Choosing my limited gun

[tbarker13]

So I'm still very new to USPSA, but I find myself drawn to the limited division. I don't want to shoot minor. And I don't own a .40 cal.

I'm looking at either the STI Edge or Eagle.

It seems like a lot of people get the Edge, but then have the slides cut. I'm sort of wondering how much weight they tend to remove with that. Because on the other hand, I see people with Eagles talking about adding a tungsten guide rods to add an extra ounce or two. I know this varies from shooter to shooter, but is there sort of an ideal weight in between the Eagle and Edge that people are looking for?

[JasonS]

My 2 cents is that the gunsmith setup, fit, and trigger matters more than a few ounces from going short, or long on the dust cover. Also probably want to consider 5 versus 6 inch, if you search around you will see a lot of debate on the pros and cons of either. Then you have to consider how much you want to spend, and how long you're willing to wait.

You could start out with a base Edge or Eagle, from someplace like http://www.dawsonprecision.com and have it tuned, or you could order a custom gun for some (or a lot) more money.

To name a few popular gunsmiths:

http://www.sviguns.com/

http://www.freedomgunworks.com/

http://ccgunworks.com/welcome-to-cc-gunworks.html

[392heminut]

The whole business of lightening the slide on an Edge or adding a tungsten guide rod to an Eagle is to have more fixed weight in the muzzle area and less reciprocating weight (the slide) to reduce muzzle flip. Most people don't add or remove weight so much to effect the overall weight of the pistol but more to tune the recoil impulse the their personal preference.

Edited January 2, 2012 by 392heminut

[EEH]

according to your Money,there some fine gunsmiths on this forum who could build just about anything you want,,with or without full dust cover is just a personal thing,,

[bigbear]

Try a couple of different guns out to get an idea of what feels good to you. A couple of guys from my local club let me shoot their custom limited guns and it helped me decide between a 6" and a 5". I decided on a 5" long dust cover from cheely. I have been shootung a glock for the last two years. And am looking forward to my gun being finished.

[tbarker13]

Thanks for the thoughts. I'm definitely not going the custom route at this time - at least not ordering something myself. I just spent 8 months waiting for the Colt Custom Shop to finish some work on a gun. And I have a Browning Hi Power off with Jim Garthwaite right now. I'm not saying I'd never go the custom route again, but I'm just sort of over the long-waiting game at the moment.

Figuring I'll either get something new from Dawson/Brazos, or wait the right deal to pop up in the classifieds, etc. Then once I've got that, I can always order something else later, once I have some more experience in the USPSA game.

The one thing I do like about the Eagle is the ability to take it over to IDPA if I ever get tired of shooting my CZ Shadow, which I'm using in ESP at the moment.

[bulm540]

If you change your mind and go the custom route, Talk to Benny Hill of Triangle shooting sports. I got my long slide from him and it runs like a scalded ape.

Edited January 2, 2012 by bulm540

[2MoreChains]

The one thing I do like about the Eagle is the ability to take it over to IDPA if I ever get tired of shooting my CZ Shadow, which I'm using in ESP at the moment.

That was the main reason I chose the Eagle. I like to shoot in both sports, so being able to use the same gun for both appealed to my thrifty nature.

[waddo29]

I bought an STI Eagle 40 S&W bushing barrel because I wanted to set it up to compete in IDPA and in the Limited division in USPSA. If I had been buying a pistol solely for USPSA I would have bought the Edge because I prefer the look of a full dust cover, and bull barrel