John Thompson Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 I shot the match of my life at the Western PA Sectional today. However I didn't get scored because a friend of mine sold me 130gr. 9mm bullets when he told me they were 147gr. I made a whopping 101pf. He didn't do it on purpose and attention to detail screw ups are kinda typical of him. But I had to use them because I had my two para's break this week(including the barrel bushing braking off my BRAND NEW LDA) and it was an emergency. I got the bullets thursday and loaded them saturday night. This was a time I needed a good match. I'm burned out and disappointed. It's always something and I don't know if I want to shoot anymore. There are so many variables that I can't control, I screw up enough as it is. I not mad at my freind but he needs to stay the hell away from me for awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 JT, Damn. I almost drove to shoot that match. I would have if I wasn't already set to shoot a different local match. I understand there were over 120 shooters. Nobody there would help you out with ammo? That sucks. At least you shot great. That is cool. After hearing your post and Pat's post I think I'll start carrying an extra gun and half a case of Blazer to all my matches (for Limited). When I start shooting Open, maybe I'll keep an extra half case of good solid reloads around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 Always check your ammo and carry twice as much as you think you'll need! John so you finally broke down and dumped that smith! You'll like the LDA. Are you shooting the Area 8 and Tri state? No clang and bang this year. That suck's big time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonedaddy Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 John remember, you shot the best match of your life today! I had the WORST match of my life the first weekend in July. I was shooting the way I'd praticed and it all looked good, but I couldn't hit any of the steel past 15 yds. So I got rattled. I started engaging the slide lock mid-stage with a bad grip. I stuck a mag with four rounds in it back in my mag holder. (Guess what happend on the next stage?) At the end of day one, I bagged up and told some of the guys not to expect me the next day, I was going to head home and quit shooting for a couple of months. I was fortunate enough to be squaded with several GM's at this match. (If you call can crashing in front of the super squad fortunate?) Two of them heard my plan to bow out and basically landed right in the middle of me with all four feet! When they got through with me,(15 minutes later) I knew I could never look these two gents in the eye again if I didn't come back and finish the match. So I came back and shot a little better the second day, still horrible. It gave me a lot to think about. One week later, I haven't touched the gun. I've been avoiding it. But, I figure I should at least clean the sand out of it. When I pulled it out of the bag, the front sight is hanging out the left side of the dovetail. (Doom on Bonedaddy.) The point is, you shot brilliantly today AND YOU DAMN WELL KNOW IT!! So there was a glitch in the power factor dept, I'll bet this ammo problem never happens to you again! Use this unfortunate turn of events to propel you higher. Success is not determined by what happens to you, it is determined by how you choose to respond to what happens to you. I know you are very frustrated right now, and I am being presumptuous by giving you advice. Please, don't give up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Thompson Posted July 23, 2001 Author Share Posted July 23, 2001 Ironically I did have few boxes of factory ammo at home that I forgot I had. But even if someone at the match gave me some ammo at the match the rules state any ammo on the shooter's possession is game. I had already submitted my chronograph sample prior to shooting the first stage. When I shot the first round at the first stage it was obvious that there was going to be a problem. I didn't have time to check out the ammo when the head "engineer", who also happens to own his own successful tool co., tells me he's sure he grabbed the right bullets it never occured to me not to trust him. My scale won't weigh bullets. I usually bring two guns to a match which is a lesson I learned when I sharted shooting open. I even cary a whole bunch of spare aparts including sears. But I never thought I'd have to carry barrel bushings. The bushing broke off where it holds the guid rod in. Neither I or anyone I've talked have ever heard of that happening before and I had it happen on teo Para's in a week. When I called Para to tell them about and get a replacement, the customer service rep could care less about what had happend. She just said they would send me a new one out soon. That was over a week ago( for the LDA). I had bad luck this week but the match was great and was one of the best I ever attended. Eagles Nest has gone down hill the last few years( local match attendence numbers prove it) but their working hard to get it back. As far as the Clang and Bang. All sports clubs were kicked off the Brookville Range so that the local FOP could shoot there exclusively. The Team FOP 69 shooters club made great improvements to a truely nice and huge range and now have no where to shoot and no return for their investment. This also happened to a range near me and the common problem with both these clubs is they failed to get a written lease. One club got kicked of the range a few weeks after renewing their twenty year written lease with a verbal one. As far as Brookville I don't think there are a enough cops in the state who shoot to be able to keep that ten bay range open. What a shame, that place even had a range in the deep woods. (Edited by John Thompson at 9:33 am on July 23, 2001) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 Think of yourself as lucky, not unlucky. Next time you don't weigh a bullet before loading it, it might be heavier than expected. You know what will happen then... ka-boom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Chevalier Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 I only WISH I had shot the match of my life at the Western PA Sectional. Sorry to hear about the ammo screwup John, but if you did well on the stages then you deserve full congratulations! Between clays as mines and carrying flashlights and low ports built to test the knees of the OFS team, this match had some really challenging stages. I probably should learn not to shoot while sick, but it's too much fun. I was surprised when my 177pf loads made 184pf on the chrono stage. I also hope shortly to never have to suffer and STI magazine again as 4 of 7 decided that Saturday was a good day to go bad. Look at it this way, you'll never have a pf problem again, and you've already demonstrated to yourself how well you can shoot. Perhaps we'll run into each other at another match. Cheers, Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 Hell, I am still waiting to shoot the match of my life... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 If you guys know of any other western PA matches then let me know. I live in Columbus, Oh. I there is a match that is worth the drive then I might be able to round up a group of shooters to make the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 I was going to go to that match but I decided to stay and shoot a local match and see if I couldn't get my gun working. It's gotten steadily worse, think I got it now. Glad you shot a good match, musta hosed shooting that light ammo JK. Seriously I know how much it hurts. My first US Open National match was going great til I got to the Chrono. I had just swithched from a P-9 to a Caspian framed gun as my P-9 had broke down on me at our nationals two weeks before. I asked the previous owner of the gun what to load for it and he told me 10.0 gr of w-540 with a 124 gr bullet. I thought this sounded way to hot but with only days to go before the match I loaded it. It chronoed at 174.3. Damn near broke my will to go on. But ultimately I decided I had shot well, learned much and had a great time there so there always next year. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 I even weigh bullets when they come from Nosler. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted July 24, 2001 Share Posted July 24, 2001 Now that's paranoid. (Or anal retentive!) I'd calibrate my scale with a random Sierra MatchKing. In a case of Winchester B9JHP147, I had one .45 230 gr FMJ. So... is anybody so paranoid that they weigh every bullet? Or every tenth or hundredth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted July 24, 2001 Share Posted July 24, 2001 Flex, Check out the tri state at East Huntington. They had the Limited Natl and Area 8 last year. Dave and Bobby put on some good matches. Usually with some real serious round counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted July 24, 2001 Share Posted July 24, 2001 Chriss, Anything on the 1st or 3rd Sunday (or any Saturday). We have local matches on 2nd and 4th Sundays. What about the matches near Erie? Aren't there a couple of clubs that are trying to build back up? Any good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Chevalier Posted July 26, 2001 Share Posted July 26, 2001 While I am not a member of Eagle's Nest (the folks who ran JT's match of life), I cannot recall ever going to a match where the people were so friendly and glad to see us. I drove down with two other shooters and met up with three others from Canada. The match was very interesting and the folks running it were fabulous. I fully plan on driving back to Erie for their next large match. Good people, good fun, good shooting. And heck even though I still think I shot terribly I won my class and got a nice plaque. Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted July 26, 2001 Share Posted July 26, 2001 What can I say PA. is a friendly state. I've read about the attitude problems with shooters in ipsc and idpa. I have run into ONE. He's a GM and is a real JA. Other than that the guys have been great. I have gone to clubs in NY and they treat me like I've shot there all my life. The first match I went to up there it started to rain and I had a guy that I knew for about 5 min. offering an umbrella. I don't know about the rest of the country but Area 7 and 8 have some damn fine people, and a lot of good shots. Flex try East Huntington it is down by Pittsburgh fourth Sun. Eagles nest is the 3rd. A lot of the guys I used to shoot with at Brookville now go up there. Great bunch of guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted July 27, 2001 Share Posted July 27, 2001 Might be able to make Eagle's Nest. August 19th, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted July 27, 2001 Share Posted July 27, 2001 Flex, 3 gun in Rochester NY that weekend. Should be fairly close for you $75.00. Details on USPSA area 7 pages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 John, I had the barrel bushing shatter years ago on a Colt Combat Commander. As you know, it's most impressive, your slide just stays to the rear, and your recoil spring and plug are somewhere down range. Looking things over later, the problem was obvious. Colt had cut the front of the slide too short; there was a fingernail thick air gap between the front of the slide and the back of the bushing. Therefore every time you fired the gun the bushing jacked back and forth, and eventually it gave up the ghost. There's something to be said, I think, for the extra-thick "target bushings" that end flush with the end of the barrel. Thinking about it, maybe getting a second bushing fitted to the gun and carrying it around in my shooting bag as a spare wouldn't be the worst idea in the world, and a spare recoil spring plug, as well. A few weeks ago I was at a match when I had a squib round leave a bullet in the barrel. Disassembling the gun in the safety area afterward, a slip of the fingers and ping! my plug goes shooting off into the tall grass. Bye-bye birdie. Luckily another shooter, who was smart enough to carry a spare gun to the match, loaned me his extra single-stack .45 and enough ammo to finish the match. Damn nice of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Thompson Posted July 31, 2001 Author Share Posted July 31, 2001 Duane, Now that you mentioned it I noticed that there was a gap in the bushing fit to the slide on the older para that broke. I remember showing it to some guys at the area 8 in 1999 and wondering what was causing it. At the time I thought it was the tungsten guide rod I put in pushing on the bushing and ignored it. It's still weird that I would have that kind of barrel bushing breakage on two para's in the same week, on a used para and on a brand new one. I got new bushings for them both and they seem to fit. I'll have to get an extra bushing. I already carry just about every extra part I can think of except extra sights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny D Posted September 20, 2001 Share Posted September 20, 2001 Just shot the area 8 a couple weeks ago. I broke open a new box of bullets to load for the match and discovered some of the bullets were shorter than what they should have been. I was loading 135's and the short bullets weighed 124. I went through the box and pulled out all (or so I thought) the 124 grain bullets. At the first stage I hand in my 8 rounds. When I get to the Chrono, I 'm watching the velocities right at 1250 FPS. ( Big grin as that is the same velocity I got at home) The lady doing the calculations then announces my PF at 155. ( Grin now leaves my face) I look at the chrono sheet, and there listed is my bullet weight of 124 gr. The chronoman asks if I would like to pull another bullet and have it weighed. "Uh-HuHHHHHH". Whew!!!!!! 135 so sayeth the scale!! 13 bullets out of 1000. I had only found 12 when I went through the box. Guess I should ask for a refund on my laser eye surgery. (Just kidding there. 20-20 both eyes. Money well spent.) Any way, lesson learned. Check everything before any reloading session. It could have been the other way around and could have caused a real problem, especially with the pressures some folks run. Load safely and shoot safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Thompson Posted September 20, 2001 Author Share Posted September 20, 2001 On a sad note to my original posting I was driving to a four classifer match a few weeks ago and the guy who gave me the bullets was riding in the back seat. He had appologized a week earlier and as far as I was concerned the issue was over. I was not mad at the guy just at what he did. Well during the long drive the guy started to really lay into me saying that the bullet thing was my fault and that if I had used the proper powder charge for a 147gr. bullet than it still would have worked (made 125pf)with the 130's. (?) He was bitter and full of obvious anomosity. I thought I was going to have to pull over beat his ass. It goes without saying that the jerk got me so worked up I zeroed the classifers. Then at my last local match (which I help him run) he bragged to other shooters how he got me so flustered it ruined the classifer match. I did get the last word. I told him how when I told people about what had happened they all answered: "why on earth would you take bullets from so and so?" These comments included pretty much included everything that guy touches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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