USPSA August 21st 2010 (USPSA Match #6)

						Handgun match
						Match Date: 8/21/2010
Place	Name				USPSA		Class	Division	PF		Lady	Mil	Law	For		Age		Match Pts	Match %
1	Ferguson, Brian				TY26082		U	Limited	Major									416.2435	100.000%
2	Tilden, John				A47228		U	Limited	Major									354.3489	85.130%
3	Gardner, Noei						U	Limited	Major									318.5817	76.537%
4	Giammattei, Paul				A51997		U	Limited	Major									287.3633	69.037%
5	Selph, Steven				A65953		U	Limited	Minor									249.3364	59.902%
6	Currie, Matthew						U	Limited	Major									237.6640	57.097%
7	Bejarano, Saul				A62161		U	Limited	Major									191.9429	46.113%
8	Harris, Joe						U	Limited	Major									182.5531	43.857%
9	Williams, Jeremy						U	Limited	Minor									117.5163	28.233%
10	Sink Jr, Michael						U	Limited	Major									101.9363	24.490%
11	Dix, Buddy						U	Limited	Major									93.3349	22.423%
Number of Competitors:				11
Printed:		08/22/10 5:18 PM															Page 1 of 1

Roanoke July 24th 2010 (USPSA Match #5)

Well it is pass midnight and I have all things ready for tomorrow trip to Roanoke.
It is kinda hard to prepare then drive 90 miles to go shooting but the level of adrenaline reached and the very, very nice people I meet there makes the effort worth every mile driven.
I am taking my Glock 17 with me but I do not know if I will shoot it because I forgot to buy 9mm bullets for it, on the other hand I have almost 600 rounds of 40S&W so I think I will stick with the Glock 35 and keep trying to get a good performance on that gun shooting Limited.

I ended up shooting my G35, sight has to be changed definitely but I did pretty good on the qualifier.

Combined divisions - these are NOT official results.						Handgun Match
						Match Date: 7/24/2010
Place	Name				USPSA		Class	Division	PF		Lady	Mil	Law	For		Age		Match Pts	Match %
1	Sink, Michael				A49228		U	Open	Major									380.0000	100.000%
2	Steinle, Mark				A16580		B	Open	Minor									326.2284	85.850%
3	McGonigal, Steve				A53048		U	Open	Minor									273.1390	71.879%
4	Lee, Chris				A52581		U	Limited	Minor									257.9460	67.881%
5	Leray, Simon				A59629		U	Limited 10	Major									249.3766	65.625%
6	Burress, Withers				A16603		U	Open	Minor									239.2971	62.973%
7	Freeman, Frank				A57057		U	Open	Minor									230.8049	60.738%
8	Finn, Bud				FY34563		U	Single Stack	Minor									227.7986	59.947%
9	Frame, Roy				A52580		U	Revolver	Major									210.9179	55.505%
10	Gaylor, John				A48882		U	Limited 10	Major									203.5042	53.554%
11	Jennings, Shawn				A55886		U	Production	Minor									195.3326	51.403%
12	Gardner, Noei						U	Limited	Major									193.2054	50.844%
13	Giammattei, Paul				A51997		U	Single Stack	Major									190.8327	50.219%
14	Eward, Doug				A68100		U	Production	Minor									178.5616	46.990%
15	Glass, Steve						U	Limited 10	Major									171.0693	45.018%
16	Givens, Rob				A57795		U	Single Stack	Minor									159.5336	41.983%
17	Selph, Steven				A65953		U	Limited	Minor									141.2218	37.164%
18	Jennings, Robert				A66285		U	Production	Minor									117.1704	30.834%
19	Green, Nathan						U	Limited	Major									114.0529	30.014%
20	Dix, Buddy						U	Production	Minor									110.2624	29.016%
21	Fleshman, Bobby						U	Production	Minor									96.6307	25.429%
22	Bejarano, Saul				A62161		U	Limited	Major									87.2660	22.965%
23	Breeden, Kerry						U	Limited 10	Major									74.5716	19.624%
24	Price, David						U	Production	Minor									65.4605	17.226%
25	Crawford, Jeff						U	Production	Minor									60.7254	15.980%
26	Jackson, Guy						U	Single Stack	Major									55.0592	14.489%
27	Atkinson, Tyler						U	Limited 10	Minor									44.0791	11.600%
28	Breeden, Melinda						U	Single Stack	Major									14.5988	3.842%
Number of Competitors:				28
Printed:		07/25/10 5:04 PM															Page 1 of 1

Roanoke, June 26th 2010 (USPSA Match#4)

Well I will prepare better for this match:
First thing first and we will start with aiming the guns properly, I hate to shoot with something totally messed up.
Second I will make use of all the available options for Limited, (Extra Rounds)

Tactical Glock 35 Longslide

Caliber - .40SW
Capacity - 15+1
Action - Glock's proprietary "Safe Action" system
Barrel - 5.32 inches
Weight - 27.27 oz. with empty magazine

I wasn't good, had a bunch of Mikes but what the heck slept two hours coming back from vacations and then drove to Roanoke was really killing, better sleep next time, I have to drop some weight to be more mobile and practice more with my glock, I will shoot as much as I can with that gun to be accurate.
I am even willing to try shooting 9mm Production on next match.
We'll see!

Well here are the results!

						USPSA
						Match Date: 6/27/2010
Place	Name				USPSA		Class	Division	PF		Lady	Mil	Law	For		Age		Match Pts	Match %
1	Ferguson, Brian				TY26082		U	Limited	Major									469.9592	100.000%
2	Glass, Steve						U	Limited	Major									437.1648	93.022%
3	Gardner, Noei						U	Limited	Major									375.3459	79.868%
4	Harris, Joe						U	Limited	Major									331.4274	70.523%
5	Tilden, John				A47228		U	Limited	Major									331.0884	70.450%
6	Bejarano, Saul				A62161		U	Limited	Major									228.3267	48.584%
Number of Competitors:				6
Printed:		06/27/10 4:34 PM															Page 1 of 1

This are key factors to have a nice shooting next month and will document my progress.

Here are some gun handling tips from the very master Todd Jarret

						USPSA
						Match Date: 6/27/2010
Place	Name				USPSA		Class	Division	PF		Lady	Mil	Law	For		Age		Match Pts	Match %
1	Ferguson, Brian				TY26082		U	Limited	Major									469.9592	100.000%
2	Glass, Steve						U	Limited	Major									437.1648	93.022%
3	Gardner, Noei						U	Limited	Major									375.3459	79.868%
4	Harris, Joe						U	Limited	Major									331.4274	70.523%
5	Tilden, John				A47228		U	Limited	Major									331.0884	70.450%
6	Bejarano, Saul				A62161		U	Limited	Major									228.3267	48.584%
Number of Competitors:				6
Printed:		06/27/10 4:34 PM															Page 1 of 1

Roanoke, May 15th 2010 (USPSA Match#3)

I could make it back to the country before the 2nd qualifier match.
Same as before I will be shooting a Glock 35 now 10 rounds per mag on a Limited 10 edition with higher power factor.
Bullets Federal 180grain .40S&W
Weather looks great and I will try to have some video embedded this time.

Combined divisions - these are NOT official results.						USPSA
						Match Date: 5/15/2010
Place	Name				USPSA		Class	Division	PF		Lady	Mil	Law	For		Age		Match Pts	Match %
1	Sink, Michael				A49228		U	Open	Major									452.5704	100.000%
2	Steinle, Mark				A16580		B	Open	Minor									417.4287	92.235%
3	Burress, Withers				A16603		U	Open	Minor									349.2996	77.181%
4	McGonigal, Steve				A53048		U	Open	Minor									344.1615	76.046%
5	Freeman, Frank				A57057		U	Open	Major									338.3747	74.767%
6	Gaylor, John				A48882		U	Limited 10	Major									337.6058	74.597%
7	Carroll, Kevin				TY33759		U	Single Stack	Minor									335.4097	74.112%
8	Leray, Simon				A59629		U	Limited	Major									301.1047	66.532%
9	Ferguson, Brian				TY26082		U	Limited	Major									296.9855	65.622%
10	Frame, Roy				A52580		U	Revolver	Major									282.7101	62.468%
11	Tilden, John				A47228		U	Limited	Major									251.2469	55.516%
12	Wilhelm, Robert				A18234		U	Limited 10	Major									237.7970	52.544%
13	Jones, Jay						U	Limited	Major									232.3274	51.335%
14	Gardner, Noei						U	Limited	Major									230.2473	50.875%
15	Green, Nathan						U	Limited	Major									229.6264	50.738%
16	Giammattei, Paul				A51997		U	Production	Minor									219.6676	48.538%
17	Hewitt, Mike						U	Limited	Major									200.6598	44.338%
18	Finn, Bud				FY34563		U	Single Stack	Minor									190.5063	42.094%
19	Mayes, David						U	Single Stack	Minor									180.0926	39.793%
20	Eward, Doug				A68100		U	Production	Minor									131.7078	29.102%
21	Lumsden, Curtis				A49229		U	Revolver	Major									122.0949	26.978%
22	Bejarano, Saul				A62161		U	Limited 10	Major									109.6061	24.219%
23	Wilson, Geoff				A51175		U	Revolver	Minor									105.5476	23.322%
24	Casto, Jon				A65390		U	Production	Minor									94.7299	20.932%
25	Green, Larry						U	Limited	Minor									82.9514	18.329%
Number of Competitors:				25
Printed:		05/16/10 8:12 PM															Page 1 of 1

I did really bad this match.
My sight was out of order, I was coughing like a sick dog but still made it to the match without shooting one single round since last one, definitely not ready but what the heck is a good motivation to keep going and make sure I improve my skills.

I want to thank Mark for all the effort as well as the Range Officers that help us have a fantastic day every month. I enjoy shooting with all you guys!

My next task: Become a RANGE OFFICER!

http://www.nroi.org/recert.html

USPSA Rules versus IPSC Rules, is there a difference?

I think I have something wrong here:
IPSC 2009 shows this document:

Where it presents Standard Division with matching power factor and magazine capacity of 15 rouds for .40 as a listing of the available divisions for scoring.
On the other hand I do not find the same Division listed anywhere under the USPSA, can you help me guys with this question?

Reading more I found an answer to my question.
There is no Standard Division on USPSA, the next division I can compete with a Major Factor is Limited 10 with a max MAG capacity of 10 rounds per magazine.

Roanoke, April 17th 2010 (USPSA Match#2)

I am very excited.
This year I am planning on assisting to all USPSA matches, of course there are many challenges. My personal Challenges are:

1) Weight (Have to get in good form for these matches)
2) Pistol (Decide finally which caliber I will shoot)
3) Sign with a local Range to practice more often, better if I can get something indoors.

This match has two classifier courses, Mark wrote that the requirement is 80 rounds 5 stages but I still have a bunch of questions:
- What is the smallest caliber that can be used with the USPSA or IPSC?

5.1.2. The minimum cartridge case dimension for handguns to be used in IPSC
matches is 9 X 19 mm. The minimum bullet diameter is 9 mm (.354
inches).
- What is an Open Sight?

5.1.3.1. "Open sights" are aiming devices fitted to a firearm which do
not use electronic circuitry and/or lenses. Fiber-optic inserts
are deemed not to be lenses.

- How many Classification matches you need and what is the qualification required to qualify?

I have not found answer to that one yet!

- What is a Classifier Course?

Answer researched:

IPSC Rules 1.2.2 (Special Courses of fire) Reference : http://www.ipsc.org/pdf/RulesHandgun.pdf


1.2.2.3."Classifiers" – Courses of fire published by a Regional
Directorate and/or IPSC, which are available to competitors
seeking a regional and/or international classification.
Classifiers must be set-up in accordance with these rules and be
conducted strictly in accordance with the notes and diagrams
accompanying them. Results must be submitted to the
publishing entity in the format required (with the applicable
fees, if any), in order for them to be recognized.

- What are the rules for 9mm on Production, is there a magazine limitation?
- Is .40 considered minor?

5.6.1.1. The power factor rating to enable a competitor's scores to be
included in match results is called "Minor". The power factor
floor for Minor rating, and other specific requirements
applicable to each Division, are stipulated in Appendix D.
5.6.1.2. Some Divisions offer a higher power factor rating called
"Major", which enables competitors to earn more points for
peripheral shots on scoring paper targets. The power factor
floor for Major rating, if available, and other specific
requirements applicable to each Division, are stipulated in
Appendix D.
The associated values awarded for Minor and Major scoring
5.6.1.3.
hits are illustrated in Appendices B and C. The method used to
determine power factor is explained in the following section.

All this is based on the power factor for the Division:

5.6.3.4. Power factor is calculated using the bullet weight and the
average velocity of the 3 rounds fired, according to the
following formula:
Power Factor = bullet weight (grains) x average velocity (ft p/sec)
1000
The final result will ignore all decimal places (e.g. for IPSC
purposes, a result of 124.9999 is not 125).


- What is my max magazine capacity on 9mm?

On any production firearm as long as it complies with the physical length the magazine capacity is not a limitation.

- Can I shoot limited with 9mm or .40 and if so which will give me more advantage on the Classifier?

- Which are IPSC Classifiers?

6.7. International Classification System ("ICS")
6.7.1. The IPSC Executive Council may coordinate and publish dedicated
regulations and procedures in order to manage and administer an
International Classification System.
6.7.2. Competitors seeking an international classification must use the approved
courses of fire available from the IPSC website.



The main question I have is:
Can I register and participate on the same match with two different handguns on two different categories the same day?

I guess that having my questions ready will help me to get them answered one by one, hopefully some of the readers will give me a hand with these questions.

I will shoot this Saturday April 17th is a Glock 35 caliber .40 magazine capacity is 15 rounds which gives me an advantage but I still have the qualification questions and I will try to find more answers probably I will send an email to Mark, he may help.

Ammunition to be used:

SPECIFICATIONS:
Mfg Item Num: 5258
Category: AMMO CENTERFIRE
Caliber :40 S&W
Bullet Type :Full Metal Jacket
Bullet Weight :180 GR
Muzzle Energy :400 ft lbs
Muzzle Velocity :1000 fps
Rounds/box :50 Rounds Per Box, 20 Boxes Per Case

Power Factor = (bullet weight (grains) x average velocity (ft p/sec))/1000

Power Factor = (180x1000/1000)= 180 Qualifier for Major, min 170

APPENDIX D2 Standard Division

1. Minimum power factor for Major 170
2. Minimum power factor for Minor 125
3. Minimum bullet weight No
9mm (0.354”) / 19mm
4. Minimum bullet caliber / cartridge case length
(0.748”)
5. Minimum bullet caliber for Major 10mm (0.40”) see below
6. Minimum trigger pull (see Appendix F2 No
7. Maximum handgun size Yes, see below
8. Maximum magazine length Yes, see below
9. Maximum ammunition capacity No
Max. distance of handgun and mags/speed
10. 50mm
loaders from torso
11. Rule 5.2.3.1 applies Yes
Restriction on position of holster and other
12. Yes, see below
equipment
13. Optical/electronic sights permitted No
Compensators, sound and/or flash suppressors
14. No
permitted
15. Ports permitted No, see below

My error was that all the time I filled my score sheet I did it under Production Division which gives more advantage to 9mm shooters.

APPENDIX D4 Production Division (effective 1 January 2010)

1. Minimum power factor for Major Not applicable
2. Minimum power factor for Minor 125
3. Minimum bullet weight No
4. Minimum bullet caliber / cartridge case length 9mm (0.354”) / 19mm
(0.748”)
5. Minimum bullet caliber for Major Not applicable
6. Minimum trigger pull (see Appendix F2) 2.27 kg (5lbs) for first shot
7. Maximum handgun size Maximum barrel length
127mm (5”)
8. Maximum magazine length No
9. Maximum ammunition capacity Yes, see Point 19.2 below
10. Max. distance of handgun and mags/speed
50mm
loaders from torso
11. Rule 5.2.3.1 applies Yes
12. Restriction on position of holster and other
Yes, see below.
equipment
13. Optical/electronic sights permitted No
14. Compensators, sound and/or flash suppressors
No
permitted
15. Ports permitted No

*****************************************************************************
19.2. Magazines accessible to a competitor during a COF must not contain
more that 15 rounds at the Start Signal.



Summary:

Match went perfect, the two classifiers very straight forward, we had the oportunity to reshoot them and I did better my second time.
On the pre-printed iformation there was nothing about the Standard Division which I assume is newer than the pages printed to signup for all the stages.

This was the first stage prepared which was not a classifier but still, very interesting and here the videos with the outcome on the shooting.
Had some Mikes and No shoots which made me lost points, I will run my second Classifier on limited 10 Major but will participate on Production 9mm after that.

							4-17-10 USPSA Match
							Match Date: 4/17/2010
Stage No:		1		Black & White
Place	Name						No.	Class	Division		Points		Penalties			Time	Hit Factor	Stage Pts			Stage %
1	Jennings, Robert					2		U	Limited 10			102		0		33.75	3.0222	110.0000			100.00%
2	Wilhelm, Robert					3		U	Limited 10			100		10		38.44	2.3413	85.2171			77.47%
3	Gaylor, John					17		U	Limited 10			107		0		45.92	2.3301	84.8094			77.10%
4	Finn, Bud					8		U	Limited 10			97		10		41.76	2.0833	75.8266			68.93%
5	Bejarano, Saul					13		U	Limited 10			101		20		45.84	1.7670	64.3141			58.47%
6	Leffell, Jeff					20		U	Limited 10			92		20		75.71	0.9510	34.6139			31.47%
Number of Competitors:					6
Stage No:		2		Down The Line
Place	Name						No.	Class	Division		Points		Penalties			Time	Hit Factor	Stage Pts			Stage %
1	Wilhelm, Robert					3		U	Limited 10			125		0		27.27	4.5838	125.0000			100.00%
2	Finn, Bud					8		U	Limited 10			115		10		32.86	3.1954	87.1384			69.71%
3	Gaylor, John					17		U	Limited 10			109		20		31.49	2.8263	77.0731			61.66%
4	Jennings, Robert					2		U	Limited 10			108		10		44.72	2.1914	59.7594			47.81%
5	Bejarano, Saul					13		U	Limited 10			101		20		39.34	2.0590	56.1488			44.92%
6	Leffell, Jeff					20		U	Limited 10			116		0		64.21	1.8066	49.2659			39.41%
Number of Competitors:					6
Stage No:		3		Around The Barrels
Place	Name						No.	Class	Division		Points		Penalties			Time	Hit Factor	Stage Pts			Stage %
1	Wilhelm, Robert					3		U	Limited 10			95		0		45.21	2.1013	100.0000			100.00%
2	Leffell, Jeff					20		U	Limited 10			90		10		41.44	1.9305	91.8717			91.87%
3	Jennings, Robert					2		U	Limited 10			88		0		47.61	1.8484	87.9646			87.96%
4	Gaylor, John					17		U	Limited 10			96		0		60.63	1.5834	75.3534			75.35%
5	Finn, Bud					8		U	Limited 10			83		10		56.74	1.2866	61.2288			61.23%
6	Bejarano, Saul					13		U	Limited 10			79		20		55.76	1.0581	50.3545			50.35%
Number of Competitors:					6
Stage No:		4		Six
Place	Name						No.	Class	Division		Points		Penalties			Time	Hit Factor	Stage Pts			Stage %
1	Finn, Bud					8		U	Limited 10			30		0		4.66	6.4378	30.0000			100.00%
2	Gaylor, John					17		U	Limited 10			30		0		6.71	4.4709	20.8343			69.45%
3	Leffell, Jeff					20		U	Limited 10			30		0		7.52	3.9894	18.5905			61.97%
4	Bejarano, Saul					13		U	Limited 10			27		0		6.83	3.9531	18.4214			61.40%
5	Jennings, Robert					2		U	Limited 10			25		10		4.04	3.7129	17.3020			57.67%
6	Wilhelm, Robert					3		U	Limited 10			25		10		5.31	2.8249	13.1640			43.88%
Number of Competitors:					6
Stage No:		5		Seven
Place	Name						No.	Class	Division		Points		Penalties			Time	Hit Factor	Stage Pts			Stage %
1	Jennings, Robert					2		U	Limited 10			33		0		4.72	6.9915	35.0000			100.00%
2	Leffell, Jeff					20		U	Limited 10			32		0		4.86	6.5844	32.9620			94.18%
3	Wilhelm, Robert					3		U	Limited 10			33		0		5.14	6.4202	32.1400			91.83%
4	Finn, Bud					8		U	Limited 10			33		0		5.42	6.0886	30.4800			87.09%
5	Bejarano, Saul					13		U	Limited 10			33		0		6.37	5.1805	25.9340			74.10%
6	Gaylor, John					17		U	Limited 10			34		0		7.74	4.3928	21.9907			62.83%
Number of Competitors:					6
Printed:		04/18/10 7:48 PM															Page 1 of 1

.40 lite

Make Right With a ".40 Lite"
Accuracy: With my three test pistols, every one of the loads listed below provided more than adequate accuracy for action-pistol shooting, training and plinking. Of course, "adequate" is a relative term that depends upon what the shooter expects of a particular handgun/cartridge combination. In my case, shooting offhand I was able to keep all rounds fired inside of the A-zone of an IPSC target at 25 yards.


The author and his Glock 35 in USPSA's Production Division. Can you shoot the .40 Lite fast? Note that one steel popper is down, a second is falling, and the author has just hit the third one.

Reliability: This proved to be the most challenging area. As you might expect, as bullet velocity decreased, reliability--especially with the 155-grain bullets--deteriorated. In the case of the Glock 35 and Para 16-40, it was necessary to install lighter recoil springs with several of the loads. Depending on the load, to ensure reliable functioning in the Glock 35 I used Wolff recoil springs ranging from 12 to 16 pounds, while the Para required springs ranging from 13 to 16 pounds. Surprisingly, the Glock 22 functioned perfectly with every load I ran through it with the factory recoil spring. I am not listing which springs I used with particular loads, as I believe it is better for the individual shooter to determine this by good old-fashioned trial and error.

Power Factors: After all, this was the whole point of this exercise. As can be seen by the chart, while all of these loads made Minor PF, some only did so by the skin of their teeth. As a number of factors can affect bullet velocity, it would behoove anyone using these loads as a starting point in their experimentation to chronograph them out of their particular pistol. And while I was attempting to get as low a PF as possible while still ensuring reliability, I will readily admit that I did not feel comfortable with too low a power factor. For that reason, when shooting competitively I do not use any load with a PF lower than 130.

Since perfecting several of these loads, I can now use my Glock 35 to shoot USPSA Production matches without being at a handicap competing against people with light-recoiling 9mm pistols. When loaded with .40 Lite ammo, the Para 16.40 has proven itself to be one of the most accurate pistols I have ever shot and is a premier candidate for those "ringy-dingy" steel matches where power factors are not a major part of the equation but recoil is.

I realize there are a lot of shooters out there who own .40 pistols; have friends, wives and/or children whom they'd like to teach to shoot the aforementioned .40 pistols; like your humble author, don't enjoy recoil; and don't shoot competitively.

If you fit into any of the above categories, the "Lite .40" will allow you to practice extensively without the downsides presented by recoil. These loads are perfect for introducing new or recoil-shy shooters to .40-caliber pistols. Because of their lower levels of recoil, they produce less wear and tear on your pistol, lengthening its service life.

For the cost-conscious among us, these light loads use 20 to 30 percent less propellant. Reloaders will be glad to know that most of these loads deposited the spent cases in a neat pile about two feet to my right--and they're fun to shoot.