August West

There is iron in Two Dot's words.

Can you tell us a bit more about the gun? Confirm that it's a 2 3/4" chambered gun. Does it have a flag? Do the serial numbers of the receiver and barrel match? Are you sure the cartridge cutoff is installed correctly in the gun? (a very common source of feeding problems!) And, as Boggus said, have you got a 12 gauge shell checker and have you checked EVERY shell you've tried to run through the gun? And, I have no idea what you mean by the term "stop" that you reference in regard to a "new spring." Neither of the mechanisms that stop a shell from leaving the magazine operates with a spring. So, it isn't clear what you're referring to -- at least to me.

We have evolved a 'protocol' for clearing firearms 'on the line' (where they end up after shooting them). We do this because of small posse size and shortage of personnel. We try to clear the pistol first and get it holstered before moving on to the long guns. We make full use of the commands, "Magazine, show empty, slide, hammer, holster" or otherwise mentally go through that checklist as the seasoned shooter does the same. For Rifle we say, "show empty, lever" then "rifle clear." For shotgun we say, "show empty" then "shotgun clear." When all three firearms have been cleared we say, "all firearms are clear, shooter may return to his/her cart." And, we issue a "guns up" command when the shooter has the muzzles of the long guns pointed toward the sky so that people can go downrange and reset the stage. The only problem we sometimes have is a shooter who raises their long guns, and then -- after we've said "guns up" -- puts them back down at the line to adjust their hat, or glasses, or something else. So, the "guns up" command only comes when the shooter actually turns and starts walking to their cart. I suppose, if a shooter drops their 1911 while holstering it, that would be a SDQ. I've never seen that happen, although shooters who use flap holsters sometimes give the T/O pause. So, in our case, when we have a small posse (normal condition), the shooter is off the line when the "guns up" command is issued to the posse.

Gee Whiz, I don't know if I should be embarrassed or angry. I have "followed" the discussions about Stage Points in WBAS since they began here several years ago. Those discussions always quickly turned to the topic of "what should we do with a SDQ if we returned to Total Time?" But, until you made this clear statement, Frank, I never understood what you guys were talking about. Like most people -- it seems -- I felt the Stage Points 'transformation' was just some mumbo-jumbo that obscured important (to me) information about what had occurred during a match. And, seeing it that way, the conclusion -- in my mind -- was that transformations never add information, they only obscure it, therefore it is a shame the WBAS Committee has chosen to do things this way. The purpose for scoring with Stage Points was without reason until I read your statement (quoted here). As you know, I've participated in many WBAS matches scored with Stage Points, yet never understood how that affected the outcome of the match until today. Two courtesies would eliminate the resentment that shooters feel about WBAS Stage Point scoring, I suspect. First, a global statement -- like the one you've made here -- about the rationale for Stage Point Scoring that explains to shooters the advantages of this system. And, second, a clear and concise (mathematical) explanation of how the Stage Point transformation of total time and missus is carried out. If shooters understood both of these matters, these discussions would have been much more productive, and perhaps the issue would have been settled by now. As I said in the first sentence, you can say something like "boy, that August West is a dumbass to have been shooting WBAS for all these years and not have understood the virtues of Stage Scoring." Or, you could say, "that August West has every right to be dissatisfied with the clarity of explanation the WBAS Committee has given to shooters on this topic." At any rate, thanks Frank for moving us ahead!!! All the best to you. A.W.

Can affect overall weight of pistol.

This is one of those problems where it would be nice to have the gun in-hand before offering ANY suggestions. But, fools rush in, and here I am... The shell stop is easily installed incorrectly. I've done it many times. Note the following: 1. The area where the stop contacts the receiver is large -- like a big bearing surface. This area must be clean and generously oiled. I use zero weight Mobil 1, YMMV. 2. The forward end of the stop has to go BEHIND the magazine "extension", the very end of the magazine that protrudes into the receiver. You kind of have to install the stop in a two-stage movement where, first, you get the tip down, behind the magazine tube and, then lay the stop into place onto the receiver. You can check for smooth and complete movement of the stop at this point. If good, then carefully complete the rest of the assembly without disturbing the stop. Hope this helps.

When the action is "unlocked", the release button is in the 'up' position -- what I believe you are describing. The fact that the action release is releasing (there's some grammar for ya') means it is working properly. And, you should not expect it to "fall" back down until the action is cycled and the hammer cocked, since it must 'ride' over the hammer to return to its down position. So, that seems to point to the recommendations that Dusty and GJ have offered -- something is peened up, on the roof of the action where the bolt locks up. Or, of course, on the surface of the bolt hump that goes up into that recess. Shine a light up, onto the roof of the action and on the rear surface of the hump on the back of the bolt to look for galling and/or burrs. This idea seems to be further supported by your report that it doesn't 'bind up' when dry firing. P.S., FYI, none of my model 12's like 2 3/4 or 3 dram loads. They all seem to run best with "Featherlites" (a.k.a. Low Noise, Low Recoil). So, that's all I ever use in them.

Night ('97) and Day (M12).

https://www.brownells.com/handgun-parts/frame-parts/mainspring-parts/mainspring-housings/1911-v-grip-mainspring-housing-prod21091.aspx

O.K. We'll check that one off. Any chance the cartridge cutoff is installed incorrectly? (I can't tell you how many times I've managed to do that).

Any chance it's a 3" chamber gun?

Anything can happen. However, 1911's like to be wet. Here's Wilson Combat's recommendation for lubrication. In addition to Wilson's instructions, I put a thin layer of lube on the disconnector ramp, and the barrel/slide lugs.

http://rangetray.com/epages/5042d0bc-1d3f-44a5-827a-287e01acd070.sf/en_US/?ObjectPath=/Shops/5042d0bc-1d3f-44a5-827a-287e01acd070/Categories/Magazine_Loaders

That's it!!!! Thanks!!! See you soon.

Help! I can't find the summary of the new rule changes that was on this site a while back. And, one of our shooters had another summarization of the new rules at our last match, which I believe originated with Happy Jack. Can someone please post links to those summaries? I have tried to find them and failed.

Null

Null

I ain't no rule wonk, but to my sensibilities a "cocked, loaded pistol" implies one that is at battery.

Total Time. I've never been able to understand how the stage point transformation of scores does anything other than obscure results. At one point, I was open to the idea of trying to understand stage points. But that train has left my station. Not only do stage points make match results opaque, they're one more thing in Wild Bunch that is off-putting to new and potential participants.

Nice!!! Not to be ungrateful, but has anyone come up with other, good, five plate sweeps? I'll put this to good use next month!!!

O.| 2 O. O.| O. 1 4 3 5 O.| 7 6 Continuous Nevada Sweep with two standing plates flanking dueling tree with three reactive plates --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- O. 4 O. O. 2 O. 6 1 3 5 7 Alternating, Starting (and ending) on Bottom Plate, alternating with each of remaining plates ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- O. O. O. 1 2-3 4 7 5-6 Nevada Sweep, Double Tapping Center Plate, Single Tapping outside plates. O. 4 O. 2-3 5-6 O. 1 7 Can, of course, be done with vertical set of plates.

Starting up with seven rounds in the magazines this past match, we saw shooters drop their magazines early, and we saw shooters who's magazines fell out of the gun when it was racked for the first shot (magazine release failed to latch when magazine was initially inserted). We got our money's worth in entertainment, if not shooting enjoyment, that's for sure. How do the rules affect recovery from these two situations? Since this hasn't happened in a while at any match I've attended, I'm fuzzy on how to handle the situation. My recollection is that the rules apply to 'Reloads' and, that, inserting, or re-inserting the original (starting) magazine does not constitute a 'reload'. Therefore, the pistol does not have to be at slide lock for the reinsertion. In other words, this situation is handled -- on the clock -- in the same way a pistol that was not charged before coming to the firing line would be: by shoving the magazine into it and carrying on. But, I'd like to get a refresh on that understanding. Thanks for clarifying!

GJ, thanks for sharing that. Might have taken me a decade to figure it out on my own! How do you think about the rifle when working with seven pistol shots per magazine? One rule I've always had for myself it to not write stages with any 'glaring' p-traps. One principle I've tried to adhere to is making rifle and pistol sequences 'logically' parallel, the same, or at least similar. So, since seven is not a factor of 10, what are some good ways to think about rifle strings in this new environment? Thanks for any insight. A.W. P.S. was going to add a wise-crack about not loading the rifle to maximum capacity but thought better of it....

Presumably, the sights are not yet regulated?

I assure you, you'll be among friends regardless of category.