Carlos

I think this thread might be on thin-ice as far as forum rules. Nevertheless, please consider the following: - around here (D.C. area) local USPSA shoots attract the creme-de-la-creme of shooters employed to, well, shoot. I am speaking of FBI HRT members, diplomatic security, US air martials, Marine HRP guys, SERT/SWAT guys, etc, etc. Those folks do not seem to believe that the local shoots are "simply games." - even the NRA has jumped on the the bandwagon with their new LEO/.mil 3gun competition program. USPDA and IDPA are excellent opportunities for training

Too soon. He was not only a very funny comedian, but a talented actor too. Sad day for America.

The real AI has a squared back portion of the bolt. Gun pictured above looks like a real AI and if so, its worth a lot more than a 700 in an AICS stock. Nice find! (and too rich for my blood).

Nice gun! Congrats. With the MUCH lower power factor we have today, that gun should last a long, long time. If it does not have it, you might want an EGW hardened slide stop pin for it.

I agree with you. You've been shooting the sport more than 2X as long as I have. But I used to design all the stages for a local match. What about the offering the following challenge to all the other stage designers here on be.com? At the next two local matches you design, please incorporate the following: -at least one 50 yard target -at least three targets in one stage that are past 25 yards -at least one stage requiring shooting from a prone position (such as a very low port) -at least one start requiring an unloaded gun (I understand these are more common in IPSC) -at lease one target that is upper A/B zone only -at least one stage or classifier requiring weak-hand only Any other aspects that we should bring back into the sport? I agree that many matches have become simply close-range hose-fests. High speed is fun & requires certain skills. But has it become too much of a good thing?

I think you are onto something with TG - although I have never had tumbling issues with 147s in any of my 75s, Glocks, or the new M&P. I have experienced tumbling with 40 & 45 loads under 1000 FPS. But, as you suggest, faster powders are part of the problem. Back when Phil was sponsored by now defunct West Coast Bullets, he landed Vihta Vouri sponsorship. Out of his STI, the 200 grn TMJ'd bullets tumbled with N320. Simply switching to N330 foxed the problem completely - all other variables remained the same. Tumbling is also more likely with TMJ'd bullets like the Speer TMJ & gold dot, the Berry's TMJ or the Ranier TMD'd bullets. D. PS - stay safe over there brother - we need you home in one piece.

I thought that in order to herd cows, you needed a six-shooter, a Winchester's repeating rifle & a funny hat?

Yikes! Can you tell us how you really feel? Well, I can't disagree with you, since I have not tried these bullets since they became "Xtreme". But I am sad to hear that the quality seems to have gone down hill. Xtreme was once known as "West Coast (TMJ'd) Bullets." The quality and properties were similar to Ranier and Berry's TMJ'd bullets. All three of these TMJs usually worked well, but if fast powders & certain guns were used, there were occasional tumbling problems (titegroup & glocks made the problem appear - but I also experienced it with Clays in .45). Generally though, I had good luck with the old West Coasts - especially in 9mm. Sad to hear that the new owners appear to have dropped the ball so to speak. Back to heavy lead 40s: I have an old box of 220 grain lead 40s from D&J bullet. I believe they now ONLY sell to MidWay. MAYBE some one could call D&J and see if they still have the molds & would be willing to cast these again?

Thanks everyone for the insights! I will give my friend a call & get the low-down on what happened; he is sure to tell me more & we can piece together what went wrong & why. He has 5 other YouTube videos of him racing posted; just click on his name & you can see them. I think he said he'd gotten his lap times down to fairly consistent 1:28s at Summit. I only raced motorcycles there & don't know if a 1:28 in an old 240 is fast or not? Also, the track's been repaved several times since I last set rubber to asphalt. Looked fast to me on the video. As for me? It's 2:39 AM & she <seems> to be asleep (for now). Sleep you ask? I have forgotten how that feels. But as tired as I am, I have never been happier; our daughter is our pride & joy! Reminds me I need to post some photos in the other thread & thank everyone for all the kind words. D.

Here is the link to the YouTube video of a shooting buddy totaling his racecar at Summit Point Racetrack during something called "HyperFest 2008" : or try His car is (was) a Nissan 240 from the 90's - a rare stick-shift model. He walked away OK & he has a couple more 240s he could race; they are apparently really low budget racers. Enjoy.

I would suggest you switch to Solo 1000. It is what I use in 9mm minor and .40 Major. I used to use a brand called Vihta Vouri - specifically N320 - which is also a single base powder at the fast end of the burn rate chart. Solo 1000 is a single base powder and though it does not meter quite as nice as N320, its a heck of a lot easier to find and much less expensive. Plus, the single base powders seem much cooler burning - especially compared to Titegroup. And they burn cleaner. Its Solo 1000 all the way for me (except 9Major).

Actually, that is VERY good advice. Why? 1) You are following the law. Federal law. The Federal FOPA (firearms owners protection act) has protected people like you in all 50 states (AND D.C./ the district) since 1986 - so long as you keep going, stopping only for food & gas, & the guns are locked unloaded in the trunk or not accessible. IL law does NOT matter as its trumped by federal law. And, 2) By not making a big point of telling the officer "Hey - guess what? I've got guns in the car!" you are making life easy for BOTH you and the officer - plus a state officer of higher rank already told you not to make things complicated by informing the officer. Again, you are following the law, correct? Correct. You are not a criminal, correct? Why even bring up the issue of guns since its apparently not required in IL? Just sign the speeding ticket & you can both be on your way, safe & legal. Have a safe trip & best of luck at the match. Regards, D.

My Weaver used to sit in Weaver rings on top of a riser. Now I use a 1 Pc mount with integral rings from a gunshow, though Armalite makes a similar mount of excellent quality. BTW - the mount loosened before the last Mason-Dixon and cost me a stage (an Armalite and/or locktite would prevent that). If you have the money to burn, the LaRue's quality is beyond question.

Yes. I gave some to our Area Director & loaded & shot them all with no issues. They were the standard Wolf/PMC small pistol primer. I'm about 1000 primers through a sleeve; no issues in my Glocks, M&P or any of my 75s (SP-01, Jericho 941).

In the wake of Heller, I want to thank all those who stepped up to provide what I see as excellent analysis and discussion of the court's decision, and I apologize for dropping the ball, but as many of you know, we have had our hands full with the birth of our first child on the 24th (2 days prior to Heller). When the effects of sleep deprivation begin to wear off, I'll try to take a closer look at D.C.'s proposed "regulations" - including: -their absurd definition of most semi-auto handguns as "machineguns" (I don't make this stuff up - the D.C. code really is that screwy) and, -whether that portion of the code will withstand a challenge under Heller. BTW - if anyone wants to question Chief Lanier by phone during a live TV show called "Ask the Chief", she is scheduled to go on D.C.'s "News Channel 8" at 10 AM Monday (tomorrow).

Didn't we resolve the issue of the NRA initially limiting these shoots to LEO, military, and volunteer staff on pages 1 & 2 of this thread? Need we be reminded that the person behind this venture is not only USPSA's former Juniors Program coordinator, but also the person behind the long-successful Summer Blast? Larry's credentials, dedication to the sport, and his intent are above question in my opinion. As for the NRA, the past is best left alone. What matters now (to us all) is that the NRA DOES seems to be moving in the right direction. How for example? Their premier facility in Ratton, NM, has been host to 3gun/multigun shoots. They added "Personal Protection - OUTSIDE the home" to their course offerings. They eventually came around on the Heller case. And most relevant to this thread, they are started down the right path with LET3Gun (even if the initial shoots are limited - for now). Anyone else think some patience is called for here? If the NRA is now moving in the right direction, what benefit is there to anyone's negative criticism based on the NRA's past? Can we please return to constructive, specific discussions about this year's remaining shoots? Thanks in advance. d

Some of you know that the Teutonic Princess (a.k.a., my wife Claudia) has had a bun in the oven for the last several months (about nine months if I recall). Yesterday, at 9:29 PM, we were blessed with the delivery of our first child, Victoria Annasophia Johnson, weighing in at a healthy 8 lbs, 11 oz. and measuring 53 cm! We are still in the hospital & all are doing well; we hope to head home tomorrow and between diaper duty (and all the other small jobs they tell us will be required) I hope to post a pic or two of the new little lady in my life. We are so happy! Douglas

Disappointed that we still have to wait for a decision. But there is reason for optimism: (from above link to scotusblog.com): "There is very little information that can be gleaned with confidence about the authorship of the remaining opinions from the Term. [but - read on. D.] It does look exceptionally likely that Justice Scalia is writing the principal opinion for the Court in Heller – the D.C. guns case. That is the only opinion remaining from the sitting and he is the only member of the Court not to have written a majority opinion from the sitting. There is no indication that he lost a majority from March. His only dissent from the sitting is for two Justices in Indiana v. Edwards. So, that’s a good sign for advocates of a strong individual rights conception of the Second Amendment and a bad sign for D.C." Sounds good to me! Scalia delivered a speech at my law school in 1997; he is a brilliant jurist with a gifted mind. Look forward to either Thursday (unlikely IMHO) or Monday (likely). Douglas

Well said Linda and Charles - I have nothing to add except: - I agree with you both and, -thanks for all your hard (volunteer) work on behalf of the sport. D.

Good post! For sake of comparison, look at the weight of the guns used by some of the best out there: -Sevigny has convincingly won Nationals with a Glock with a frame weighing only a few Oz.s -TGO's last Nationals gun was a 6" gun - that is a lot of weight out front. -MOST of the top 10 used some variation of the STI brand "Edge" - a gun with extra weight out front in the frame. -SPS - a clone of the STI made in Spain - offered the "Pelican" - which a frame featuring even MORE weight out front than an Edge. Conclusion? DavidWiz is correct - no one can say which approach is better because top competitors are winning with frames crafted on theories that are 180 degrees apart (i.e. - light vs. heavy). Try both. Then decide.

Bob that is GREAT news! Congrats on the well-deserved promotion. Regards, Douglas (Ed Lott says congrats too).

Yep, it's called Tort reform and this country needs it badly. I am sure that frivolous lawsuits (and not all are frivolous) costs US Businesses billions of dollars a year just so someone can win the lawsuit-lottery. I agree with you. And I am a lawyer.

Nice to see Juniors joining the ranks - no matter how they end up in the results. But it should come as no surprise that they have a natural advantage over us "old timers" as far as eye sight, reaction time and fitness. Time may come when the top ranks are dominated by shooters in their late teens through their late twenties (though course design might play a big part here).

Tim was a good man - and an excellent journalist. He earned the wide-spread respect he held. Too sad seeing this happen to him so young.

Thanks Linda! - for all that you do. RE scoring: I do not have a dog in the fight for one method vs. another. I DO urge everyone to pressure the powers that be to get together and work out ONE scoring method for the sake of us shooters. The current patch-work annoys me to no end. Thanks everyone. PS - heard several reports from shooters about the excellent quality of the match.