Paulie

Awesome stuff. Will give that a try. I’m completely stuck at 20’s with a 19 tosses in periodically even on close targets.

I don’t shoot 3 gun but love Gorilla utility carts for my USPSA matches. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gorilla-Carts-800-lb-Steel-Utility-Cart-GOR801/206740078 Wheels are substantive and “bed” walls come down for transport. Stout for sure...could probably fabricate system to hold long guns horizontally.

Update- sticking again after a few dozen rounds. And it seems to be sticking below the taper...so along the case wall and not at edge. Will either take some material off the expander or wait until warmer weather for next run. Could be moisture in this cold. I’m really pissed because I bought 4K rounds of this new brass on sale. Now I may end up dumping it in trash! I had shooters elbow for a long time and I will NOT wreck my elbows over this brass.

Thx! My new 40 brass was sticking and smoothing the expander fixed it. First I tried adding some liquid wax to wet tumbling solution. No improvement. Then I bought the Lyman case prep machine, which is great at deburring cases. No improvement. Still happy to own the machine though as it will probably keep expander working well longer. Lastly, I took the expander off and worked it over with Dremmel tool, buffing wheel attachment and some mother’s car compound. That was the ticket!!! Expander is now slick as ice and the hang up is completely gone. I recommend using the low setting and putting the expander and demel inside a gallon zip lock bag while you work, as the compound flings off and it’s messy.

I hadn’t given much thought about how 9 major performs out of an uncompensated limited gun. Are you sure that 9 major would render 40 limited guns obsolete or might it be a slight disadvantage? I’m a firm believer in the “sunk cost fallacy” in other aspects of life and in finance. If you need to make a change, then make it....in this case, within 5-8 years everyone will have a new gun and (maybe) a better sport. The most important thing is to increase participation and if we pull in hundreds or even thousands of 3-gunners, that’s a big win.

I may be one of the few people who likes 40 S&W in general and hopes it sticks around. Since ballistics arguments are boring and generally inconclusive, I’ll just say that variety is the spice of life... With that being said- it would make sense to let limited make MPF any way the math permits like open.

Double tap...

Awesome deal!

I’m using the pronoun “you” generally and not directly toward OP: 1) Of course we can “coexist”. Some stage shenanigans are not a big deal. 2) nobody noticed or cared if you came in 7th behind some PCC and Open shooters. It’s just in your head; let’s change your mentality instead of segregating and alienating PCC. 3) If hotshot PCC guys are beating you, use it as motivation to improve. Also, this is a game to be enjoyed not agonized over. 4) Growing shooting sports and gun ownership in general is critical to preserving our rights. PS- I shoot iron sights.

I shot my current level of skill and had fun which is all I can ask for As a mid B class guy who had never shot a real match before, I was pretty pleased: Hit 80% of division winner (who is an amazing shooter) once...most stages above my classification %. Sort of a hoser match but I was happy with points: one mike, zero deltas and two NS’s. Upon review of the tape, there was a lot of low-hanging fruit and lessons learned. - The catastrophic malfunction was preventable. - Several standing and/or completely unnecessary reloads due to poor ammo planning. -Saw way more than I needed to (shooting major) on close targets....so that was slow. Had stages that were 100% A’s. I know I will do better next time.

I don’t want to upset Grumpyone for posting on a dupe...but here goes. It was an excellent first major (indeed first outdoor match). Things I learned. 1) You need a cart. It was a bear lugging my crap bay to bay. I highly recommend Gorilla Cart “GOR800” garden carts off amazon (as opposed to the canvas beach cart style). Much higher capacity, capability over terrain and durability. It’s absolutely a life saver and you’ll use it around the house too. 2) yes, you need to bring 2x estimated round count. I did and was amazed how much I used during the match between shucking them out at “show clear” and make up shots....it got close. 3) Don’t bring any gear that isn’t tested and proven. I brought a beater dry fire mag “just in case” and it got on my belt somehow. That mag cost me a 13 second torpedo double feed cluster-F malfunction. Dumb move. Test it or leave it at home. 4) Not a big deal but refresh your front fiber optic if applicable. I had used mine all year and didn’t realize how dirty it had become. The fiber was much better after replacement (a week after match). 5) Develop a load that will easily make power factor. Mine was well over major but guys in my line flunked. Sweating temp or humidity levels is the last thing you need to do at a match. Chrono should be stress free. 6) Mag brush is needed for any 1911 platform. If they hit the dirt / mud, they get the brush. Mine got sooo dirty on a few stages. 7) The stages will look way different than the match book so it’s a waste of time to obsess about them pre-match. Just practice any unusual starting positions, steel, stars etc. 8- record the match if you can so you can learn from success and mistakes alike. 3rd person is best for movement.... 1st person for grip and overall stage plan. Do both if you can. 9) Skip the heavy / long BBQ lunch and instead quickly eat light and walk the “back 9” instead. 10) Shoot more majors! It was really fun and invigorating to be among really good shooters.

USPSA is not a bullseye sport, so don’t obsess about groups. The goal is acceptable accuracy at speed, which I’m still working on and will probably be refining up until the day I retire from the sport. Several have already said to just go, so I’ll pivot to what I wish I had when I started. Buy Charlie Perez’s book. Listen to Steve Anderson’s podcast. Go have some fun.

Fascinating observation on the slide stop pin. I hadn’t considered that to be part of the lockup equation. At which distance and method will you test the accuracy? 20 or 25? Freehand? Bench? Ransom?

Here are two more examples... 1) The press was not level. It was tilting backward and to the right, exactly the direction to slide a case out of station 1 shell plate on way up (causing crush). 2) There was a bent (wet tumbling) pin in one of the shell plate rim holders. That could also keep a case slightly outside of position 1 spec and cause crushes. Haven’t done an extended run to confirm it’ll cure all issues but spot testing showed it is now 100%.

I’ll be sure to check out PV in future. Thanks!