Qstick

If the thumb cut is from the slide, go with a set of Swenson's...if it is from the safety, start riding the slide :-)

It relally depends on who you are dealing with. I have had 3 distinctly different experiences. 1. A great guy that I have used multiple times that has given me a timeframe beforehand and has made it each time. 2. Another solid guy that took a bit longer then expected, but communicated with me the whole way. 3. A disaster that took 3x longer then originally expected and I had to beg to get a response.

Thanks for all the great responses. Plenty to think about for sure. I really need to decide if I can truly temper expectations. I worry that although I am thinking it will be social now, it will quickly turn to competitive...I have that habit. I'm leaning towards single stack (minor, with the extra rounds I am not sure how much of a disadvantage minor will be) or production at this point. I will have to give some real consideration to the reload situation. I'm really not sure how reaching back will impact me. I love the idea of limited minor, but the scoring will be such a disadvantage I am concerned I might get discouraged. Open would be awesome. That might get a little crazy for the initial come back :-) Thanks again!

A quick background - I was a regular participant in every match I could shoot until 2006. I had the first of 3 shoulder surgeries then (and will have more) and was diagnosed with a degenerative condition that will continue to slowly get worse in my shoulders. I sold most of my gear when I decided I wouldn't be able to shoot pain free. Recently, I have really been missing the game and want to give it one more try. My Dr. doesn't think this will accelerate the damage so it becomes a question of whether I can tolerate shooting. I'm hoping with tempered expectations and a focus on fun I can attend 1 or 2 matches a month and just have some fun. Due to the injuries, I don't have a ton of grip strength....which doesn't help. Obviously I am asking a pretty broad question. I feel like I have been out of the game so long I wanted to ask the folks that shoot multiple platforms already. Previously, my focus was on open but I spent a little time in Limited and Production. I am guessing it is between Open, Production and Single Stack shooting 9mm minor? I will most likely purchase some of the gear used until I see if it will work out or not. Probably not a great chance at this working out, but I want to give it one more try and see where that gets me. Edit to add - I did save my Dillon 650 just in case lol. It will have to be sent back to Dillon to be refurbished a bit since it has been stored in my garage. I'm not sure how reloading will feel on my shoulders, but it seems to be a necessary evil with the cost of ammo.

Can't wait to hear about it. Did you go 38 or 9?

If you are just starting out I think you find them all to be on a somewhat even playing field initially, since you won;t have much to compare them too. Once you start shooting your competitor's guns, etc... IMO the best will be something by a custom builder that can take your experiences and feedback and deliver a gun that will do what you want it to.

Faster will only be a part of the equation. You would have to be fast enough to "outrun" scoring minor. I'm sure it is possible, but make sure you take all stage configurations into consideration when making this decision.

I communicated regularly with Steve for quite some time but recent attempts have had voice mail and email saying the boxes were full and unable to leave a message. Anyone know if all is well? Feel free to email or pm me if it is better than a public forum... Slightly concerned, Zach

I have a pretty bad shoulder that has started to drive me crazy again. I tore my rotator cuff, labrum, bicep and a good chunk of the connecting tissue (for you medical folks - I had a Bankart lesion, Hill Sach lesion, SLAP tear and damage to my bicep) and a good amount of arthritis thrown in for good measure. After seeing several doctors I finally found a wonderful shoulder specialist at the University of VA who performs 200+ shoulder surgeries annually and is the head orthopedist for the ACC etc.... I had the first surgery in Sept. 2005 and had another in May 2007 to clean up fraying tissue in front of where the anchors were installed and some scar tissue. By July I was feeling pretty good, although I will probably never be able to shoot again, I was able to return to road bicycle riding and had been enjoying the first somewhat pain free time in the past several years. If I got sore, it was gone the next day. 2 weeks ago, I jammed my arm into the ground to brace against a fall in the ice, and have been sore since. I never had any swelling or bruising, still have a full range of motion, but have a constant dull pain that will not go away. I've been in contact with the Dr. who says to try Ibuprofen etc.. for a few more weeks to see if it will settle down before coming in for an appointment and exam. It is driving me crazy wondering if I am truly hurt or just sore. I thought about it possibly separating, but I am not a Dr. and it seems like all you do is rest if it isn't severe. My other problem is that the Dr.'s office is 2 hours away. If the pain continues, I will have to go once for an exam, once for a MRI, again for results and will have to miss time away from my office, make several full day round trips and still be sore. It seems that with the shoulder, the options are surgery or rest...nothing else. This isn;t terrible, but damn i hate to waste time. Sorry to whine - just felt like venting....I am ready to rip my arm out, it is driving me crazy....... Zach

I have a police trade in Sig P225 that is experiencing some light primer hits. Since this gun is a stay at home by the bed type gun, I'd like to send it out and get it worked over as it has seen tons of rounds through the years. I tried Bruce Gray Guns, but since he doesn't list a phone number on his website and I've sent several emails that have gone without a response, I was wondering if anybody had a recommendation of someone that I could send the gun to? Thanks, Zach

I was thinking more along these lines.... http://www.newwoodworker.com/rtrdadojig.html but without a way to plane the guide 100% straight, an alu. block seemed like a good choice.

THanks for the links - I have ordered a few bits from Rockler and seemed pretty pleased with them so far. What I would like to do is to take the straightedge and glue it to a pc. of plywood. THen, while keeping my router against the straightedge, I would make a pass on the plywood and have the edge represent a place to line up with my marks on the board I'm cutting a dado in for the future. It seems like a decent way to be fairly precise int he future. The straightedge clamp combo might not be the best for this purpose - but I appreciate the thought, Zach

THanks Bill - any ideas where I might find the box tubing? ZH

I am trying to use them to help make a couple jigs. I just started learning a bit about woodworking and using a router etc...and would like to make a dado jig or 2. I would make the straightedge out of lumber, but I don;t have a way to plane a perfectly straight edge yet.... This is a brand new hobby and I'm trying to not go off the deep end quite yet..............

I need to find 2 - 18" and 2 - 30" long by 3/4 or 1" straight edges. I was initially picturing aluminum, but I suppose anything non corrosive and not overly soft would work. Any ideas where I might find such a beast??? Also should be able to adhere one side to a pc. of lumber in a semi permanent manner..... Zach Edit to add the adhesion part........