The Southpaw Conundrum

Been practicing magazine changes this week, after being so close to the 100 second barrier last week at TNS that it hurt!  Mag changes appear to be my slowest point to work on for now.

As a stinkin' southpaw, to operate the safety on my current preferred pistol (a CZ-75B in 9mm), I have to shift my grip slightly so that my index/trigger finger can scrunch back to the mag release, push the release, insert a new magazine with the right hand, re-shift my grip back around, drop the slide release (if locked back), then re-address the trigger.

I need to eliminate those two grip shifts.  They cost me at least 10 seconds throughout the course of the TNS match on all 4 stages and the several mag changes required.

I pulled the Springfield XD9 out of the safe in response to this.  There's a lot of things I don't like about the XD product line:  In general, I dislike striker pistols.  I dislike trigger-dinguses.  There's something not quite "right" about the contour of the grip on the left side of the grip safety, it grinds against the index finger metacarpal uncomfortably in a way that a CZ or 1911 does not do.

However, it DOES have an ambidextrous magazine release.

I've been practicing using my left thumb to release mags.  Almost no grip shift and as I practice, the shift becomes smaller and smaller.  Less attention to detail with my left hand, so I can focus on moving my right hand more quickly to the belt for a fresh magazine.

I need to find a suitable way to rig a 1911 with an ambi mag release (looking into the Smith & Alexander ambi mag release), as well as a CZ.  Or, I need to find a new pet 9mm platform with ambi mag release controls and all the features I like of the CZ-75 series.  Fabrique-Nationale's FNX-9 looks like a potential contender.  Not sure what else is out on the market.

In the meantime, though, the XD9 is back on my hip and on rotation for TNS.

Back to Steel

I went back to steel 2 weeks ago.  Ran the CZ-75 with Winchester WWB factory 115gr FMJ ammo.  Got done in 112.71.  This week, I took some cheap reloads (mixed brass, CCI small primers, 122gr LRNFP bullet) that I cooked up.  I was worried about them because I hadn't had time to shoot them at the range prior to coming out, to see if they might not work properly. 

No need to worry.  100% reliability.  They shot cleaner than the WWB.  I cleaned the gun tonight (two weeks ago, as well), there was just a smidge of carbon blowback inside the slide and at the barrel's ramp.  Leading down bore was gone after 15-20 passes with a bronze brush wet with Hoppes.  Very quick and easy cleaning.

Time tonight was 104.09.

I did some light 'smithing work on the CZ, too.  I replaced the factory front sight with a fiber optic one.  Mounted the slide in my drill press and drilled out the necessary hole in the replacement front sight post.  100% successful, no problems encountered at all.  POI = POA still.

I need some heavier CZ magazines, though:  Even with the drop-free mag brake, completely empty mags don't always drop free.  Gonna have to find a few mags with extended base-pads that are heavy enough to fall free.  I guess it's okay if they take a few more rounds, too.

Shooting the CZ in "Limited" division, loading mags to 16rd capacity, holstered with safety on and single action first shot.  If I were to shoot in "Production," I would have to limit myself to 10rds in the mags and first shot would have to be DA.  At least, that's how I understand it.  Still trying to fully figure out the divisions.