sroe3

I wear the 5.11 Tactical. Not the Tac lite, mine fell apart and my wife was sewing pockets back on it all the time. I operate equipment for a living so I like the back up belt system for my EDC. At IDPA everyone has a crisp vest with creases, mine is worn and haggard.

I have a friend who had the take-down lever on his XD beveled just a little to get rid of the sharp corner. You can't alter the profile of a production gun so don't get carried away.

We don't paint our star at local matches either.

When I dry fire practice, if my trigger finger isn't on the trigger far enough I see the sight twitch left a little. Worse SHO than freestyle. Ironically WHO I do the opposite, sometimes too much finger also pulls sights left. I've been practicing more this month on trigger control, less on draw and reloads. My P99 has a pretty stiff trigger even with a lighter striker spring installed. It's not uncommon for me to shoot a fair amount of A/C scoring targets. Last month was a classifier match with tight targets leading me to way more penalties than normal. Every shot was on paper, but not always the right color paper. I wasn't calling shots (also a big problem), just seeing good alignment and shooting. I'm still in the early stages of my shooting career, trying to practice my fundamentals enough that I don't have to correct myself during a stage or match. Better trigger control, stronger weak hand grip and taking more time to refine my sight picture will help me get those A hits. Thanks for all the input.

At RO class a few weeks ago I was taught that the closest part of the gun includes any part of the gun, slide racker, thumb rest, safety, or whatever.

In action pistol sports the proportioner type powder measures work very well. They are accurate within a tenth, usually better, and that's good enough. If you're shooting precision rifle you need to weight each charge.

If you're sticking to production shoot a 9 for the reasons stated above. If you might wish to dabble in L, or L10, where major scoring will be available to you, get a 40.

I gauge every round. With experience I've learned to judge which gun a bulged round will fit. The round has to completely fit in the gauge to chamber in the XD or Walther. If just the extraction groove and rim is showing it fits the FN. More than that needs to be chamber checked in the FN. I'm guessing >95% in the first group, 4% in the second group, <1% in the last group. I try to get more brass at Steel Challenge than USPSA so I'm avoiding 9 major. I load on a square deal so I can't use a U die.

Good point Pat. I wasn't calling my shots or I'd have seen sights moving left. . Thanks for contributing everyone. More practice. More correct practice

Instead of weighing single charges, do groups of 5 or 10 dumps. Get the average set where you want it and make 15 rounds with all stations full. Check your OAL and crimp on completed rounds 5 through 10. When your averages are where you want your ammo, make hundreds. Double check, if you wish, after three hundred rounds or anytime you leave the press overnight. I seldom need to make adjustments, even after leaving my press for weeks or months. I understand the new loaders caution. We've all been there. The most important thing for peace of mind is seeing powder in the case when you place the bullet. If you do that you can shoot your handloads with confidence.

Remains in effect – external plugs which alter the grip profile or extend past the bottom of the grip are PROHIBITED. Plugs which add significant weight to the gun are PROHIBITED. Special Notes/Clarifications: n Per existing NROI ruling, a plastic plug which fits flush (+/- 0.1”) with heel of the grip IS allowed. n For purposes of this interpretation, a plug weighing more than 0.5 ounce is considered “adding significant weight”.

I have a trigger finger placement issue. I tend to press the trigger with my finger tip which leads to shots left at full speed. Yesterday's match was particularly poor with 2 shots going wide nearly every stage. When I notice or think about it I'm already several targets in and the damage is done. Outside of dry firing with proper technique, does anyone have a tip or trick to accentuate proper finger placement?

^^ditto^^

In our section a new shooter needs a safety card. A RO will supervise their ability to draw, reload, and follow the range commands before issuing the card. For the first 3 matches the scorecard has a "new shooter" comment on it to alert the RO. I took a two day class that a couple local M/GM/RO's offered in lieu of the safety check and 3 match deal. Either way new shooters receive extra attention here.

Don't give up before you've even started. Part of the pleasure of reloading is making rounds better than factory for less money. You won't make perfect ammo first time out. It's a test and tune process. Build a round with components you've bought and go try it.

Manufacturers use proprietary blends. You'll never get a match. Shooting the same weight bullet at the same velocity will be the best you can do. Don't use factory COAL as your bullet profile won't match factory bullet profile.

I've noticed most BC bullet shooters prefer a PF near 135. The accuracy is better with the extra velocity. And BC bullets are always heavier than advertised.

One of my chainsaw files is small and fine so I used that to groom the drop hole a little. That helped a lot, just a little more work to get it perfect. The primers drop much better into the Dillon tubes, some better than others. I might file a little bevel into the end of the primer tubes that don't feed so well. I should actually clean them first, that might be all it takes.

My new VibraPrime has an issue. Every primer tips into the hole and won't drop through to the tube. I tried feeding them slower or faster but no difference. I'm loading Win SPP and using the correct end of the flip tray and correct filler tube. Any ideas? I was stoked to get it and I'd hate to have to take it back.

Use hollow point load data since that's also jacketed but find your own COAL for your bullet profile and barrel. Start low and work up with a chrono.

That's the same length I have to load the BC 125's. Back your load off a couple tenth's and chrono.

I took my daughter and her friend to their first trap team practice this week. Both girls got good instruction and enjoyed their first experience shooting shotguns. I had a great time just watching. I've been asking, not pressuring, my daughter to try shooting and until this week she's declined. I'm thrilled that she's taken me up on it finally.

When I got my SDB I was tickled load for half of factory cost. This year I'm loading for 20% of factory. Take the plunge.

I use Universal with moly bullets. I would consider using Clays for plated or jacketed.

If you're measuring then I assume you're concerned about the 2" from the inside of the belt to the gun. http://www.uspsa.org/rules/2010HandgunRulesProof3web.pdf Appendix E2 on page 92 shows how to measure.