LMS

4 grand and you still get a plastic trigger...

This is great advice. At my first match I knew no one. I told the folks at the sign up table that it was my first time, and they made sure someone looked after me. Many many people at my local matches will go out of their way to help a noob.

Legal in limited.

Buy.

My friend and I took up USPSA shooting a couple years ago. I'm in my early 60's and he's in his early 70's. We are having a blast! The younger folks are better than us but it's still fun to compete and to watch ourselves progress. Additionally, brainpower is pretty important when deciding how to take a stage - it's not just about how fast you can run. DO IT!

I did it, and you do need a drill press and the right drills. You'll also need to put some wood inside the mag to support it. The whole thing is not terribly difficult.

Well I guess we just (respectfully) disagree. You are correct in stating that you want to wear the lens that lets the most light in without having to squint. But you state that it's "all about personal preference" and while I will definitely agree that's a part of the equation, it's not what it's all about. There are lots of reasons why you don't see everyone wearing the same color lenses on the line on a given day. Maybe a shooter can only afford the cheapo glasses from the sporting goods store. Maybe the shooter isn't aware of the science behind the best lens for birds against a blue sky background vs a brown tree background vs a snow background shooting under the lights vs three different backgrounds (as the bird makes the transition from a background of grass then to trees to the sky), vs.... Or maybe (like me) a shooter has to wear prescription glasses so can only afford a couple colors so it's gonna be one or the other no matter what. I have taken lessons from several folks that make a living shooting trap: Phil Kiner, Harlan Campbell, Leo Harrison, Nora Ross, and others I've forgotten, and they all talk about how to select the best color for the conditions as part of their clinics. On the other hand a guy I used to shoot with (R.I.P. Dan K.) used to shoot with one orange lens and one purple! So go figure... ?

Jim, respectfully, it's a more involved than that. I shot trap competitively for several years. Good glasses are tinted to enhance various bird colors (orange, lime, etc) and to dull background colors (blue sky, trees, other foliage etc). There's a lot to it - it's not a personal preference at all.

I wish this was the case, but given the Dawson tuning kit and DVD exists, it's hard for me to agree.

I have a CZC and an AA gun, both are great. Can't go wrong with any of the three customizers.

A small price to pay given you'd be a legend and a hero on BEnos!

It took too long to get them tuned, but STI are finally feeding right in my new CK after lots of feed lip futzing and replacing the stock followers with Dawson. A friend who has a similar CK is still not there with his MBXs. I have been privvy to some of his communication with MBX, and it's been less than stellar. During my early tuning grief with the STI mags I was second guessing whether I should have paid the extra dough (2x) to get the MBX mags, but now I'm glad I didn't. Seems like for what they charge, it should be a better overall experience. On the other hand, other local shooters I know are doing fine with MBX in their STI guns. So, YMMV I guess.

I have owned both. I still have a couple shadows for USPSA, and reluctantly just sold my PM9 to a pal because the limited gun I just bought was more than I wanted to spend. You can't go wrong with either. If you were shooting USPSA or ISPC, I'd say go with the CZ because it feeds a bit more reliably with the MecGar mags when running and gunning and reloading. But if you are mostly shooting stationary, I'd say PM9 hands down given the SA trigger - it's just amazing. A little fussier with mags and ammo, but you can overcome that. Can't go wrong either way though!

I am at the tail end of 500 rounds of Atlanta Arms 180gr and I did not find it to be soft shooting at all. Loud too. Syntech is the softest for me so far, but unfortunately I am seeing some tumbling with it out of my CK 5".

The have mounts for the end of magazines.