Kool Aid

My grip revelation came when I stopped trying to get my support hand high like Vogel, and instead worked on getting better contact down the grip with the heal of my support hand slightly behind the grip, like Stoeger. I get better control at speed and fewer uncalled mikes. People frequently compliment me on my grip, saying my gun barely moves in recoil, even with 40 major.

Just hit 11,000 rounds of Bayou 124g and 147g reloads through my P320 Max purchased a year ago. I installed the TSA disconnector and Gray Guns trigger kit at around 300 rounds, and I've had no issues with the gun. I do case gauge all of my reloads. Most rounds were fired with the factory 12lb recoil spring or ISMI 13lb spring that Springer Precision sells. This includes 20 USPSA matches and lots of structured training working toward M class in CO. The Max/Legion is still ubiquitous at the matches I attend. Without the TSA disconnector, I could get the striker to drop with the slide pulled back about 1/8 of an inch. The TSA disconnector cuts that distance to less than half. I'm not sure if it is technically out of battery at that point because the barrel still visually appears to be locked up; it won't budge when I push down on it. The barrel doesn't start to drop below the hood of the slide until after the slide moves about 1/8" back on the frame rails. I've never been able to get the striker to drop when the barrel is visually unlocked from the slide even the slightest amount. I'm not here to argue what is technically locked or unlocked for a P320, just sharing my experience and observations based on the thread topic.

Ltd A: Typical week is 4 dry fire sessions and one live fire session of 200 rounds of drills. Two matches a month on average. Been at this pace a couple years and used Ben's training principles, even before reading his books.I stagnated in B for a while concentrating too hard on perfect sight pictures in dry fire. Started focusing on pure speed and made A shortly after.

I've had my vest coverage checked at a stage in every major match, including nationals. Some folks just pull their pants up and tighten their belts for the test, then go back to low riding for the rest of the match.

A third of the Classifier is shot at 15 to 20 yards, and the longer sight radius helps here. Also, a 5" barrel more easily makes power factor, so there's less drama at the chrono at major matches.

I come up with my own base plan, but sometimes mooch small segments I notice others doing during the walk through. Oddly enough, I gaffle more stage tidbits from Production shooters than from my fellow Limited shooters.

Computer duster gas is another way to go for plastic slide guns like the Tokyo Marui Hi Capa, the holy grail of airsoft pistols. Mine looks and functions like a clone of an STI Eagle, and the DP Ice magwel from my Edge mounts right up to it. I planned to upgrade my Hi Capa with a metal slide to run propane, but have been pleasantly surprised with how well it runs on a variety of cheap electronics duster gasses from Office Max and Walmart. Duster gas is cheap and less obnoxious than propane for indoor shooting. Velocities are lower than propane, but its plenty snappy and accurate for mocking up classifier and mini stages indoors.

A RWR while moving can be practiced in dry fire to get an idea of where it may or may not be an advantage in a match. Its most beneficial on stages designed to put you at slide lock while engaging a dissapearing target, or where you'd otherwise have to drop a prop like the ubiquitous "baby" or dummy in the middle of a reload. My RWR is roughly 0.5 seconds slower than my slidelock reload when I'm not fumbling the mag into my pocket. I've used the moving RWR with great success in field stages, and have confirmed how much movement is necessary for it to pay off in dry fire. Nobody but the SO saw me RWR on the move the last time I used it in a field stage (pre FFR), and the rest of my squad assumed I had overloaded my mags when I didn't go to slidelock where everyone else did. It can be very smooth, fast and efficient at times. Sometimes not. In the scenario the OP describes, I'd do the RWR if it was more than 4-6 feet to the next shooting position. In dry fire, that's the distance I've found where the moving RWR pays off with my speed and consistency. Slicing the pie in IDPA usually gets your body extended in the opposite direction of the next shooting position, slowing your exit speed and giving you time to stow while getting moving. I normally start to stow the mag as I'm shifting my weight, just before my trailing foot leaves the ground on the way to the next position.

I made Master with a 5" 9 Pro, and prefer it to the 4.25 for the longer sight radius, slightly more manageable recoil, and increased power factor with the longer barrel. Mechanically, the 5" model is no more accurate than my 9C, but the longer sight radius allows more wiggle room in sight alignment at longer distances. For me, it takes more concentration and near perfect sight alignment to assure good hits at distance with the shorter gun. One third of the IDPA Classifer is at distances of 15-20 yards, and the 5" has an advantage here, IMO.

My 9c with an Apex DCAEK trigger shoots as accurately out to 25 yards as my 5" 9 Pro, and has been flawless with everything from 130PF match loads to +P carry ammo. I've won BUG matches with it, and will run it in CCP this year. It reloads and handles much better in stages and full speed drills than my Shield, and I prefer carrying the 9c whenever possible because of its higher capacity and ease of handling. The 9c has a rail for a light and accepts full-size mags, while the Shield does not. Reloading full-size mags (without X Grip) has not damaged my gun and does not pinch my hand like 12-round mags do. The X-grip adapter gives it a full-size grip with 17+1 capacity, adding to its versatility. The manual safety only blocks the trigger bar from moving, and seems a bit cheap in design. The ambi safeties add a lot of width to the gun. I never warmed up to the manual safety version, sold it, and later replaced it with a model without a safety after the HK P2000 SK fell short of my expectations. Overall, I think the 9c offers the best balance of function, capacity, reliability, shootability and concealability in the G26/9C/SK class of double stack carry pistols.

My 5" M&P 40 Pro for USPSA Limited built in 2013 for $1,250 Trigger: Apex AEK and RAM breaks at 2.75 lbs. Trigger bar loop adjusted for minimal over travel Sights: Factory Novak rear and Dawson .115 wide front. I prefer the lower profile of the fixed rear over the tall adjustable sights. Barrel: KKM 5", groups shrank from roughly 8" at 25 yds with factory barrel to 4"-6" with KKM Guide Rod/Spring: Tungsten GR and 15 -17 lb spring for 168 PF loads. Seems to group better with the 17 lb spring. Magwell: SSS Brass. Adds a few ounces, and I do notice some recoil mitigation despite the debate about it putting weight low on the frame. Basepads: Taran Tactical with their spring gets 20 reloadable with a slightly modified factory follower. Only get 19 reloadable with Taylor Freelance. Grip: Large backstrap with grip fully encased in grip tape. Lots of real estate to grab onto. Extras: Factory mag release, spare slide stop assembly and trigger return springs. I ran my M&P in Limited for about a year before upgrading to an STI Edge. Gotta say switching to the STI gave me more appreciation for the M&P, as its a very capable gun despite its shortcomings in accuracy and weight. After 3K rounds through the Edge, I'd estimate the switch moved me from roughly 70% to 75% in Classifier and match finishes.

Seems geared toward the G19 or smaller 1911s. HK45c loaded minor and the P30 (minus ambi slide stop to make width) are dark horses in this race. Expect to see some frankenguns sneak into local matches when folks figure out that a lot of compact uppers will fit on their full-sized SSP/ESP frames and still make dimensions.

CZ because it lacks a grip safety, has a wider mag opening, and the slide stop can more easily be manipulated with the strong hand thumb during slide lock reloads.

2,500 Round Update: Gun continues to run flawlessly with tuned and untuned mags. The oversized button on the Dawson Posi Lock mag release proved to be a liability running and gunning, so I removed the OS button. The sloppy support hand grip I could get away with on the M&P would cause mags to drop from the Edge. No functional issues in my first match with the CRP Edge. I finished one position ahead of where I normally finish, but did hit two no-shoots going a little too fast on some far targets. Didn't see significant improvement in my classifier score, but did have a decent run stone cold out of the gate. It felt like I had better control of the gun throughout the match compared to the M&P, and won't need to rely on luck as much as used to on distant targets. The tennis elbow I got from the M&P is starting to clear up.

I don't mind one complicated mind bender per match, but also want at least one stage that flows really well, a classifier and one total hose fest. Let's see who is well rounded.