Atlanta CC IDPA Match Results
The match results for April 4th IDPA Match are available, to see the full results table click here. Here are the winners by division:
- CDP Champion: Graziano, Gary 124.53
- ESP Champion: Giddings, Caleb 112.58
- SSP Champion: Sughrue, Mike 121.99
- ESR Champion: Schultz, Dale 221.92
- SSR Champion: Ross, Dave 204.32
As usual, the team at Atlanta Conservation Club put on a great match. The stages were a mix of speed shoots, one USPSA style stage, and some very challenging stages involving swingers, shooting on the move, and weak hand shooting. The IDPA matches at Atlanta are always rewarding for shooters both new and experienced, as there will be a stage that tests your skills.
Next month’s match should be interesting as well – as usual I’ll be there blasting away, but I’ll also be designing a stage at the next IDPA match at Atlanta. If you get to a stage with the maximum legal amount of movement, the max round count, and the max amount of steel, there’s a good chance I designed that stage.
See you next month at Atlanta CC!
DownRange.tv hax!
The Shooting Wire has the info on the recent serious outage that affected DRTVs servers and blogs. Currently, the “blog” section is still down, which is too bad, as I was very much looking forward to Paul’s coverage of the US Steel Nationals.
HK416 production halted
Production of the HK416 has been suspended due to defects/problems with the weapon. You have no idea how funny I find this. Soon, my blog will be surrounded by HK fanboys telling me that there’s nothing wrong with, and that it’s the greatest weapons system ever.
Here’s the release copied word for word from the Tactical Wire:
The Tactical Wire has learned from very reliable sources that the US military has encountered significant problems with H&K Model 416s in combat conditions. HK has suspended production pending an internal investigation and inspection of that weapon system.
I guess having you gun on Future Weapons doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s actually an effective piece of combat hardware, eh HK?
Update: Here’s a little more from the guys at Afrcom.
30 Round Mini-14 Magazines
Way to get with the times, Ruger. Available at Ruger.com for $49.99.
9mm NATO vs. 9mm Luger
Now that’s a fun topic right there – as in, what’s the difference between ammo that’s loaded to 9mm NATO pressures and ammo that’s loaded to 9mm Luger pressures? First off, you have to establish that there is a difference, because there are people out there who will fight and argue that NATO spec ammo is exactly the same as commercial 9mm Luger. It’s not, trust me. Aside from the obvious difference in bullet weight (9mm NATO is 124 grain, most commercial plinking 9mm ammo is 115 grain) rounds that are loaded to NATO spec are loaded to a higher pressure than rounds loaded to industry standard.
The ammo industry uses something called SAAMI Standards to establish the pressures that ammo should be loaded to. The SAAMI pressure for 9mm Luger ammo is around 35,000 PSI, and C.I.P (think European SAAMI) rates 9mm Luger ammo at 34,080 PSI. According to documentation, the 9mm NATO rounds are pressured at 36,500 PSI (again according to CIP). That means that when compared to standard 9mm ammo, the 9mm NATO ammo is running a higher pressure, analogous to a 9mm +P load, which SAAMI rates around 36,000 PSI.
So what does this mean for you? Well, a lot of people recommend treating 9mm NATO rounds the same way you’d treat a 9mm Luger +P, which is to say understand that it’s loaded to a higher pressure than your garden variety 9mm Luger ammo. For the casual shooter, this means a couple of things: don’t put 9mm NATO ammo in older guns. Only use it in modern, robust guns in good condition. Remember that 9mm NATO is the standard service cartridge for something like half the planet, which means that it’s in use in wide variety of pistols, including the following:
- Beretta M9
- CZ-75
- Browning Hi-Power
- Glock 17 and 19
- All manner of Sigs
- HK
The short answer is that an occasional diet of 9mm NATO isn’t going to hurt your gun, provided it’s a well made modern gun. I certainly would not put 9mm NATO ammo into a Hi-Point, because I don’t want to eat the slide and I don’t trust a blowback operated gun with a zinc slide to stay together. But if you’re running a Springfield Armory 1911 in 9mm, or a well made pistol from a well made manufacturer you should be fine.
However, what you should be aware of is that a steady diet of 9mm NATO ammo, or 9mm +P ammo is going to increase the wear and tear on your heater. If you’re just going to the range every now and then, it’s not going to affect you very much. However, if you’re shooting 500-1000 rounds a month, you will end up seeing internal wear quicker than you would with standard pressure ammunition. But if you find a good deal on a bunch of 9mm NATO ammo, and you’re worried about running it in your Glock 17, you should be fine.*
*User assumes all risks when using overpressure or +P ammo, and accepts that using firearms is inherently dangerous
Looking for a great deal on any kind of 9mm ammo? Check out our buddies over at Short Round Supply!
Sweet!
Detroit is gradually reverting back to a wild land. There is abundant vegetation and wildlife growing in the city itself, not out in the suburbs. At the link, you’ll see trees growing from buildings, wildlife in the city proper, it’s awesome.
Why is it awesome? Because “wild cities” are totally part of horrible dystopian hell-scape that is common in a lot of sci-fi. If this is coming, it means that a reversion to steam powered technology can’t be far behind, which means that my plans for an armored steam dirigible just might see the light of day.
Plainfield Shooting Supplies
I was out at Plainfield Shooting Supplies yesterday picking up my new heater (more on that on Monday) and I noticed that not only did they have 9mm ammo in stock, but it had a pretty decent price. If you go to www.ammunitiontogo.com you can see that they’re asking over $150 bucks plus shipping and handling for 500 rounds of 115 grain 9mm ammo. Georgia Arms is sold out of 124 grain 9mm, and I haven’t even bothered to check Midway USA because they’ve been sold out of everything for weeks.
However, our friends at Plainfield Shooting Supplies (at least at 4pm yesterday) had 500 round cases of 124 grain NATO ball ammo and 115 grain ball ammo for $129.99. It’s one of the few times that ammo was cheaper in the store than it would have been online, especially since you don’t have to ship it.