DogmaDog

Sounds like a good rule to me. It allows shooters to show up with what they got and shoot, but still stresses the importance of safe gun handling and the gravity of negligent discharges. I'd encourage safety officers to warn shooters about it though, and to have new production shooters practice the techniqe, either in the safe area before the match, or at the ready line, before actually loading the weapon. I can't think of any weapons this applies to other than the CZ though, so it just can't be that common a problem. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

Man...this reminds me of the philosophy of science class I took. "Philosophy of Space and Time", taught by this kinda frumpy, slightly youngish British woman. "OK, now please read your text, 'Space, Time, and Spacetime" AAAAAHHHHH! Actually started to have weird thoughts about the professor during that one. DogmaDog

Cool. I don't think it could be any tackier than the $8 "slip on front strap checkering" I got from Wilson Combat...it's like a piece of checkered steel foil that you attach underneath the handguards. Every time you shoot it rides down the front of the frontstrap. So, yeah...less than a buck on grip tape, or ~$100 and a trip to the gunsmith. And just watch me pull an ollie-stalefish-boneless on the draw, and put two shots in the A zone and a tail-tap on the head in 2.94 seconds! Yeah! Shred! DogmaDog

Hey all, Is it IDPA legal to put skateboard tape on a Custom Defensive Pistol? This is not specifically listed as an allowed mod in the division, but checkering or serrating the frontstrap are allowed, and skate tape is allowed in SSP and BUG divisions. I can't think of any reason why it should be disallowed, unless, as the proud and elite owner of a Custom Defensive Pistol, such mods are simply beneath me. Or is it just an ommission by the IDPA rules people? Thanks, DogmaDog

abc, Sounds like you're doing fine. Continue (or start) to dry fire at home and develop your ability to really concentrate on the sights. You want to see NO movement when the hammer drops...not even a little! Also, push the target back! It sounds like you're reading the right stuff, learning the fundamentals, and can basically hit...push the target out to 25 yards! You'll have less tendency to accidentally focus on the target, and you'll have to concentrate more on the sights. That will carry into your close in shooting. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

abcxyz, Well, it depends. (You knew you'd get that answer, didn't you?) 1) How are you holding the gun? Offhand? Benchrest? Supported? One hand? 2) How fast are you shooting? Slow fire? Rapid fire? Usually, gun mags report 5 shot groups fired from 25 yards slow fire with a rest of some sort, because they're trying to report something about the gun and not the shooter, and they'll report groups anywhere from 1" to 3", which is presumeably close to what that particular gun/ammo combination is mechanically capable of. If you're shooting slow fire at 7 yards, and you shoot 5 good shots (don't jerk one or anything), then I don't see any reason you couldn't hold 3" or 4", assuming you execute the fundamentals. Finally, it depends on what you're trying to hit. If you're shooting at a target paster at 15 yards, slow fire, there's a good chance you'll get smaller groups than if you're trying to hit the -0 zone of an IDPA target at 7 yards, so you have to decide to aim at something as close to a geometric point as you can get. I took a "riflery" class at the college I go to, and the coach shot a quarter sized group of 3 or 4 shots offhand from 50' on a BLANK PIECE OF PAPER. That was pretty cool. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

Whooo...gettin kinda hot in here! I think I saw this technique (palm over ejection port unloading) described and illustrated in the Marine Corps Pistol Marksmanship manual as one of 2 ways you could properly unload. I did it at an IDPA match, and after I was done, the RO calmly told me that it was unsafe and that he had heard stories of people blowing up their hands that way. So I said "OK" and ceased doing it. IMO that RO did it the right way. Don't get all excited, don't get authoritative. Be calm. Be firm. Explain why you're making the call you're making, and be polite. Especially when there's no reason to think the shooter is intentionally doing something dangerous, and it's not immediately threatening (or is over). That will go a long way toward making the competitor believe you really are there to look out for his safety, and not because you get off on authority. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

Peter, I hope the "illegalize IPSC" thing isn't credible. We have some politicians here who will talk about how "practical pistol" is just a euphamism for "combat shooting" (which is true) and how that somehow means that we're out at the range on weekends training to murder people and kill police officers. Obviously they've never actually SPOKEN to a competetive shooter, or been to a match, else they'd know. There's also some move afoot to try to tax ammunition in CA (I think) at $0.05 per round, and use the money to fund trauma centers where all the damage caused by bullets must be treated. Absolutely ridiculous. Clearly prohibits the sporting shooter who shoots a few hundred rounds a month, but doesn't influence the criminal who only needs one box of ammo. So sad that so many people can't live with the idea that others have the power to act solely of their own free will, and that they are so deluded as to think that they can prevent this through the institution of government. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

I shot a USPSA match 2 weeks ago at a club about an hour from my house. I don't reload, but I collected up my brass, and at the end of the match asked if anyone reloaded .45 and would like it. An old guy named Harold said he would take it and asked if he could reload some of it for me. I profusely declined the offer, and asked him to just take the brass for free. Well, this last weekend I shot an IDPA match at the same range, and Harold was there, and completely by surprise, he just dumped a bag full of reloaded .45 next to me while I was digging around in my shooting bag! I can't swear to it, but it looks like more brass than I gave him a week earlier. When I thanked him after the match, he explained simply that he really enjoyed reloading. That was a very kind and generous thing to do. Thank you Harold. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

Wow... The whole rifle thing is pretty shocking (not knowing zeroes), but I have some sympathy because it's sometimes pretty hard to find a place to shoot a rifle at any real distance. Although, why you would buy a rifle if you didn't intend to make a reasonable attempt eludes me. Maybe you should try a "battlesight zero" exercise next time you do this. Set up a line of targets at 300 yards and have everyone that wants to get down and shoot groups. Use a 20X spotting scope to give them dope adjustments, refire, and readjust. Alternately, you can set up miniature targets at 36 yards (exactly), with the point of impact below the point of aim by the height of the sights above the bore. For 62 grain .223 this zero will work for 300 yards. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

gm, "Enhanced Service Pistol" is something of a misnomer. "Single action other than .45" is probably more accurate. Likewise "Custom Defensive Pistol" which translates essentially into "1911 in .45" or "Wilson Combat 1911" if you're a little more cynical. Lata, DogmaDog

BE, I know exactly what you're talking about. I've only experienced this during a few shots with a rifle, and I still don't have it with a pistol, but its this sort of ethereal moment. The whole world becomes crystalline, and the gun is going off, and the sights are aligned on the target because that's just the natural order of things, and it's not me as a separate entity trying to force my will upon the world. All sounds are kinda muffled (or is that just the ear plugs?). When it has happened it even seems like the gun cycles more smoothly, like there are no disharmonic vibrations in it as it cycles. Time slows. The shot is a dead center X, and it's not a matter of KNOWING it, because the bullet just followed the trajectory etched in the crystalline fabric of the world...the natural order of things. It's like sight alignment, except the sights aren't aligned with your eye and the target, they're aligned with your SOUL. That's the feeling I'm after. That's broader than my more mundane understanding of "calling the shot", but I know that feeling couldn't be attained without calling the shot. I also know that I can generally call the shot without feeling that feeling, so I make a distinction between the technical act of calling the shot and the much more spiritual revelation of making that perfect shot. I'm glad this forum exists. Other gun forums I've visited would call me a loony if I said any of this stuff. Semper fi, DogmaDog

No idea what MPRO 7 is, but I know that CLP works. Don't get wrapped around the axle about grease (get it? axle-grease!) Just get a lubricant and a cleaner, or a combination lubricant/cleaner, and clean and lubricate your gun, then go shoot. I use Brownell's moly disulfide grease on my frame rails, and CLP or Remoil, or militech to lubricate other parts, and shooter's choice to clean bores with. CLP by itself is fine, though, until you need to remove copper or lead fouling. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

I put a factory +2 on my Benelli Nova, and when I first tried to load it I had a hard time getting more than 4 in the mag, too. Once I got the 5th one in, it was easy to get to 7 total, and I haven't experienced any problem since. The only think I can think of is that when the extension is first screwed on, it might not automatically be exactly aligned with the rest of the mag, and pushing rounds in there kinda straightens the thing out, or maybe some excess material on the follower gets ground off going over the "seam", and it can move freely thereafter. Not a really satisfying answer...but there it is. Semper fi, DogmaDog

Calling the shot is easy to understand in a slow-fire rifle context. Say you're shooting offhand at 200 yards. You mount your rifle, and acquire the sights, verify your target, then focus on the front sight and exhale. You watch the sight settle down. If you just watch the sight, it will move around in a "wobble area" on the target, and the wobble area will expand and contract. When it contracts, you start to squeeze the trigger, and squeeze as long as the sights are aligned and the front is in the center of the black. You watch the sight so intently that when the shot actually breaks, you know where on the target the sights were, and how they were moving...X at 4 O'clock, moving toward the center say. The target goes down, and you would actually write down your call in a data book, plotting a point at 4 o'clock near the center of your call diagram. When the target comes up, and it actually IS an X at 4 O'clock, or maybe 6 o'clock, cause the sights were moving left, you're good. With a rifle, its pretty easy to maintain sight alignment, because you have a stockweld. With a pistol, calling the shot (with iron sights) requires that you estimate the point of impact based on any error in sight alignment as well as where the sights are on the target. But calling the shot is just this instant of cognition when the gun goes off..."the sights were left, at the outer edge of the C zone" flashes through your mind, and you can now decide whether to take a make-up shot or not. For me, calling shots is often like the desire to yell "Dammit!" or "Sonuva!", bacause I'll do some stupid newbie thing like jerk the trigger when the sights are good, and then watch as they misalign somewhere in the dirt. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

Yeah, what Eric said! (glad you answered, cause I wouldn't have known what to do) I hope it works. If it does not, I can e-mail you the files in zipped .pdf format, or I could send them to Brian/another forum host to post somewhere else. Let me know if you need help. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

It is possible for rounds to "cook off", but I've only ever heard serious warnings about it when handling machineguns that have fired several hundred rounds in a short time. I'm reminded of the time, as a young Lance Corporal, I was introduced to the artillery by a Sergeant who noticed my squeamishness around the artillery shells. He screwed a point detonating fuze onto the 100 lb shell, and proceded to beat the tip of it with a hard rubber mallet as hard as he could. I winced, but the shell didn't explode. So anyway, I think as long as you don't TRY to get your ammo to "accidentaly" ignite, you probably won't succeed. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

Hmmm. I had an issue similar to this one. Except it was with my 600 yard slow fire in highpower competition. I kept shooting about 190 to 194, with several 9s and an occasional 8. Then I had a string where it suddenly dawned on me: focus on the damn front sight! Still threw 2 into the 8 ring, but 18 of 20 shots were in the 10 or X. I think one of the problems in rifle is that you can focus on the sight so long that its image sort of "burns" into your retina, and you temporarily lose capacity to really focus on it. I had been staring at the front sight too long, but not focusing on it. I don't know if this is ever a potential problem in IPSC, as your eyes oughta be shifting focus pretty rapidly from target to sights to next target, etc. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

Oh. I bought a case of S&B 9mm from Natchez myself. It goes bang every time, and is as accurate as my 3.5" barreled Kahr will allow. About $116 with shipping (it was on sale for $5 per box). I like S&B, too, because it comes in small boxes...the ammo trays take up less space, so there's less bulk in my range bag. Also, http://www.ammoman.com has free shipping, and will give a 3% discount if you mail them a check vs. using credit. Their selection is kinda eratic, though. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

From the FAQ section of the IDPA rulebook: "EXTENDED SAFETIES ARE PERMITTED FOR ENHANCED & CUSTOM DIVISIONS, ARE AMBIDEXTROUS SAFETIES PERMITTED? YES, as long as the pistol will still fit in the IDPA firearms box, IDPA classifies all extended safeties under the same criteria whether single side or ambidextrous. IF THE GLOCK MODELS 34/35 ARE PERMITTED IN SSP DIVISION WITH FACTORY INSTALLED EXTENDED SLIDE RELEASE, CAN I PUT ONE ON MY GLOCK THAT DIDN’T COME FROM THE FACTORY WITH ONE? YES, because these are now available as a Glock factory option. Extended magazine releases are not permitted." It doesn't say anything about ambis on stock pistols in the FAQ...hmmmm. Semper Fi, DogmaDog Oh yeah, Flex, if you want to, now you can start a rumor that IDPA is copying rules from USPSA.

I know some LEOs who are issued practice ammo, and they don't have to pay the federal excise tax to buy firearms. You can get away slightly cheaper than Walmart if you buy online at http://www.natchezss.com, but you basically have to play shipping against sales tax and blah blah blah. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

Huh. That question is harder to answer than it ought to be. The pistol can be no more than 1 5/8" in width...that's how deep the box is. Also, for SSP, adding or modifying safeties is not listed in the inclusive list of allowed modifications, but it is listed for ESP. My understanding is that if the gun is available from the factory with a certain mod, then you can put that mod on your pistol, and still be legal for whatever division you're shooting in (e.g. extended slide stop on a Glock is now legal in SSP since the G34/35 come with it standard). So if you can get ambi safeties on guns from the factory, then you can put one on your USP, and if it will still fit in the box, then it's legal. The published width of the USP is 1.26", so I doubt that a safety lever would add almost 3/8" to the gun, but it could, and the published width might be slide width or grip width, and not maximum overall width. Time to bust out the ruler or calipers, I think. Good luck, DogmaDog

Newguy, Well, you've opened a can of worms with the "IPSC stresses speed over accuracy" statement. I won't go there. I myself suffer the same problem to some extent, though...In a match this last weekend of about 80 rounds, I shot about half a dozen Cs, and the rest As, except for 2 mikes and a no-shoot. I definitely could stand to speed up and accept some Cs, I think. But I do pretty well in IDPA, where accuracy counts more Lata, DogmaDog

I completely agree with jhgtyre, masking profanity with infrequently used punctuation is silly. I also find I'm little offended by profanity...it's the sentiment being expressed that is offensive or not, in total. When I started boot camp, my drill instructor bellowed at the recruits: "Now, get your doggone scuzzy, nasty bodies in the doggone head and brush your doggone fangs!" He didn't say "doggone", but you get the idea. Not offensive. Mostly comical, but strangely panic-inducing. They swore all the time, but when one recruit said "F-you" to another recruit they went ballistic. And then I realized, that the DIs never had said anything like that to a recruit at all. Anyway, if you feel the need to use profanity, like some particular word just fits there, then I say "Bring the shiz-nit!" Semper Fi, DogmaDog

Heh. I wear the little foam ear plugs. I think they are absolutely as good as the muffs, and they don't interfere with shooting a rifle (if you're into that sort of thing). I pilfer them from my Marine Reserve unit, and from the rock-prep lab at my geology department...but they can't cost more than a couple dimes a pair, and if you keep your hands clean, they'll last a while. For glasses, I got a $20 clear pair. Don't skimp too much...you'll get a cheap, uncomfortable set that might distort your vision somewhat...that could be bad. Clear is good, because it doesn't cause your pupils to dilate. When your pupils dilate, your depth of field decreases, so your target is more out of focus than it would be if your pupil were smaller. Timers...I still haven't bought one. Kinda waiting until I get out of school, and can do things besides school work without feeling guilty. The Pact Timers are as cheap as any. I have no idea why they are so expensive, except for the limited market. But seriously, a $10 stopwatch with a microphone activator, and some software and memory, somehow becomes $130. I don't get it, but there you are. Maybe if we promoted our hobby of timing loud noises, these timers would become more popular, and the price would go down. Semper Fi, DogmaDog