38superman

Trolling for companionship again, are we? I probably shouldn't post before my first cup of coffee... You round gunners are a different breed. Always thinking about the length of your barrel. I don't really care about the distribution of the prize table. Organizers can do it any way they want. I will say that the occasional match with a random drawing does give the less skilled shooters a chance to walk away with a decent prize. That boosts morale and helps keep the new shooters coming back. The top shooters usually come away with a nice trophy and some cash. It's a win, win. Tls

Pardon me, but if you are referring to my post, I was not asking why Frank uses the classic target. I was trying to make a point. I see no reason why we couldn't move a little closer to IPSC by adopting the classic targets in the US. I see no real advantage in one style over the other, thus it would cost us nothing to do so. I used the Fla Open as an example of a major match where they are already used.

Wow, the orange sky looks like an old Star Trek episode. Tls

Hang in there buddy. The range will still be there when you have healed. Short layoffs generally don't adversely affect your game. Tls

Ronnie Trust me when I tell you I am excited about it. I've been looking forward to this one for a while. It is always one of the best matches of the year. I do find it a little strange that there are 380 signed up. I thought the match application said the cut off was the first 350 competitors. Oh well, just means 30 more people are gonna have a good time. See you at the range. Tls The Other Shores

I don't see a lot of promise in this approach. US shooters that are indoctrinated into our rule book probably won't show a lot of interest in IPSC matches unless they are preparing for a world shoot. Running matches under two different rules system will just muddy the water and confuse people, especially the newer shooters. I wouldn't mind seeing USPSA move a little closer to the IPSC rules where it doesn't conflict with US law or represent a hardship for any of our members. For example, why shouldn't we go to the classic targets for USPSA? We often shoot them in the states at matches like the Fla Open. I see no meaningful difference it the two target styles. Tls

I am not questioning why S&W builds them. They are in business to make money and if there's a market for them so be it. I think there is and always will be a niche market for those that just have to have the biggest and baddest anything. I am not trying to be judgemental. I have owned several 44 mags over the years. I never could really justify a need for them but I enjoyed shooting them. However, I can't help but believe that there comes a point where it's beyond reason. Too much muzzle blast, too much recoil, too much bulk, too much expense. etc. There was a time when the 357 mag was king. Then the 44 mag. Then the 44 Auto Mag. Then 454 Casul. Then 460 Ruger, now 500 S&W. When is it enough? When I asked the owner of the cannon in question why he wanted it, he replyed "Hog Hunting". As I watched him shoot it, it went something like this. Wham!...Ow. Wham!...Oww. Wham!...Owwwch. That hurt. This thing has bruised my hand!! If that's what makes you happy, have at it. Tls

I went into my workshop on Saturday ready to crank out some serious ammo. The 650 was primed and ready from my last session. No adjustments required. I filled the primer tube, dumped the brass into the case feeder and filled up the powder measure with Titegroup. As is my habit, I checked the first several rounds on my scale and discovered the powder charges were all over the road. Everything appeared normal. I pulled out the owners manual and looked at all the trouble shooting recommendations. After I got through the checklist the problem still wasn't apparent. Okay, time to take the powder measure apart and see what's going on. While dumping the powder I noticed something rattling in the bottom of the hopper Turned out to be a casing that had missed the case feeder and landed in the powder measure. Moral of the story: The only time the cap comes off the powder measure is when you're filling it. Tls

As Americans I guess it's just part of our culture. We like everything big. Wide open spaces, big powerful cars and big powerful guns make us smile. Yesterday I was at my local range running some practice drills. A young man showed up with a bag full of guns and took the position next to me. At one point he pulled out a revolver that was about as long as his arm a sent a few rounds down range. "Is that a 460 or a 500" I asked. "500 S&W, You want to try it?". "Sure, I'll try anything once." He reached into his bag and pulled out a CorBon hollow point which I thumbed into a cylinder the size of my fist. I took aim and sent the hollow point down range and into the 10 ring. When I handed the gun back to him the palm of my hand and the grip of the gun were soaking wet. My previous day's slave labor in my wifes flower garden had me working a shovel pretty hard. The result was a blister in the palm of my strong hand about the size of a dime. I though I would give it a day, then pucture it, drain the fluid and peel off the dead skin. The Smith & Wesson took care of all that for me in one easy step. There are some things in life that are just over the top and this gun is one of them. On the other hand, it would be just the thing if you are planning a trip to Jurrasic Park. Tls

Would you care to elaborate? Why do you think there is an assault on L10 in the pipeline? Tls

Okay, I finally got around to taking some pictures. Here you go. Tls

I hope that SS division survives but only time will tell. The first major match of the year was the Florida Open. It had: 68 in Producton 42 in L10 8 in SS 5 in Rev My prediction is that SS will survive but that may be more wishful thinking than reality. I really thought the the 1911 shooters would all move out of L10 once they had a place to call home. In L10 you're going up against downloaded double stacks and just about any other gun you can name. A 1911 can definately be competitive in L10, but I would expect the 1911 crowd would prefer to shoot in a division of their own. The only reason I can see to stay in L10 is the advantage of 2 additional rounds. Personally, I never really liked having the 10 round mags hanging out of the grip. I guess a lot of people just don't want to face those 30 to 40 round hose fests with 8+1. Who can blame them? If you come to the line with 5 mags (one goes in the gun and 4 on the belt) thats only 40 rounds. If you let mags hit the ground with a few rounds in them, burn extra shots on steel or drop a mag you're toast. You could carry more than 5 but you would end up pulling magazines from the middle of your back. Tls

I recently ordered 2000 45 bullets from Precision Delta which was shipped via US Postal Service in a flat rate box. The shipment (from Mississippi to Alabama) never showed up after almost 2 weeks of waiting on it Precision Delta made an inquiry with the postal service but they had no way to track it and no idea where it was. P.D. then shipped me a replacement order by UPS. Several days after UPS delivered the replacement order (intact), a notice showed up in my mail box. It said I had a package for pick up at my local post office that was not delivered because it was too heavy. Fortunately, there was no damage to the box. Tls

I'll be there shooting Lim 10. Sent my application last week. I expect 40 to 50 shooters in Lim10 division. Last year Lim 10 drew 3 times that many when it didn't have to go head to head with limited. When the two divisions run concurrently the L10 participation naturaly drops. This year will probably be more like 2004. This will be my third Nationals and I'm just as excited about this one as I was the first. Always a great match and lots of fun stages. Tls

I'm not talking about putting too much pressure on a youngster to win. I am talking about doing the opposite. The question is do you want to discourage them from thinking about it or talking about it? Let me put it this way. If your son came up to you before a match and said: "I've been working hard on my fundamentals and shooting pretty well lately". "As long as my gun runs well, I think maybe I can win this thing today." What would your response be? Would you tell him that it is inappropriate to talk about beating other people? T.

Ron is right. Let's see if we can pull this thread back in line before the thread police lock us all up. I started this thread because I noticed that some juniors are being told that "the purpose of competition is to have a good time and do your best, but it's not proper to speak about beating others". Which begs the question "Sportsmanship or Political Correctness"? Parents, teachers and coaches have a duty to teach children values (and manners). It is a parents right to do so as they see fit. Yet, I can't help but wonder if "Winning" is becoming one of those "bad" words that kids are taught not to say? Tls

There is a simple fix for that. Forget "one class below". Your highest classification in any division carries over to all other divisions. Tls

This might seem like a slight thread drift but bear with me. Many people have asked why we should recognize as winners those who really can't yet compete at a high level. Consider this: Take the handful of top shooters in any division at a major match such as nationals. The winner beat everyone on the roster but only a handful that really have equal skills. If a shooter wins B or C class in that same tournament, that person had to beat maybe 40 other competitors with roughly the same skill level. The GM that beat a few elite challengers (and a host of others with no chance) to win HOA deserves our respect. They are what we all aspire to be. However, a shooter that places in a field of 30 or 40 of his peers, also deserves recognition. It's not rewarding mediocrity, its acknowledging a great performance. Only 20 percent of classified shooters are "A" or above. Most will spend their entire career in competitve shooting and never rise that high. There's a whopping big difference in celebrating achievement in the ranks and coddling a child to build unearned self-esteem. Tls

Congratulations Steven. You're a tough competitor and your future in IPSC is looking pretty bright to me. Hope to see you on the cover of "Front Sight" someday. Tls

O.k. this is very confusing. I have an SVI Infinity 40 An STI Edge 45 A Para P14.45 Ltd A Springfield 1911 45 SS A Colt 1911 45 SS A Para P18.9 An XD-9 and an S&W 610 Soon to add a Brazos Pro Sx Could someone please tell me which ones really I need? Tls

My wife doesn't think I have a real use for any of the guns I have bought. She says "You spend thousands of dollars and most of your free time traveling around the country just to blow holes in cardboard". "You call that Practical shooting"? "That's got to be the greatest irony of all time". If you want it, buy it. You don't need any other reason. Tls

If you're really that busy, just go to a match when you can and forget about the score. Just consider it practice. It may take a while but you will get up to speed. I know many people will take exception to this but I have never been a big fan of dry firing. I have always felt that the best practice was running live fire drills. Dry firing seems like trying to become a better swimmer by standing next to the pool and pretending to do the breast stroke. O.k. now I've spouted blasphemy. Go on and light me up. Tls

Welcome to my world Hop. When you go to Nationals as a "B" shooter in limited you don't just get your a$$ kicked, you get it trampled on. There were 24 GMs competing in limited last year. A lot of very good shooters don't even break into the top 100. When the final standings are posted I'm lucky to be on page 3. If you need a lesson in humility Pasa Park is the place to get it. Tls

I'm with you Rishii. A missle frigate gives a whole new meaning to "Load and Make Ready". Tls

I think that kids are basically a blank slate when they come into the world. The only thing that they bring with them are their basic instincts. After many generations of competing for food, territory, power, etc., the need to excel is probably hard wired into them. What they don't bring to the party is a value system. IMHO the whole purpose in organized sports for kids is to build character. Sports teach the value of teamwork, how to deal with adversity, and above all to never quit. If you teach them that winning is not important I think you undermine all that. I will be the first to agree that if you become obsessive about the scoreboard that is unhealthy. Becoming fanatical about anything is never useful. However, I agree with fomeister. Teaching kids to keep their perspective is part of the package. Tls