I feel ...

It has been a long time since I was able to feel competent in USPSA competition.

Oh, I've got the guns and all the accoutrements.

I just can't see the targets.  Or I can't see the sights.  Usually, I can't see either.

It makes for a TERRIFIC alibi for poor performance, but it don't buy no pastrami at the Deli.

(Sorry, I made that up.)

I'm Thinking ... maybe I should find a competent gunsmith and get him to load my 10mm EDGE with a red-dot sight.

Maybe slide mounted, and one of the designs which allow you to use the original iron sights in case of an emergency.

Well, I'm thinking that an "Emergency" is having to rely on my (insignificant) ability to see the iron signs.

Yeah, that's an emergency, and I've been living with it for the past several years.

What brought me to this "crisis" was Fathers' Day.  My son (The Squid Kid) and I were talking via the cell phone and text thingie today, and he asked me if I was still shooting.  He lost his step-father last year, the man who had a significant role in the upbringing of The Squid Kid, and his complaint was that his stepfather never did anything; he just sat on the couch all day and watched television.

His comment was: "At least you get out and DO something physical now and then."

Well, that was then.  "Now" is that I haven't competed in a match for the last two years (or more .. who counts?), and I'm thinking that I've not only  missed out on a lot of fun and comeraderie, but I'm not getting as much exercise as I use to.

My original plan was to use the new "Pistol-Caliber Carbine" division to hearald my re-entry to competition.  But I've used that excuse for almost a year, and my friends (both of them) are becoming a little dubious about my sincerity.

I'm not so sure about that myself.  Seems like the procedures at the local USPSA club have changed, and I'm not sure even about how to register for a match.

Solution: I should rerume shooting>

Good for me (exercise more frequently), good for us (get to reestablish connections with long-time friends) and good for you (you look better in a match when I show myself to be so inept in comparison!)

I'm selfish.  I don't care as much about your benefits as I care about m own ... and that's not much either.

Notes:
(1) Need to find a gunsmith who will mount a red-dot scope on the slide of my 10mm STI EDGE;
(2) Need to finance the project; I doubt I can afford to buy a CHEAP red-dot scope; I need both good visual results, but also reliability.  Also, since I'm loving on my Social Security,  my budget is very slender.  I'm paying electricity and stuff, and that consumes a lot of my available cash.
(3) If I'm going this route, I need to start loading more ammunition for my 10m, and I'm not sure that the load I'm using is much of a value to my competitive status.
(4) If I'm planning to mount a scope on the EDGE, why not go full-bore and get a compensated barrel for the Edge.

All of a sudden, I'm talking about a LOT of money spent on a perfectly operating pistol just to advance the optics,.  adding a compensated barrel adds several hundred dollars to the project.

And I'm also talking about buying expended-length magazines, to match my new OPEN GUN stature; I can cram 14 rounds into a 10 mg magazine now .. is there an advantage to be realized if I get "long" (170mm) magazines in 10 mm which fit the gun.

Perhaps there's a lot more of "Thinking This Thing Through in line for me.

In the meantime, I would welcome comments which provide valued advice on the project, as defined.


Jerry The Geek