dubletap

Yeah when TGO tells you your gun is ugly you must be doing something right. It ain't purty but it shoots.

I'll apply... I've got pics of only one SS cause that's all I've ever needed. Here's the pics and proof of activity. The '93 1st Place D Limited was with my SS when there was only Open & Limited. I was 11th B at '08 WSSS and 22nd B at '07 WSSS. SS is all I've been shooting since I got back in the sport 2 years ago. Thanks for considering my SS - up-turned nose application.

Van Morrison. My daughter thought it was "my one-eyed girl".

I agree that it was a fun match with stages that looked simple and yet everyone seemed to get bit somewhere. Here is a link to some photos from the match. I was an RO on stage 1 so most are from that stage with a few from a couple other stages. http://www.durkindigitalimages.com It may take a minute to load all the images.

That was the Model "T" in 1909... even Ford has color these days.

The .45 head spaces on the case mouth and could seat too far if you crimp too much I suppose. It needs only a slight crimp in my experience. Also make sure you are seating the primers properly, run your finger over the primer and make sure it's not raised.

Yeah what they said... I bought my Springfield 15 years ago put a Kart barrel in, slide tightened, an S&A mag well, Bomars & FO, Ed Brown Beaver Tail and have a 2 lb trigger. I shot it when I first got started for the first couple of years, then shot a race gun for 8 years. Started up with the SS 2 years ago as my only gun. I shoot 1200+ rounds a month. I recently went to a Aftec after breaking 2 extractors (both aftermarket) in the last 2 years, and had to replace my mag springs. I probably have $1200 - $1300 in the gun including the smithing. Lots of grip tape, finish is worn, kinda ugly, but it shoots all day long.

What Gregory said unless COF specified 1 hit on T5 and 3 his on T6. S2 would still have an extra shot.

Nyle Leatham brought Action Shooting to many of us through his photos over the years. He will be missed, Rest in Peace. Thoughts and sympathy to Rob, Kippi and family.

Here are a couple more vids on youtube Squad 3 Stage 9 Squad 3 Stage 1 Angus, Nils, Jerry Stage 1

The name of the stage was "Untouchables". It was based on the scene in the movie where Elliot Ness is in a gun fight with the Capone gang. A women's baby in a baby carriage gets caught in the middle of the gun fight. Elliot heroically saves the baby from certain grievous bodily harm or death at his own peril. He doesn't slam the baby to the ground and then smash it on a table. I guess massive internal injuries may be slightly more survivable than a bullet wound.

I agree, if you run your matches outside the rules you hurt your club shooters who shoot at other venues. You also run the risk of having to throw stages out even at the club level. At a recent match at a club that is known to be a bit loose on adhering to the rules as far as stage design, a stage had two different windows, you could start at either window. The COF was one shot on each target, mandatory reload, one shot on each. "Then move to opposite window and repeat. Virginia count." Our squad was a visiting squad and made up of mostly shooters who attend Area, State, Nationals and World shoots frequently. We were the last squad on the stage and were tasked with tearing the stage down once we shot it. We shot the stage the only legal way as it was written, two strings. We turn in our score cards and notice that the stats person is adding our times together, we ask why and she says that we weren't supposed to shoot it as two strings, everyone else (local club squads), shot it as one string. We let the stats person know that just adding the times wouldn't work because our squads times would be 2-3 seconds faster without the transition time between positions and wouldn't be fair to the other shooters. Unfortunately the stage was torn down by this time and the stage had to be thrown out. This made the MD a bit peeved that here is a visiting squad causing a stage to be tossed, "after all it's just a club match and doesn't have to comply with the rules". As I read US1.1.5.1 it doesn't say that Level 1 doesn't have to comply with the rules, it has a narrow focus that round count and freestyle don't have to be strickly complied with. It doesn't say that you can mandate a reload in a field course and make it Virginia count. And I know they didn't set out to violate the rules, they just don't set a priority on knowing or adhering to them because it's "just a club match". I agree US1.1.5.1 is abused and not understood and it only hurts shooters, especially those who spend big bucks to go to a big match.

I don't agree with the the first part. Draws and reloads often times make a big difference in the timing of moving targets. Say you have a stage that has you start holding a shopping cart. It is much faster to pull the cart then draw and get a static target shot before say two movers. But if your draw is out of shape you have compromised the opportunity to take a static target before any moving targets and if one is a dissappearing target- you may miss the opportunity to shoot that as well! This is just one example- but one in which I see played out in many ways, many times. Same goes for the reload. Mess that up and it can cost you seconds. If the fresh mag falls behind a wall and is unretreivable- it could cost you the stage by not having enough rounds to finish the course. Again- I have seen it several times. Lets not forget about the speed shoot courses! So- yeah, I think the draws and reloads are very important skills to master! I tend to agree with you on the system we have in place- as long as everyone "plays it straight" and utilizes some integrity as far as re-shoots and "tanking" classifiers are concerned. People "tank" classifiers- it sucks, but it seems to be the nature of the beast before a big match. I have seen a couple of "sandbaggers" get bumped up from Area match placement though- so that helps.... Draws and reloads and transition are much bigger than you might expect. I was recently practicing with TGO and Mike L on one of the Drill Master COF's and Rob was a good 4-5 secs faster than us every time. I asked him where the time was, how was he 4 secs faster? We broke down the times and it was in the draw and his transition to a new position every time. Splits on a target were the same or a 10th faster at most. His reloads are lightning quick and it gets him shooting sooner. Rob always says he does everything fast, except shoot.

Just a few thoughts on this topic of the lottery draw... If you require "locals" to have a mailing address in AZ - how far out of the town of Mesa can you be to be classified as "local"? Within the Phoenix / Tucson area? What about the guys from Flagstaff or Payson or Prescott? ... or ... If it is required that they are members of the club, will we soon have 1,000 new club members? Any way you look at it, if someone REALLY wants to get in on the "first group", they will find a way. What about the "local" guys that have out of town family or friend who always shoot together? Is this okay to submit one local guy + 3 out of towners? What about the guys that won their class/division last year... they are wanting a guaranteed slot, too. T A2Chic Hey Barb, I too appreciate the effort and work you guys put in and trying to be fair and equitable on the entry system. I also think that the local club members should have first shot. What defines a local? Someone who has shot a minimum number of club (not special or TNS) USPSA matches in the previous calendar year, perhaps six. We have a minimum requirement to be eligible for a Nationals slot, it could be the same number. This also eliminates the locals signing up friends if those friends don't qualify. I don't know if it would be necessary to require club membership as we have Tucson and other areas who do frequent our matches who may not be members. But having one or more of the match directors who put on a match each month not get in doesn't seem good. I'm hopeful that most if not all will end up in the match if there are only 39 on the wait list but I think that a system that recognizes those who support the club throughout the year along with the lottery can only be a positive. Yup...This would be reasonable if this were a local club match but remember this is an AREA match and as such AREA members should get priority. Those who are working this match should get entry but all others within area 2 should get equal access, period. When you're right you're right, and this time you are. Ok, if needed revise slightly and make it a requirement that you have to have shot a minimum number of matches at an Area 2 club to qualify for priority entry this would just serve to prevent "club member in name only" and signing up friends and reward shooters who support any club in that Area .

Just a few thoughts on this topic of the lottery draw... If you require "locals" to have a mailing address in AZ - how far out of the town of Mesa can you be to be classified as "local"? Within the Phoenix / Tucson area? What about the guys from Flagstaff or Payson or Prescott? ... or ... If it is required that they are members of the club, will we soon have 1,000 new club members? Any way you look at it, if someone REALLY wants to get in on the "first group", they will find a way. What about the "local" guys that have out of town family or friend who always shoot together? Is this okay to submit one local guy + 3 out of towners? What about the guys that won their class/division last year... they are wanting a guaranteed slot, too. T A2Chic Hey Barb, I too appreciate the effort and work you guys put in and trying to be fair and equitable on the entry system. I also think that the local club members should have first shot. What defines a local? Someone who has shot a minimum number of club (not special or TNS) USPSA matches in the previous calendar year, perhaps six. We have a minimum requirement to be eligible for a Nationals slot, it could be the same number. This also eliminates the locals signing up friends if those friends don't qualify. I don't know if it would be necessary to require club membership as we have Tucson and other areas who do frequent our matches who may not be members. But having one or more of the match directors who put on a match each month not get in doesn't seem good. I'm hopeful that most if not all will end up in the match if there are only 39 on the wait list but I think that a system that recognizes those who support the club throughout the year along with the lottery can only be a positive.

I've posted links to specific images and galleries in other threads, thought I'd just post a link to my image gallery here. www.durkindigitalimages.com

click the button to the left that says " Match Schedule & Results" then click on "Major Match Results" then the match link. That is the public version. If you're a member 1st click on the "Members" button then the "Major Match Results" button to the left.

First of all I want to preface my comments by saying I was one of the 7 DQ's in L10. 1st DQ ever... I went too far forward and was called for breaking the 180. The reason this is possibly one of the safest sports is because we don't mess with safety and I wouldn't have it any other way. I did it, I was gone, I shook the hands of the RO's, I got to take pictures. My comment has nothing to do with being DQ'ed. That said, my comment/question is this Nationals typical of recent Nationals? The last one that I attended was in '95 the Open Nats in Reno, and I only recently started shooting again after laying off from '99 - '05. I know it's about the shooting and I'm all for that, but what happened to the pageantry? I remember the Nationals as having moderate - highly elaborate built stages and props. This had none of that. Most stages were delineated by black plastic panels with a stage sponsor banner. Area 2 had a fireman pole, a helicopter, a humvee, a graveyard, a thatched hut, a roller coaster. (not that I want to see that one again) I understand that many of the Area and Sectional matches still go all out with stages and props as was done in years past. It seems to me that the Nationals should be special, it's an event that we have to earn a slot for, many times by competing all year at the local clubs. That takes commitment on the part of the shooters and it should be rewarded. I'm not picking on Missoula, from the pictures and videos I saw from the Open/Production match in Tulsa last year it seemed like the same thing. I want good hard shooting, I'm not a fan of circus stages, but the Nationals should be special all the way around. Flame on!

Here are a couple of movies, I didn't take a lot of video I was mostly shooting still. http://durkindigitalimages.com/l10open/Stage1.mov http://durkindigitalimages.com/l10open/Stage2.mov http://durkindigitalimages.com/l10open/Stage4.mov

Thanks, I DQ'D my 1st time ever... so I had lots of time to take pics Friday.

Here's a link to a photo gallery of the match... http://www.durkindigitalimages.com/l10open/ Scroll or play the slideshow, Enjoy

That looks like a Thompson Contender which is a single shot pistol. It has a strong receiver and is used to shoot rifle rounds. There is no action or cylinder for any flame to burn him unless the gun actually blew up which is hard to tell. My guess is the guy just couldn't hold onto it. I saw the aftermath of a guy who clocked himself in the forehead with a .50 Desert Eagle just because he had no idea of the recoil he was about to experience.

Liked the action but I had a hard time paying for a movie that Hugo Chavez kissing, super liberal Danny Glover would benefit from. The idea that all evil deeds are known and approved by a "hidden hand" supposedly extreme right-wingers, under-pins the screen writing and is a belief held that evil white men are at the bottom of all atrocities by devout lefties such as Glover. Notice that Bob-Lee is reading the 9/11 Commission report when Glover shows up and sets up the premise that 9/11 was known and approved by the US government. Knowing the extreme-left wing involvement it was hard not to notice the subtle digs at gun owners and conservatives such as the line that Bob-Lee has something to the effect of "I come from a State of too many guns". The "too many guns" is correct the 1st part is paraphrased. The idea that the US military would look the other way while evil men carry out the slaughter of an entire village just so big-oil can keep their interests protected is a plot that surely attracted Danny's signing on to this movie. So too is the idea that the men and women of the armed forces are expendable to further the ambitions of the "evil hand" and so Bob-Lee is left behind even though he is supposedly the highest trained sniper asset in the US Forces. If our Military ever adopts a policy of expendability they will be hard pressed to ever motivate anyone to enter battle without resorting to the old seven virgins and a camel promise. I guess I can take satisfaction that though most likely unintended, in the end the guy who knows how to use a gun, wins.

You need to get out more, come next yeat. Last year was tough. This year it was down to nice and interesting. Hurt the production and SS divisions? Only if a production or SS shooter can't do a decent reload on demand. I did notice that the Revolver Division was the only division where no shooter zeroed stage 3. Those guys must practice. It was an interesting match but it was not memory intensive, at least by Rio standards. I shoot every weekend somewhere and alot of area matches over 8 years, this was still the hardest overall. Compared to what i heard last about last year, i will agree easier but not nice. Master class shooters with an open gun had lots of mikes and slow times, at least on my squad . Match was geared more toward master/ Open in MHO. About prod. & SS, 6 shots and you still have two to four rounds in a mag with nothing to do with them but drop them on the ground most of the time, where some exceptions. Nice for limited and open at 18-24rnds. You had to remember where those Hidden targets where while shooting. Part of a plan I guess, but we all Know how that goes south when the buzzer goes off. Probaly won't come next year, Match did not live up to the hype for me. Will attened TWO other area Match for just about the same Fee as this one. Gotta go with Viggen. I shot it L10 and there was plenty of opportunity for reloads. Everything I messed up on were the easy shots, wide open targets, or just a error that had nothing to do with the COF like leaving my 8 rnd loading mag in at the start of stage 1. (couldn't figure out why the gun wasn't still firing!) If you decide to shoot L10, SS or Revo you know what you're in for and you choose to accept the challenge. I shoot L10 only because I'm not yet brave enough to shoot SS, but I'm getting there. I have more fun doing well with L10 than I do shooting Open anymore.

I shot with Jerry Miculek and from what I remember he shot the paper in the 1st port, the activator and reloaded to the second window shot the low target and the slider. He didn't have much time for the slider through the 2nd window but got his hits. Then he shot the rest of the COF. If you look at the pics I put up you can see him reloading in front of the 2nd window. http://www.durkindigitalimages.com/area2/