JP Shrouded Barrel in USPSA

[Adamj]

Is anyone using JP's ultralight shrouded barrel in USPSA? I've heard many people use it for Steel Challenge and maybe it's more applicable for that game.

 

I have a side charging upper on my GMR-15, but I have been thinking about going lighter. Does anyone think the shrouded Barrel would be a good choice for USPSA?

[Darqusoull13]

Depends on your shooting style, build preferences etc. The Ultralight transitions incredibly fast. I brought it and my 10.5" SBR to shoot Nationals. I ended up shooting the SBR due to the advantage of moving between walls but I would have shot the Ultralight just as well most likely. I definitely prefer the Ultralight over a 14.5" pin/weld as the transitions are so much faster. 

It will depend a bit on you and how you like your rifles set up though so if you can try one out for sure try it. 

[longbeard]

20 hours ago, Adamj said:

Is anyone using JP's ultralight shrouded barrel in USPSA? I've heard many people use it for Steel Challenge and maybe it's more applicable for that game.

 

I have a side charging upper on my GMR-15, but I have been thinking about going lighter. Does anyone think the shrouded Barrel would be a good choice for USPSA?

For me personally, I like a heavier gun in USPSA.  Right about 7#.  However, I did shoot an ULW Taccom for a season and did well with it.  

A good load and buffer stroke are likely the more important mechanics of the division.

 

[zzt]

Let me preface this by saying I do not yet shoot PCC in USPSA.  When I do it will be with the WilandUSA LLW barrel for no other reason than that is what I'll shoot for Steel Challenge.

 

If I were able to, I'd go with an SBR.  After watching the gyrations PCC shooters go through to clear walls and barriers, I can see the advantage.  That being said, it may be just my area.  Most stages are not PCC friendly, and one MD is openly hostile to them.

[cityofthesouth]

7 hours ago, zzt said:

... one MD is openly hostile to them.

 

Makes the win that much sweeter, right? I think there are a number of effective techniques for moving the PCC around in tight spaces to make it less of an issue. I have shot both a short 10.5" PCC and 16" shrouded PCC in my local USPSA and Multigun matches and I really thought that it would be a detriment, but not really. Running a carbine (223 or 9mm) is kinda my interest personally, so I think the techniques are just part of the deal if you're into running a rifle. Maybe they carry over from Multigun, although I haven't personally shot a lot of "tight" Multigun courses I guess, compared to USPSA courses. I think the Open shooters have a couple advantages and the PCC shooters have a couple advantages to where the divisions are interesting and if you have some Open shooters who are cool with the PCC crowd to shoot with it makes for a fun match IMO, especially if you are at a similar skill level. There is an Open shooter at my club who is cool about the whole thing and he can beat me a lot of the time when I run PCC and other times I can get ahead of him but it makes it fun.

 

I have a 5.5" Taccom extension on mine, the gun is fairly light - just a little over 6lbs. I would say my setup falls directly in between something like the ULW and a 16" barrel, but I would tend to lean toward lighter up front is better. Good for transitions but also good for snapping the muzzle up or down when exiting a position or moving around something. For me, I naturally grasp the handguard of a carbine just shy of the muzzle of a 10.5" barrel so virtually everything beyond my hand is an aluminum tube. Not much weight out there to move around.