sidroski said:
What are most of you guys shooting and what class?
I'll be shooting an SV .40 in Limited Division. Just as Cliff has his favorite, I have mine, and Limited is pretty much all I care to shoot. I may shoot some Singlestack later in the year though. At Magnolia, Production will probably have the most shooters and more of the newer shooters, as that is typical there. Limited is generally second largest, and I'd hazard a guess that Singlestack will be third, although it may be Revolver this month. You can peruse the results on Team Magnolia's
website to get an idea for the typical numbers.
sidroski said:
I have a SA 1911 .45 and a BHP .40 as well as several glocks, a sig and a Beretta 92. Besides that, I have several revolvers but they are heavy.
You have several really good options. The SA 1911 would be great for Singlestack, but you'll need at least 5 8-round magazines. Singlestack is basically a "stock" division for 1911's if that's what you would prefer to shoot. You didn't mention which Glock models you have, but like others have mentioned, a 34, 17, or 19 would be preferred for Production, but just about any of them would work ok. They are a natural fit if you have 4 or 5 10-round (or greater) mags. With a few mods and some high cap mags with aftermarket basepads, several Glocks can and do compete in Limited and Limited 10, most notably the 35 and 24, but to a lesser extent the 22, 21, 20, and even the 34, 17, and 17L on rare occasion, but these can come later on down the road if you are ever interested in it. The Beretta and most likely the Sig, depending on model, could also be used in Production, but would again need 4 or 5 (or more) 10-round (or greater) magazines. The BHP has a single action trigger so you would be in Limited or Limited 10 with it. In .40, it could score "major" but would need basepads and a few other tweaks to really compete in Limited. From what I have read, a BHP won't hold up to high volume USPSA/IPSC shooting anyway, but for a match every now and then it would be ok. In other words, this would be my last choice, honestly, despite how much I like the way HP's feel and handle. I also wouldn't recommend a revolver for the first USPSA/IPSC match, especially if all you have is speed loaders. You would need a mess of them, 6 could technically do it but 8 or more would be better, plus a way to carry them. Between this and the fact that I imagine constant speed loader reloading could get frustrating, I'd personally recommend getting at least a couple matches under your belt before going with a Revolver. (The Revolver purists will probably cuss me for saying this!)
sidroski said:
I want to take baby steps and don't want a $3k gun, would rather do production. Which pistol would you recommend?
You have the right attitude. I personally would recommend "baby steps" even if you DID ultimately want a "$3K" gun. I have seen more than one shooter jump in with both feet just to find out that the latest wonder-9 Production gun or the hot-rod Open or Limited gun isn't exactly what they wanted or wished they would have gotten. (As a side note, sometimes their impulse buys can be to your advantage, as some good used equipment does come available from time to time at significant discounts off new.) Anyway, come shoot some matches, talk to folks, and have fun. You'll have opportunities to check equipment out and figure out what you prefer along the way. You may find that you want something else; you may not. Although there are people that never change, I'd say the majority of folks make a change in equipment if they stick with it for a couple of years. This is not because they necessarily have to, but because they wanted to.
sidroski said:
For reloading, how do you mark your ammo, with a sharpie or does that rub off?
Sharpie works fine. I have been using blue "Marks-a-lot" permanent marker since somewhere around 2001. Some comes off on my hands and the breechface, but the majority stays in place. To be certain you'll recognize it, you may have to resort to a double color combination, as a good many folks mark theirs these days.
Look forward to meeting you at the match Sunday, and if I can be of any assistance, don't hesitate to let me know.
Bryant
