A few more questions.

[Buckrun]

I have been reading this sight for a few weeks now. I have come up with some questions. I have come to the conclusion that I don’t think I would be able to do the running and gunning. At least until I loose some weight and get in shape! I loved to shoot steel the most at the combat matches we use to put on.

1. Is there a club or origination that I can join that is all about shooting steel, like the steel challenge? If so would it give the match dates and locations of official shoots?

2. Do you have to be a member of any club to get a ranking in the steel shoots?

3. Are there any steel shoots within a couple hours of Lima Ohio?

4. What different classes are there at steel shoots? I only have a couple standard Govt. model 1911’s.

5. How far can you go with your modifications on a pistol for the steel shooting game?

I have fallen in love with those 2011’s. I can’t wait until I can save enough to get one. Which is the best to go with? I don’t know if they would be called factory or custom. It seems like they are all custom then you can send them to other builders to get them customized! I have been looking at the STI guns. My keyboard is always wet from my drooling over these guns.

I hope I can get started this summer with my 1911’s. I will need to start practicing soon. Time to fire up the lead pot and start casting bullets.

Sorry for all the new-be questions. I just haven’t been able to find the answers yet on the sight.

Steve

[NewRacer]

I am a newbie as well, so I cant answer all your questions but I do have some links for you...

http://www.steelchallenge.com/

2005 Steel Challenge

Steel Challenge Clubs

[Buckrun]

Thanks NewRacer The clubs are what I really wanted to find. I see you are very close to me. I am in Lima, OH. Have you started shooting steel challanges yet? If so where?

Thanks

Steve

[Cameron]

Buckrun,

Do not be intimidated into not shooting USPSA because you need to loose a few pounds. This is one of the very few sports that US guys that need to loose a few pounds can be competitive in. I myself am wider than I am tall, and had no reservations about shooting Nationals last year.

Not sure where Lima is, but if your close to Toledo, there are many clubs within a couple of hours of there.

Also, the first Sunday in April, my home club in Brighton, Mi will have an IPSC 101 class to discuss all aspects of practical shooting. I highly recommend you come up for this and give the class a try before you decide run and gun is not for you. If you are interested, send me a note or a PM and I will fix you up with all you need to know.

Cameron

[.40AET]

Don't let your size make the decision for you. Easily 1/3 of the folks shooting are large. 1/2-2/3 are just plain out of shape. Just go shoot a match and have fun. Not to mention, I get me ass kicked by plenty of big guys. I know that I can out run them, but they plain out shoot me. There's not as much running as you may think.

[BSeevers]

Circleville shoots a steel match, Third Sat? and Fairfield. way down by Cincinnati, does too every Friday night.

Come shoot USPSA with us. We don't care what you bring and do, as long as its safe. I run a indoor league in Dayton on Tuesday evenings and its a great place to start. Almost ALL are brand new shooters. We shoot paper and steel. Its varied and much more fun than a steel match. Steel matches are fun and great way to practice but they start looking the same after bit.

[Buckrun]

It's not that I am that large. It is my knees are bad. If I could loose around 20 lbs. I think I'd be good to go.

Lima us 1/2 way between Toledo And Dayton right on I 75.

Are there any maps to these clubs?

Thanks for all the invites.

Steve

[Cameron]

Buckrun,

Easy was to find club addresses is to hit www.uspsa.com and click on the find a match button. You can serch for clubs there by state.

Cameron

[NewRacer]

This is a list of other places to shoot in the area

Also a link to the Lima Sabres

[DogmaDog]

Buck,

Don't wait to lose weight! Start shooting USPSA now! Yeah, maybe you will move a little slower between shooting positions than some of the skinny guys. Yeah, maybe you will have trouble kneeling. So what?

In local matches, I've only had to go prone once or twice in 3 years of bi-weekly matches--just doesn't happen often.

If you go after the greater challenge, you'll have more incentive to improve, and a better chance of success. And you'll have fun.

Shoot steel. Shoot IPSC. Shoot everything!

Good luck,

DD

[Flexmoney]

Buckrun,

I feel like I just made this same post no too long ago...with "NewRacer". He is just getting interested in the shooting games, and he is from Lima too.

Anyway...I am the Ohio Section Coordinator for USPSA. I also happen to be the Match Director for the Steel Challenge matches that are held in Circleville.

Here is the website for the Circleville pistol matches: http://home.columbus.rr.com/jmaass/pcsiipsc.htm

And, here is the new website that we are working on for teh Ohio Section of USPSA: http://ohiouspsa.com/

The Lima Sabres club used to shoot USPSA, but I think those (volunteers) that were running the matches got a burned out. They also used to shoot Steel Challenge there. But, they don't anymore.

Shooting Steel Challenge is a fantastic way to get your feet wet in the shooting sports. It is very "new shooter" friendly. However, I would suggest jumping right in and getting right to the USPSA shooting. It really isn't the "run and gun" that many make it out to be. The way to do well isn't really based on speed...as much as it is based on eliminating wasted motion. (A golf comparison might be...it's not who can hit the ball the hardest off the tee...)

You've got a lot of people on this forum that can help you out. There is a strong presesence (on the forum) of shooters from "that state up north", and from the Indy. Bill Seevers (who posted above) has served as the Ohio Section Coordinator, and he has been playing this game at a high level for quite a while.

Let us know if we can be of help.

[Flexmoney]

1. Is there a club or origination that I can join that is all about shooting steel, like the steel challenge? If so would it give the match dates and locations of official shoots?

You don't need to join most clubs to be able to shoot their matches.

2. Do you have to be a member of any club to get a ranking in the steel shoots?

No

3. Are there any steel shoots within a couple hours of Lima Ohio?

Circleville, 3rd Saturdays..starting in March (most likely). They shoot steel north of Indianapolis, too.

4. What different classes are there at steel shoots? I only have a couple standard Govt. model 1911’s.

We shoot Open and Limited (for both autos and revolvers). If you have an optic or ports...that is Open. We also shoot .22 caliber.

5. How far can you go with your modifications on a pistol for the steel shooting game?

As long as it is safe...

[Buckrun]

I am a member of the Lima Sabers Gun Club. I was a member back in the 80’s when we had what we called the combat shoots.

The morning of the match Mike, Rob, Jim, Lloyd and I all would meet at Bob Evan’s Restaurant, have breakfast and design the days match. Then we would go to the club and set it up. When finished we would walk the course and decide if it would work. About that time people would start showing up for the shoot. We had a ball running those matches! Then people started complaining that we were cheating somehow, because we were winning all the matches. They didn’t realize that after running a bunch of people through the match we had the advantage of knowing each step to take to finish the fastest. All we had to do was hit the targets and run through the course. Every now and then I would see someone do something that would turn a light on. I’d think, I got to remember that when it is my turn to shoot.

We use to shoot revolver, auto major and minor. Then there was the holstered and unholstered. I never had the money to buy the holster, belt and mag holders so I had to shoot the unholstered. One whole season I won the unholstered major match every month. I still have all the match reports!

I got mad with everything when two months in a row everybody that was suppose to be running the match would leave and go shoot silhouette at the other end of the club and I had to clean up all the targets and props by my self. I just quit shooting the combat matches. Then a couple years later I met a guy that was in the YMCA Indian Guides with my son and I. He was going to the club shooting in the USPSA matches.

This got me interested again so I got out my S & W 686 and started practicing with the speed loaders. By this time I had a decent holster. ( Safariland H88) I went out and shot it with my 686! I thought they treated me kind of bad because I had quit the club. They said I had to join USPSA if I wanted to shoot any more. This was the one and only match I shot. It was in April of 1992. I have the match report in front of me. There were 31 shooters in that match. I was the only revolver shooter so there was no separate class for revolver. So I had to shoot against all the autos with their high cap mags. I came in 8th out of 31! That was after a 4-year lay off from any kind of competition! There was 1 stage in this match that it took 31 rounds to complete. The 31st round was fired at the stop clock. I had my gun loaded and 4 speed loaders. This left me one round short so I don’t know what kind of penalty I received for that. It wasn’t a revolver friendly course!

Now they have IDPA matches their and other guys are running it. They have been trying to get me to shoot again. These guys are the ones that I use to run through the course when I was helping run the matches. They also put on classes on Tuesday nights that I think I will start attending. It has been 13 years since I have shot any kind of competition so I think I need to get caught up on the sport. All I know is I use to love to hear the klank of the steel targets! I want to start doing it again.

I will need to go to a few matches and find out what kind of holster, belt and mag holders that will work for me. Will any of them adapt from a standard 1911 to the comped 2011 or will I have to have separate a holster and mag holders for each?

Got a little long winded this time didn’t I!

Steve

[.40AET]

Sorry about that. I made some assumptions. BTW, Suhweeeet gun vault.

[Buckrun]

The gun vault! Here is the story about that! We were going to move into the home my wife grew up in after both her parents had past away. One problem it was only a 2-bedroom house and we have 3 kids. So we wanted to add two bedrooms a bath and utility room onto the house. At this time I had been collecting guns for 25+ years. I didn’t really have a safe to keep them in so we started pricing safes. I figured I’d need 2 for all the guns. We would set them in the new basement before the floor was put in and have it made. Then a friend suggested checking into safe doors then pouring walls and a ceiling. This was actually cheaper than buying two safes would have been! I couldn’t believe I talked my wife into doing this! I think I got away with it because I agreed to move away from the house I had built and we lived in for 16 years. I am blessed with a great wife and 3 great kids. My only problem is I work a full time job and have a part time job to pay for my hobbies. This doesn’t leave much time to go shooting.

Steve