Andy0313

I don't see why it wouldn't be legal so long as it was in the WSB for the stage. No different than having to fire while holding a prop or a cooper tunnel.

Awesome, thank you! Rowdy, I hope there's a lot of dropouts so I can get beat by you in AZ as well as Pala. And Charles, my CC is already screaming in pain...

I figured this would go better in the beginner section than the match thread. I set an alarm so I managed to get into the Area 2 match in March. I have shot local club matches but this is my first high level match and I'm looking for advice for a first timer. Some specific questions: What time to show up Thursday for check in? Is there an advantage to getting there early? I'm leaving CA on Thursday but I'm trying to determine when. How is parking at the range? Any recommendations on how long before start time I should plan on arriving? What is the range surface? Sand, hard pack, gravel? Thinking of what shoes to bring... Any other adviCr for a first timer?

A new option for my next pistol.

Last weekend I had the usual jitters on the first stage. On the last position I engaged the activator popper for the swinger on the right, then switch left for another popper then kept sweeping right on 2 paper targets. I quickly looked to make sure the steel had gone down then ULSC and holstered. When I picked up my magazine I realized it had more than 1 round in it like it should. Uh oh... I activated the damned swinger but never engaged it. Yep, I forgot the target that was waving at me. I had skipped over it from my plan because it was taking too long for the popper to fall. Stick to the plan (or in my case, plan better!)

I think I'm in, I received an email thanking me for registering and my card was charged. Now to get ready for my first level 3...

Please see the top pinned thread then check out the reloading thread so nobody gets banned for violating the rules.

Was there any damage or threat to your bench, roof or floor? Just curious if the primers could have started a fire or some other damage when they went off.

How big a difference does the heavy brass magwell make? It completely changes how the pistol handles! Ok, maybe not that much. But the extra weight helps me keep steady, especially since it's all low. I really like it for weak hand, it helps keep me on target.

I put the ZEV v4 in my Glock and ditched it soon after. I didn't like the feel. The trigger was not crisp and had almost no reset feel. I returned to the glock minus connector in the gen3 35 with the ZEV spring kit.

Last match my friend decided he didn't want to shoot the "crap"wolf he had been practicing with so he bought some brass case off brand at Walmart. He had multiple failure to fully chamber the rounds that ruined his match. Never use ammo, guns or gear at a match you haven't tested to work 100% before.

Here's some data from today's testing: Pistol: Glock 35 Temp: 103F Load: 165 Grain BBI C.O.A.L. 1.125 Remington 5 1/2 primer Winchester cases Charge. Avg Vel. SD. XD. PF 5.2. 973. 25.4. 45. 160 5.4. 1025. 21.2. 34. 169 5.6. 1047. 15.9. 28. 173 5.8. 1072. 12.7. 24. 177 6.0. 1108. 23.9. 50. 183 Each string was 10 rounds. The last string had one high round that threw off the numbers. Overall, the lighter charges didn't burn as effficiently as the heavier loads and it shows in the SD shrinking as charge increases.

Thanks for the replies. I've been reloading rifle and pistol for 20 years and I've never seen a load that is 10% above the posted velocity. Usually it's the opposite. Hi-power jack, I did check for setback when I loaded the rounds. No movement there. Plus, that would have made one round or two increase pressure. But the SD and extreme spread on these rounds were very small, showing consistent pressures. FuFu, this is the starting load. Which equals full power factory ammo? Glad I did start low! Glockinator, this same lot in my SAA 44 specials shoots well below the book velocity. I'm thinking a combination of factors just combined to surprise me. I hadn't thought about the polygonal rifling adding a bit as well. I guess I'm going to drop a few 10ths and try some more. There are worse things I could be doing with my time than load development

After shooting today I am looking for someone who can verify my measured velocity vs the loading manual. Im getting started in shooting USPSA so I'm trying to build a load for production. I was using a 155 plated bullet that matched my carry round but I decided (after reading a lot on this forum) to build up a 180 grain minor load. I loaded 150 rounds at the minimum load shown in the Lee modern reloading second edition manual. The load is: BBI 180 grain coated bullet 5.2 grain unique Winchester small pistol primer Mixed twice fired brass 1.125" cartridge length The book says this load is 919 FPS. My first 5 rounds averaged 1013 FPS over my Shooting Chrony. Pistol was a Glock 35 3rd Gen with stock barrel. Temperature was around 90, altitude of 2000ft and the rounds were stored out of the sun. Sky screens were used and the sun was overhead, not at a sharp angle (around 10am). I was very surprised that my minor load was a 180 PF!?! SD was 12 for the 5 shot string, rounds were very accurate and the brass showed no primer flattening, bulges, hard ejection or other signs of pressure. According the the lee manual this velocity is over the max load listed. I figured it was a bad reading on the chronograph and decided to keep shooting drills. I saved the last 5 rounds and shot them over the chrono again after checking the 10ft muzzle to chrono distance. Temperature was now 104 (29 Palms sucks) and the shots averaged 999 FPS. Still well over what it should have been. Now, why is this load fast? 1- BBI sent me 165 grain bullets: nope, 5 rounds averaged 181.4 grains. 2- my Powder measure is off: nope, checked 10 throws on my digital and balance beam scales, 5.2 grains 3- the lee data is from a 4 inch barrel. Possible, I can't find test barrel length listed. 96 FPS from an extra inch of barrel? 4- the data is for cast lead, the polymer coating gives extra speed due to reduced friction. Possible, but 96 FPS? I'm guessing it's a combination of 3 and 4, but can anyone verify the velocity from this load? It's very accurate but hot for production. I'm debating going below the starting load to try and get an advantage on split times, but I might just try this in two weeks at the nearest club match.

I have been using 6.4 grains of unique with a 155 Berrys. Good accuracy from my Glock 35. Averages 1070 FPS.

Thanks to all! Ive been reading a lot on here and have decided to upgrade my equipment. First purchase: Bought a copy of Practical Pistol by Ben Stoeger. Lots of good information and I'm only halfway through. Reminds me of Jeff Coopers Art of the Rifle for pistols... Next up is ordering more bullets and doing much needed maintenance on my square deal B!

1st Post!! Hmmm, where to start? I guess where I'm at now. That would be 29 Palms, Ca. I'm on the last few years of my Marine Corps career and it's time to get back into shooting for points now that we're no longer supposed to shoot people. I shot a few IDPA matches (2 is a few, right?) back before I enlisted many years ago but since then I've been just shooting with friends or using govt ammo. My current toy is a Glock 35 I've had for 10 years or so so I'm looking to shoot production with some minor loads. I'm on my 2nd SDB press and have run many rounds through both so I'm not too worried about ammo. (No, I didn't wear one out, although that would be an accomplishment). I'm planning on getting out to LDF at Pala to do some matches once I return from this deployment in a few weeks. I hope to meet some good people there and get my girlfriend into shooting with me!