ErikW Posted July 26, 2004 Share Posted July 26, 2004 Yesterday somebody insisted I shoot his Open gun. STI standard frame, standard slide lightened where a rear sight would be, hybrid barrel, and compensator (Dawson?). He insisted it's the flattest-shooting Open gun there is. He insisted it was not loud to the shooter. He suggested it needed a firm grip. I fired at a shotgun hull on the berm from 15-20 yards. I hit the hull but the dot lifted completely out of the C-More lens. I tried a few more shots with the same result. I stepped up to about 10 yards and just fired into the berm, slowly and quickly. The dot lifted waaaaay up and out. And the gun was loud, despite foam plugs under Dillon e-muffs. I don't doubt that it is the flattest shooting gun in the world... for its owner. It's not that for me. This is why trying to choose or build an Open gun based entirely on the opinions here on the forums, or anywhere else for that matter, is a fool's errand. We handle the guns with different inputs. We perceive the feedback from the guns differently. Our opinions are non-transferable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Larry Cazes Posted July 26, 2004 Share Posted July 26, 2004 Opinions are way subjective and fallible.....Based mostly on our previous experiences. My wife Tracy's new 38 super open gun is definitely the flattest shooting open gun I have ever shot. In fact it is the ONLY 38 super open gun I have ever shot! I also don't often feel the difference in recoil that others do with changes in powder or load. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist for someone out there. By the way, looks like HS6 may be a winner for her gun. 8.7 grains with a Montana gold 124 JHP shoots very sweet. Averages 169.7 PF and the dot only climbs about half way up the top half of the glass. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
short_round Posted July 26, 2004 Share Posted July 26, 2004 "Beware of the naked man selling you his shirt." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted July 26, 2004 Share Posted July 26, 2004 I recently got my open blaster back from the gunsmith. He went from a bull barrel to a cone and he put on a short comp with no ports out the side. The whole rig weighs three ounces more than my single stack. I shot the gun and I didn't like the new impulse and the dot tracked like crap. I thought, "Oh man I don't like this at all". Here I am a thousand rounds and three local matches later and I love the gun. Go figure. When I switch from 115 to 125 bullets it all starts over again. OTOH, there is a huge difference between going heavy and stable versus fast and light. I think all of us can tell the difference between old technology boat anchor of a pig open blasters and the new breed of fast handling guns. Somewhere along the line a person will have to make an intelligent (or stupid) decision based on something be it rumor, advertising, or Internet babble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted July 26, 2004 Author Share Posted July 26, 2004 Mostly I meant the more subtle parts and ingredients, such as bull vs. cone, comp design, slide lightening, bullet weight, powder selection, etc. But I'd love to compare plate rack times or Melody Line hit factors with somebody who thinks his shortened-lightened less-filling foo-foo wundergun is the be-all-end-all Open gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted July 26, 2004 Share Posted July 26, 2004 "Dot doesn't leave the scope" is the biggest scam.. If your timing is very good, maybe, but otherwise, well, Maku Mozo. Anyway. I was practicing for the Steel Challenge the other day and happened to have both my old heavy Super (long/heavy dust cover, bull bbl, big comp, aimpoint) and my Short/Light gun along. Times with either on Showdown were within a couple tenths.. and not really distributed by gun. For me the lighter gun draws a bit quicker and moves a bit snappier, but the difference is far less than one makeup shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Larry Cazes Posted July 26, 2004 Share Posted July 26, 2004 Excuse me for my lack of experience in this area but I just got my first open gun this last week. Assuming equal weights, can the difference in handling for short vs. long guns be explained by weight distribution alone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmon Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 i still like the feel of a so called heavy gun. i shoot one of the lightest pistols currently used in competition, glock 34. i cant tell you i have faster transitions with it than my pig of a 1911...44 oz 45... likely i will build a heavy open gun...a heavier limited gun.. this will work for me. just get a gun that works, and shoot the damn thing.. or spend all your lunch money at the gunsmith constantly shortening and lightening you current pistol. It is the indian, not the arrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 Erik: When I say we can all "tell the difference" between light and fast vs. heavy and stable, I am not saying one is any better than the other, I just mean the difference is pretty profound. Frankly, I don't think it really makes any difference (for me) what I shoot. Fast and light or heavy and stable, I am still just a middle aged fat guy farting around with a dot. But I'd love to compare plate rack times or Melody Line hit factors with somebody who thinks his shortened-lightened less-filling foo-foo wundergun is the be-all-end-all Open gun. I suppose you could start with Adam Popplewell and Bob Londrigan. I ain't much of a challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted July 29, 2004 Author Share Posted July 29, 2004 Hey don't encourage them. After I posted that I knew somebody with a G in front of his M would pick up the gauntlet and thrash me about the head with it. FWIW, ShooterGrrl and various local shooters always said I shot my foo-foo gun exactly like I shot my Limited gun. Nobody ever said my transitions went to hell with the heavier gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfield Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 Excuse me for my lack of experience in this area but I just got my first open gun this last week. Assuming equal weights, can the difference in handling for short vs. long guns be explained by weight distribution alone? Yes. Weight distribution plays a huge role in how any gun handles. That is because the barrel is located higher than the place where you grip the gun, and thus a momentum is created on top of a force directly backwards. This momentum is what makes the gun lift. And for this momentum the weight distribution makes a lot of difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brazos Custom Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 It won't make that much difference on plate racks and Melody line. On short transitions that are evenly spacd the heavy gun will perform just as well. Get it out on long transitions that vary from shot to shot and on field courses where you are moving hard and the short/light will be better for most shooters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulW Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 I saw this topic, and being that I have tried'em all thought I would have some wisdom to share. SORRY Charlie....... Give me an open gun that works 100% of the time, is accurate, and a decent trigger and I could care less about the rest. OK, OK....there are some differences, but not a whole heck of a lot. Most of it is in your head anyways. To me the BIGGEST difference was the smack in the hand. Much more pronounced in the shorter gun. But it was a quick impulse. I guess a lot of people would call this "snappy". Short gun points better, but I can point shot anything at 7 yrds. Soooooo what does it all mean? It means I pretty much agree with Erik.....way to much energy put into the equipment. When taht energy would be MUCH better placed on the "Art of Shooting". Just my $.000000002 worth....inflation ya know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidwiz Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 It's kinda like when people say, "x setup will be the setup for x Divison". There is just too many factors that make up how people shoot that most, if not all, of the time, no one gun will seem the same to 2 different people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdragon Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 Amen to that, Fit, feel, features and reliability. Ivan SCSVegas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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