Best Way to Dabble Into Open?

[mrvip27]

Lets be honest. The open division has always had this draw on me because the guns are just plain friggin cool, but I am not built of money.

 

So, with that being said, what is the best route to go to dabble into open?

 

I have seen that the Bul Armory SAS II UR w/plastic grip seems to be a great cost to performance ratio (it definitely looks cool). The only negatives I can see are proprietary grip/frame options and magazines, so you are sorta stuck with what you get. But most of the other parts are 1911/2011 parts. Pros are the magazines are not super expensive and MBX makes clone variants. All for a decent price below $4k. They seem to be getting good reviews.

 

I have also seen that MPA now has released their open DS9 model. Cons being its another $1k or so to invest...but you get a true 2011 style platform and metal grip. 

 

I know its hard to find an open gun under $5k that are worth anything. But anything over just doesn't seem manageable right now. Even the Phoenix Trinity are going up in price and with unknown wait times.

 

I currently do not reload. Is "factory" major ammunition worth purchasing? (everglades for example). Obviously the benefit of reloading is custom tuning your load. I get it, But that is an investment I am not wanting to make at this time. Am I wasting money going this route by not reloading?

 

What do you guys suggest? Or do I just go borrow my buddies sick expensive open gun, run a match, and be hooked and upset I cannot afford it.

 

*Edit*

I shoot CO and PCC right now.

Edited July 23, 2022 by mrvip27

[Sarge]

I’m a dedicated Open shooter and if I were getting into the game now I would by a CO gun with all the best parts and just buy regular 9mm ammo.

  Ammo plays a HUGE part in optimizing an Open gun. If you don’t reload it you are stuck with whatever you can find commercially and it won’t be optimum

[mrvip27]

18 minutes ago, Sarge said:

I’m a dedicated Open shooter and if I were getting into the game now I would by a CO gun with all the best parts and just buy regular 9mm ammo.

  Ammo plays a HUGE part in optimizing an Open gun. If you don’t reload it you are stuck with whatever you can find commercially and it won’t be optimum

 

That makes total sense. Especially for the money being dropped in the setup.

[StefVanHauwe]

I'm an Open and PCC division shooter. Depending on how serious and motivated you are in competing, reloading IMO is a must to tune the ammo to your specific gun/PCC.

[Cuz]

I think the best way to “dabble” in Open is to shoot CO. 

[JFlowers]

Borrow someone else's Gun, Rig, and Ammo.

[BadShot]

You could pick up a CZ CzechMate.  They are reliable, accurate, and not a lot of money.  

Edited July 23, 2022 by BadShot

[UpYoursPal]

One way to dabble without spending a ton of money is to take your normal CO gun, get a threaded barrel (if you don’t have one already) then throw a comp and magwell on it.  It’ll cost you $2-300 and give you a taste of how much you can shred with a real open gun.  It won’t be competitive, but most of us aren’t competitive anyway so don’t worry about it.
 

If you find that you like going that fast, start saving up your dimes for a used open 2011 and a reloading setup.

[Nathanb]

Brazos semi custom is a good option

[Chillywig]

With a nice heavy open gun once load and springs are tuned the dot won't move off target as gun cycles and you can bang bang as fast as you can and the shots will be very close on target. But I think if you play with CO load weight springs etc you can get very close to having the gun return to zero and get the same result on target. To get optimal results from either set up takes tinkering 

Edited July 23, 2022 by Chillywig

[zzt]

I'm going t rain on your parade.  Since you will be a first time Open shooter, you have absolutely no idea what will work for you.  So the thought of buying a NEW Open gun is not a good idea. 

 

Try out OP's Open guns to get some idea of what fits your hand, what balances well, etc.  I've never heard of anyone turning down a request to try their gun.  Offer to pay for ammo.  Talk to them about what they like in that gun, vs. any they may previously had.

 

I've shot CZ Open.  Not the best choice for me.  IMO, stick with a pure 2011 Open gun.  You have options and parts galore to fix or modify it.  Start with a good used Open gun.  Shoot it for a while and decide what you like or what you would change.  Maybe you sell it for very close to what you paid for it and buy a different type. 

 

Over the course of a couple seasons I went through three Open guns of different styles.  So I had a really good idea what worked best for me when I built my first Open gun.  It turned out perfect.  I still wouldn't change a thing on it.  The I built a backup and a 1911 Open gun for Steel.  I've been shooting the main gun for three seasons now.  The only things I've changed are springs.

 

If I had started off with a new Open gun, I would not have been satisfied in the long run.  I didn't know what I didn't know.

 

I tried Everglades major ammo first.  Didn't care for it at all.  I reload  and tune the gun and load together.  It is a must for best performance in Open.

 

You don't reload.  Take Sarge's suggestion and buy a tricked out CZ CO gun.  Use factory ammo.  Buy extended base pads and have at it.  You will spend less than on a good used Open gun, and have a cat's meow CO gun that anyone would buy in a second if you decide to move to Open.  That is exactly what I would do if I were starting out today.

[warpspeed]

7 hours ago, JFlowers said:

Borrow someone else's Gun, Rig, and Ammo.

^ This

 

 

When I started, I borrowed a gun.  $ 100K later  

[mrvip27]

3 hours ago, zzt said:

I'm going t rain on your parade.  Since you will be a first time Open shooter, you have absolutely no idea what will work for you.  So the thought of buying a NEW Open gun is not a good idea. 

 

Try out OP's Open guns to get some idea of what fits your hand, what balances well, etc.  I've never heard of anyone turning down a request to try their gun.  Offer to pay for ammo.  Talk to them about what they like in that gun, vs. any they may previously had.

 

I've shot CZ Open.  Not the best choice for me.  IMO, stick with a pure 2011 Open gun.  You have options and parts galore to fix or modify it.  Start with a good used Open gun.  Shoot it for a while and decide what you like or what you would change.  Maybe you sell it for very close to what you paid for it and buy a different type. 

 

Over the course of a couple seasons I went through three Open guns of different styles.  So I had a really good idea what worked best for me when I built my first Open gun.  It turned out perfect.  I still wouldn't change a thing on it.  The I built a backup and a 1911 Open gun for Steel.  I've been shooting the main gun for three seasons now.  The only things I've changed are springs.

 

If I had started off with a new Open gun, I would not have been satisfied in the long run.  I didn't know what I didn't know.

 

I tried Everglades major ammo first.  Didn't care for it at all.  I reload  and tune the gun and load together.  It is a must for best performance in Open.

 

You don't reload.  Take Sarge's suggestion and buy a tricked out CZ CO gun.  Use factory ammo.  Buy extended base pads and have at it.  You will spend less than on a good used Open gun, and have a cat's meow CO gun that anyone would buy in a second if you decide to move to Open.  That is exactly what I would do if I were starting out today.

 

Thank you for the great advice.

[RJH]

Glock 22, dot,  barrel and a comp. Will work, has factory major ammo.  Cheap mags that work.

 

Or just do the barrel and comp and a big stick to your carry ops gun and shoot minor. I probably wouldn't even worry about a magwell

 

Those are ways to make a functional open gun, that you can dabble in open with, on the cheap that will work with factory ammo. I would go a different route if your end goal was to win majors. If you're just shooting at locals and having fun like 95% of USPSA shooters, they ought to work just fine. I don't think either of those guns would keep somebody from making A class with a little practice. Good luck

[Darqusoull13]

On 7/23/2022 at 8:24 AM, JFlowers said:

Borrow someone else's Gun, Rig, and Ammo.

This is exactly what I'm doing, minus the ammo part. 

With Open nationals being the week before PCC nationals I'm doing both this year. No need to drop a huge amount of money on an open gun when my buddy is joining me with his backup rig. 

[SeattleDude]

I 100% agree with Sarge.

 

You need to reload to get an optimum performance out of your Open gun.

 

CO with factory ammo would be my vote for your situation. CO division is huge now and very competitive. Fully built P320 or CZ will make you very happy.

[NOSHMJ]

If you want to shoot open.. shoot open.  Dont play around with welfare open (C/O).  Open is an entirely different beast than C/O.  You can find nice used open guns right here in the classifieds, and always know if its not for you, then there is a really good chance theres someone else just like you looking to get into it, and sell it to recover your money.  But as stated above, you have to reload to make it worth it

[Midwest3Gunner]

Race gun nationals are this weekend or next, will probably be more guns in the classifieds soon.

[mrvip27]

Thanks for the extra insight fellas

 

[JoeMKY]

I pretty much converted a co gun into open, barrel comp mag well gas peddle into an open gun. And been shooting open minor for the past few years. When I get a better ranikinf I’ll buy myself a 2011. By then a should enough money  

[Bakerjd]

On 7/23/2022 at 10:18 AM, Chillywig said:

With a nice heavy open gun once load and springs are tuned the dot won't move off target as gun cycles and you can bang bang as fast as you can and the shots will be very close on target. But I think if you play with CO load weight springs etc you can get very close to having the gun return to zero and get the same result on target. To get optimal results from either set up takes tinkering 

Lol. My open gun weighs 62oz, my CO gun is 55oz. I reload all my ammo and spend way to much time filling with it. My open gun the dot doesn't move. CO gun, dot still goes out the window but comes right back. Either way my splits are the same at .18

[Darqusoull13]

Don't do it, it's a trap! 

 

[SufferInSilence]

On 7/23/2022 at 8:20 AM, Cuz said:

I think the best way to “dabble” in Open is to shoot CO. 

Agreed! Carry optics will let you get into the groove without destroying your wallet.  

 

OR, you can get a budget friendly used Open Gun of the Classified (I got mine for about 2k on here, its an STI Franken-Build but it has never left me needing more). 

 

I shoot for an LE agency as an instructor and our duty guns are stock Sig Carry Optics guns. My times across both a stock CO gun and a "bells-n-whistles" Open Gun is about .25 secs of each other on a plate rack etc.  

Of course you might work a little harder on a CO trigger but, it builds character and you'll be a better shooter in the long run. 

 

I actually shoot more matches now with my CO duty gun because it's just less hassle. 

[motosapiens]

On 10/8/2022 at 6:26 PM, Bakerjd said:

Lol. My open gun weighs 62oz, my CO gun is 55oz. I reload all my ammo and spend way to much time filling with it. My open gun the dot doesn't move. CO gun, dot still goes out the window but comes right back. Either way my splits are the same at .18

this seems odd to me. with my CO gun the dot doesn't leave the a-zone on an 8-10 yard target. Bounces a little, but stays near the middle of the window.

[ezra650]

Build one from a Brazos short block kit. With a steel grip you are around $3500-3700. You can save even more by using a plastic grip. Use all of his internal parts and you will have very little detailed fitting to do. Extent of fitting would be, tension the extractor, possibly tune the ejector and thumb/grip safeties. Maybe the firing pin stop if he doesn't include that with the short block kit. Either way all can be done with a simple needle file kit and sandpaper. 

You will learn how to work on your own gun in the process also. Also allows you to build it exactly how you'd like. 

Beyond that my recommendation is to look for a deal here on the forums. There is an ad right now in the classifieds for 2 matching. like new. Benny Hill guns in 38 super (easily tuned to 38SC) and they each come with 5 mags. 2500 for each gun/package. Literally all you need is ammo and a holster/belt/pouches to go shoot.

PS: btw I bought one of those Benny Hill guns so you will have to settle for only one of them