geezer-lock

I have been around a while and seen a lot, but don't recall EVER seeing a USPSA instruction to "go prone (or supine)". In freestyle stages there are always options, that is what the game is about. At 72 I can still do a rollover prone fairly quickly, the undo is a dog of a different gender. David C FY5333

Jordon, Thanks for making the squad list work at each stage! SALUTE! Squad 21 was definitely into "competitive taping", thanks guys! I hope our new found friends from Washington state will come back next year to dry out. Enjoyed talking with you guys. G-lock (David Cross)

Trawler cap, sword bill cap, sailor's cap, etc. http://quakermarine.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=65 David C I bought mine in Las Vegas at the Hat Company in the discount mall: http://www.thehatco.com/Long_Bill_Fisherman_Cap.html?__utma=1.765835790.1277744701.1277744701.1277744701.1&__utmb=1&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1277744701.1.1.utmccn%3D(organic)%7Cutmcsr%3Dgoogle%7Cutmctr%3Ddiscount%2Bhats%2Blas%2Bvegas%7Cutmcmd%3Dorganic&__utmv=-&__utmk=40701987

Thanks for to all for the extraordinarily hard work putting together another outstanding HDC. Lots of technical challenges and plenty of ways to shoot the stages. The only issue I had was an acute inability to remember to shoot at the targets as they appeared (and LOTS of them appeared). In case you missed it Squad 1 rocked! Let's do it again next year. David C

Looking forward to it again. This year I have my version of the RGPSC receiver hitch umbrella mod! Also have a version for the gun wagon, just hope those high desert winds don't take the shade to Santa Fe! David C

Overall pretty good advice. On the paleo diet (specifically with lots of meat) there tends to often be elevated LDL particles which most people are concerned with. If this is you, make sure you have the doctor run a particle density test. the small compact LDL particles can be dangerous whereas an elevated LDL count of big fluffy particles is nothing to worry about. The NYT article is now eight years old, Atkins is dead of a heart attack. Aside from Pollan (I have his books)is there any additional evidence that low fat/high carb is the problem rather than the solution? I find myself doing better weight wise now that I have gone over to buffalo (bison)for most of the red meat I eat. I just recently began the chore of taking on carbs in a meaningful way and knocking off the salt in a big way. My BP is down, I am near my goal of 199 pounds (201). I'm 65, 6'4" and would like to keep run-n-gun-n for as long as possible. David C

Thanks fellows! Jim: We keep thinking the same thing about Double Tap! David C

A bunch of cowboys were discussing this match, in particular "the cave". Questions: That was a real hole in the mountain, right? Did you use your personal guns, ammo, flashlights or was some/all of it provided? What was the backstop? Rock?, dirt, man made materials? I thought Roberts "cave" at DoubleTap was dark, but the BRM3G cave was sure 'nuf dark. Thanks, David C

The cable option would work IF there were portable printers readily available and IF it wasn't necessary to have external battery packs attached for all day use. A bluetooth solution seems to be most probably to speed printing. I am actually working that aspect right now. The issue still is the availability of affordable Bluetooth capacle printers and Palm's with Bluetooth. Most of mine are Tungsten T2's and do have it but several I own do not. I think I heard Robert say that there will be electric in all the bays next year. That would make a dock/cable solution easier, at least at DTR, and also would make "two Palms in every bay" a cost effective answer. My money is on Bluetooth for most applications anywhere you have to run battery. David C

Lee, Is it possible to use a universal port/printer cable on some models of Palm? Seems to me like Glock used this method for a few years where the operator carried the printer on the belt, connected to the PDA. Other versions of the Palm OS have support for Bluetooth, does this application run on those? I downloaded the demo and worked with that for a while today and it seems fairly intuitive. Being a tech guy, I didn't look at the instructions but I figured out how to correct a mis-applied target count and such. I am going to download the trial application this evening at home and see what works on the wife's Palm. I like a good technical solution(I carry a Dell Axim with all the rule books loaded in it)and I think that the StageScore app is good for USPSA. I have attended four matches where it was used to good effect but the print out(or some type of paper copy) has to happen for folks to feel confident. Bullet proofing the save, store and print functions would be time well spent. David C

Squad 18 "rocked". Picture here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TI178H6LOt9fhESCSrrd-w?feat=directlink David C

Most of the "Top Ten Web Hosts" kinds of lists are hosting services touting one another's hosting services through pass through agreements. Often a host will have a half dozen or more names all owned and operated by the same person. They do the same thing to create "reviews" that are grossly inflated. I have been using www.webmasters.com for several years and find them to be very competent, inexpensive and robust (minuscule down time). They do hosting, provide several levels of free design and management tools and offer tons of free stuff that makes your life easy (forms,email, etc). They can help with moving your domain registration and your present site. Give them a look before you jump. David C

Just a few points I would like to make: 1. The weather is the weather , nothing we or the MD can do about it. Shut-up, shoot or stay home. 2. No scoring system I am aware of, manual or electronic, would have performed flawlessly in those conditions. Shut-up, shoot or stay home. 3. Staff and ROs have my complete admiration for a job well done under extraordinary conditions. 4. The DTC will be back next year because it is the most interesting match in the USPSA line up thanks to Robert and a host of others. 5. For the record, I stayed home Saturday but shot on Sunday. 6. See you next year. David C

I decided early this morning that I didn't have any desire to spend the day in the field in this. Here in the city of Wichita Falls it is currently (3:40 CDST) 30 degrees with blowing snow and windchill of 11. Visibility is about 1/2 mile. The range is about 12 miles from here where the weather is probably a little heavier, as all of this is coming from the west. There was enough moisture this morning so that the footing is likely less than optimal. I am sure that those in attendance today will have some interesting stories to tell in a couple of hours. I doubt that there is a "good" date in April where the weather won't be a factor. Remember Space City last year? You pays yer money and ya takes yer chances. David C

Did you get all the mud out of your gun belt, mag carriers, shirt, hat cam, etc.,etc? Just askin' from personal experience here. David C

Looks like the rain and snow has moved south east and the weekend will be comfortable except for the wind. Also appears that the Friday guys are going to get the best of it for a change. Ready for a Heli-0 Port? See ya Friday, David C

In general the eMachines are the low end, Black Friday specials looking to hook you with a price point and little else. I believe that the phrase is "Let the buyer beware"... If the deal is really low ball and you can confirm that the thing will start I might take a chance. David C

There likely will always be “grey areas” in our rules. We have spent the better part of 40 years trying to get it clear (and adding bulk to every version) with some success. We use language that is "generally understood". I have personally witnessed numerous DQ’s for “breaking the 180” but I have never heard anyone get a DQ for pointing the muzzle “further than 90 degrees from the median intercept of the backstop”. Regarding the OP here, as an RO I would use language that was “generally understood” and cite the rule to allow specific challenges by the competitor, that is, “X# of procedurals for supporting your arm, per 10.2.8.2”. That’s how I see it. Next shooter. David C

No such thing as "typical" weather in Texas, other than it is "typically" not very typical! Come on down, we have beer! David C

In 1992 I had Uncle that bought a box of "stuff" at an auction. Included in the mix were two WWII 30 round Thompson SMG magazines, fully topped off with GI ball with a 194? headstamp. I took them to a fellow officer that was the Chief of a nearby community. He had a Thompson in the vault and a quick run to the range ensued. All sixty rounds fired without a single failure of any kind! My Navy friends talk about the USS Wisconsin 16" battery of WWII ammo fired on Iraq during the first Gulf war. Tons of steel hurled miles inland, all made in the 40's. Good stuff lasts. David C

The rational for the PE is that "there is no provision for a speed reload in IDPA competition". Appendix Two spells out what the allowed reloads are and directs you to Appendix 11 where you will find this: "Reload, Speed or Slide Down: Recharging the gun when there is a round in the chamber by: Dropping the partial magazine on the ground. Drawing a spare magazine. Inserting the spare magazine into the gun. Leaving the partial or empty magazine behind. NOTE: There is NO provision for the speed reload in IDPA competition." David C

"Howdy shooters! Yes, it's been some time since my last installment of The Chronoman Report and from my observations, a few of you have suffered from my absence. So, let's go over some of the basics of chronography. The chronograph, no matter which brand you use, senses the shadow of the bullet as it traverses the start and stop "gate" of the unit which, through electronic wizardry, gives you a display reading in feet per second (meters per second for our metric friends). Now being a highly sophisticated piece of electronic gadgetry, it works best when its environment is as consistent as possible. Things such as temperature, humidity, light intensity and angle, and planetary alignment (for gravitational and coriolis effects) can adversely affect it's readings. Pistol bullet flight times aren’t long enough for the rotation of the earth to become an issue (coriolus effect). Now out on the range in the heat, cold, wind, rain, dust, and earthquakes there isn't all that much we can control other than light angle and intensity. These two items have the greatest affect on recorded velocities. In my own independent testing, I have had repeatable differences of over 100 fps using the same equipment on the same day just by switching in and out of a lightproof box. We were using six different guns and all of the test gun owners commented that the out-of-the-box velocities were way too high and power factor calculations confirmed this. It was a very bright and sunny Sacramento day. The biggest complaint we receive at the National's Chronograph Station (besides from my bad jokes) is that our velocity readings are significantly different from those recorded at home. Aside from the fact that "home" may be 6000 feet higher, 80 degrees cooler, and 300% less humid, after questioning the competitor a bit we find that s/he has been using direct sunlight, usually right after work in the afternoon. The light intensity and angle over the screens being the culprit for inaccurate yet consistent readings. We can correct this by situating the chronograph(s) in a light-proof box and use either home fabricated incandescent lights mounted over the sky screens or factory made lights that replace the sky screens. Both Oehler and CED make excellent light packages for their equipment. Care needs to be taken to insure that the whole set up will operate on your range of choice with batteries in the event that commercial power is not available. Depending on your own personal chronograph, its manufacturer may recommend a specific wattage for indoor (in box) use. This can range from 40w on up to 100. When I use this type of set up, I'll place the lights directly over the sky screen, being careful to avoid direct contact as the plastic sky screens will melt or burn. (Burning down the chronograph station is usually frowned upon by the upper match staff and is covered in the rule book as "Range Equipment Failure". The best incandescent bulbs I have used are display case bulbs. These are usually in the 40-60 watt range and are elongated. Aquarium bulbs may be used also but are usually rather pricey due to the special "fish light" that they emit. RV lights may be used when commercial power is not available as they operate on 12VDC. Another set up precaution that will help with consistency of readings is to be sure to erect a blast shield for the bullet to pass through before it passes the first Sky Screen. This is especially helpful when shooting sub-sonic rounds as the muzzle blast from the gun can beat the bullet to the Sky Screen and give false readings. The blast shield also protects your down-range equipment from blast damage. On the chronograph box (The Coffin) in particular, make it big enough to accommodate more than one model of chronograph. There are differences in height and width. You might consider making it big enough for two units to operate in series in order to cross-check your equipment with another unit like we do at Nationals. As far as construction materials are concerned, anything from marine plywood to foam-board can be used. Keep in mind that the lighter in weight the box is, the more portable it is. Adjustable legs are handy for alignment with the shooting position as well. The access door to the chrono coffin should open from the side. It's extremely difficult to place the equipment in and remove it from the top of a chrono coffin without falling into the box and there by being declared a part of the range equipment and having to stay there the entire match. For bullet entrance and exit holes in the end panels (at Nationals we refer to these as the bullet g'zinta and g'zouta holes), a 1-lb coffee can makes an excellent template. Locate the holes so they’re centered in the triangular path above the sensors and below/within the sky screens. This will usually keep the bullet's flight path 2-4" above the sensors and below the light emitters, avoiding expensive replacement parts and the ire of the equipment sponsor. If you have the urge to paint the chrono coffin, by all means do. The exterior can be any color your heart desires but UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES PAINT THE INTERIOR WHITE! A white interior, while pretty, will bounce light all over the place and give no end of false and error filled readings. In fact, the chronograph may refuse to work at all inside a white-painted box. A flat-black painted interior works quite well. On a final note, if you're in an area which is "chrono-box deficient", a place on the planet from which absolutely no boxes can be found or manufactured, one of the older chronograph manufactures use to recommend to take your chronograph readings throughout a given day and then average your readings -this being their cure for varying light conditions. It seems a rather time and ammunition intensive fix but perhaps they came from one of the aforementioned box deficient areas of the world. If you have any chronograph related questions or comments please feel free to contact me at: Mygunwerks@aol.com Chronoman June 28, 2008 by: Greg Lent TY14427"

I see by the video timer that you shot the entire match in about eight and half minutes...twice! Good shooting and EXCELLENT gun handling on the fall. David C

Sending out a big THANK YOU to Steve Speer for a bunch of outstanding stage designs and his tireless behind-the-scenes work to make this match happen. The same to Lee Neal, the Palm scoring system and all of the high energy RO’s that were able to slog through the mess for three days and keep their sense of humor and perspective. Squad 18 rocked and had, I think, 5 folks in the wood, including Blake Miguez and his amazing aerial ballet on stage 2 (which, unfortunately was not captured on video). Area 4 has reclaimed its rightful place in the USPSA universe as a STELLAR production. David C

It has been fun watching you grow into a fine young man and shooter. Vets everywhere applaud your decision and thank you. Head on a swivel and be CAREFUL! Best of luck, David C