thock
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Posts posted by thock
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John, it just never came up.
This gun is how I met my honey. I was practicing Barricades at the practice range in 2006. My comp fell off. Richard taped it on for me so I could shoot the match, then I found Warren, who Loc-Tited the comp on for me. It has never come off or budged, since, and I found a wonderful guy, to boot.
Eventually, maybe we'll put a Stick Shift on it. We've talked about it, but it hasn't been a high priority.
Tracy
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Warren made me a wing ring.
Tracy
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My oldest son graduates high school on May 18th in the afternoon. Google Maps says it's about 9.5 hours to KC.MO. from Rockcastle. I guess I'll need a coffee thermos and a jar to pee in.
Might be a light crowd from KC unless Warren and Tracy go.
We're going!
Tracy
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Jay Della Bella
+1
He built mine, and I am happy with it.
Tracy
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to whom it may concern:
on sunday i lay down my office as deputy coordinator bianchicup germany and matchdirector WAPC
This is not good. You have done a very good job of helping us feel easier about getting all the paperwork, ammo and travel arrangements.
I agree. You've done a great job, Dirk.
Tracy
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Why not?
Tracy
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both are 2 of the best stand-up guys at the cup...awsome gunsmiths and awsome guys how can you go wrong!!
Well, I certainly can't go wrong with Warren, my honey. And Jay kept asking both of us how the gun was running. He really wanted to make sure it was running well. Both of them know what they're doing, and care a lot about doing a good job.
Tracy
Tracy both you guys were so nice it was sure nice meeting you..are you guys going to the cameron cup?
Thanks, it was nice meeting you, too.
Yes, we'll be there. And my goal, this time, is to break 1650. Are you coming to the Pioneer match on Sunday?
Tracy
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both are 2 of the best stand-up guys at the cup...awsome gunsmiths and awsome guys how can you go wrong!!
Well, I certainly can't go wrong with Warren, my honey. And Jay kept asking both of us how the gun was running. He really wanted to make sure it was running well. Both of them know what they're doing, and care a lot about doing a good job.
Tracy
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What?!?!? No Prone Pad?!?!? Warren must be slippin' to not have one of those on there for ya'!!
Whatever you did, you came up 24 points from last year, so good on ya'! 
Alan~^~
Thanks, Alan! I missed you! I missed Ruthie, too, and Jeff Rowe, and a bunch of other people.
I'm too damn short for a prone pad. As it is, I need to hold my head up too high going prone. But considering that the only practice I had was the Flagler Cup and what practice I got at the practice range, I think I'm headed in the right direction. Grant's going to help me train, and Warren and I are going to Germany for the Worlds. I'm planning on breaking 1700 there, and maybe 1800 next Bianchi Cup. I just need to practice to get there.
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Well, I don't have video, nor my revolvers with me, but I do have my semi-auto with me. Pictures won't tell the whole story, of course, but here you go.
Not ONE problem not attributable to user error (ammo too long and not enough crimp).
I had the bottom of this gun built with a different top about 5 years ago by someone else. I had nothing but malfunction after malfunction after malfunction. I asked Jay to put a new top end on it, and boy, I wish I'd done it sooner. He did a wonderful job. No problems at all from day one, unless I had light enough loads to not cycle the slide. (I was using up old reloads.) Jay's my semi-auto gunsmith hero.
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Here are my two favorite gunsmiths in the world:
Warren Moore and Jay Della Bella
Warren does excellent jobs on our revolvers. He's the best Smith and Wesson smith there is.
Jay, who built me an AWESOME open Bianchi gun, is the best 1911 smith there is.
Because of Jay's work, (and his help with my operator malfunction) I had the best Bianchi Cup I've had in the seven years I've been shooting. Thanks, Jay!
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That looks sweet, Kevin.
Tracy
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That's my Warren! He's very good at what he does. Very conscientious, too, and even if I weren't biased, I'd STILL say that. He did work on some of my guns before we got together, and he couldn't have paid more attention to detail.
Tracy, Warren's "significant other" and biggest fan
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Louis shot open but with his Revolver this year he shot a 1565 which he was proud of he has gotten the shooting but with a vengeance and has started shooting Syd's open gun. He just about cleaned the plates at the local match last month. 44 of 48. he shot 43 of 48 at the cup.
Open guns are easier to shoot and score with in some of the stages because the rules allow certain things to be done. (locking on the barricade for one)
You CAN lock on the barricade with a revo. I do it.
Tracy
ETA: Ok, I'm an idiot. I read "Open guns are easier to shoot" as not-revos.
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Awesome, guys!
Tracy
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xsniper,
I am not a huge fan of the Gilmore, they were good back in the day, but even with Leupold onside they are not good enough.
Either buy a PFI or an Aimpoint. I am a huge fan of the old Aimpoints, GrantJ and his wife like the new Micro. Helen is doing really well with a Micro, I can't seem to get it, so I buy as many old CompM2/3 and ML2/3 that I can find at a reasonable price.
I use a mover base, it the best thing you can do to improve your mover scores. If you have the money and want to do this right, regardless of whatever scope you buy, or if the Gilmore you own is OK, get a Stick Shift and use the Gilmore as a plain fixed Red-dot. Later get the best scope you can. If and when my Aimpoimts die I am going to have to seriously look at the Red-dot that John Pride uses, I think he sells it through PFI. I like many of it's features and he seems to shoot it well.
The dot Warren put on my K-frame is the PFI dot with the four reticles. I love it. I don't use any but the single dot, but I could see a time sometime way in the distant future when the other reticles would work better for me (read: I'll have more control and can use them better).
Tracy
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I used to shoot NRA Action type matches at the Dallas Pistol and Revolver Club when I lived in Texas. I enjoyed the sport. However, it appeared to me that the standard setup of the courses of fire allowed shooters with the time and resources to shoot them over and over until they mastered (memorized, etc.) the courses of fire. Shooter with dramatically less resources, less access to the specialized targets, normal jobs, etc. could compete to a point. It seemed like there were two classes - those with unlimited time and resources to practice and the normal working group.
As others have stated, even the sponsored shooters have full-time jobs, but they still MAKE the time to practice, because they've made it a priority in their lives. You can memorize the course of fire, for sure, but there's no way to really "master" it. Even though the Bianchi Cup is the same four courses of fire every year, it's never the same. Every year, or every match, even, you're competing against yourself: your trigger finger, your physical condition, your mental state, your concentration. And there's no one else who can screw it up for you but you.
We have a friend we shoot PPC with on a regular basis. He is retired, so he practices a LOT. But he can't always beat another friend of ours who doesn't get to practice as frequently, but who has more innate talent.
Locally, we have one range which has permanent, dedicated AP ranges. We don't belong to that club, but we have friends who do, who have offered to go out with us so we can practice. We don't take advantage of that all the time for a number of reasons. We have also built a portable barricade and have a portable plate rack. We live 5 minutes away from a range at which we can practice Practical and Barricade, and 20 minutes from a range at which we could practice Plates. We don't go very often for a number of reasons. The reasons highest on that list are money and time. We need the time to make the money to live, and we need the money we make to pay the bills, be able to stay in the house, keep the shop, etc. We fully realize that by not taking full advantage of the opportunities we could have to shoot, we are not realizing our true potential, but for now, that's the way it has to be until the financial situation gets better.
And until then, we attend the local AP matches and one or two PPC matches a month (depending on how many are held), and do the best we can with the time we have. And believe it or not, I'm actually getting better. Not as good as I'd like to get, but better than I was at the Cup last year. And next year should be better, again.
Tracy
P.S. Tom: Big hugs to you. I think you're doing a great job. Things were better this year than the first year I shot AP, and they are getting better all the time.
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Tracy,
Cora says hi.
Karl and Co arrive tomorrow, they should be at the Extended Stay until we go to MI.
Cool. We'll be arriving at the Extended Stay late on the 21st. See you all soon!
Tracy
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We arrived in Columbia late Saturday ...
<squeals> Yay, you're here! I'm guessing the Pipers aren't far behind. I can't wait to see you all!!! Say hi to Cora for me.
Tracy
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I shot the Cup for 3 years with a .22. I used a Mark III with a Bianchi holster the first year, and a Ghost holster the second two years. The first year, all I shot was the .22, and the second two, I also shot a centerfire. Last year was the first year I didn't shoot a .22. I wish I could still shoot the .22, but I can't if I want to shoot two centerfire guns, and this year, I'm only shooting an open centerfire revolver.
If you shoot a .22 at the Cup, you can't win anything. But it is a whole lot of fun, and it's how I met my honey (Toolguy, aka Warren Moore) when my comp fell off at the practice range just before I was to shoot the Barricade. He fixed it. He also later put a ring wing on it.
I wanted to continue shooting the Mark III because I wanted to encourage other people to just go out and have fun with it, but I don't want to spend another $100 to do that.
Tracy
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It's possible that the Post Office lost it. In any case, I agree that it's a shame that Loren isn't among the corps of volunteers, and it's a shame that the NRA didn't notice that her application was missing, especially after she was honored last year for being there from the first. I hope something gets worked out, because I am looking forward to seeing all the folks I've gotten used to seeing every year.
Tracy
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Tracy,
What press are you loading on?
If Warren will let you near his 550 get a quick change for that with the Dillon Carbide dies. That way you again have a known start point to compare.
Get the same projectiles as Grant and cull your cases, again you will be as close to what Grant is using (only because his ammo works) and then you stand a better chance of making everything work the way it should. If you have trouble getting Vihtavouri then look at either Titegroup (4.3gr - 4.6gr) or HP38 (about 5.0) they are available locally to you.
I've got a 550. Between us, we have 3. I am using RCBS dies, with the Lee factory crimp die. I am thinking hard about getting Dillon dies, except that the only problem I have is with the crimper on the Lee die, so I'm seating and crimping in the same step. That can't keep happening, I know.
Tracy
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Tracy,
Try getting some loads off Grant. His machine makes good ammo. He uses one brand of brass "?" times then culls it out. If you try his ammo and it is better than yours. It might show where your ammo is going wrong. IF it is the ammo. At the same time compare some factory and see where that shoots. This way you have a base line that can be improved upon one step at a time.
I did just that, yesterday. Turns out it's my ammo. I REALLY need to get my hands on some JHP bullets and get new dies.
Tracy
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Thanks for the info, Martin.
...I prefer Federal GM primers, but regular Federal or Winchester Small Pistol are fine too.If you are getting 1-2 bad flyers of 10 shots, then it is likely a loading issue, or shooting error not the basic load or maybe a comp issue. Using some of the powders and bullets mentioned with velocities in the range mentioned, then you should get some decent groups. All guns vary, so you may have to make minor adjustments to tune your load to your gun. Don't overlook the crimp factor. Under crimping or overcrimping can ruin an otherwise good load. If possible try some known quality factory ammo for accuracy in your gun, or someone elses ammo in your gun or your ammo in someone's gun.
...Glad to see you stepping up from the .22
Well, the shots were all over the place, with Warren shooting the gun, no real flyers, as such, just large groups. Warren's accurate with a revolver, so I can't imagine he'd be less so with a semi-auto. I've never really shot the Para seriously for accuracy. After shooting it yesterday, he said it was no wonder I was losing points when I shot that gun. I can't wait to get my new one back. Shooting the Para is like shooting a 2x4, for my hands.
I shot the Para in the 2007 Bianchi Cup for my metallic gun, and before that as an open gun. I'm still shooting the .22 at the Cup just because. :-) I'm going to make that my metallic gun, until I get one built to fit my hand. That might take a while.
Tracy
Carry Optics for Action Pistol (Bianchi survey question)
in NRA - Bianchi Cup
Posted
So where can one find this Bianchi survey? I didn't shoot this year, but I shoot most years. Was this something available only to 2017 competitors?
Tracy