A. Miguel

We just started using Stage Score for our local matches, and we couldn't be more pleased. The palms are still very available on ebay(and CHEAP -- $20 each), and the system is so simply that most of our shooters were able to enter scores without any training. Even the guys who were opposed are now singing the praises. It's SO much easier than paper. Phones may take over someday, but for now the palms are the way to go.

I’ve got an STS on my carry gun, and I absolutely love it. The gun is an STI VIP in 38 super, and with this dot the accuracy is amazing. No kidding, it groups every bit as well as my Open gun. I can consistently hit a popper at 100 yards, and with my eyes, I give the credit to the STS. I prefer the taller glass of the Deltapoint, but I’ve never had a problem finding the dot. Course, I shoot a full size STI Open gun every weekend, so my NPA is pretty good. As for dot brightness, hell I’ve shot this gun at steel matches in the blinding light of our Texas sun and I’ve never had a problem. The dot is VERY bright, but automatically tones down in the dark (which is why the batteries last so long when it’s concealed). Best of all the sight holds its zero. I’ve never adjusted mine, and I’m one of those guys who carries ALL the time (“except in bed or in the shower”) so this thing withstands bumps every day, all day. I agree completely with Bob Hanna’s assessment: “In ten years, most carry guns will have these dots.”

This may stir conflict, but for those for whom nothing else has worked ... After many years of use, I was so frustrated with the permanent haze on my Cmore lens that I was ready to replace the damn thing. I tried Hoppe's (applied with a firm Q-tip), and numerous alcohol wipes. Over, and over, and over. Finally, instead of reaching for the hammer, I tried Lime away (an acidic bathroom cleaner). Rub with a Q-tip, rinse with water, and vuala! Crystal clear lens. Coatings still intact, and the thing looks new.

Many shooters showed up today to lay Cheryl Leck to rest. Commensurate with her involvement in our sport, it seemed like a who's who of IPSC in this area. Cheryl's family came over one by one to thank us for coming from so many far corners, and quite honestly, I was proud to stand among these individuals today who represented our sport. Allow me to give a quick rundown of the shooters whom I knew: Our Area 4 Director Ken Hicks drove the farthest. As I sat in the pew behind him and I considered the SIX HOUR drive he made to say goodbye, I thought about the criticisms of Hicks, and about how I'm going to castigate the next shooter who gripes. Dave Skinner ... is just a damn good dude. He was Cheryl's friend -- and in this case I use the term "friend" with reverence. He stood by her through the tough times, and was in the process of helping her get back on her feet. Skinner truly is the kind of friend in life we all hope to have. David Cupp, like the others who were there today, is definitely part of the "Old Guard." He is A1786. That's about as low as they get. And Cupp is the salt of the Earth. Marisa Hogan was also a close friend who stood by Cheryl through the hard times. It's funny how life is filled with twists and turns. Today, she dabbed her eyes and said, "In my will, I listed Cheryl as the person who would handle MY funeral." Kevin Coats ... a name I've heard forever. He was once a top shooter. He left IPSC when his eyes caught up to his age -- but with a 12 year old boy who wants to shoot, we may be seeing him on the range again soon. Larry White. Everyone knows Larry. Simple. Unpretentious. Often blunt in his honesty, but never overbearing. Like all the other shooters who attended, Larry is just a good dude. Paul and Paula Payne. Their gentility usually makes them conspicuous among shooters, but in this crowd they were the standard. ............................................... The funeral was as nice as a funeral can be. A small Catholic church, set way out in the country, presided by a charming polish priest. But truly, I left today with a realization: the people of IPSC who are most involved in the work and administration of our sport ... truly are the cream of the crop. Cheryl was one of them. She worked hard for USPSA events. I was proud to have known her. And the shooters who attended her funeral today were a great reflection on her life -- and a great reflection on our sport. Don Hardy

As many of you know, Cheryl went through some tough times these last few years. But personally, I remember her as the beautiful, energetic lady who was very involved with USPSA shooting through the 90's. She was always willing to help new shooters, and she considered all of her customers to be her personal friends. Our sport certainly benefitted by her involvement. For me, she was the first USPSA member I spoke with. I got her phone number from a 1995 Front Sight advertisement for the Texas Riviera Match. I'll always remember her enthusiasm as she described the sport, and as she encouraged me to call shooters closer to my home (she gave me names and phone numbers of Austin's clubmembers -- 200 miles away from her hometown). When I finally met her a few months later, she gave me a big hug and told me she was glad I got involved. From that hug forward, she was OK in my book. On her tables she sold many products that people instantly recognised as "Leck's"; and for over a decade of major matches she worked her tail off to insure shooters had fun. Those of you who remember her are obviously members who have participated in this sport for many years. I know she'd be uplifted by your fond memories. Below is funeral info from Dave Skinner. DVC, Don Hardy Visitation: 6:00-8:00 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009 Moore Funeral Home 402 South Alamo Refugio, TX 78377 Services: 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009 St. Katherine’s Church Approx. ½ mile North of intersection CR2441 & FM202 in Blanconia, TX Parents address for cards: Sandy and Johnny Harrison 315 Avalon Dr. Victoria, TX 77901 Son’s email for condolences: wilsondl85@aol.com

Cheryl Leck "left the range" at 8:40, Sunday, August 30th, 2009. Arrangements have not yet been made....

For anyone who might be interested in shooting an International match... The Columbus Cup will be held in Honduras this year -- March 6,7,and 8th -- on the beach at San Pedro Sula. This place is absolutely beautiful. It boasts the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world. I just bought my airfare yesterday, and made my hotel reservations. The airfare dropped to $400 round trip! (If you want to check Orbitz from your own town, their airport code is SAP.) We're planning on leaving Thurs, Mar 5th, shooting Fri, Sat, Sun, formal awards dinner (four course meal) Sun night, then we'll do a little sightseeing on Monday, and come back on Tuesday. The match hotel is the Hilton Princess, which is normally $200 a night -- our rate is just $80. And once you arrive, the cost of living is unbelievable (it'll make you want to retire down there). http://www.copacolumbus2009.com/ for more info. (Click on the "English" tab.) ;-) This match is held in a different Caribbean country every year, and I've participated in every one since they started -- this will be the seventh. Not to bruise any sensitive egos ... but honestly, these Columbus Cup matches are always spectacular -- a thousand times better than any match I've ever shot in the US. (And the cost is about the same). Anyway, I hope to see some fellow gringos down there. Don Hardy San Antonio, TX

I FINALLY got my gun running. My gun was catching empty cases. It was crimping the mouth of the case when the case hit the hood of the barrel. I tried everything. I changed the mag springs, changed the extractor, changed the ejector -- all to no avail. I tuned the extractor so that the point ranged from the top, all the way to the bottom ... until all of that cutting made the thing too short. I left the IPSC match Saturday before shooting the last stage, went home and worked on the gun some more, but then again at the steel match on Sunday I left after shooting just one stage because I had jams in three of the five strings. OMG, I seriously considered taking a sledge to the gun. Instead, I made the two hour drive to Corpus Christi to give it to Benny Hill. :-))) I asked Benny if anyone had ever sent him a gun that he couldn't get to run. He confidently smiled as he told me, "Not yet." Well, mine wound up putting him to the test. While I waited, he did what I did: tuned my worst magazine and replaced the spring, tuned the extractor, tuned and installed a new ejector. Then we fired it. Some rounds were thrown far, some just dribbled out, many jammed. Benny immediately began to suspect my ammo. We went back to the shop for some of HIS ammo, which did the same thing. When we went back to the shop, he did something strange ... and then began to smile. I didn't know WHAT he was staring at. He pushed the muzzle of the gun against the edge of his carpeted work bench, then racked the slide. He explained that when you fire the gun, the barrel gets pushed backward like this. But when he pressed the muzzle against the bench, the slide did not move to the rear freely. THAT was the problem. 20,000 rounds through the bull barrel had worn down the inside corners of the rails, and the barrel was dragging inside the slide. After he freed up that portion of the slide's interior, the gun ran like a champ. I fired a hundred rounds without a hiccup. WHEW! Benny said that this sort of problem isn't common, but I thought I'd share it just the same.

Wow. I've had this same problem (jams which result in crimped case mouths) for a while now. It has driven me absolutely crazy. The mouth of the case is heavily dented in two places where it has slammed into the hood of the barrel (that big block above the feed ramp). One post suggested that it's due to a weak magazine spring. "Looks like the brass is slipping down the extractor, missing the ejector (at least partially) and traveling forward with the slide on its way out of the ejection port." Great theory, and it sounded very plausible. The brass slips down extractor due to weak pressure from the follower below, and then the empty case misses the ejector. But as I pulled my slide and inserted a case to study the notion, I realized that if the case were to slip downward, it would actually help insure contact with the ejector because lowering the case results in a larger profile area of the case to be targeted by the ejector. Just sight through the ejector slot from the rear of the slide to see what I mean. I've changed followers, mag springs, extractor, ejector, and recoil spring all to no avail. But tonight I noticed something new. Because a range volunteer ran over my gun range bag (with gun inside) with a front end loader ... uh, my new "low profile" scope mount is only a couple of months old. I noticed that the underside of this new mount is badly nicked up from brass. I bet that the empty cases are bouncing off of the mount and occasionally bouncing back into the ejection port to cause these jambs. I'm not positive, but I think I've finally found my problem.