Parastang

Yep! Most guys have there bag or special pocket on their gear to put the brass in. Never seems to take up any time or cause any delay in a shoot.

Not everyone is going to be scoring or taping. Why not help the last guy pick up his brass while he is checking his score. The next shooter can be preparing for his round. Sounds pretty simple. No reason to get pissed off. Pretty basic stuff.

UPDATE Last Friday I ordered an STI EDGE in the "evil" "spooky" 45acp. Its coming hard chromed and with the Dawson Super Performance Package. I put it on layaway. Either way I will not see it until about April. Just in time for the shooting season. I cant freekin wait!!! Thanks for the advise from everyone. Jason

All, Who knew this would end up being such a HOT topic? I was just curious by asking. I never meant for the bickering between some. Oh well we are all FREE to our opinions. I have have come to a couple of conclusions: 1. Some people are there entirely to focus on their shooting and do not want to drift off what they have planned. Good for them. 2. Some of those people are WAY too serious, and I question if they are even that good. . 3. Some don't mind and are there to have a good time and don't mind helping another shooter save a buck. They are the ones who realize it only takes about three guys to rest a stage and instead of standing around in between shooters they might as well help a guy save some brass. 4. Yes there are matches which there is a lost brass rule. And there are ranges with the same rule. GREAT! that was a question I needed and answer to. So now that I have said that don't go getting all bent out of shape. Those of use that don't mind helping each other will keep helping. I don't pick up brass generally twice during a stage. Once before my turn. I don't set my own targets because I don't feel its right. While the stage is being set for ME I get my focus. My plan is already made after watching a guy make a run. After I shoot I don't help because I am watching my score. If you want to stay focused than by all means do what you need to do. Thanks for the impute. "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes...Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." -Thomas Jefferson

Well if you are just standing there I see no reason not to help if a guy is keeping his brass. I have never seen it slow things down to the point we are there till the lights have to be turned on. When the range is reset than its time to go for the next shooter. Everyone clears out. Simple! And yes I like to see where I scored too. If I am confident in how I did no reason to hound the RO about my score. I already know. As far as gravel and heat I would likely loose my ambition to pick the stuff up really quick. Remember these are lower level weekend club matches that have no more than local shooters compeating against each other for the best time. If I were to go to a bigger match where things were busy and all a'Buzz than thats differnt. This toppic is about as bad as the 40 vs 45 debate. Ggggeeeeezzzzz! Jason

The stock STI 45 140mm mags hold 15 rounds. Kinda takes it out of the Lim10 class! Thats what I wanted to say.

That must be true cause I have a whole box I ended up with at the end of this year. And they were just the random ones mixed in by accident with the 45's. I usually trade 40 for the 45 with some one when the subject comes up. I shot 45's so ya I am picking them up. Jason

All, I have been shooting competively now for two years. Two of the ranges I go to no one has any problem helping you pick up your brass after you run a stage. Time gets called out and the RO yells the time, and says "score, brass, and paisters". Everyone helps you pick up your brass and lost mags. No big deal doesn't hold up anything. in fact you can go look at your run and by the time you are done people are either handing you brass or your brass bag is full. Runs nice and smooth and I get to save some money. But I have ventured to other ranges and there I am the only guy bending over picking up my brass or helping others. I get this crazy look like I just stole food from a baby. So what the big deal? Why are people so lazy they cant help you save a buck? You would think the range would want this picked up and kept neat. And if you want your brass you brought it so what is so offensive about keeping it. Thanks, Jason

Yep... Plan it all out and you should not have to worry about running empty.

All, Thanks for the impute so far. I am likely going to get the EDGE here down the road. Probably going to have to put it on lay-away over the six month freeze here in PA. As far as having Dawson tune it I am still up in the air on that. Despite what everyone says I am still going to run 45ACP. As far as my Para. Its either going on the auction block or the safe shelf. A few guys I know are looking to get into shooting Limited and I might have a buyer or two. So that money can go toward the EDGE. Maybe I will sell it on here. Thanks, Jason Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. James Madison, The Federalist Papers

Blaster113 been there done that with the Para.... I am looking to order the Edge from Dawson Precision. It has the Mag Well already. As far as the guide rod I will run the stock set up and see what happens. Likely would change it over to an after market set up so I can change the springs. I would hit the classifieds but buying used from a unknown person worries me. If I cant drive to see it I am not likely to buy it. Buying it new I can likely return it. Is the $200 "DP Enhancement Package" worth the money or is it good enough out of the box? I would rather spend the money on mags, holster, or whatever. I see where having a few extra rounds between mag changes could help going 40cal. But I should have mentioned when I got started I had ZERO 40 cal brass. I have since collected a bunch. I had a ton of 45 brass to start off with and still have a ton of 45 brass. I have a few guys who give it to me, and a random donation of 45 brass comes from my Dad sometimes. I just bought a Dillon too with 45 dies. So I am all set into 45ACP. Also I reload 45GAP for my duty gun. Jason "A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun, therefore, be the constant companion of your walks." -- --Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 1785

Hello, I am looking to upgrade to an STI for shooting "limited" class. I currently have a Para p14/45 Limited and have used it for the past year. Its been a love hate relationship with the Para. Wont get in to that here. I am sorta on a budget. I shoot three to four matches a month. Some are the formal club match and others are a layed back informal type but still with the competitive atmosphere. I have drooled over the STI's since before I got my Para. I went with the Para first to see if I was going to stay with the game. This year closed my second year of competitive shooting after a 10 year lag. My scores and times have went from bottom two years ago to middle and now to nipping on the heals of some very good higher classed shooters. I even took 1st place this month in a LEO shoot with duty gear and my duty Glock 37. I lend that to my time shooting USPSA style shooting and some things I have learned on this site. What are the opinions on the STI EDGE? Its one of the more lower priced STI's but seems to still have all the goodies. Its not flashy either. Is that's all there is to the other higher dollar STI's? They all seem to be similar but the higher the price the prettier they get. Since I am trying to budget a little should I just go with the EDGE? I am not about the flash and flare. I just want something better than my Para. Next year I plan to pick up the pace a little and hit some of the bigger shooting events. Is this the right STI to start off with? Lastly.....and maybe I should do this as a different subject. Why does it seem that many shoot 40cal over the 45cal? I like 45 because simply I shoot a 1911 type gun. 1911's are 45's. It just seems silly to me to have a 9mm 1911. Old fashion? Traditional? I guess I can accept the cost excuses and the availability of 45 brass ect...ect. But what are the competitive benefits? I have shot 40cal 1911's and don't feel they could give me any better opportunity to win than my 45. Right now I have all the 45 stuff and see no reason to turn back. Thanks, Jason "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes...Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." -Thomas Jefferson

Better than teaching him how to golf.

27 Shooters. One stage. 22 rounds minimum. Ten Steel. Six paper requiring two shots each. Requited forward moving and negotiating a narrow hallway. I shot it in 30.44 seconds and took 1st place. Had a good day. Over all I shot the course about 10 times using my duty rig and my Para. Quickest time of the day for me was 25.34 with my duty rig. Glock 45GAP.

Iggy, First off read all of this. If you read the 1st half you wont like it..... I have a P14-45. It is a year old and I have managed to run at least 4000 rounds threw it in the past year. I do 2 or 3 maybe 4 combat shoots a month if I am lucky. It has been a love hate relationship with this gun and primarily with the company. I got mine because A LOT of guys at my home range were running 40cal Para's. I shot theirs and liked them. I like the double stack. I love 1911's. Now with that being said my first issue was when I lost the pin out of the rear adjustable site. Simple easy fix. Go to hardware store find a roll pin and slide it in. Well I called Para and asked for a new one. Now I know there is likely some rule here about bashing a company (moderator keep reading). I was told that the part is not made by them and its not their problem PERIOD. I went around for 20min with them. A friend of mine hounded them for me for another three months. Finally we got a $2 pin sent to me. VERY RUDE people. Next came the NRA convention in Pittsburgh. Great show. If you ever get the chance to go to one GO! I met the VP of Para. Asked him if they would replace the pin. Again I was told in no certain terms would they replace the pin. They do not make the site so its not THIER problem. I said Ya but its a $1000 gun you built and picked the rear site. I was again told / asked why they should replace it. I was baffled. I stayed the coarse. I had to. I could not afford an STI. I began reloading and again had problems. I got a better reloader and things got better. I tuned the rounds to the gun. I changed the guide rod spring and lightened the loads. Shot really smooth. Then I stripped the gun down and polished all the rough stuff. If it rubbed I started with a heavy grit and worked it down to a very fine grit. It’s like a mirror on those spots. Gun runs SUPER now! Two weeks ago I broke the extractor. Para has their own style. Why would you change something that has worked for 100 years I do not know. It makes sence what they did just the materials they used are junk. So I made the dreaded call to Para. I was asked my name and figured this is where the alarms and RED flags go off in the service department. NOPE! The guy asked me my address serial number on the gun and said it would be out that day. Its been one week. Still no extractor. But I will wait. You can replace their extractor with the standard 1911 extractor. But you need a sleeve adaptor. It’s a $20+ part. Looks like it will work. Still going to wait for the factory part. Para has seemed to start to turn the ship around. For a while it looked like they were sailing off the map of sanity. I subscribe to a few of their groups on the net and on Facebook. Here in the past few months they have suddenly been sending stuff out about the company, SO maybe they are making the necessary changes. I will still tell my story for a while. I don’t plan on dumping my gun. I learned to have extra parts. I was told this is something you should do with any gun. So I have a 1911 spring kit on standby. The finish on the gun is questionable. But I have put it threw the wringer and it has held up well. I scratched it. SO WHAT! Its NOT a show piece. It’s a competition gun. I added a Dawson Precision Mag Well to the base. Next is a lower front site since I shoot a bit low. Its been love hate. Right now I like it. Guys in my club have had thiers for YEARS. If Springfield had a GOOD double stack I would buy one. Good Luck, Jason

Hey thanks. Been to Pardoe twice. Really like it there. Gem City twice also. I grew up about 4 miles from it. Also a nice range. Thought about going today but I worked midnights and I am back out tonight. Jason

Hello, My name is Jason and I have been back in the shooting sport now for two years. I am currently a Pa. State Trooper and an Air Force Security Forces Veteran. I say I am “back into” shooting after about ten years of slacking and making up poor excuses. While I was in the USAF I was introduced to competitive pistol shooting at the Indian Territory Practical Shooters Club. I would shoot either the IDPA shoots or the IPSC comps. I learned a lot while there. I ran a Beretta 9mm. During a “Law Enforcement” shoot I went up against fifty other shooters and took third place. The second place shooter was I believe a Grandmaster. I lost second to him by less than a second due to a holster malfunction on my part. I moved back home to Pennsylvania and the excuses for not going to the range started. I was a college student, and a weekend warrior with the Pa National Guard where I was lining up a position to become a firearms instructor. I was also looking into joining a shooting team on base. I ended up doing another year and a half active duty with the Pa National Guard thanks to some idiots who decided to fly planes into buildings. Still no shooting….other than qualification. Even so I was still able to shoot expert with the M-16, M9 and the M-249 SAW. In 2003 I got hired with the Pa State Police. Great job love doing it. Our qualification in my mind is less than substantial as it is in most police departments. In 2010 a co-worker Tpr. Paul Richey was shot and killed in the line of duty by a coward. I decided I need a change in how I play the game. A retired corporal from my station started having combat matches once a month at a local range. I am the only guy from my station who goes to these. When I first started shooting “again” ten years later I was BAD! I was using my old trusty Beretta 9mm. Good gun like it or not, it has NEVER failed in the 18 years I have owned it and the paces I put it threw. I met other shooters and began to learn about other ranges and other types of competition. I joined the Titusville Sportsmans Club, and then I was shooting two shoots a month. I learned about more clubs and if I was off work I went. By the end of the first year I bought a Para P14-45 and was HOOKED. The Para has been a good gun. It had its quirks and I have had to work on it. Amazing what you can do with a little time, patience, and light sanding an polishing. I am thinking of stepping up to a STI in the future. Now here I am at the end of my second year. The Para is polished and runs great on my load I make in my NEW Dillon reloader. I have put over 2500 rounds down range this year and average three or four shoots a month. Two of which were three gun matches. I practice once or twice at the range by myself a month. My shooting scores have dramatically increased and I have been on the heals of a few Class A shooters. I loose the chase as a result of stupid mistakes. My hits are good and my speed is going up. I loose points in an occasional miss or the target that I simply do not shoot because I passed it up. Right now I feel good about things. When I was in the USAF I was shooing for fun and practice. It was simply the more I go to the range the better I will get. It was for fun and killed time. Now my mindset is I am shooting to train and be proficient and confident. I still shoot the Para and not my duty weapon which is a Glock 45GAP. Two weeks ago I attended a seminar by Lt. Col. David Grossman, killology.com. The subject matter covered was the “Warrior Mindset”. I will recommend this seminar to anyone in the military, law enforcement or the civilian who carries concealed. After attending the seminar I was curious as to what mental aspects are involved in competitive pistol shooting. And so my questions are starting to be answered by this site. The pistol shooting season here in PA is coming to a close. There will be some indoor shooting available; hopefully I can become involved in over the cold winter. I plan to use the practice methods I find on this site. Dry fire combat courses set up in my house. Next season my goal is to dent some egos. I also want to try to go out to some bigger competitions. I hope to pick up the pace and make those who do not practice over the winter wonder what happened to me. Next week is our first local Police Shoot. I am hoping we get a good number of shooters. My modest side says not to brag or fluff my feathers. But some of what I have read here say I should come out and say it like it is. “I am going to kick some ass”. Down side to it is I have to use my duty rig and Glock. Been practicing a little just to get used to the holster, the mag. pouch, and the flat top of the Glock. I had links to some of the clubs mentioned but I guess I am not alowed to post links. Sorry. Thanks, Jason "A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun, therefore, be the constant companion of your walks." -- --Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 1785

I am just getting into the mental side of shooting. I took this turn about two weeks ago. I am intrigued about it all. After reading this post something I have always wondered about is starting to make sense. I am a PA State Trooper and when we do our night fire (generally dusk) I always seem to have better hits. I am not the only one afterwards that walks away and says he wished we could qualify in the dark because we do better. I still hate the way we qualify. Shooting at a stationary target does nothing for me. I would much rather do a combat shoot for qualification. Interesting? "A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun, therefore, be the constant companion of your walks." -- --Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 1785