CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1 Carbine

I've been patiently waiting for the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1 Carbine to be sold in the US for a while, as I didn't really want to buy the pistol version and then convert it to a short barrel rifle (and pay for the tax stamp and wait forever).  I plan to use the Scorpion in USPSA's Pistol Caliber Carbine (PCC) division at some matches next year, as well as for a home defense gun.  I've only done a few minor modifications and upgrades to it, but it seems pretty capable as is.  I'm really liking it so far, and it goes well with my other polymer CZ guns. 😎

USPSA Action Pistol Match 12/10/2016

For my last action pistol match for 2016 I traveled down to Lubbock Texas to shoot with the West Texas Practical Shooters USPSA club. First off... it was VERY cold during the match as they start at 9am even in the winter months, but they had some really good stages set up for us and the match ran smoothly.  Other than taking slightly more time to find the red dot for the classifier stage (which I was unable to get recorded on video), I felt like I lived up to my "B" classification as far as performance as I placed 9th Overall out of 34 total.  I wasn't super fast, but I'm happy with being a little more accurate than some of the guys that are way faster than me.  Being content with that won't win me any major matches, but I like being able to hit my targets more often than not as that translates well to real life self defense scenarios.  After all... this CZ P-07 with a red dot sight is also one of my daily carry guns! 😎

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQJtFiPDn_E

CZ-USA CZ P-07 Urban Grey with a Burris Fastfire 3

Custom AIWB Light Bearing Kydex Holster for EDC

USPSA Action Pistol Match 11/26/2016

Even though I recently acquired another new competition gun, I decided to shoot my CZ P-07 Urban Grey in USPSA's Carry Optics division again because this match had four classifier stages which I needed to get classified in Carry Optics.  It has been a steep learning curve, but I have finally gotten more comfortable (and a little faster) with the red dot sight.  I had a few little hiccups at this match, but nothing too major as I ended up in 3rd place overall out of 12 total.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ype1rdnRbUE

CZ-USA CZ P-07 Urban Grey with a Burris Fastfire 3

Springfiled Armory Range Officer Operator 1911 Handgun

I recently picked up another handgun to use for competition.  I've been wanting a 1911 with a rail and also in 9mm.  Springfield Armory came out with just that at the beginning of 2016... the Range Officer Operator.  I installed all the same parts for it that I've installed on my Springfield Trophy Match 1911, and I also installed stainless controls to contrast the black finish on the gun.  I also had the factory barrel flush cut and reverse crowned for a custom look by Reid Pistolsmithing.  I plan on using this gun in IDPA (ESP Division) and in USPSA (Single Stack Division).  I'm hoping I will love it as much as I love my CZs. 😎

IDPA Action Pistol Match 11/13/2016

I was a little disappointed in myself at this IDPA action pistol match at the Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club.  My times were really fast, but I had several misses on the first two stages.  I guess I need to slow down just a tad to make sure my shots are good.  I also had a failure to eject on the last stage, which was most likely due to my weak hand grip.  That definitely cost me a LOT of time to clear that malfunction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBtkdlXAuSo

CZ-USA CZ 75 SP-01

USPSA Action Pistol Match 10/15/2016

I decided to try out Carry Optics division again at this USPSA action pistol match at Patriot Outdoors in Clovis, NM.  I'd given some further consideration to using a red dot sight (RDS) on a pistol for concealed carry and I've been carrying my CZ P-07 Urban Grey with the RDS on it for a little over a week and dry fire practicing every day with good results once I got used to the concept of target focus with both eyes open.  I can definitely see the advantage of it in real world scenarios and I can see how it could potentially be advantageous in competition even though I had some frustration with it previously.

During the course of shooting this match, I realized two things... 

1 - A 3 MOA dot might be a little too small for me to subconsciously track during recoil in the daylight. A larger MOA dot would probably be better for action pistol shooting and self defense.  The 3 MOA dot took so much concentration for me to follow quickly that I kept forgetting my reload plans on a few stages. 😕

2 - The P-07 is not an ideal gun for fast magazine reloads. 😕  The shape of the top of the magazines are much less forgiving if you don't have things perfectly aligned when inserting the magazine into the gun.  A magwell would help tremendously with this issue as it did with my P-09 that I use for 3-Gun, but there aren't any aftermarket magwell offerings for the P-07 and it currently wouldn't be a legal modification in the Carry Optics division.  More time training with the gun should fix this though.

I'm a definitely going to continue in Carry Optics for a little while longer to see if I can get the hang of it. Stay tuned...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVkIktRbr1I

CZ-USA CZ P-07 Urban Grey with a Burris Fastfire 3

2016 IDPA Panhandle Classic Action Pistol Match

Another IDPA Panhandle Classic in the books.  I got High Overall in the Stock Service Pistol Division and placed 2nd Overall for the match out of 30 total. I must confess that I was hopped up on Aleve and Flonase, so I will most likely get my medal stripped away once the formal investigation has concluded. 😛

I feel like I did pretty good, but I definitely made some mistakes.  I got a procedural penalty for reloading on the move (didn't listen to the stage limitations thoroughly enough), I hit a "non-threat" target that was moving along with a swinging target, and I inadvertently knocked a mag out of a mag pouch during an unplanned tactical reload and had to pick it up before continuing to shoot. 😣  But... even if I didn't have any of those issues, I still would not have come in 1st place Overall as I was 19 seconds behind the match winner.  At least we didn't have to run around in the rain and mud like last year! 😃

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhRh7J5mztU

CZ-USA CZ 75 SP-01

USPSA Action Pistol Match 09/24/2016

At this USPSA Action Pistol Match at Shooter Ready Action Pistol Sports in Canyon, TX, I focused on being smooth and efficient instead of worrying about going as fast as possible.  I've gotten so obsessed with speed lately that everything else has been secondary, and it hasn't been working out very well at matches.  I know speed is very important at USPSA matches, but I believe being smooth, efficient, and not making any mistakes will translate into speed over time.  Looking at the results from this match (placed 4th out of 13 total), I had the highest amount of "A zone" hits for the entire match, so my accuracy was pretty decent. 😎

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1hglWQxg1M

CZ-USA CZ 75 SP-01

IDPA Action Pistol Match 09/11/2016

I was finally back in the zone for this IDPA action pistol match at the Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club today.  Now that I am carrying appendix IWB with my daily concealed carry guns (not legal for IDPA), I decided to go back to my game gun/gear (CZ 75 SP-01, OWB holster, cover garment, etc.) for this match and ended up taking 1st place out of 23 total overall. I had one miss (on target, but in the black painted area of hard cover on the target), and there was only 0.20 seconds separating me from 2nd place, so it was definitely a close match. There were a LOT of tactical/retention reloads at this match, but I've been practicing those like crazy lately.  I've decided to ALWAYS do a tactical reload (retrieve a new mag first, exchange the mag in the gun, then stow the old mag) rather than a reload with retention (remove the mag from the gun and stow it, then retrieve a new mag and load it into the gun). I've had trouble in the past trying to execute one method or the other under pressure, and figured doing it the same way every single time will help to minimize my brain farts, regardless if a reload with retention is quicker based on the scenario.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8rcZnNeoVA

CZ-USA CZ 75 SP-01

USPSA Action Pistol Match 08/27/2016

I'll be honest... I haven't been dry fire or live fire practicing much lately for competition, and it definitely showed at this match.  I didn't have enough 9mm ammo loaded in time for this USPSA match, so I shot my 1911 in .45 ACP. I had a buttload of misses, and when you miss the steel targets and have to make up the shots in Single Stack Major, your stage plan gets thrown off and you end up with flat-footed reloads like I did here.  It was a very poor display for me, as I came in 10th out of 16 total. 😒 Not proud of it at all, but it reminded me that I need to get back to work on my fundamentals rather than obsessing on a 0.85 second concealed carry draw!  Back to work!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MsV5hkvtak

Springfield Armory Trohpy Match 1911

IDPA Action Pistol Match 08/14/2016

I had a really good performance at this month's IDPA action pistol match at Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club.  I was again using one of my real concealed carry guns (CZ 75 P-01) in an IWB holster and T-shirt concealment.  I didn't have any brain farts at this match and my accuracy was decent. I ended up in 2nd place overall out of 22 total.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfCQFzFrgWs

CZ-USA CZ 75 P-01

USPSA Action Pistol Match 07/23/2016

After a short stint in USPSA's Carry Optics division, I went back to Production with my trusty CZ 75 SP-01 for this match at the Shooter Ready Action Pistol Sports outdoor range near Canyon, TX.  It wasn't a stellar performance, but I placed 2nd Overall out of 17 total.  I'll take it! 😎

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKoFft-1C6I

CZ-USA CZ 75 SP-01

CZ Compact Handguns - Color Changes

I recently had the Cerakote on several of my compact CZ handguns redone.  I had the PCR's frame changed from Burnt Bronze to Stainless, and the P-07's slide changed from Midnight Bronze to Tungsten.  To me, the guns just looked "gold" and "brown" and I couldn't quite get used to them. I just really like the gray scale of two-toned guns.  I also had the frame of the P-01 redone in Stainless again because I recently dehorned the frame like I did on the PCR. The Urban Grey P-07 is good just like it came from the factory, so no need to change anything on that one. 😍

Old photos for comparison...

IDPA Action Pistol Match 07/10/2016

This was a very HOT day at today's IDPA action pistol match at Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club. My CZ P-07 performed flawlessly and my performance was decent. I had a couple of small brain farts, which undoubtedly cost me a couple of seconds, but I ended up in 3rd place overall out of 24 total. I'll gladly take 3rd place with a real carry gun and T-shirt concealment! The P-07 never disappoints me. 😉

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmddTQ2YrlY

CZ-USA CZ P-07

USPSA Action Pistol Match 06/25/2016

This was my second match in USPSA's Carry Optic division using my CZ P-07 Urban Grey, and I have to admit that Carry Optics (and the use of a red dot sight) is proving to be a lot more difficult than I expected. 😣 I believe the use of a red dot sight actually slowed me down when compared to iron sights at this match.  It will take a lot more time and practice with the red dot sight to get to the same level or better than iron sights. 😕

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuIuZQ3Z-RA

CZ-USA CZ P-07 Urban Grey with a Burris Fastfire 3

USPSA Action Pistol Match 06/18/2016

This was my first action pistol match in USPSA's Carry Optics division. This match was at Patriot Outdoors in Clovis, NM. I was using my new CZ-USA P-07 Urban Grey with a Gen1 P-07 Duty slide that had been milled for an optic by CZ Custom. It was a bit weird for me to get used to the red dot and to shoot with both eyes open, but by the last two stages it started to feel a little more natural.  I ended up in 2nd place overall (22 total), but there weren't any Grand Master or Master class shooters at this Level 1 match.  I'm going to keep using the P-07 in Carry Optics for a little bit to see if I like it as much as I've enjoyed Limited, Single Stack, and Production.  I know I'm hurting myself by switching guns and divisions frequently, but that's part of what keeps the sport fun for me. 😊

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrOBVA2CykM

CZ-USA CZ P-07 Urban Grey with a Burris Fastfire 3

CZ-USA CZ P-07 with a Red Dot Sight

Since acquiring my CZ P-07 Urban Grey and putting it in my concealed carry rotation, I've been contemplating sending the slide off to get milled for a red dot optic sight with backup iron sights. I couldn't decide on which optic to use, or which iron sight set to use, or where to send it to have it milled (decisions, decisions). After several sleepless nights trying to decide, I ended up buying a complete Gen1 P-07 Duty upper from CZ Custom that was already milled with their multi-optic cut. I also added their 10mm height tritium front sight with the hope that I would be able to co-witness the front sight with the line on the back of the Burris Fasfire III optic to work similarly to XS Big Dot sights if the dot ever fails for whatever reason. I'll be using the Urban Grey as a USPSA Carry Optics division competition gun as well as an occasional concealed carry gun.

I have a P-09 that I mounted a Burris FF3 on with a Springer Precision dovetail mount with the intent to use in Carry Optics, but I found it a bit cumbersome to find the dot when drawing from a holster in dry-fire practice, and it was even worse when transitioning to strong-hand only or weak-hand only. I find it MUCH easier to find the dot on this milled slide with the optic mounted lower and I can use the front sight as an alignment reference point.

CZ-USA CZ P-07 Urban Grey with a Burris Fastfire 3

Co-witness front sight through the optic

Co-witness with the red dot turned on

XS Big Dot sights for reference

I took it to the range to see where the point of impact is using only the front sight lined up with the back of the FF3, and it is very usable even out to 15 yards. Below is the very first shot with co-witnessed front sight (red dot turned off) at 10 yards. The second photo shows several shots at 15 yards with only the front sight mixed in with several shots with the red dot turned on.

USPSA Action Pistol Match - 05/28/2016

Today was the first time I had used my Springfield Armory Trophy Match 1911 in .45 ACP at a match since replacing all the trigger components (sear, hammer, disconnector) with Evolution Gun Works parts to resolve a trigger reset issue I had be having recently.  The gun performed better than ever, and my performance was decent as well (placed 4th out of 10 total) at this USPSA match at the Shooter Ready outdoor range in Canyon, TX.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htuduMv-KwY

Springfield Armory Trophy Match 1911

CZ-USA CZ P-07 Urban Grey Handgun

I recently picked up a new CZ-USA CZ P-07 Urban Grey Suppressor-Ready handgun with the intent of making it a dedicated light bearing gun for home defense. After bringing it home from my FFL and installing all the Cajun Gun Works trigger parts that were waiting on it, I fell in love with it and decided to use it as one of my daily concealed carry guns. I wasn't sure if the taller suppressor sights would fit in the IWB holster that I made a few months ago, but they clear (barely)! I have a fetish for two-tone handguns, so the Urban Grey fits in with all my other guns nicely. I'm considering having the slide milled for a red dot sight with backup tritium iron sights.

IDPA Action PIstol Match 05/15/2016

For this IDPA action pistol match at Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club, I was using my new CZ P-07 Urban Grey. I recently picked up this gun just a few days ago, installed all the Cajun Gun Works trigger parts, and ran just 50 rounds through the gun prior to using it at this match.  I used T-shirt concealment with my IWB holster again for this match since this new P-07 will be one of my daily carry guns. Although the suppressor height sights may look a little awkward, they actually provide a much better sight picture than the standard low profile factory sights. The gun ran flawlessly, and my performance with it wasn't too shabby (placed 2nd overall out of 16 total). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUZTcpzJB2w

CZ-USA CZ P-07 Urban Grey

IDPA Action Pistol Match 04/10/2016

For this IDPA action pistol match at the Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club, I decided to shoot one of my daily compact carry guns, my CZ 75 P-01.  I also did T-shirt concealment with my daily IWB holster. Unfortunately, T-shirt concealment doesn't provide for very smooth or fast retention reloads, but I wanted to give it a try anyway.  Overall I think I did pretty good and even won two stages (placed 3rd overall out of 20), but I wasn't really concerned with winning the match with a carry gun. 😉

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q32LWUdBu6E

CZ-USA CZ 75 P-01

Springfield Armory Trophy Match 1911 - Upgraded!

I had been having trigger reset issues with my Springfield Armory Trophy Match 1911 competition pistol at matches lately, so I decided to upgrade all of the internal components with Evolution Gun Works parts (Koenig hammer, hard sear, ball head disconnector), and I also added a Fusion Firearms K-hole trigger and a Dawson Precision No-Gap Ice magwell (with the required aluminum magazine base pads) to make my magazine reloads smoother. The trigger is now much smoother and the reset is nice and positive.  Now I won't be able to blame the gun for my poor performance at matches! 😊

USPSA Action Pistol Match 03/26/2016

I finally felt like I was back in the zone (as far as accuracy) for this USPSA action pistol match at the Shooter Ready Action Pistol Sports outdoor range in Canyon, TX, but I again had some trigger reset issues with my Springfield Armory 1911 on a couple of stages. 😕 The trigger reset issue got really bad during the classifier stage at the end of the match.  I absolutely hate it when I don't do good at a match due to an equipment malfunction (placed 6th out of 22 total).  I'm going to replace all of the MIM internal trigger parts with some better quality stuff to hopefully make this gun a little more reliable before shooting it at a match again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwmI01siHyo

Springfield Armory Trophy Match 1911

USPSA Action Pistol Match 03/19/2016

This was a special USPSA Classifier match at Patriot Outdoors in Clovis, NM.  Since I'm already classified as B-class in both Production and Limited, I decided to bring my 1911 and get classified in Single Stack.  I was having issues with the trigger not resetting a few times during the first three stages, and ended up taking the gun apart to tweak the sear spring in between stages for a more positive trigger reset.  I don't think I did too bad (placed 3rd out of 38 total), but I certainly didn't do that great either (I am now C-class).  One of the most surprising stages for me was the last one, which was three strings (standing, kneeling, and prone) shooting a target at 50 yards.  I absolutely suck at long distance shots and I had no idea how the 1911 would shoot with my home-loaded ammo at that distance.  To my surprise, I actually did pretty well compared to everyone else on my squad.  I figured I was going to tank that stage badly. As much as I love my CZ SP-01, I am really enjoying shooting the 1911. 😉

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBFanjDxU6I

Springfield Armory Trophy Match 1911

IDPA Action Pistol Match 03/13/2016

I had another shitty performance at this IDPA action pistol match at the Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club (placed 5th out of 14 total). After reviewing the video, it appears that I am running at a pretty good pace, but I made a mistake on the first target of the match (shot it out of sequence = 3 second penalty), hit a non-threat target on two of the stages (5 seconds for each non-threat), and my accuracy wasn't that great overall (trying to go too fast).  I don't know if I am just still getting used to the 1911 again, or if I'm just losing my touch. Either way... it's very frustrating! 😕

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw41S6iLAxs

Springfield Armory Trophy Match 1911

IDPA Indoor Action Pistol Match 2/10/2016

I had a very disappointing performance at this IDPA indoor action pistol match at the Texas Panhandle Pistol Club. I ran the first stage... SLOW. Not sure why.  Second stage was okay, but had a miss on that fast as hell swinging target.  I finally started picking up the pace on the third stage, but ended up with a procedural penalty for shooting some targets out of order.  I finally got my ass in gear and rocked the last stage, but the damage was done on the first three stages (still managed to place 2nd out of 13 total). I enjoyed shooting my 1911 again now that I'm loading my own .45 ACP ammo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVCwSJVWE6M

Springfield Armory Trophy Match 1911

USPSA Action Pistol Match 02/27/2016

I was anxiously looking forward to this USPSA action pistol match at the Shooter Ready Action Pistol Sports outdoor range in Canyon, TX, but I really don't feel like my performance was very good.  I was able to shoot two stages clean, but when compared to the two Grand Master shooters that were at this match, my times seemed so damn slow (placed 3rd out of 20 total).  I definitely have some improvements to make in my game. 😜

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBqRahSqji8

CZ-USA CZ 75 SP-01

IDPA Action Pistol Match 2/21/2016

This was my first outdoor IDPA action pistol match since October! I started out doing really well on the first two stages, but I had trouble hitting a swinging target with two clean hits on each of the last two stages, which definitely hurt my overall score (placed 3rd out of 23 total). 😕

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbr6bCjkDVU

CZ-USA CZ 75 SP-01

CZ-USA CZ P-09 Handgun - UPDATE

After purchasing a CZ P-09 and outfitting it for USPSA's new provisional Carry Optics division, I decided that I really wasn't that interested in competing with the gun since I enjoy Production division so much (and occasionally Limited division).  Part of the reason for this decision is that I felt the gun was "unfinished" at that level of preparation.  So... I purchased a couple of more parts from Springer Precision, and turned my P-09 into a budget Open division gun! :-P  Springer recently came out with an aluminum compensator that screws onto the factory threaded barrel, and they also make a competition magwell that is easily installed and works with all backstrap sizes.  I even made a new custom kydex holster to accommodate the new compensator on the end of the barrel, and modified the factory safety levers by extending them with a soldering iron and some ABS plastic sheet. I love the look of the gun this way, but I'll be honest... I don't really have much desire to shoot in the Open division either.  I guess this will be one of those "fun" guns that will never see any actual competition use.  These new modifications really show the P-09's versatility though, as I could convert it back to a fully legal Production division gun in about 30 minutes by easily removing the magwell, red dot sight and mount, and the threaded barrel and compensator.  This gun is a true work horse.