GunBugBit

Looks like you worked it out, great!

I have started out shooting single stack with a slightly modified (Kensight adjustable rear, Dawson red fiber optic front, oversize slide stop button, lightened trigger) Springfield TRP. No intentions of switching to anything more real or less real.

A USPSA-sanctioned match is a near-term goal of mine. Good for you for taking that step! I understand the nerves, I was nervous just at my recent first-ever local match.

I bought a DW Valor more as a full-size 1911 concealed-carry option, a role it fills very well. It is a joy to shoot at the range. With a few modifications, it would fill the competition role very well, too. I'd go with standard-thickness grip panels, a mag well and an oversize slide stop button. I don't know that I'd need to do much else to it. I worked out the fixed sights to shoot one inch high at 25 yards, and that should work well for the matches. If I were to buy a new gun for USPSA single stack, I'd certainly give STIs a hard look. I understand they are very good.

davsco, thanks, I hope to be blessed with being physically able to enjoy many more future matches. Thanks b1gcountry. notfast, hope to see you soon back at the range. Yes, Hazen is a credit to the shooting sports, I enjoyed his company and learned a lot from that time with him. 9x45, yes sir, better fire up the reloader and keep it humming.

Using a Wilson which is just a checkered, round, raised, oversize button. It works well for my medium-sized hand. The STI and CR Snakeskin look really good, never tried them.

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Thanks Hi-Power Jack, I did enjoy it a lot and will continue on the journey. I have no specific goal in mind at this time, other than to improve and enjoy doing so. This forum and Brian Enos's book Practical Shooting, Beyond Fundamentals were instrumental in helping me take this first baby step into competition shooting. Thanks to the many informative threads and shared experiences from the good people here, I was better prepared than I would otherwise have been.

Last night I shot my first local match, which was also my first ever shooting competition -- at age 56. One little surprise was that Iain Harrison, the winner of the first season of Top Shot, was in attendance. Mr. Harrison, not a regular at the Ben Avery Practical Pistol range, was designated to shoot in the D Open class after a short conversation with the match coordinator. He took first place in that class and would have taken 2nd in the Master Open class. He presented himself as a humble, calm, low-key guy, same as he was on the Top Shot show. He has been a US citizen since December 2011. There was another fellow with him who also looked familiar, probably from the Top Shot show, but I did not inquire as to his identity. Maybe someone will recognize his name from the match results (see link below). My own little victory was being one of the winners in the Tyro class. The other winner had a better score than mine with his open gun, whereas I was shooting single stack equipment (a Springfield TRP and 8-round magazines). I was happy with how I did in relation to the other more experienced single stack shooters. I was nervous on the first 3 stages and made little boo-boos, but was quite thrilled to manage stage 5's Texas Star decently, and knock down all of the other steel with one shot apiece, and do all right on paper. I went for accuracy, not speed. My mentor suggested I could try going faster, but I just stayed in my comfort zone. A few words about my mentor, Hazen Bazinet -- he was very nice, super helpful, and shared with me that today he gets sworn in as an American Citizen. He is from Canada. Thank you and congratulations Hazen! The results are here, I'm Bob C.: http://www.cactusmatch.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=683:april-30-2015&catid=59:2010-thursday-night-scores&Itemid=117

THIS Love Geissele triggers.

Wilson 47DE

I like slim grips on my full-size carry 1911, and a right-hand-only thumb safety. Mine happens to be a Dan Wesson Valor. I carry a G23 sometimes, too.

About a year ago I got my CoC grippers and trained with them a lot. I overtrained and had a lot of pain on the outer forearm up near the elbow. That injury has healed and I'm back to training with them. I'm paying more attention to nutrition -- lots of raw veggies, multivitamins, fish oil. I eat plenty of meat and eggs to get complete proteins. Some people who think they're eating healthy make a big mistake in starving themselves of protein. Probably not the case with most shooters; I think we tend to be meat eaters.

"Does my butt look fat in these tactical pants?"

We would have to get to a place where competitive shooting is routinely viewed by large crowds in stadiums/arenas. Probably not in the cards. People with companies making guns, ammo, accessories, etc., are the big money makers. Making big money just from shooting, don't know that it's being done anywhere.

Need pics when you get it back!!

Yeah, me too. It's a complete myth that Glocks are ultra-reliable and 1911s are not.

I dig it!

I know a self-saboteur very well. I've watched him do it to himself for 20+ years. He is highly intelligent yet continually does things that thwart having a better life. He is competent enough to soar to heights far above where he currently exists. My best theory is: he doesn't believe he deserves a better life. He genuinely prefers misery. Changing core beliefs about yourself might be the key. Easier said than done.

Feel it, face it, accept it. Then tell yourself, "I am not that nervous. I'm going to do fine. In fact, this is going to be enjoyable." This works for me both in shooting and musical performance.

For sure. I've cleaned my 1911s with Mobil 1 a few times and found it to be most satisfactory. As far as ATF, I have a couple of rifles that I've exclusively used ATF on. No issues with them.

No but I clean with ATF, leaving a light film on most internals, and lube with Mobil 1, so I effectively use a blend of the two. This combo is what I run all of my firearms with, and it hasn't done me wrong.

The sights do not do. They exist.

I was in the Army when the original came out and only recently saw it. The new one looks a lot different. The foe is North Korea?? It was "politically incorrect" to make it China? Yeesh.

A Mark III can have a lighter trigger than some think, safely. One of the the biggest single improvements is mentioned in Browning's "9mm Field Service Guide". It talks about putting a secondary cut on the lower edge of the sear nose. Have a smith do it if you're not comfortable. He should know how to leave enough primary engagement surface yet still give your trigger pull a good improvement. The tiny sear lever spring can be snipped by about 1/3 and give some pull weight reduction while still leaving intact the firing pin block function of the sear lever. The mag disconnect often gets removed, and most don't give that a second thought because so many semi-auto pistols do not have such a feature. A differently leveraged sear lever is the most "violating" change to the gun due to the need for new holes in the slide, but is the one that can get the trigger down around 3.5 lbs or maybe even lighter. A Garthwaite competition trigger is flatter than the factory trigger and makes it easier to press near the bottom of the trigger, giving better leverage. And then there are other things that can be done to improve trigger reset. A Hi-Power that has all of the major trigger improvements will have a VERY sweet trigger. Take these things under advisement with a good smith and only have done what you're comfortable with. If your smith gives you your Hi-Power back and now it has hammer follow, that's an oopsie and will need to be corrected.