Here is the link to the interview if you have time for a quick read.  Can’t believe he didn’t ask me anything about zombies.

http://mygunculture.com/2012/04/24/springfield-armorys-rob-leatham-discusses-wayne-gretsky-jackie-gleason-and-getting-whooped-by-his-sister/

Lots of new-to-competition shooters attended and I’m sure many will have caught the bug and soon start down the road to the more advanced Tuesday Night Steel and monthly practical matches.

Thanks to all that made this happen, especially Kip, Chad Reilly, Sam Travis, Sara Dunivin, Joe Hannis and John Catalano.  They pretty much did all the work at the range and enabled the match to run smoothly.

Special thanks to Pete Carstensen for getting the match announcement out to club members the week prior and to Kip, Polle and Pete [again] for crunching numbers.

If you are a competent shooter with no practical pistol experience, this match is designed just for you. You don’t have to be good, just safe! I’m sure you will enjoy yourself. If you are already a regular competitor, you may have a little fun also. I know I did, and I officially shot the lowest time I’ve ever had at a match!

This match is a work in process, so be sure to check the Intro To Steel web page before you come next time (www.riopractical.com/intro2steel/intro2steel.html). We will be making a few minor changes to improve and streamline the match.

Scores are also up on that same Rio Practical website.

We hope to see even more of you next month.

Now, if you didn’t attend the match and are curious about it, read on…

INTRO TO STEEL:

WHO:

• The match is designed for shooters who are new to competition – NOT those who have never shot.
• New-to-competition & experienced-competition shooters are welcome
• If you have NEVER shot, unfortunately this is not the place to begin.  Please see my training schedule, www.herhandgun.com or the RSSC Calendar for information on instructional classes.

WHY:

• I wanted to create a match to introduce shooters to basic competition shooting in a low-key environment, with simple, straight forward stages.
• The Intro To Steel Match may also serve as a stepping stone between Rio’s monthly .22 Pistol Match and the weekly Tuesday Night Steel Match.
• My primary goals of the match are for everyone to:  1 - Be SAFE and 2 – Have FUN.

WHEN:

• 4th Sunday of every month (check the calendar for cancellations)
• Winter sign up is from 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
• Summer sign up is from 7:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. – please check the calendar to verify (winter and summer hours differ)  www.riosaladosportsmans.com
• NEW-to-competition shooters MUST attend the 8:00 a.m. SAFETY BRIEFING – No exceptions!

• Usery Mountain Shooting Range – AKA Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club
• Practical Pistol Bays 1 & 2

• 9 mm centerfire handguns (or larger calibers) only
• 3 to 4 magazines recommended
• Approximately 75 – 100 rounds of ammunition
• 4 ALL-STEEL Stages
• Multiple Runs, keep your BEST run
• Guns will start on tables or at low-ready, similar to the .22 match
• You may use magazine pouches and a holster attached to a waist BELT for ease of transport, but this equipment is NOT required.
• No reloading during the course of fire
• Great way to familiarize yourself with the BASICS of handgun safety, match etiquette, shooting steel and prepare for the Tuesday Night Steel Match
• Bring your UNLOADED handgun in a carrying case that zips/latches closed or a range bag 
• RSSC is a COLD RANGE.  Bag / unbag your firearm in a SAFETY AREA or on the shooting line under supervision of a Range Official ONLY – not in your vehicle or anywhere else!
• Remember – Handling of loaded magazines or ammo in the safety areas is NOT allowed.

My students were attentive and showed great progress in just a few hours. They then went on to do me proud at the Tuesday Night Steel Match.

Yutaka – that last plate run of yours was awesome.

Now, it hasn’t gone viral like a Jenna Marbles video, but for Rob it’s pretty exciting.

In the interview, Rob talks about Springfield’s newest pistol, the XDS. Check it out here and then send it to a friend!  ~Kip

I’m also trying something new this year.  In addition to my “Day Of Steel” and “Skills & Drills” classes, I am holding classes specifically for 1911 Single  Stacks ONLY and XDs ONLY.  Hoping to have good response from these two classes and am really looking forward to the training.  Should be a blast – no pun intended – and good prep for both the USPSA Single Stack and Production Nationals.

Check my TRAINING Page for all of the specifics.  Rob

2012 CLASSES TO-DATE:

• XD / XDM Competition CLASS September 21, 2012
• XD / XDM Competition CLASS September 22, 2012
• XD / XDM Competition CLASS September 23, 2012

Look around …

If you’re a shooter, I’m glad you’re here and hope to see you at a match, the range, or a demo sometime.  Please come by and introduce yourself.

If you’re not a shooter, then I’m REALLY glad you’re here.  I hope you’ll find something that will spark your interest to:

• Visit your local shooting range
• Take a firearms lesson
• Join the NRA
• Attend an action pistol match or shooting competition
• Buy a gun and then do all of the above

Be warned though, the shooting sport events and guns are highly ADDICTIVE!  Nobody can shoot just one …

Be SAFE first, foremost and always.   Rob

Now, having said that, is there a place for a segment of our sport to use the advantages of the rimfire, (the lower cost of both ammo and guns, light recoil and less noise)? You bet. I use .22 pistols and rifles constantly in my training now, both for myself and others. But I simply can’t imagine why we would want to incorporate them into the matches we now run?

Incorporating a rimfire division would require events to be designed so differently that what we now call Practical Pistol would be unrecognizable. Matches are supposed to provide a platform for the development, training and testing of techniques and equipment that are suitable for PRACTICAL USE.  Now I’m sure that others will have a different view, but I feel we have already reduced the VIS part of the DVC equation enough. Factory rounds are now too hot to use in a match because they kick too much. Now we add .22?  I honestly feel it would really hurt the sport!

History Note:  DVC, the Latin motto Diligentia, Vis, & Celeritas, meaning accuracy, power, and speed, are recognized as the quintessential elements of IPSC, used in balance, and they are the foundation of the sport.

Our club in Mesa Az., the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club, is Mecca for practical shooting and we have an excellent .22 match every fourth Sunday of the month that caters to the new and inexperienced shooters. It is fantastic. It exists in hopes of getting the newbie some experience with match pressure and the process of competing. This separate type of event is the natural place for the rimfire and I recommend it to everyone who wants to get into this sport.

At some point we should recognize that USPSA already has a division for everyone who wants to shoot this sport. I don’t think we need or  want to add another division just to make a home for an unsuitable category of guns. I don’t want to watch snails race, or ostrich flying contests or who can hold their breath the longest either. And in USPSA matches, I want to shoot large caliber service type pistols in courses of fire that reflect the practical use of such guns.

BTW, I love .22s!  Have lots of them and take them to the range all the time.  I just don’t want to shoot practical pistol with them. Maybe what USPSA needs is an organized type of introduction / training program for our sport. I would certainly recommend the rimfire for that!

Rob

I’m going to work up minor caliber loads for Production Division and will start by seeing how the lighter 155 grain bullets shoot. I’ll modify the gun to the same specs as my 5.25 9mm guns. I will not make any permanent mods that would make it illegal for production class, but I am going to try mag wells and extra heavy guide rods, to aid in limited class.

For Limited Division, I will explore changes to make it more competitive against the $2,500.00 dollar high-cap guns we now use. I’m guessing this will be no tough task, if my experience with the 9mm 5.25 is any indication.

My first range session was just to zero the 5.25 and while the gun functioned fine with the two factory loads I had on hand, both are way too hot for a serious competition load. All the proper speed .40 ammo I have is loaded too long to fit in the XDM magazine. This is necessary to get Single Stack and high cap 1911′s to work properly. I’ll just crank down the powder charge, go to a standard overall length and work up from there.

Recoil when compared to a 43 oz.  Single Stack Division 1911 was a little sharper, as you would expect since the gun only weighs 34.5 ounces, when weighed with empty loaded magazine. Even with that CC Tungsten guide rod installed that’s 1/2 a pound less!! When I get more weight on that frame with a big mag well, I’m going to be able to make a better comparison. As far as being able to shoot it fast, I had no trouble hitting the IDPA target’s 0-zone at 25 yards at a medium to fast pace. I will do more performance tests when I have the proper load worked up.

Here’s what I really think. For someone who loves the polymer pistols and wants a .40 for competition, this is going to be a no-brainer. You get for the price, an accurate, reliable, durable piece of equipment. Going to be interesting to see where this goes…

Rob

October 9th, 2011 in Rhodes, Greece:

Rob and Jerry Miculek were honored by the International Practical Shooting Confederation with IPSC Lifetime Achievement Awards.  The two were presented with the beautiful glass awards at the IPSC World Shoot XVI Closing Ceremonies and Banquet.

IPSC Lifetime Achievement Award Definition- from the President’s Corner of IPSCWorld Digital Magazine:

“The IPSC Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed upon individuals who, through their passionate and enduring dedication as an outstanding competitor, official or administrator, have made a significant contribution to the furtherance of IPSC excellence.”

Have been practicing for the Steel Challenge and am doing pretty well on a couple of the stages that have caused me problems over the years. I’m shooting the 5.25 much more consistently than my XDM 4.5 and I’m actually about as fast as I am with my Custom Shop 1911 longslide 9 mm. I still draw better with the 1911, but all the rest is pretty equal.

Compared to the 4.5, I am shooting Outer Limits much better with the 5.25. How much of it is the gun? How much is my new knees? I don’t know. I can tell you shots that would be “iffy” with the shorter gun are usually hits with the 5.25. There is no doubt the longer sighting radius and the excellent sights that are easily and precisely adjustable are helping. I’ve used fixed sights for so long in Production Division that I forgot what it is like to actually get the gun perfectly zeroed! With fixed, I can usually get it close with a little work, but have to have a few extra sights and a file to get it perfect. Not any more.

Speed Option is about the same as are the easy close stages, but 5-To-Go and Accelerator are noticeably faster for me with the 5.25. Hope I can carry that into the match!

I’m moving the best I have in many years. Thanks Dr. Tarlow and Chad Reilly. My new knees allow this to be fun again, instead of an exercise in pain control! I am looking forward to the rest of the shooting season. Exciting!

Rob

Post Steel Challenge Update:  Rob went on to win IDPA ESP Division at the Steel Challenge and he placed second in USPSA Production Division by just .46 seconds – with his new XDM 5.25.   Congratulations to Mike Seeklander for taking the Production Title.

Here is Rob shooting Smoke & Hope in Production Division at the Steel Challenge.