs about .55 inch from a 25-yard bench rest with a Burris FFIII 8 MOA dot. LOVE the fact that it strips down quickly for a thorough cleaning, and you can clean the barrel from the chamber end. The take down screw does need blue Loc-Tite or it will loosen. It happened to me at a SC match, but since the barrel/bolt are all in one unit it didn't hurt accuracy... just kind of a funky/rattling feeling when I made ready and loaded a mag, of showed clear. The rear safety is easy to apply accidently (BTDT). It needs to be checked at the Ready command! All in all.... the gun has plenty of accuracy, a decent trigger (mine measured 3.15 pounds with some take up and a slight amount of creep)... will run dirty... is not ammo sensitive... very reliable.... and makes shifting between iron and optics easy. IMHO, it's an excellent gun for the money... and would be a good choice for someone wanted to get into a multi-role .22LR on a budget.

I'd look at the striker spring & channel. I had the same issue with a 9mm M&P... but only after about 25K rounds. Replacing the striker block assembly fixed it. Those things do wear out.

I agree with the five minute walk through. But, it's also nice to be down in the shooting order and get the chance to watch skilled shooters run it before you do. I've had a few 'palm slap to the forehead' moments when my five minute walk through didn't reveal what another shooter did three or four spots below me in the order.... the term "You dumby" (as applied to me) came immediately to mind. File under "Lessons Learned".

I have a 9mm CORE and have shot it in matches with the iron sights. Those tall sights make a GREAT sight picture. I had to call Dawson to get the right front sight height. The original sight was shooting 5 inches high at 25 yards with the KKM unported barrel I installed. But those 'suppressor' sized iron sights are very good once you get them zeroed.

Another BIG +1 for Dennis at Bayou. I recently shifted to Bayou and Dennis is a great guy to talk too, and he delivers what he says he will.

chetc.... I favor the M&P platform. It fits my hand well and points as naturally (for me) as pointing my finger. A big plus (since I often shoot revolvers in IDPA & ICORE) is that it 'presents' to the same place on the target as my GP-100s... there is no real transition time if I shift between them. I have 2 M&P 9mms and a .45 for competition and a 9c (with a full-sized 17 round mag) for carry.

+1. That makes sense in the "Real World" (sorry kitten). A fast torso hit before the other guy can deliver a hit, will normally disrupt the "other guy's" plan of action long enough for you to deliver more hits... which will disrupt their plan of attack and ability to perform them further. ... which lets you get more hits. Slap some rounds into the hip area (lower D-1 and D-3) and you can take the legs out and drop them to the ground... remove their mobility, and let you slip to a place where you can neutralize them. Whack a knee, and they are definitely "mobility/operationally challenged." A low center D-3 hit strikes what? I have heard it referred to as the Lorania Bobbit shot . That would tend to take them out of the fight! Hits count, and the faster you can deliver them the more they count. As to where the hits are in IDPA and scored, their target is flawed. The 0-Zone is nice... heart... but just above it is better....major arteries above the heart. Look at the DOJ study on the matter (Sniper's Triangle). The USPSA target is actually more correct in terms of "lethality per hit" when it comes to upper body shots.... and definitely more accurate when it comes to head shots. You can score a D-0 with a hit to the head box on a IDPA target that may disable the opponent no more than a quick "slap to the side of the head." Real World?... Not so much.

I wonder if the, lips on those magazines are so worn that they are not holding the bullet securely, and when recoil begins the ejection cycle the round upcoming in the magazine is releasing early and contacting the round being extracted... which could impede its clean ejection. How often does it happen? Does it happen only with some headstamp brass? Does the normal "malf clearing"... hand over top of slide, sweep back to remove smokestack and cycle slide... pull the case clear and chamber the next round? It is weird!

Well said 9X45. Most self defense incidents are fast & brutal. Speed and accuracy.... especially at close range (who gets into a legitimate SD situation at 20 yards?) are the keys to survival.

I have a 6.5 MOA RMR mounted on a S&W CORE slide. Shot a couple of matches with it and loved it. During a practice session after that (when the gun probably had about 700 rounds through it) I made some aggressive speed reloads and lost the dot when I slammed the magazine in..., until I racked the slide. Then the dot came back on. It was disconcerting. The RMR is now sitting in its box in "dark storage"... the dot is glowing brightly, and the sight seems to me functioning well. During the time I had it on the gun I loved the dot/sight picture. I think the sight is excellent, I just wonder how long ANY of the reflex sights will last when slide mounted.

+1. As an 8 year IDPA CSO I have seen all sorts of 'interesting' stuff. Most is simply done because of a lack of training/experience on the part of a new shooter and can be cured with a simple explanation/counseling from the SO/RO. With a brand new shooter I do believe that is the best course of action. They did it because they simply didn't know better. The SO/RO can make them learn better. I have seen a couple of total jerks that refused to benefit from 'counseling' and I had to DQ them. When you put the timer in your hand and call a shooter to the line you do have more responsibilities than just pushing the button to start the timer and then calling penalties and calling the time to the score keeper. Sometimes, it gets a bit complex and requires some "adult behavior' from the SO/RO. BTDT.

A 1-10 twist rate should handle 147s very well. 12 to 14 inch is so unacceptable that I would be sending the barrel back and asking for a refund. You mentioned that it shot "American Eagle' into 2-3 inch groups... still not real good. What weight were those? Same 147 as the Xtremes? Fed AE 147 is one of the most accurate 9mms on the market and I would expect it to do better than that. It runs 1.5 - 2 inches in three different 9mms I've grouped it in. Did the Xtreme load shoot well out of your 9mm handguns? If so there is no logical reason it shouldn't shoot as well from a quality 9mm barrel.

That's a good point. If IDPA won't let you shoot like 'you carry' then it is not good practice/training for you. So, if you have to change out from your normal EDC gear, why not shoot USPSA.