Eric802

Well, his "moaning" started off with admitting that there were many reasons he didn't win; he just says the popper hurt the most. Probably for all the reasons that BritinUSA pointed out; this was out of his control, and could've been prevented. Sounds like calibration has been an issue for a long time, so I don't think it's out of line for Racaza to point it out.

This is how I see it as well. Most people who are serious about shooting and/or carrying for self-defense modify something on their gun, even without considerations for competition - grips, springs, sights, etc. Finding where to draw the line and keep the guns "Production" is obviously difficult.

Moved my mags forward just so the back ones would be easier to reach. Playing with the holster position a bit in dry fire drills, seeing if moving it forward just a little helps me get a better grip faster.

Bumping the mag limit to, say 15, or just instituting a mag length limit for Production would essentially create a “no optic/optic” division with Production and CO. Two minor-only divisions. Limited and Open would basically be the same thing for major scoring. That “makes sense” to me, but opinions will vary.

I think B_RAD’s point is that “makes sense” is subjective. What makes sense to me may be ridiculous to someone else.

No modifications allowed? Springs, sights, grips, mag releases, nothing?

I was listening to a podcast from Stoeger a week or two back; I think it was an older one, but not sure how old. He was talking about the 10 round restrictions and mentioned shooting a match in California and everyone just magically had full-capacity mags for Open.

True. Not everyone stocks up on mags.

Regardless of how you define anything, Production is a division where a new shooter can show up and use the equipment they have. The gun, and the mags that came with it. If the word “use” bothers you because it’s not “use at full capacity“, well, ok.

Sorry, I guess I wasn’t aware that your factory mags ONLY run if filled to capacity. Mine work just fine downloaded to 10 so I’ve done just fine “running what I have”.

What does loading mags to full capacity have to do with "running what you have"? You have factory mags - you load 10 rounds into them. Don't need to buy different mags or +2 baseplates or any of that stuff.

To me (entry-level shooter) Production is indeed the entry-level division. You can run what you have and there's no scoring disadvantage since it's all minor. Will you be competitive with your stock, or mostly stock, gun? No, but not because of the gun. You could give me JJ Racaza's gun and I wouldn't be competitive. To me, CO is also somewhat an "entry level" division because, although the optic adds cost, a lot of people are putting them on their carry guns anyway. It's still a "run what you got" division. The rules allow some modifications, sure, but for the most part (springs, larger mag release buttons, sights) it's stuff that people would or could modify on their carry or nightstand gun anyway. To me, magwells are where you start leaving "stock" and getting into "race"; the occasional outlier not withstanding, MOST people don't run magwells on their "everyday" guns.

Wisdom.

8. Which is correct.

I haven't noticed any real differences with Blazer when priming or loading cases; might just be coincidence that you were loading up a run of Blazer brass when the spring broke?

I'd suggest that you get to the point where you're shooting in the 70's with all 14 clubs first, then figure out which club you want to solo with.

I appreciate the replies. There are certainly better uses for the matchbook than I had considered.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Mike, what you're saying makes perfect sense. I'll make an effort to look at the stage plan but not plan my stages based on it.

I appear to have a thing for stage plans...when I sign up for a match, I check Practiscore religiously until the match book comes out, download it, and pour over the stage designs. Part of it is that I just find them interesting, but I'm also getting an idea in my head as to how I'll shoot each stage, reload positions, etc. Of course, flexibility is required because the real stage never quite matches the design, or there's a popper that you can't see from where you thought, etc. I was at a match last month and heard a couple other (much more experienced) shooters talking about it, and one of them said they didn't really look at the stage designs much - the only real use they got out of the match book was the round count for the match and that was about it. They show up, walk through the stages, and develop their plans. I'm guessing there's no "right" or "wrong" thing to do, just wondering how y'all use the plans if they're available. About half of the matches I normally shoot usually have the plans available ahead of time, and I will say that I don't think my performance is any better or worse depending on whether they are.

I’ve seen a lot of people’s carry rigs posted on other sites, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one with a magwell. Seems completely adverse to the “concealed“ half of concealed carry. Most folks I know who carry don’t even carry a spare mag. As someone who otherwise leans more toward the “tactical Timmy” side, I believe the USPSA has miss-judged the market if the move toward lights is intended to bring additional shooters in. Anyone wanted to compete in USPSA, and who had a carry gun with a light, could’ve been competing this whole time just by taking the light off. It’s not like they’re welded on. The divisions are plenty inclusive now; the idea that we need to change the rules to allow more people “access” will end up doing nothing than further diluting, and eventually eliminating, the differences between production/CO and limited/open.

I think it'd be a good progression toward eliminating production, since that'd pretty much be Limited 10.

If you're getting pierced primers?

Watched it over lunch and I see what you're saying.

How do you determine what the HF "should" be for a stage? Rowdy mentions above or below 5 being a demarcation, but how do you arrive at the HF?

The bullets showed up today, so 4 days from order to delivery. No worries with broken bags or loose bullets - they come packed in wooden boxes that were strapped together with plastic straps. Very sturdy.