Time for a change of divisions...

[mcb]

So I have been shooting Revolver in USPSA competition almost exclusively since 2013. Spent most of 2013 and part of 2014 shooting a 6-shooter (625) in Revolver and an 8-shooter (627) in Production. Then pretty much Revolver exclusively with the 8-shooter since.

Before that I shot a mix of Revolver (610) and Limited-10 with an XD-40. So I never had to take my shoes off to count rounds before a reload. Now I am going to have to shoot bare footed (it Alabama so it allowed). I am putting up the Revolver and going to try my hand at Limited. Got a deal recently on a Remington R1 Limited in 40 S&W. It was a deal I couldn't pass up and was looking for a change in division so here I go:



The R1 Limited is, at its core, a Para-Ordinance P16 that has some minor changes since their assimilation into Remington. The biggest change I can see so far other than cosmetics are the magazines bodies that now hold 18rds. I have put some Taylor Freelance extension on my magazine and can load 20rds in the magazine, insert them on a close slide and pass the Limited magazine gauge. I think with a new follower I could get 21rd magazines.

I just got everything together about about a week ago and only had one live-fire practice session (several dry fire session) with it so far. Function has been excellent and accuracy was pretty good when I sighted it in. My existing 40 S&W load makes almost the exact same Power Factor in the R1 as it did from my XD-40 Tactical. Good thing as I have nearly 2500 rds of it ready to go.

Getting use to the manual safety is the biggest thing so far with my dry fire practice. This is the first center fire handgun I have owned for competition that has a manual safety. That is going to take some serious brain retraining.

I never had a issue with the grip safety on my XD-40 but the grip safety on this R1 Limited is giving me the occasional issue with not getting it fully depressed. If I don't get a good grip before moving my thumb up to ride the safety I have issues. I might end up pinning the grip safety down. I would rather not but well see.

For now I have an inexpensive Bladetech holster with a drop and offset and some old Blackhawk mag pouches. Figure I will start with that since I already had it and will upgrade as I see what I like and don't like about this setup. I would definitely like to add a magnet magazine holder for those everything off the table/barrel stages.

I will see how the reloads go but I am thinking I might need to put an oversize magazine release button in it but that too will wait to see how the first few matches go.

I have a feeling for the first few matches there are going to be a lot of partial magazines laying around the stage with 12 rounds left in them...

-Rambling

 

[Dudedog]

I think you will get used to the safety really quick.
JMB designed it to be right where most shooters want to put their thumb anyway.

I have various assorted issues, but the safety on my 1911s have never been a problem, it's just there where my thumb ends up anyway.

Nice looking gun, hope it works out well for you.

 

[Jim Watson]

The grip safety can be sensitized by filing the actuating arm so it disengages with less movement.
It can be pinned with opposing holes in grip safety and mainspring housing, no telltale hole in frame.
It can be blocked with a piece of buffer between safety and MSH.
The hump can be built up, I just cemented a piece of hard rubber to one for a Lady shooter.

 

[thomas15]

I think it's both a good idea and fun to switch guns every now and then. I'm still on the upward curve in revolver. I shoot mainly Steel Challenge or similar static steel revolver. I put to together an open rimfire pistol, actually it is for my wife but she hasn't taken much of an interest yet so I've been shooting it in matches as a 2nd gun. For someone who doesn't practice or even received instruction on the particulars of rimfire in SCSA I'm actually doing fairly well. I think it is due to the very light SA trigger and zip recoil, compared to the long DA of a revo. Still, the regulars in rimfire would cream me so I'm not going to go full time rimfire.

I also have a decent production rig for either SCSA or USPSA that I have never used. Thinking about giving that a spin in the fall for S&G. Not giving up revo though.

Keep us posted mcb.

 

[mcb]

I don't think I will completely give up Revolver. I enjoy Revolver a lot, I will continue to carry one as my wood/hunting handgun. I got into USPSA/IDPA because it was the first sport where reloads were part of your score. Revolver seemed the way to get more reloads in. I started shooting USPSA in 2005 and by started shooting Revolver division in late-2006/early-2007. Back in Ohio where I started in the sport most of the clubs only did ~4-5 stage matches so we would often shoot the match twice changing division for the second time through the match. I spent years shooting both Limited-10 and Revolver at local club matches. Down here at the one club I have been shooting with they don't do re-shoot of the whole match (just the classifier sometimes) so that wont be an option but I will still bring the revolver out for classifiers and the occasional match. I am very close to A-class with my revolver. Going to be funny when I shoot C-class for the next few matches. My current Limited classification is based almost entire on classifiers shot with a borrow guns.

 

[thomas15]

I am very close to A-class with my revolver. Going to be funny when I shoot C-class for the next few matches. My current Limited classification is based almost entire on classifiers shot with a borrow guns.

I hear you mcb. In SCSA optical sight revolver I'm at 69% so I need about 11 seconds to make A, in iron sight revo which I just started shooting I'm at 59% so should have B class in a week or two. In ICORE Open I'm at 59% also so one or two more classifiers and will have B although I don't shoot very much ICORE. USPSA revo I seem to be stuck in C as I don't take it seriously enough, too many other irons in the fire. IDPA revo stuck likewise in SS but I've made the decision to not shoot that particular cof for the next year or 10.

My goal for this year is A is SCSA OSR, B in SCSA ISR and B in Open and Limited ICORE. All of these (except Limited ICORE) are well within reach at this point. For the time being, I have set the 2019 goal of Master in SCSA OSR, A in ISR. Even a year ago that goal would have seemed to be completely out of reach but now it's entirely up to me. This time last year I was shooting D in SCSA OSR. When I made B at the very end of last year I had a smile that lasted for a week!

 

[ATLDave]

Stuff I predict you will do with your LTD setup that you never did with revo':

• Choose an accuracy-by-volume approach on some distant, hard-cover-infested target.
• Taking makeup shots on hits that you called as marginal.
• Ripping 3-4 rounds at movers.
• Driving down big poppers that are activators or hiding mini-poppers behind them.
• Worry about whether a magazine at absolute max capacity is really "reloadable."
• Truly hosing the close arrays with a target focus.

I think you'll have fun!

 

[mcb]

Stuff I predict you will do with your LTD setup that you never did with revo':

• Choose an accuracy-by-volume approach on some distant, hard-cover-infested target.
• Taking makeup shots on hits that you called as marginal.
• Ripping 3-4 rounds at movers.
• Driving down big poppers that are activators or hiding mini-poppers behind them.
• Worry about whether a magazine at absolute max capacity is really "reloadable."
• Truly hosing the close arrays with a target focus.

I think you'll have fun!

Yeah I think you might be right. I am definitely looking forward to the next match. I fully expect to finish worst in the overall standing for the next match or two due to mental errors but I will no doubt have fun. Will be interesting to see how long it takes to get my Limited performance on par with how well I have been shooting Revolver recently.

 

[ATLDave]

IDK if you'll go down in the standings. My hypothesis (which you will test): you will place about the same (overall) for a match or two until you learn to leverage the advantages of the division. But you won't win your division as often as when you were the only revo' shooter!

 

[tarosean]

I have a feeling for the first few matches there are going to be a lot of partial magazines laying around the stage with 12 rounds left in them...

That is the best part.. you change mags when you want to NOT when you have too. In addition, practice flipping of the safety during the draw. It should be off by the time you get your sight picture.

 

[mcb]

IDK if you'll go down in the standings. My hypothesis (which you will test): you will place about the same (overall) for a match or two until you learn to leverage the advantages of the division. But you won't win your division as often as when you were the only revo' shooter!

Yeah and I won't come in DFL in my division as much either, hopefully.

That is the best part.. you change mags when you want to NOT when you have too. In addition, practice flipping of the safety during the draw. It should be off by the time you get your sight picture.

Yeah but I have spent years shooting 8 shots and reloading. It happens as second nature now. I can have a bad encounter with a Texas-Star or large array of steel and after I pulling the trigger 8-times trying to make up the misses I do a reload without thinking about it. I am no longer consciously counting rounds but my subconscious is counting and does an auto reload at the right time (most of the time). Until the 20rd magazine become second nature I think as long as I have a good plan for a stage that I get to walk thorough the plan several times during the walk-though period and as long as nothing goes wrong I won't have an issue. Its going to be those times when something goes pear-shaped and I get off plan that I am going to revert to, shoot-eight, reload, rinse and repeat and leave a lot of partial mags laying around.

As for the thumb safety I have found the rushing to the safety is part of what is getting me in trouble with the grip safety. I am trying to ride the thumb safety leaving my thumb there while shooting. I find that if I move my thumb up to the safety before I have a complete and solid grip on the gun then the act of reaching up for the thumb safety takes the pressure off the grip safety. I am working on delaying releasing the thumb safety as much as I can while still getting it released before my sights are on the first target.

 

[tarosean]

Its going to be those times when something goes pear-shaped

When it goes like that no amount of ammo will help...

I find that if I move my thumb up to the safety before I have a complete and solid grip on the gun then the act of reaching up for the thumb safety takes the pressure off the grip safety.

You need to work on your initial grip then.. If you grab the gun with authority as high as you can at the beavertail your thumb will already be forced up to rest on the safety.
Try Googling "Bob Vogel Grip" and it should bring up a youtube video. (cannot post a link right now)
While he uses a glock it will carry over for how high you need to grab your gun initially.

I flick my safety off around 45 degrees.

 

[ATLDave]

You know what else is gonna be weird for you? The first time you shoot a multi-string stage and realize that you don't even need to reload between strings. Just flick on the safety and holster that heater!

 

[Dudedog]

If you grab the gun with authority as high as you can at the beavertail your thumb will already be forced up to rest on the safety.

Yep,
For me it just ends up there without even thinking about it.
Then as gun comes up safety goes down.

 

[mcb]

I am sure in time my thumb will just end up there also but remember since starting USPSA competition in 2005 I have never used a handgun with a manual safety except the few times I have borrowed a Limited or Open rigs from friends. Its all be XD's and Revolvers 99% of the time. Its going to take some practice to get there.

 

[mcb]

Well that could have gone better...

Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn...

Much learning happened today and some gunsmithing to follow.

 

[waktasz]

That's a good attitude to have.

Post match gunsmithing is always fun too!

 

[mcb]

Yeah I need to diagnose the FTF issues I was having. When I sighted in and tested the gun I had no feeding issues. In the match where I was no doubt trying to shoot fast I had several failures to feed where the slide was stopped out of battery and a tap-rack turned the malfunction into double feeds. I think the rounds are stemming on the top of the chamber. It was almost always earlier in a new magazine so I need to figure out if I need more recoil spring or if more/less magazine spring pressure might help. I think my extractor is good but I will be checking that too.

 

[mcb]

So I found three things on my R1 that I addressed to hopefully increase is feeding reliability. First the firing pin hole in the breech face had a dead sharp edge. I broke that with a very light chamfer (.005 max) and then polished the breach face, the polishing also rounded that new chamfer. The left side of the chamber entrance also has a sharp corner between the feed ramp and extension at the top. I broke that edge with about a .025 chamfer and re-polished that surface and the feed ramp while I was at it. The extractor was also very sharp and I used a jeweler file to brake the bottom corner very lightly so that it would not dig into a rim as the round starts up the relatively steep feed ramp. I put another ~120 rounds through it last weekend and no malfuntions with my regular 1.140 length round shoulder profile 40 S&W. I had one malfunction with some 1.18 length truncated cone profile ammo I was also trying to see of a longer OAL length might help. So next match we'll give it another try with my regular ammo and see if I get better performance.

 

[ATLDave]

I, too, have had to polish a breach face or two.

 

[Dudedog]

Hope it's happy now and all goes well for you next match.

 

[mcb]

Better match today. Gun ran flawless for me over five stages and about 130 rds. I did not run as well with a few extra shots, a miss and a no-shot but managed to win Limited and place 11 of 54 total shooters. Unfortunately the miss came on the Classifier so I will continue to play down here in C class.