Bret Heidkamp

Cool !! Was that after shooting Open for a bit? I have to admit I've never seen you with an Open gun yet.

John - I'm so glad to see this topic - this is what I've told "limited only" shooters for YEARS. Nothing will teach you how to shoot like shooting Open. I don't mean that in a snotty way whatsoever. It just shows you different things. Just like irons show you different things. Most people around here these days seem to have an anti-open approach and won't touch an open gun. I think it makes one a much better limited shooter, because you don't know how fast you can really go and how much feedback you get until you start pushing with an open gun. Welcome aboard, and I might see you guys in Cheyenne.

Actually, the new Rudy Freeons look like the ticket if you want that brand.

Beware of glasses that have the two lenses spaced far apart for your face and those with a wide bridge area. Not because they won't fit your face, but because they kill your stereo vision at sharp angles. Especially if you have any eye dominance problems... what I'm trying to type is : Say you're looking for a target to your left. You get your eyes over there first. However, with a big bridge in your glasses, your right eye is blocked. So, you're seeing with your left eye, in mono vision! Not good. This is one reason the old school Bolle's were so nice. (as an aside, you are now semi-programmed to continue to see that target with your left eye, even when it comes back to stereo vision in front of your face. I've noticed this is really detrimental in sporting clays.) So, in my opinion look for glasses that have a narrower bridge area and/or fit you closely. Don't just get something someone else says is cool / looks cool. Buy a brand that fits your eye spacing to avoid or minimize the above, and is polycarbonate. You'll drive the sunglass person nuts with trying everything on, but the heck with 'em. This is important. Hope this makes sense... Regarding color stick with red or vermillion if you shoot open or a red fiber front sight. Makes the dot brighter and the cardboard stand out. Subdues backgrounds of green.

Here is a topic where shooting open class for a season will really help your skills. Although the following doesn't address cadence, it does address eye movement to the target in advance, which is a problem I've seen in a bunch of shooters: The drill I've used for transitions / eye movement / is to place two steel challenge round 10" targets in the bay, about 10 yards apart. Then step back about 10 yards. One shot each, left, right, left, right, etc. Do a few mags worth. The skill is to move your eyes ahead of the gun, like everyone is saying. This exaggerates the need to move your eyes first because the targets are so far apart. Plus, the steel provides instant feedback. If you're tracking along with the sights, this will break that bad habit quickly. One other thing is this teaches you to put on the brakes before getting to the target or you'll overswing them because they're small (try 8's or 6's if the 10's are not challenging). This is just a really good drill, and I feel the need for it right now to shake off the winter rust. :-) So... eyes... then if eyes can't reach the target.. head turn... and the gun is following along.

I will have an AICS 1.5 for sale shortly. Green skins, great condition. As soon as my A-5 replacement gets here, it will be on the classifieds.

OK, I'll post something serious. Think "elbows down" at presentation, not "elbows out." Tension gone... it kind of forces your shoulders to relax. Also reduces that IPSC monkey look.

Jake, it was a joke. I and several others I know have always felt Robbie has a long torso and short arms for his size. Unfair natural advantage... Me, I've got gorilla-length arms and a short torso...adds a tenth or a sec. or two.

That only works if you're built like TGO. I'm not.

Hi Eric! I last saw them at the Shot show - they had the same booth there as last year, so they should still be in business I would hope. Last time I spoke with them was about 8 months ago. I've noticed their website is really dated. It's the same information and event dates as it was in 2004. Sorry I don't have a better answer! I know the supplier Hakko (horus branded scope manufacturers) went out of business, and reincarnated as Japan Optics Limited but I have no idea how this impacted Horus. I also know USO was still offering the H25 and H37(?) reticles as of this Shot show with no comments on supply issues.

Bronco, That's totally my feelings as well. The higher powers can be used pretty well in the early AM but mirage will kill you later in the day and you end up dialing them down. I have a close friend that nails coyotes at 700+ yards with a straight 10x S&B on a 308. Keep in mind a coyote is a mere 4" scoring zone! Now he just swapped to a 5.5 - 25 S&B so it will be interesting to hear his comments in a few months. That is a whopper of a scope with a price tag to match. ap3 - Regarding the range cards...start it and keep them up. Your dope will change slightly with temp, humidity, light, etc. so keep notes! Just like learning IPSC... keep a log. Have a look through those big $$ scopes... it will blow your mind how clear they are, at least it certainly impressed me. Come up and shoot our long range match - it's only a fun event, prizes by draw, but 1 1/2 miles of hiking with all steel targets to zap out to 1200 yds. If you can travel all the way over here, it would be worth it. I'll post a formal announcement soon. April 29th is the tentative date.

Guys, I've been shooting the H25 reticle now for about 1 year. I bought it in their 4-16 super falcon to play with the reticle and see if I liked it before buying it in a higher $$ scope. I have to say it works really well for large targets (1 1/2 MOA or so). For smaller targets, you should be clicking, which it also does in 1/10 mil clicks (nice). Reason being, I have a harder time making really tiny hold adjustments between the 1/2 mil ticks. However, on 99% of the steel targets out there, this system rocks. You just need to know your clicks for really tight shots. That being said, I live in Montana where I shoot 99% of my shots 400 yards or more to all the way out past 1000. To say we can open up the ranges around here is an understatement. So, I know a bit about shooting far and in the wind. The 16x is definitely strong enough. Come shoot our long range match in April and you can find out. I do not do (and hopefully will never have to do) the 1/4" dot drills at 50 or 100 yards. Double YUK. I think that kind of competition is incredibly boring. I also don't use the PDA software, and wouldn't really want to start relying on a PDA. My range cards work great, and they are fast. Eric's comment on the range cards is right on. You absolutely MUST prove your zeros. I would recommend buying the Horus as a cheap way to play with this reticle vs. ordering it in a USO or S&B. Then if you like it, spend the big bucks. If you don't then you're not out a bunch of cash. I definitely give the reticle a big thumbs up once you get used to it. However, know your dope in clicks too! BTW, regarding the high-$$ glass: if you don't want to spend the money then don't look through it or you will be screwed. S&B or Zeiss will open a new world to your eyes. My other two highly relied upon gear - binos and spotting scope - are Leica and I should have made that switch many years ago. Regrettably I only did that a couple years back. Leupold scopes are a good value, and I own several, but they don't come close to the optics of S&B or Zeiss. Only one thing I disagree with - YMMV - buying an accurate rifle and putting a bargain scope on it = reduced return on your investment. Put the best glass you can afford on it. Leupold is fine but no H25 reticle available as far as I know. Plus, the internals I understand use plastic bushings to take up slop (standard manufacturing practice, nothing wrong there) but S&B uses hand lapped metal shims that are serial numbered to the scope body. i.e., bomber construction. This info comes from a company that does scope repair for a living, not me - I've not taken any of them apart as I'd never get them back together... Hope some of this helps your decision making process.

Jim, Measure it yourself and find out what makes the most concentric ammo. I have to admit, I never did this until recently. I was amazed. I load my rifle ammo on a 650 that I leave set up for rifle. I remove the advance block so it isn't progressive for my larger calibers, but use it for 223 (due to the volumes). So, it is acting like a single stage press. But we're talking about me loading 25, 50, or 100 rounds at a time vs. hundreds of 223. I get .001" runout on my 260 Ackley and .004 on my 338 win mag. The 260 is a custom gun, the 338 is a factory chambering. I believe the runout diff to be the factory bolt face is not 100% square to the bore, but it's close enough to shoot about 3 3/8" at 450 yds. The 260 is of course light years better than that. So, don't believe the people that tell you accurate ammo can't be had on a Dillon. The comment on David Tubb is right on - there's pictures of a 550 in his loading room - I think it was in one of his books I have. The trick I use is to float the die and (if you use one) the expander. .001" runout is really good - this was measured right at the bullet / case neck junction. I do think keeping the shellplate tight and not letting it rotate is important, although I have not measured if this adds runout yet. Anybody else check this yet?

That is totally dependent on how close to the ragged edge of pressure you run. Case life is identical to any other cartridge - which means it can be as low as 1 if you're crazy on velocity and pressure, or quite a few reloads if you're more "normal." There isn't any difference with the AI vs. a factory design, so whatever your experience with other cases is, that is what you can expect. I can't quote you a number with confidence as it wouldn't be relative to your own reloading and powder combos, if that makes sense. For what it's worth, I have only tossed a handful of cases so far, and that is from load development. They are lasting a looonggg time for me so far, and I'm running the 142smk's at 2900 on top of 46 grains of RL19. I can get 3000 with VV560 but I have a lot of RL19 laying around I need to burn up. Best group was a 5-shot 1 3/8" at 700 yds with that load. Hope that helps!

Will, Glad it helped! I can sum up my logic: Barrels are an expense, just like ammo. That's a fact of shooting. I can't count how many pistol barrels I've changed due to either wear or not liking something. To me the equipment is the cheapest part - our time is way more valuable and our travel expenses are way higher. Get what you want and don't worry about it. Look at what the winners in your sport are using and start there. There is a reason they're using it. If something doesn't fit, modify it! That means your pistol's grips should fit your hand. Your rifle stock should be the right LOP for you. etc etc... Don't worry about looks, don't worry about resale value (for our sport!), just shoot the crap out of it and you'll get better. Your goal is to keep everything 100% maintained, but still wear everything out. Multiple times, hopefully! :-)

I would counsel FOR it. Here is the logic: A) Fireforming brass is terribly simple for an AI. You can use these rounds to shoot close range targets, sight in, plink, whatever. I disagree on the 500 rounds comment. Most matches are less than that. I have only about 100 or so - that's plenty. Realize you do not have to waste these rounds. I shoot fireforming loads at 400+ yards. Get your drop chart for them, and they are fine practice rounds. One other thing most people don't know: When you fireform an AI cartridge, the length gets shorter, thus no trimming. They also don't stretch like a factory cartridge, probably due to the shoulder angle... again, very little trimming, if ever. :-) The AI gain is about 200fps, depending on powder. This puts you at least up to 2900. Damn close to the 6.5x284 without the pressure and barrel life issues. (The 260AI is definitely easier on bbls than the 284) That is a big difference at long range. Check out the differences in windage, which for me is the most important, and one of the biggest reasons I don't care for 308 that much. Now if F-class would just allow other calibers in tactical... C) Barrel life is not a killer with the AI version of this cartridge. A 6.5 AI is easier on a barrel due to the flame angle that AI's create, in my opinion, than a straight 260, but this is a better question for George Gardner. The flame angle I'm referring to is the bounce angle off the inside of the shoulder (the direction the burning gases would go, if this makes sense). Note how on the AI it still hits brass, but on most factory cartridges it hits the throat of the barrel. This was explained to me by an engineer... I'm not one. D) Have you ever heard of Terry Cross? E) You should read this month's Precision shooting, there is a fine article on the 260 tactical. F) You should read the articles Terry has written on the 260 AI. They are over at www.6mmbr.com. While you are there, look at the articles archive. Here is the link to the 260AI article: http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek046.html G) As if that isn't enough, your goal should be to wear out barrels, not save them for your offspring. A barrel is cheap compared to my time, effort, and the learning that happens with each pull of the trigger. If you want to be a better rifle shooter, you have to wear out barrels. You might as well wear them out with something you like. Remember, you can have a new barrel fitted and you'll already have brass, dies, etc. for the AI. If you want cheap warm-up practice, scope your 10/22 and warm up at 100 or 150+ yards with it. It's fun practice on windage before breaking out the big guns. H) If you are building a custom gun, you might as well go for it. I) In the amount of 6.5 I've put down range through my 260AI, often shooting next to someone shooting a 308, it is SO much better in the wind... you won't believe it until you own it. J) If you don't do it, you'll always wonder...

Guys, you really need to come out to our PR bolt rifle match(es) in Montana. My company sponsors them, and they rock. Here is kind of an off-the-cuff summary: Two classes, hunter and PR. Hunter = factory stock skinny bbl rifle, no target knobs. All else OK. PR = anything goes, 30 cal max. Bags/bipods OK for both classes. COF: approx. 2 miles. (bring water and lunch) approx. 12 fire points. approx. 40 targets for hunter, and 60 (!!) targets for PR. ALL STEEL - some fixed, some reactive MGM. We are going to all wiggle mounted for '06. Distances: 50 to 1000. Hunter max is 500 yds. PR must shoot all hunter targets at a given stage, plus the PR targets. Sizes of targets vary wildly. Scoring: It's either a hit or a mike. Highest score wins. Our matches are basically like scoring sporting clays - you get an "X" or a "O". You don't have to bang away until you hit. So, the match is exactly the amount of rounds specified. Time: This year we will enforce a station time limit, but the course time is up to your squad. Try to come back before dark! Other: We ran our first match in April of this year. We had approx. 60 entries, and every single person said "When are you going to do this again???" There will also be a match near Missoula this year in addition to our matches. We will probably limit the entries this year or be forced to put on a two day event. This is getting pretty exciting! See www.istdesigns.com/forums for current info and match dates (TBD for this year)

I second the comment on GA Precision. Awesome work. I had George build me that exact caliber - a 260 AI - almost a year ago now, it is exceptionally accurate (less than 1/4 MOA all day long, at any range). Schneider bbl, #7, fluted, 8 twist, R700 action, AICS stocked. 142smk's at about 2900.

Here's my two cents on the definition of good (continuing the thread drift, sorry!) : There are so many points on this that I can think of, but here goes - To me, being "good" = being consistent. Speed is one thing, but being consistent and being smart about how to shoot a stage is what I define as "good." Yet most people define speed as "good" - like, "wow, that was fast!" although there were 5 mikes and a couple no-shoots. Don't get caught up in that nonsense. A person in our game can gain classification quickly, given practice. Match experience and the ability to make the right decisions on a field course stage comes with more time. Then, it seems that the higher your skill class, the less tolerant it is of stage errors. ie, in C class you can totally blow a couple stages and still lead the class. In M, that is not possible (I won't speak for GM, as I'm not there yet). There's nothing more frustrating than making an error, no matter what "skill level" you are at. However, ask any GM or M coming off a stage how they did (that looked like a good run to you) and most likely you'll get some constructive comment of "it was OK but..." Not negative, just constructive. A few times you might get a "that was a pretty good run" but from what I can tell the better your edge, the more focused you are on ever nuance. So, consistency is key, to me. Focus on your own game, and things will come together... A friend of mine that is an amazing talent used to say "Shooting is easy, it is us that make it hard." Truer words have never been spoken - after learning the mechanical skills, it's all mental. How to get better? Buy all the shortcut material you can, so you don't waste your time. This means Brian's book, Matt's vids, and anything else you can find. Keep a log book of your practice, so you don't get burned out thinking you're not improving. Change your courses during practice. I limit myself to 3 runs on a stage before changing something. The higher up you are, the more consistent your times and HF should be. ie, C class will see improvement, M and up shouldn't see hardly any improvement (I usually get slower, go figure!). Don't hammer out the same stage for the whole practice. On the weekends, with more time, set up a field course. Break it down into small speed shoots if you feel rusty, before shooting it all at one time. Limit your rounds like JB1 said. For me, after 300 or so, I'm ready to pack it in. Think of this like learning piano. It's not the quantity of practice, it's practicing frequently. Sorry if I messed up this discussion... too much coffee...

ObNote: "the USPSA board" does not have any say in when or where the Nationals will take place. The USPSA *president* has full and final authority for that decision.... and we frequently hear about the Nationals venue and schedule at pretty much the same time you do.... *after* the decision is made. I am *fully* plugged into this thread, and have taken a couple of swings at gaining the board more involvement in the process. But... at this moment, we have little or none. So... make sure El Prez hears your preferences... Bruce <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Bruce, I hear ya, but it would be great if the BOD would discuss this topic as a board? I guess, secondly, why is the Nats location solely the Prez's responsibility to determine? Perhaps that should be changed to a BOD decision. It sounds a bit autocratic to me, personally. Probably because I don't know the basis for having it this way. Secondly, you guys as board members have a rapport with the Prez - right? I mean, I say hello to him about once a year and get the deer-in-the-headlights look because he doesn't know me whatsoever, which is totally understandable. So... if some BOD members were to cc him on this thread at least all of us would know our voices were heard. Other than that, I would be more than happy to send him a fax of this thread if that makes the most sense. Lastly, what time of year is the decision usually made for hosting so I can make sure to fax this to USPSA HQ beforehand? Thanks Bruce!

I can only hope that at the end of this thread's life, one or more of the USPSA staffers would print the entire thing out and hand it to each and every board member. It would be a good read for everyone involved in the decision making process. There are lots of good comments - and look how many times this thread has been viewed! That alone should be proof positive that any decisions on nats locations should not be taken lightly by the USPSA board.

I am going to probably be building a mover soon for our club. One thought for a rifle mover was a commercial garage door opener track mounted on the ground. Generator powered with the whole contraption behind a short berm, just allowing the target to stick up high enough to be shot. Two tracks end to end would make the target run about 24 feet, I think. The commercial opener was required because it won't overheat and shut down like a residential unit from what I am told. Plus, these usually can be had from overhead door companies when they are ripping out old units. With their help we should be able to scab something together that is functional. Other than this, we may try a gravity setup, pull pin activated, using a set of garage door side tracks since they hold the wheels captive. A double set of these may work out. Binding may be an issue, but may be overcome with enough speed and alignment. (?)

PLEASE READ BEFORE VOTING This poll is just to get a general idea of where shooters would prefer the Nats to go (or not) after the Barry contract is up. Please don't just vote for the closest range to you arbitrarily. Try to consider travelling at least 1/2 a day. Better yet, flying to the location which should make things equal. Things to consider would be: range layout & capacity, airports, lodging, weather, family vacation aspects, etc. If there is a range capable of hosting a Nats that I didn't list, add it to a post here please and explain why it would be your choice.

If I remember correctly the Barry venue is under contract for 5 years (starting about 4 years ago). The reason Barry got the Nats was because they kicked in some coin for subsidies (RO motels?). I think all of this was in the BOD minutes when the contract was up for renewal. If I also remember correctly, Las Vegas did not offer anything to USPSA (besides a seat at a blackjack table!). Too bad, my preference is definitely Vegas, and I think the majority of shooters would prefer that - in fact... that's another good poll question!!!

If it was about money for me, IPSC would be at the bottom of my list, and trap would be at the top. Gad, I hate shooting trap.