G34 Mods for USPSA

[Buffalo Wing]

Hey all,

Just bought a G34 for use in USPSA, where I plan to shoot in Limited (Minor) division. I have shot 5 matches til now with my G19, some in Limited (Minor), one in Open, and one in Production.

I'm both looking to make sure I understand the requirements of Limited vs. both Production and Open and to get your opinions on some good mods to use.

First, I want to replace the stock Glock sights (I've never cared for them). My only requirements for new sights are that I would like them to be steel and the front post to be fiber optic. From what little research I've done I like the Sevigny sights I've seen; wondering if there's a better value or just all-around better sights. I don't really have a limited budget, but don't want to be dropping more on sights and other items than the gun's worth.

Additionally, I'd like to make sure I have the right ideas on a few other mods. First, magazines are limited to 141.25mm, which for a Glock should work out to a +6 extension (23 rounds total) - is that right? Don't want to accidentally bump myself to Open.

Second, is a flared/bevelled magazine well allowed in Limited? It clearly says it's not in Production, and I've obviously seen plenty in Open, but I'm not 100% sure about Limited. If they are allowed, what are some good places to look for getting/adding one to the 34?

Finally, Limited says that compensators and barrel ports are not allowed but slide ports are. I'm reading this restrictively to say that the port in the G34's slide is good, but I cannot get a barrel with top ports or vents that line up with the slide port (and I know I obviously can't add an external compensator without going to Open). Am I right that I can't port/vent the barrel "inside" the slide where the 34's factory slide port is?

Thanks for everyone's help!

[g.willikers]

Pretty sure the only differences between LTD and Open is the compensator and the optic.
And the mag length that you already mentioned.
Otherwise the allowable modifications are about the same.
But when in doubt, read the rules and hope the guys who run the matches agree.
Most places aren't that picky about LTD division, especially the local club matches.
No dot, no holes in the end, and no 33 rd mag - good to go.
No doubt there will be that one guy walking around with the rule book in his back pocket, who's just itching.....
Only one way to find out, though.

[GJSchulze]

Limited allows flared mag wells. Barrels may not be ported. A slide with a port is for reducing the weight. My production XDm 9mm 5.25 comes with a cutout in the slide and it's legal because the gun is made that way. You can find the rules on the USPSA website. There is an appendix that lists what's legal or illegal for each division.

Now, why do you shoot minor in limited? You do know you are giving up one point for every C and D hit? Unless you shoot all A's that probably means 10 or more points per stage. I just checked the rules and the minimum caliber for major in limited is .40.

Using a limited, minor gun in Open is just asking to be in last place every stage unless you're a great shooter.

[g.willikers]

On the other hand, going minor does promote being a better shootist.
Especially for a beginner to the games, hitting all As should be a goal, in itself.
Go for it.

[Buffalo Wing]

Thanks, guys. I have the rules downloaded and want to make sure that I'm reading them right.

As for shooting 9mm/minor, I debated that back and forth for a while and then went with 9mm for a couple reasons.

The first is that like g.willikers said, I need to learn and be more cognizant of making good hits right now. The 9mm will help with that as I definitely shoot it better.

Also, I mainly own 9mm handguns, so it helps as it's the ammo I have most available. It's also the cheapest to purchase (and reload when I head that route) so I can get more trigger time in for what I spend.

If I do get competitive, I'll probably add another gun to make major. As for coming in last, I've been falling somewhere between top of the bottom half and top of the bottom third at the competitions I've shot (using my G19). Don't think switching to the 34 is going to hurt, at any rate.

[GJSchulze]

I shoot 9mm as well, but in production. My comment was really about shooting limited with it instead of production. You can't modify the gun as much, but if you are just beginning there is nothing to be gained by shooting limited. You'll get more practice with magazine reloads, since you can only load 10+1.

[Buffalo Wing]

That's a good point. I'll probably stick to shooting production until I have the gun modified as much as I want it. While I'm going to replace the sights right away, the mag extenders, magwell, trigger mods, etc. are all expensive purchases that I won't be making all at once, so I'll probably shoot production until then.

[GJSchulze]

There are modifications that you can make in production. External changes have to be OEM, but internally there's a lot you can do and still be within the rules. I reduced my trigger pull from 5.5 to 2.7 and shortened the reset and trigger travel and the only OEM part was the trigger.

[Buffalo Wing]

Ok - so I'm starting to think I might be better off sticking with Production and skipping on the magwell and mag extensions?

[GJSchulze]

If you are just starting out with a 9mm then that's what I would suggest. You will need five magazines, but I would suggest six in case one breaks. I always carry one more than the stage requires in case I have a jam that requires yanking the magazine out, or like last night, I fumble one and drop it.

With a 9mm you will find that poppers don't drop as fast as they do with a .45 which is why I never leave steel for the last target in an array. I want to be able to shoot it, shoot the next target, and then go back to the steel if it didn't drop. You don't want to stand there waiting for it to drop. Plates go down fast, so you don't have to worry about shooting them last if you have to.

[g.willikers]

If you reload your ammo, there's a particular round that proved excellent when I used a 9mm for USPSA.
It was very accurate for those long and upper A shots, soft recoiling for fast shooting, and knocked down the poppers really well.
It was a 147 grain truncated cone, flat nosed bullet, at about 1050 f/s.
Just a thought.

[Don P]

If I do get competitive, I'll probably add another gun to make major. As for coming in last, I've been falling somewhere between top of the bottom half and top of the bottom third at the competitions I've shot (using my G19). Don't think switching to the 34 is going to hurt, at any rate

You can make major power factor reloading 9 mm. There are many shooters shooting open major in 9 mm.. The only advantage shooting limited verses production is magazine capacity and holster/ mag pouch placement on the belt

[g.willikers]

Pretty sure that 9mm major is only a category in the Open class.
Not in any of the others.

[Don P]

Pretty sure that 9mm major is only a category in the Open class.
Not in any of the others.

Correct I only mentioned it because the OP stated,

I'm both looking to make sure I understand the requirements of Limited vs. both Production and Open and to get your opinions on some good mods to use

[WESHOOT2]

Dawson Precision for sights.

If you can get 21 in your mag reloadable that's sufficient; Grams Engineering, Taylor Freelance, others.

Skip ported barrels totally; compensate.

[GJSchulze]

It was a 147 grain truncated cone, flat nosed bullet, at about 1050 f/s

That's what I use, Precision Delta 147g FMJ-TC, although your velocity puts them at 154 PF, which is a very strong minor. I prefer 130 PF (885fps), but I'm a recoil wuss. The heavier bullet does seem to knock poppers down better than 115g.

You can make major power factor reloading 9 mm. There are many shooters shooting open major in 9 mm..

Boy, not around where I am. Most of them shoot 38 supercomp, although one of them shoots 9x23. Are the 9mm Opens using heavier than 147g bullets, which require 1123fps to just make major?

[Buffalo Wing]

Thanks for all the thoughts guys! I shot a match this weekend with the 34 and came in 6th overall (small match, only 18 people). I shot Limited Minor because I still only have the 3 mags that came with the gun.

I may very well start reloading 9mm if I get more serious about competition, but I've only started getting into the reloading process recently and time/space are difficult (military = lots of moving). For now, standard 115's seem to do me just fine. I haven't hit a popper or plate and had it not fall, although the poppers do take a bit of time to fall.

I ended up buying a set of Sevigny fiber optic front/black rear sights. Hopefully I'll get them put on the gun this week and shoot a comp with them 2 weeks from now or early Nov.

GJSchulze - I've been away from home for a while now, but I'm originally from WNY. How do people even manage to shoot Open or Limited there? Thought the new mag bans from the recent stupidity out of Albany ended the grandfathering of standard and high-cap magazines. Curious to see if I would ever be able to shoot a match back home!

[GJSchulze]

...although the poppers do take a bit of time to fall

The trick to this is to not shoot any poppers last in the array to give them time to fall. Shoot at one and keep moving. Return to it if it doesn't fall. Don't wait while it falls to go to the next target. This, of course, depends on how the array is arranged.

GJSchulze - I've been away from home for a while now, but I'm originally from WNY. How do people even manage to shoot Open or Limited there?

Simple. Limited-10 only, no Limited. Open shooters either bought new mags or modified them so they only hold ten. Now they have to reload like the rest of us!

[Buffalo Wing]

Ok, that's pretty much what I was figuring. They must be grumbling a fair bit! I sure would be.

Makes sense to not shoot the popper last so you don't waste time if it doesn't fall. The harder part seems to be making sure you follow through with that plan and don't miss it! Lord knows I've had a few rounds where I've followed bad shots with more of the same until I got my head back on straight.

[g.willikers]

Anyone ever try to knock down a full sized popper with a .22?
If they're calibrated to fall with a center hit from a 9mm, hit them at the very top with your trusty rimfire and they will usually fall.
A great way to win some bets.

[GJSchulze]

Well, they say that no plan survives engagement and that usually goes for (my) USPSA and IDPA shooting. Just remember to visualize the stage serveral times so you can remember the order you want to shoot the targets and where you want to reload. If you don't get it quite right just adjust as best you can. There are times when steel is visible from two places. When that happens I take one shot on the steel and if I miss I shoot it from the next spot.

The important thing to remember about steel is that if you miss a second shot, slow down. Most people have a tendency to speed up and just keep missing. It's better to take a second to line up a hit than it is to shoot four misses in two seconds.

[Buffalo Wing]

Yep, I've had a stage or two where I got in the "shoot faster!!!" mentality after missing a popper but those have obviously ended poorly. I've been getting better and slowing down for the second shot if needed. I've also gotten better at diagnosing my misses and it seems most of them happen when I try to move too fast or get overconfident and, in either case, don't focus on the front sight. I've hit a few no-shoots that way... hasn't happened recently as I've gotten better at doing it quickly.

My biggest problem with stage planning has always been sticking to my plan, but I've gotten better at that with some experience (less nerves/jitters). I will say I really enjoy the stress that competitve shooting puts you under, and also enjoy that I have been able to watch my abilities to shoot under stress continue improving.

[GJSchulze]

With targets that are harder to hit either because of distance, close or overlapping no shoots, or partial target because of "hard cover" you need to slow down. A no shoot will kill your score. I sometimes shoot a third time at really distant targets or ones with hard cover.

Really close targets (<4 yards) you can point shoot really fast.

It's been said that once the buzzer goes off your pants could fall down and you wouldn't notice. Just imagine what the stress would be like if you had to defend your yourself.

[g.willikers]

Stress is self induced.
Not the situation that can motivate it, of course, but the stress and effect it has on us.
Training and practice can help control it, what ever the activity.

[Buffalo Wing]

Good points about stress there, and one of the major reasons why I started getting into competitive shooting (besides that it's downright fun).

Thanks again for all of the help and advice!