Fireant Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 I've watched him several times and can not belive how flat shooting his gun is. I'm switching from a Glock to a STI type of gun and was wondering what he shoots. Not just that it's an STI but some specifics. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 I believe his gunsmith is Keal out of Florida, at least on his Open gun. I have searched the net and was not able to find out anything. He does pop his head in here from time to time under the nic gmshtr. Also, you can contact him at Shooters Paradise and ask him directly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling White Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Fire Ant...quick question. Were you part of the bucket brigade? If so, master bucketeer has a flat shooting gun also with a load thats very simular! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 ...and can not belive how flat shooting his gun is. Superior technique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling White Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Don't forget the huge volume of time spent sending lead down range! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Olhasso Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 I'd be willing to bet that most people on this board send more lead downrange with their competition guns than does Strader. I do not know the actual numbers, but for the 2002 season, I seem to remember that he shot under 10k rounds thru his limited gun and nearly all of that was in matches. When he responds, I am sure that Phil can give you actual numbers on his rounds downrange because he keeps an incredibly accurate log for each of his guns. As for his limited gun: It is a well built STI with a nice trigger that doesn't jam. Not sure of any of the other details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbear38S Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 David's right. Phil made GM with very little live ammo time but lots of dry firing and mental preparation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemo Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 ... and I believe his load is a sweet shootin' 200gr bullet. Though i may be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBChaffin Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 I think Flexmoney really nailed it. I had the privilege of meeting Phil when he was here in Jackson, MS, for the PPC nationals. A class act by the way, as well as being one of the top shooters in the world. I also got to take a look at his STI. If I remember correctly, it was indeed built by the gunsmith Dave mentioned in Fl. It's a blued long wide frame STI, with a full profile slide that at least externally didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. Adjustable rear sight and I believe a narrow (.090 or so) front black sight (No fiber optic). He does use a STI heavy recoil master, saying that it felt similar to a tungsten guide rod but it is lighter. Magwell is aluminum and shows that it has been reloaded a few times. Trigger pull is heavy, for an IPSC gun anyway. 3.5 lbs. or so if I had to guess. I'm no expert but I think he will say that is about right as it seems he told me that when I looked at the gun. On load, he does shoot 200 grain West Coast bullets, and I want to say he is using Accurate #2 powder, but I wouldn't swear to it. Overall, there is nothing that remarkable about his gear or load. It's very similar to numerous other shooters in the game. It's gotta be something else. Like maybe natural talent and ability, hard work, and the right attitude. I'd like to clarify that when I say natural talent and ability, I don't necessarily mean natural talent or ability in shooting a gun. I mean other things, which may be reflexes, coordination, timing, vision, or mental aptitude that along with hard work and practice leads to performance at his level. Just my $.02 anyway. Bryant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kline Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Last time I talked with Phil, he was shooting a 200gr West Coast bullet in .40. He shoots a STI high cap with standard dustcover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Boit Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 He shot the world shoot with a long framed gun with a regular slide (with the stirup cut). I'll try to post the pic that clearly shows his gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireant Posted December 2, 2003 Author Share Posted December 2, 2003 Hey, I in no way meant it was the gear and not the shooter. I've had the chance to talk with him a few times and shoot with him once at a local match when he was in the area. I've been shooting a Glock for ever and am now in the market for a STI/1911 type gun and thought why not find out what one of the best shoots and start from there. gmw2b, I guess that since I don't know what you mean by bucket brigade that I was not in it. I saw many examples of flat shooting guns at the area6 match, but was still hooked on my Glock. I'd been bitten by the STI bug by the GA match and really watched some of the top guys and was amazed at how flat their guns were shooting. I used a load that clocked at 166.4 PF there and was not anywhere near being as flat shooting. Not to mention being afraid I cut too close to the 165PF and might get bumped to minor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.J. Norris Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Julien is correct, the slide has also been lightened internally. He is either using AA #2 or a Vit powder with 200 gr bullets, I can't remember what he settled on. I think right now the gun is being rebuilt, so it could very well be pretty different once he gets it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Boit Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Here is the picture: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Boit Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus The Bum Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 If you ask me, that looks like an old Llama Single Stack .45 J/K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Phil has the same problem I do. Notice the lack of Ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling White Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Fire Ant....I have a friend that shoots a G34 and has been asking questions about moving into limited and shooting a STI. At first I had mistaken you for that person but realized that you are located a little further south. There's a master in the va/md sec who uses an old 5 gal bucket as his range bag hence the bucket brigade....just poking some jokes at my buddies! West Coast Bullets have a few vids posted on their site of Phil's gun performing some barn burning runs.....o yea almost forgot - Phil was there too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Good discussion. Having seen it & even firing it once w/ his loads, I can tell you Phil's gun & load are nothing special. Any of the top dozen tuners will build & sell an STI that shoots very similar to Phil's. From what I have read here, the description is accurate. Until very recently, Phil used Accurate Arms powder provided by his sponsor. Now he uses V V - probably N320 under 200 grn Westcoast Electroplated rounded flat points loaded on a regular 650 by Phil. If you ask him, Phil will tell you he does not practice anymore. This is true. As a full time police instructor w/ overtime, there is no time on the job to shoot. He is also a small business owner (www.shootersparadise.com) but this job also leaves him no time to shoot outside of competition. And he is a full time competitor, shooting primarily USPSA but also showing up at IDPA, PPC, Steel, and even the odd GSSF match. How he finds the time/energy is beyond me. He'll be adding "daddy" to his many titles in a few months, BTW. What's his secret? He did practice constantly when he started. He had little money for practice ammo to feed his old single stack .45 so he would dry fire at home - every night. He placed small targets around his place & practiced it all; draw, reload, & movement. If you ask him about technique, he will explain many shooting aspects that are quite similar to the ones in Brian's book - watching the front sight lift out of the rear blade & knowing exactly where/when it will return, flexibility in trying new techniques etc. Whether he arrived at the same place as Brian on his own or through another source, I don't know, but it speaks well of what Brian gave us in his book. Phil may not be as well known as some of the other competitive GMs out there but its important to remember that he finished second at the nationals; barely being edged out by only one man - TGO. Not only that, the match was decided on the last stage by one single round. Give credit where credit is due; I think Phil is often not given the credit he deserves in USPSA. Anyway, I am likely preaching to the choir here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99gski Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 I agree, Phil does not get the credit he is due. Phil is one of the best shooters in the sport in every way. Looking at the standings, he is always at the top. He is there because of sheer talent. Not only an amazing shooter, he is one of the best competitors on the circuit. He is fair and honest, playing the game with true integrity. He is one of the IPSC personalities who will always offer his advice and help. Add to that a great sense of humor and you have one of the most dynamic people in the sport. Phil, you're the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 I had the pleasure of meeting him and talking with him at the Mid-Atlantic Section this summer. Helluva guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLJ Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Moderator Mode and edit of your post. Jon Merricks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brazos Custom Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 You are "sincerely confused" (or maybe unsincerely). Anybody who has met Phil will confirm that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L9X25 Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Yea ... what Bob said! I have been on Phil's squad and he was (and is) a genuine "nice guy" and very personable to everyone except Todd. Unless you interfered with him when he was preparing to shoot, I cannot imagine him giving the response that you describe. Oh yea ... I'm a nobody too ... not a GM or sponsored shooter. Leo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Hey Confused, Are you sure you are talking about Phil Strader? I've had the pleasure of shooting with him on numerous occasions and even when he didn't know me, he was nothing but a gentleman. As for top shooter, he placed second at the Limited Nationals... that does count for you as much?? He also has numerous Area Match wins to his name and has place top 4 or so in the last few Limited and Limited-10 nationals. As for helping you on the stage, well he is there to shoot and maybe he just didn't want to be distracted... or maybe he was trying to get the squad to think on there own first. There are many times where the way he shoots a stage, may not be the correct way for you to shoot the same stage. ~bucky~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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