who says you cant be competitive shooting minor.

[digby7]

i'm having alot of fun with this thing - got a STI steelmaster 2 months ago to shoot open with - 3rd match in and I somehow managed to shoot my way to 6th overall and 4th in open. 2 master level shooters and A level shooter took 1st through third.

I shot on average 2 charlies per stage and around 96% of the available points. A mike on my first stage from not finding the dot really dropped me down it seems.

I dont reload - wife really doesnt like the idea of it - and 9mm fits within my cost tolerance for shooting alot. I shot some 9 major loads for it and there was a good amount more blast and it was a bit more violent in the hand. I think i'm averaging a 2 point loss on each stage from shooting minor so I dont see it as a disadvantage. My splits are not fast to begin with and would probably be a bit slower shooting open major - i still feel like i shoot this thing like someone used to shooting a singlestack that just has to reload less.

[CocoBolo]

i'm having alot of fun with this thing - got a STI steelmaster 2 months ago to shoot open with - 3rd match in and I somehow managed to shoot my way to 6th overall and 4th in open. 2 master level shooters and A level shooter took 1st through third.

I shot on average 2 charlies per stage and around 96% of the available points. A mike on my first stage from not finding the dot really dropped me down it seems.

I dont reload - wife really doesnt like the idea of it - and 9mm fits within my cost tolerance for shooting alot. I shot some 9 major loads for it and there was a good amount more blast and it was a bit more violent in the hand. I think i'm averaging a 2 point loss on each stage from shooting minor so I dont see it as a disadvantage. My splits are not fast to begin with and would probably be a bit slower shooting open major - i still feel like i shoot this thing like someone used to shooting a singlestack that just has to reload less.

A couple friends did fine with their Steel Masters minor even winning B class at a major but moved on to major in A class. Their split time were more like doubling.

[Graham Smith]

I've been too busy this summer to shoot much so my shooting (Limited) has suffered. I had some .40 minor ammo left over from a plate shoot I did in the spring and I broke it out for a much belated practice. Based on how I did, I may just shoot a match Limited minor. It can't possibly be worse than what I did the last time I shot .40 major.

And, I have wondered about Open minor as well. I doubt someone could make Master with it, but with good accuracy, there is no reason why they could not make at least B.

[digby7]

ridiculous splits are the eventual goal - I can do .15/.16 into the berm but thats without looking at the sights.

Ive got 2 b-classifiers in the bag right now without much trouble,

[Braxton1]

Minor scoring only hurts when you're sloppy. With that said, sometimes "sloppy" happens.

When you make the conscious decision to shoot Minor, you have to play the balance game. Will I slow down so much attempting to shoot all A's that my time suffers disproportionately? If you do, then the "points gained" versus "time lost" ratio gets fouled up, along with the Hit Factor.

Also, you seem a bit concerned about split times. Split times are a minor time saver or waster, compared to all those other things that we can control. A botched draw is a half-second waster. A flubbed reload can give us another second. Running into a position so fast that you go past it and have to step back will eat up much more time.

I had a friend that could shoot a 6-flat El Prez (down one or two points) on demand with a 45 Single-Stack gun. His splits were .20 and his transitions were .20. It sounded like a metronome counting a beat. You'd think that it was a slow run until you looked at the timer. He made GM in Limited and I don't think that he ever changed that pace.

[blaster113]

shooting minor should enable one to shoot faster than with major rounds. you gotta be fast to offset the difference in points. I would stick shooting minor right now and really focus on increasing speed, which will help your scores alot. I shoot with a couple of really good Masters at my local club and I usually get better points but move/shoot a little slower thus I finish behind them almost all the time. (God didnt build this body for fast movement )

[mikeg1005]

No one ever said you "can't" be competitive with minor.

Its just easier to be competitive with major... you don't start with a disadvantage that you need to overcome.

If you can shoot fast and shoot accurately, then ya its worth it... but I have found that sometimes its much faster getting a Bravo/charlie than getting an alpha... especially on headshots... you'd have to aim to get that a-zone... otherwise you are down a lot more than the guys shooting major.

Its a matter of can you go fast enough to make up the difference in the lower points. If you can go for it... if you can't... shoot major.

MIke.

[67 LS1 Camaro]

I improved alot by shooting minor in Limited . It made me really SEE the "A" zones , yet using Production(G17 or G34) gear . Stage design and/or target size can hurt minor though.

[1760yds]

If you're not reloading it doesn't sound like you have much choice but to shoot minor. That being said get good and then switch to major when it really is the factor keeping you from winning.