Chip_E

Coming from production myself, I'd suggest the 90 degree C-more mount. Quinn II is nice, as is Cheely's. It really makes the transition from iron to dot seamless. Get yourself a pair of 170 mags, and a pair of 140 mags. You won't need to run them all on your belt, but it's nice to have a backup ready to go. I usually start with a 170 in the gun, a 170 on the belt, and a 140 on the belt. For the mag guts, I like Grams spring and followers, and have been running the Dawson basepad, but I'm gonna try the Gram basepads. I think too many people get caught up in trying to get 30 or 31 rounds in a 170. If it's a long course, there's always room for a mag change, and coming from production...I'm sure you're used to mag changes.

Wife and I shot Production for a year and switched to Open in March. It's a LOT of fun. Not sure I can say more fun, but different fun. I'm looking forward to picking up the production rig again someday, but that day looks far away. :-) Chaosshooter, love that logo. Can I put it on my FB page?

OK, what I left out is the fact that using your pant size is usually inaccurate because there's a current trend in the US to make the pants sizes smaller than they actually are. If you measure a size 38" pant, it's usually closer to 40". So while the CR Speed and Double Alpha are true to size (measured with overlap included) the problem is that: A. Most of us don't know our actual waist size B. You need to measure around an inner belt. Just measure around an inner belt as described above, and you can order a CR or DAA belt with confidence.

I've seen a lot of questions about ordering a CR Speed or Double Alpha Academy competition belt, and most of them are based on guesses and estimates. The proper way to order either belt is 1. Put on either a competition inner belt or regular belt (.24 to .28 inches thick). 2. Position it in the position that you would normally wear with your gear (for some that's at waist level, for others around your stomach). 3. Measure the outer circumference of the belt in it's proper position. This measurement is what you should order. The proper overlap will exist in the belt already (approximately 7 to 9 inches). Hope this helps. - chip

Johnny Lim made custom mounts as part of our gun build. Our spec was to get it as low to the slide as possible. I like Quinn II and the Cheely mount as well.

I think this debate is about learning and unlearning. That is, once you've learned to present your pistol in a certain way, after time it will become very difficult to unlearn to accommodate the latest fad in mounts. I'm pretty sure that if you started shooting Open with a mount that placed the c-more 2 inches to the left of the bore, trained yourself to pickup the dot, and shot like that for a year or two...then switched to a conventional mount...when you came back to the 2 inch off bore mount you'd swear it was the only way to go. As we train and adapt, it's difficult to change, and for some impossible. I come from a police/tactical background. We were taught weak thumb over strong thumb. When I started shooting USPSA, that was the first thing I had to unlearn, and it wasn't easy. I'd often catch myself going back to my old grip. Then, one day while I was instructing a new shooter about grip, and noticed the difference in grip contact between thumb over thumb and thumbs forward, a huge light went off, and I never had the wrong grip again. Not saying I ever have a good grip, but it took the physical and mental stimuli, as well as some time, to make me unlearn something that felt very comfortable. For the record, I started Open with a 90 degree mount, and feel that I have the same dot confidence and pickup as those that shoot with a conventional mount. Sometimes change is good, but often not easy, and if you have a mount (or any piece of equipment that works well for you) learning to use it more efficiently is probably a more efficient way of enhancing your ability rather than switching to something new. Again, just my opinion.

For me, it wasn't worth the slowness and complications of trying to fit your weak hand thumb into the small cavity created by the combination of a 90 degree mount and a thumb-rest. My wife felt the same about her gun. That said, I have some ideas for a modified thumb-rest that won't slow down your draw, but for now we're shooting with the 90 degree mount, but without anything in the way of the draw.

Oakleys, because you can go to a store and try them on; because there's a ton of lens colors; and because there are options to fit different face types. I think proper fit and proper choices for lenses are the most important factors after meeting the safety standard. If you have the one size fits all face, and don't care about anything except clear and darker than clear, then just get the cheapest glasses you can find. Some people buy gear because of fit and options, others just pay for style. In my opinion, if it doesn't fit comfortably and securely, it's not worth buying at all.

This is very similar to the new CED Range Trolley for $99 bucks. The CED product doesn't have a built in seat, but it has a LOT of useful features for shooters. Drink holders, thermal storage for food, fold down tray for ammo loading, compartment to hold mags while loading, holder for umbrella, and more. Yes, it has pneumatic tires as well, and folds easily for transport. If you have the CED large range bag/backpack, this trolley is a must. And if you have the CED bag, you already have a seat.

The rear of the mag feed lips and the bottom of the magazine should fit within the gauge.

Bottom-line....cry once. With the app, you'll either want to upgrade to an app that's closer to a real timer, or you'll eventually want a real timer. Buy cheap, pay twice (at least). Buy the good stuff, cry once.

I tried apps for my Android phone, as well as for my iPad, and they were generally good enough for home. On the range, nothing beats my CED7000 Pro. Especially the multiple Par feature and the ability to setup, time, and score an entire match. Plus, at the range even if I'm practicing I don't want to be bothered by phone calls, emails, or text messages. My phone is for communicating, my timer is for communicating my need to practice more.

Cry once...buy an S_I. As someone said, being Open Division legal does not equal Open Division competitive. As for reloading, that's part of the game if you run 9mm or .38sc. I haven't seen a factory load for a Glock or any other Open gun that will make Major PF on factory ammo. Sure, you can run factory ammo through a compensated Glock, but it kind of defeats the purpose. A good friend at my club runs a Carver Open pistol. He's been running factory ammo through it, and it runs fine....but when he tried some major ammo, the gun shot flat. Recoiled harder, but less muzzle flip and better dot tracking. As for triggers...even the best Glock trigger job can't match the worst S_I trigger job. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the Indian, not the bow. But if you know you're going to be an Indian all your life, why not invest in the best bow you can afford.

7.5gr of Silhouette, 124gr MG CMJ to 1.165 gets us 173pf

+1 When my wife and I started shooting USPSA, we took the cheap route...Ruger SR9s. We were lucky BladeTech made a holster for it. I was trying to save money because I had to buy 2 of everything....even though I know "Buy cheap, pay twice". From that lesson I made sure we bought the best..."The best is the least expensive in the long run." My wife's gone from shooting just under 40% in production, to a consistent 64% in Open. I'm not saying it's all the gear...she's a helluva competitor, but having good equipment doesn't hold you back from your potential. NOTE - Now I'm trying to keep up with her. :-)

There's no max weight limit for an open gun. You can check all the rules online (see Appendix D-1) http://www.uspsa.org/rules/2010HandgunRulesProof3web.pdf Can't wait to see how your build comes out. If you've never shot Open...it is THE BOMB! As for why do Open division holsters cost so much? Everything in Open cost$$$. Just 4 magazines for our new Open guns cost more than we paid for our production gun and holster. Sometimes I think Open means "Open your wallet....wide."

Just saw a video of Johnny Lim using his custom 32 round 170mm mag. He says it does fit in the gauge, but it's not for sale.

Is your video posted somewhere? I'd love to see that.

I'm wondering if something like this could be made where there was an insert that goes into the A-Zone portions...but with a different hardness of metal, that gave off a different tone when hit. Does that sound wacky?

Shot a HF of 9.8969 in Production. Should give me 59.4%....so close to being my first B classifier....and now I'm leaving production. Serious disappointment.

New to Open, but thinking about moving from the WSM II to either the SLB or DAA. Is there any reason not to move away from the WSM II for one of these?

I looked at the CZ and Glock....but went with the S_I platform because of the knowledge base available to me, as well as the fact that it seams most (not all) of the top-dogs are running S_I in Open. I figured that I'd end up with an S_I someday...so why not just go there. I also figured that if I ever got tired of the gun, it'd be easier to trade or sell than the others. If you watch the classifieds, 9mm Open S_I pistols are picked up pretty quick.

FINALLY a question on the Enos forum that I can be the expert in. I'm a DVD author and film editor. Many (especially Disney) DVDs are programmed so that you have to watch their adverts before you can get to the movie's menu. HOWEVER, if you press STOP, press TOP again, and then press PLAY. Pressing Stop twice takes you to the resume mode. Pressing Play will start playing the first video element...usually the movie....but not always. Also, sometimes you're able to press the TITLE or MENU buttons to exit from the previews....and sometimes pressing the CHAPTER NEXT button. Because there are so many different ways to prohibit user control, there's no single way to bypass the previews....except avoid packaged media.

I have an NC Star red dot on my S&W 22A, and it works very well. Cost $40 bucks on Amazon. I also have a C-More on my STI Open gun...a lot more money, but I guess it depends on what your'e trying to do with the gun.

Sorry for getting to this thread so late...first time to this section. I have a Canon M40...great camcorder with great sound. Hopefully this link works for you (you may need to be logged into FaceBook). The shooting you hear at the beginning is from the range next door. We run 3 stages in 3 different ranges. Also....FB makes the video look like crap..it's actually much better. PM me if you'd like to receive a file. http://www.facebook.com/v/10150640591441131