New Competitor - Questions and Observations

[Kravi]

Hey folks, so I just got my hands on a new competitor yesterday, through in an Overwatch Precision trigger (competition sear) and a Holosun 507 Comp on it. This morning I took it out to the range. I have some observations and some questions both, so hopefully people can chime in.

 

Observations:

1. Very soft shooting gun, very flat

2. Front grip texture is very aggressive - I use the talon grip skateboard tape on most of my guns (granulate), and the front grip is way more aggressive than that. Good, but my right hand is a wee bit tender now.

3. Put roughly 350 rounds through it today, just starting to break it in. Not one issue.

4. I pulled a 507comp off my carry pistol (p320 carry) - did not need to make one change to the zero - my first five rounds at 25 yards were all in the x ring (bench rested, of course).

 

Questions:

1. The magazines, on reload, tend to want to get caught on the protruding bits of the backstrap. WTF was S&W thinking when they had protrusions coming off the backstrap into the magwell. Has anyone figured out how to fix this problem? That is my biggest issue with the gun right now

2. Brass ejection is anemic. While I didn't have any failures, the brass is maybe plunking out a foot from the pistol, even after 350 rounds. It is a bit better than the first 50 rounds, but still. Any thoughts on this?

3. I removed the mag well (I shoot carry optics in USPSA), and the "other" tool that holds it in place without would not stay in without a dollop of glue.

 

Thanks folks. In general, she's a lovely pistol (my kids call her the racoon because of the colours). But if I can't figure out how to smooth out the backstrap issue, I'm not sure I'd want to take her to a competition. 

 

Cheers!

[Kravi]

EDIT: Ok, after taking some time to explore the box, I found that there is a plastic plate that you mount to the back of the metal grip when you are NOT using the magwell (which uses a different pin / tool). So that solved my question regarding the issues with magazine insertion.

[Lior]

Does that mean that only question 2 remains?
I'm still very much on the fence re the Competitor. The way I see it, it's the same as the Peanut Butter 5" with added bling to make it look sexier. 

[Kravi]

11 hours ago, Lior said:

Does that mean that only question 2 remains?
I'm still very much on the fence re the Competitor. The way I see it, it's the same as the Peanut Butter 5" with added bling to make it look sexier. 

It certainly looks sexier. The trigger is better than the stock one (lighter competition sear), the slide is lightened. While total weight is the same, the frame is actually heavier and the slide is lighter, so less perceived recoil. I also like the recoil of metal frames better while liking lighter guns for transitions, so the aluminium alloy is perfect for me.

 

At the same time, the difference isn't significant. You'd do "almost" as well with the peanut butter 2.0. 

 

Trying to steer clear of politics on this forum, but I'm a dual citizen and my wife is from Or Yehuda, so prayers and thoughts are with you brother.

 

Cheers!

 

EDIT: And I took it to the range for the 2nd time today and put another 300 rounds through it. Boy is it my favourite pistol in the world (so far!). I'd rank it above my PDP, my p320s and my glocks for sure.

Edited Wednesday at 11:52 PM by Kravi

[Lior]

Thanks for the input and the best wishes. All and any support is very welcome right now, because times are indeed trying.

I've been shooting M&Ps since c. 2014, the M2.0 with optics since 2018. When I made a switch from the M2.0 to the Sig P320 X5 Legion, my hit factors in matches rose significantly, but I'm back to the M&P platform (mainly a 5" CORE) because I just subjectively like it more than the Sig.

 

[dtuns]

I have two of these and run 15lb ISMI flat recoil springs and I have over 5,000 rounds through both and like the way it runs with that spring. I tried 13lb spring and wasn't as reliable and would kick out of battery on reloads with a full 23 round magazine sometimes.

[Kravi]

23 minutes ago, dtuns said:

I have two of these and run 15lb ISMI flat recoil springs and I have over 5,000 rounds through both and like the way it runs with that spring. I tried 13lb spring and wasn't as reliable and would kick out of battery on reloads with a full 23 round magazine sometimes.

Two Peanut Butter 2.0s or two Competitors?

[Zincwarrior]

11 hours ago, Lior said:

I've been shooting M&Ps since c. 2014, the M2.0 with optics since 2018. When I made a switch from the M2.0 to the Sig P320 X5 Legion, my hit factors in matches rose significantly, but I'm back to the M&P platform (mainly a 5" CORE) because I just subjectively like it more than the Sig.

 

Same here. However I switched back when my Sig loosened up too much to be accurate.  

I love it. I love the feel of the grip much better than the Sig, and throwing a Holosun on it has made me enjoy shooting again. 

 

[Hoops]

Does anyone know the trigger pull/pounds on the SW Competitor?

[dtuns]

On 9/5/2024 at 6:42 AM, Kravi said:

Two Peanut Butter 2.0s or two Competitors?

Competitors.

[Kravi]

11 hours ago, dtuns said:

Competitors.

The default spring is 16lbs, I think. Is there much difference lightening it by a pound?

 

I find the gun super smooth so far - I wouldn't have thought about lightening the spring. Granted, the anemic brass ejection tells me that maybe I could lighten the spring a bit.