What should I buy?

[Jon Merricks]

Brian, Pat and Anybody thats been there,

I am wanting to shoot in open class eventually. I have a gun I hope to shoot in limited ten but nothing for open or limited. After looking I can spend as much on a limited gun as I could on an open. My gunsmith suggested to get a cheap used single stack open ($800.00 to $1000.00) and to go from there. Or should I just spend my time and money on ammo, practice and competing in limited ten. ( I dont think there are any GM's in limited ten, maybe I could be the first .) What do you think?

[ErikW]

Just shoot what you've got now. You'll have a better idea of what you want or need later.

There's no way you could spend as much on a Limited gun ($1500-2000) as an Open gun ($2500-3000), unless you're talking used. Used Limited guns seem to hold their value really well, whereas used Open guns don't.

[Jon Merricks]

One of Dawson's limited is $2,200.00. And I've seen new open for 23, just wanting to see which ways others went.

(Edited by Jon Merricks at 10:00 pm on May 24, 2001)

[Flexmoney]

I would go with your plan B.  Spend the money on practice and ammo.  Expensive equipment isn't the answer.  If you are anything like me, by the time you get good enough to benefit from the high $$$ goodies they will have come out with the next "perfect" gun.

[38supPat]

I started with what would now be considered 'Production guns'. A Beretta 92F then a Glock 17. This was in the days before there was a 'Limited', 'Production', or anything. I would shoot what you have, try some Limited and Open guns, theres always someone that wants to show off their piece and will be willing to let you bang a few off. Then decide which way you want to go. And yes Limited and Open guns are damn near the same money for equivelent quality. They have ALL the same parts except comp. which is balanced off by such things as bull barrels, heavy frames and slides (which are more costly than regular parts) and a scope, which is somewhat balanced by a good set of BoMars machined and mounted. Everything else is the same. So you end up with maybe $100 diff. Shoot what you got and learn.

Pat  

[Chris Leong]

Hey John

I'm just going through the same thing too. I still use my 45 for BE but I chose to go with Pat's suggestion (read elsewhere in the Newbies section) and get a P16. I'm obviously not pushed for cash, but I didn't want to keep on resetting the 45 up between BE WC/SWC bullets and very light loads, springs, etc., and the heavier, faster IPSC loads and bullet head types.

There's a whole other place that, as one newbie to another, I think you should go, and that's into the whole reloading / balancing thing.

Apart from reloading making everything cheaper and so enabling more lead to go downrange per dollar, it's also the doorway into a whole other art and science, namely the balancing of the gun with the ammo, power factor, recoil, cycling speed, springs and tensions, all that stuff.

And guess what? Every time you change a gun, you get to do all of that stuff all over again.

If you're happy with your gun (read Brian's book on that subject) and have confidence in it, then get into the reloading stuff now, as well as the mechanics of shooting.

I'm just starting reloading myself, and I just know from now that I'll be spending a whole lot of time just firing the gun downrange, watching how the front sight moves, trying to get the feeling of how the gun recoils, indexes, etc, before I put a target out in front of it.

So if, you, like me, had gun issues, do yourself a favour and resolve it fast, then put all that out of your mind, settle down and put that lead downrange...

(Don't forget, you also need the timer, the chrony, the reloading gear, the holster, the mags, the mag holders, the belt, the bag to hold it all, the bag to hold the brass once you're done, the ear protection, the sunglasses, the hat, the shorts, the cleats - and the 4x4 to hold all of that, and also just to get to some of these shoot venues...)

[Chris Leong]

oh - did I mention the sheepskin rug for the prone positions? And the cute bicyclist's shorts and golf shirts?

[Jon Merricks]

Cleats? Is that why you see people wearing the addis boots? I figured that was a fadd that Robbie brought back from Special Ops. Ive been wearing them for a couple of years, but never thought about useing them in compitition until I saw TJ or somebody like that wearing them. I hope you were kidding about the sheepskin. And the Royal Robbins pants had to have came from the same place as the boots. I do think I will shoot what I got and build on it untill I find something I just got to have. Thanks for all the replies. If anyone else has been there tell me what you did.

[Phil Dunlop]

Jon,

For me its all about the competition, and looking at Ron Avery's results at last years US Nats. there's plenty of competition in Limited 10!!

P.D.

[Nik Habicht]

Jon,

I think it's the driver not the equipment.  Use what you have until the equipment is holding you back or until the equipment is so broken that you really need a new gun.  

[Jon Merricks]

Thanks for all the input. Phil its the same for me. I shoot because I enjoy it. I compete at what ever for the competition. I love to compete at almost anything I love to do. And I do not like compete against someone I know I can beat. Weather it is billards, basketball, working out, shooting or whatever. I improve by feeding off someone elses skills.