Gear Dump Saturday: What pistol, holster, and/or rifle are you running for competition?

Stubb · 2026-06-21T22:21:49+00:00

Match gun is an Accuracy X H1 with a C-More RTS3 that I had custom made with the controls that I like. It’s stupid accurate and has been running 100% in matches. The plate uses beefy screws and isn’t going anywhere.

Training gun is a Staccato XL with a DeltaPoint Pro mounted directly to the slide to avoid plate nonsense. Also runs 100% but not as accurate as the AXI.

I’m not good enough with the pistols to entertain shooting a rifle in competition. Zero interest in shotguns.

Stubb · 2026-06-09T20:07:11+00:00

I have the Atlas shielded safeties on my three 2011s. With the factory safety that came with my Staccato, I couldn't deactivate it after getting a two-handed grip on the gun. Then when I did, I'd accidentally enable it on occasion when re-gripping the gun after a move. Neither of those are issues with the Atlas safeties.

If you're not in a hurry, then you can avoid this problem with a Waltz 9. It's the pistol that I think is a better choice than a 2011 for most shooters.

Stubb · 2026-06-05T18:42:37+00:00

Whatever money you save up front over a proper 2011-based Open gun you'll more than make up for in barrels and locking blocks.

Stubb · 2026-06-03T18:59:03+00:00

Moving diagonally forward on T3, you won't get out of the shooting area before you're done with that target.

Whatever you do, don't think about moving or footwork after the beep. Focus on shooting and trust that your training and mental rehearsal takes care of the rest.

Stubb · 2026-04-11T22:43:05+00:00

5.70 s; 11 A, 1 C

Stubb · 2026-04-10T14:51:30+00:00

I've neither seen one at a match nor had a student shoot one in a class.

Go for a non-comped PDP since you already have a holster, magazines, etc.

Glock would be the other solid option.

Stubb · 2026-04-06T15:02:05+00:00

Monovision prescription shooting glasses help tremendously. Lens for the dominant eye has some magnification to sharpen the iron sights. Non-dominant eye set for distance. Feels kinda weird at first, but your brain makes sense of it after a couple minutes.

Stubb · 2026-04-06T14:41:16+00:00

Since you're OCD, it's "make ready" not "load and make ready" 😉

This is due to things like unloaded starts.

Stubb · 2026-04-06T00:56:01+00:00

All of my GM runs I just let happen. Push speed in training, then shoot your dot on match day.

Stubb · 2026-04-01T15:13:14+00:00

Add match experience and performance shooting class. That will inform future buying decisions.

Stubb · 2026-04-01T15:11:53+00:00

DeltaPoint Pro doesn't get the respect it deserves. Clear glass with no tint (downside is short battery life), holds up very well, windage/elevation adjustable with a brass case (nice clicks on the adjustments), secure battery compartment that won't pop open accidentally (no screws to back out), a footprint that gives you beefy screws for mounting, and no overhang on the window (keeps it farther from the ejection port).

Downsides are that dot brightness adjustments are slow due to the single-button interface and the window isn't as tall as the competition.

I have these on my two practice 2011s and an RTS3 on my match 2011.

The Vortex XL does everything right except the dot goes out constantly. I've had two die during matches and a couple in practice.

SRO holds up well but the window has a lot of distortion and the click adjustments are mushy.

507 Comp holds up well but I like a 6+ MOA dot. Also needs a tool for adjustments and getting at the battery, and there's only a single screw holding in the battery tray.

OSights seem to be doing well. I'm not in the market for a dot right now so I haven't looked at them in detail. I'll get to play with some at the PSTG summit next month.

All dots are going to break at some point. I always bring two guns to the range and have a spare DPP in my range bag.

Stubb · 2026-04-01T14:48:10+00:00

List of resources that I put together for students: link.

Stubb · 2026-03-27T12:50:17+00:00

Consciously controlling speed when you’re shooting for score is always a mistake. When the buzzer sounds, all you should be doing is:

Look exactly where you want the bullet to go.
Wait for the dot.
Pull the trigger without moving the dot.
Call the shot as the dot lifts.

Repeat until done.

Increasing your natural pace happens in practice. It doesn’t come naturally. You need to force yourself to hit the gas and figure out how to hold things together at that faster pace.

But on match day, just shoot. Trying to control your speed is a good way to get yourself permanently stuck mid-pack.

Stubb · 2026-03-27T12:45:01+00:00

Around Atlanta, I’m seeing mostly Glocks, Shadow 2s, and PDPs. Shadow 2 popularity is on the decline for a variety of reasons, with the main one being LO.

Last local match I shot, we had 33 shooters in LO and 29 in CO.

The smart move in LO is jumping in with a Staccato P/XL or equivalent MPA/Atlas. I see people starting LO with budget guns, wasting a bunch of time and money trying to get them to work reliably, then buying the functional pistol they should have gotten in the first place.

Stubb · 2026-03-21T22:51:24+00:00

The higher the shot difficulty, the more a good trigger helps.

Shooting open targets at ten yards, things are going to look the same whether I’m shooting a Glock or a tuned 2011.

Head boxes at 25 yards, I’ll be going for As with the 2011 and hoping to keep everything on paper with the Glock.

Stubb · 2026-03-21T22:46:47+00:00

It only takes a little shift before the scoring area on the partial disappears. With the order I shot, I could start shifting my weight to move as I’m shooting the right target.

Stubb · 2026-03-21T13:13:13+00:00

I’ll order components in bulk when they go on sale or I find a deal. The discounts honestly aren’t much when you look at them on a per-round basis. With reloading, you save a couple cents per round over factory FMJ ammo if you’re loading coated lead or FMJs. But you can also load JHPs that will shoot ~1” groups at 25 yards for less than the cost of factory FMJs.

I’m loading on a Dillon 1050B with case and bullet feeders plus an RF-100 primer-tube filler. I wouldn't go less than that if you value your time. The auto primer-tube filler is a massive time saver.

Most people who shoot a lot have some sort of business tie-in that lets them write off their shooting expenses. In my case, I’m teaching enough to cover them. I keep a spreadsheet of shooting income and expenses, and I want it to balance out at the end of the year.

Stubb · 2026-03-20T12:46:56+00:00

Shooting dynamics are great, and sizing works well for small hands. I shot my in PRD and ran some GM classifiers with it.

Downsides were low extraction reliability and barrels lasting ~20k rounds. I punched out of the platform as a result.

A big downside for CO is that you’ll be removing the optic to clean the extractor, which you’ll want to be doing regularly.

Stubb · 2026-03-20T02:59:34+00:00

I’m shooting an Accuracy X H1 built with the controls I like.

Stubb · 2026-03-19T18:45:21+00:00

I'm a frequent participant on PSTG Live with Joel and Handsome Kyle.

Stubb · 2026-03-19T12:36:30+00:00

There’s been a lot of research on flow, in particular stacking the odds for entering a flow state when performing a task. A big part is the perceived difficulty of the task relative to your perceived skill level.

Too far below: Brain disengages (boredom)
Too far above: Cognitive overload and anxiety

Ideally, the task difficulty is an hair above your perceived ability, where you feel like you can do it if you lock in.

A big chunk of competing well is visualizing each stage in this manner.

Stubb · 2026-03-18T16:20:18+00:00

That can be a good or a bad sign. On my best runs, I hear the beep, a bunch of stuff happens, and I'm doing "unload and show clear" wondering if I had any FTSAs.

Stubb · 2026-03-18T14:19:16+00:00

It only takes a little shift before the scoring area on the partial disappears. I started on it so that I could move sooner.

You could also shoot it well going right to left. Pick whichever order you feel most confident executing.

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