Open guns....recommendations

[Duxman]

Got an unexpected bonus from my old job - sold to a major company so those options are paying off.....Looking to invest in a race gun - my first for Open IPSC class:

I would like a unique looking gun that shoots flat with virtually no recoil, using Cmore sights, double stack .38 super. Probably in all stainless finish.

Something like:



Anyone got any gunsmiths in mind?
Any advice for the novice open shooter?

I live in the Washington DC metro area - in Virginia.

[Lycanthrope]

Oh yeah.....

http://www.brazoscustom.com/

http://www.egw-guns.com/

http://www.dawsonprecision.com/

http://www.triangleshootingsports.com/

And lots more.......but those would be my top four.

[Duxman]

L -

Do you have a Brazo's custom racegun?

I heard that they produce very visually cool guns but will not allow you to put custom parts in them.

[Lycanthrope]

No....but my range buddy has three of them. I've shot them all and even ran one at the Area 8 Chamionship last year.

When Bob builds your gun he will build it the way you want it from the ground up. His trigger work is amazing (under two pounds on some guns) and they just keep running. I've personally seen one of his open guns run 90,000 rounds with the only changes being springs. At 90,000 it began to throat out and lose velocity, but you'll have that with a shorty open blaster running lots of powder to run the comp. With the open blasters, the hotter loads can often shoot flatter due to the increased pressure running the comp better.

[Duxman]

Nice.

So do you recommend the "Shorty" or the full sized Brazo's open gun.

I would like more weight into the weapon to absorb the recoil. But if the "Shorty" shoots flat - I would take that.

Would you pay 4.5K for it?

JJ

[HSMITH]

Shoot a few open guns, there are some pretty drastic differences in them that you just will not recognize until you shoot them. 9 out of 10 guys will let you put a hand full through their prized open blaster if you ask.

The guys Lycanthrope listed out are all VERY good, I would only add Dan Bedell, you can see his guns at www.shootersconnection.com

I am building my first open gun now, it is going to be a 5" barrel and slide in 9mm. STI standard frame, and LOTS of lightening on the slide and comp. I want a relatively stable gun with a fast dot recovery, ideally it will handle much like a Limited gun in the draw and transitions. I really don't care how high the dot goes as long as it goes up FAST and then comes back down FAST. I top out at about .20 splits if I want to hit anything beyond 10 yards, so having a super flat shooting gun won't help nearly as much as a really predictable dot movement so I can call my shots accurately. The goal is having feel and handling of a short open gun without the blast in my face of a short gun. I very much prefer the feel of the short guns, and the speed of dot recovery is faster than the full length guns I have shot. What I really don't like is the blast from the pop holes or hybrid barrels. I am trying to mix the two and come up with a good compromise. I wouldn't have had a clue what to do without first shooting a few open guns, then talking to a couple well respected Smiths, and figuring out what I want.

[Duxman]

Thanks H.

Those are really good reccomendations. Let me know how your Open gun turns out - hopefully you can post some pictures.

I might even buy a used one if I can find one at a good deal try it out for a while before I build my custom gun.

JJ

[RickB]

I've seen a lot more variation in Open guns, than elsewhere in the competition scene. While there aren't that many people shooting Open locally, everyone seems to have a different gun. Some are in .38 Super, some in Super Comp, and now 9mm. Some have long barrels and comps, others short. C-Mores on some, tube scopes on others. I would shoot a variety before shelling-out any money. And, the "hot set-up" seems to change on a regular basis, so be prepared to have an "obsolete" gun in two or three years.

[HSMITH]

Hopefully someone will get the scoop on what guns the top 16 at the USPSA Open Nationals are using this month. There is definately a 'flavor of the month' in open guns, and new super trick guns coming out all the time but the top shooters don't seem to care.

My guess would be that about 75% of them will be using a 5" 38 SuperComp, with a 3 or 4 port comp and 2 pop/TJ holes on a standard STI frame. A pretty standard 'old school' setup really. I would guess there will be a few shorty guns, but I would be surprised if there was a 9mm in the top 16. There will also be one Tanfoglio in 38 super, that is if Eric Grauffel makes it. Odds are very high that he will win, and do it with the only other-than-STI/SVI in the top 16.

Then again, the driver makes a lot more difference than the car, but in this case these guys could have anything they wanted........

[Duxman]

I did it! Won the bidding at Auction Arms for a 38 super 1911 - race gun! Para Ord Frame, Caspian Slide, Cmore sight. Really excited. Cant wait to get my hands on it.

I will be buying some factory 38 super(For testing purposes only), until I can begin reloading.

[HSMITH]

Cool! Be sure to post pics and a review when you get it!

Don't be upset if it won't run well on factory ammo, especially if it is set up for the old major PF of 175. Try it with some good IPSC loads if it doesn't like factory.

[Duxman]

Oh I am ready for the headaches of an open gun.

I think.

Thanks H.

[glockopop]

We have a lot of guys in our club that shoot Para-based open guns, and they do very well. In fact, the only Grand Master in our club shoots a Para. Of course, they're also probably popular because one of our club members is a crusty old gunsmith who specializes in Paras and has been building raceguns on Para frames since all they made was frames. I don't think I'm anywhere hear the level of wanting an open gun yet, but I sure would like to do some plinking with one sometime. Good luck, and have fun!

[Hunter Customs]

Go to www.GunBroker.com and check out item number 59599657, it's a good buy for someone wanting to shoot competition. With this rig you can compete in both limited and open division.
Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com

[Duxman]

As promised here is a picture of the latest toy:



Here she is from another angle:



Can't wait to throw some lead downrange with this bad girl

[HSMITH]

Looks good!!!

Plugs AND muffs, they are LOUD!!!

[ryucasta]

I'm going this route...

http://www.glockjockey.com/

[sgtglock]

You might look at www.sviguns.com. Infinity firearms builds the guns that all other competion guns are measure against. If you are interested in getting one built you can email me and I will walk you throught the process. Get a IMM open gun in 38 supercomp and dont look back. The gun with the red C-More is an IMM gun.

[ryucasta]

My suggestion would be 9x19 instead of 38 super or 38 super comp since USPSA now allows 9x19 major for Open division and the brass is peanuts compared to what you'll pay for either 38 super or super comp. BTW, I already have SVI, STI, Caspian (My preferred platform for Open) and Para in Open 38 super comp.