Carlos

U of O riots? No surprise the U of O students are still at it. They were rioting back in 1989 when I was there! Sorry to hear about the cost of living; used to be the other way around. Must be the californicators at work. Not too surprised about the drug crazed lunatics comment either; I remember Oregon being 3rd in the nation in crystal meth production in the 90s even though the population was less than that of Rhode Island! (lotsa room for labs I suppose). That junk really seems to lead people to loose it in really violent ways; good thing you take precautions like packing. Stay safe and keep your powder dry! -Douglas PS Go Ducks!

Did not find the same price but the meg-store Petsmart had walnut in a 25 lb bag for a little over $10 on sale. If youlook in the yellow pages for feed stores, farm stores, Southern States, etc, walnut and corncob can be bought cheap.

I bought the Super X2 for the "ready to go outta the box" factor in limited. It is, like the nearly identical Browning Gold, a great gun; when new leave its action locked open for 3 or 4 weeks to break it in. The Remington can work just as well though if bought new it requires extra parts like an extended magazine (5 shots is not enough for USPSA work). It is also cheaper to buy. I'd avoid the Benneli due to heavy recoil, but some people shoot them just fine in competition.

Good on you SigLady!! Spent 2 great years at that hippie haven U of O. Honestly, there are to many wonderful things about Eugene to list. You are blessed and lucky to live there. Strangely though, there seemed to be an unusually high level of sexual assaults in Eugene - perhaps because of all the drugged-out transients (transients are sort of like what we call the "homeless" here in the east, only they are young, able bodied people with backpacks and dogs instead of shopping carts). More carry permits in the hands of capable women would certainly put a swift stop to the high level of assaults!- BTW, is "Zeus" still prowling around by U of O? It would be great if more of the feminist crowd at the University realized that shall issue carry laws actually empower womyn against our male-dominate, fallo-centric, patriarchal culture. (I can't believe I used the word "empower"!). Seriously, I do miss Eugene and I am glad to hear there is someone sane like you living out there.

Good discussion! Agree that green Rem STS hulls are the way to go! Last forever. W/ my new Super X2, looked for the cleanest powder to keep the gas system reliable - even the "new" red dot was really dirty (graphite I suspect). Anyway, my beloved Hodg. straight Clays was too fast for my X2, but the INTERMEDIATE clays (International, I think but check and DOUBLE CHECK) was just the right powder: relaible, clean, and soft under 1 and 1/8 oz loads as per http://www.Hodgdon.com NOTE: there are 3 or 4 loads for my combination of: 2 and 3/4 in STS hulls, WAA12 wads, 1 and 1/8 Oz of shot, CCI primer and (I think) International Clays powder - the different loads produce different velocities. My X2 would jam with the lightest load listed by Hodgdon so I moved to the intermediate velocity load and have done well so far. I did not like the way the CCI primers seated (they stuck out a tad which is potentially dangerous) and will only use those in practice. Now , how about a reloading alternative to those expensive slugs??

Keep an eye on the legs - that is where they tended to crack. The slides cracked at the ejection port. D.

Yeah, not surprised to hear of such a problem and in general , Para honors their warranty even outside of its terms - customer service if fairly good. They also did us poor souls in the US a favor in shipping pre-bans long after the manufacture ban went into effect here. Good show Canuks! I have said some nice things about Para here on BE but truth be told, their guns do seem to suffer an unusually high number of fractures; cracked barrels, cracked frames, and cracked slides being the most prominent parts to crack from the numerous Para (and former Para) shooters I encounter. The crack-free use of the Para design by firms like Enterprise arms leads me to think Para has had problems in the past with either their steel or their heat treating methods; the design appears to be just fine. Anyone else hear of a cracked part on a Para?

cpty1 - excellent and thorough response! Abinadi - which class do you plan to shoot? If you plan to reload or even shoot most commercial ammo, my first modification $$$ would be spent on a reduced power striker spring and perhaps a trigger job like those from fellow BE posters at customGlock racing (Matt?). Trigger work is legal in all USPSA classes (though IPSC productio will require a heavier pull). A reasonable trigger (consistent 3 lbs or less) is important to really fast accurate shooting in my opinion. Whatever class you choose, cdnninvestments.com has preban Glock 22 and Glock 35 10 round mags for sale (something like $16.99 for the post banned jobs).

TMC - good post! You seem to have come very close to matching the CALIFORNIA sti Edge (if you can get one!)for less money with the added benefit of a few extra rounds. Other than the heavy dustcover and overly heavy slide, your para has it all (plus the tri-glide - nice touch). Good work. I may be an S_I shooter, but I appreciate TMC's creativity in accomplishing the task. DVC.

Welcome ARES! Good to hear from fellow IPSC shooters from around the globe. As for modification of speedloaders, there was a small article in the USPSA magazine, Frontsite, regarding the use of wooden dowels glued to the inside of the "pusher" (for lack of another term) and the risk of the dowel igniting a primer - though I have never heard of that actually happening. I believe this common modification is an attempt to increase the regidity of the pusher. Another difficulty with the speedloader is lack of regidity in the tube; a local Master (or GM - cannot remember which) who did well at the National 3 gun (he is also an officer on the tactical squad of a local PD) manufactures his own speedloader tubes on a metalworking lathe - he makes them from correct diameter PVC pipe with a slot milled longitudinaly and uses the standard Tec loader pusher; I believe he attaches a piece of milled alluminum for the lugs to engage the "ears" on the gun. There is much room for improvement in speedloader technology. Regards, Douglas

Results are appearing fast and it looks as if Team USA (largely concentrated on Squad 8) is holding their own against stiff international competition. As of today, Grand Master Phil Strader is in the lead for the out right win on stages 12 ("Cheers") and 17 ("Et's horse") - way to go Phil Strader!! Of course there are more shooters to come so results can change and page does not show a running count of who is in the lead. However, keep in mind that Phil Strader is barely 30 years old - can you say "Future World Champion"? Looks as if local Area 8 fast guy Todd Jaret is also doing well against the likes of Eric Graufal - but there are still plenty of stages to go and anything can happen. No surprise that Jerry Miculek seems to be dominating revolver - good job jerry. By now, Squad 8 should have shot stages 9-20 at least. Keep it up guys! A big "Thank You very much!" goes out to those on the ground (especially you Vince!!) for providing us with the live reports - you make BE.com the great site that it is. Good luck and good shooting! (Edited by Carlos at 7:13 pm on Sep. 17, 2002)

TM - if one is considering the stock military-clone Berretta 92, then no reason not to consider the Taurus. I have shot it and I find it works as well as a 92 for fewer $$$. However, Berretta's 9mm Elite II is a far better gun out of the box for the USPSA/IPSC game than the box stock 92 or Taurus clone (PT 92??) - the Elite II is also retailed for about $700 + at which point I would suggest buying the Glock 17 from someplace like topglock.com for $474.95 plus FFL transfer and pay glockmeister.com $25 for 3.5 lb trigger tuning parts or buy the excellent (and Glock-comparable) Croatian HS-2000 - which some people like to call the Springfield Armory XD 9mm. Just my 2cents. D.

As far as limited .45s go, I think the Para is competitive for a bushing gun since with Bevin's mag pads, you can start with 18, sometimes 19 rounds in the gun. I disagree w/ GMinProd's statement that mags cannot be converted from .45 to .40 reliably. Bevin Gramms can do conversion from .45 to .40 and make them work just fine. Agree that w/ low prices of used Paras, its probably easier to just sell your para and buy a S_I limited .40 like Dawson's naked gun for about $1400. Sell used Para mags for top $$$ on E-bay and buy cheap S_I prebans over on uspsa.com.

Sounds encouraging since I have a number of aftermarket pre-bans in need of quality parts, i.e., anyone else buy one of the no-name 100% plastic mags w/ unmarked, Glock-like witness holes in the back? Bought some in 1995 w/ soft plastic feed lips and all - you can imagine how those are holding up. Its a pre-ban mag for certain, but these are not mags I'd use in a match. I look forward to testing the new Scherer tubes.

I started shooting USPSA w/ a G19 that I still carry for personal protection and at work. Great place to start; if you do not care to reload 9mm, the CCI Blazer ordered in lots of 1000 from Natchez will not break the bank. See my post in reply to SAW re: gun choice for thoughts on modifications ($25 for 3.5 lb Glock brand disconector and a reduced power striker spring). Others will differ, but I like the G17 over the G34 (and you can put the race parts off your 19 right on the 17 and still shoot production!)

Yeah, the big Dillon is the ticket for this sport - just wait until you buy that 1st batch of 1000 pieces of once fired brass real cheap at a big match - then get home and find your Lyman Turbo 1200 only holds about 350 and you have to keep emptying and refilling the thing and coating your bathroom in toxic dust 'cause there is no place out on the sidewalk in front of the building where you can sift cases without gathering a crowd of gawking people (gee- think that dust has had an effect on my mind??!?!). Buy the Dillon. D.

Looks like we (mostly) agree that the Glock or XD (really just the Croatian HS 2000 re-marketed by us 'mericuns) are the guns you want. Note on my trigger comment: when I said "$25" worth of mail order Glock trigger parts, I meant the Glock FACTORY 3.5 lb connector ($20) and reduced power striker spring ($5)- both available from lotsa online places like glockmeister.com. Now, there may be folks thinking "OH MY GOD!! REDUCED POWER STRIKER SPRING WILL CAUSE DANGEROUS HANGFIRES!!" - yeah, right: maybe if all you plan on shooting is surplus submachinegun ammo or rock hard CCI primers! I have had my reduced power striker spring equiped Glock fail to light really hot Danish Madsen machinegun ammo - big surprise there - that stuff did not reliably go off in a stock Steyr M-9! And CCI primers? Reduced power striker spring sets it off every time. What will these parts get you? About 3.5 lbs or less. A little polishing (be VERY careful here and do not get greedy) a-la Dale Rhea's article in frontsite and you will be near 3 lbs. Is that light enough? (flame suit on) I think so and here's why: a good friend is in South Africa right now as one of the 4 shooters selected for our team. His trigger is set heavier than mine and I tested mine at 2.5 lbs. You may think you "need" a trigger lighter than 3 lbs to be competitive in limited, but I can show you a world-class shooter who begs to differ. My advice? spend your time and mental energy on practice and don't worry that your trigger weighs too much.

Congrats Phil!! I renew my prediction that he will bring home the championship trophy from the world shoot. I also renew my prediction that Chris Tiiley will be the top junior shooter at the world shoot - take another look at the Area 8 open reults and notice where Chris finished. However it ends, I wish Phil and Chris the best of luck in South Africa.

Lyman brand turbo 1200 works for me, although the large Dillon is better quality for the long haul. I tried the cheapo media seperator from Natchez (like $17 to $20) and it effectively coated my bathroom in dust made of walnut, powder residue, lead, mercury salts, etc. etc. There is only one choice for those who reload in the city/indoors: buy the RCBS enclosed and covered media seperator.

Glock is a good very choice - it was my first 9mm back in 1992 and has run 100% since. I am not going to pan other/cheaper 9mm autos (other than that crappy S&W copy of the Walther and the Rugers - owned one once also). Its just that the Glock does everything you want in a 9mm such as: its extremely reliable; the trigger is good out of the box and can be made better/lighter safely with $25 worth of available mail order parts (don't ask at the neighborhood gunstore) and 15 min. of work you do at home; Glock stands behind their stuff and will warranty their gun without question - though you won't need it because 9mm Glocks almost never break; the finish (Tenifer) is super hard stuff unlike any finish applied in the US (ask S&W why their SW uppers don't have Tenifer while the Walthers from Germany do); finally, you can take your out of the box 9mm Glock to any USPSA, IDPA, or GSSF match and be as competitive as any shooter in your class - all it might require is $25 worth of Uncle Mike's Kydex or plastic Fobus holster/mag pouches and 3 or 4 extra mags. All this praise for Glocks from a 1911 shooter - hey, what can I say? - the Glock works, period. Afterthought: for USPSA production, I prefer the Glock 17 over the 34; I'd avoid the Glock 19 or smaller as they are tougher to shoot fast accurately than the larger guns. (EDIT) Saw 2nd post in BEginner's section and also agree that the Croatian made HS2000 (Now called the Springfield "XD&quot would be another excellent choice priced near the Glock; the Berretas are OK too though I think the really good ones (the Elite II) are a few hundred $$$ more than the Glock and I am not a fan of the DA first shot. If you really cheap out on the purchase and think SA first shot is OK, please, at least take the time to buy the CZ75 over any of the other cheap 9s out there. (Edited by Carlos at 9:33 am on Sep. 10, 2002)

Thanks for doing the research PJ. BTW, for everyone else, the website that PJ referenced (Bighammer) is an excellent source for tech/historical data on the AR rifle. Good find! Sad to hear that about the 140 grain buffer difference though; I suppose my expectations of the 9mm in a rifle length barrel were too high and I should not pin my hopes on a heavier buffer adding much velocity. You did not mention what gun you plan to use the Russian Silver Bear 145 JHP ammo in; I found it about 80% reliable in my AR (Colt upper, Oly preban lower, ASA block, and CDNN Argie 40 round Uzi mags). It does shoot well out of the carbine though - faster splits w/ 145 than w/ hot 115.

Hi Ronnie: Owned a 1100 and found it unreliable - and it broke with hard use. I now have had the Super X2 for 8 months and agree 100% w/ impact10 (good post!). My X2 has the original everything - nothing is modified on it because nothing needs to be enlarged/modified; it works as-is. In limited class, I'd look for a used super X2. In Open class, I think the Browning Gold Field is a better deal at about $600 to 700 and then have JP or another reputable gunsmith do the mods you feel are best for open class. On the other hand, as far as shooting qualities go the 1100s appear just as competitive as the Winchester when they work and there are a few more parts for the Rem - if you feel you need to add parts for a competitive advantage.

One more thought that worked for me: getting the balance between left hand/right hand - grip pressure was tough and I found that I was gripping too much with the right - and thus slowing the speed at which my trigger finger could actuate the trigger. My splits suffered. In order to really get my weak hand (in my case, the left hand is my "weak hand") into play and firm up the left grip pressure, I mentally visualized drawing with the right hand and as the weak hand formed its grip, I imagined passing the gun over to the weak hand. This both firmed up the weak hand grip and relaxed my right/strong hand. With the strong hand somewhat relaxed, I was able to actuate the trigger MUCH faster and every following split time was lower - no matter how many shots I fired. I no longer "think" about passing the gun right to left, I simply do it instinctively as part of the draw. I would not say that my strong hand is totally "relaxed", rather, I think I am closer to Brian's suggested 50/50% left-right grip pressure.

Your thorough and informative post about sums it up; perhaps the generally positive experience with slugs on steel in the United States will lead to a revision of the IPSC rules in the future. As for the forward falling poppers, my only encounter with them thus far came at Fredericksburg, VA, where I understand the range is involved in a lawsuit brought about after traditional poppers launched a round off the range. Sadly, a neighbor was struck and the suit followed. There is a lot more to it, but suffice to say that the particular accident in question could not have happened with forward falling poppers. With world population likely to increase, we should expect people to live closer to our ranges as time goes on.

Agreed that for 3 gun as it should exist - by testing the shooter w/ targets out to 300 meters - the 9mm does not compare to the .223. Around here, the longest USPSA 3gun shots have been moved to 140 yards, where they can be engaged by the 9mm. Besides, the 9 comes in handy for rifle practice during the winter.