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Maksim

Back from Area 8 match

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Back from a week in Virginia and 6 months of daily responsibilities related to the match.

 

Awesome stages Area 8 style... (open run and gun, strategy, not a ton of steel, or toooo difficult of shots). Shot pretty damn well and exceeded my targets, and absolutely did a ton better than last year... (zeroed a few stages due to gun fault, shooter errors, squibs, and went minor).

 

 

Met a ton of awesome people as Sponsor Coordinator for the match and had a chance to spend quite a bit of time with Mike Hughes (Top Shot season 3) as he had to shoot through. Learned some lessons, got some great prizes, a few shirts with my name on them and a big lesson for everyone.

 

The tough part was seeing Mike blow the match due to crappy ammo. After having his bags lost/delayed, he went to Walmart to buy some factory Winchester White Box.... low and behold, on one of the stages... bang.... primer blew out, sent the complete round lodged into the barrel.

 

What was the cause???? Factory ammo with no flash hole in the case. In essence, the complete round was the projectile. Unrecoverable death jam.

 

Guys, if you can reload... load your own ammo and have the piece of mine you are not dependent on anyone else.

 

Other sucky part of the match... too many people from our neck of the woods getting the DQ.

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Those are great videos. After watching, I can see many areas where you can DQ if you do not have experience trying to run back without breaking the 180. I think this is an excellent video showing the proper way to run with a handgun. I'm still new to the whole competitive shooting so this was informative. The first time I ran with the handgun, I was pumping my arms up and down. I think I made quite a few folks angry who nicely prompted to remind me about the 180.

 

This looked like a great match and it is interesting to hear about the WWB stuff. I'll need to learn more about reloading.

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Yes, the big DQ spots were Stage 9 and 12.

 

On stage 9, running back and doing a reload while running across the 180.

 

On Stage 12, same thing, getting on the "bridge" and turning to target.

 

As long as you keep it on top of the shoulder you are ok. Will try to find some videos of people doing other ways... such as running sideways or starting on the right side of stage 9 and running back with gun extended out.

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How do people not make power factor at a major match like this? I'm new to uspsa but it seems to me that people try to toe the minor/major line way too closely. If people don't make major at an area match I'd hate to think what they shoot at local matches when they know they won't be chronographed. I'm nut necassarilly inferring to you by the way, just talking about people in general. Even a half ass reloader should take temps into account.

 

As for dqs I can see that easily happening when people push the limit to try to get a fast time. When you shoot above your skill level you will eventually screw up.

 

Hopefully I'll be ready to shoot an area match next year. Only have about 6 months experience shooting uspsa so not ready for that kind of match just yet.

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gun fault, shooter errors, squibs, and went minor).

You did not make power factor?

Squib?

 

looking good...you did good..

 

 

Looks like a great match, wish I could've been there.

 

How'd you manage to go minor?

 

Thanks. Last year I went minor using WSF. Winchester powders are inverse sensitive, the hotter it gets outside, the slower the bang goes. I went 164.something last year, going off of the book.

 

This year, I have been shooting VV N320, and have consistently been making 169 to 170 pf with 180 grain bullets. This year I went 169.4.

 

Last year... I had a new gun I was shooting at the time, and new loads. (tanfoglio). Some of the rounds I used were "questionable" as I did not use a powder lock out die on the Lee Classic turret. One of them was a squib. Zeroed a stage.

 

Another stage last year I did not make a mandatory reload, so procedurals killed it. Last year, the match was also only 10 stages, so 2 out of 10 stages is 20% roughly points wise I was already down.

 

This year, absolutely ZERO gun malfunctions, zero ammo issues and did not have any major bonehead moves.

 

How do people not make power factor at a major match like this? I'm new to uspsa but it seems to me that people try to toe the minor/major line way too closely. If people don't make major at an area match I'd hate to think what they shoot at local matches when they know they won't be chronographed. I'm nut necassarilly inferring to you by the way, just talking about people in general. Even a half ass reloader should take temps into account.

 

As for dqs I can see that easily happening when people push the limit to try to get a fast time. When you shoot above your skill level you will eventually screw up.

 

Hopefully I'll be ready to shoot an area match next year. Only have about 6 months experience shooting uspsa so not ready for that kind of match just yet.

 

A lot of people shoot factory ammo and assume it makes it. Sometimes they cut it really close... ie they chrono 166 at home and expect it to go 166 on a different chrono, at a different place. Only 2 or 4 people went minor this year. A few folks got bumped into open because their gun (production or single stack) was over the weight limit, one guy painted the inside of his magwell (no no in production), a few other guys, their mags with basepads did not fit the gauge.

 

Don't be afraid to shoot a bigger match. The only difference, you have some really GREAT shooters too. Otherwise, the game is the same... just more stages, more complex stages at times.

 

the most difficult part... a lot tougher to put together 10 or 12 good stages than it is to shoot 5 or 7 stages. It really comes down to survival.

 

I would not hesistate to shoot a major match in our neck of the woods, the shooters get taken care of, better yet, help out at the match, shoot it for free, get a ton of experience.

 

Best experience is working a stage, be it as RO or scorer, and seeing 20 different squads shoot the same stage, and seeing how they break it down.

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It was a good match; ran smoothly and the stages were a lot better in person then they looked on paper.

Overall I had a terrible match. Piled on the mikes because I was having problems with follow through all day. On the stage were I actually shot like I know I can, I was happy where I ended up.

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It was a good match; ran smoothly and the stages were a lot better in person then they looked on paper.

Overall I had a terrible match. Piled on the mikes because I was having problems with follow through all day. On the stage were I actually shot like I know I can, I was happy where I ended up.

 

Mike, you were DAMN quick looking at the times. Blew stage 6 (bay 5) in 12 and change... damn. =) Too bad you had that mike on there. Was the fastest time by far.

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Thanks Maks,

I think KC andTilley edged me out time wise, certainly got me on points.

 

I almost to a digger running across the stage too.. it would have been epic if I went down at full speed.

 

Mike, IIRC, you were the fastest on that stage. KC and CT were in the 13's or so. The RO's remembered you when I asked them about the times on Sunday. Said it was someone who did mid 12's but had a mike.

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