jnshapiro

Michael, thanks, I think Joel

WOW! Everything came in today. I had to do some filing and then polishing on the STI trigger to get it to fit into the gun, then some adjustments to the bow. That took a little while! Through a pretty strong magnifier, I went over the sear/hammer engagement. The angles were correct and I stoned just a touch to smooth them up. I pretty much left it alone. Polished the sides of the hammer too. I put in the C&S hammer, sear, and disconnect. Then the STI sear spring. Had to bend out the leg that contacts the grip safety. Got it all in and the gun assembled. There was a touch of "creep" in the trigger pull, though it was very smooth. I decided to leave it alone. This way it feels just the same as my cowboy guns. Everything seems to work and I am estimating about a 1 1/2 pound trigger. It feels exactly like my Vaquero's and that's what they are set for. It's a LOT better than what it was. I think the trigger had been about 4 pounds before. Tomorrow I'll get to the range and see how it goes. I don't expect hammer follow on doubles as the sear lockup is very good. Looks like a good kit and I think it'll work fine. More tomorrow after the range trip. ----- Back from the range. They had a pull gauge. I was pretty close. It's a 1 3/4 pound trigger. Worked great! No hammer follow. Doubles worked. Everything did like it was supposed to. The gun was much nicer to shoot. I'm real happy with the results. Joel

Eric, that attitude goes all the way to the governing body. When a bill went up before the state house (CA) to ban rifle magazines that help more than 10 rounds, SASS sent a lobbiest to get the attached tubular magazines on lever action rifles excluded from the bill. They don't care a whit about other types of guns. Frankly, I find that astonishing and very troublesome. I'm quite happy that there is another cowboy shooting organization that's come along. Western 3 Gun is run by some real talented shooters: Joe Alesia, Randy Jackson, Ken Kupsch, Billy Abbate to name a few. And hey, I didn't think the dressing up was going to be much fun either. Then I went to a match..... Joel

I posted a "What I Hate" so I figured I round it out and post a "What I Like." I love being a stay at home dad! We have 2 kids. A boy, Jake, he'll be 3 on Sept. 12. A Girl, Bianca, she'll be 1 on Dec 1. It's such a treat being home with them and watching them grow. It's both the hardest and most rewarding job I've ever had. We're planning to home school them too. Joel

There's a lot to this. I've been dwelling on it for a long time too. And this is still going to come out incoherent. Cowboy shooters, by and large, hate IPSC shooters. A bunch of shooters look down on Cowboy shooters. Some really good shooters look down on the not so good. Experienced shooters new to an area bring new ideas and change, many locals don't like that. Personally, I don't understand any of this. I'm mostly a cowboy shooter, but I also shoot Steel Challenge with my cowboy guns. I've recently pulled my L10 gun out of the safe to play with. I'm gonna shoot steel with it in a week. And there's a new Cowboy game coming up that has an emphasis on speed AND accuracy (Western 3 Gun), with cash prizes - how's $5000 to the match winner sound? There's an awful lot of animosity directed at W3G by the Cowboy community. How can you NOT want to recognize and reward performance? The folks at the club where I shoot steel welcomed me with open arms. That was great! However, when we moved out here to CA from the east, I brought a lot of change to the local Cowboy clubs. Apparently a lot of folks didn't like that. I upset the cart, so to speak. There was a lot of animosity. Folks are settling down now, but some still won't talk to me. Maybe it didn't help that I won the first 4 matches I shot . Now I'm getting dirty looks cause I want to shoot some other games. Granted, most Cowboy shooters are just interested in organized plinking. But cowboy has past master and GM IPSC shooters. Fast Draw champions. World Record holding Benchrest shooters. Top 20 Steel Challenge finishers. Etc. You get the idea. There is a lot of shooting talent in all of the shooting games. Animosity toward people that don't shoot "your game" is misplaced at best, damaging at worst. And the politics that go along with it are the worst. And I'm not talking about Govt politics either. I know I didn't get across how pissed off I get about the attitude that I see both online (not at BE.com) and at matches, but I hope you get the idea. Here's the good part. This is a great board and I feel very welcome here. Thanks! Joel "Doc" Shapiro 2003 MD State Cowboy Champion http://www.jspublications.net

To continue the thought.... Transplanted shooters can also bring increased excitement, changes, and new ideas. Generally for the better. Stay open minded! Joel

Well, I haven't bought a Limited gun yet So much to think about! And so much to pay for Joel

After reading this thread, I've ordered the C&S kit and an S_I trigger and spring. Should be in Saturday or Monday. I'll get it in and report back. I don't have a trigger pull gauge to measure though, so I'll be making a guess on pull weight. Joel

What are these and what do they look like? Joel

I guess it depends on if it's popper activated to spin, or starting stationary. If it's starting stationary, work from top down to minimize spinning. If it's a popper activated spinner, either trap 'em or track 'em. I'm not good enough to track 'em, so I trap 'em. In other words set up with the gun aimed at one spot and shoot the plates off as they spin by. Joel

For me this would be easy! First off, get the heck out of CA just as fast as possible! I don't know yet where I'd go. Thought about it a lot and haven't come to any real strong possibilities. My wife wants to go to Texas, so that's a possibility. Kids would go to the best private school I can find. By that I mean one that actually teaches and doesn't indoctrinate. I'd have my own private range where I don't have to set up and put the steel away every time I want to go shoot! And it would be big enough to host matches. That makes 12 big bays. I'd buy some guns that I can't have here! There are several on the list. I also have a collection that I'd like to flesh out cause I can't afford to right now. Reloading? HA! I'd be buying all my practice ammo. And it would be loaded to my specs. Match ammo I'd still load . Money would be donated toward the PAC's that actually do a good job of protecting our 2nd Amendment rights. If enough can't be found, I'd start my own. Hire aggressive new lawyers to go about it. And real good conservative thinkers. I'd set up a trust fund for each of my kids with enough money that they'd be set. But with enough rules around it that they'd have to act like adults when the time comes. They need to show their upbringing, dontcha know . Joel

Actually, it's purple . We moved into the house in October and never got around to painting. SigLady, it would be GREAT to have a room! But it's not to be.... We must cope with what we've got. Joel

You guys make me a little jealous! Here's mine. Walk in the front door of the house and this is the first thing you see on the right side wall. There's no room in the garage and it was really the only place to put it. Good think my wife likes it! Joel

Rhino, I have been! It's just that I have about 5 pairs of them in the safe. 1 set has to go.... Joel

If I can get some of the Cowboy guns sold that have been collecting dust in my safe, I will be wantin to get that STI! Will let you know, thanks! Joel

I think a hammer might be more effective than a rubber hose Joel

Now don't assume I'm a new shooter . Check out my web site: http://www.jspublications.net There is some video in the "Tips and Help" section. I just started writing out a brief shooting biography but gave up. Sounded like bragging . Suffice it to say that I'm no stranger to practice (about 30,000 rounds so far this year, but not out of a 1911 - and hours and hours of dry fire). I'm just new to IPSC and not sure if I am going to play that game or shoot steel challenge right now. That's part of why I'm asking about these guns. I've a Springfield in 45ACP. I used it for L10 back early in 2000, but haven't shot much IPSC. I shot one match a month for 6 months and then every other month for a while and still made it to 'C'. But I was distracted by some different shooting games. My 1911 needs a little trigger work. So the debate was to do that and switch calibers or just stick with it as a 45. Part of why I dragged the 1911 back out of the safe is that my revolvers are out getting fitted with Shelin barrels. They didn't group well at all (4 inches at 50 feet). It made Steel Challenge a bear Awful slow to shoot Pendulum or the 4th target on 5 to Go when you have to get a very precise sight picture. I made several phone calls today to different gunsmiths. It looks like it's going to cost more than I care to spend right now to get a new gun or convert the one I have to 40. I'm a stay-at-home dad, so my budget is limited by what my wife is willing to donate to the cause and by what I can get for selling other guns out of my safe (anyone want some really tricked out Colt SAA clones for cowboy? ). I think I'll just do the trigger work and get on with it. It shoots nice tight groups, so it'll be fine. Thank you all for the help and advice. It's always a pleasure to find a good group of people to ask questions of. I will be posting and reading often. Hope to get a chance to meet all of you down the road. Joel

Thanks! It was really nice to drag that gun outta the safe. Course now that I'm playing with it remember why I put it in there. It needs a trigger job. Gonna order the parts soon and get 'em to my favorite 'smith for fitting. You shoot in the area here in Sac?

You're referring to the club out there? I shoot Steel and Cowboy out there and am a member. Just been thinking of getting back into IPSC. I shot several years ago and got side tracked with kids and other stuff. So many shooting sports, so little time! Thanks for your help. Joel

Thanks BerKim. That gives me a lot to think about. I'm trying to decide whether to convert my single stack to 40 or just buy a new gun. After reading that, I'm leaning toward buying a new gun. Now....what's legal in CA? Joel

And that's the main reason I watch so little of the Summer games. I'm impatient for the Winter Olympics. Not as much shooting going on then so I can actually watch! And I think the only "sport that isn't" in the Winter games is figure skating. The others are all objective. Joel

I know what you mean! I have 3 SA revolvers out with a gunsmith getting Shelin barrels installed and a little trigger work. I want them back! I hate waiting. I've never been good at it, and they've only been gone 2 weeks Joel

Ok, let me rephrase the question. You're buying a new L10 gun. What caliber would you get and why? It's going to be used for L10 and for Steel Challenge. 2nd question. Assuming you've got a 1911 (receiver/trigger/sear/etc don't need work) and you want to change the top end, who would you send it to (please provide contact info)? Thanks! Joel

Maybe next year for me. My travel budget is blown Joel

Erik, that's what I'm expecting to pay. Now who do I contact and how do I go about it? Joel