Outlaw Action Pistol Match - 04/19/2025

Outlaw Action Pistol match (IDPA Scoring) at the Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club. I was shooing my non-ported Springfield Prodigy from concealment (AIWB) in the Optics division. It was so cold and windy that they decided to only run three of the four planned stages, which I had no complaints about as I don't really enjoy shooting in really cold weather. I normally would've chosen to sit this one out due to the cold weather, but it's been several months since I shot a match and I really wanted to get back to it.

Stage 1: I placed 3rd on this stage. Nothing bad about my performance other than I couldn't feel my mag release button during the reload and I fumbled inserting the fresh mag into the gun because my hands were so numb from the cold.

Stage 2: I placed 1st on this stage only because I was only two points down total, whereas most of the faster shooters were several points down on a lot of targets because they chose to shoot the first two arrays on the move. I also shot those targets on the move, but I sent several make-up shots when I realized that my hits were not as accurate as I wanted them to be.

Stage 3: All was going good until I got to the Texas Star at the end of the stage. The last plate became dislodged from it's mount when I hit it, but it got caught on the base of the target stand and still hung in place. Rather than risk it getting called a miss, I decided to take another shot at it, which took way too much time thinking about what to do and landed me in 5th place on the stage.😒 I was also a bit distracted by a bird walking around behind the targets that was apparently unaffected by all the gunfire. 😂

The stage that they removed was a standards type of course of fire with three positions that included strong hand only and weak hand only.  I'm confident that I would've done well on that stage as I practice strong hand and weak hand shooting every time I do live fire practice. I ended up in 3rd place Overall out of 25 total, so it was definitely not too bad of a day for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z99cohmtCGc

STI DVC Carry Handgun

I have really gone crazy with acquiring 2011-style guns lately. 😜 It's pretty much the only type of handgun that interests me these days. I have more 2011-style guns than any other platform, so I guess you could call me a 2011 snob. 😎 So, as a self proclaimed 2011 snob, I wanted to find another cool gun that is no longer in production and is fairly sought after.  I'm not really interested in full-size guns with 5" barrels, as I like to keep them more practical for concealed carry. I narrowed it down to either an STI DVC Carry, an STI Costa Ludus VIP, or another STI Tactical 4.0. I came across several DVC Carry for sale while searching and decided that was what I wanted. The DVC Carry, which was the predecessor to the Staccato C2, was offered in several different versions throughout it's production, including a limited run with steel frames. Most of the ones I found for sale were the non-railed aluminum frame versions, but I managed to find one in absolutely pristine condition with a railed steel frame AND optics ready with the factory "H.O.S.T." mounting system, which is an extremely rare find.

Photos from the Gunbroker auction

The gun came with a Leupold DeltaPoint Pro installed, but I'm not really a fan of that optic, so I swapped it out for the tried and true Trijicon RMR as both of my Staccato C2s have RMRs installed. Unfortunately, the factory RMR mounting plate wasn't included in the box, but Arise Mfg makes an RMR/SRO plate for the older HOST mounting system. I also installed a Streamlight TLR-7 HLX light with the "1913-2" rail key that positions the front of the light perfectly flush with the muzzle of the gun for a very clean look.

I already had an extra VIP grip that I textured in my RFV Tactical Concealed Carry texture and installed on my STI Tac-Lite 4.0 and then later removed, so I installed that grip module along with a longer STI trigger and stored away the original dragon scale textured VIP grip with the shorter trigger in case I ever decide to sell the gun. I'm using a custom shortened Staccato C2 magazine with the VIP grip for a nice flush look and excellent concealability. I also reduced the engagement point of the beavertail grip safety and tuned the trigger pull weight to just under 3 pounds, as I do with all of my 2011-style guns.

This gun is absolutely gorgeous with its DLC finish and the bronze colored barrel showing through the factory window cuts in the slide. The slide to frame fit on this gun is better than any other 2011 that I own. I love that it is the same size as a Staccato C2, but it shoots like a full-size gun with it's steel frame. I will carry it occasionally, but it was acquired as more of a collection piece to be admired than as a daily carry gun. 😍