DogmaDog

Kick-ass match, Phil. I just wish my Glock had been able to handle it through 9 stages instead of only 6! My trigger spring broke on the first shot, and I got a whopping 1 on the Texas Star stage... Thanks much to Lance Jensen, who rescued me with a spare, allowing me to finish the 3 remaining stages! DD

Just about any ammo you buy at the store will easily make major (WWB is about 180 PF, I think). So either. If he doesn't have mag extensions, he shoots at a disadvantage in Ltd., and if he shoots factory ammo, theres a little disadvantage in production. If he shoots against himself, he wins either way. DD

The Harbor Freight ones look exactly like my RCBS calipers, except for the graphics on the slide...My guess is they ARE the same--all the $20 digital calipers out there are the same thing. Harbor Freight is fine, or Midway, or whatever. DD

So with the Dillon trimmer, is it possible to load rifle ammo with just one pass through the press (I'm using a 550b)? i.e. can you size, trim, de-prime and prime at station 1, charge at station 2, seat at 3 crimp at 4, and be done???? Or do you still need to do some brass processing between sizing and trimming and loading? Question 2: How consistent are the results with the Dillon Trimmer, compared to, say, the Giraud? DD

Lately I've been loading .40 for production, so I've actually had to go below published starting loads, but I load several candidates with 0.2 grain increments between them, and then test. I think you could even go 0.3 until you're within half a grain of the max published load. I make samples of at least 3 loads, and hope I bracket the velocity I'm looking for (so at least one candidate is faster, and one is slower)...if I don't I plot the data in Excel and use a linear regression to predict the charge I'll need to make my target velocity. Works fine, as I'm not too too picky about the exact velocity I need. DD

Whatever's free!

Go to some matches, and see which division is most popular. For whatever reason, some clubs seem to be dominated by limited, others are open clubs, and some have more production shooters. And some don't really have any particular emphasis. If you want to WIN your division, look at the results of past matches and see which division has the weakest top dog. If you want to improve a lot, pick the division with the toughest competition. DD

My right eye (strong side eye) has better vision than my left (the difference is 20/20 vs. 20/50 or so...it's pretty weird). So I don't shoot weak-eyed when I shoot weak handed. I use the same eye to align the sights as with freestyle. I think the difficulty for me lies mostly with trigger control...I'm simply not as good at it with the left hand as with the right. Probably the best solution is just to practice, especially in dry fire...play with the grip and trigger control until you can watch the sights and see that they don't move when the trigger breaks. It's OK to cant the gun slightly inboard as you shoot, and this might help get the sights behind your strong eye. DD

Duane, Yeah...the 7 yard string is the same as the 5 yard string. hence """ DD

I don't know the FLETC course of fire, but my dept has the "CLEET" course of fire. It is fired on a target with a picture of some dude pointing a gun at you (from the hip) There is a circle about 4 or 5" on the face, and a small oval inside a larger oval on the torso (the small oval is smaller than the A zone, but the big oval is about as big as the C zone). A hit inside the ovals or the circles counts as a hit. Anything outside is a miss. The course of fire used to be: 1 Yard: Draw and fire 3 shots from strong-hand retention position in 3 seconds, 3 Yards: Draw and fire 2 to body, 1 to head in 3 seconds, 5 Yards: Draw and fire 2 to body in 3 seconds, 7 Yards: " 15 Yards: Draw and fire 2 to body in 4 seconds, 25 Yards: String 1: Draw to kneeling, strong-side barricade supported (!), and fire 2 shots in 5 seconds, String 2: From low ready, fire 2 shots, standing strong side barricade in 5 s, String 3: " weak side " 50 Yards: Draw to kneeling strong side barricade supported, and 2 shots in 8 (I think) seconds. The new course eliminated the 50 yard line, starts at 25 and works in. The 25 is the same. At 15 you have to fire 1 shot standing, and 1 kneeling (stupid), from 7 in there's SHO, WHO, and a headshot at 5. The time at 1 yard was reduced to 2.5 seconds. The new course is even easier than the old one was. You need 70% to pass (lol!), and there are quite a few who don't! Anyway, if you can hit a C zone from 25 with a slow, deliberate shot, you're good enough to get a perfect score on the CLEET course. Have fun at FLETC! DD

I think a good firm grip with both hands is helpful, and you should be DRIVING the gun to the next target. I wonder, do people who grip with less force in their strong hands use a more forceful grip when they shoot strong hand only? DD

According to Wolff's website, 16 lbs is factory standard for a Colt 1911. I reduced mine to 14, and then again to 12.5. DD

Wow. I simply don't sort pistol brass. I reload in .40 (mostly) and some .45. I pick up range leavings (though most of my .40 now comes from the police range). I don't keep track of how many firings the cases have had. I throw them away if they're cracked or creased. I just load 'em up and shoot 'em. R-P, W-W, S&B, Starline, whatever. I even mix nickel with brass. I don't think it really matters. At the very least, you should do an experiment...compare a batch of mixed brass ammo to a batch with all the same brass. Its possible you might notice a difference in the chrono results, or the group size...and its even possible the difference could be large enough to matter to you. But check first. You could spend a lot of time sorting brass, and not using perfectly good brass if its the "wrong" brand. Or you could save some time and money by not worrying about it. DD

You could just get a 1911 in .40 or 9mm, and shoot single stack major or minor with a smaller caliber than .45. .38 Super brass is pretty costly, compared to 9 or 40, and in a single stack the capacity advantage just isn't there, as in the open vs. limited guns. DD

Ugh! I think that method would work, but I don't think you'll find many people here who use it. I load on a Dillon 550, and usually 500 rounds or more in a sitting. 1k rounds is kind of a marathon session. DD

I bought a case tumbler from Midway USA. It's their Fulton Armory brand, came with a media separator, and has worked fine for me for several years. It is smaller than the Dillon. I don't shoot as much as some guys here, so it's not a big deal to me. Digital calipers are now so cheap there is no reason to mess with dial calipers, and Vernier calipers are right out. Midway USA might have them a few bucks cheaper than $39, but not much. Don't mess with the Dillon primer tray. There are plastic ones that are much cheaper. Midway again. I like a digital scale. I like to weigh 10 charges in a row, to get average powder charge to .01 grain, and some idea of the variability. I think it would be a serious pain to do that on a balance. The digital scale is a little pricey, but I think it's worth it for the time saved. The Dillon scale comes with a calibration weight. I use a Lee (U) die for .40, because of the Glock Bulge. Not sure it's absolutely necessary, and the undersizing does result in more effort required to pull the case off the powder funnel in station 2. I don't worry about a case gauge. You can use the barrel removed from your gun, or, like I do, just go to the range and shoot the rounds. I don't have a strong mount, and I don't see the need for it. I reload sitting down, though. I do like the roller handle. DD

I know this isn't especially relevant to a competition discussion, I just can't resist. After ~3 years as a police officer, I've seen a few shootings. I've seen a man who was shot in the FACE at close range with a .45 caliber Glock. He was complaining loudly about the pain as they loaded him into the ambulance. There was blood everywhere! (The bullet hit his maxilla (upper jaw bone), and ricocheted up into a sinus cavity, where it came to rest. Guy was conscious. I've seen a man who was shot in the chest with a .25 ACP. He walked in a daze for 10 steps before dropping dead on the front lawn of the house. The wound was bloodless, and barely visible. I worked the auto accident part of an incident in which a man was shot after a drug deal gone bad. He was hit 3 times with an SKS rifle, and managed to drive several miles before he crashed into a light pole. His hand had to be amputated because one of the bullets hit him in the wrist (there were bone fragments in the car). Whatever caliber you choose for self defense, you need to score enough good hits to stop the threat! Your best bet is to train enough to be sure of scoring good hits. DD

I used my CED 7000 with airsoft tonight. To make it work, I had to strap it to my weak wrist (I wedged it under my watch band...I ain't shelling out $20 for a wrist band just for that!). I cranked the sensitivity to max. It still failed to pick up some shots (though not often). I was using it outdoors on a somewhat windy evening. DD

I don't think anything is necessarily different. With just the strong hand, your splits will probably be slower, and your accuracy at long range may suffer. I would think you would want to learn how the sights track in recoil with only the strong hand, so you refine your grip, and decide whether to cant the gun (some shooters feel an inboard cant helps with one-handed shooting). You can do bill drills from various distances (draw and shoot 6 for time). Also do some drills requiring transitions...plate racks or el pres or just one shot on each of several targets lined up. Learn how to drive the gun from target to target, without overshooting. Practice both directions. Draws of course (I like one-shot draws, just to isolate the skill). After that, the sky's the limit...shoot while moving, reload with just one hand. You didn't say whether your weak hand was usable for reloading. If it isn't, you can reload the gun with one hand by dropping the mag, turning the gun over, and holding it between your knees with the magwell up. Grab a fresh mag and seat it. Don't drop a loaded gun or you DQ in a match. A second option is to drop mag, holster weapon, then insert fresh mag while the gun is secured in the holster. I think that probably takes longer. DogmaDog

It' s hard not to recommend a 9mm, because as a beginner, you probably don't reload your own ammo, so the cost differential between 9mm and .40 or .45 will be pretty large. I have a philosophical dislike for Glocks (they aren't 1911s), but it's hard not to recommend one, because they're cheap, reliable, and reasonably accurate and ergonomic, with a lot of aftermarket tweaks you can do, and a wide selection of holsters. If you really will just stick with 1 gun, then a Glock would be a good choice. On the other hand, the Glock is distinct from most other pistols in its grip angle...trying to switch back and forth between a 1911 and a Glock takes me a few hundred rounds to "dial in". I've pretty much decided to just stick with the Glock, since that's what I'm issued by my police dept. If you get a CZ or a Para or an XD or M&P, it won't be so troublesome to pick up that sweet, sweet 1911 later on. With a Glock, CZ, Para LDA, XD, or M&P, in 9mm, you can be competetive in USPSA Production Division, IDPA Stock Service Pistol Div, and you can shoot Steel Challenge (I don't know the rules for divisions in SC yet...though I think it will be basically like USPSA). A .40 could work in production (though better if you load your own powder puff loads), or Limited 10, or SSP. Don't look at other divisions as "higher" or "lower". Competition is just as stiff in Production as in Open division. Perhaps you should look around USPSA.org, and read the rules for different divisions. Almost any gun you choose to buy can be used without handicap in at least one division, regardless of ammo capacity, caliber, or action type. I don't know what "3-gun" matches you're talking about. Within USPSA and similar disciplines, "3-gun" usually means pistol, shotgun, and rifle. Possibly you were talking to a bullseye pistol shooter, in which the 3 guns are rimfire pistol, centerfire pistol, and service pistol (where service pistol is a 1911A1 shooting 230gr "hardball", and maintaining the external appearance of the "as issued" G.I. .45) Many competitors just use the .45 as their "center fire" gun, even though they could use a .38 Super or something else. A pistol suitable for bullseye competition would probably not be especially suitable for USPSA, or home defense. DD

Congratulations on kicking a nasty habit! I stick to (and recommend sticking to): SMOKELESS POWDER. Love the smell.

I voted "no". I do keep a "reloading log" on an excel spreadsheet, that says when, and how many, and what recipe, and what purpose I've reloaded all the rounds I've reloaded. I just haven't bothered to add 'em all up to see what the grand total is. If I did, it would get me a ballpark...but wouldn't include factory ammo fired in some of my guns. DD

Sounds like the right way to shoot this one was to shoot all the targets, and after the last shot, walk over and trip the activator...thus the time taken to do so doesn't count. The shooter could have taken all the time in the world to go trip the activator, after all the shots had been fired, and his score would be what he shot, without any penalties related to the activator. It sounds like an interesting challenge--do I take the harder shot and skip the activator, or do I activate, and take the easier shot? No penalty, unless stage briefing specifically required activation. The stage is better if it doesn't specifically require activation. DD

Phil, Sent a late registration last week. Didn't include the late fee (didn't know about it). Will bring some spare change to the match. Warren

Hmmm. My department officially allows for 100 rounds per month per officer to practice. However, there are enough lazy-asses on the department that even now, when the range personnel are having to go buy ammo at Walmart and Academy Sports (because of ammo shortages) I can still get substantially more than that to practice. Ask. If that doesn't work, put on a fake mustache and aviator sunglasses, and get a second ration of ammo. Many will argue about whether IDPA or IPSC is better for "tactical" training purposes. Shooting either is much, much, MUCH better than just shooting the CLEET course (which is the LE qualifying course in my neck of the woods). The differences between the two are minute, compared with the difference between either discipline and the CLEET qualification course. In the CLEET course, there is a possible maximum score. You're allowed 5 seconds (!) to score two hits from 25 yards. If you do it in 3 seconds, it doesn't get you any more points. That isn't true in IPSC, IDPA, or the street. If you shoot IPSC long enough, you will experience malfunctions, or commit serious errors. You'll have to correct them. In the CLEET course, if your gun malfunctions, there probably isn't enough time to correct it and still complete the string...so most officers don't correct it like their life (or their match score) depended on it...they realize they can't get it, and take their sweet time. Get yourself to a match, and then the next one, and the next. There are plenty in Louisiana. You will learn faster that way, than any other way. Good luck, DD