Off To The Races
Here we go! The 2024 USPSA season at Miami Rifle & Pistol Club is underway! This is my 13th season shooting USPSA at this club, and I’m really looking forward to it.
For starters, I have a new position at work which finally affords me weekends off and the opportunity to actually sleep at night, so I’m not going to be shooting sleep-deprived. (That’s going to take a little getting used to!)
Good morning!
I’m also shooting a new gun this year, the Colt CSS 1911 in 9mm which I received as a participant in the Colt 1911 Experience at Range Ready Studios last September. This means I’ll be scored as minor power factor, and hits outside the “A” zone will hurt a lot more than they did when I was shooting major power factor. This was made apparent when my scores were tabulated at the end of the match…I’m going to have to tighten things up a bit!
I am also considering a change in front sight on the Colt. It’s just a little, um…fat…compared to the Dawson Precision front sight on my .45 ACP Ruger that I’ve been shooting for years. I think I like the slimmer post and smaller optic fiber insert of the Dawson, and I may put one on the Colt.
Dawson Precision sight on the left, Colt OEM on the right.
A couple of other factors were cold hands on the early stages, which made reloads a little slower, with chilly fingers making it a bit more difficult to manipulate the mag release button and to handle magazines. I also threw a couple of misses trying to go too fast on a couple of stages, and pressing the trigger before the sights had settled enough to make the hit. As I often say, this game is all about finding your redline, and running right up to it. Well, I exceeded mine a couple of times, and paid the price. Here’s the video:
Still, it was a good day. The gun ran without issue, and the stages were fun and fast…except for the stage with the low port, which forced me to get down on my knees (ouch!) and shoot four targets one handed. That one was not so fast. But the season is underway and I can’t wait until April!
