if you want to build a uspsa open gun where would you start

[Havfun]

what guns would you choose from optics trigger work etc.
not sure if this is top secret stuff like the bullets that do not recoil when u guys shoot LOL i know its all in the grip.

[Diesel1]

I would vote to contact FMJ or one of the other guys from Team Infidel. They'll be happy to spend your money....I mean guide you in the right direction.

[FMJ]

Open guns are a special kind of animal. I had an open glock I built and it just can't handle the power of major power factors. It's also not setup to take an optic and most of my issues were optic mount related. It'll take a ton of fun smithing to make an open gun reliable. In the long run I see you ha ing 2 options if you're not going to buy something off the shelf. You can buy all the parts and send it out for assembly, or call and order one that's going to be a year +- wait time. Companies like Akai custom guns make some sick open guns. Last thing I would do is buy an STI dvc, even though that's the gun I'm shooting now, I see nothing but issues with a bunch of them. It seems STI just isn't putting in the time or quality parts necessary to make a good reliable gun out of the box and off the shelf.

The first decision is to pick your caliber. I chose 38super comp. it's very expensive to buy brass and you'll see me on the ground most of the match trying to recoup my brass because of the cost. 9 is another option but you really need to buy some good once fired brass to be malfunction free. If you use unknown range brass you might be asking for more trouble than it's worth sometimes.

[Happy Camper]

By robbing a bank!

[Mad Russian]

How about if you learn to shoot first. From what I've seen at LIPSA matches it's not the gun, it's the shooter. That's why an older gent shooting a stock CZ can outshoot a younger guy with a $3K custom gun.

[SRT8]

Very true, but a lot of people do it mostly for fun, and open is a LOT of fun. It all depends on what the individual is looking to get out of it. Since I started shooting open a month ago, I find that it exposes flaws in my technique more readily than L10, and gives me specific direction on things that I can work on improving (draw, transitions, etc.)

[Havfun]

I am shooting competition now. Twice a month. Eventually I would like to have a decked out gun. Got hooked

[SRT8]

Open guns are a very different animal than all the other divisions. They can be finicky and a real PITA at times. I also have a STI DVC Open - but in 9mm. I went with 9 because I don't like having to hunt down brass. I can get wet tumbled, pristine looking 9mm brass for about $22/thousand delivered. It took me 6 weeks to come up with a good load and tune the gun to run 100%.

Caliber choice is a personal decision, but there are some inherent advantages/disadvantages for each:

• 9mm - Brass is dirt cheap. The shorter case limits your choice of powders, but you'll need less of it. It also may take some work to get the shorter cases to eject properly under the optic mount. Reloading cases more than once or twice is dicey IMO.
• 38 Super/Super Comp - Brass is expensive, but can be reloaded several times if you're able to recover it. More powder options than 9mm. Better suited to popple holes than 9mm because of the increased case capacity.
• More than likely you will need to use JHP or TMJ style of heads, regardless of caliber. Yes, companies make lead and plated heads for open, but they are generally much less accurate at the velocities used in open (about 1350 to 1475 depending on bullet weight). Lead or exposed base jacketed heads tend to melt at the base and that gets deposited in the barrel and comp and it can be a real PITA to clean.

For optics, C-More Slide Ride is by far the most common. There are some more compact sights out there, but I'm not sure how reliable they are on an open gun.

For the gun itself, especially someone new to open guns, I would get one from a reputable shop and avoid the mass-produced STI's. A friend has a really nice CK that ran like a top out of the box. Just keep in mind, a reliable open gun is not cheap! Expect to invest 4k+ for the gun and another 600 or so for the mags.

[Havfun]

Thanks str8 very informative . I still have to work my way up.

[SlowTime]

What others have said ammo is on point. Open is a big step, and I wouldn't be building one. You are better off having a Open 2011 built for you. Call Adam at Atlas Gun Works, great to work with and only a few month wait last I spoke to him.

Lots of good builders out there. Cheeley, Bobby Keigan (or CK if semi custom), Akai, Bedell, and several others.

[Havfun]

Not starting it any time soon bought a Dillon 1050 and a 100 lb smelter and a sw500 scope is going on that next week. After that I will be getting a mister bullet feeder . I hope business stays busy

[SRT8]

You're really going to like the MBF.

[Sparks25]

By robbing a bank!

Or getting a second and third job.

[Greyhounder]

Might suggest going to the provisional division first, carry optics. It will get you used to using optics in a match. Plus many of the pistols you can use for it can be further modified to open.

[2wheelbliss]

Was thinking about a limited gun as open was a bit too rich for me but with the unsafe act I don't know if I would even bother. I'm limited to 10 round anyway unless I go out of state to shoot a match right? Now I would love to have a full on race gun just for the fun of it though. I would probably have some premade one though. I know it needs a bunch of fine tuning to get everything right. So as someone said above, the carry optics division looks promising as a stepping stone to the full race gun and less expensive though you don't get to use a compensator or other doodads like a thumb rest you can at least get to use a red dot. Right now I'm going to mostly shoot L10 and maybe a little single stack here and there.

[Havfun]

Might suggest going to the provisional division first, carry optics. It will get you used to using optics in a match. Plus many of the pistols you can use for it can be further modified to open.

i was thinking of that.

[Lostinthewoods]

Tough to build an open gun in NY these days. SAFE sucked a lot of the fun out of it. I haven't shot USPSA in a few years but may start up again this year. Production can be a ton of fun and can be plenty of funsmithing for the tinkerer.