Lesson learned the hard way.....

[Stradawhovious]

Don't know if this topic is like a rash all over this forum, and don't much care. I would think that the more often this particular lesson is brought up the better.

I'm a tinkerer, especially with my guns. I would prefer to "learn by doing" when it comes to tuning up than pay a smith. (mainly because I can't afford it.....) Don't get me wrong, I don't do any major work, just little stuff here and there. Well today, that certianly came back to haunt me. I was tinkering with my competition gun last week trying some "improvements" offered by a local gunsmith. Well everything was all well and good until I got to the match. Not one live round was put through the firearm before the match, and it was my downfall. I turned what could have been a fairly simple string into a minute and a half embarassing nightmare. The first few shots went off without a hitch, then the cylinder stopped turning, and I couldn't rotate it out to reload without some serious effort. This continued for a few reloads and I finally finished the stage, but at the expense of some serious emabarssment and about an hour of good natured ribbing.

Lesson here, if you are brave (read: dumb) enough to muss with your gun and you aren't a gunsmith, make sure it works before competing with it.

[TimWarner]

Don't know if this topic is like a rash all over this forum, and don't much care. I would think that the more often this particular lesson is brought up the better.

I'm a tinkerer, especially with my guns. I would prefer to "learn by doing" when it comes to tuning up than pay a smith. (mainly because I can't afford it.....) Don't get me wrong, I don't do any major work, just little stuff here and there. Well today, that certianly came back to haunt me. I was tinkering with my competition gun last week trying some "improvements" offered by a local gunsmith. Well everything was all well and good until I got to the match. Not one live round was put through the firearm before the match, and it was my downfall. I turned what could have been a fairly simple string into a minute and a half embarassing nightmare. The first few shots went off without a hitch, then the cylinder stopped turning, and I couldn't rotate it out to reload without some serious effort. This continued for a few reloads and I finally finished the stage, but at the expense of some serious emabarssment and about an hour of good natured ribbing.

Lesson here, if you are brave (read: dumb) enough to muss with your gun and you aren't a gunsmith, make sure it works before competing with it.

Been there, last match I thought I had a mussed up recoil spring. Grabbed the replacement out of my bag and threw it in.

Yeah, open glock + limited gun spring = single shot.

I was doing good, it was on the last stage. Zero'd it so we didn't run short on time to finish gettin everyone through the courses.

[GrumpyOne]

Another tidbit: If you clean your gun before a match, test fire it as well.

[bobtorre]

I agree. Once you test fire it 25 rounds or so.... put it away and just wipe the outside. Put it away and don't mess with it. NOthing good comes out changing things before a match.