lbritt

This was an outstanding match in '08. Looking forward to "09.

OK, so have the data entry person away from the shooters so they can't monitor or check the electronic entries. They have a signed written copy anyway. At least the Palm entries can go at there own pace without affecting the flow of the stage if the stage is first scored on paper. I saw shooters in my squad get left in the pre- Make Ready stage for more than 10 minutes after the CRO realized the Palm RO was not ready. All of the delays I saw seemed to be with the operation of the Palms, not the Palm itself. I'm sure that will all be worked out with more experience. Again, these are not complaints, just observations so the fine folks making the decisions can make informed decisions.

A few of my observations of the new Palm scoring: As mentioned earlier, if you loose a member of your squad, confusion is sure to set in. Sometimes the RO working the palm did not get the message about an absent shooter. He then inadvertly enters the scores of one shooter under another shooters name. They seemed to always catch the mistake but that required about a 10 minute shut down to fix the mistake. RO's were re-writting scores on scratch paper, deleting others, then re-entering scores. I think they got it all fixed ok, just added more time to the stage. I saw several RO's complaining about not being able to clearly see the Palm screen (bright and sunny weather). Many would have to go under the tent when transferring scores to paper. I wondered how well they could see the screen while entering those scores behind the CRO out in the sunlight. I also saw confusion when the Palm RO had to jump forward a shooter (ie: re-shoots). No big deal. Just more time added. Not complaints here, just observations. My hat's off to all the RO's for battling through a new method and making the match a success. Now for solutions. I'm in no way an expert at scoring but how would this work? Shooter completes the stage. RO's score and record time & hits on paper score sheet (normal score sheet w/ carbon). Shooter signs score sheet and receives a copy. Orginal score sheet is then handed over to data entry person under the tent in a controlled enviroment to transfer scores from paper to Palm. Previous shooter has the option to verify electronic score after it's entered. All this can be done while the next shooter is shooting the stage. Repeat. You're not changing much, just reversing the process. Score the stage on paper first. Any mistakes are easily corrected before going into the Palm. If you are entering the initial score into the Palm, the next shooter can not begin until the Palm is clear and the previous scores have been accurately transferred to paper. The staff member working the Palm does'nt even have to be a certified RO. Just someone who has knowledge of the score sheets, these electronics devices, and the ability to transfer data.

I'll echo the statements about this being a great match. Some of the best (read: complicated) stages I've seen in a while. If you obtained a solid plan within the 5 minute walk through you were fortunate. The match ran smooth as silk on Sunday. The humidity and 100+ degree temps were the only complaints I heard. The match staff did a great job by keeping cold water and tents for shade on every stage. A big thanks to all the match staff and RO's for thier hard work. Congrats GB on a great match. You were definitly the star pupil on our squad.

What an excellent match !! Everything was great from range setup, to stage design, to great RO's, to stats, and to the awards/banquet dinner. This is a must attend match. A special thanks to all the RO's who worked the match and re-set every stage after every shooter. A class act by the South Carolina folks.

Testing a shooters reloading skill can be done by stage design and briefing. The same way we test a shooters ability to shoot on the move, or strong hand / weak hand, or while kneeling/prone, etc.,etc. We are not required to use these skills on every single stage. Reloading is a good skill to be tested.... but on every stage???? Mag caps are not going to level the playing field either. The more prepared shooter is still going to win.

Ballots arrived in Raleigh, NC area today.

I appreciate all the info. guys. I decided to go with the 550. Reliability just won me over. With all the bells and whistles the only thing I'll be missing is the powder check and the auto indexing. Based on my needs, I can live with that. I considered the two SDB's but I'm limited on room and the bench is crowded enough as is.

+1 He knoweth what he speaketh. He runs the best USPSA match in our State.

I have heard that more times than one Martin. That seems to be the number 1 complaint among the 650 owners I have talked to. As for me, reliability out ways production rate when comparing ther 550 to the 650. Why did Dillon change the primer system on the 650?

Thanks for the advise and info. The powder check on the 650 is a selling point. Not a major one for me, but does offer advantages. I check each case visually anyway as I'm placing the bullet. One concern I have with upgrading to the 650 is some of the mixed comments I'm hearing locally and on the web. Seems some are having problems with the primer system. Is there an issue there? Others have complained that when a problem does occur it's a PITA to back everything up and restart. Of course there are others who say thier 650 runs like a dream. I guess it's just hard to let go of the proven consistant reliability I've experienced with the 550. But, I'm possessed with man's nature to upgrade and go faster. This one will take some more thought.

Comparing a new 550 w/ casefeeder to a new 650 w/ casefeeder, is the upgrade to the 650 worth it if you are going to be doing caliber changes often. I'm loading 9 and 40 and would be switching back and forth ever so often (not a weekly basis or anything). I'm loading on a 550 right now and the caliber changes are a breeze. How much of a headache, if any, are the caliber changes on the 650? Is the machine really worth the extra time?

I have ordered those mags (and other items) from Chuck at S.C. and experienced the following: great price fast reply fast shipping excellent product mags run 100% Have no worries with Shooters Connection.

That was Phil Strader.

As for the match itself, it was great just like last year. Stages were fantastic and fun to shoot. Great job by the MD, RO’s, and the Army staff. Everything ran very smooth right up to the last shot fired. Unfortunately things went down hill after that. After last year the last thing I ever expected was another computer/program/results problem. I understand we are at the mercy of computers and those things happen sometimes. I’m sure none of that was intentional by anyone and would hope there was adequate testing done before the match. Last year we experienced what appears to be the exact same problem as this year. It was a problem but was handled professionally and fairly. This year the fairness was thrown out the window. Only the top 20 or so were calculated and called to the prize table by order of finish. I couldn’t help but wonder how they determined who the top 20 shooters were without calculating the results of every shooter. Did they just look at the shooters who they thought would finish in the top 20? To single out a select population of the division and award prizes by order of finish then change that (luck of the draw) for the remaining 80% to 90% is just unfair. The shooter who finished in the bottom third spent just as much money, traveled just as far, and deserves to be treated just as everyone else. The tactical optics prize table should have been shut down until a complete final result had been calculated. Doing it any other way sends a message to the majority of the shooters in that division that you are more interested in making sure you keep a select few shooters happy. That’s my only complaint. If they can ever get those dang computer and stats problems worked out it will be one of the best 3 gun matches in the country. edited to remove an unintentional bad chose of words on my part.