Ron Rodgers

Well Bruce, I have to say that yours was perhaps the best written, and certainly longest, post I have read on this forum. Your efforts to improve our sport are much appreciated! Having said that, I must disagree with one of your fundamental assumptions - that the perception of an equipment race in Production Division is hurting our membership. Our club has been very successful in attracting new shooters. 80 to 100 guns is a normal monthly match. Most of our new competitors are shooting either Production or Limited-10 (with a single stack 1911). Some of them have become regulars, a few are only occasional shooters, and others disappear after a match or two. In an effort to find what attracts new shooters, we talk to them to see what they like or don't care for. What is it that they find most enjoyable? Why did some of the others they started with decide to not come back? My experience is that, at least for the first year or so, the shooter is more interested in improving their technique - and mostly just having fun. As their skills increase and they become more competitive, they start to look for other ways to improve, which quite often involves some tweaking of their existing equipment or the purchase of something new. I have not heard one single new shooter complain that they were not competitive because their equipment was only box-stock. Nor is that a reason given for someone not sticking with the sport. Is it possible that we are projecting *our* perception that equipment modifications are a necessity as a reason for not attracting more shooters or chasing off newbies? As you said, this sport is not for everyone. We should do what we can to attract new members, but not at the expense of those we already have. The biggest problem we have is maintaining (and growing) the core group of members that organize and work the local matches. Burn-out is a major issue and messing with their *previously legal* equipment just accelerates that problem. As you said " They're positively incensed that "their tricked out trigger" is going to be illegal." The "They're" you're talking about are in many cases the core members running the matches. Can we really afford to alienate them? It may be only "50 bucks worth of parts", but it might be something that was developed through much trial and error to ultimately make the gun much more enjoyable to shoot. As long as there is a Division for race guns in USPSA, we will be perceived *by some* to be a sport for only those with $3000 firearms. Tweaking the Production rules won't stop that misconception.

Hmmm ...... I wonder what kind of ports will be on the "She Loves Me" & "She Loves Me Not" stages?

I just noticed this on the bottom of the page: Most users ever online was 431 on Jun 12 2006, 02:03 AM 2:03 in the freakin AM???? We must be a bunch of insomniacs!

Ron, Did you notice who was in 85th place? Sue was pretty happy to see those results. I did notice that. Was she giving you the plan on how you should shoot the stages???

Yes Bill, but that was 86th out of 136 shooters I see you trounced a bunch of Limited shooters as well as a handfull of Open guns. A heck of an accomplishment!!!

Amen!!!

Change the equipment rules??? Please say this is a bad rumor and that USPSA isn't trying to find some way to piss off a large segment of it's members. The Production Division equipment requirements aren't perfect, but they come pretty darn close. It provides a Division that can be entered into with a relatively small investment in any of a wide variety of commercially available firearms. As it is now, serious competitive types can perform some limited "modifications" to match their firearm to their particular taste. I know an awful lot of shooters that aren't all that serious and they play the game just as happily with a box-stock firearm. Changing the Division requirements now could really screw over those that have played within the long standing rules and made some selected changes to their equipment. What's next - mandating that everyone in Production Division must standardize on the same inexpensive factory ammo?

For the 2005 Area 8 Championship, all money remaining after expenses went to the Division and Class winners and high finishers. This was in addition to the guns and other gifts donated by sponsors.

Montana Gold 147 grain CMJ loaded to 1.150" works just fine out of my Glock.

It appears that we have pleny of engineers and physicists here. Now where can we find a markman good enough to hit the same exact spot on the popper with those different loads????

After consulting with my (really old ) college textbooks ..... I think EricW's first response best answers VLUC's original question. Conservation of momentum (not energy) most accurately describes the interaction between a projectile and a steel target. Since PF is in essence a measure of momentum (Mass x Velocity), that would be the best way to define steel calibration. At a constant PF, differing bullet weights has a minimal effect - similar to or less than the effects of hundreds of other variables like bullet material and design, popper condition, ambient conditions, etc.

Count up the number of shoot and no shoot targets in the match. As a rule, shoot targets should be replaced at least once per day - probably more often if they have hard cover. No shoot targets can usually last all day. Have extra targets on hand because: - it may rain (soggy targets die faster) - splatter from nearby steel may shred a target For a 2 day match I would order (4 x # of shoot targets) plus (2 x # no-shoot targets) then add in a healthy margin for the above possibilities. This is how we planned target orders for a couple of area matches and several Level III matches at our club. We usually have some targets left over because I'm a pessimist and lean toward a very healthy margin

Glad you had a good time! The staff at East Huntingdon appreciates your feedback. For those of you not familiar with our matches, we station one or two dedicated ROs on each stage and everyone shoots stages in whatever order they want. We've tried squadding, but most shooters seem to prefer the open approach we use now. One reason is you can shoot two guns and still get done by early afternoon. We get 80+ guns for a monthly match and finish quicker now than when we squadded.

Thanks for all the information! I use a Lee U die, Dillon powder and seating dies, and a Lee Factory crimp die - nothing unusual. I also lube the cases. I take pretty good care of the press and can't figure why it may have broken unless it is a design or manufacturing flaw. Just wondering if this was a recurring problem. The first time it happened, the Dillon rep said it almost never happens. This time they told me something along the lines of "it happens" - whatever that means. And Chriss ....... thanks for your concern Maybe see you at EH this weekend?

Has anyone else had problems with the Crank breaking on their 550B? I was reloading this morning and noticed the handle was moving a lot further than before. Unfortunately, I knew just what it was - the crank had cracked - again. The last time was about 3 years ago, and the whole reloader was returned to Dillon for repairs. I don't want to pay for all that shipping again and plan on replacing it myself. Anyone know if it's a tough job? Planned on loading about 1000 rounds this week. I'm shooting the Area 8 Championship - this Friday, and the 2 day match at East Huntingdon - this Saturday and Sunday, and wanted to also get some practice in before. Great timing !!! Tried to get Dillon to at least spring for expeditied shipping since this was the second failure, but no go. This just isn't my week.

We've used CED chronographs (and timers) exclusively at our club for years. They work exceptionally well. The skyscreens operate off ambient light and seem to work well until evening hours when it is an all or nothing kind of thing. For big matches (2 Area 8 Championships and 4 Tri-State Championships), we run the IR screens inside a chrono box. Never had a problem with this operation .... unless someone shoots a screen Excellent products - and CED is an outstanding supporter of USPSA. I don't think you can go wrong with them!

GANS has built my Limited and Open guns, and various guns for several people I shoot with. I can't say enough good things about his workmanship, turnaround time, and value for the $. Feel free to PM me if you want any more information. I don't think you can go wrong with GANS! Ron Rodgers

We can't have you missing your fix!

Here is a unique opportunity for those of you planning on shooting the 2006 Area 8 Championship. The A8 Match is scheduled for July 20 - 23, 2006 at Pitcairn-Monroeville - just "down the road" from us. This is our regular monthly match weekend at East Huntingdon, so we're expanding our monthly match to a two day event. If you're shooting A8 on Sunday, come on out to EH on Saturday and shoot a high quality monthly match as a warmup! If you shoot A8 on Saturday, stop by and get a match in before you head home. Wow ..... A8 + EH = 15 stages over two days For those of you unfamiliar with East Huntingdon, we hosted the 2005 Area 8, the 2000 USPSA Limited Nationals, and 4 Tri-State Championships in between. We're only 30 to 35 minutes away from the Area 8 match location. Our monthly matches consist of 4 stages and a classifier, with a reputation for big match level quality stages. We are also going to have a team rifle event that will have ranges from 25-300yds, all on steel. Saturday registration is 12:00 to 1:00. Squads will begin shooting as they are formed. On Sunday, registration goes from 9:00 to 1:00. Check out on our webpage for details, directions, and course designs. www.geocities.com/ehpsa Hope to see you there!

I have never dealt with a company with better products and service than Competitve Edge Dynamics! I have been MD for the last 4 Tri-State Championships and the 2005 Area 8 Championship, and have nothing but good things to say about CED. Charles Hardy has gone "above and beyond" in his support of our sport. He has been a tremendous sponsor, helping us out numerous times. Our club uses nothing but CED timers and chronographs. Ron Rodgers

A few years ago I had an aftermarket Glock trigger with an external overtravel adjustment screw. I was going to the Nationals, so I sent an inquiry to John Amidon. His response was that since it was external - it was illegal in Production. Too bad I waited until after I purchased it to ask. $ down the drain!

Just got home from their first match. What a great time! Interesting and challenging stages with lots of great props. I shot two guns today and can't wait to shoot there more next year. The club is easy to get to from just about anywhere in Eastern Ohio and Western PA. Come on out for their next match!

Way to go Doug!!! That now gives us 5 matches per month within "easy" driving distance I'll round up the gang from East Huntingdon - I'm sure you guys will put on a great match!

I'm not sure how safe it will be, but it will probably make it. Several of us load Titegroup behind MG 180 gr FMJ at 1.185". To reach 170 pf, our loads range from 4.7 gr to 5.0 gr (all 5" 1911s). I'm guessing the difference is mostly due to the variety of barrels, but there are lots of other possible explanations. But hey - worst case - look at all that practice ammo!

We give awards to Division winners and Class winners if there are 3 or more in the Class or Division. If there are 3 or more unclassified shooters in a Div., the "High U" gets an award also. One problem is that some shooters are unclassified simply because they refuse to join USPSA. Another issue is that a small group of people win the awards month after month. That's why we rushed vluc's classifier scores off to Sedro