StealthyBlagga

Get the Apex barrel - the semi-fit is easy to install and works great. If you add an Apex FSS trigger kit too, your M&P trigger will be better than any Glock is capable of being.

I have an M&P CORE that comes from the factory with cowitnessed irons. I don't need them to find the dot (as mentioned above, you don't want to get used to that crutch), but neither do I find them in any way distracting. I guess they would be handy if my dot did fail, but I mostly leave them there because I see no reason to remove them. Equally, I'd not make any effort to install irons if they were not already there.

IMHO, the greatest virtue of PractiScore is that it gives each shooter the ability to self-squad. If there is someone you can't abide, be sure to pick a different squad next time - problem solved. As mentioned above, if you can't find a squad you like, the problem is probably you

I've had several Quarter Circle 10 9mm PCCs and they all worked great. Not necessarily optimized for competition out of the box like the JP, but robust and reliable to be sure... those guys have figured out how to make a blowback PCC run and run and run. If I had to bet my life on a PCC functioning (heaven forbid ), it would be a QC10.

You could apply a mixture of lead shot and epoxy anywhere inside the pistol that is not visible - notably under the grip module and inside the dust cover. Cheap and easy, but permanent. I may try it for grins.

In a major match last year, I saw a competitor experience an out-of-battery discharge with his skeletonized blowback PCC. The generous lightening slots cut in his upper allowed flying fragments of brass to exit the left side of the receiver and cut up his forearm so badly he had to go to hospital to have the wounds patched up. While not life-threatening, it looked painful and impacted his match performance (he finished the match on a hurry-up schedule with a heavily bandaged arm). In general, a plain vanilla forged receiver is lighter and stronger than a billet receiver. Although lightening cuts in the upper might look sexy, I don't see the weight saving being significant, especially so close to the center of gravity. Given the safety concerns above, lightening slots in the upper seem like a waste of time and money to me. For a lightweight build, I'd just use a standard forged flattop stripped .223/5.56 upper (long ejection port, no ejection port cover, no forward assist) and spend the money saved on practice ammo (or, if you must, a bitchin' Cerakote job).

Thanks for the reminder, but that's not my issue. I am a long-time Limited 3-Gunner and know myself to be capable of shooting MOA groups at distance with a red dot. The trick is to size the target so that the dot nests and centers very naturally with a halo of black evenly around it - this way, alignment issues are immediate apparent and easily correctable. In my case I am shooting 3" black rounds at 50 yards with a 2MOA dot turned down to the lowest visible brightness. I shoot for groups with my weak-eye closed. The PCC is supported front and rear with sandbags, which makes for a rock-solid hold. Lastly, I am centering the dot in the tube for every shot to minimize parallax error.

After some testing and load development, this is what I have come up with: 147gr Blue Bullet Round Nose 2.8gr WSF CCI SPP Mixed brass This load is VERY soft shooting, makes a 133 power factor, uses powder I have a lot of, and is relatively inexpensive. The 10-shot group below was shot today at 50 yards with a Trijicon MRO red-dot optic. The cluster is 8 hits in one ragged hole - the one high hit out on its own is a mystery, and this is what I have come to expect from both my Guard PCCs... a reasonably tight group and then one or two wild flyers.

LOL - I wish

Indeed, such conduct disrupts the match by potentially driving it out of business. In any case, rule 6.4.5 just says the MD has to send a report to USPSA within 7 days... I can't find anything in the rules about a review or appeals process pertaining to 6.4.4, much less that DNROI has any standing to reverse the MDs decision. The only option would be rescinding the club's USPSA affiliation, which I guess would be a President/BoD decision.

In our case, we use a lottery system. Unfortunately, this does not stop people from trying to sell their slot.

In theory I agree this would be an equitable approach. In practice, there are some matches that sell out quickly and have a sizable wait list - think USPSA Nationals or IPSC World Shoot. In such cases, a transferable slot becomes something of rarity and value, and therefore subject to for-profit speculation.

Agreed, and LEO surplus M&P40s are common enough.

When running any major match, the vast majority of funds are spent well before the match dates, so giving a full refund at the last minute is typically not feasible. The options we considered were: 1) Cancel with a partial refund. Likely the refund would have been much less than the 30% we eventually gave because the fixed pool of $$$ would be spread 3x thinner. 2) Postpone to later in the year. Obviously, this is challenging for competitors and staff who would have to clear out their schedules, book holiday time, make new travel arrangements etc. Complicating this is the fact that, our home range is very active, with a full competitive calendar already, so finding a slot would be a problem. Lastly, summer conditions here in AZ take the hottest months - May to August - out of play for a major (too many weak people coming from out of state ). 3) Cancel and give everyone a free entry for the 2021 match. The sunk costs would have to be eaten, but prizes, targets etc. could be put into storage for a year. Realistically, this was probably the most likely outcome if we had not been able to find a way to run the match under appropriate protocols.

Yes, I was very clear with him as to how his choice was negatively impacting everyone else who played by the rules, and I offered him the same 30% refund as everyone else. I gave him every opportunity to do the right thing - he declined.

I'm not really that upset. As mentioned above, to some extent it is the cost of doing business - it's just disappointing for this to be so in the action shooting sports as I had always thought I could expect better behavior. I hope this does not become a trend, because nobody wants to go back to paper checks.

In our case, the individuals did contact us to request a refund, but each was declined for the reasons given (the second case was told to wait until we determined how much of a refund was possible). When it comes to a major match, even one like SMM3G that sells out with a wait list every year, it becomes very difficult to fill vacated slots at the last minute.

OK, having stimulated this discussion, I feel I should disclose that the incidents behind this thread actually occurred in relation to a major OUTLAW 3-Gun match we run (SMM3G), not a USPSA match. As such, we are free to declare these people PNG without having to deal with the USPSA bureaucracy - in practice, I simply blocked the offenders in Stripe (the payment processor for PractiScore) and added them to our blacklist. I started this thread in the USPSA rules forum because its an interesting discussion, is something that must happen to USPSA MDs too from time to time, and because the USPSA rule could bind the MDs hands a bit more. Here is some more of the background to our cases: We've experienced two recent chargeback events in a 12 month period (03/2019 and then 03/2020). Each instance cost us about $350 (lost revenue + additional bank fees). In the first case, the competitor (from MN) claimed his wife was cheating on him and was filing for divorce. His personal life is not our responsibility, and this came up well after the clearly-stated refund deadline, so we did not feel this warranted a refund. The competitor felt otherwise. The second case occurred at the beginning of the current COVID-19 panic (the first 2 weeks of March). After serious internal discussion, including consulting healthcare professionals, we decided we could go ahead with the match safely (with appropriate protocols), and indeed everything went without a hitch. We had a number of folks decide to withdraw from the match - some due to force majeure, and some by personal choice. As we were past the refund deadline and almost all the funds were spent, there was no way the match budget would support 100% refunds for everyone. Nevertheless, in consideration of the unusual circumstances, we told everyone that we would address the question of refunds after the match (the only exception being the hardship cases - deployed military and first responders, foreigners impacted by the travel ban etc.- who received immediate full refunds). When the dust had settled, we were able to move some money from other club accounts and raid the "new target" fund to scrape together enough $$$ to give everyone at least a partial refund (30%). However, the competitor (from CA) who submitted the chargeback felt that he deserved a full refund as he "did not feel comfortable coming to the match" - as such, he jumped ahead of other folks and drained the refund pot, leaving less for everyone else. In my mind, this meets the threshold for disreputable behavior. Concerning the USPSA rule, in the absence of a "clarification" from Troy (who seems to have become the Hawaiian Judge of USPSA), I'd read the rule to mean the MD can ban whomever he wishes at his sole discretion for any of the general reasons given (and I'd argue that "disrupt" and "disrepute" can be interpreted broadly), so long as a report is sent to USPSA within the stipulated timeframe. I don't see any mechanism for review, appeal or reversal. Of course, this is before we even consider the "soft" tactics that MDs can employ that make it very clear an individual is no longer welcome.

We did - the person was unrepentant and not interested in taking any responsibility for their decision.

Unfortunately, despite submitting what we felt was cast-iron evidence, including copies of the refund policy, evidence that the event went ahead etc., the bank upheld the charge-back. This was not a surprise to us - banks are known for siding overwhelmingly with their customers on such matters.

6.4.4 An individual may be barred from participating in a USPSA match, at the match director’s discretion, if the person: a. has demonstrated an inability to safely complete courses of fire, or b. has demonstrated behavior which would or may disrupt the match, or which would bring disrepute to the sport. 6.4.5 A Match Director enforcing Rule 6.4.4 must submit a detailed report to USPSA within seven days of the occurrence. How broadly can/should 6.4.4 be interpreted when it comes to despicable behavior. I am thinking of a specific case in which a competitor pre-registers and pre-pays for a major match slot, then - at the last minute - decides not to turn up. The match goes ahead as scheduled and that competitor's slot goes unfilled. After the match, the competitor submits a charge-back on their credit card to get a refund they don't deserve per the clear match refund policy, and this has a significant negative financial impact on the match. Does rule 6.4.4.a give the MD the ability to declare this competitor persona non grata at his matches going forwards?

My club runs its own practical shooting starter courses that are required for first-timers. However, we are a big club - not all clubs have those kinds of resources. Instead, this is exactly the kind of thing USPSA should be offering as an online course. Run it in a similar format to those compliance courses corporate America forces us to complete annually... information, video story and then a test to make sure the viewer has been listening. If they can enforce this kind of requirement for ROs, they can sure do it for new shooters.

Adjustable length is handy, but weight is an important consideration... the stock should balance your barrel weight and length to allow the rifle to track to your personal taste. If you aren't sure, buy a basic stock to start with and then play with adding weights until the balance is optimal for you. Once you understand what works best for you, it will narrow down your choices.

IMPORTANT: Anyone contemplating using the peroxide/vinegar treatment should understand that the resultant waste contains lead acetate, which can be absorbed through the skin and cause acute lead poisoning. It is also toxic to wildlife. If you must use this concoction, work in a well-ventilated area, wear thick rubber gloves, and dispose of the waste responsibly - do not just dump it down the drain.

As a stage designer, I don't shy away from mixed-ammo shotgun stages, but I don't want to set the shooter up for failure (or create an unsafe situation for everyone else on the range). I try really hard to avoid the shooter being in a position where they can shoot close steel with a slug - ideally I have them start or finish on slug targets, and make the immediately adjacent birdshot targets static clays rather than steel (or really small steel, so less chance of a slug hit). It's not impossible to screw up (we have some very creative competitors), but I like to think it is a lot harder on my stages.