Remember when.......

[STIGUY]

I have followed the USPSA/Steel Challenge sport for a couple of years from mainly a sometimes mentioned technical gear (guns) in magazines like American Handgunner.Remember when (thinking about the time S_Is) were being engineered or maybe it they were being developed (S_Is) to compete with the factory "custom" guns. Seems like BENOS shot for the S&W team and the hot setup was a lightened and comped 9MM like a 4006 or something? I remember reading about the guns and looking at the guns in amazement on the whittling down of what seemed like every ounce of uneccesary weight. Am I right......anyone recall....just wondering? THANKS!

[BSeevers]

My first Open gun was a trick Two port .45 Wilson single stack. The two port was leading edge except for those guys out west and down south with the gamer ten rd 38 Supers. We said they deserved their Super faces. Oh and I am pretty sure my gun had a Leathem/Enos comp

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: Those old single stack comped guns are very cool. I looked at a couple Benny Hill had in his shop last year for touch ups. They were very well built with a zillion rounds through them and still looked/felt great. Thanks, Eric

[flack jacket]

I agree! My first exposure to action shooting was in 1990 as an 18 year old. The Bianchi Plate rack speed shoot at and indoor range was the first shooting competition I tried.

My father and I were hooked and started modding. He/we had a Springfield 1911A1 45ACP parkerized and dropped in a Wilson Comp/barrel kit. Single Port. Cutting Edge!

As we learned more about USPSA and Steel Challenge, gamesmanship started. First a Single Stack 1911 with 2 port comp/ BOMAR/ Serrated front post with sight black... S&A Magwell in 38Super...

Oooh so State of the art.

Around '93 we went with a Tasco scoped Custom Springfield P9 for the High cap game in 9x21.

After starting back up last year I'm still using that Tanfolio/Springfield today in 9 Major. Times have Changed!!

[hitman]

I still have a single stack 45 comp gun with tasco scope in the safe, sad thing is I remember when that was the hot ticket.

[Jman]

In 1984 Guy Hammond in Gilbert AZ built my "racegun". A single stack Colt Combat Commander with a single port comp. Bad ass blaster...

Jim

[calishootr]

ooooh yeah, i remember when a guy at a local club strapped on a very loooong aimpoint to his .45, and we allthought he was nuts....till he started winning matches....then nationally the big boys started doing it....an the arms race was on!!!!! I never did the tangfolio/P-9, but i did get one ofthe first McCormick frames on the west coast, shot it without a dot for a time, because the dots were still in their infancy and we were blowing em up left and right(at roughly 250 a pop) you had a dot on the gun, a spare in the bag, a broken one being sent back to be fixed, and a fixed one coming back....that was SOP for shooting open back in the day....

[joecichlid]

I still have a single stack 45 comp gun with tasco scope in the safe, sad thing is I remember when that was the hot ticket.

Drag that puppy out and find you a pin shooting club. A big, fat, .45 round makes good work of pins.

Joe W.

[boz1911]

For all of us that didn't shoot back then.

This thread is useless without pics...

[Rolex]

Caspian .45 SS, red buff mount,aimpoint-blue can-

and a two port comp.

Then Caspian Hi Cap .38S three port comp,red buff,

and the same aimpoint! Around 1989-1990!

[Bill Nesbitt]

Here ya go. Nastoff 45 from 1986.

[Dan Sierpina]

The flaw to this thread is, back in the old days, there was no "Open". Everyone shot heads up! The only difference was Major or Minor.

I remember when Devel magazines were the hot setup!

[tightloop]

The flaw to this thread is, back in the old days, there was no "Open". Everyone shot heads up! The only difference was Major or Minor.

I remember when Devel magazines were the hot setup!

exactly...run what you brung....Yes, I remember the IPSC Gun Wars...

[gunracer38]

In the early 90s' EGW built my two open pistols. The first one was a new STI frame with a serial number less than 135. The other one was the Caspian new frame. Both of them are still running today as far as I know. Those two were sold less than 10 years ago. I still like the gunsmiths who built my new open guns. All of them run perfectly.

[tunakilla]

Where is my Ted Blocker "Matchmaster" holster i used with my 5" Colt that Kings installed S&W revolver sights on? That leather/steel holster would go flat every time we went prone.

"Trigger jobs less than 4lbs. never should be done"

"Scopes are too heavy and slow"

"38 super is just a Fad"

"Don't use bullets less than 165gr in super"

"Don't use bullets less than 150gr in super"

"The big boys are using 135gr Jacketed bullets, too dangerous"

"Just shoot cast lead, jacketed bullets are too expensive @ 35.00 a thousand save them for big matches"

Now I shoot 9major open w/12oz Trigger and 124g jhp, things have changed.

Edited January 14, 2010 by tunakilla

[tunakilla]

For all of us that didn't shoot back then.

This thread is useless without pics...

We did not have cameras then

[tunakilla]

I agree! My first exposure to action shooting was in 1990 as an 18 year old. The Bianchi Plate rack speed shoot at and indoor range was the first shooting competition I tried.

My father and I were hooked and started modding. He/we had a Springfield 1911A1 45ACP parkerized and dropped in a Wilson Comp/barrel kit. Single Port. Cutting Edge!

As we learned more about USPSA and Steel Challenge, gamesmanship started. First a Single Stack 1911 with 2 port comp/ BOMAR/ Serrated front post with sight black... S&A Magwell in 38Super...

Oooh so State of the art.

Around '93 we went with a Tasco scoped Custom Springfield P9 for the High cap game in 9x21.

After starting back up last year I'm still using that Tanfolio/Springfield today in 9 Major. Times have Changed!!

We went to hi-cap at in 1991, yours was not delivered till 1992

[BSeevers]

For all of us that didn't shoot back then.

This thread is useless without pics...

We did not have cameras then

I do have a Lithograph of my first Open gun but I don't know how to post it.

Serious do you remember the first High Tech people that videoed with those VHS/Beta cameras that looked like Channel 10 TV cameras.

Oh and yea I was told by a MD to not to shoot my first "unsafe" 38 Super at club matches. Guns did blow up on a regular basis then but it was usually(always) a double charged .45. We had a guy shooting a comped dot .45 at 190 PF with 155 gr bullets. Ill admit that one scared me. What is that like 40000 cups in an unsupported chamber and none +P brass?

Later Glocks and lead bullets were the ticket to KaBoom.

[eerw]

My first open style gun was a single stack 38S, bomars.

hot setup was a .45 mags with devel follower modified to hold 11.

then add a Ross Deane bullet proof PDP2, shot this at 1991 nationals

then a P9 9x21 three port comp, with a Ross Deane PDP2 for 1992 and 1993 seasons.

[flack jacket]

My first open style gun was a single stack 38S, bomars.

hot setup was a .45 mags with devel follower modified to hold 11.

then add a Ross Deane bullet proof PDP2, shot this at 1991 nationals

then a P9 9x21 three port comp, with a Ross Deane PDP2 for 1992 and 1993 seasons.

eerw, I totally remember. OOOOOOHH! Three port comp.. "Why don't we make it 4 port?" I asked my gunsmith, He replied, "You don't need it, there's no more gas hon that last port" Show's me the compensator.. "See, the last of the three ports has no lead in it!"

[joecichlid]

Kimber Classic Custom with a Red Buff mount, Tasco PDP5 CMP, Clark barrel and comp. Funny thing is I had it built up for shooting bowling pins but got into USPSA around 2003 through 2006 and this is the gun I competed with. lol Still in my (small) collection and used from time to time.

Joe W.

[tunakilla]

My first open style gun was a single stack 38S, bomars.

hot setup was a .45 mags with devel follower modified to hold 11.

then add a Ross Deane bullet proof PDP2, shot this at 1991 nationals

then a P9 9x21 three port comp, with a Ross Deane PDP2 for 1992 and 1993 seasons.

eerw, I totally remember. OOOOOOHH! Three port comp.. "Why don't we make it 4 port?" I asked my gunsmith, He replied, "You don't need it, there's no more gas hon that last port" Show's me the compensator.. "See, the last of the three ports has no lead in it!"

Funny the 5-chamber 5-port comp and the 6-chamber 8-port would still flame cut the baffles, there was plenty gas.

[boz1911]

Here ya go. Nastoff 45 from 1986.

Now yer talking....

[DMS42]

Here's a couple that I used in the Mid to Late 80's.

The top gun is an Essex with a BAT single comp, bottom is a Caspian build by Ron Sharp. It has a 6 in. barrel with 1.5 in. weight -- Pin Barrel.

View of Bat Comp, Clark Super Comp and Pin Barrel.

[eerw]

Here's a couple that I used in the Mid to Late 80's.

The top gun is an Essex with a BAT single comp, bottom is a Caspian build by Ron Sharp. It has a 6 in. barrel with 1.5 in. weight -- Pin Barrel.

View of Bat Comp, Clark Super Comp and Pin Barrel.

wow..Ron Sharp..that is a name I have not heard in a long long time. did you shoot down in the Boise area??