dynamicalflinch

I like the "dry" feel of a stippled plastic grip, but was pretty impressed by the feel of a steel grip recently. They feel well done, and the shape blends nicely to the frame. That said... it's money that could be better spent on.... well, anything. That's a lot of money that will not translate to better scores, and is probably one of the worst returns in investment compared to other things we spend money on in this sport. ....in my opinion :-)

It could be a few things causing the problem, but quarters are not an acceptable spacer. Look at photos of a correct spacer, it not only has space in the rear, it also has an insert that sits inside the spring and gives the buffer a space to contact without bottoming out the spring. With or without the quarter, it's not correct and will cause excessive wear and poor reliability. Spacers are CHEAP (almost as cheap as people who choose not to use them). Blows my mind doing why so many think it's kosher to run a gun MISSING a part of the recoil system. I'm sure some will say "it works...", just like a car will work with flat tires and low/no oil.

The stage you finished in 18.47, with the long railroad tracks to run down, should have been shooting those two stacked targets on the move, and the following pair of targets should have been engaged in the opposite order you did (I THINK, but hard to tell from video). Nice shooting tho.

That match looks like a hoot! Lots of tight targets, no-shoot backers, etc. Wish we had more of that in my neck.

I dig the look, too. Plus being called a Timmy by strangers gives me a smirk.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I didn't consider that the frame would weigh LESS rather than more like most other guns. I already ordered a railed frame... thought it looked cool, just really wanted to know if I had made some huge mistake! Sounds like no big deal, but no advantage.

Solved the problem by adding some more velcro tape to my mag pouches and one piece to the holster. I am also running a second velcro strap at the rear of my belt. I put my belt on by lining up my first mag pouch with where my hip bone is (production rig) so alignment isn't an issue. Behind the back sucks because my shoulders are terrible and trying to reach behind my back really hurts...seriously hurts. Glad you got it squared away! Equipment problems are no bueno and no fun!

Am I behind the times? My xdm has no external mechanical safety. I learned long ago to holster the xdm with a loose hand letting the grip safety move out. Is that the safety people are talking about on the xdm? The "primary" safety on an XD is the trigger safety, not the grip safety. You could even pin the safety down or tape it in place like a 2011 and be legal in limited. The grip safety has no bearing on holstering or ready condition per the rules.

Noted.

Though there are a few out there, why do thr vast majority of builders choose a smooth dust cover frame for limited guns? Is it aesthetics? Weight? Something else?

It sounds like you see engaging the safety as an arbitrary rule on par with holster position. There are real safety issues with holstering a short travel, light pull weight trigger without the safety on - a jacket zipper or an untucked shirt in the wrong place at the wrong time and you've just shot yourself in the leg. Instead of worrying about how far you can go towards the holster before engaging the safety without getting in trouble just don't do your make ready on auto pilot. Think about what gun you're using each time and proceed appropriately.Edited to fix iPad typos. That is my plan to very deliberately handle the make ready procedures. I fully understand the need to safely handle the gun for my safety and the safety of those around me. I just don't like subjectivity in the rules or rules that leave themselves open to different interpretations by different people.I don't know man. In this case the rules seem pretty clear compared to some in the book. I certainly didn't feel I interpreted anything when I quoted the rules. The safety has to be engaged on the 2011 when its holstered. I just can't see the argument that having your hand on it makes any difference at all. What does hand contact have to do with anything? Is a car not parked until you get out? Are you not fired until you leave the building? Is it not murder until you take your hand off the knife?

...you may continue.

Those vids are excellent. Thoughts on the jigs? Necessity? Value? Quality of finished product over doing by hand? Mostly referring to some of the vice mounted jigs like the one showing the frame rail fitting.

Why not run your new rig backwards as well? It blows my mind why everyone wouldn't do this. FIrst, you don't have to guess, wrap, readjust over and over again to get the belt lined up, and second, you can guide, with your fingers, the outter belt into complete alignment with the inner belt as you fasten it from the front. I use a marker line to reference my belly button (you can use a paint pen or similar if you have a black belt), put it dead center, then wrap around. I'd guess the rear of your belt isn't 100% square with the inner belt, only giving you partial contact with the velcro.

Look at the right side of the gun, just under the trigger bar. You will need to remove the grips. Is there a spring present? Have you had the grips off the gun recently? If yes, it may be dislodged or lost, if not, it is likely broken and will need to be replaced.

I've started getting the nerves again, probably as a result of shooting more major matches and the anxiety that one blunder can (and has several times now) cost me to lose the match. Lately, I've just been telling myself "too late", as in "too late to worry about this stuff" during the "are you ready", and just focus on taking a full exhale between "standby" and the buzzer. Hard to think about stuff when you are thinking about your breathing-for simple minded folks like myself, at least.

If you haven't kept a tally, you could always look back on your match history, average round consumption for each match, plus estimated weekly practice ammo during the shooting season. That should get you close-ish.

Save all that money you were going to spend on ammo, practice, gear, and match fees, and use them on a good realtor to help you find a nice gun club close to your new house several hundred miles south of where you are now. :-)

Everyone is kinda on the same page here, most prefer the larger dot size on a handgun. The exception is if you are one of those guys who wants to take the gun into the woods, where a smaller dot may be a bit more civilized for hunting.

It's funny how watching someone get DQ'd makes you so cautious about making the same error, even if that error wouldn't even be a problem with how you normally do things. I know it's made me overly cautious and pensive, especially when the match is far away from home and there is more on the line.

That's something I thought I had cured myself of years ago, but we have to be vigilant! Recently, I got so focused in re-learning two arrays after realized their swingers were SLOOOOWWW, and kept rehearsing the new order to perfection. I executed both arrays flawlessly, but forgot to turn around a shoot the last target that was 160 degrees behind me. Lesson learned.... (again).

Beyond weird cycling and extra abuse and wear on the gun... I've seen it happen before I realized what the problem was at a match a few years back. The bolt being allowed to travel too far to the rear will often allow a piece of spent brass to sneak under the bolt and into the fire control group. When that happens, that gun will not fix itself for God or Country. It almost always requires the receiver extension to be removed, and sometimes blindly removing the hammer pin to loosen stuff up enough to get the brass out.

I was told in my RO class that the gun is UNHOLSTERED when the trigger is exposed, I'd assume the opposite is true for holstering?

It more than helps! I was thinking of removing equal amounts of material from each side of the hood extension. Just so we're clear... to establish these measurements on what needs to be removed... I would: Measure the outside of the slide Measure the ejection port side of the slide to the closest part of the breech face Measure the width of the breech face Use those measurements to find out where the true center is??? Make correct cuts accordingly on the barrel hood extension (isn't is weird that the breech face wouldn't be centered???) Any thoughts on the balance between lug engagement vs centered flash hole? The more I pick up the more confused I am.. :-(

I figured as much. Man, I may as well just PM you since you seem to be the man with the plan on how to do this! Thanks for your input. Maybe I can bug you for one more question on a similar matter: recommended tools for said blending (and blending ejector, slide, trimming barrel hood, frame rails, you get the idea). So far I'm thinking a 6" #2 swiss pillar file with safe edges, a #2 half round file (or would a round file be better for beavertail blending?, a few types of sand paper... and some sort of sand paper tape that I can use like a shoe shiner (don't know what that stuff is called). Is that list and a barrel lug cutter sufficient (barring heavy machinery)?