littlehendrick Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 I understand the budget crunch. I just recently graduated college, and so did my wife. We have one set of income until I move for the army, so money is still tight. Finishing high is always fun, and beating people with 3500 dollar race rigs with a "low end" pistol is even better. I used to shoot a Glock 34 in Production, since all production is scored in minor. I had to sell the 34 to pay some bills, and do the "adult" things in life, so now I am competing in Limited minor with a Glock 19. My wife runs a M&P (4.25") in Limited minor because we changed the trigger to an APEX FSS before we ever started shooting USPSA.The point is, we both have fun using what we have. I placed higher within my class when shooting production, and have remained close to the same overall when shooting limited. I shot production because I felt like it was more even with me shooting minor/9mm. I also chose production because it gave me more reloading practice. Shoot what you enjoy more. If you like planning out your reloads a little more carefully, production might be a good way to go. If you enjoy longer strings of fire interrupted by a silly thing like reloads, go limited. Just have fun, and you will get better as you compete, and beat more people. I love my Glock, but I wouldn't hessitate to pick up an M&P either to run in production. I never really considered the CZ or higher due to cost. I have had the chance to shoot limited 40's in a Glock and an STI, as well as an Open 38SC. Were they so awesome that they were worth the price of upgrading? Not to me, but that is a decision you have to make on your own. Good luck, and welcome to the addiction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttolliver Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 +1 on the advice about shooting your Ruger for now and spending your limited funds on ammo, match fees, and some training materials. Try to hold off buying a gun until you've had a chance to borrow one and shoot it. If I had to guess, I'd say that most of us never really end up totally happy with half of the guns we buy. They all have some feature or look we're chasing when we buy them. And they all feel great in the gun shop. But for one reason or another they fall short in some way after we get them home. That's definitely something to avoid if you're on a budget. As was pointed out, develop some friendships within your club and you'll have loaned guns and equipment available to you before you know it. You might end up buying the loaner gear at used prices when whoever you borrowed it from starts a new project. Last but not least, don't let your goals get in the way of having fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 I totally can understand that tolliver. I have been looking preeetttty hard at these XDm's since trying one out in my LGS (and like you said, it just felt nice in the shop!) and I think I know a guy that might llend me his to try. I really wouldn't want to drop that kind of money on one to not like it though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98sr20ve Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Just shoot production with the SR9C. But hold off on any purchases for extra holsters etc until you settle on the next gun. Ask to shoot a couple guns that seem to fit your hand well. Just to see how you really like them. I got to borrow a G34 for an entire match before I made my purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 The January match I shot a couple weeks ago I used my dad's Ruger P89 shooting Limited. I changed my holster position and mag pouch positions, and ended up shooting pretty well (given the fact I haven't shot a double action much since getting my SR9). I feel like my mag changes were smoother, my grip was more consistent.... all in all I have realized how big a difference a full size can make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 Hey everybody, just thought I would post an update of what I am thinking about and see if the hive mind has any input... I recently saw the new stuff from Para USA, and frankly it looks pretty sweet to me. I did a search on here and found one thread on the Pro Comp 40 (their new single stack) and everyone that has tried one seems to love it. Now I know the magazines are being redesigned currently for the double stack 40's and 9's and there isn't a release date yet, but I was wondering what everyone seems to think about Paras. The Pro Custom 16.40 comes ion-bonded, forged frame, Dawson magwell, adjustable sights, bull barrel..... I am a newbie but it seems like a pretty screaming deal for the 1100-ish that the Pro Custom 14.45's are going for. By the time I have saved the money for one the new magazines should be out and the gun should be available (fingers crossed), so is there anything that I should think about instead/reasons to avoid these Paras? Thanks again guys, your help is super great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBolt Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Gooldy, fellow Oregon shooter here. I started in USPSA in June last year and like you I am hooked. I am shooting a Glock G34 in Limited Minor. It's a pretty inexpensive platform to get started and the aftermarket parts support is endless. My wife and I are both shooting 34's in Limited. We shoot Albany, TCGC (members), and Dundee primarily. We want to also hit Douglas Ridge and Eugene at some point. Let's meet at a match. After the match you are welcome to try my 34. We plan to shoot 2014 with our current gear and next year my wife will likely go open and I will either go with an STI/custom or a Sig X6 Supermatch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 Let's meet at a match. After the match you are welcome to try my 34. We plan to shoot 2014 with our current gear and next year my wife will likely go open and I will either go with an STI/custom or a Sig X6 Supermatch. I would love to! I am probably going to shoot the Dundee match this month since the Albany match got cancelled. I would love to meet up with you guys there if you are planning on shooting it! I have looked at the long slide glocks on a few occasions but haven't gotten to shoot one ever. My experience with Glocks has mostly just been with 22, 23, and 19's. I would love to try yours. The things I have noticed about them is the sights are never lined up when I shoot them, the front sight is always too low when I mount the gun, which I attribute to the grip angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBolt Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Weather permitting we will be shooting Dundee. Was hoping to shoot TCGC this Sunday but it is supposed to pour down rain. We are Bill & Lisa. We usually get to Dundee around 8-ish so we can walk the stages before it starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 What is the opinion of buying complete guns from Dawson's? I saw they have Glock 35's set up for limited for 890, or the gen 3 35 for 827. I was wondering what people think of these, and if anybody has any experience please do chime in. I was wondering if it might be a bit cheaper to buy it already setup, as opposed to buying stock and doing the mods myself. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBolt Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 If you join GSSF you can get the Gen-4 35 for right at $500. Sights are about $100, mag extensions about $40/ea, magwell about $75. With the Gen-4 it comes with three mags. You can save a few $ by doing it yourself. I have the tools to do the sights and the rest is just a very simple bolt on. For another $25 you can add a race connector and spring kit and have a pretty decent trigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perrysho Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Hillbilly Saying ! "Be careful of the person with one PISTOL, he probally knows how to use it." Why do you wanna buy what a bunch of hog headed shooters on a forum like ???? Buy what you want and like. Be SAFE, Perry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttolliver Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 I've never bought one of the CRPs but I would in a heartbeat if the urge took me to pick up one of the models they sell. That just hasn't happened yet. I do outfit my guns with Dawson sights, grip tape, etc. So every component they'd hang on one would be top notch and you shouldn't have any hesitation there. The main difference to me would be whether you personally like the idea of tinkering with your gun or if doing the mods yourself would be an irritation between you and having fun. If the former, absolutely order all the parts separately and have fun. If not, go for the ready package. In either case I doubt the cost difference is enough to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 I've never bought one of the CRPs but I would in a heartbeat if the urge took me to pick up one of the models they sell. That just hasn't happened yet. I do outfit my guns with Dawson sights, grip tape, etc. So every component they'd hang on one would be top notch and you shouldn't have any hesitation there. The main difference to me would be whether you personally like the idea of tinkering with your gun or if doing the mods yourself would be an irritation between you and having fun. If the former, absolutely order all the parts separately and have fun. If not, go for the ready package. In either case I doubt the cost difference is enough to worry about. I saw that they had a Gen 4 G17 on there for like super clearance at 595 with all the stuff set up for minor limited. I thought about getting that but decided I would spend the extra money to get the one I actually would want. As far as tinkering and stuff like that, I can go either way. I can do it all myself but most of the time I would rather just skip it if there is such an option (unless I would save money, then I would probably do that). If you join GSSF you can get the Gen-4 35 for right at $500. Sights are about $100, mag extensions about $40/ea, magwell about $75. With the Gen-4 it comes with three mags. You can save a few $ by doing it yourself. I have the tools to do the sights and the rest is just a very simple bolt on. For another $25 you can add a race connector and spring kit and have a pretty decent trigger. I hadn't thought about that option, I think I get an LEO discount for being fire on Glock at my LGS..... so same idea, without joining GSSF and saving that money. Thanks for the advice guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBolt Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 LEO discount is slightly better than the GSSF price. For Limited class I did 5 mags with extensions. Probably can get by with 4. I went with the Taran Tactical and they have been flawless. The mods you want to do can all be done in under an hour. Put the money in your pocket and learn the mechanicals of your gun. Happy to walk you through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 That is the biggest thing I think. The more money I can save on the front end makes for a lot of practice ammo and match fees... I borrowed my buddy's G22 and was doing a little dry fire practice and was already nailing reloads as good as I can with my own gun. Awkward. I might ask him if I can shoot it at the match this weekend. I might be taking you up on help putting one together very soon thanks for the offer! I was thinking 3 magazines, and try to save some money to start with. I sure hope it doesn't take me more than 60 rounds for a single stage... And once I got into some money I could pick up another and run 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBolt Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Always keep an extra magazine beyond what you need for the stage in case you have a malfunction and need to dump a full mag to clear it. You may never need it but... Are you doing you own reloading? If you are you are good to go to shoot limited major with the .40cal. If you are shooting factory ammo you will be eating up a lot of time taming that recoil. When we started last June I was not reloading. So we opted to go limited minor. Thinking the points we give up shooting minor could be made up with time saved. Not sure if that was a solid plan or not. Now I am loading and can't believe the difference between a minor legal load and a factory load. Dundee will be our first official match shooting my reloads so I am hoping to see so improvement on times. I will bring a little fasctory ammo so you can see the difference back to back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 I am reloading for my 9mm currently, but I haven't ever chrono-ed my ammo. I just got the recipe from a friend, but it seems like it is way hotter than it could be potentially. I want to try downloading it to 130ish PF and see what it feels like. My current load is 4.7 gr of Bullseye under a 115 grain lead round nose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBolt Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Holy crap that is a hot load. The recipe passed on to me for a 130PF is 3.4gr of Bullseye behind a 147gr bullet. Very soft shooting load that has been chrono'd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 Yea that seems much more reasonable. Every time I searched the interweb for something different it always came out about the same though! I have seen recipes ranging from 4.5-4.9 grains, but it always just seemed really hot. And they didnt have average velocities either. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Comparing 115s and 147s is apples to oranges, most factory 9mm loads with 115s are sub minor or barely make minor so that's not a valid comparison either. A 115 without a comp is a very snappy round which is why very few USPSA shooters use them. If you're going to reload, you really NEED to use a chrono; I guarantee where you shoot USPSA there are dozens of chrono owners, just ask someone to use theirs. The general rule of thumb without a comp is heavy bullets and fast powder, with a comp it's the opposite: light bullets and slow powder.How many 115s do you have? You might want to sell/trade them to an Open shooter; lots of 38 super guys use 115s, as well as some 9mm guys. I shoot 115s in my Open guns and 147s or 135s in my Production guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 Hmm I see. I just always buy them cause they are cheapest (guilty as charged).. the range I'm a member of has one you can borrow any time, you just check it in and out. I might go chronologically some ammo just to see where it is... I have about 600 of them maybe? Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 Thw other problem with selling them is that don't most open shooters want plated or jacketed rounds? Something about leading the comp..? Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Ah I see, 600 is not even worth messing with, I would just shoot 'em up! You might be surprised though that load may feel hot in your plastic compact, but might barely make minor. All things which make recoil feel "snappier": -short barrel - check -short recoil system - check -light frame - check -light bullets - check the only think you have mitigating that "snappy" feel is fast powder. If you want I'll sell you a flat rate box full of 147 lead bullets to try out, send me a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 Yea I am also basically on the road to moving to .40 caliber also in a Glock 35. I have been shooting my dad's full size 9mm at the past couple matches and they feel much more tame in that one, but still seem like they could be loaded softer (when I watch other people shooting minor), but that could also be a function of really light bullets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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