38superman

+1 on the CED. Its a great product, has an infrared option available, and the price is reasonable. The chrono has long lead cables coming off the sky screen so the units sits on the bench next to the shooter out of the line of fire. Worst case scenario, you blast a sensor which is a lot cheaper to replace than the chrono. They also have been loyal sponsors. Suggest you check it out on shootersconnection.com Tls

Hmmm.... I think a clarification is in order here. I shoot a lot of groups with many different guns so I have a good picture of my own ability to shoot for accuracy. All judgements about a gun or ammo have to be measured against that. I often have groups that go down around and inch. I also have groups that go up around 3" I often have groups that have 4 shots under and inch and a flyer that opens the group up to 2 1/2". This is mostly due to human error. However, I don't eliminate flyers. I record the group size for what it is. As an average of all shots fired, so far I have gotten about a 2 1/2 average from my Edge. The average on my SVI and my accurized 1911 is around 2". The average of both my Paras is around 2 1/2" Consider the last issue if Front Sight. There is an article that deals with the new Todd Jarrett Signature P40 from Para. The author grouped several brands of factory ammo and results were 2.3 to 2.6". Based on those results he spoke highly of the guns accuracy. If you put these guns in a machine rest such as a Ransom rest they will produce groups a fraction of that size. 2 1/2 inches is not necessarily the accuracy my Edge is capable of. It is the accuracy it it is capable of when I am shooting it. Accuracy is highly subjective. Almost any handgun is capable of greater accuracy than the guy that's holding it. The question is: what are your expectations and how well can you shoot groups? Tls

jaxshooter, I was surprised too, but the problem was pretty severe. The first time I took it to the range it was spraying ammo all over the paper. I'm talking groups more than 6 inches off sandbags at 25 yds. I tried 3 different kinds of factory ammo and got the same results. I immediately made arrangements to send the gun back to Para for repair. I later spoke directly to the technician that worked on it. He told me he put a new barrel in it and test fired it. He said his test firing produced an excellent group and the gun was being returned. When I got the gun back I took it to the range expecting great things. I was very disappointed to get exactly the same result as before. I was completely disillusioned with Para so I sent the gun to Rusty Kidd in Atlanta to be repaired and fitted with a new Schuemann barrel. Upon inspection Rusty found that the gun's timing was way off. He thinks it was coming out of battery before the bullet was clearing the barrel. That would certainly explain the ammo spraying. I've only shot three groups with it since I got it back, but accuracy was close to what I get from my SVI and my Edge. Tls

plunk, Welcome. Looks like you're already getting some good advice. I will try to give you some specific recommendations but you need to go with what you are most comfortable shooting. Most any indoor range rents guns. Go and try several different ones before you make up your mind. As a place to start, I recommend you try a Springfield XD or Glock in 40 cal. The reasons are: You held a Glock and liked the feel. You mentioned upper body strength and said you wanted something light. Both these guns have polymer frames and are relatively light. Ammo is available in 40 cal at minor power factor. This would allow you to shoot in production and recoil would not be bad. Production, by the way, is a good place for you to start. Later on if you wanted to move to another division such as lim 10 or even limited you could do it with the gun you have, just a change to more powerful ammo. Last but not least, if you decide you want to your race gun to double as a carry gun, either is a great choice. Have fun. Tls

I don't believe there would be any significant difference at the distances we normally shoot. If you were shooting at extreme range such as silhouette shooting there might be a small difference in trajectory and point of impact. However if you were doing that you probably wouldn't be using a 45. There may or may not be feeding issues. Some guns will run better with one profile or the other but that varies from gun to gun. If your gun doesn't like the JHP, that might be corrected by playing with the OAL. The main difference is what happens when the bullet impacts the target such as expansion vs. penetration, etc. Hope this helps. Tls

I have a P18.9 that I bought for production. It had a serious accuracy problem out of the box. It has taken some time to get that sorted out so I haven't shot it in competition yet. However, I will be taking it to some matches this year for sure. Tls

I just got a new Edge in 45 Auto a few weeks ago. I havn't shot it enough to make any judgements about it yet. However, early testing shows it to have respectable accuracy. I have three other guns I can compare it with. A Para P14.45 LTD with factory barrel and bushing. An accurized Para P18.9 LDA with a Schuemann match grade barrel & bushing. An out of the box SVI Infinity with Schuemann AET Ultimatch II barrel. The Edge shoots about the same as the Paras, and close to but not quite as good as the SVI 40. As I shoot it more and experiment with different loads, I will document the results and post them here. One thing I have noticed about the Edge is that it produces velocities considerably lower than my other 45s (about 50 to 80 fps with the same load). Out of the box, any Edge should be capable of groups around 2" to 2 1/2" with 5 shots at 25 yds with most any ammo. If you can consistently shoot groups that size or better with other guns but the Edge will not produce them, it needs to visit the gunsmith. IMHO Tls

I can consistently shoot 1 1/2" to 2" (5) shot groups at 25 yds with an autoloader off sandbags. Some groups will go down around an inch but can't really do that on demand. With a revolver I can cut that down to 1/2 to 1". At 50 yds the auto loader groups will open up to around 4". Take away the sandbag and that will double to about 8". Make it 10 shots instead of 5 and I would guess that a 10" group off hand at 50 yds is pretty respectable. If you can do better than that you're at the top of the food chain. Tls

For me, 40 vs. 45 depends on which division you plan to shoot in. If you are competing in Limited then mag capacity dictates using the 40. In Limited 10 the magazine capacity is a non issue, therefore I prefer the 45 for the following reasons: 1. Recoil For any given power factor a heavier bullet will have lower muzzle energy and hence lower felt recoil. The formula is: E = 1/2( mV2)/gc or mv2/450,400 The physics of energy and recoil gives an edge to the 230 gr bullet over the 200 gr or 180 gr. 2. Bigger holes are easier to see. Sometimes I am unsure if I got two hits on the target, so I fire an extra shot to avoid the mike. As is often the case, scoring the targets reveals three holes which equates to wasted time. 3. Bigger holes score more points. I can't tell you how many times I had a 40 hit that was right on the line. Sometimes a 45 vs 40 is the difference between an Alpha and a Charlie. All other things being equal I just like the 45. I have documented many drills and my split times are identical with both guns. As mentioned before, component costs with the 45 are greater but it is more forgiving to reload for. The down side for me is lugging the ammo around in my range bag. By the end of a 12 stage day the 9mm is looking pretty good to me. Tls

Most likely the ribbon cable that connects the ide drives to the mother board on the computer has come loose. Take the cover off the machine and re-seat the cables. Tls

Steve, As a former benchrest shooter it has alway been my habit to measure my groups with a dial caliper. Having a "hump" as you call it is not at all unusual. It is what I call the accuracy curve. Some of this is due to the harmonics of the barrel. As the pressure curve changes, it will affect accuracy (even in pistol barrels) Some of it is due to human error, which can be eliminated by shooting multiple groups and taking an average. For me, experimenting is part of the fun of IPSC. Tuning the gun and ammo to get the best accuracy and still make major is part of the game. I'm sure some folks will read this and laugh their a@# off. However, I think its worth it. The next time some evil course designer has you shooting at popper that's 40 yards away, what would you rather have? A blaster that shoots 1" groups or 4" groups? Tls

Maybe this will be useful to you: Firearm: Springfield 1911 A1 45ACP Range: 25 yds Bullet: 200 gr Montana Gold FP Powder: VV340 Oal: 1.210 Primer: CCI 300 Brass: Win Powder Charge - Muzzle Velocity - 5 Shot Group 6.5---------------------784---------------1.055 6.6---------------------740---------------1.706 6.7---------------------774---------------1.411 6.8---------------------806---------------2.096 6.9---------------------816---------------2.315 7.0---------------------846---------------1.817 7.1---------------------865---------------1.025 Tls

I have thought about this a lot lately and I think it breaks down into two categories. One is the mental game. The other is the physical game. I think the mental game stays with you. Once you learn technique it isn't something that just goes away. I think what happens in your physical game simply depends on your conditioning when you return. Once upon a time I taught marshall arts. I gave it up almost 20 years ago. I still know the techniques, but I could not execute them very well. This is because I'm no longer in the kind of physical condition that it requires. In short, I still know karate but probably couldn't do karate. Some of what we do is what trainers call "muscle memory" that comes from repetition. I suspect that after a long layoff it returns rather quickly with a little work on drills. I'm starting to believe that even an extended layoff wouldn't affect you much. In fact I think you might even come back stronger, depending on whether your conditioning had declined or improved. I hope to avoid long layoffs in the future but if they happen, I don't think I'm going to worry too much about it. Tls

Jd45, I did not dry fire but I did have a couple of short live fire practice sessions. Mostly I have been setting up a new gun, load developing, and hitting the gym pretty hard. I've only been in this game for about two years and burn out is not an issue with me. Just the opposite, I can't get enough. David, A new season is upon us. Buckle your chin strap, cause I'm gonna be fired up and ready. Shoot straight and best wishes. Tls

I have always used STI mags in my SVI 40. Never had a problem. Tls

Yesterday I shot my first match in three months. This was not by choice, I was a victim of circumstance. I usually shoot two or three local matches per month plus live fire practice. So after a layoff of several months I was really concerned that it would be like starting over. However, I was surprised to discover that I basically picked up right where I left off. My first couple of stages were a little shakey but overall I had a pretty good match. I know that a lot of clubs shoot outdoors in climates that don't permit year round shooting. I always thought that would be a great disadvantage but now I'm not so sure. I wonder how long you can stay away from the range without some sort of decline. And once done, how long would it take to "scrape off the rust" and get back on your game. I know that some top competitors say taking breaks away from shooting is a healthy thing. My question is: How long is too long? Tls

I shoot VV340 with MG 200 gr. bullet at 1.175 oal. 5.4 gr gives around 860 fps With the 180 I would drop back to around 5.0 and work up. If you are shooting copper jacketed bullets they should chrono a little faster than the Montana Gold. Tls

Wow. In 24 posts we went from "my guns not legal" to the death of USPSA. Amazing how much passion is engendered when discussing the rulebook. Tls

My SVI has a fluted chamber as well. I have never had a load that swaged the brass into the flutes as you describe. This definately sounds like something that bears futher review. Are there any other signs of excess pressure? Does this your gun mark the cases with other powder/bullet combinations? Tls

I have no experience with the P16, however I have a P14-45 which I was setting up for Lim 10. After shooting it a while, I decided I was not comfortable with the grip. It's very wide and caused a problem for me in being able to access the mag button with my trigger finger (I'm a lefty). I decided to replace it with an Edge and I have no regrets. The Edge feels better, handles well and runs better. IMHO. Tls

epj, As you can see Clays is also popular among action pistol shooters. Everybody has their pet loads and Clays has many advocates. A word of caution when loading relatively fast powders and heavy bullets. The charges are small and don't take much space in the case. Take care to avoid a double charge. Good shooting and welcome back. Tls

I also used Unique in the past because it is so versatile. However, some action pistol shooters don't like it because it has a reputation for being "dirty". Not an issue for the casual shooter but best avoided if you're running thousands of rounds through your blaster. Many reloaders prefer faster powders such as Titegroup or Vihtavuori N320. Neither is a bad choice. With the 230 gr. bullet, these powders produce relatively soft recoil at just above IPSC major power factor (around 730 - 740 fps). I also like AA No5 in the 45 ACP. It meters well, is accurate, relatively clean, and works well with all bullet weights. This powder behind Nosler 185 Hollow points is one of the most accurate loads I have found for my Springfield 1911. Tls

No problem. Nothing wrong with buying an XD9, but not really required to solve your issue. You can shoot your 40 in production at minor power factor without reloading. Put the stock parts back in your gun and buy some Precision Delta 40 ammo. They offer reloaded 180 gr in minor power factor (at a reasonable price). If you ever decide to try other divisions, your 40 cal XD can be a limited or lim 10 gun just by changing ammo. Tls

I stand corrected. It seems it is already policy that matches shot before entering the series do not count. I noticed some new people appeared in the standings later in the year and did have some early matches to their credit. Perhaps this was nothing more than a delay getting them posted after they signed up. My bad. T

In general I like the changes, but I think there should be more than four matches. I don't think your four best scores are representative of a whole season of shooting. There is one other thing about the point series that has bothered me that has not been addressed. I entered the point series last year in January prior to the Fla Open. Last year, a number of people jumped in fairly late. I think there should be a deadline. Otherwise, anyone can simply wait till the season is half over and decide if their scores are competive enough. If so, jump in. If not blow it off. If there is to be no deadline then don't score matches shot before the competitor enters the race. Tls