MAC702

Skip to the end if you just want to help with the latest question. I started with some research last year, as much as could be found in a reasonable period of time, with what little is out there for us shooting Heavy Metal Limited requiring a pump-action shotgun. My favorite has always been an Ithaca 37, but I saw right away it wasn't going to work. Slow to load, and lower capacity with no easy way to extend it. It soon became a two-way race between the Winchester SXP and the Benelli Nova/Supernova. Research told me the Winchester would have the advantage in shooting speed, while the Benellis would have it in reloading speed. I went with the Winchester first for a couple reasons. It was significantly cheaper. It could be had with a wood stock (I hate all-black guns), and I wanted to shoot fast. I soon learned that the reloading was where the real time saved would be. I borrowed a friend's Nova and put the same size 10-round Nordic tube that I have on the Winchester. It was definitely easier to load, even without doing any modifications to it since it wasn't mine. It was enough to give it a slight overall advantage. So I ordered my own, and got the Supernova, thinking there wasn't much difference, and it came with the recoil-absorbing stock. It's all black, but there is paint in its future for sure. Just handling it out of the box I started to hate it over the Nova. The trigger guard is huge, hideous, and in the way. I can easily reach the bolt release on the Nova. On the Supernova I have to come completely off the grip to reach around and activate it. Looks like I can just start filing away at all that plastic and get rid of the big wall between it at the trigger. Wild West Guns did a nice job beveling the mag well and filling in the shell lifter. It is very fast to load, even with my inexperienced techniques thus far. Today was the Supernova's first match. I confirmed what a horrendous PITA it is to use the bolt release, and will be taking it apart to start cutting away a lot of plastic soon. Here's my question to some 'smiths, though. Is there anyway to remove the inertial lock on the Benelli? I didn't notice it often with the borrowed Nova, but this new Supernova is a lot slower to shoot because I'm constantly fighting the inertia lock between shots. It was enough to make me wish I was shooting the Winchester, despite being a lot harder to load.

I have MUCH, MUCH better results with a Lee Factory Crimp die for crimping .45 ACP. The rest of the toolhead is Dillon, but in reality, I could have saved money with Lee all the way around, but I was on a roll with the Dillon catalog at the time. My XL650 is set up for .45 ACP most of the time. I would have a few percent from the all-Dillon dies that wouldn't fit the case gauge. Everything fits after using the Lee FCD.

Did you ask them? I mean there is a procedure for it and everything. As far as I'm concerned, if you parked at the range to participate in a USPSA match, you are under USPSA rules. As far as I know, I'm at least the 3ed match director in this thread to say so. If you are there to shoot skeet, you are not the USPSA match and I can't DQ you. If you are home you are not at the match. Look it, when you show up at a match and I don't know you, I have no bloody idea if you know which end of the gun is the one that goes pew-pew and I don't want you handling your firearm and pointing it at other people at the range. I've seen ALL kinds of shooters show up at our matches, from GM's to "I'm not sure what this button here on my gun does, cause I only bought it this morning and I don't read good so the manual is terrible because there are not enough cartoon kitten pictures". So for everyone's sake, leave it in your bag until you find out where the safe table is. Yeah, I agree. Besides, most ranges have a policy that when you pull into the range during a match day, you had to check in with the MD - period. It didn't matter what you were there for. As long as they came by to let me know they were going to shoot something else and not the match, that is fine. I would just remind them of the cold range rules and off they go. Nice to hear how things are done at YOUR RANGE, and "most ranges" that you have experience with. Unfortunately, that is irrelevant to a discussion about USPSA rules. None of you, including it seems three match directors, have addressed the question of a match at an indoor range. Where is your magic line and magic time to start enforcing the rules?

Ain't no RO at my house when I'm handling my gun for the express purpose of getting ready for the USPSA MATCH, either. Guess that's a DQ; nothing in the rule book said my house was exempt. Or it could be that I'm not a USPSA shooter until I've checked in for the match. You have a case if I go sign in, and then go back to my truck and handle guns. You're right, this isn't hard. But I'll bet there is a reason NROI isn't clarifying this.

Exactly. I don't think this how they roll in other parts of the country, though, due to a combination of range rules and local firearm laws. These non-USPSA rules/laws are attributed to USPSA on a topic where the rule book is actually silent. The USPSA rule book says nothing about parking lots nor how to define the boundaries of the match area that will be governed by USPSA rules. I can tell you this -- at most of the ranges where we play the game in Eastern PA and NJ, if you handle guns at your car there's a better than even chance that you'll wind up pointing it in the direction of the folks setting up the match, other competitors, spectators, or range members. That's simply the reality of how little land there is, and how it's laid out. There aren't any good backstops in most of those places -- so we're not going to let you handle a gun there. And that's fine. If YOUR range is set up a certain way that YOUR range has a rule about it, fine. But don't say it's a USPSA rule when it isn't.

10.5.1 Read the rule book please. 10.5.1 Handling a firearm at any time except when in a designated safety area or when under the supervision of, and in response to a direct command issued by, a Range Officer. ___ You read it. Then tell me where you see the parking lot explicitly defined as part of the match area. If you are there to shoot a USPSA-sanctioned match, the parking area is part of the match. Don't handle your gun at your vehicle and there won't be a question. What about the guy parked right next to you that is there for some other activity? Obviously, the parking lot may very well NOT be part of the match.

I was there with you right up until the end. I know a lot of cops that don't wear half that much stuff on duty, and I know a lot of plain folk who open carry, or conceal without IWB. Ugh. But I liked where you were going with the rest of it!

10.5.1 Read the rule book please. 10.5.1 Handling a firearm at any time except when in a designated safety area or when under the supervision of, and in response to a direct command issued by, a Range Officer. ___ You read it. Then tell me where you see the parking lot explicitly defined as part of the match area. Thank you. Look how many matches are at indoor venues. Okay, so is the parking lot still part of the match here, too? We had a local one at an indoor range with a common parking lot with a strip mall. Now where is their magic line? Gee, do I need to wear my hearing and eye protection in my car in the parking lot, too, if it's part of the range?

Based on the "FL" in the email address of the linked page, I'm assuming this match is in Florida? Maybe I'm just blind, but I've noticed that most match announcements have me scouring through posts and links to find where in the country they are.

Right-handed, left-eye dominant. My right eye is better acuity, though. I shoot right-handed, right-eyed, with my left eye closed. For WHO, I'm also tilting inboard 30+ degrees. It just seems to line everything up better. I THINK I learned the technique from Rob Leatham's Shooter Ready video when I was a teenager. I shoot the Weaver Stance, so my feet are the same, mostly, for WHO, as they are for two-handed shooting. It's my SHO that has me shifting my feet when able.

I'm assuming this is not a USPSA match then? Handling a gun at your car at a USPSA match will get you sent home early. You've got parking lot nazis at your USPSA-sanctioned matches? Interesting. I will admit I have not read every letter of the USPSA rules and am ignorant what the rule book says about handling your gun in/at your car in the range's parking lot. But I'll look now. Not finding it. In fact, section 2.5.1 provides for the possibility of competitors arriving at a USPSA match with a loaded firearm on them. Are we talking about an area where local gun laws are in play, not USPSA rules? My practice is to arrive with an unloaded firearm in my range bag. When I decide it's time to holster my gun, I go to one of the safe areas and put the unloaded gun (hammer down, no magazine in, of course) in my holster. I remain in that state until the match is over or unless I'm shooting a stage. Section 5.2 appears to explicitly allow for this practice. I don't see in the USPSA rulebook where there would be a problem with me walking from the parking lot to the range with an unloaded gun in my holster and leaving with an unloaded gun in my holster. Please enlighten me. Parking lot is part of the match. It becomes a problem, once you unholster or unbar at your car. We've now got you handling a gun, not under RO supervision/direction, and not at a safe table..... While I don't have a rulebook in front of me, I'm confident of my ability to find a rule in section 10.5 that warrants a match DQ for gun handling in the parking lot.... Now if you're getting in the car with the holstered, unloaded gun to drive home, or arriving that way -- that works too, as long as you keep the gun belt on...... A parking lot is not always part of the match, depending on how the range is set up. It's extremely common at several large ranges in the West to handle guns and holsters at cars, especially for those who carry daily the same gun with which they compete. Like it or not, but USPSA doesn't address it. USPSA rules allow for a load/unload station, and if one is provided, it must be used in lieu of entering the match area with a loaded gun to handle it somewhere there.

I'm about to be forced into this situation. I've been shooting a .45 SS Major since we were shooting in Limited. Now, I've picked up an ammo sponsor (Battle Born Munitions) that primarily deals in 9mm, .223, and .308. That, combined with Minor being preferred for Steel Challenge led me to finally get my first 9mm 1911 last week. I'll be able to practice a LOT more with provided 9mm ammo, instead of all that reloading I had to do for .45 I'll definitely be using the 9mm for Steel Challenge anyway, and because I'm a slower shooter with a good percentage of A-zone hits anyway, I'm also going to try shooting Minor for SS. But I'm still going to be using the .45 for my daily carry, and the the Multigun matches because I'm shooting Heavy Metal Limited.

I've not seen bagging in a long time, but we don't have as many Open GM's shooting locally on a regular basis like we did twenty years ago, either, which is when you usually saw it. Bagging/unbagging time was insignificant, and RO's or scorekeepers were more than happy to accommodate, but it wouldn't be a big deal for a friend to hand you back your bag at the end of a stage, either. I'm shooting with the same gun and holster I wear everyday, so it's natural for it to be there for me anyway; except it does feel a little light with no bullets in it.

Tonight is my 9mm RO's first match, a local Steel Challenge. It's still stock, except for some work on the trigger break, so it'll be the black sights and straight mainspring housing. I'm still undecided on the parts to order; just been too busy to sit down and do it.

I've never had one, with tens of thousands of many different handgun and rifle cartridges. I don't see how it's possible unless the powder measure breaks; something you'd notice, and would affect all future charges, not just one in the middle. Am I just lucky?

DIllon forum, and third station reference have me assuming we are dealing with an XL650. The Dillon powder sensor works well. I used mine for probably 10k .45 loads before not bothering with it anymore.

Are you taking about the scoring app or the match results web site? The results web site. I may have misunderstood the initial reference.

I have the Carver on my Glock 41. Honestly, until you get really good, WHICH magwell isn't that big a difference.

They scope extremely well. Just not cheaply. I am fully aware of the mounts and receivers that make optics viable, but even then your cheek weld is way high! Not my cup o tea. I have 1/8" cheek pad to make a perfect weld on a 30mm Leupold scope with the ARMS #18 mount. I agree that most mounts, including the more popular Sadlack and Basset need some help. But yes, I still agree it is a better iron-sight rifle than most any.

They scope extremely well. Just not cheaply. I agree that I love it as an iron-sight platform though. I'll shoot Limited every chance I get. The ARMS #18 mount is my favorite for scoping. It's the lowest and when quick-release rings are used, it's very easy to remove the scope and the low rail doesn't affect the classic lines very much.

Practiscore sucks. So, I'm already looking forward to that part.

I shoot an M14 clone for Multigun's Heavy Metal Limited division. At first, I was using an M1A Loaded, and I think it's probably the best one to get. I'm now using an equivalent, but in the guise of a James River Armory "Winchester M14." Not only is accuracy easily in the range we need, but the numbers on the elevation dial are spot on if you use the right ammo, so in many cases, you can eliminate holdover concerns. I know my clicks, and have spun it up in the middle of a course of fire, too. Longevity? You'll certainly never wear it out. After a few thousand (?) your barrel will be about the accuracy of a Standard instead of a Loaded; which won't hurt a bit for this kind of shooting. I've not experienced anything I would consider to be a common "issue," but we do have a slight disadvantage on magazine changes taking a little bit more time, but most stages are not really affected by this significantly, and the cool factor makes up for it. Everyone that shoots Multigun in Southern Utah and Southern Nevada knows my rifle. They don't know me, except that I'm the guy with the M14. The other issue I can think of right now is length. You appreciate it when you aim downrange, but you also notice it in a hallway and around barricades. Are you planning on Limited or Optics division? I'm building up another M14 clone, this one being an SAI M1A Scout, for the Optics division.

Mine is ordered and should be here this week, too! I've been shooting my EDC aluminum-framed .45 Kimber for USPSA SS and IDPA CDP, but in addition to seeing advantages to shooting Minor in USPSA (and the extra rounds)*, my ammo sponsor, Battle Born Munitions, only has 9mm handgun ammo, so it will mean a LOT more practice and a LOT less time on the reloading press for the .45. I'm putting together the same list of needed mods, and will include an arched mainspring housing. *In local matches, course designers are not quite as 8-round neutral as they probably should be, and I'm a very-high-percentage A-zone shooter anyway, so mostly need to work on my speed.

Hey, thanks. I'll do some more testing for sure. Lee seems to be a conservative load data! Overpenetration isn't an overwhelming concern. I want the same load for everything. Especially for civilian self-defense, most bad guys don't stick around to see how hard they were hit.

Same division is more important. Same division will mean they are attempting to plan reloads in the same types of locations. They can be a slower shooter than you and still be better at planning stuff like that.