episode 136

[Gandalf]

Extra primo good Mr Shelton.

It was especially interesting to hear about Iain's kludge PCC he uses in competition, especially after watching Top Shot last night.

As a recap of Top Shot (if there's anyone that doesn't watch the show) they used Race Guns for part of the competition.  These race guns are highly modified 1911s, so much so that they don't even remotely resemble what JMB designed:



These pistols cost nearly $5,000.00 and begs the question, has the competitive shooting world suddenly turned into a contest of who can bring the goofiest most expensive crap to shoot?  Is there a point where you're no longer using skill, simply buying your trophies with your gear?

I don't begrudge anyone having the money and means to compete with the "best" gear they possibly can, but after watching these so-called champion shooters fail to operate even a basic sidearm over and over, you would start to wonder where the sport is really going.

But it was an excellent show.

[xmunckx]

I wouldn't worry about it.
In my experience good gear can help a good player function at his best, it will not make a mediocre player suddenly a super-pro.
You need the skills to get things done, not just the fancy tools.

Munck

[SteveZ]

These pistols cost nearly $5,000.00 and begs the question, has the competitive shooting world suddenly turned into a contest of who can bring the goofiest most expensive crap to shoot?  Is there a point where you're no longer using skill, simply buying your trophies with your gear?

While I haven't competed in USPSA shooting Open Division...I have shot Open guns before in the past and I can assure you that shooting one takes just as much skill as shooting any other gun.  To excel in open division means not only that you have to be accurate...but you need to be VERY fast in everything you do..shooting, movement...everything.  It is a game of SPEED...more so than the other division.  Simply putting an Open gun in the hands of someone..won't make them a champion.

[Gun Geek]

These pistols cost nearly $5,000.00 and begs the question, has the competitive shooting world suddenly turned into a contest of who can bring the goofiest most expensive crap to shoot?  Is there a point where you're no longer using skill, simply buying your trophies with your gear?

There in lies the genius of the classification system.  Race guns compete against race guns and New out-of-the-box service pistols compete against each other.  Apples shoot against apples.

Each class of pistol has it's own set of challenges.  Open guns make the best use of modern technology to help a shooter shoot accurately very quickly.  These competitors must out game and out perform each other to win.  And we are talking fractions of seconds here.  I would say that it takes more skill to run an open gun well that to run a gun well in production, single stack, or limited 10.  Think of it this way, the gun is built for speed, like and Indy car.  And we can all agree that it takes more refined skills to competitively drive and Indy car than it does to hop into your street car and go fast!

[Eric R Shelton]

These pistols cost nearly $5,000.00 and begs the question, has the competitive shooting world suddenly turned into a contest of who can bring the goofiest most expensive crap to shoot?

The skill question has already been answered, I think.  As far the pure essence of this sentence, though?  I would say "Yes and No".  In some classes and competitions I would say you're absolutely right and the guy with more "over the counter" gear doesn't stand a chance.  But in others, like local ACTS matches here, it's much more balanced because guys are shooting 'em with they're real go-to gear or even guns that are part of the stage (so everyone uses the same gun, like IROC racing).

I think the biggest danger to the non-competitor is lumping all competition into the same bracket.  Yeah, we're aware there are different types of competition- but maybe not aware quite how many types there are and that one could be perfect for us to use as training on a budget.

[Gandalf]

I do agree that most people that shoot IDPA (for example) do it for both fun and the challenge and that there's a small subset that simply do everything they can to "win" and gain rank/titles.  I used to shoot archery in New Mexico many many years ago at a local club.  They would hold occasional matches and I'd compete in them for fun.  I'd bring out my hunting bow and arrows and shoot the round with my every day gear.  Other folks showed up with tricked out multi thousand dollar rigs with the absolute top of the line corporate sponsored kit and obviously beat everyone else to a pulp.  They even tried to make it more fair by handicapping it into multiple divisions, but even then some guys would purposely sandbag their handicap round to get into the lower tiers just to get a 20 dollar trophy.

I just think the more people "game" the system the more it takes away from it's significance.

[NS2]

These pistols cost nearly $5,000.00 and begs the question, has the competitive shooting world suddenly turned into a contest of who can bring the goofiest most expensive crap to shoot?

The skill question has already been answered, I think.  As far the pure essence of this sentence, though?  I would say "Yes and No".  In some classes and competitions I would say you're absolutely right and the guy with more "over the counter" gear doesn't stand a chance.  But in others, like local ACTS matches here, it's much more balanced because guys are shooting 'em with they're real go-to gear or even guns that are part of the stage (so everyone uses the same gun, like IROC racing).

I think the biggest danger to the non-competitor is lumping all competition into the same bracket.  Yeah, we're aware there are different types of competition- but maybe not aware quite how many types there are and that one could be perfect for us to use as training on a budget.

Have you caught the Sport Competition Shooter's bug? 

I suspect you will be good at it if you did.

[Eric R Shelton]

I'm selling a number of guns and little item around the house on Craigslist to finance real, functional modifications to my gear of choice!  LOL.  My shotgun needs the most work (both the gun and my practice with it), but I did well enough on (most of) the handgun portions to really motivate me to do more!  Yeah...  I don't wanna say I'm hooked, but I can't wait to do it again.  I've found the range here that does IDPA.  They also do ACTS matches.  3-gun looks to be on hiatus until they find somebody to officiate.  We'll see...
http://pimapistolclub.com/

Oh, here's where I shot in Portland.  BEAUTIFUL facility!
http://www.tcgc.org/

[NS2]

I'm selling a number of guns and little item around the house on Craigslist to finance real, functional modifications to my gear of choice!  LOL.  My shotgun needs the most work (both the gun and my practice with it), but I did well enough on (most of) the handgun portions to really motivate me to do more!  Yeah...  I don't wanna say I'm hooked, but I can't wait to do it again.  I've found the range here that does IDPA.  They also do ACTS matches.  3-gun looks to be on hiatus until they find somebody to officiate.  We'll see...
http://pimapistolclub.com/

Oh, here's where I shot in Portland.  BEAUTIFUL facility!
http://www.tcgc.org/

Sweet!  You should get your SASS name now.  How about Captain Baker?


Seriously, have fun and enjoy it!  Then tell us all about it. 

[Gandalf]

I'm waiting for the episode entitled mounted cowboy action shooting.

[Eric R Shelton]

Depite the occasional joke, we don't mount cowboys on this podcast. 

[Ledwards]

And thank you for that Eric…really I mean that…THANK YOU!