B.J. Norris

Hey guys, I'm looking for a basic free hit counter for a blog. A Google came back with a bunch, but I was wondering if ya'll had any favorites (mainly, one that won't spam your email to hell and back). Thanks, BJ

Hey Merlin, FWIW, I've shot my ported, comped Open gun from retention (with the gun turned outward, which is my understanding of the proper technique) with no ill effects. Even to the point of I remember feeling less blast that way then I do with the gun in front of my face. Also FWIW, I'd stick with 9x19, more ammo available and with the Winchester Ranger 127 gr +p+ ammo (it made like a 170 PF out of my G34) , just as powerful as 9x23. I say go for it!!

Jack, That's one of the coolest posts I've seen in a long time.

I just got a summary video of my '07 shooting season posted on You Tube. I'm still working on getting my video editing up to speed, so please let me know what you think. http://youtube.com/watch?v=Pu_Ztp30zfM Thanks!

Hey guys, I just posted a class report on my Myspace.com blog. Check it out!

Rocket, It appears from the pics you posted that the "2011" kit is actually the Unit 1 Marvel, whereas the "1911" kit is the Unit 2. I might be wrong, as I'm not ultra familiar with the Marvel kits, but the first one looks like a fixed barrel, and the second one looks like a pivoting barrel.

Dale, Thanks for the link, however our problem is finding a clip that we can download and embed in a power point file.

FYI, UPS Stores are not owned or operated by UPS itself, they are a franchised location. Also, if you go to ups.com and search "firearms", their complete firearms policy is the first hit, the only way you can ship firearms is through the Customer Center or a daily pick-up account.

Tactical Solutions does have an M&P conversion (along with several other plastic guns) in the works, however they are still very early in the prototyping stage, so the release date is unknown at this point.

Hey guys, I'm not saying that the Steel Challenge rule book is perfect and nothing should be changed. The movement and safety rules should probably be the same for Practical Pistol and SC, just for the sake of consistency, but not because there's anything wrong with the way they are currently. All I'm saying is that shouldn't be any large changes for at least the first 2-3 years while USPSA gets their feet under themselves running SC the way it is before things start being changed. Kyle, I have to ask, why does this make it broken? I can tell you with certainty that this was not The Mike's focus. Their focus was to put on the best pistol match in the world, and at that, they have been a runaway success

Butch, I meant in no way that there are walls between shooters, one more fun than the other, etc. Only to show that they must have different rules, administration practices and cannot really be directly compared because even though they are use guns, all are radically different sports.

Hey guys, please look at the attachment before reading the rest of my post. Now keeping the chart in mind, USPSA now "owns" three styles of shooting. All three are distinctly different, each with their own set of rules. When Multi-gun was run predominately our of the USPSA Practical Pistol book, it was a disaster, the solution? A completely new set of rules, scoring system and divisions was introduced to USPSA 3-gun/multi-gun. The result being that that wing of USPSA is stronger than it ever has been before. Steel Challenge does not have divisions in the sense that we, as USPSA, IDPA, etc shooters are used to, a division in SC is equivalent to a category in USPSA. This works in Steel Challenge because of two reasons, less distinction between equipment, and money. It doesn't matter whether your gun holds 10 rounds (I use 10 rd STI mags for steel) or 50, because if you shoot more than 5, you're loosing ground fast. With no power floor, 9mm/38 super is THE caliber of choice, mainly because of expense, but that's not say that you can't shoot .40 or .45, loaded to the PF of your choice. Why have IDPA divisions then? The only answer I can give to that is that is just "feels" right. The majority of USPSA can use their regular gear at little or no disadvantage, whereas most IDPA shooters won't have race gear. Since Steel Challenge is separate from USPSA Practical Pistol and has it's own divisions, I would rather have them set-up so IDPA shooters can instantly see that they have a place to shoot in Steel Challenge, using equipment rules that they are familiar with. Also, Steel Challenge is beyond any dispute the richest pistol match in the world, 2007 alone awarded more than $50K cash to the shooters, a very high percentage of shooters won guns, and I'd wager 80-90% of the shooters got their match fee back in the value of the prize package from the prize table. There's not another match that can claim this, why are we worried about what we need to change about it now that we (USPSA) own it, instead of trying to figure out what makes it work and put that into our (USPSA's) other shooting styles? USPSA_Chart.pdf

I like the 4" Threaded barrel with a comp, the overall length of both comes out to about 5.5", this keeps the front of the gun very, very light. The TacSol grips also cut a lot of weight from the gun, the stock rubber grips are actually pretty heavy compared to the alum grips that have been machined. If your gun has a mag safety, you'll need the "New-Style, Non URX" grips (have I ever mentioned how much I hate companies that like to change the frame design enough to need a new grip design at seemingly the drop of a hat...)

Rich, I'd say without a doubt TacSol 1911 upper, Browning with TacSol barrel and grips, and 22/45 with TacSol Upper in a very distant third, I believe that the TacSol 1911 upper is one of the most reliable .22's you can get. Even with Mini-Mags, my Browning doesn't run well enough for me to shoot it in a match (I think it needs a new extractor, but I haven't had a chance to figure it out). If you can get both guns to run equally well, which is possible with some work, it comes strictly down to personal preference. Minus the scope, I'd estimate my Buckmark with a 4" TacSol barrel, comp, rail and grips to be in the 25 oz neighborhood, whereas my 1911 upper, comp and rail feels like 45-50 oz. Needless to say, the 1911 just kind of vibrates when it fires, but I do have to put a little muscle on the Buckmark. If I had the Browning running 100% with a good trigger (Pat Cochran is THE MAN on Buckmark triggers, consistent 16-20oz pulls that run), I honestly can't say for sure what gun I would shoot in SC. I suspect that it would still be the 1911, however I do feel like I can swing the ultra-light Browning a bit faster. It all comes down to light and fast vs. heavy and slow... Feel free to give me a call if you want to chat about it (nine-zero-three)830-0724

Mike, The C-more railway will cover the top rail screws, however mine pretty much holds zero when I take it on and off as long as I'm careful to put in back in the exact same place. FWIW, I don't think I've seen Remington bulk ammo run right in ANY gun, and when it does... It misfires... I've had good luck with Federal bulk in my Browning, but only the stuff from Wal-Mart. I don't know why, but every box I've gotten from a Wal-Mart (not just my local store) has been quite a bit better than the 3 boxes I bought at a local gun shop, best part is that the Wal-Mart packs for more ammo for less money.

I don't have my FS yet, can somebody post the teams? Thanks,

+1, Antonie is a class act.

Bryan, They do have a tab to engage the slide stop, however mine are hit or miss whether it locks back due to the dimple in the slide stop to keep it from getting bumped on. Dan told me at Steel Challenge that they were going to re-design the tab for more positive engagement.

Hey guys, sorry I'm late getting to this thread, I was waiting to talk to the guys at Tactical Solutions to try and nail down a firm date that the 1911 conversion will be available. The good news is, the first production run should be shipping within a few weeks, the bad news is that all of the first production run has already been sold. They are taking back-orders for the next run which right now looks like it should be ready in the next few months. I haven't had any problems with my conversion unit, it feed with any kind of ammo put in it and is very accurate with any decent ammo. I've had pretty good luck with Federal bulk ammo, but it tends to be a little hit or miss package-to-package accuracy wise, I bought a 550 rd. pack from Wal-Mart in CA and could hit the same spot all day long at 20 yards, but a 525 rd. from a local gunshop looked like I was shooting buckshot at 10 yards. I've been having good consistency with CCI Mini-mag, and is probably what I'll shoot during matches from now on. The best thing by far about the conversion is the magazines, which easily come completely apart for cleaning, are easy to seat with 10 rounds and heavy-duty. They really did their homework when they designed the magazines and they are probably some of the best pistol magazines (of any caliber) I've ever seen. You won't be disappointed with a Tactical Solutions conversion.

A little bird told me that a very well-known maker of lightweight, colorful .22 barrels will be making one sometime in the near future...

Thanks for the help guys, National Target has what I need.

Does anybody know of a place where I can order the 25M rapid fire targets? Every place I've found so far doesn't seem to have been updated in the past 6-7 years...

From The Outdoor Wire: FORT BENNING, Georgia - Soldiers of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit took home numerous medals from the USA Shooting Champion of Champions Rifle and Pistol Matches Sept. 24 to 30; two Navy Reservists, an Army Reservist and a cadet from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., also were awarded. Pvt. 2 Brad A. Balsley of the USAMU won the Rapid Fire Pistol Regional and Junior Championships and was third overall; he also set a junior national record. Congrats Brad!

.14 percent or .14 match points?

Hey Mike, When will the application be out? Already looking forward to it.