GOF

My club shoots a 6 stage every Monday and a 8 stage on the third Saturday of the month. Scores are always updated on every Wednesday at 8:00 AM EST. Is your club getting their scores in promptly? Ours are posted on PS by the time I make the one-hour drive home. Are you linked into USPSA? Don't know much about that, but we have no problem with PS scores or SCSA Wednesday morning updates.

Lake Wales is only about 20-25 minutes away, and it's a smooth drive. Been awhile since I was there, but the Green Gables Motel is right next to a great restaurant, and there's also a IHOP just down the road. Another option is Sebring (to the South) it's little further than Lake Wales, with plenty of motels & restaurants. There is also a bed & breakfast in Frostproof itself IIRC, never stayed there. Another option is River Ranch... about 15 minutes away to the east. It's not that far out in the boonies.... but you will do a fair amount of walking on the range.

You can duplicate Syntech accuracy/recoil/power factor with handloaded ammo, maybe even improve slightly on it. The choice is--- invest in equipment, spend reloading/range/chronograph time to get what you want, then spend time to make more (buying powder/bullets/primers)... and then wait for the savings to materialize. Depending upon how much you shoot, you might be better off just buying Syntech.

If you're having fun shooting a match with your friends.... and then don't have so much fun shooting a match with strangers, but maybe score a slight bit better.... think about which situation makes you feel better at the end of the day. It's your choice.

A Steel Challenge shooter at my club recently had a cracked slide on a STI comped gun, and he was shooting standard pressure loads. He sent it back. I do not know the outcome.

Consider yourself lucky that you have an ICORE club within reasonable distance and your joining fee will result in some fun.. Many shooters don't have ICORE clubs available. But if you love shooting revolvers it's the BEST competition available. So what if you have to find a stamp... just ask a old guy. They'll tell ya how to get some

As one who shoots and publishes pictures of shooters at action competition matches I have to say it is an EXCELLENT idea to get the permission of the shooter you are photographing. That is... unless the sign in papers at the given range say that ALL competitors are subject to being photographed. If that is not in place there can be some sticky legal issues if the photos are published and individuals are recognizable in those photos.... and didn't want their photos appearing, and that they were taken without their knowledge. Better to ask... or require for the event.

It's hard for me to imagine trying to trade a gun at a big retailer if you are a member of a gun club. Most clubs have "For Sale" boards. I have sold a number of guns to my fellow gun club members, and know that in order to join they all had to pass a NCIC background check, and the majority have concealed weapons permits. No risk to the seller on that because all have passed a background check, and I am aware of it. It's better avenue than dealing with the "Big Box" pukes.

Dots are different than iron sights. Sight focus is everything with irons. Target focus is everything with a dot. Visualize yourself looking through the scope on a rifle to find the target and then triggering the shot when the crosshairs superimpose onto the target. That's what you're doing with a dot. It's nothing more than a rifle scope, minus the magnification factor. Focus on the target. The dot will follow.

Yes! My two have gone thousands of rounds and been totally reliable... even when left fully-loaded for a couple of weeks. As for 25-round magazines --- I don't trust any, even Ruger. I hang around a lot of shooters and have never heard a positive statement regarding ANYONE'S 25-round .22 LR mags.

The best advice! You've been there before... you've done it before... why think differently for the first stage? Focus... stage plan, targets, smooth draw, execute. You've done it before. Why should the first stage be any different than any other? Focus on what you need to do... just like on the other stages.

For your first few matches I would recommend against shooting two guns. Pick one. Learn the procedures and get your shooting order for the different targets on the stages down (the above advice is excellent in regard to that). One gun is likely to give you all you need as you learn. Steel Challenge is a lot of fun, and the people you meet are fun, as well. I'm an RO at my club and A Class in three divisions. I enjoy every match... but find mixing long gun and pistol detracts from that (and my scores). Give Steel a try. You'll have fun!

+1 here. I'm A Class..(close to MA) in SCSA with a 10/22 Takedown Lite, Ruger BX drop in trigger, and just about any 6 MOA reflex sight (I've used Burris FF3, SIG ROMEO1, RMR... there are no real G forces, so any sight can work). The BX 15 round mags are nice. Not a lot of extra weight, but you can shoot 2 strings, change, and keep going. There is no recoil, even with high speed stuff, so the only real point to the comp is to make enough noise for the timer to pick up when shooting 1070 loads. Mine doesn't have a comp. I just 'splain to the newer ROs (I am one, have been for awhile) where they need to hold the timer. Another BIG PLUS to the Takedown Lite is the ease of cleaning. Lock the bolt back, pop the barrel off, everything is right there, and you can clean the barrel from the chamber end --- making sure that the chamber is clean. A + for feeding/extraction. And, I have never seen a POI change after re-installing the barrel.

If the gun has a round in the chamber you can't drop an empty mag... at least that is my current understanding... whether it will be valid next week is anyone's guess.. It has to be retained. On an empty chamber/slide lock reload you can drop an empty mag. 9+1 seems to have an advantage on some stages, and a disadvantage on others (steel activator moving targets, etc.) Since round dumping is now legal, shooters have a lot more latitude as to when&where they make a slide lock reload. I say shoot what you shoot best... and, more importantly, what works reliably. Clearing a malf takes a lot more time than making a slide lock reload (ask me how I know.. LOL)

Nope, you ain't alone. It REALLY helps to have sights you can quickly see, and that hold their zero. Then a trigger that breaks smoothly and consistently. Then, maybe some grips that fit your hand and provide a positive and repeatable grip on the gun. Once you have a gun that facilitates good scores... practice becomes the answer. But spending a lot of time & money practicing with a sub-par gun will still result in your being a sub-par shooter. The "Indian Not The Arrow" analogy only goes so far. Every successful Indian made darn sure they had quality arrows

The Trijicon RMR on my 9mm S&W CORE has lasted over 6500 rounds. They seem to be built tough enough to handle the VERY significant G-forces the optic gets during a rapid slide ride. I have seen other sights that didn't last 500 rounds on a slide, but were just fine on a rail mount for rimfire rifle/pistol/PCC. The slide ride is tough on electronics and electrical contacts.

A BIG +1. Regardless of the initial practiscore squad sign up, the MD has the responsibility to insure that each squad has enough ROs & scorekeepers, who can run the pad, to keep the squad and the match moving smoothly. Good MDs do that, and if someone gets all butthurt about being moved from their initial sign up squad... too darned bad!

I prefer a large sandbag, actually a rifle long bag. It allows the sights to be steadied on the target without wobble, but doesn't interfere with the natural recoil impulse that also effects the bullet impact point. I've never really liked the V-notch rests because they induce different pressures on the gun than you will experience when firing from a freestyle grip.

Peanut butter on a wheat cracker or wheat bread was recommended to me by a doctor (Chief of Staff, Lake City FL regional medical center) who I shot USPSA with awhile back. He ran triathalons in college. I added the jelly to make it go down easier. He also likes the nutrition drinks (like Boost, or Ensure), and I drink one of those on my way to a match. . I also read somewhere that there is a MLB pitcher who eats a couple of P&J sammiches during a game and finds it keeps his energy at a peak. Also, at this one club there were several other doctors who shot. All of them carried a tuperware container with cut up fresh fruit... grapes, apples, bananas, etc., and would dig into it every couple of hours. The first doctor also said that the natural sugars in fresh fruit are also an excellent source of energy, although it's inconvenient to carry. P&J on wheat is simple.

Did you try re-firing any of those primers in your M&P? I'll accept the high primer comments that others have mentioned --- most likely culprit. And, they should have fired a second time in the M&P, since the first hit sent them deeper in the case. But... I also did have a striker spring on a M&P go bad after about 20,000 rounds. New spring fixed it. CCI primers are 'firm". I also prime with a hand primer. I have to check each case to make certain they are below flush, and sometimes it takes a second "grunt". If you try them again in the M&P and they don't go bang, it could be a striker spring.

+1. Some lunches at FL matches (and others) get a bit "heavy". Seems like the organizers want to show off all the beans, potato salad, BBQ they can so the D Class shooters figure they're getting their moneys worth. Not good in your stomach if you want to stay sharp. Munching light, staying "lean", good call. And, while everyone else is stuffing 5,000 calories into their system, you can be at the Safe Handling Area, thinking about the rest of the stages.... with half a P&J sammich on wheat bread. On the stages after the "lunch break" I'd rather be lean & hungry than " fully stuffed".

+1. I zero irons at 25 yards to shoot to the center of the FO dot. There's not enough rise/fall from that to bother you for standard USPSA/Steel Challenge/IDPA targets/ranges. IDPA SSP Master, when I shot that game regularly.

+1. I prefer M&Ps (grip/point angle). Dan Burwell did a 2.75 pound trigger job on my CO gun, TTI makes nice mag 140mm extensions; takes a 17 round to 22 rounds. A pair of those should get you through a COF. There are plenty of good aftermarket sights out there for the M&P. It's not an expensive deal. To paraphrase attorney Johnny Cochran from the infamous O.J. Simpson trial "If the handgun fits, you must equip."

Welcome to the wonderful world of making your own loads. For powders: start with current manufacturer load data, or a current reloading manual like Speer or Hornady. Powders differ in burning rates and applications. The same powder that works for a .44 Magnum hunting load is going to suck for a 125 PF match load. With the proper burn rate powder there will be 'starting loads' and 'maximum loads' for various powder & bullet combos. Somewhere between the two you will find the softest load that makes the PF you need. There's a big difference between Major, Minor, Steel Challenge; and IDPA is all over the map. Lead bullets (coated, like Bayou) will get a bit more velocity with the same powder charge than jacketed loads. Start with the 'starting loads' and see if they reliably function your gun, if not increase slightly and test again. Reliability is the most critical factor. For primers: If you're loading for a revolver, Federal ONLY, and make sure they're seated below flush with the case base. Those, along with CCI & Win will work well for striker-fired semi-autos. For hammer-fired guns you can probably get by with any commercial stuff. The primer, itself, make little difference in match-type loads, unless you're running 9mm Major or an Open gun. The Overall Length (OAL) can make a difference, and can vary from gun to gun. Loads that run well in my M&P pistols are too long for my Ruger PC9. You need to experiment to find what's best for your gun. As well, inspect your rounds during the loading process. Be sure to check for double charges, high-seated primers, and changes in OAL. It's a learning curve.