Kyreb

I went with DeCots a couple years ago in a burnt orange tint. I was looking for something close to a "blue blockers" type effect. These glasses are great for outdoor/ daytime shooting. My only problem with the tint I chose is they are not good for low light/indoor shooting. I can pick up my green FO without a problem. The folks at DeCots are great to work with. They know shooting.

My '92 vintage .45 SA is still on the original factory extractor at around 25000 rounds. My '96 vintage .40 Para is on extractor #3 at roughly the same round count.

Over the years , I have gone through several 8 lbs jugs of both WCC powders. I always bought mine from Bartlett in Owensboro. The stuff works great. It is consistent and meters well.

Especially the idea about a "gas mask" stage. I remember a stage at Ashland (KY) Gun Club many moons ago where we had to wear a welder's hood through the COF. Somebody decided that was the best way to simulate a night shoot.

When he changed into the brand new skis that had just arrived from his sponsor on top of the hill before his first race I knew he had screwed himself. Reminded me of our guys that just have to change out a gun or critical piece of gear before a major match... ....Grab a fire extinguisher because you are going to wind up going down in flames.

Yep that was it. Good bunch of guys...I hope to become a regular. A tuesday evening match does a lot to break up the week. Will miss this week though...ski trip to CO. Rick

This was interesting. been playing the game for 20 years but never shot a match at night before. There were three stages, one was a "stand and spray" speedshoot, 16 rounds, the other two were 25+ shot courses involving a fair amount of movement, ports, US poppers and a TX star. They had set up a set of three emergency lights behind each stage and pulled up some vehicles and turn on the headlight for added illumination. Lighting was OK but not great. A flashlight was not necessary to shoot, but not by a great deal. I shot my SA 1911 .45 loaded with 200 gr LSWC over 5 gns of WST. Lessons learned: (1) The fiber optic front sight was very hard to pick up under low light. (2) The large cloud of smoke illuminated by the lights behind me was like shooting a black powder gun. Two or three shoots and you could hardly see the targets. Next time I'll shoot FMJ for sure and maybe try another powder. (3) Confirmed in my own mind for certain that a shotgun would be a far better choice than a handgun at night if confronted with a "serious situation". (4) TX really is the center of the universe for handgun sports! Rick

2000 nine mm. on my 550. I have found standing on the concrete (even with a rubber mat) loading for extended periods gets me down in the back. These days I limit myself to runs of 500 then sit down and run them through a case gauge.

Gary used to bring us brownies at Ashland Gun Club on the match day prior to elections. I suppose it was just a coinsidence though, not bribery......

As an RO, if I set up a COF the day prior to a match I'd sometimes shoot it before leaving the range if it was a really complex stage. This was done more to make sure everything worked as expected, there were no shoot through possibilities, safety issues etc... Sand bagging was not the intention. Most times I could tweak things afterward to make it a better stage. However, this was something I did not do if I had to set up the day of a match. That did seem to cross the line. As far as practicing a stage, it has been rare when I would go to the time and trouble to set up a duplicate stage. Seems to me time would be best spent working on fundamentals rather than set up and tear down of a practice stage. On the rare instance I did practice a COF, I'd always shoot from several feet further back from the targets to make up for the changes you see in the actual vs. published COF.

+1 Never had a problem. Have used 180 and 200 grain Zero bullets, Berry 180 JHP and RN, D&J 200 gr lead..etc...

I was there for the dark ages myself. The STI looks like a plan to me. Hi caps are all over the place now too. You can be set up and ready to rock without having to wait months on a custom gun as we did on those old supers.. Welcome back!

I could not agree more. Very "soft shooting" load. I like 4.8 grains with a 200 gr LSWC. It has worked great for many years.

I have always found the green works best for me. Indoor and outdoor, all light conditions.

Dillon reps at NRA show last year suggested using a safety pin. The rounded surfaces and hardened steel work far better that cotter pins. Making this change to my 550s has eliminated the sticking chute issues entirely.

I have had my own little buy back program going for several months now. I had to liquidate several nice pieces when wife was "downsized" and we put her back through college about 5 years ago. I still need to track down my "Dirty Harry" 6 in bbl model 29 and the program is finished. Still very happy I got this one back. This was my 2nd IPSC gun. I was able to buy back my 1st IPSC gun, a Springfield .45 last year.

I found my power throws tended to get inconsistent when the powder measure was at its fullest and then again as it became low. When loading match ammo, I stick masking tape strips 1 inch from the top and another 1 inch from the bottom of my powder measures. I only fill to the top tape and refill when the powder level reaches the bottom tape.

I swiched both my 550s to the roller handle after try one at an NRA convention. I do prefer the aluminum over the plastic. The metal has a better feel.

I have been using green indoor and our for several years. I have never been fond of the red ones.

Well, I cut the deal. It will be delivered Tuesday. Wound up giving $600 but got 4 Wilson mags and a good leather holster in the deal. Both parties are happy!

Ever kick your behind for selling a good gun? Ran into an old friend last week. I had sold him my match grade 1911 some years back when I went hi-cap .40 for IPSC. As with all gun sales, I regretted it later. I told him to let me know if he ever wanted to sell it. I just got a e mail advising he wants a new Glock, will sell the .45 back to me. Problem is, niether of us remembers what the price was. To complicate things, additional ammo and equipment were involved in the sale. He is not a big gun guy, wants me to set a price. I need to make him an offer, a fair offer, for the piece. I want to buy and give it to my son as this was his first IPSC gun. So there is some sentimental value here too. Give me your thoughts.... The 1911 is a 70 series, hard chrome frame, blue slide. I bought it used from another competitor in the mid-80s. It was in a Wilson "LE" comp gun configuration (to any old IPSC types out there.) It has a great trigger and a Wilson ramped barrel. Wilson internal parts and Swenson amidexterious safety. I do not know if Wilson actually built it or not. When they did custom builds, they did not track guns by serial number. It is a real shooter though. When single stack comp guns became obsolete, I had a good local pistol smith cut the comp off and install a S&A mag well. It made a dandy 5" piece. Looks like a Wilson CQB prototype. So it is used but not abused, I would guess maybe 20,000 rounds max. It has not had more than 2000 rounds through it since I sold it. Still a solid gun. I am thinking $500.00 range....

Agree X 10! I have two 550s. One set for small primers, the other for large primers.

Ever since the Clintons were elected and we had the big primer scare, I scavage everything I can. This includes .40 range pick up brass and 5.56 GI. I throw the questionable stuff in 5 gallon plastic buckets to sort through if necessary, at some later date. My only exception is at IDPA matches where we shoot in tall grass and there are are a bunch of .40 Glocks present. It takes too long to locate it and i wind up with a bunch of bulged cases anyway.