IHAVEGAS

Springfield for IDPA & Glock for USPSA. You get the most favorable caliber for USPSA scoring rules, burn the cheapest ammo at the game with the highest round count, actually get to fully load your magazines in both sports, and have the most accurate gun employed in the sport that places the most emphasis on accuracy. But I'd really much much (much much much) rather just buy a second range officer (or glock ) so you are not constantly trying to reprogram yourself on grip & thumb safety & etc etc. You will be better and safer in both sports.

I love them both too, and like you have found that the quality of the match trumps the orginization. My order of favorites is different, but you don't go to a USPSA forum and look for the majority to prefer IDPA

+1. I personally prefer NOT to be the sole RO/SO for a squad, but I'm happy to split the duties with one other person. That gives me enough time to focus properly on my own shooting. Of course I'm not an IDPA certified SO anyway, so whatever. Couple good points there. IDPA certification is not required for your typical club match, don't know the rule for USPSA RO but I think at local matches anyone can write the scores down at least. The S.O. and scorekeeper thing is not hard if you have help that allows you time to enjoy your shooting & relax & drink / pee / reload / etc.. If it is just you then the s.o. job can really really suck, particularly on miserable hot days or if you have to also play squad nag for pasting and etc. If you have plenty of help then the job can be fun and rewarding.

If you just stop breaking cover, it all becomes a non issue and you don't have to worry about luck of the draw on s.o. actions effecting your score. In almost any sport there are some judgement calls and there is some luck associated with where the official is looking/standing when you break a rule. Learn to stay behind cover, until then accept either warnings or penalties as training aids, don't worry be happy. In my opinion.

So that's what a kkm is ! Mea Culpa.

Seems like a lot of folks get by with ignoring the 'don't shoot lead' instructions in the Glock manual and the stock glock barrel pressure/kaboom test data you find here and there (the book titled "The Glock in Competition" has a really interesting section on duplicating Glock-lead kabooms and pressure testing up to the kaboom round). With my luck it seems good to try and error on the side of caution when it comes to my reloading and to internet stuff. I don't think that is overthinking, now that I think about it .Other thing is, in IDPA the s.o.'s are supposed to attempt to position themselves on the shooters gun hand side to control the weapon if need be (i.e. in a nasty place to be when a gun blows up) so I think a lot of us are hoping that most shooters are very cautious about reloading.

Even at minor power factor I don't like lead bullets and a stock glock barrel. Some coatings (Bayou's for example) are supposed to make things aok for Glocks, but the worst leading bullets I (and 2 friends) have found came from some bullets that apparently had the coating incorrectly applied by a small scale local bullet manufacturer. Side note - Really bad leading is a major pain in butt to completely clean up with just brushes and solutions, I'd spend for one of the electrostatic thingies if I had to do it repeatedly. Back to the op's question, IDPA does not require spooky good accuracy and the G22 is a great gun but not a bragging rights tack driver type gun, I'd go for plated bullets at a less that super duper bullet price, probably Berry's.

Hahaha true Fair point!! (Forgot about single stacks)

Limited guns look better. (Sorry, it just needed to be said).

I don't have a dog in the fight and would like to see the rule just go away. That said, seems like if you start out with x ounces of metal then grind a bit and end up with less than x ounces of metal most folks would think that less than x ounces was lighter than x ounces.

8.2.2.3.2 (quoted previously) seems to be a specific prohibition against externally visible slide lightening. Interesting that they use the word exterior in the rule, maybe to keep them out of the 'dissassemble and prove it' game?

the hogue 1911 wrap around rubber grips are a fairly low cost (about 35 I think) option to try, gets you to roughly 2011 size

As a biker you are on the horns of an enema. If you hug the line then idiots in cars, pick up trucks, semi's, etc will pass you danger close without even slowing down. I think there are a lot more safe and courteous drivers than idiots, but even at say a 20 to 1 ratio, things can get pretty dicey when, for example, the snot nosed kid on a cell phone thinks he has room to squeeze between your bike and the oncoming semi. If you move more into the lane to block the idiot attack, you increase your odds of survival but it is irritating to folks in cars with better things to do than creep along. Personally I think there is much to be said for mountain bikes, or at least planning road bike rides on very lightly used roads and off peak hours.

It has been pointed out to me that if you can't handle the way things are done then you need to look for another game. I've DQ'd folks in that other sport for safety violations & seen righteous DQ's in USPSA, so it ain't that I'm anti DQ, but the 'Dq'd because of rule 359 subparagraph D section xii, based on the subcommittees hypothetical scenario that such and such could eventually lead to so and so' just doesn't work for me personally. What does work, and may or may not be a thing for the wheel gunner, is just to low key things. Contribute to the sport with set up & pasting and etc, have fun at low cost and easy drive local matches, but don't let yourself get too much invested to where the things you don't like can ruin your fun. I'm going to challenge both you and stealthy to respond to my "what if" question above. "What if" quickly gets you to the conclusion that accidents could always happen while participating in many different sports and recreational activities. We are not going to abandon all things like shooting sports and mountain bike riding and high school football, for example, so the questions get more complicated and rules are designed to allow high reward activities while restraining risk to whatever is deemed an acceptable level. It is likely to be expected that there will not be a one size fits all philosophy for risk/reward regulations, so it is probably natural that some folks will like the way things are done and others will be better off looking elsewhere or just not getting deeply invested.

It has been pointed out to me that if you can't handle the way things are done then you need to look for another game. I've DQ'd folks in that other sport for safety violations & seen righteous DQ's in USPSA, so it ain't that I'm anti DQ, but the 'Dq'd because of rule 359 subparagraph D section xii, based on the subcommittees hypothetical scenario that such and such could eventually lead to so and so' just doesn't work for me personally. What does work, and may or may not be a thing for the wheel gunner, is just to low key things. Contribute to the sport with set up & pasting and etc, have fun at low cost and easy drive local matches, but don't let yourself get too much invested to where the things you don't like can ruin your fun.

Still do, and a good dvd is included. So far a friend and I have had good results and it seems like a great way to go if you have a vice on the reloading bench and like to tinker. I have not tried tuning anything besides 9mm and 40 mags (140's & 128's) used in basically stock guns with close to stock weight recoil springs, and also have not tried to get the last possible round(s) in the 140 mags, so I'm wondering if that is where you would really see the difference with a professionally tuned mag.

Shooting paper, no timer, just going for accuracy, helped me transition to 2 eyes open. I think that once you know that you are just as accurate with 2 eyes open then you get a confidence thing that aids the process.

I got mine back from STI with a 14 lb spring and flgr. So far that does not feel bad at all (at about 171 pf). As noted, I do not miss the recoil master

Understood. I would call it out of accordance with 8.2.2.3.2.

8.2.2.3.2. Removal of material from the exterior of the slide other than front cocking serrations, tri-top, engraving, carry melts, and high power cuts. If I was forced to make the call on your gun I'd do it the easy way, dq on the oversized mag release and ignore the serrations all together That said, I think that if it removes metal other than as allowed above then I think it would be hard to be the equipment check guy and not feel like there was a duty to consider this to be a very attractive gun with a lightened slide.

If you want it for CDP (165 power factor minimum and I've seen factory winchester white box target ammo make slightly over 200 pf in a 1911 ) you might find a recoil control disadvantage compared to heavier 1911's or might just get tired of shooting a relatively heavy load in a relatively light gun. If you don't have a problem with this, or reload way down and run in ESP or SSP, I personally like your choice.

I think if frugality is appropriate in any one place in the entire world of competitive shooting, it is the silly fishing vests. Goodwill stores need love too, so my advice is to grab any old thing that swings free & feels warm/cool (i.e. buy two) off the shelfs. I'd personally go with something blues brothers for cool weather and something very similar with arms cut off for when it is hot.

Still digging into stuff in case there is general interest. Perusing the new IDPA rulebook under ESP regulations (8.2.2.1.4) and Match Equipment Check Guidelines (1.4.1.12.) doesn't give me any detail beyond 'fits in the box'. The old rulebook on ESP guns (page 21 D.) says "Fit in the IDPA gun test box measuring 8 3/4 x 6 x 1 5/8 with an empty magazine inserted". USPSA rules (I know they don't apply here but are interesting) have things nailed down pretty nicely "Handgun with empty magazine inserted must fit wholly within a box with internal dimensions of 8 15/16 x 6 x 1 5/8 (tolerance + 1/16, -0)". My conclusions at this point are; 1. If I'm doing the inspection duties, if a person can get his gun with empty magazine in the box & close the lid, I'm going to pronounce him good to go. All doubt goes in favor of the shooter is a general principle of the sport and I'd apply it here until I found something official that said otherwise. 2. Any problem with the loaded start in the box thing can't override the 'fits in the box with empty magazine inserted rule'. I.E. it would be a no no to design a stage such that legal equipment could not be used. 3. It is interesting that USPSA added another 3/16 to the length (or IDPA subtracted same) and it is handy that they clarified the box tolerance. 4. Pragmatically speaking, I think I'll just crown the barrel (or maybe take length off the grip safety tang) when time permits, to stay away from debate. Would be interesting to know if some Eagles (mine is a 2013 manufacture) perhaps have longer barrels or safety tangs than others.

No magwell, and like you I was surprised that there was an issue. I could have the barrel crowned, which makes a reasonably cheap fix for getting the gun into battery but I'm hoping somebody knows if there is an official answer out there somewhere so I won't be wasting $'s if I don't need to (and I prefer the look as is). The start in the box stage question is interesting also, since revolvers don't fit in the box without the lid being askew I don't know if other guns would need to? The last piece that makes things persnickety is that the 'official' wooden IDPA boxes are not neccessarily exact in internal dimensions, particularly the ones that have been stored in a shed somewhere (no climate control) for a few years, I measured the one at my local club Saturday & it is right on the height dimension but about 1/16" short on length (I need a just smidge more than the 1/16" however).

I've got a 100% stock STI Eagle that will go in the IDPA box if you push the 100% stock magazine up slightly and pull the slide back very slightly out of battery. Does that mean it fits in the box because you can close the lid after you carefully wedge the gun in place just so, or does it mean it does not fit ? Seems like it is a don't fit thing because dimensions very slightly exceed box dimensions, but a lot of folks are using this gun for IDPA and I haven't found any "non IDPA legal" stuff written about the Eagle so maybe (hopefully) I'm wrong.