38superman

During a recent match I was breaking down a stage when I was chastised by one of my fellow shooters for monopolizing the stage during the walkthrough. I was so engrossed in what I was doing that I was unaware of being in anyone's way. It was certainly not my intent to display bad manners and if I did so I humbly apologize. In the normal course of things, the instructions are read and the whole squad crawls over the stage (and each other) like an army of ants. A line generally forms at the start position and members rotate through. This is an informal operation and usually becomes something of a mob scene. It can be a bit of a nuisance but everyone seems to cope with it. There were 14 people in my squad. I see no practical way to have only one shooter at a time inspecting a stage. With five minutes to look it over, that equates to 21 seconds per shooter. I can't shoot a 34 round field course in 21 seconds, much less break it down. A memory course with as many as 16 targets, shots through small ports, some hidden behind barriers, many visible from multiple shooting positions cannot be reconciled in less time than it takes to shoot it. At least not by me. I know that a lot of folks will take a little extra time looking things over during trips down range to paste and set steel. However, the RO's seem to be cracking down on that and only want to allow the on deck shooter to have access. I have given this a lot of thought since them and I must confess I am at a loss as to how to handle it. The only answer I have found so far is to simply stay away from any match that is subject to having more than about 8-10 shooters on a squad. Tls

+1 Make yourself at home. You may be here a while. I was in the same situation last year having won C limited at area 6. It was a big deal to me and I was really proud to get my B card (which came about 3 weeks before nationals). When the last shot was fired at Pasa Park I finished 54th B and 180 overall. Talk about a slap to the ego! Tls

Congratulations. Welcome to B class. Tls

Okay, I've seen this before. This is the part where dozens of folks chime in and start talking about arrows and indians. If you have "hit the wall" in your progress that is normal and will pass without buying a new gun. In fact, the learning curve on new hardware may even set you back. That having been said, if you want to buy into a different division such as open or try a different type of gun in a division you already shoot, that's fine. Just be aware that there's nothing on the market that will turn you into TGO overnight. If there was I would have three of them by now. Tls

My wife has little interest in shooting but has been supportive. However, shooting does cut into our quality time together and I have to be mindful of that. One way I have found to address this is to turn trips to major matches into mini vacations. For example, at this years Fla Open I rented a condo for 5 days at a local resort. Instead of the match being the focal point of the trip, it became one component of an Orlando vacation. A day of shopping, a day of laying by the pool (with pina coladas), a visit to the spa, nice restaurants and a day of shooting. The wife was a happy camper. I work long hours, and spend a lot of time on the road in a very stressful job. I make good money but pay some hefty dues to take care of my business and family. Ipsc is what I do for me. I live for this and I couldn't care less what it costs. Tls

I just received an e-mail regarding the classifier for Area6. This message mentioned the fact that the match itself will count as a classifer. I wonder if this is true for L10 division. I understood that you had to have a minimum number of GM's and there were none in that division. Tls

I can see it coming. Production and Production 10 divisions. Relax, I was just kidding. Tls

This isn't exactly a gun quote but it does come to mind when I read some of the threads on the forum. "Stripes" Sargent Hulka: "Lighten up Francis"

The latest law to be enacted: An extended basepad on a magazine is a must if you have a magwell. The magazine should be visible with the gun in the shooting position. I just learned this one the hard way. Most of my mags are 140mm with extended basepads, but I do have one 126mm with stock basepad. This magazine is not visible at the bottom of the magwell without turning the gun on it's side. At my last match I started with this mag in the gun and lost major time on my first reload. I wasn't looking at the gun when I pressed the mag release and I had the distinct impression that the mag did not fall. I pressed the mag button again and shook the gun trying to get the mag to come out. When I rolled the gun up on it's side to see what was wrong I discovered that the mag was already out and on the ground. This wouldn't have happened with any of my longer mags because I can see them. Tls

My CED chrono has an option for infrared screens. This is to assist taking readings in low light. I wonder if infrared screens would improve consistency and accuracy in bright light. Tls

Last year I got bumped up to B in limited by virtue of winning C at Area6. This happened right before Nationals where I ended up in the middle of the B class pack. I continued to shoot limited through the end of the year but this year I decided to switch to Lim10. I did this for a variety of reasons. First I like L10. It is very challenging to break down the stages for 10 rounds and good practice for reloads. I also spent a ton of time and money to build the ultimate L10 gun. Second, I am trying to push my classification up in L10 and I want to PUSH it up, not drag it up by climbing the ladder in another division. Third, I am a weak B in limited and a strong C in L10. I prefer to compete where I am competitive and not just an "also ran". I know it does happen but I think all the talk about hiding is just sad. For a B or C or D class shooter (80% of our membership) there is no place to hide. Even in matches where there are no L10 GM's, there is still enough talent to spank you like a stupid step child. If you want to hide in IPSC the best place to do it is at home on your sofa. Tls P.S. - Personal message to Leatham, Jarrett, Manny, Miguez and others. Stop hiding in Limited. Come over to L10 and face me like a man.

Isn't it interesting that a gun control organization would put up a sign that most gun advocates would be proud of.

1. STI Edge 2. Rusty Kidd - Atlanta 3. 45 ACP (running at 186 power factor... yeehaa!) 4. Handloads - 230 gr. Precision Delta over 4.7 Titegroup 5. Iron w/ Dawson fiber optic front 6. Ghost Holster 7. Beven Grams tuned mags Tls

I was just getting over it. Ameripsc Religipsc Olymipsc Just when you think it's safe to go in the water, along comes... Hide and Go IpSeek ???

Find a known load that you can use as a baseline measurement. I generally keep some factory UMC 45 FMJ ammo for just that purpose. The published velocity is 830 fps. I have shot it enough in various conditions to know that it typically runs about 810 fps in my Edge. Obviously that will vary a bit with the ambient temperature so do a little experimenting and keep good records. You need to know what to expect from it under different conditions, i.e. bright sunshine, overcast, cold, hot, etc. Buy enough to last a while (250) pack? so that the ammo comes from the same lot. Before you chrono your loads, run five from your known loads and make sure the chrono is giving you the readings you expect. If so, you can believe the readings from you handloads are relatively accurate. Tls

I like the extra weight at the muzzle. I think it does reduce muzzle flip somewhat. The extra weight just doen't make any noticable difference in my transitions or handling. Tls

Less than a week to go. 250 rounds loaded, another 150 today, and clean the blaster. I can hardly wait. My squad gets the 2 Texas stars on the second stage of the match and I'm shooting L10. What was I thinking? I expect the Double Bubble wrappers to be everywhere. Is it too soon to load and make ready? Tls

I am getting farsighted as I get older. Without glasses distance vision is sharp but sights are a blur. With reading glasses it's the opposite. Sights are clean and downrange is a blur. Best compromise I have found are lenses that the keep front sight in soft focus. That makes the sights usable and the downrange "good enough". As my eyes get worse this balancing act becomes harder to maintain. Given a choice I'll take being able to see my sights. As for the targets I'll just "use the force." Tls

"Interestingly, from all the reports I'm reading (yours included), the bullets are flying a decent amount slower than what the loadbooks are claiming. Hodgdon's says that 4.8 of TG is the max load and should be putting out a power factor of 188." My experience with Titegroup is limited, but nothing I,ve seen would lead me to expect that kind of velocity from 4.8 gr (in my gun). The first time I chronographed it I got around 750 fps out of 4.7 and 780 from 4.8. However that was on a cool day (low 50s). On a warm day I got about 776 out of 4.7 , I didn't check 4.8 but would have expected it to be around 800 to 810 fps. That gets you 184 pf. Might be possible to get 188 out of a faster barrel on a hot day if the stars, moon and planets are all in proper alignment. Tls

Oh, they're sitting on the loading bench. The loadbooks say the same thing as you guys, but as the son of a mechanic, I like to hear it confirmed from real people rather than engineers! I have recently done some experimenting with both Titegroup and Clays. The load I settled on was 4.7 titegroup behind 230 gr FMJ. for about 172-174 PF. Clays was clean, soft recoiling, and accurate. My only complaint was the slide cycle was very slow and lazy. Titegroup was even more accurate, soft shooting and had a snappy lock time. Tls Real person and engineer. (Does that make me more or less credible?)

Temperature will make a difference but.... Chronos are not consistent. It is a fact of life. I have seen matches (especially Nationals) that had two chronos side by side and two sets of screens so that each shot is read by both machines. The two chronos will often vary when reading the same shot. The RO's deal with this by taking the higher of the two readings or an average. I have a 200 gr. VV340 load that I have used for two years in my 40 cal. It chronos around 172 Pf on my machine. I've had this load checked at a dozen major matches and it has read as high as 178 pf At two matches it barely made major. It was (165.3) pf at last years nationals and dead on 165 at Fla Open. (warm weather matches) 165 to 178 is quite a varience in the same load. Leave yourself a little margin for error or you may find yourself needing all "A"s. Tls

Sometimes I forget how proud I am of this country. Thanks for reminding me.... And welcome. America just got a little stronger. T

Ameripsc Religipsc Olymipsc Thats hilarious. I just want to shoot. You guys sort out the politics and the manners. Just tell me when and where to show up and I'll shoot at whatever I find there. I can't wait for the next issue of Front Sight so I can find out what the next controversy will be. Tls

Okay, having read the VPC article I now have a little more insight. The classic target in and of itself is just as good as any other target. We shoot at cardboard and steel. The shapes are not important to me as long as they are presented uniformly to all competitors. I do understand now that the classic target carries a lot of political and emotional baggage. I am for whatever helps us promote and grow the sport but I don't see IPSC ever being accepted to the Olympics. It will always be seen as a sport that glorifies deadly force and simply not palatable. Self defense has been inherent in the laws of man and nature since the dawn of time. Survival is a basic instinct. If others want to condemn us because the sport has martial roots, that is their problem. That having been said, there are IPSC members trying to participate in countries that don't have such enlightened views regarding firearms. If "turtles" help them keep their guns at their side and their political enemies at bay, maybe a little compromise is not such a bad thing. Tls

When that happens I am done............ You obviously feel strongly about it, but I don't understand why. What exactly is your objection to the "turtle" target? Tls