TreblePlink

After trying several other removable media recorders, I recently bought a bunch of Tascam DR-07 recorders from Musician's friend for our four (Broadcast) news reporters, and they love them. We've had great luck with them so far.

I use the EGW undersize resizing die and the Lee factory crimp die (just a little crimp), and have had no problems in .40

Apparently a very successful method: http://www.rodenator.com/

Most web-based video still suffers from bandwidth limited low resolution, making it much more important for the subject to be large in the frame. Most amateur videos suffer from being too far away. A wide shot is good to get the general idea of the stage, but is very poor for showing shooter technique. Zoom is completely incompatible with moving handheld use - shake is the inevitable result - an unforgivable sin. The pros use a fairly wide angle setting for handheld use, but stay just as close to the shooter as can be safely done. And they're using heavier, shoulder held cameras, which are more stable than cheapos. Something called a steadi cam is the ultra for stability - but unaffordable for most. Another product - known as a "Figg Rig" is an inexpensive frame mount for holding smaller cameras, and can really help stability. The pros also typically have several cameras running on a stage, so different angle shots can be cut to, making more interesting video. The Ultra would be one handheld camera, one or more fixed cameras downrange pointing toward the shooter, and a Jib-arm mounted high camera using zoom. The best advice for using a cheap camera capturing practical shooting is stay closer than you think you should. (without compromising safety.)

Congrats Fran. Now that you have the cert, the real work begins. Everybody knows all CROs are walking rules encyclopedias ... "I thought you were a CRO! Aren't you guys supposed to KNOW all this stuff?"

Go to any decent industrial supplier and ask for a de-burring tool. Machinists use them every day. They look like kind of a curved knife, with a swivel handle. Might set you back $3.99. Push it into the hole, spin it, you're done. Using lubricant, a sharp bit, and proper pressure when drilling can often reduce burring.

Congrats J-go!

I recommended a 550 to a friend, and assembled it for him. I couldn't get the roller handle to stop twisting, so I kept on tightening it until I stripped it. So now it still twists, and is going to be a pain to remove. "Uhhh... mine never did that..." I told him. So he's just been using that way. Dillon really ought to solve this one. It's just not like Dillon to deliver something with a significant problem. Now that I hear others with the same issue, it does seem that there needs to be serrated washers added, or pin it.

I have witnessed the NRA range visit service. While he seemed reasonably knowledgeable in general, he knew virtually nothing about USPSA or IDPA type shooting, and was of no practical help with berm size, layout, etc. It seems to me that the USPSA does an excellent job training ROs. I sincerely wish USPSA would offer similar guidance about range design and safety standards.

If price and availability are not important factors VV wins. I've found titegroup to heat the barrel more, and seems less temperature stable.

To all of the match staff - thanks a bunch for a job very well done - great ROs, nice range, great food, great stages, ( I may even withdraw the POX on the memory stage designer ), and a smooth match. Sorry you folks had to shoot in the Friday rain ... I'll be back next year.

NOT being a "memory" stage. A POX on memory stage creators.

I recently posted a bunch of data with N320 at OAL 1.179 http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=91992

October's American Rifleman, beginning on page 84, in the article The ABCs of Handgun Marksmanship, written by Wiley Clapp, under B Stance, appears to advocate the Weaver push-pull method. Am I reading this right? The NRA prints this? What top shooter uses this antique technique? Is the NRA teaching our newbies bad habits?

A Kimber "Commander" in .45

What I'm still trying to figure out is how Apple became so (unusually) popular with this group. I do have a theory. I'll bet that Matt Burkett got Brian going with them, and it spread from there ...

I shoot Limited division with an STI Edge - slightly lightened slide, and full length rod with reverse plug. I started experimenting with recoil spring weights, and found I really liked the 12 lb spring - but when I used a shok buf with a Cominoli type washer, I felt a few hesitations to feed, and had a FTF in a match. So I removed the shok buf, and normal reliable cycling was restored. But I wondered how badly the mating surfaces were being peened. As an experiment, I milled out a Cominoli style washer out of 6061 Aluminum - about .040 thick, and ran it for a practice session with just the 12 pound spring. After about 200 rounds, it now looks like this picture. Just outside the spring diameter is where the reverse plug impacts it against the rear of the guide rod. It stamped out a .025 groove, and expanded the overall diameter. I don't know if this is a significant indicator, but clearly it hits hard. I'm now back to a Cominoli-style washer, a shok buf, and a 14 lb spring.

I shot a 6" in limited for a year - it had a lightened slide. The sight radius helped a bit with the longer shots, but I never could get used to the "kerchunk" feeling of it cycling, and it felt slower.

A uniform light source improves consistency, but not necessarily all the transducer error. What I would envision, inside a dark box as is often seen, is first a precisely measured wider spacing, like 48", with very rigid "skyscreen" supports. Then, a linear light source, say 1/8" wide - maybe an array of bright LEDs through a diffuser. That way, instead of having so much possible slop, depending upon height above the lens, angle variation, etc, there would only be a "thin light wall" to penetrate. which would minimize transducer slop.

Temperature clearly has an effect. But I strongly suspect that chrono error is an equal factor. The timebase of these things should be very accurate, but particularly with only 24 inch skyscreen spacing, transducer error (bullet leading edge detection) is likely to be present. This can be caused by uneven illumination, as is well known, but ideally should be a very thin plane the bullet passes through. I've not seen this on any of the low cost units. And when two units are used why do they cascade them with narrow spacing instead of increasing the spacing to 48" and staggering the skyscreens? Start/Start >>>>>>>>> Stop/Stop. Double the distance cuts transducer errors in half. It would be very interesting for someone to do a controlled comparison of the popular units.

It depends on what is behind the berm. If it's really remote, looking into a hillside with nothing but rocks and trees, the requirements are a bit more flexible than if there are people over the berm, even a mile or two away. If there are people there, you cannot ever allow any oopsies over the berm. For this reason, heights will range from about 8 to 30 feet.

The biggest problem with getting your CRO cert is that now everybody will expect you to be the world's expert on every rule in the book, and every published clarification.

I have used Premiere Elements and it works quite well unless you do a lot of audio manipulation or effects. For typical shooting stuff and home movies, it works fine.

As far as shooting stills in bright sun where shadows black out areas, it may seem counterintuitive, but it's one of the best places to use flash. If you are close enough, the flash will fill the shadows and produce outstanding results. On the other hand, many cameras now have weenie flashes, so you may need to be closer than normal for the flash to compete with the sun. For video or film, large reflectors are used for fill. For the very best results, (usually not practical) a fine netting diffuser is rigged above the subjects.

By the way, if anybody recognizes the spreadsheet in the image, and knows the author, please let me know - I would like to know if he has done any more work on it - it works well.