swhiteh3

I've done several sets now. They're almost TOO aggressive the way I do them, with a narrow pointed iron laid down onto the grip at about a 30* angle to the grip surface. But after a month or two, they wear down the sharpest edges and get REALLY nice. I'll try to put up a picture or two tomorrow... Does anyone mask (or just not stipple) certain areas of their grips when they do this. I have found I avoid some of the area near the top of the grip on the left side (where the inside of my thumb would contact), and I don't stipple at all on the top 3/4" to 1" of the right side grip, where my strong side trigger finger goes. These help comfort and also help the gun "rotate" when you need it to to get to the mag release. Also, I use the skateboard / grip tape on the front strap too, but let me share a piece of advice that worked very well for me. Take the grips off, and put the tape on the front strap, rolling it onto the side / grip surfaces. Now put the grips back on, clamping the edges of the grip tape so they can not possibly peel. Now apply a heat gun to help the adhesive. If you do both of these things, that adhesive will NEVER come off unless you want it to....

Why move away from the stock JM Pro front site? I don't have any real complaints about it.... Looking at the XS website I can't find any rear site options except for the rear site / rail combo. What am I missing?

Thank you! My google-fu must have been weak.....

Can anyone tell me where to find a Standard Bladetech OWB holster, with DOH, for an X-5 All-Around? I'd like to find one in stock - I need it quickly for an upcoming match. Shooters Connection says it is a special order item, and direct from Blade Tech is rather confusing which item to order, and they call it "DOS" where everywhere else I've seen it's "DOH", so I'm not sure I'm ordering the right thing. Thanks! I ordered a P226 version from Shooters Connection HERE.. http://www.shootersconnectionstore.com/Blade-Tech-DOHSting-Ray-Holster-BLACK-font-colorredRIGHT-HANDfont-P114.aspx I want the exact same thing for my X5. Scott

This, combined with my desire to keep a minimum number of calibers, and my plan of having a matching caliber AR-10, has pushed me to 6.5 Creedmoore over .260 Remington. -Scott

This is an old thread, but I was just wondering if anyone was heading to the Mammoth Sniper Challenge this year? It's a few months away, but I'm busy practicing and getting DOPE on my 6.5 Creedmoore / Stiller / Accuracy International and prepping for the match. Anyone else going to be there?

I'd be curious to hear your experiences with the DPMS 6.5CM rifles. I had considered purchasing one to go with my Stiller / AICS 6.5CM build. Nice to have a bolt gun and semi-auto in the same caliber. -Scott

For me, the Roger Sherman basepads are either 22 or 23 rounds (9mm). I usually only load them to 22, but I think you can get 23 in there. Apparently he also makes a follower which allows an additional round in there, but I don't have those. Roger's basepads are not cheap, but they're really nice. I've been pondering epoxying a think rubber pad to the bottom of mine to help prevent damage when they hit the floor during indoor matches.

The mag release you want if you're concerned with accidental ejections is the GGI Intermediate Mag Release. I don't think they make them anymore, which is really unfortunate, because it's the perfect compromise between being easy to get to, and not being TOO easy to get to. I have one on every Sig I own, and each one has been harder and harder to find (the last one was a used one that one of the tech's at GGI had in their misc parts box...). Hopefully Bruce will decide to make another run of them in the future, because they're perfect. Scott

Fellow NC Sig shooter here.... Just north of Charlotte area.....

Does anyone have an item number for the X-5 All-Around Blade-Tech DOH holster? I need to get one ASAP. Anyone know someone who might have one in stock? I'd rather not wait 4 weeks special-order time before holstering my new toy!

Has anyone tried the "TRU-BALL" Federal Premium Vital-Shock Low Recoil Slugs? How do they compare to other slugs you've shot? I just got some fairly cheap, and they're first slugs I'll be shooting through my JM Pro, so I'm trying to get an idea of how they compare to other slugs out there without buying and shooting absolutely everything.... Damn slugs are expensive!

If even the GGI Intermediate Mag Release is triggered by the Bladetech DOH holster (see my post #13 above), then I'm sure the X5 release will have issues with it too. But it's nothing a sanding drum can't make very quick work of.

I'm fairly new to the competition shooting world - I've been shooting for less than two years, so I'm actively looking for advice every day on this forum. But as some of you know, I work with professional race drivers at the very highest levels of motorsport, and I'm seeing some amazing parallels. Many of the drivers "practice" laps without being in the car. Simply visualizing the lap proves to be a great benefit to them. And one particularly amazing driver I worked with could sit in a chair and drive a lap with his eyes closed, complete with imaginary *thumb rest [generic]*, brake pedal and steering wheel. It wasn't amazing that he did this, it was amazing that when you put a stop watch on his "lap", it was within a few tenths of a second of his actual lap time. Apparently I'm a little slow - it's taken me this long to realize how perfect that comparison is, and to take notice of how powerful it has been for them, and to use that information to drive my own mental-game development in shooting. Looks like I have lots of work to do... Time to sit down and read "With Winning in Mind...". -Scott

I'm not next to my JM (and it's pretty new to me) but I recall that there are several threaded holes to mount a rear site in the rib. Is there not a sight that simply bolts to those holes? I got a little concerned reading reviews of the Hi-Viz. I heard (via a MidwayUSA review) that the front site (which I probably won't use anyway) is only held on with a magnet, and the rear site clamps on the rib and is prone to losing zero??? Does not sound like a very good plan for a competition site package. I am interested in the XS and the Tru-Glo rear sights. Anyone else have any more information??

Anyone know of a place that has the Fiocchi 25-pack in stock? I can't find them anywhere!

Nevermind...

Are those the same as these (except these are in a box packaging....: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/988796/fiocchi-action-proving-dummy-12-gauge-2-3-4-box-of-25?cm_cat=Cart&cm_pla=ProductDesc I've read on another forum that the base of them is steel, and that they are NOT for dry-firing. Is that true? Scott

Thank you. That's exactly what I was going for. I'm trying to make it a little MORE realistic. Any time there is a timer involved, and no one shooting back, it's not going to be exactly like real life...

I am going to add a few questions to this thread, since I am now in the EXACT same situation as the OP. I've bought a 24" JM Pro to get me into 3G, and although I'm comfortable in most other types of competition, I've never owned a shotgun in my life, so this is new to me.... I have a few questions.. * Is there any combination of load / choke that is not safe? For instance, can I run a slug through any of my factory chokes? * Is there such a thing as an inexpensive practice slug? Since my indoor range (where I'll be doing my live-fire reloading practice) only allows slugs, it would save me a lot of money if I could find something I could shoot there. * I've heard a few horror stories about dummy rounds jamming up guns, but I know I need some to practice reloads. Are there any specific rounds I should get? * Are there any unique issues with dry-firing a shotgun (either with or without a dummy round)? From this thread, it sounds like if I show up with any #7.5 to #8 shot size, 2 3/4", 3 dram cartridges I'll be in the ballpark, with some #6 just in case, and a few slugs. I know that knowing my patterning is really important, and I'll need to find a place and time to do that...

I agree with nearly all of what you said Clutch. For every day of IDPA or USPSA I've done, I've probably got two days of tactical training. (You can see it in how I shoot, like in close quarters I still bring the gun back to my chest for retention purposes after each area of targets). In many ways, even that can not prepare you for a real firefight. Nothing can. I've trained in martial arts for years, including Krav Maga, Kick-boxing, Boxing, and Jiu-Jitsu, but none of it really prepared me to step in to a cage and fight (but I did it anyway!). But I guess I wish that IDPA made just a bit more effort to be a little more realistic if that's their justification for rules like not dropping an empty magazine. It's possible to be a little more realistic than it is. Not completely realistic. As many have mentioned, there is no one shooting back. But it can be better. Things like blind stages would help a lot. (Being able to walk a stage and plan for it in your head is perhaps the worst way to take realism and stress out of the scenario). Some have said "you can bring that gun and compete now". Well, not really, but I did think of that. I would need 6 or more magazines to complete some stages. As CLUTCH mentioned above, there is certainly an unrealistic element to the length of our stages, but I don't mind that so much. However, using a gun that only holds 5 in the magazine makes for some very real limitations. Hence my comment about having "Micro" shooters only shoot the first half of the stage, or shoot the stages in two halves, etc. FWIW (and that's not much!), I like Joe4d's suggestions a lot. -Scott

Scott, If I knew my daughter (now 10 months old) were behind the door at the end of the haul, then yes, absolutely I would. Then again, I probably would NOT do it with my LC9 in my hands! -Scott Whitehead

Mad- You are correct, I should have said the muzzle was in control, not the gun. Thanks for all the input guys. I guess I need to suck it up and grow the attachments necessary to DQ another competitor. I know it's our safety on the line....

This is respectfully submitted to those of you who shoot IDPA. I've moved away from IDPA and toward USPSA because of some of the rules in IDPA. I understand the intent of those rules is to "make it more like real life", but some other rules make it nothing like "real life" for me. In a discussion with an IDPA-shooting friend of mine, he asked "what would bring you back to IDPA", and I responded - make it JUST like real life. When we talked about what that would include, I said I would like a class I could compete in COMPETITIVELY with the gun I carry everyday. I would guess that over 50% of us who carry EVERY DAY do not carry full sized firearms like those allowed in even the lowest IDPDA class, nor do we carry vast amounts of ammunition for an extended firefight. How about a "micro" or "CCW" class? I would propose a list of criteria (weight, length, height, thickness) with a weighting formula that allows slightly variance on one attribute, as long as the other attributes are met with some "comfort factor". This formula would not be done at the club level, it would result in a list from IDPA nationals on firearms that are allowed. The cut off would be rather obvious, including weapons such as the M&P Shield, Kahr and Rorbach CCW versions, Ruger LCP, LC9, Springfield sub-compact, etc. Limit capacity to 6+1, or whatever supports this class appropriately. Calibers would include .380. One (or two) magazines on the belt limit. Firearms may have reasonable modifications, but must meet a heavier trigger weight limit which would be reasonable for a stock-ish CCW firearm. The definition of concealment might also need to be reconsidered, since a simple vest over a full holster is not a reasonable level of concealment for most people at most times. Stages would need to considered here seriously. Either stages would be "split up" for Micro class shooters (add another start box mid-stage), or Micro shooters would only shoot a certain portion of each stage, or maybe one shot per target. This would need to be considered. But stages would generally stay as they are for most shooters. This is NOT an attempt to change the entire sport. If you want to go one step further though, when a stage is designed, have a handout given to each competitor. It says something like "as you approach this stage, there will be a door that starts the timer. Open the door, and engage all targets. Move down the hall, and engage any more targets. The timer stops when you reach the door (marked with a red X) at the end of the hall - to your daughter's room - after safely neutralizing all targets." And that's it. Say nothing more. Allow no one to see the stage until they step up to shoot it. If you want to make it less of a game, make it REAL by making competitiors not know how many targets are where, and make them truly shoot them as they see them. Require tactical shooting, use of cover, and room sweeping technizues, for instance, in this stage. The long and short of this - I want to practice, and at the same time be competitive - with my Ruger LC9, or whatever other dedicated CCW gun I decide to carry. I am very competent with my P226 competition gun, I need practice with the gun that is more likely to save my life. This is what would bring me back to IDPA. I hope this post does not offend those of you in IDPA. It is not meant to at all. This is just an idea, respectfully submitted. Thanks.

I was running the timer during a local USPSA stage and there was an AD during the reload. The AD was sent downrange (it hit the side berm about 20-30' downrange of the shooter), nowhere near the 180* limit, and the firearm was kept under control at all times. He very quickly recovered from the botched reload that caused the AD, and he continued. I decided to let the shooter continue, and he did so safely. After talking to shooters more senior than me, I decided there should be no DQ. Can someone clarify what the "right" decision should have been?