robport

Thanks, now I don't feel so guilty. I stopped him before he pulled it out. Luckily, I knew he was new and the other guys on the line weren't, so I saw it coming. I gave him an explanation (our head Club SO's favorite saying is "must should be nice") and told him he would get DQ'ed in our regular matches...it was an IDPA-like match (more for training than anything else). He thanked me profusely later. I was playing SO, with an amazing amount of covert observation by the real SO's going on...

http://www.511tactical.com/tactical-duty-kilt-196179.html Opens up all types of possibilities...

At what point do you consider it "out of the holster"...clear, up an inch or so, or merely displaced from the lowest resting position. What I mean is that if you stop them during the process of them pulling it out, do you DQ? I don't think you can use the strict definition of "handling the firearm" because then you would have to DQ every time someone pushes down on it to make sure it's still seated in the holster, which I've noticed people doing a whole lot.

Thanks, I thought so. I lost in the end anyway because the MD shot first and he thought it was that way, so the SO's started the first two that way. MD> course designer. I had sent four stages to our IDPA administrators, just to help out and was more than surprised when the whole course of fire yesterday was mine. I thought they might use one or two stages, like they've done before. I was just hoping they didn't do too much to them. One added a nineteenth round to one of my stages before (by accident) and I thought I was going to be lynched by the revolver shooters. I didn't think this four would even fit in the building, but it did. Everyone kept asking me...what was your intent on this stage? I don't know. My intent was to make it fun and help the normal guys that have to do this out. Ok, in reality, we have a classifier next week so I did add some skills practice into a few of them. I did decide that I don't like shooting stages I designed though. Too hard to concentrate when people are asking me so many questions and pulling rules out of the book, some that don't apply. It's really bad when you shoot your own stages like crap. I always have fun though.

Some people, including myself, had a problem with the magazine auto-releasing during live fire. I think it's a function of hand thickness, but a lot of people seem to be disputing that. Anyway, the fix is very, very simple. Buy a small coil spring assortment from Wolff, Midway or Brownnel's (list of kits on their forums). Replace it with one of the springs of the same length and total diameter, but heavier wire. Problem solved. I was having the problem until I did that. $10 for the spring assortment. Shot an IDPA match today and problem was completely gone (shot like crap but not the guns fault). You may never have the problem, but if you do, it's amazingly easy to fix.

I ended up making the course of fire for our match today. For one stage, I had two strings. For the first string, you were loaded to 6 rounds. for the Second string, I said that you load to Division capacity. I thought loading to Division capacity meant having one in the chamber +magazine to capacity. I was told that it was only true at the start of the stage and the armchair lawyers had a field day fighting about it. Is it different for strings?...just trying to learn.

I sure am glad this thread is here. I started using the adjustable powder measure, very recently, rather than the autodisks and had two squibs. My fault I know. That's what complacency does when you have made more than a few thousand rounds without a problem (other than the normal primer things). While my test throws were 100% and within 0.1 grains of what I wanted, on production it wouldn't throw any powder at all on about 4 per 100 rounds. I have no idea why (Bullseye, not a flake powder). It should either work or not. Sorry it's happening, but I'm glad to know I'm not just crazy and it happened some other people. I've gone back to the disk. This thread gave me the confidence to finally buy a bullet feeder. I had been looking at it for a long time and placing the bullet is one little part that my thick hands have to contort a little to do(haven't received it yet though). I'm a little tired of having to whisper that I have a Lee. I'm sure Dillons are fine machines. They just aren't in the same ballpark, price-wise. and my Lee does what I need it to do.

My heartfelt condolences. People that have dogs as part of their family understand and grieve with you.

On inspection the other night, I found that I had broken another pin. At least it let me finish the last stage last Saturday. Something else is going on. 3 broken pins, even after 120 rounds or so each, just isn't normal. It's going back to Mossberg.

We had a match director accidently drop his gun. He DQ'ed himself before the SO could even take control of the gun or get it out of his mouth.

I was wondering what all this was about and what Joyce Wilson was talking about. I just saw the video.....OMG! I feel comfortable that it would be the last time the guy picking up brass would be allowed on our club's property. The RSO would not be allowed to be RSO ever again...but the poor shooter...I'm not sure if I would even be able to shoot again. Then again, even as a shooter, I get spooked and demand a look if I catch a curtain fluttering in the breeze downrange, out of the corner of my eye. They never question it.

It was nice to meet you...and thanks for the ideas. I checked my choke, after the match, and like you said...it was loose. I ordered one of the Taccom caddies yesterday to try it. They say it works for doubles or quads. I'll decide which way to go after that, but am leaning towards doubles. Hated to shoot and run, but I had to RSO for another event in a few hours. They usually set up four separate courses, but they didn't think anyone was going to show in that mud. I sort of liked the courses being changed on the fly like that and didn't miss the Texas stars or that evil turnover thing...lol. Hopefully, we will have more available real estate above the water next time...I could swear I saw a large tentacle coming out of that pond in the back!

Just thought I would update. I shot a match yesterday after replacing the forward shell stop and pin. It made it! Now I can start learning how to reload.

I know we've let someone shoot a .22 conversion kit for no score rather than make him go 60 miles to get his real one. I know we've let USPSA shooters (2 as far as I know) shoot in their full kits. I don't know, if they were scored or not. I also remember how stressful it was to come out for the first time, having read about it, but really not knowing what to expect. I walked in by myself the first time and it took a while to decide to do that (usually we get groups of at least two). Balancing fun, learning opportunities and competition isn't easy for a match director. I also think too many people show up expecting to win their first time and don't come back, when they show up at the bottom of the pack. It can be a little humbling, when you are new (hell, it still is...lol). I had researched it enough that I showed up with three expectations: Don't shoot yourself Don't shoot anybody else Put all your rounds in the bullet trap. Quickly I added: Don't get disqualified (haven't yet, but still may someday, so I keep that one) Over time I've been able to add a lot of rules that have to do with points...but it has been an evolutionary process. New shooters aren't there yet on their first few trips, so I agree with Rowdy...it depends. The lack of flexibility during club events will just run new shooters away and unless they are natural virtuoso's, they aren't going to threaten the top shooters anyway. Teach them what they need to know and then enforce it. ...and the regulars that stick bullets in the top rubber layers of the bullet traps, walk up, pull the bullet out, hand it back to them and rag on them for it.

I had Advantage tactical sights on my XDM 4.5 for a while. They were really pretty good and I could easily see them without glasses. Very quick to line up horizontally, a little more difficult for vertical. I went to a fiber front and standard rear, not because I didn't like the ATS sights, but I couldn't get anyone from IDPA to say they were OK (we will review the issue at the next meeting and get back to...) Now I use a stick on bifocal on my safety glasses (right in the center of the dominant eye). Both sights are perfectly in focus with that.

If I was in a civilian self-defense situation, the first thing I would have done was cut out that durn light and get out from under the car...lol. That was helpful about using the flash to aim subsequent shots. I'll have to try that some time. Thanks!

I wasn't crazy about the stage, but I still assume some of it had something to do with the condition of my eyes. It may have just been dim and annoying to some others. It was just a dark image to me and definitely some others, which is why I am asking if I should have just dumped a bunch of rounds safely in the direction or gave it up. I did bring up the confusing instruction (actually a specific answer to a question on target priority) with the stage manager and he took care of it with all other groups (we were the first). He offered to let me file a protest with the MD. I didn't particularly want to protest the PE and neither did the other 3 (the fifth wasn't there when we all discussed hearing the instruction) 3 seconds after that disaster on my first stage was inconsequential to me...lol. Mistakes do happen and their offer to look into it was good enough for me. I can't say anything bad about the match director or the operation. It was well done.

Use the top to the plastic gun storage box as a reflector to the target and block for your eyes. I believe wearing white would have helped too...lol.

I shot my first major recently. I was ready to give up in frustration after the first stage, but really enjoyed all the other stages. Besides getting, what was probably a record number of procedurals (one due to mixed instructions, my whole squad got it), I still had a lot of fun on balance and learned a few valuable lessons for if I ever do it again. On that one stage, the targets were in the dark (completely), you were on your back, under a prop car, and the only light was one shining directly in your eyes (about 6 inches away). You couldn't move out from under the prop and you weren't allowed to use your flashlight. I was wearing dark, so wasn't reflecting any light at the target. I'm not exactly young, so the old rods in the eyes don't work like they used to either. I understand there was a trick to it now, but I didn't figure it out in time. My question is: What would you do if you couldn't see the targets on a stage at all? Just shoot the requisite number of rounds at it?...or just tell the SO you can't safely do it and quit? Luckily, the word, on the trick, got out to many of the shooters after us, so many had a way to complete it safely. I'm not complaining...I wouldn't have won anyway.

I'm thinking of it too. Deadline is this Saturday.

Just wondering.

I tested it yesterday, 20 quick rounds through it with the drill bit fix.. I think I'm going to leave it this way for now.

...and of course the parts arrived...right on schedule one day after I "fashioned" a fix. Rear Shell Stop M935 PN 16792 Front Shell stop/HSG Spring M935/930 PN 16795 Front Shell Stop M935/930 PN 16794 Front Shell Stop Pin Blued PN 16808BL (part I made out of a 1/16" drill bit) Shell Stop Pivot Pin M935/930 PN 5877BL

After becoming quite frustrated with Mossberg taking so long to send the parts they promised (called them last week again and they said they had a record of me calling, but no parts on the way), I decided to try to make my own. I finally managed to get the remainder of the forward pin out of the forward shell stop. I went and bought a 1/16" drill bit from Home Depot, cut the drill part off with a dremel cut-off wheel, and got the shank down to size. I installed everything and I hate to jinx it, but it looks like it's working like it should. I'll find out at the range...and in the meantime, my parts will probably get here tomorrow now.

"That line of logic makes no sense. The competitor can rack the slide of the pistol while attempting to complete the stage. That is a sanctioned, legal action. Once the start signal goes off, he could just stand in the open and rack his slide 18 times. The stage would be scored accordingly and he wouldn't have violated any safety measures. There are no action pistol disciplines that allow you to just whip out your gun and load it whenever. In almost every other shooting discipline, there is some manner of allowing people to load their guns at a certain time." If I understand you correctly, I have to disagree. I believe it's as important or even more so to follow the SO's instructions to the letter and not get ahead of them, when unloading. That's the time I've actually seen several competitors discharge their firearms unintentionally...yes they were DQ'ed, but for the discharge, not failure to follow instructions. My comments concern how the rules were written (what wording) and a concern for allowing "range lawyers" any latitude to slip in an argument, not the logic or the necessity of the rule itself. I see the rules as necessary risk mitigation.