GOF

Great advice! Between now and May you should be able to get that done... maybe after a local club match? It doesn't take much time to run a Classifier for one shooter. Most MDs should be pretty accomdating in this regard.

Just a thought... but when a shoot toses a really bad shot (Mike or Charlie) it seems to most often occur at the first shot from the holster, or the first shot after a reload. I believe this is because the shooter is 'hurrying' and has not gotten a proper grip on the gun after the manipulation required to access the gun on the draw or re-acquire a proper grip after the reload. Speeding the draw is useless if you don't get the proper grip on the gun while it is in the holster... or if you hurry the shot after the gun hand manupulation required on the reload. Ya gotta get a grip... even if it is slow & smooth. Throw a Charlie in ICORE and you will wish you'd taken the extra half-second to get a proper grip.

I have one of these guns. They did reduce weight with the removal of the full underlug and slab-siding the barrel. They also fully-radiussed the trigger (as compared to the sharp edges on the standard GP-100 trigger). They also polished the chambers at the factory, but did not chamfer them. They did a good job on trimming down the GP-100. The gun handles quickly and shoots my 158 grain LRN reloads into sub 2.5-inch 25 yard groups. Unfortunately, the sights they chose to equip the gun with are a major drawback. I had to do quite a bit of Swiss file work, and changed the grips, to get the gun to POI at 25 yards. For IDPA competition this gun will not replace my tuned, standard 4-inch GP-100. For ICORE it will not replace my tuned 6-inch GP-100. The lack of adjustable sights is a negative. I spoke with Wayne Novak (whose sights are used on the gun) to see if he had an adjustable sight option for this gun, and the answer is no. This gun has the potential to handle as well as a 4-inch K frame, with better reliability and lead bullet accuracy, but the sights are a problem.

I have shot 9mm bullets from a .357 gun. I ran low on 158/358 lead heads, but had a bunch of Rainer 9mm 147 grain plated bullets, and neded practice loads. I loaded the 9mm into .38 Spl cases with the same powder charge I used for .38, and taper crimped them. With .38 I get 2.5-inch 25 yard groups from that 6-inch Ruger. With the 9mm bullets/38 cases I was getting a bit under four inches. That's close enough for practice. My guess is the soft lead core and thin plating did allow the bullet to obiturate enough to grab some rifling. Different bullets may produce different results, but I can live with sub-four inch groups for practice if I run short on the .38s I want to use for matches. FWIW, Xtreme Bullets offers a 147 grain 9mm plated RN sized to 357. I understand some shooters use that in their .38s because they load fast, and they find the accuracy acceptable. They could certainly be loaded in 9mm cases. I haven't tried them yet, but given the excellent performance of the Xtreme 147 9mm .356 loads in my 9mms, I might give them a shot in my .38s.

I don't think you will be disappointed with Xtreme plated bullets. They work just fine, and without all of the attendent extra effort you seem to be having.

ICORE is the most accuracy intensive of the three common action handgun games (IDPA, USPSA, ICORE). It's awfully hard to shoot fast enough to make up a handful of Charlies, and even a few Bravos can sting you in a tight match. In Classic Division, a 6-inch gun does have a sighting advantage, as well as making PF with a bit less powder and producing less recoil. For me it gets on target a tad slower than a 4-inch... swings thriough targets smoother and stays on targets much better!... it's a real Alpha Machine. I have shot IDPA SSR and some USPSA Revolver for 8 or 9 years, with a 4-inch gun. When I got into ICORE I obtained & tuned a 6-inch GP-100 and it has paid off handsomely. I now would not want to shoot ICORE with a 4-inch gun. FL2943

Where will the scores appear, and when do you think they will be up? Thanks. FL 2943

I stick with .38 Long Colt brass from my 6-inch Ruger GP-100. The ejector stroke completely clears the brass from the gun, which is a key part of the reload. The Safariland Comp III speedloaders shove new rounds in fast. I can make 120 PF with 3.3 grains of Clays and a 158 grain LRN bullet. It's an accurate combination, brass is available from Starline, it's simple to load, works well on the range... and makes life simple. So far, that combo has kept me unbeaten in Classic Division in Florida in ICORE.

I shoot multiple IDPA divisions (SSP/MA and EX in ESP/CDP/SSR) I enjoy 'working the gun' as much as I do the challenge of the match itself. I think that is fun. I normally pick one gun/division and shoot it for a few months, or until I get bored with that gun. The cure for boredom/lack of motivation is to pick up another gun. I am not a 'Top Shooter' and don't care about shooting any more World or National Championships. I shoot local matches with my friends to have fun, so this approach works for me. For those who wish to climb to the top, maybe picking one gun (after you find the gun that works best for you in terms of score) and sticking with it is probably the best bet. It's pretty much an individual decision, based upon what your goals are when shooting IDPA/USPSA. I do stick to one gun in ICORE, but that's because none of my friends shoot that game, so when I go to a ICORE match there isn't that friends/social/fun thing... I just want to win Classic Division. So, that is my motivation to make the 1.5 hour drive to the nearest ICORE match. It just depends upon what motivates you to get up early and go to the match.

After researching the rules this gun looks like a great option. What were the shooters at nationals unhappy about? This. I carry a 9c and have shot it in several IDPA Club Bug matches... using the 17 round mag (which is what I carry the gun with) because it provides a much better grip. I've won every club BUG match I've shot with this gun, and also used it to shoot a maximum score on the Federal Air Marshal qualifier course (maybe the toughest LEO qualifier course there is). The gun shoots well.... and carries well. And, it's legal, and unlikely to be ruled illegal. It is a legitimate back up gun.

That would certainly be doable, one could reverse engineer all the parts easily building 3D solid models based off existing guns. Figuring mfg. tolerance would be a little tougher but still completely doable. A few CNC mills, lathes, some grinders, someone to do the finishing. A melanite treated revo? I'd bite! All it would take is money. Lots and lots of money! +1. A significant amount of money for production facitlities, marketing and distribution. And the potential customer base is how big? And how soon would that significant investment be recouped and profits start coming in? Maybe a small custom maker could crank out a few... but few would be willing to pay the retail price. I think this is a 'Dead End" street as far as any major investor getting involved.

"Round dumping no longer exists as both an act, a word definition/description, or a penalty. In a Vickers Stage a shooter is allowed to shoot at any target until they are satisfied with their score on that target. Forget the term "Round Dumping". It has died and gone to Heaven. The only people using the trem "Round Dumping" anymore are Dinosaurs. Does it negate the use of a TAC/RWR? Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on the COF. But, on some COFs it does open the door to another fun term " HOSE FEST!" I recently shot a IDPA club match where the COF had you start seated, fire 6 rounds stong hand only through a small window at three targets, then get up and run 10 yards down range to a barricade where you engaged three more paper targets -- but, on the way from P1 to P2 you had to engage a 15 yards popper "on the move" Shooting SSP (11 round start) I didn't break stride or slow down for the popper. I ran full speed. I HOSED it with five and knew at least one would hit (actually two did, and there is no Rule against double tapping steel on this range)... and since I was in the open and moving to cover and ran dry in the open, the new Rules allowed me to reload as soon as I ran dry while moving to cover. I hit the next shooting position "locked & loaded". It was FUN!. The new HOSE FEST Rule actually got me to put down my SSR revo and go back to a 11-shooter. I just have to spend more time at the reloading bench

If you have a XD .45 that you like, why complicate things? Down load the mags and shoot it in L10. And, after you have some USPSA experience under your belt you'll be better able to choose the platforms that allow you to compete in other divisions. But, get some experience first. Use the gun you have, and learn the game before you open your wallet. The XD .45 is very competitive in L10.

The problem with that philosophy is that IDPA seems to exist on new shooters. I know one club in my area that normally runs 100+ shooters a match. Of those, over 50% are Unclassified or Novices. They don't know the Rules and haven't been in the game long enough to learn them the way most shooters do -- 3 seconds at a time. The SO is supposed to be (at least according to the Rule Book) an Ambassador for the sport. And, one might also think, a repository of the knowledge required to assist new shooters. Sadly, that is not always the case. In fact, given the new Rule Book and Recertification procedures it is estimated that IDPA lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 35-40% of the experienced SOs they had. No problem? Just hold more classes and make more SOs? Not really. IDPA has decided to trim the number of SOIs to five a state. In north Florida, two veteran SOIs just got decertified. There is now not a single SOI in a portion of Florida that has five active IDPA clubs hosting over 175 individual shooters. At a match two weeks ago in that area I had a conversation with the MD who lamented the fact that with the normal attrition rate, and the lack of SOIs, that he would have a problem finding enough competent SOs to run a match. A week later, at another area match, another MD put it more succintly -- "IDPA is doing it's best to shoot itself in the foot." These are gentelmen who have been involved with IDPA for almost a decade and are MA class shooters and experienced SOs. If IDPA lacks quality SOs... which current policies seem bent upon achieving... then have fun!

You know, I've been reading your rantings about MM SO's for over a year now. Did one of them kick your dog or something? Marry your daughter? What is the problem?? You get MM SO's because they have volunteered to do it. Nobody forced them. They're trying to help out the game. They're involved. If you've got a problem with MM SO's and it really, really bothers you, shoot something else. You're obviously not happy with the current state of affairs. I just had to go back and delete about 80% of this message as I was getting carried away a bit so I'll end it now. Also, please let us all know of which SO shot his first match on Monday, got his SO on Wednesday and wound up at a major match on Saturday. I do believe you've taken a few liberties with your time lines. AD , I guess you'll just have to read a few more of my rants on inexperienced SOs, until IDPA sets some standards as to "time in sport" and "skill level" required to be a SO. I've seen plenty of MM SOs who did not know the Rule Book. Quick example from a match last Sunday. COF had some non-threats close to threat targets.. Vickers stage. Shooter A engaged the threats, wasn't happy with his hits, engaged them some more, and managed to double tap a non-threat. MM SO looked at the two holes in the non threat target, and the four holes in the threat target, and determined that since the non threat was hit twice he would tape over the two best hits on the threat target. What? Where does that come from? Unfortunately, the shooter was new and knew the Rule Book about as well as the SO and didn't challenge it. By the time I and the MD heard about it, it was too late to change the call. Another example -- Sanctioned Match in FL several years ago. One stage had a SO who was an officious jerk, with only marginal knowledge of the Rule Book... but thought he was God's Gift to the shooting world. At the awards ceremony following the match he won High Novice in SSP. I could go on... and on... and on. But won't. You'll just have to stay tuned for my next rant on the subject.

Gamer (noun) "A shooter who knows the Rule Book better than the inexperienced MM Class SO holding the timer". Gaming (verb) "A Gamer using their Rule Book knowledge during a COF to completely confuse the inexperienced MM Class SO holding the timer, who then has to resort to actually looking at the Rule Book, and which usually winds up being passed to the MD for final judgement because the MM SO is now totally lost." If more experienced competitive shooters, with a better knowledge of both the Rule Book and competitive shooting in general, were appointed as SOs, this would not be an issue. Unfortunately, you can join IDPA as your first competitive shooting experience on a Monday... take a SO class on Wednesday... and lord it over MA Class shooters who have been in IDPA for over a decade, and thoroughly understand the Rule Book. Hey! I'm a SO! I'll tell ya how to do it! That's the biggest problem with IDPA and I perasonally have seen it from the World Championships, down through four Nationals, and a half-dozen State Championships. You have MM Class SO who have no idea what they are doing.... but, By Golly!... they're gonna do it. The poor guy who spends more than a few hundred $s, and travel time, to attend a 'Sanctioned Match' is the one who gets stuffed. Gamers? They know the Rule Book well. The MM Class SOs? Not so much.

EAA has some serious problems. Starting with the guy who runs it, and the atmosphere he sets among his people. I can't imagine a firearms company (or even an importer like EAA) going out of business in this political... high gun sales... climate.... but if EAA has gone down the tubes "it couldn't happen to a nicer company". They will not be missed. Their products weren't bad... but they seemed to think that their obligation ended once the 4473 was filled & approved, and the cash register rang. Their goal was distributor and dealer sales. The customer be damned.

Vince's last book, as far as I can tell, was titled "The Last Man". He knew he was battling cancer when he wrote it. Maybe the title was phrophetic. He was ONE HELLUVA WRITER. He will truly be missed.

Your 1911 would fall into ESP or CDP class. It isn't legal in SSP and won't be counted against your SSP score. Unless you shoot an Expert score with the 1911 (ESP/CDP) it will not affect your SSP classification.

231/hp38 is a good choice. I've used it, but prefer WSF. 3.4 grains gets ne 880 fps from a 4.25 inch M&P with plated or lead 147 grain loads; very little smoke with lead. 851 is a 125 PF, and the WSFload is soft and clean.

Toothguy... forgot to mention... Win 231 and HP38 are dirty powders and will gunk a chamber. I used them a lot before I switched to Clays. The difference in 'clean cylinders and quick extraction' is very noticeable. Clays wins hands down!

Toothguy, with 3.6 Clays, Speer 158 swaged LRN (or Rainier 158 plated RN) I am getting full cylinder groups (all six chambers) of about 2.5 inch at 25 yards from a rest.... from a 4 inch Ruger GP-100. My six inch GP-100 ICORE gun will beat that by a bit... probably because of the longer sight radius and my old eyes. With Long Colt cases, same bullets, 3.3 Clays, in the six inch gun, I'm normally under 2 inches. Sounds weird, but the targets don't lie. I have seen S&W 686s made after 2000 to be noticiable less accurate with the .38 Spl 3.6 load, and with a lot of tumbling bullets (7 years as a IDPA SO scoring targets). I had one, and the best I could get with that load was about 4 inches at 25 yards. I think S&W changed something in the rifling around that time period

The IDPA SSR PF is only 105. With a 160 grain bullet you can make that at 670 fps. Most IDPA SSR shooters (I'm a EX) load to 730-750 fps for assurance on steel activator targets and you should easily be able to get within that range with 3.1 - 3-4 grains of Clays. If you're shooting it in a .38 Spl chambered gun, Hodgdon lists 3.1 as max for standard .38 Spl pressures... but in a .357 chambered gun you can go to 4 grains, so 3.1 - 3.4 is a snap. Clays is a very clean powder and I use a 158 Speer swaged lead bullet (3.6 Clays in GP-100 @ 760 fps) and have shot 80+ round club matches without having to brush chambers. I think you'll like the Clays/160 Bayou combo.

A Double Tap is nothing more than two rounds triggered rapidly off of the initial sight picture. The theory being that recoil will not shift the gun far enough to throw the second shot far from the first. Triggering two shots from the first sight picture is something you have to force yourself to do because it is not a natural act for a shooter used to using the sights for each round. The Double Tap has uses at close range. Through practice you can determine what your maximum range should be before you shift to Controlled Pairs (aligning the sights for each shot). The advice above on using the support hand for the grip and the strong hand to pull the trigger is excellent. You might start your practice at 4 or 5 yards and work on getting those two rounds off quickly.... with the emphasis on drilling that first round exactly where you want it to go with a solid sight picture.... then move back until you determine the distance where the spread becomes too great to be effective.

FWIW ... I shoot two or three matches a month,,, often as a SO/RO on the range all the time. I also practice regularly on my 75 yards backyard range. I have used some $300 ear muffs that used expensive & hard to find batteries (N size). For the last couple years I have used Peltor Tacticalsport muffs. Lightweight, comfortable, good hearing ability that can be adjusted easily for sensitivity (important, especially in Steel Challenge with a sub-sonic .22 LR load), and they use readily-available AA batteries. Those seem to last a long time, and can be replaced in seconds from the outside (no need to dig out inner foam padding to get to the batteries). I'm real happy with them and they are not expensive.