JDHunz

Buddy just put the ICE on his pistol - identical to yours - w/out any issues. He does need to trim down the pads a bit on his CMC Power + mags a hair, but otherwise had no problems with installation. Best of luck on yours! Did you get the GAP or NO-GAP version? That will also play into how well your mags seat...or don't, for that matter...

I'm using the following in my STI Trojan 5.0: Berry's 180 gr RN 4.5 gr of Titegroup OAL = 1.142 Winchester Primers PF = 174 Works for me and is a manageable load that even my wife can easily handle.

Congrats on a "custom build" that can never be outdone!!!

Might be worth giving Virgil Tripp a call - he and Aaron are great to deal with, can talk you through some things or, if necessary, can fiddle with the mags or even the firearm. I sent him my STI Trojan in .40 several months ago with feeding issues and it was back a week later and will eat anything I feed it. Just a thought/option...

I ended up putting on a pair at our last match as I sliced the lower palm of my left hand open - my grips, VZ Operator 2s - are pretty rough and they kept opening the wound. Did the gloves make shooting more comfortable/enjoyable? Heck yes. But the tradeoff? Let's just say that on one stage the glove material was too much for me to disengage the thumb safety and it did cost me a few seconds to readjust. But hey, at least I wasn't coating my STI in blood...

If you are lucky enough, I've even found some things at outlet places like Nike and Eddie Bauer...got a really nice Nike one of $15...also, there are a few Under Armour outlets that have a wide variety of stuff...but the TW shirts are nice...

Dawson Precision sells a sweet front sight that matches the Sevigny rear...their suggestion is .115x.215 for a competition and .125x.215 for a serrated. Might be worth a call to them and ask, but looks like they have the answer there. Hope that helps...

That's a legit question. I like the size on my VZ Operator 2 grips...I don't have massive hands, but I think it's a nice size. Now, a buddy had the same grips and used his Dremel to remove a little more material...granted, he has shorter, stubbier thumbs and needed a little more "help." My best suggestion is to find someone, if you can and BEFORE you start the process, with grips that have the cutout and see how it fits your hands...if you think you need a bigger well for your thumb, then go from there. But I'd try to do a little hands-on if you can first.

You will like having that "groove" there - you won't notice it much at all and it's one of those ideas that "just work."

I had the same gun for a while - swapped out the sights for a Dawson FO front and a modified STI rear adjustable target sight. Also installed EGW trigger kit, STI Ti strut...the trigger was horrible in the original state - gritty, heavy, etc. I was running Chip McCormick Power Plus mags. Those worked, but I would probably try some Wilson or Tripp mags...I currently run Tripps in my current STI and they run great. Used a BlackHawk CQC holster - cheap and adjustable - with BladeTech single stack double mag pouches with TekLock system. OH, also replaced the pins with an EGW pin kit...didn't care for the MIM stuff that was in the gun...cheap, rough, and cheap. As far as grip safety, maybe have a good smith look at it to remove a little material to your liking.

Used red for a long time but recently switched to green.

I put a GAP Ice on my Trojan .40 using Tripp mags and they have been a great combo!!! Installation was super easy...especially w/DP's included instructions...

More of a former club member who has alienated himself from a majority of our shooters, badmouths USPSA, doesn't participate in matches but comes to "watch" and ends up being a nuisance with his commentary, instruction on how "he" would shoot a stage, etc. His latest was showing up at a match, where we run a cold range, bragging about how he was carrying hot - he was asked to leave by club officers, mad a fuss, but eventually left. He really has become a loose cannon, although he would deny he is at fault while everyone else are the ones with "issues." Just trying to stave off a problem at our next match...

Ok, so if an actual competitor gets out of line behaviorally, they can be DQ'd, right? But what if a spectator's behavior is out of line, unwanted, etc. - what authority does the MD have? Just curious...

If it's any indication, we took our twins to see "Cars 2" tonight (1st time they were in a real theater!) and we were surprised at the amount of "violence" and use of guns in the movie...but when the first guns appeared, my son (keep in mind, he's 4 and we are in a fairly full theater) yells out, "Oh, he pointed it someone daddy, that's a bad choice!" I didn't know if I should hunker down in my seat or give him a pat on the back. Instead I smiled and gave him a hug...and then watched the rest of the movie...not bad, but not nearly as good as the original...

I did get the Apple care, but I am positive I am past the warranty. I might try and swing into an Apple store if I can - closest one is 2 hrs away. Luckily, since I use my MBP for my other "work," then anything I get for it can be used as a tax write-off...

When I started to just relax more and remind myself I do this for the fun I have and the friends I've made...sounds corny, but I have improved since just reducing stress in my life and on the range.

James (OP) - You're going to find tons of beneficial information on this site as well as uspsa.org and others. Like others have said, some people will use the classification as a status symbol and others, like myself, use it as a measure of my own performance/ability. The best thing is to get into the sport and see what it does for you. Some of my friends are seriously obsessed with what they need on the next classifier, while others just want to improve. But one thing I have noticed over the years is when you find a really good group of shooters of ALL classifications, you will learn, you will see mistakes, you will laugh and, most importantly, you will find a new family you never knew existed.

I went from Production for 3 years to now shooting L10 and, hopefully, Limited next year (gotta save $$$ for a new gun). I like being able to have more modifications, but I also like having something "new" to learn. Doubt I will ever go back to production...

That really is neat!!! I have 4-year-old twins (boy & girl) and can't wait until they are ready to go shooting with dad...well, mom can come too. The thing I love about my kids already is that, unlike other kids their age who are running around "shooting" people with anything, our twins see that and just walk away. You ask them if they are to point a gun at people and they respond with a big "NOOO!" Now, I understand some will say, "what about self defense?!?!? what are you teaching them?" I don't want my children or their friends to become a statistic because someone said, "Hey, you wanna see something cool?" Slee - you should be proud of him...until he outshoots you...then he's grounded...

Bill, Those are very helpful hints. I just checked mine to see what time I was given and it will only hold a charge now for a few hours...guess it's time to pony up some $$$ and get a new battery...ugh!!! Thanks for bringing up the whole "time meter" - I would have never checked that unless you said something...my wife will be calling you.

I'll have to give the mink oil a try one of these days - it makes sense, as does the kerosene. Along the lines of an actual lubricant, I am doing about the same as you - needle bottle from Brownell's and Harley-Davidson synthetic oil...hey, gotta use what's around...multi-purpose! With the mink oil, I am guessing that you do that only on a "as needed" basis. I've used one of those silicone rags, but thought it left more of the "rag" and less of the silicone, so I quit using it.

Initially, I wiped things down with some Mil-Spec to act as a rust inhibitor, but, like you, I do a thin amount of Rem Oil... Have you tried any of the other oils or compounds?

But I bet you clean that "other" pistol, right Scott??? Aside from a general wiping of surfaces that have/had a lot of build up on them, I don't clean mine much either. An occasional patch down the barrel, doesn't really need a whole lot more.

Have you let the battery drain all the way down to where the laptop shuts off and then do a full recharge? I did that on my '08 MBP and it made the battery last forever and a day. Now, 3 years later, it is losing it's charge capability, but it has been pretty rock solid. Worth a shot...