frgood

There are a few laws concerning employment rights and privacy. Even within any organization, it is very dangerous to make official or public statements concerning hiring and termination activities. The specific details are not for public consumption and may be subject to legal repercussion.

http://www.vihtavuori.com/en/reloading-data/handgun-reloading/-40-s-w.html

If one was to listen to their argument, they make a valid point for their claimed objective. If you want to try to take this sport more mainstream some things will require changing. Ironically, I recall the very same debate back in 2002 in paintball. At the time X-Ball was being developed for a more friendly TV audience. IIRC, Dick Clark's team was actually working on one of the larger TV deals at the time of his untimely death. I see here the exact same sentiment/debate here as back then. For those of us that treat this as a sport, I have no issue with the proposed recommendation, However, to be a sport worthy of mass consumption there would probably have to be the development of something completely different. To compare; Golf is a similar sports structure in that it is a personal competition (i.e. individual attempts at a task with the result scored against others). Sadly, golfers have a significant share of participants that are willing to watch. I also think that the massive tournament purses (sponsorship) bring an audience worthy of the investment. Seriously, a couple million shooters is not a significant number. Other sports that garner viewership require some form of conflict that fits into a 16:9 format, is easily understood concept of play, and enforces some form of tribal participation (fans). These are the same hurdles paintball had. It is too difficult to put on a screen. In our case, going back to the golf analogy. A match would run several hours on TV and involve jumping around the match to track real-time scoring. Personal skill sports has many challenges to become mass consumed. not impossible but it will require thought and change.

I am not aware of any in Central Florida. Any ideas?

I think you make a valid point. So much so that if we were to actually look at a Professional USPSA shooter, as you mentioned, there are barely a handful that fit into the definition of 'a person whose primary income is derived from such an activity'. Continuing with this definition. a Pro/Am tournament would yield a very special affair. I reiterate my earlier thought that this term should for a charity type event where the amateurs bid or pay for the high privilege of shooting with (as in teaming up and competing) a professional shooter. The win is for whatever the sponsor feels is the best marketing product to pull this all together. At this time the sport does not have any viewing numbers to make this worth anybody's time. In other words, the current concept is a misnomer. To bring this all back to the OP. since we are all amateurs the classification and competition is full on. Whatever you can do to compete and win is well deserved. That includes having the chutzpah to find ways to finance your hobby. As far as whining/whiners go, that is human nature; get used to it.

I came across the following site http://closefocusresearch.com/calculating-barrel-pressure-and-projectile-velocity-gun-systems . This site provides the noted (below) Excel Spreadsheet. I would like the groups thoughts on the reliability of this formula. Calculating Barrel Pressure and Projectile Velocity in Gun Systems The following information was derived and is provided by Close Focus Research (CFR) for those who are interested in Calculating Barrel Pressure and Projectile Velocity in Gun Systems. Use the following equations to determine the values you need. Example Calculations Shown in the table below are a few sample calculations of both Projectile Velocity and Barrel Pressure for the 9mm, .357 magnum, .44 magnum, .45 ACP, .223 / 5.56 NATO, .308 / 7.62 NATO, and .50 caliber BMG using CFR's derived method. The Pressure value used for each caliber happens to be the maximum SAAMI safe chamber pressure. As you can see, the calculated results are pretty accurate and closely reflect values you would expect. Keep in mind that the Projectile Velocity and Barrel Pressure values shown in the table below use the modified formulas to account for Projectile Friction, Rotational Energy, and Heat transfer. The original derived formulas are based solely on pure mathematics and that Projectile Friction, Rotational Energy, and Heat transfer are not considered. The red colored values are user entered values and the blue colored values are the calculated results. These sample calculations are also available in the downloadable spreadsheet below.

So is the consensus that the Plunk test is more accurate than a gauge? To be clear, I used an OAL gauge and took several measurements with X-Treme 180gr. FP in my CZ ts. 40 bbl. the reading was consistently 1.073. I set my die to 1.063.

Thank you. That validation really helps.

I just tested, and am considering settling on, 180 gr. FP (X-Treme) N340 1.063 COL. This is for a CZ TS .40 5.4" bbl. Very consistent.

So Viht. minimum of 1.126 is only a suggestion? After chrono today I like the 1.063 length befiting the 280 gr. FP . 5.5 grs. of 340 produced a nice feel, nice PF, avg 980 fps (176 pf) with the tightest groups and smallest std.deviation. is it all about the pressure when setting the minimum OAL?

I have before me a CZ TS .40. Using the Franklin Arsenal OAL tool I tested my chamber with Xtreme 124 gr. RNFP and came to a size of 1.110" I then tested 180 gr. FP with a result of 1.063. Now, the Vihtavouri guide suggest a Minimum OAL of 1.126. So I built my tree starting 10% below minimum load. 1. Are the OAL reading reasonable or could I be mistaken with the use of the tool? 2. Is a 10% drop reasonable for starting load given my data?

All of the points listed are excellent and quite valid. I only take exception to the inference that USPSA is a business. I do believe USPSA has a mandate to promote this specific sports activity. I would also prefer to expect that to achieve this goal some business tactics and strategies should be deployed. But it's first function is not profit. Much of the frustration I am reading here comes down to the lack of a clear and distinct mission (i.e. Mission statement). I took the liberty to glance at uspsa.org. The 'About' page does not gives a clear mission of USPSA. At a cursory glance the 'History of...' seems to intimate that the organization is a test bed for equipment and techniques. I think this lack of focus, which is the reason for 'leadership', is what drives the majority of confusion and angst. My approach to this dilemma might be to create a deliberately long list of goals and let the group pare it down into a concentrated guiding principle that will drive USPSA. It would seem that the term 'USPSA' now defines a type of sport. Thus the original goal has been met and the world has evolved. Again, I reiterate, if we all agree on what the organization is to be, we can, then, proceed with the execution of supporting those desires which includes funding sources (dues, sponsorship, licensing), communication (incl website), support (clubs, members), marketing (minor & major events), and all the other functions of driving the mission.

Thanks all for clearing that up for me.

I might suggest that the strategy be defined before we look at implementation. In other words before making any changes (i.e. spending money) The organization should follow @d_striker's strategy. As with any organization/business a plan and vision of where USPSA want to be several years from now will dictate what is to be implemented. If the board does not have the same picture then this will be nothing more than an exercise in frustration. So Where are we like to be in five years? 100,000 members? x number of clubs X number of local events? X number of regional, national events? $x of revenue from merchandise, licensing, match, etc.? A centralized RO membership? ... you get the idea.. Get a list of 50 or 100 of these things and start to work it down to what USPSA is about. USPSA will be the Primary organization for handgun shooting sports in the US.....yada yada yada or whatever. Pick it, list it, and drive for that. Once you all agree on the end game everyone can start to make that happen. It is called governance and I know it is not unknown to the folks here. C'mon we know how to manage this many of us do this every day in our jobs.

Recently I was talking to an armorer and he used a product with the same function as Safariland Powder Blast. I forgot to follow up on what he was using but I am sure it was a lot less than the 15+ bucks for the brand name stuff. He referred to it as simply 'Ether' which is probably not the true chemical makeup. Also he used it to clean my plastic frame so it is different than Powder Blast which is not to be used with rubber or plastic grips. Can someone name a on or two products used for blasting away residue? I am sure there is some generic stuff far less expensive. (please save the how-to clean discussion. I am looking for the product hopefully in the $5-7 range.)

Your thought makes me wonder about Pro/Am Tournaments (aren't the fund raisers?) where an amateur gets to pair up with a pro and you compete together against the other 'teams'. It is a good way to get some tips from the pro and raise some money for a worthy cause since the AM entry fees are pretty high for the privilege. I think something like that would be a great plus for our sport.

I would be curious also.

I"m not fully sure, so correct me. It sounds like you had a round get stuck while chambering? I had this same event happen when I loaded a bunch of rounds that had 'bulged'. Basically the round jammed into the chamber and required a lot of force to get the slide back.If this sound correct. then I'd suggest the Return spring is a red herring and I'd look at your cartridges. To be sure, I typically take all my produced rounds and drop into into the barrel and ensure they slide out easily. This is because I use range brass which is chock full of interesting things.

I found an interesting lesson this past weekend. I had the privilege to RO and shoot a GSSF match. One of the perks is Glock supplies a couple of armorers to review, repair and simply help us learn our Glocks and being a new Glockhead (about 4 weeks). I brought my 17 and 34 for review. I bought both used and asked if they would perform a once over to ensure all was right with the world. In addition, the 34 came from a competition shooter who used the G34 heavily and had made modifications to 'shorten the reset.. Lesson 1 - Do not think like a 1911 person. He quickly de-greased and removed the massive amounts of oil I had used (plus grease on the rails). He was kind enough to show me exactly where to put the three (3) tiny drops of oil and he did this without abusing me too much. He was insanely professional, pleasant, and instructive. I received my 17 back with increased confidence and happiness in the gun. I did not shoot great but NOW, I know what I have to work on to get better as it certainly is not the guns' issue. Lesson 2 - The 34 he swapped out all the after market parts, while explaining what was the thinking in each parts placement, and replaced with factory parts (including any that may have been upgraded since manufacture). This was all done for free. The result simply floored me. I actually found the feel of the reset to be distinct and crisp.So much so, that I double tapped by 'surprise' during my very next run. I can say that I like the feel of the stock parts running at their optimal. Big lesson if I find myself wondering about an upgrade or trigger job. He did return all the upgrade parts as well, just in case. All in all, I found myself shooting better as my confidence in my equipment grew. Plus I now have been given the definitive knowledge on how to perform routine maintenance. /endoffanfare

Or you could use a wristwatch and still be a nice guy.Heh heh I really should wear mine more often. I'm still trying to remember to keep a pen in my pocket. LolSent from my SGH-T399N using Tapatalk

I think we just went full circle, again.

That seems like a great price!! I wish I live in PA.

As a caveat, and especially with us noobies, I would still think to keep an eye on that trigger finger. But the consensus here makes perfect sense. Particularly at a local match where that newbie is usually a friend brought by one of your buddies. Perhaps I'll think different after I had the privilege of ROing some major matches. Also, until I learn how to start the 2 minute counter in the timer. I guess i stuck with being a nice guy.

heh heh too obvious.

Agreed, I find myself a little confused as well. Is this the one that was in Volusia last year?