Mike Wood

Who says? Some of the best shooters not only touch the frame with their offhand thumb but put pressure on it as well. It works for them. As long as the gun is flipping vertically and you're getting your hits.... MW

Thanks, I'll work on that. My comment was actually for the OP People get far too wound up about needing "light springs so the gun shoots flat" thinking it will help them shoot faster. As you probably already know Bart controlling flip isn't the only reason to go to lighter springs. It certainly bears mentioning that if you reload (and say run your PF around 130 for IDPA compliance) you more than likely are now much closer to having a malfunction if the gun will run at all because your stock spring is too heavy for your ammo. Factories usually set their guns up to run with factory ammo, however most competitors do not reload up where factory stuff usually is. The spring MUST be tuned to the ammo, and there should be a fair margin of error for weak hand limp wrists etc. Most stock guns are oversprung for all but fairly hot ammo and most pistolsmiths agree on this. There are issues when you go too light as well, I find with the Glock as soon as a 13 pound spring starts getting short I'll get light strikes. I usually run a 15 in my G34 because although I can notice the improvement in flip between the 13 vs 15 the 15 has an edge in long term reliability with my loads. M&P's are probably affected the same way. MW

I used the Precisions for over a year in my 1911 (CDP gun) with Nowlin match barrel. Had to give them up because the buildup (which is very hard to see at first) was so hard to remove. I have a friend that is using them now and he is getting the buildup- which is common by the way. He tells me that putting the barrel in a 50/50 mix of peroxide & vinegar for 10 minutes? makes it come out with one swipe of a patch. If this is so I may try them again. They are the fastest bullets I've used yet and I had no problem making PF with them. They were accurate as anything else.

I totally concur with this. After coming off my 550 it took me awhile to get the feel of the 650- feels like more leverage-different. I've cut a few coils off my shell plate locator spring to remedy the "snapping" and powder flinging. I have the feel of this press down cold and it runs smoothly with no primer issues even at a very high rate of speed. I could probably load Federals on it now with no problems. Would I try them again....NO! I don't need that much sensitivity. I load my tubes with a "vibra-prime" BTW, I don't know how that would be with the Federals. Better safe than sorry.

Let's not lose sight of what's important here- the dry-firing far outweighs any damage it could do to your guns. If it completely destroyed the firearm I would still do it, I'd just be looking for a better gun. I'm more important than the tool. Let's face it any use of the gun will put wear on it. What did you buy the gun for in the 1st place to sit it in a gun safe & show your friends? Wring the damn thing out and if it breaks fix it! On Glocks if it is your carry gun keep an eye on the trigger spring, striker, striker spring, breechface etc. More than likely you will never have anything go wrong, but your shooting will improve a ton if you dry fire even 15 minutes a day. The gun works for you, not you for it. Most of the snap caps are useless after about 1 dry-fire session as the "primer" is dented or otherwise not providing a surface for the pin/striker to hit anymore anyway. If there are any out there that will hold up I would suggest using them. But don't forsake dry-firing for the gun. It's a tool use it. Even after thousands&thousands&thousands of clicks I haven't managed to do any harm to any guns I've ever had by dry firing for over 20 years. The only gun you should be concerned about is a rimfire.

Anyone interested in an IWB for the 34/35 from Sidearmor can now get one if we can come up with 25 interested shooters. He's never offered them before because he felt there was not enough interest for them. I CCW my 34 & 35 and compete with both guns with an IWB rig (Comp-Tac Ctac) as well. I can easily hide this full size gun under a tshirt in summer & nobody is the wiser. In case you're wondering my draw/shoot from retention averages .97 unconcealed. I believe the right person could go .60 with this rig. I don't think it's necessary to use a harder-to-conceal OWB holster in competition. If you practice enough anything will work and I'm not willing to comprimise my ability on the street by competing with a different platform. Anyone interested email me and/or post your intentions.

The reason they do not want you to use Federals in the auto prime is the same reason you should reconsider using them in many progressives. You may be OK in a 550 or 1150 but don't use them in a 650. Yes mine blew up. When I called Dillon he told me what primers I was using even before I said it. I personally think they are oversensitive and can be dangerous. My Glocks using lighter than stock striker springs will fire any primers I've tried. I've had the best luck with Remington which are middle of the road for sensitivity. I also use Winchesters a lot because they are so easy to obtain unlike the RP which can be hard to find. CCI's have the hardest cups & I've had trouble with them years ago and just never went back.

et45, you are a smarta**. I have read over all this info and talked to some local Glock shooters,this is the conclusion I have reached. I plan to reload ploycoated bullets and use the brass many times, so I am going to install a KKM barrel, size with the small base resizer, load minor @130,000+ and shoot the hell out of the gun and not worry about it. Anyone see a problem with that? Robin I see a potential problem with it Robin. Let me tell you my experience with Precision Moly Bullets. I was loading to 165pf with VV powder in 45 for IDPA. The barrel was a Nowlin match in a 1911-cut rifling. This stuff came off and built up in my barrel and would not come out to save my life. I contacted the Mfg. and he recommended "Moly Magic" which worked but only with an amount of effort that I will not put in again. It's hard to tell this stuff is in your barrel because of the color of it. When there is enough in there you can see it. Beware. I had excellent luck with Ranier & Montana Gold bullets. Having said that, let me tell you about a freind of mine that shoots lead all the time in IDPA out of his 4OS&W Glock. He has never had a Kaboom even after THOUSANDS of rounds but they are very hard cast lead (I forget the brand) and he cleans his gun religeously. Draw your own conclusions. If not for the buildup I would still be using moly bullets. They're faster with the same amount of powder which means you can load down and still make pf, they were accurate. Try about 500 of em and monitor your bore is my recommendation. Be careful and let us know how it goes. MW

Why not just get the Warren Tacticals and be done with it? You'll have no need to open up the rear on these sights. If you like a lot of daylight on each side of the front (as I do) you'll love these sights. I've had & used the XS- hate em- difficult to make a long range shot. The Novak "Wide Notch"-not wide & poorly made and many others. The only others that I like are the Dawson's & TFO's.

And many people do. Yes, and trust me IDPA people tinker just as much as USPSA. We're just constricted a bit more by the rules. I'd love to have the option of running my G34 with lighter flat wound springs on a non-captured plastic guide rod in SSP.

One reason, like it or lick it, is there are a lot more shooters than RO's. Often there are barely enough RO's to go around which was the case with this match. There is a whole lotta arm chair quarterbacking going on here and I wonder how much clock running experience some of you guys have that would pull the RO from the match. Singlestacks post speaks volumes. Right or wrong I doubt you will ever find a match anywhere that the RO would have been pulled.

Finger probing the mag well in this instance would have prevented the DQ. But the SHOOTER is ultimately responsible for UNLOADING his own gun. The RO is responsible for making sure it's unloaded. I personally will be using the finger probe from now on.

I agree, and I wanted that but I wasnt' running the match and as I said before I don't have all the answers.You'd really have to talk to the MD for that. Joe Ford (who started this thread) knows him too. Maybe he could shed some light on it. Next year it may be different.

I know what you mean. I had that concern as well but I believe Warren does offer different height fronts. If different height front sights are available it may be preferable to use fixed because of the simplicity/durability. Once I work up a load for a particular gun I stick with it and I got lucky in that I was spot on with the fixed Warren's on my Glock. With the XS (Bomar cut) adjustables I ran on my last 1911 (before going to the much better Dawson's) I kept having a problem breaking pivot pins. Whan I contacted XS they acknowledged that it was a common problem and sent me a few extra pins which I promptly broke. They were solid pins. Making sure I was deburred and going to a HOLLOW pin minimized the problem. More parts=more potential problems.

KD I read your earlier post again and the comment you made in this one about having the "RO sit/paste for the rest of the match" doesn't even seem like it was written by the same person. There is no way this RO should or would have had to be pulled from a sanctioned match because the SHOOTER had an AD. That's akin to a traffic cop being put on report because the drunk he was giving the breath test to fell down and the cop failed to catch him. I have already stated (too many times) that I agree the RO bears a small portion of the blame for the gun not being cleared. But you think he should get punished equally?

What makes it time critical? The main thing I have learned at low light - no light shoots is that you can't rush things. Everything takes longer in the dark. X amount of time allotted to run the match, with X amount of shooters, including any unplanned prop failures, reshoots, etc. Any event whether it be shooting or motorcycle racing or whatever has to be planned and run like clockwork. This match being all shot indoors one shooter at at time=TIME CRITICAL. If you were starting from scratch with this thing as our MD did on the 1st ones you would be faced with a monumental task. Over the years it's been prodded & tweaked into the smoothly running machine it is now. You guys are making a huge deal out of one guy getting a justifiable DQ in one sanctioned match. Let me say this again and for the last time. IT IS A RANGE RULE, PERIOD and it's always been non-negotiable. I agree we can all learn something from this. I know I did and so did the 2 people directly involved. MW

I concur.

I don't know about you guys but even with my Glock in the dark I can tell when I drop the slide that I've just chambered a round. I believe this shooter was using a 1911 which as any 1911 shooter can tell you even a tuned one "kerchunks" a bit when a round is chambered. I think he just got confused with the stage protocol of having to have the "cast" removed from his arm before he could UASC and got his steps backward. I know it sucks but the fact is the 1st responsibility is with the guy holding the gun. We're not babies out there (although to hear some shooters I could be wrong) and as it was stated before this is not training, you are already supposed to know these procedures and safe gun handling when you achieve a classification in this SPORT. And WAY before you come to the line in a sanctioned match.

That's what I'm saying. The only lights were the RO's red light which seemed to fine for everyone else (including the RO that was on the now infamous stage) I personally would have liked more light. The lights we were using were bright-but they were red. And you had to take a more intense look than you would in white light which probably made the time saved a wash. At this time I don't have all the answers about why it's done that way in this annual match. I wasn't really involved with the planning of it and I kind of found out late in the game that I'd be working it. It probably does have something to do with keeping peoples night vision sharper and also a time saver in this time critical match.This is the only night match I've ever attended but like I stated before I think there could be a better way to do it. Let me make one thing perfectly clear. This is a well thought out and very safe match. No ones safety was ever comprimised-perhaps someones DQ, but no ones safety, so let's not go there. The UASC revealed the gun wasn't empty and it went bang-too bad for the shooter, but he had the gun pointed downrange and no one was going to get hurt. As you guys well know if even ONE of the 4 rules of gun safety are followed- no one gets hurt. One of the reasons this match runs so well year after year is it has so many safety features built in. For instance the shooters have one of those green tube lights hanging on their back the whole time they shoot the night stages and the RO's have a red one. If you can't see the light it means the guy has turned up range . When you're following him through the stage with the clock you of course have his light to go by as well, if he's reloading and you need to see what's going on you can discreetly use your red light. My only gripe is with the UASC, I think it should be lit. I don't understand the comment. In what way are they trying to be tactical instructors?

Had them on my CDP gun which happens to be a 1911. It's an adjustable 3 dot tritium set. Very good sights but I went to the Warren tacticals when I switched to a Glock from an XD. They are the best sights I've ever used and I've tried everything. In fact I still have many of the sight sets that I've tried and will sell them for a reasonable offer so I can put the Warren's on all my guns. Even with the tritium dot in the Warren front sight (green front + 2 yellow rear) I've still got PLENTY of daylight around the front sight which makes it really fast to pick up and you can still make precision shots if need be - unlike the XS that I had on my 1911 before I installed the Dawsons. The U notch in the rear somehow makes for a faster accurate sight picture and my scores improved virtually overnight. They're particularly helpful to my 50 year old vision.

Luis, you may very will be right but most ranges are cold ranges and I've personally never shot a match on a hot range. I guess you'd still only be able to handle/load your gun under the command of the RO right? Anybody else shot on a hot range? How many places run like that? What is the protocol? Do you load for the next stage instead of UASC? This kind of a thing is a complete rarity at this club and I don't believe it would have happened even with the same people, "cast" on his arm etc. if darkness was taken out of the equation. MW

Due to the layout & timeframes of this match the shooter has to come off the line immediately after UASC so the next shooter can shoot. You get to check your targets with a paster gun in your hand when the squad of 5 is finished shooting. And like I said the only light that could be on was the RO's red light.

That's what we had Kevin. I tend to agree with what Knighttoflight's video shows. Lights on when UASC. Even using the shooter's light as I was worked quite well. I didn't feel the red light was enough. The next time I work one of these matches I am going to push hard for lights on.

I'd like to clear a few things up here. I was there and worked as an RO at that particular match although not I'm not the RO in question. I know the incident spoken about and the people involved so I feel qualified to "shed some light" on this, no pun intended. 1. Joe is correct on most but not all counts. The RO's words to the shooter were actually more along the lines of "Damn **** I think that might be a DQ" and after getting him unloaded (completely) turned around to the MD who happened to be standing not far behind them and wanting to know what happened explained it to him, the MD made the call right then and there. It is a RANGE rule to DQ the shooter for an AD. 2. Neither the shooter or the RO are novices by any stretch. In fact the shooter (a staff member) has been competing for many years and has held executive office in at least one competition club, and has recently completed the IDPA RSO course. He just messed up that's all. He took it like a gentleman and did not protest it because he shoots at that club a lot and knows the rules. In fact he came back and worked it the very next day in true sportsmanlike fashion. He may have had some luck if he protested the call but I doubt it. 3. The RO in question I will admit is one of my best buds. . But I promise you I am giving this to you unbiased. The last thing he wanted to do was DQ anyone. The MD made the call (also not mentioned) because he was right there and that's all there it to it. 4. I think it's commendable that several people quoted the rules etc. It shows that shooters/RO's know the rules & where to find them. It's true the shooter did not strike the floor 6' or closer than the firing line. But he did hit a lot of stuff downrange possibly even the wall- because the gun was pointed through a "window" when it fired and was at enough of an angle to hit the wall. (also not mentioned) [it might also bear mentioning that this was an indoor match and the stages are set up in a confined area which means some stages are one on top of another. When a shot is fired helter skelter though some stages like that with NO direction (other than downrange) all kinds of things could get hit that weren't planned for in the set up.] What the shooter did do was FAIL to UNLOAD and show clear which can be interpeted as an example of unsafe gun handling and grounds for a DQ per IDPA rules- S5 Page 7, which states "after completeing any COF the shooter must unload, show clear & re-holster before turning uprange or leaving the firing line". I don't think firing a shot off is what they had in mind for an unload. This is an extremely hard match to RO and everyone did a fine job. Most of the shooter's comments reflect that year after year. In summary: The shooter was commanded to unload & show clear, he racked the slide without dropping the mag, the RO saw the empty chamber but he failed to notice that the shooter had NOT dropped the mag, another round got chambered and HAMMER DOWN went BANG instead of click. Ted Murphy hit the nail on the head with his comment about stowing the flashlight etc. On this stage a simulated "cast" had to be removed from the shooters arm (by the scorekeeper) before he could be unloaded, furthur complicating things for the shooter and the RO. In my NSHO most of blame should be shouldered by the shooter who was in possession/control of the weopon and did NOT do what he was told to do. There is no "drop the mag" command in IDPA it's "UNLOAD" (& show clear). I agree the RO should have caught it even though he was not holding the gun. But that doesn't discount the shooter's responsibility. MW