bluedevil008

I'm not sure if there's a question in there, but I have been running 7.4gr of WAC for major matches, making about 172.5 and 174.5 at the chrono between the two matches I've shot. Tried to bump it down to 7.3gr , but now I'm averaging 167, so I think I'll try to get an average of about 7.35 - 7.37 over 20 loads or so so I can sit at 170PF. I have noticed the hotter load is a tad bit flatter (working the comp more) but it is more "violent" in my hands and flaws in my grip are accentuated more. In the end, shooting 174PF vs 170PF in a match isn't going to change anything, but I want to minimize the wear on my gun so I'm sticking to a softer load from here on out.

As an interesting note, I've been smashing some PR's lately on some benchmark drills without using the stuff, just continuous practice and deliberate practice.

Spam?! Go away ISIS!

Got a return authorization a couple days ago. Pretty sure I signed up like a week ago, so I guess they're pretty much past the bulk of the upgrades.

Hmm. So what are you trying to accomplish in the end? There are companies in this industry that I don't like due to various reasons. If someone asks me for my opinion or my experience, then I will give it, but I'm not going to create a new thread saying to "avoid xyz because they're scumbags," because how will that reflect on me? If they truly screwed you over, a la Predator Tactical, then maybe it's worth posting a stay away notice, but if you just weren't happy, and you know other people have been happy, then I think it will just come across as a "I need attention" post.

Glad it's working well for ya! Piece of advice that you can take or leave. Clean every mag that touches the ground at major matches! It's an easy 20 seconds that most likely would have saved you from a stoppage.

I just switched from DAA to the Safariland 014. I like it a lot more so far. It's clearly more "sturdy" and I can draw from any angle without any hiccup. Apply a little pressure on any axis other than straight up out of the Race Master and it might catch.

My two cents. I think you can bend you elbows a little more to help absorb recoil. This will do more than leaning forward. Also, you are not resetting the trigger as the gun cycles. You wait until the gun is back on target to start resetting the trigger. Will help your splits as you'll be able to shoot quicker. The majority of the time you can save here is on the draw as you already identified,. Good luck!

They sent me the shipping label, I dropped it off last Wednesday morning, and got it back today and took it to the range to re-zero and get some practice in. BTW, I'm on the other side of the country. That's insane service! The frame had widened for some unknown reason, probably talking 1-2 thousandths, just enough to slow down the frame. It was still functioning, but was noticeably slower, so I wanted to get it looked at in case it got worse or started causing issues. It's good as you know, I even was able to do a 1" 5-shot group at 25 yards resting my forearms and magwell on a table (not really an actual rest or bags).

It's all personal preferences but most people find that long dustcovers more preferable. Slide length just depends. They will cycle slightly different, Some people like the extra sight radius, but it's also more cyclical mass out front. I would recommend trying to shoot a few more before making a decision. That said, little things like that aren't going to matter much in the long run. Shane Coley won Nats with a Glock, so it's all about training with what you've got it.

Make sure to budget for magazines as well, because they are expensive. Also if it's dipping more, it's probably over sprung for the ammo or your grip is not strong enough. The other two guns you mentioned had short dustcovers, but the frame doesn't cycle and therefore will not make the gun "dip" if it's front heavy. There are other disadvantages but a heavier front end won't do what you described. I can't think of any top shooters (maybe Travis Tomasie) who doesn't use a full length dust cover.

I PD 124 JHP at 1.165 over 7.4gr of WAC, makes 174-ish. I bumped it down to 7.2gr for the time being to lessen the beating on the gun, but as I get close to my next major I'll reevaluate. I want to make sure I'm making 170-171 before flying to a major to leave some wiggle room. Unrelated, sent my Chaos back for a tune-up and also because the slide randomly started slowing down as it finished it's last 2-3mm going into battery. It feels like the fit is much tighter, so that it's noticeably more difficult to pull out of battery and go back into battery. It's still functioning but I want a smooth buttery gun. Adam said it's possible some shrapnel or something got caught in a rail and caused a burr, slowing the gun down. They just got it, so I will report back on well the warranty service and tune-up goes. Yes, bizarre scenario, I'm at about 6K rounds through it, so it shouldn't be getting tighter! haha

I made GM in Limited without ever attending a class, having no mentors, and basically without doing much live fire practice due to range limitations. A couple weeks after that I took a TPC class and it opened my eyes to a billion things I had been doing inefficiently. I think the difference in where I am now and when I made GM is probably at least 5% at a Level 3+. I'm still an M in the division that I'm competing in now, but I have been shooting well above where I was in Limited. I don't have any plans to take any other classes anytime this year. My training has been molded by listening to hundreds of hours of podcasts, reading books, hitting them gym every day, and dry firing endlessly. I am now confident that I know HOW to train, and I know how to learn. The class was a wake up call in how to do those things. The class itself did not really make my skills any better in and of itself.

You sure you aren't just "seeing" them as brighter due to the larger MOA dot? It could be easy to get the two confused. Just one possibility.

If this is a competition, you know you are going to be shooting again, so no reason to put a safety back on. If you are in a "real world situation" (because IDPA and real world are not at all the same thing), your safety should go on after you have assessed. I would not put my safety in the situation you just described until in the middle of weapon manipulations.

Also wondering if you will be doing the same on/off schedule as last year? It went incredibly fast and I would like to see it again!

I feel a slight difference in the balance of the gun with the 170, and I don't notice it with the 155, so I use my 155's a LOT. Usually just in place of a 140 at the start so I don't drop the 170's.

Is it coincidence that those three just won their respective divisions at IPSC Nats? Interesting...

I do powerlifting/crossfit everyday, and I dry fire (almost) every day for typically 15-30 minutes. Deadlifts and pull-ups pretty much got me covered on my grip. I'm at about 140# max grip, with typical estimated grip on the gun around 100-110#.

I have one of 7-ish magazines that also will occasionally do a similar feed issue. Contact MBX and they may offer to replace, they did for me. In the meantime, it's a practice magazine, don't even bother using it in matches.

How many magazines is this an issue on?

Are these guns even out yet? Haven't heard a single thing about these since the month following SHOT.

They aren't always the most proactive with communication, I learned that early on. So i just bug them whenever I am curious or need something and they are super quick to respond and are very helpful.

While I know that my builder will answer the phone (Atlas), I wouldn't necessarily make it a requirement. I understand people have lives and separation of business and family time is a good thing. That said, I've used the after hours contact A LOT, but I am also a serious shooter and am shooting every week. If you're not as serious, maybe good customer service is all you need, not necessarily 24/7. In which case, I think you'd be set with any of those builders. Try your best to play with some guns from each, spend 15 minutes talking on the phone and then decide. I think in 2018, any of those players are a solid bet.

I do not notice it on the clock, no. If the weight of 5 additional rounds costs me any time, it's probably negligible versus whatever risks are associated with running a shorter magazine. I don't always run a big stick just for the hell of it as all my dry fire and most of my live fire is done with 140's. As long as a 140 will get the job done with no worry, I save big sticks for areas of concern.