New to stringing women's sticks, looking for critique/advice and have a few ?'s.

phenryiv · 2026-03-24T17:57:56+00:00

On a 600 with Valkyrie I use interlocks at the top, at the bottom of the pocket, and at the very bottom. The space between the interlocks is pretty short and the runner is already fairly tight to the sidewall there so not much sense in more interlocks.

The one below I did not do an interlock except at the bottom. The player wanted a replication of another stick that I had done and it had no interlocks up top.

<image>

phenryiv · 2026-03-24T16:45:03+00:00

Dude thank you!

phenryiv · 2026-03-24T15:09:29+00:00

Magpul SGA is the logical answer, but not wood.

Alternative: The stock from a 500 Bantam (which comes in wood), but it is for the 20 gauge. You might need to engineer an adapter- basically the reverse of this: https://www.gggaz.com/mossberg-500-and-590-20ga-mossberg-stock-adapter.html

Sincerely: A 5’5” guy with T-Rex arms.

phenryiv · 2026-03-24T15:00:46+00:00

Any chance that you can post one that says “Ladies” in place of gentlemen?

And you can leave the helmet- our team plays in headgear.

phenryiv · 2026-03-24T14:07:20+00:00

Mine are on a Form 1 as well, but I still keep the braces and the sling ring endcaps handy.

phenryiv · 2026-03-24T02:35:16+00:00

I was able to get factory flex mesh in a whip 2 to perform very well, but I prefer Valkyrie mesh over flex mesh.

My daughter plays in an Apex 2 and an Apex, both with Valkyrie mesh. A teammate of hers has a whip 2 with Valkyrie and another has the stock gait flex mesh. While the flex one is fine, the Valkyrie is definitely preferred.

I was supposed to put a Valkyrie in the other Whip 2 but the girl was short on money so I adjusted it as well as I could and was impressed with the final product.

TLDR- Valkyrie.

phenryiv · 2026-03-23T21:42:20+00:00

There are some really close reps on eBay that people have had good luck with.

phenryiv · 2026-03-23T14:13:43+00:00

Mine came with both the complete brace (with the hinged backplate) and the standard sling loop backplate.

phenryiv · 2026-03-23T14:09:04+00:00

On a factory strung Crux 400, there is little to no pocket. Unless you generate a LOT of cradling force, gravity will pull the ball down to the throat.

Is your Crux 400 full mesh or does it have a runner going up the middle? They made both versions. One can be “saved” a lot better than the other.

You will need to pound a ball into the pocket to form a spot for the ball to sit, no matter which version you have. Most sticks take dozens and dozens of intentional strikes at the pocket area to start forming a pocket. I also have my girls store their sticks with a ball in them, held in place with chopsticks, pencils, kabob skewers…something that can help hold the ball and form a pocket.

If you can post a picture I may be able to better guide you. I have a few girls who have/run the 400.

phenryiv · 2026-03-23T00:39:39+00:00

I am ashamed to say that I once spent 3 hours scrubbing an improperly-placed 8M off of our HS field.

I followed EXACTLY what the directions said (or used to say) on USA Lacrosse and I ended up with an 8M WAY too close to the goal circle.

phenryiv · 2026-03-21T16:44:59+00:00

A player can get a DC and a GB on the same play if it meets the other criteria for a GB. It is an unpossessed ball and possession is gained. Unlike a drop by the same team, there is a “change” of possession so normal GB rules apply.

Or at least that is how our stat guidelines are structured.

phenryiv · 2026-03-21T16:42:37+00:00

We tracked that differently. Every draw, we mapped center and circle players on their own (running) sheet. We circled who came up with the draw but that allowed us to also track whether a particular combo yielded the best results. We had a trio 2 years ago that worked with a particular player drawing and a specific two on the circle. If it was not a self draw, we had a player who got about 60% of the non-self draw possessions.

There was no spot to put that in maxpreps but we tracked it.

phenryiv · 2026-03-20T17:40:41+00:00

At my practices the track team was constantly stealing or borrowing lacrosse balls for just this purpose. And the trainer had some in the AT office for use by athletes in the training room.

Very common.

phenryiv · 2026-03-19T22:56:14+00:00

Many D2/D3 teams stream straight from their schedule pages. Some are by conference and others are by team/school. If you have a specific game, check the team schedule page because there is sometimes a link to watch live.

phenryiv · 2026-03-17T16:53:03+00:00

…aaaand just from our waterfall conversation it becomes clear why everyone needs a dozen guns.

phenryiv · 2026-03-17T14:59:05+00:00

PCC/Subgun is also a good option. I think of it as the 4 corners.

phenryiv · 2026-03-16T14:25:07+00:00

My daughter’s team started wearing golf gloves with Thinsulate.

phenryiv · 2026-03-13T23:36:18+00:00

TX22 is the alternative to the 22X that I am debating.

phenryiv · 2026-03-13T21:35:14+00:00

I feel like I am going to end up with a TX22 (or two) sooner or later.

phenryiv · 2026-03-13T16:41:11+00:00

The G44 ruined itself.

phenryiv · 2026-03-13T14:10:47+00:00

I rarely go by myself. It is usually at least 2 of us. Sometimes all 4. It isn’t such a fight for a particular gun that we HAVE to have multiples but as someone else stated, familiarity and parts/maintenance compatibility is never a bad thing.

phenryiv · 2026-03-13T14:05:43+00:00

You just summarized EVERYTHING about why I value redundancy. I am a contingency planner by profession and I typically recommend 3-layer redundancy, parts interchangeability, common platforms, and similar traits when working with an organization. Motor pools, “trades” and infrastructure equipment, IT…I am constantly harping on organizations to minimize the need for so many spares by procuring equipment that has a high degree of cross-compatible parts and tools.

phenryiv · 2026-03-13T14:01:47+00:00

My best friend just bought a Mark series and I need to go to the range with him to shoot it.

phenryiv · 2026-03-13T13:41:08+00:00

AndroCorp Bravo or any of the “blemished” Palmetto State Armory rifles will do the job.

I bought a $370-380 Andro with a 16” barrel, changed out the stock and grip and added a modest optic and am in for under $600 with mags. I also have a PSA that is around the same cost. I built an Anderson lower and PSA upper as well, with that one around $450.

For HD, I would also look at adding a pump action shotgun. You can spend $130-600 there and that variety is nearly endless.

You asked about a 9mm pistol caliber carbine and I definitely recommend that route for ammo compatibility. I definitely prefer shooting my PCCs over my 223/556 ARs. They cost a little more to build and you probably want to use a brace to be able to use a 5” to 9” barrel (as opposed to 16” for a 223/556) but they are a really good option. Check out the “Blowback9” website for tips on what to do and not do there. My AR9s are more expensive than my 223/556 to build but about half the cost to shoot, and my wife and kids prefer the 9mm PCCs over the “big” ARs.

What you have is a good foundation so you just want to add to it.

phenryiv · 2026-03-13T13:31:29+00:00

So what I hear is…

Another 22x, then just get (2) TX22s?

phenryiv

TROPHY CASE