DogmaDog

I'm with Vince...Out with xenophobia! I'd much rather feel that I'm part of an international fraternity of shooters; that if I found myself travelling to a foreign country and had the opportunity, I could enter an IPSC match and be welcomed by the local populace, and that I would be excited to have visitors from far away who felt it was worth the effort to travel all the way here to shoot in a match with me. I think its reasonable to require that the US Champion be a member of USPSA, but I see no reason that should be tied to a Green Card or US Citizenship. I'd like to think foreign shooters would want to visit here, or even immigrate here because we have th best available shooting facilities and equipment, and the best shooters anywhere, but being the best shooter implies being the best sportsman, as well. All those US shooters who got second place didn't get second place "because of non-citizens"...they got second place because some other guy shot better than they did. I think incorporating match performance into classification would solve a lot of the perceived problems with sandbagging--kick butt at a major match, and you move up in class. You'll have to kick just that much more butt next year in order to win a prize as shiny as the one you got this year. DogmaDog

I just can't see buying a press you know is missing parts, and then trying to get Dillon to fix it under warranty. Their warranty is great, but its intent is not to save you from obvious shysters. The press as shown needs a lot of stuff. In addition to what Eric said, you'd also need all the caliber specific stuff--a set of dies, and a shell plate/locator buttons, and powder funnel, and mounting hardware. By the time you spend $145 for dies, caliber conversion kit, and a powder measure (retail prices), you're up to the $330 price of a new 550! The press will last you forever, and if you eventually decide you need to sell it (with ALL of its parts), you can get a large chunk of your investment back. DogmaDog

Why not just use placement in major matches as part of the classification system? At the least, your results on one or two "classifier-like" stages from the match could go into your classification record, to be averaged with whatever other classifiers you've shot. You can't sandbag a classifier during a match AND win the match. At the other extreme, a class win at a major match could be rewarded with the early trip to the prize table, plus membership in the next higher class. Foreigners could get away with one major match class win, and then they'd have to compete in the next higher class the next year. US residents also, could get away with one major match class win, and then they'd be moved up. Why not? DogmaDog

This probably won't be my last entry here, but it may be the one I hate the most: People who use "then" when they mean "than" "An auto is better then a revolver" AAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH! DogmaDog

I bought a used pistol, and it showed up with a really thin (0.075") front fiber optic sight, and a standard STI adjustable rear (Bo-mar copy). I'm growing to like it, as I can see a lot of light on either side of the front sight, and the small fiber optic really seems to stand out for me, though the front sight seems kinda fragile, and prone to bending. I think I would prefer a front sight around 0.09" or 0.1" wide, with a widened, "U" shaped notch, as I've seen a few shooters at my local clubs use, with rear notches about 0.135" wide. The little chance I've had to look through that kind of set up and shoot a few rounds suggests I could see a lot throught the notch, and still align the sights precisely. DogmaDog

I voted "No, but I'd like it to" My slide stop was ground down so the mag follower no longer has anything to push up in order to stop the slide (I bought the gun used..."it was like that when I got there!") I've only run my gun dry once, and I was a bit flustered when I pulled the trigger and got "click", and then did immediate action and got "click", and then realized I needed to reload, and had to slingshot the slide. Still, 99% of the time, I don't run the gun dry. And even if the slide stop did work, it would be a rare case in which you'd really benefit from shooting dry instead of reloading with the last round from the old mag in the chamber. I don't think that you'll damage your trigger mechanism by allowing the slide to go forward on an empty chamber--if you still have the trigger pressed back (and you will, won't you?), it will be exactly the same situation as when you are firing, won't it? How is letting the slide slam home supposed to damage the trigger, anyway??? (probably some old-skool knowledge that applied before we had superior, hardened steel hammers and sears) I still don't let it slam home after "unload and show clear", though. DogmaDog

I'd have to guess that even pushing the time down by ~3 seconds (10%) was enough rushing to really wreck your program. Not overconfidence, but succumbing to match pressure to shoot faster, rather than allowing your shots to go off when the sights look right. You were trying. It's always amazing to see how little time it takes to just allow it to happen rather than to try to make it happen. I can shoot a 2 second Bill drill, or I can shoot 6 shots as fast as possible in 1.7 seconds. The difference in points is huge (I'll score about half the points trying to go fast), but the difference in time is so small. DogmaDog

If you can do a 1 second draw and .2 second splits, you'll get a 2 second Bill Drill. I'm a "high C class" shooter and I can come pretty close to that (a few tenths, or even hundredths over). If I just try to shoot as fast as possible and not worry about hits at all, I can do a .85 second draw and .17 second splits, which saves a whole .3 seconds...1.7 total. But then I might only score half the total points. This is with a Limited gun and a race holster. DogmaDog

I tanked this one on Sunday. Drew to the left paper, and shot left to right across the 2 papers and 2 steels. Started running to the port and decided to save time by running a bit to the left, and then running toward the right while shooting through the port without actually getting right up on it. Managed to shoot a Delta Mike on the center target behind the port (and 2 A on the left target...must have been looking and thinking about the last target as I engaged the middle target). [Edit: Shooting Limited] 47 points (plus 10 point penalty, for 37 points), 9.18 sec. 4.0305 PF. Bleah. Can that be as high as 47% (my calc based on Jake and sfinney's posts above)? [Edit again: yes, it works out to 47.4176%...I'd like to shoot this one again...I could probably push 70% with a clean run] What's the consensus on shooting the last 3 targets? Is it faster to just get to the port and shoot all 3 from one spot, or is it faster to shoot from behind the port and move from one side to the other? I'm pretty sure it's "safer" to shoot the former way. DogmaDog

Aaahhhh, yes. The odds that I will commit suicide went up dramatically when I bought my first handgun. So much for statistics. I was really happy when I got my first handgun. I just don't know where to begin when someone claims we should get rid of handguns in order to prevent suicide...anything to avoid having to address the root cause of the problem, I suppose. DogmaDog

What difference is there between a shotgun and a handgun that would make it more likely that a handgun in the home would be used against its owner than would a shotgun? Despite any statistics and the flawed studies which produced them, what possible reason could there be? Just because no one has done a study to prove she and her shotgun are evil, doesn't mean such a study couldn't be fabricated easily. DogmaDog

Hehehe. "Walla" ...I can't stand that one, either...sometimes I see "Wa-La", too. Yet more: "For all intensive purposes", "Supposably", and "Irregardless" I'm just sayin, DogmaDog

Impossible to answer your question. Is the powder charge bar moving back and forth when you operate the press? Did you somehow manage to strip the threads on the charge adjustment bolt? Did you somehow jam up the cams that the operating rod pulls against? Have you cleaned the thing recently? I haven't had any special problems with mine, but I did find a couple of quirks: 1) I have to tighten the nut under the failsafe rod a little tighter than the instruction manual suggests, and I use electrical tape to anchor the nut, or else it backs off during use of the press, and my powder bar doesn't fully return on the upstroke of the handle. 2) I have to clean the powder charge bar with acetone every once in awhile. Hope that's of some help, DogmaDog

Is there any method other than trial and error to figure out which sort of trigger shoe would be best, or at least to constrain the choices to some reasonable number of possibilities? DogmaDog

Thanks for the replies. I did shoot one more match with the pistol, yesterday. The problem reoccured, this time during a weak-hand only string. After the match, I was able to reliably replicate the problem by cycling the slide while gripping the pistol firmly in my left hand, pulling the trigger to the rear, and canting the gun to the right--the hammer would follow every time. In other orientations, or without a firm grip, or when gripped right handed, I couldn't reproduce the problem by dry firing. Very perplexing, but a problem that can be replicated is much easier to solve than a sporadic, intermittent problem. Anyway, I gave the pistol to a local gunsmith, and hopefully he'll be able to make some minor adjustments to correct it. Well, thanks for the help. DogmaDog

A'ight, A few more I can't stand. These belong in the same garbage can as "irregardless": 1) "Leverage", when used as a verb. 2) "Proactive", which seems to mean the same thing as "active", and the most recent, 3) "Actionable", as in, "we knew, but just couldn't think of anything to do about it." Try to be proactive, and leverage your actionable information under the New Paradigm. We need synergy here, outside the box. Make sure to leverage your tactical pants while you action it, too. DogmaDog

I was doing some drills Saturday, trying to shoot 6 shots as fast as possible, with no target, just to see what my splits were. Fastest splits I could get were about .15, but I had problems with trigger freeze. The "gunsmithing" issue is that on a couple of runs, I pulled the trigger and got no response from the gun, and found that the hammer was down. The gun had cycled, because there was a live round in the chamber, but the hammer was down. This happened two or three times when trying to shoot really fast. It didn't happen at all during some bill drills, when my splits were more like .20 or .22 I also had one instance where the gun fired two shots faster than the timer could pick it up. Hard to say if the gun "doubled" because I was trying to get it to shoot that fast, but it may have. The gun is a Benny Hill "Fat Free 6" ", built with STI components. The trigger is very light (2 lb?). What could cause this, and how do I fix it? Thanks much for your help, DogmaDog

Wow. 210 power factor for the soft loads. DD

I hate the use of "their" to refer to an individual of indeterminate gender. I even saw it in an online personal ad: "I'm looking for someone who is confident with themselves" Ack! DogmaDog

Well, let's see. With the gun assembled, you should retract the slide all the way and mark the guide rod as far down as you can. Now remove the spring and repeat. The slide should have retracted the same amount. If it did not, that means that the spring is stopping the slide's rearward movement before the slide hits the base of the guiderod, which means the spring is "bottoming out". The same test will work with or without a shock buff installed. On my Kimber, with a Wilson buff installed, I have found that I don't need to cut either Wolff or ISMI recoil springs. I wrote in an earlier post how cutting a spring should theoretically affect the funcion of the pistol: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9975&hl= DogmaDog

I can't stand the "My kid is an honor student at _____ school"...so arrogant. I did see one for sale with the USMC emblem and "Give War a Chance" DogmaDog

A lot of stages at clubs I shoot at are symmetrical. If you can see the symmetry, then you may be able to simplify the plan in your mind. Instead of cluster 1 then cluster 2, it's cluster 1 left, cluster 1 right, and you just mirror each step. Or if you can break it down such that all clusters are 4 targets (or 3 or 5), then reloading comes at regular intervals. Also, take a look at contingencies. A plan that saves you a reload is good unless it absolutely depends on you hitting that steel with one round from 20 yards while on the move. Shooting a more conservative plan might not get you the maximum possible score, but it will mitigate against a total screw-up. One thing I found on some stages that weren't too complex was that my plan during the walk through wasn't detailed. I knew which order I would go to each shooting position, but I didn't form a definite plan for which order I would shoot the targets available from each position--clockwise? Counter-clockwise? L to R, Bottom to top? I'm learning two things from making more detailed plans on even relatively simple stages: 1) That small advantages can be found in the details...if I'm entering a port from the left, and leaving to the right, I should shoot the targets from right to left in order to move smoothly and continuously past the port while shooting, for example. 2) Even though the minute details might not make or break my run (if I shoot the targets left to right, instead of right to left, it won't hurt my score much), remembering them and following them is just as difficult as remembering the larger details that are more costly to bungle. Practicing planning and carrying out the small details will help you learn to remember complex plans. DogmaDog

I think the worst has to be the crazy jerk in the audience running out and accosting the lead runner in the Marathon! That was probably one of the coolest events, being run on the original course, and to win such a race would be incredibly awesome. To have some jerk run out and grab at you on mile 22, when you're a minute ahead, and then leave you all flustered with 4 miles to go, and you get a bronze medal, is a big travesty. Winter Olympics are cool...short track speed skating and the biathalon rock! DogmaDog

Dan, All the subgun stuff sounds pretty cool. Reloading isn't too hard, though it does take some care and patience. Some high pressure signs (aside from blowing the magazine out of the gun): burst primers, flattened primers or primers that look like they've been "burnished" (appear shiny) or have some material sheered off as they slid off the breech during extraction/ejection, or "primer flow" where part of the primer cup expanded into the firing pin hole, and again gets sheared off during extraction/ejection. Case bulging is more of a function of the shape of your chamber, and any unsupported area in it. It's usually guys trying to push really light bullets really fast that seem to run into pressure problems. I suspect you won't have too much trouble finding a 147gr subsonic load that won't blow up your gun. You should try to load your ammo as long as you can in order to maximize the volume inside the case, and minimize chamber pressure. However, don't load so long that the bullets hit the lands upon chambering, or so long that the rounds won't feed reliably. As far as accuracy, I've had no problems making ammo "accurate enough" for IPSC. I haven't done any rigorous testing with different parameters or anything, but I can get about a 3" group at 25 yards, which is probably closer to my limit than the ammo's. As for the Marines, I'm still in the reserves. Spent some time as an 0811, then took a circuitous route to infantry by getting commissioned and being a motor transport officer first. Finally made my way to a grunt billet, though, and I'm now leading the Javelins (anti-armor) platoon in a Weapons Company. DogmaDog (3043-->0811-->3502-->0402-->0302)?!

Yeah, the 1m to the rear leeway is relative to the shooter, and would not allow you to point the gun within one meter uprange while facing uprange and drawing. I think I'd have a hard time turning slow enough for me to get the gun out of the holster before I had turned 90 degrees, though. Does this issue really come up? DogmaDog