Best caliber to shoot IPSC open major

secondhand

secondhand

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Hey guys,

I couldn't find any good info on gunnutz regarding this issue, so I thought maybe you guys could shed some light for me.

What are the pros and cons of each caliber for open major e.g., felt recoil, target re-acquisition, price, availability, etc.

also, should I buy a pre-built race gun (e.g., eric gold custom, STI Grandmaster) or build one from ground up.

Thanks everyone for all your help.
 
well i will answer your last question first. unless you have been shooting IPSC for awhile and know exactly what you are looking for in a gun, i would suggest go with a package. as you gain experience you can do modifications to your existing gun or look at building a new one with what you are looking for.

AS for calibre that is always a great debate. however the major of shooters including a lot of Grand Masters shot 38 super or a derivative (super comp, 9X23, 9 mm super comp.) Brass and loading information is readily available. in Canada there is quite a few people shooting 357 sig.With our 10 round limit mag capacity is not an issue (it is in an unregulated market.) one of the chief selling points is that you can load a very slow powder, and get lots of gas to work the comp to keep the gun flat. as well 40 brass is cheap.

there is some interest in 9 mm major since 9 mm brass is cheap. however it is a finicky round to load, however once you get it all figured out it does work. one of it weakness is that your powder choices are a lot less then for a super or a sig.

My personal recommendation it start out in 38 super or super comp. lots of powder loads to choose from, 115 and 124 are standard loads.
 
I have all my guns built in .38 super, then tweak them to shoot .38 supercomp. I prefer the rimless Starline brass, but if it is hard to aquire, I can easily change back to regular super. The longer cases allow a larger selection of powders in the super. Both the 9mm case and the .357 sig have a bit less choice. Though like the super, the 9mm can be downloaded to a minor steel or NRA Action Pistol load.
 
In terms of platform I have a biased opinion. I switched to the Tanfoglio format a couple of years ago and now have two Gold Customs in .38 super. Couldn't be happier with them. For most people, all that they need out of the box is MAYBE a trigger job, and a 9mm extractor to shoot rimless brass.

.38 super rimless (whichever variety) makes the most sense. The large frame Tanfos don't like 9mm brass, although the small frames do just fine, and any of the 1911 varations can handle it with the proper mods but the functionality window on them is much narrower and the load choices are as well. If you are not one to be constantly monitoring and tuning your guns, stay away from 9mm. It'll bite you on the butt in a match.

Good luck with your choice.
 
Thank you all, I appreciate your comments very much. I will do more research on this subject, as it is a very big investment and I want it to be one that is educated.
 
Go to a few matches and take a look at what you want to shoot. You may want to start out in the 'production' class (lower cost entry) and spend a year watching and talking to those in the 'open' class, while you figure out what you need.

The skills you pick up along the way will readily transfer over into 'open', plus the learning curve is a whole lot shorter in 'production' (no need to reload at the beginning - you can shoot factory ammo before getting into the types of presses, dies & powder questions).

So much also depends on you - what is your size and can you handle recoil? I think that you'll find that a pre-build is good for your first 'open' and the second race gun will be more custom, once you get better ideas on what works or doesn't.
 
be careful about falling into the production trap. you keeping hearing how it is cheaper to shot production, how ever it is a very hard division for a new person to shoot well with the double action first shot. Also the biggest equipment race is happening in production right now.

However it is a very good idea to go to a few matches or league nights and ask to try out different guns.
 
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Yes in the US it's easy to get 30+1 and now I hear that 31+1 is possible ;)

Strange but the 30+1 also fit the USPSA gauge with space left(1mm or so), but a longer base (31)would only cause problems....that was with SVI mag's
 
secondhand said:
Hey guys,

I couldn't find any good info on gunnutz regarding this issue, so I thought maybe you guys could shed some light for me.

What are the pros and cons of each caliber for open major e.g., felt recoil, target re-acquisition, price, availability, etc.

also, should I buy a pre-built race gun (e.g., eric gold custom, STI Grandmaster) or build one from ground up.

Thanks everyone for all your help.
Click to expand...

Let me just add my 2-cents worth of opinion here. This is not about the gun or type of round to use tho.
I am not sure if you reload your own bullets or you own a reloading press.
One of the major consideration you have to remember when you shoot open is your ability to handload your customized round for your open gun.
In my opinion, if you dont reload your own ammo... you will go through a lot of frustration when shooting your open gun. You might be able to buy factory 38Super or 9x21 rounds, but they are not easy to find and if you do find them, they might not work properly in your setup.
 
nognog said:
Let me just add my 2-cents worth of opinion here. This is not about the gun or type of round to use tho.
I am not sure if you reload your own bullets or you own a reloading press.
One of the major consideration you have to remember when you shoot open is your ability to handload your customized round for your open gun.
In my opinion, if you dont reload your own ammo... you will go through a lot of frustration when shooting your open gun. You might be able to buy factory 38Super or 9x21 rounds, but they are not easy to find and if you do find them, they might not work properly in your setup.
Click to expand...

EXCELLENT POINT. This is one reason I don't recommend Open to new shooters unless they have some serious reloading experience. While you're working with your gun, you're also working with customizing ammo. With the other divisions, this isn't an issue.
 
I recommend pd to every new shooter who isnt sure of which division to participate in. You master a glick trigger - you can shoot anything.
 
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