bluedevil008

Edit: While I did find a hotel that was a little more reasonable, it seems all of them have raised their rates for that weekend. I was hung up on when I called the match hotel.

My only DQ was with my 1301 at unloading. I ran through all my normal drills at "If finished unload and show clear", was 100% sure the gun was empty, then at hammer down, BANG. I still can't explain it, but this is never going to happen to me again - I have fingers in every place that ammunition could lurk in that gun now before I'm happy it's empty. Why would you be doing Hammer down with a shotgun? I've never seen that at any type of match I've been to. Unload and show clear is followed by insertion of chamber flag and/or locking back of bolt. IPSC shotgun. "If you are finished, unload and show clear" is followed by "If clear, hammer down, open action". Got ya. Makes sense, I'd just never heard of it before.

My only DQ was with my 1301 at unloading. I ran through all my normal drills at "If finished unload and show clear", was 100% sure the gun was empty, then at hammer down, BANG. I still can't explain it, but this is never going to happen to me again - I have fingers in every place that ammunition could lurk in that gun now before I'm happy it's empty. Why would you be doing Hammer down with a shotgun? I've never seen that at any type of match I've been to. Unload and show clear is followed by insertion of chamber flag and/or locking back of bolt.

Can't wait, really looking forward to this match!

Awesome! So Ltd and Ltd10 are the same but separate? Sounds awesome, one day I'll make a match there!

So one thing I've definitely determined (and I've read this) is that batch to batch, this ammo is SO inconsistent. I.E. I have 4.5gr pushing a 180 to 900fps out of my 5" STI.

I will be shooting 180gr (JHP) in Major out of a 5" STI. I like to load to 1.185 but I haven't used this powder at all yet. Anybody else shooting 180 out of a 5" STI? How many grains are you using?

A little birdie told me they might be worked on this weekend. Meaning getting packed up and whatnot.

Nope it was Oct 13 they got them in. Yes, but there was an update on Oct 29th saying they still hadn't shipped out.

Right, but notice how thick the receiver walls are, and how much higher the outside of the walls are compared to the inside. On the side of the receiver opposite the serial number, I took the outside all the down to within less than a mm of the edge that starts the flat wall of the upper receiver. Made a HUGE difference. I also took it down on the serial number side on the part where the # isn't, and ramped it up towards the serial number. @Jadeslade, I just did some, and I noticed the handguard was definitely causing the shells to catch. The biggest problem is the receiver above the magazine tube hasn't been beveled enough so the shells hit that part like a wall. I'm going to take a bunch of material off that area so that it's the proper angle. I'll post some before and after pictures this week.

Shot this one this past Saturday. Did not run it well, tried to run it too safe. 7.377 HF, based on what you guys have said, that'll be around 77% for Limited.

It's hard to say where your POI would be at 50 yards, but if they're that high at 25, they'll probably be hitting higher at 50. Also, if you want to quad load, you'll want to bring the outside of the receiver walls down quite a bit more than that. It's doable, but for consistent and really fast loads you'll definitely need more taken off.

Never thought about that, it makes sense, though. I've never noticed it being a problem. I'll pay attention to see if it causes me any problems.

Last I saw on FB was Oct 29th saying they had come in but hadn't shipped it.

What would you do to the handguard?

Before I started shooting competition, when I was stupid and thought Chris Costa was a genius, I locked my elbows and tucked my head. Straightening your arms really does allow the recoil to travel through the whole body as opposed to your arms alone being used as shock absorbers, thus allowing for what appears to better recoil control. BUT, the better I get, and I'm getting better really quickly, the more I bend my elbows and stand more upright. This is an action sport, your time is your transition time, not how fast your splits are. And once you know how to properly grip the gun and work the trigger, a little more muzzle lift in the first shot is irrelevant if you're quicker in every other aspect. Bringing the gun in a little close to your body allows for quicker transitions between targets, quicker getting in and out of positions, quicker reloads, and most importantly, a more natural shooting position.

Wow, hats off to everyone. Last match of the year was the best for me. Brought my wife along for the first time and she had a blast (in New Orleans that is). Nice range, perfect weather, fun and safe stages, smooth operations, great match stuff, and so much sponsor support. I doubt I'll be able to make it next year, but I'll be back at some point! Here's my match video for anyone interested:

Obviously there will be more effort required on the last few shells, but if your spring is tuned right, it shouldn't be difficult by any stretch of the word. I have my tube set up to do 13+1 and even on the last couple shells they go in smooth and fast.

You can buy straight from Carlson's. http://www.choketube.com/

I own both. The loading on the versamax is so much easier if you dual or quad load. In stock form I'm sitting between 4 and 4.5 seconds shoulder to shoulder for 8rds of duals on the versamax. The versamax is heavier, the kick is a little less. The 1301 has been very reliable, but all kinds of stuff keeps falling off it. The mid bead, and then the paddle both fell off during matches. The rest of the finish and fit on the 1301 is great. The 1301 points a little better, swings a bit better, and I like the stippling better than the rubber. Out of all the guys at our local shotgun match, there were several in top 10 (myself included) with the versamax. I didn't see a single 1301 in the top 20. Honestly, the versamax is where I'd go if I were you. Here's a write up I did on all 3 for my first impressions... http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=197102 Haha that doesn't mean anything. It's the shooter not the gun. The rest of your comparisons are applicable but not standings at a local shotgun match. c'mon man Also, the dual/quad loading I completely disagree with. In stock form, the versamax is near impossible to load with, it's gritty, springs are too strong, and the lifter will bite you like a shark. The 1301 has really thick/high walls, and is hard to get your hand high enough in the gun, but everything is else is much smoother. I think that the standings at a local match are more than applicable. I'm sure PCS352 is a new 3G shooter. So, on our local series (filled with a lot of mid range shooters.. not pros)... the shooters are taking the highest places in versamaxes, and not 1301's. That tells me it's an easier gun to get good and fast with. Plus, can you name anyone on the 3GN Pro Circuit that's using a 1301? I've heard Brian Vaught, and that's it. Almost everyone is using the M2 or VM. That's got to speak volumes. I own both and load much quicker on the VM. Plus, the shell bite can be fixed with a competition lifter from brownells. Not a big deal. I'd agree that things felt gritty at first, and the loading was tight at first. After about 200 rounds, everything wore in. I haven't modified my gun at all. At... All. And it feels smooth as butter. If you're ever in the area you're welcome to shoot it. But, that's just my opinion, man. No, but the only thing I know about Pros and shotguns is that Taran runs a Benelli and Ryan Muller and Jesse Tischauser run a Stoeger. Eric Eckhardt uses a 1301, and I've talk to several other top shooters who have nothing but good things to say about it. Beretta doesn't do much in the way of 3 gun marketing so that could easily explain why not many pros are using it. As for the gun itself, almost everyone I've talked to equates its performance to an M2. I've personally shot all three and I would say the 1301 feels very similar in its handling to a TTI M2, but for way less $$$. The VM is a good shotgun too, and for those who like a heavier gun, it shoots fantastic. KC Eusebio has won championships using a clearly inferior platform, and I personally have won matches using a dirt-cheap terrible optic sitting on crappy pieced together AR, so yes I don't think finishing at a local match does much in the way of proving itself. That's all I'm saying.

I own both. The loading on the versamax is so much easier if you dual or quad load. In stock form I'm sitting between 4 and 4.5 seconds shoulder to shoulder for 8rds of duals on the versamax. The versamax is heavier, the kick is a little less. The 1301 has been very reliable, but all kinds of stuff keeps falling off it. The mid bead, and then the paddle both fell off during matches. The rest of the finish and fit on the 1301 is great. The 1301 points a little better, swings a bit better, and I like the stippling better than the rubber. Out of all the guys at our local shotgun match, there were several in top 10 (myself included) with the versamax. I didn't see a single 1301 in the top 20. Honestly, the versamax is where I'd go if I were you. Here's a write up I did on all 3 for my first impressions... http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=197102 Haha that doesn't mean anything. It's the shooter not the gun. The rest of your comparisons are applicable but not standings at a local shotgun match. c'mon man Also, the dual/quad loading I completely disagree with. In stock form, the versamax is near impossible to load with, it's gritty, springs are too strong, and the lifter will bite you like a shark. The 1301 has really thick/high walls, and is hard to get your hand high enough in the gun, but everything is else is much smoother.

I didn't say that's how much I'm bringing, that's just about what I expect to shoot. On another note, is it a hard and fast rule that there must be 3 GM's in a class for it to count as a classifier (assuming they shoot to their potential and it meets other criteria). This will be my third major in 3 months that won't have counted if so (I'm shooting Limited). C'mon GM's, I need these matches to count haha!

I noticed the website says 320. But there's plenty of steel at this match so I'll probably use closer to 400

Oooo I'm seeing a 318 round count, and one stage is a classifier? I've never seen that at a major, but I'm still pretty new.

Do stages get posted beforehand for this match? This will be my first time shooting it. Weather looks absolutely perfect for this weekend, too!