boo radley

It will be interesting to see this increase manifest itself in majors, and which ones...FlOpen -- fewer, Double-Tap 1 more, A6 about the same, based on a quick look at the online squadding form? About 2%? I admire Z and Merlin for blazing the trail, but a major match is a lot of $$$ to shoot against a couple other people. Could major matches, and/or sponsors, not deliberately skew money and prizes in favor of this division? Possibly that would prime the pump?

pbosik: 4.0 with what bullet type/weight? What OAL? 4.3 TG with a Zero 180gr JHP out of a G24 with stock barrel runs 170, or so, for me....That's about .2 less than the G35. I have not yet chrono'd MasterBlaster's out of that gun, but I loaded a few up with the same charge (4.3) and thought -- "wow, that's a tad brisk," when I shot 'em.

Actually you wouldn't have had to unwind and get back behind cover. According to the IDPA Rule Book you could have stayed in that position and maintained a visual on the target while reloading. Duane - it was a matter of the shot being awkward, and being off-balance, if one kept the "proper" definition of vertical cover requiring 100% of the legs and feet behind the wall. You simply couldn't reload without unwrapping yourself from the shooting position -- the target was behind a wall, but both adjacent and perpendicular to it, if that makes any sense. It was a huge advantage to reach the wall at slide-lock; reload, lean all the way around it, and engage the target with two quick shots. You almost had to do it weak-hand only. It's just one of those situations that sometimes occur with 12-round stages. You aren't trying to round-dump, but 3 shots vs. 2, on a far, difficult target, which *also* significantly help a reload, is a tough connundrum.

I just bought a mini-case of .40 180gr MasterBlasters, and 1k of the 200gr .45acp MasterBlasters.... With Titegroup, they smoke like crazy. I have a lb of n320, and will try that, this weekend. The .45's shot ahead of "Clays" were fine, vis-a-vis smokiness, at an indoor range, too. The bullet seems accurate, and the price is right. I really want them to work. I did notice needing to be sensitive to the 'bell' in the case, from the expansion die, as these bullets are both slippery and seem a bit top-heavy.

Well...so here's an example that's been weighing on my conscience. 6 targets = 12 shots, in an "alley" scenario. Without going into boring detail, you started behind cover and engaged T1, and it was a reasonably long, tight shot -- about 18-20y. Then you proceeded forward, up the alley shooting T2 through T5 on the move, as they presented themselves, and when you reached a barricade at the end, wrapped yourself around it, and shot the T6. At the speed at which you could shoot T2-T5, I wouldn't have wanted to do a regula--err, IPSC, reload, much less a RWR. You were flying up the alley. OTOH, you were going to get screwed if you had to wrap yourself around the barricade, take one shot at T6, unwind and get back behind cover, reload, and repeat. Given that T1 was an awkward shot, about 20 yards away, I was hard pressed not to shoot it three times, in fact I *did* shoot it 3x. Had T1 been closer, no, I probably would have shot it just twice, and suffered the awkward reengagement with T6.

Excellent quote. I'm sorry for your loss, and the unconditional love from a pet is a special thing.

Thx all -- sounds like a common problem, and I'm not going to fix it tomorrow.... I'll try a band on the forearm, continue with ice and ibuprofen, and if I don't see a lot of improvement in the next week or so, will see a doc.

Aaagh...3 weeks before a major match, I'm lucky enough to have a raging case of tendinitis in my strong-arm elbow. I *think* it's from carelessly snatching a curl bar a few weeks ago, but I've also been doing a lot of shooting/dry-firing, so it's hard to isolate the reason. Last few days I've really tried to ice the elbow, been taking lots of ibuprofen, and not shooting or dry-firing. It's a bit better, but any action like squeezing a fist while extending the arm, is painful. There's a lot of good information on the subject, here, and on the web, but it's not clear to me at what point one can (or should) start working the elbow through the range of motion -- maybe dry-firing extremely slowly, for example? Wait until it's completely pain-free?? Or bring it just to the point of slight discomfort, through stretching, working a grip-ball, etc.? I'm pretty sure slamming a bunch of draws in dry-fire is going to be out. Man. Probably should go to a doctor, but I'm trying to avoid the first iteration of what I'm sure is going to be "rest, ice and NSAID's."

Be interesting to see what John ended up with since his thread is a year old.... :/ I've been on the fence about a home gym, too. Paying $81/mo for my wife and I at the local Gold's, which is right on the edge of what I'm comfortable with considering I go about 2x week, and she averages maybe 1x week. OTOH, they've got great equipment, and plenty to look at, though the atmosphere is a bit amusing at times -- probably because at age 42 I'm a bit older.... Thought about a rock-solid bench, and free weights, but there's the issue of damage to the floor (upstairs), and needing a spotter. Some of the higher-end Smith machines, and Universal stuff looks nice, but so much of that stuff is designed for working muscle groups in isolation. I did buy one of the gym's treadmills, when they were getting new ones in, for $500. Best money I've ever spent -- the difference between running on a commerical treadmill vs. anything from Dicks Sporting Goods or Sears, isn't funny.

As in: "Now, where the f*** did I put that guide rod??" Or: "Hmm...is the ammo in this ziplock the Production minor stuff?" Etc. I don't even *have* that many guns, and I'm not generally a disorganized person, but it freakin' amazes me how easy it is, to be a little careless with parts, screws, ammo, springs, and the myriad of other "things" that surround this game.

Mike -- I went ahead and used the Dawson FO front sight on my G24. As you say, part of it hangs over the cut, but it doesn't seem to affect anything. I looked at it, thought, "that's interesting," and never worried about it again. Of far more concern will be the sight tool you're going to need....See the thread from a few months ago. Steve

Somewhere in here is a thread on loading speed and an SDB...I know when I had mine, I got kinda obsessed about the fastest way to load, and economy of motion. JFD's number sounds about right. Thinking back, I'd load something like 300 rounds in 30-40 minutes, take a break, and load another 100. 400/hr was a pretty solid capacity statement.... You do need extra primer tubes, however. Also, another tip -- I poured the cases I'd need into a plastic tupperware container, and affixed that to the Acrobin with a binder-clip; this way the cases I'd need were right there at hand.

Thx all -- Chris, I did think about using a bullet, but wasn't sure how accurate the advertised weights were, and wanted something a little lighter....But on your suggestion, weight a Zero 180gr, and it came out 179.9, so I figured screw it, and loaded up 500 rounds of .45acp using Clays. If it's hot, it's hot. <g> I think I will get a friend, in medical research, to weight a nickel or dime or something, and use that as a gold standard.

I've gotten concerned about my old 505 balance scale, because I recently started using Clays, and it seems I can crank on the powder adjustment screw all day, and not see much difference. Unfortunately, I don't have any check-weights. Should probably buy some, but in the meantime, I'm wondering if a US nickel, which is supposed to be 5.0 grams, is close enough for a sanity check?

I hate that limit too (though not as much as the price). It's really annoying when I need to fill both my truck AND boat. I also hate -- really needing gas, and pulling into the only convenience store in miles to see the dreaded plastic bag tapped around the '87' nozzle. Have an older ('98) OceanPro 200hp OB, and it drinks gas like flushing a toilet. I used to love running out about 20 miles, or so, on calm days, for mahi, kings, and the occasional 'hoo. Now, almost all of my fishing is inshore, and most of that with a fishing kayak -- one of the peddle Hobies -- now.

It's interesting....I did some playing with numbers just now. Let's take El Pres as an example, and shoot it the same way in both IDPA and USPSA: 2/2/2 reload 2/2/2. Suppose in either I *know* I can shoot it 100% clean in 9 seconds, which means it will probably be more like 8.5 (or faster) since there's no sense of urgency/tension. Hypothetical times, but probably not far off, for me right now...So let's say clean in either: 8.5 seconds 60 points/ 0 down 7.1hf / 8.5 seconds If I try to shoot with a less acceptable sight pictures, taking C-hits, or -1's, let's say I will run it in 7.2 seconds, but get a 'C-hit' 50% of the time. 7.2 seconds 54 points/ 6 down 7.5hf / 10.2 seconds So that's almost 2 seconds lost to the field in IDPA, but a huge improvement in USPSA. And stretching the example, if it's a good run in both cases, at the 7.2 pace, and I only drop 3 C's, or 3 point down, then it becomes: 7.2 seconds 57 points/ 3 down 7.9hf / 8.7 seconds Another big increase in USPSA, yet it seems I'm better off shooting it clean in IDPA, so it's going to take a different mind-set. I'll worry about time on the longer stages with movement, but on the short ones, do *nothing* except focus on shooting them 100% clean (which is a lot easier said than done, regardless). Unless my math is way off?

*That* is the truth. I had a free weekend, and with no chores nor nearby USPSA match, decided to get 'officially' classified; there is a pretty active IDPA community in my area, and I thought it would be fun to shoot some of their matches. Shot the classifier with my G35 in 96 seconds -- funny how well one shoots with no pressure or expectations -- and ended up "Master" in SSP. The short of it is, I was humbled badly the next day in the match, and ended up last in SSP/MA. I blame the scoring system in IDPA. Seriously, I have enough troubles trying to maintain any kind of visual patience in USPSA, but it's clear it will *kill* you in IDPA. These short stages are deadly if you start dropping points, trying to beat a time. I'll hear "10.34" from someone else, and think..."mm...bet I can do it under 9," get a bad grip on the draw (I blame the concealment garment), REALLY try to turn up the speed, and drop 4 freakin' seconds in points down. So Eric, and the rest of you that cross-over, from time to time, a couple questions: 1) Do you practice drawing from your cover garment? I've been working on my 'regular' USPSA draw, and don't much want to change things....OTOH, I can't be grabbing 1/2 garment, 1/2 grip. 2) Do you spend any time working on shooting one, reloading from SL, then aquiring the same target? 3) How do you handle the unacceptibility of what would be in USPSA an "A/C" hit? Most of the targets are so close I don't want to get the sight picture I need to guarantee "0/0", OTOH, if you don't do that, you're doomed. Interesting game. Same, but different.

Chris, they sell slides pretty regularly on eBay; it's just FFL-required stuff (frames/guns), high-caps, and I'm sure other things that are verboten. There's a 17 upper on there now, though prices are fairly high, it being eBay. After all, you're buying it for more than anyone else it willing to pay. <grin> I found a G22 upper last year, by putting a "WTB" in the for-sale section of Glock Talk -- maybe another option?

No argument from me, with Kimber (what is the CST?) and PII -- I've had two Kimber Custom II's in the past, and still have my PII. The PII is still hammer tight -- almost freakishly so, and while I can't say it is any more or less accurate than the first Kimber I owned (and regret selling <g>) it simply feels great. There's very much a hand-fitted vibe, as the slide has file-marks on the interior, etc., but no matter. I will caution that with an S&A magwell, there's no way it makes IDPA CDP weight, if that's important. I'm not even sure *without* the S&A it wouldn't be too heavy, which is some %$*#*!. The last Kimber I bought was another Custom II, and I think it was $680 from a place that sold for $50 over cost. I imagine with the right dealer, you could save even that, which is getting close to the 'new' price of the Spartan. And hey -- those seem to be getting rave reviews, too. A great time to be alive and looking for a 1911, I guess.

I bought a mint 2nd-gen G24 not too long ago, and have been extremely impressed. Previously I shot my G35 in Ltd, and the 24 is simply a nicer Ltd/L10 gun, IMO. I don't notice a bit of difference in transitions, and it's very, very soft-shooting. I do notice the sight radius difference, and I can see why 6" guns like Benny Hill's "Fat Free" are so popular. I wouldn't want to draw it out of anything but a race-holster, however. Ha -- all that said, it will probably go on the Classifieds here in a week, or so. Not trying to shill it, but an S*I build I ordered is finally about ready, and I don't think I can justify both guns, especially since they don't work well together, as back-ups -- different holster, OAL on ammo, and so forth.

I don't doubt you, but IDPA has that "Failure to Neutralize" gottcha, where two "-3" hits (roughly equivalent of the D-zone on an IPSC target) results in a whopping 5 second penalty, so you'd be down 8 seconds total from *one* target, despite two hits on paper, whereas in IPSC, two -D hits on a 40yard target might not necessarily be a match killer....

It's easy to take USPSA for granted, but the last major IDPA results available on the home page's website are from back in January. No February results (Arkansas Winter Classic and S&W Winter Classic). No March results (Fl IDPA).

Hmm...interesting stuff. Thx Carlos and Flex. I did a little digging on this, and there seems to be one school of thought that says, "go ahead and use bronze bore brushes (carefully)", and then there's....Wil. I guess there aren't a lot of controlled studies out there. Anyway. Don't want to derail the thread.

The Negative One stuff, that TruGrip has been made with lately, goes on incredibly easily and securely. Two years ago, or so, when I first bought it, you really did need to be a Zen master, 'cause it took a *lot* of patience and stretching, though in all cases, the finished application remained excellent. I love the stuff, especially after it's slightly worn. Use about a pack a year.

What is the thinking behind this? I'm not challenging; I just really don't understand how running a bronze brush down the bore with some Hoppes #9, and clean patches every 1k rounds or so, hurts anything, compared to jacketed hollow points screaming down the barrel at close to 1000fps in a cloud of hot gas. The patches come out filthy - at first - so some residue is in the barrel, clogging the lands, I'd think....