USPSA's Robin Taylor applies his experience with Glocks to the new "Gen 4" model. He says Glock's new variant offers many improvements of interest to Glock-shooting competitors worldwide. The Glock is already the most-popular gun used in Production Division in the United States and has a strong following in other divisions as well. This new "Gen" adds removable backstraps, a larger, reversible mag release, and much more. Download story.

EXCERPT: In essence, the Gen 4 is what Glock enthusiasts would call an "SF" 9mm ("SF" stands for "small frame") with the added ability to extend the grip. Going "SF" means the trigger reach has been shortened, and the curves at the back flattened slightly to make the pistol easier to get your hand around. This makes the mag release easier to reach for people with relatively short fingers (a common anti-Glock complaint).
To pad the "SF" Gen 4 out to the normal "Gen 3" profile, one pins a "backstrap" onto the grip. The medium "backstrap" itself is really a backstrap cover that has little structural integrity of its own. It's a thin bit of polymer, retained by two polymer hooks at the bottom and a slightly over-size, over-length trigger housing pin at the top. To make the pistol even longer, mount the "large" backstrap cover instead, and you have a gun somewhere between the standard 9mm frame and Glock's famously-beefy .45 (the Glock 21). While the gun isn't any wider, the length makes it feel as though it is. I have relatively long fingers (I can shoot a Glock 21 easily), so this option appealed to me a great deal.
None of the "backstraps" change the width of the pistol at all. Instead the grip angle changes slightly, and the trigger reach changes. None of the changes are night-and-day obvious from the outside, but they're very noticeable in the hand. Thanks to the rough, rounded surfaces, my measurements in the accompanying table aren't exact, but they give you an idea of how much change is involved.
Mod. 2: "SF" Style Trigger Housing
Gone are the days when one trigger housing worked in every Glock in the line. To achieve the smaller "SF" frame dimensions, something had to change inside. That thing was primarily the trigger housing, which is shorter, and has beveled edges. It will NOT work in the Gen 1-3 Glock 17s (I tried).
There are also small changes to the trigger bar, altering some of the geometry relative to the trigger return spring. That part DOES interchange with a Gen 1-3 pistol in a pinch, but I haven't heard back from Glock about potential long-term use. . .

Jessie Abbate has set the practical shooting world on its ear in the space of four years. She's still a junior in college (business major) but is out-shooting the entire ladies' field. Learn more about this record-setting shooting phenom in this issue. Download cover story.

EXCERPT: "A young Anika Sorenstam forced the PGA to debate whether women could play pro golf in men's tournaments. Until she came along, that wasn't really an issue, but when Sorenstam posted a pro average below 70, things changed. There's still quite a gulf between multi-millionaire Sorenstam's accomplishments and World Champion Jessie, but there are parallels.
Jessie won two USPSA national titles and swept the Steel Challenge nationals in 2007 and 2008. In 2009 she took two more USPSA National titles (Production and Limited), swept the Steel Challenge Nationals, and shot a perfect hat trick at the Worlds. That made her unbeaten in 18 starts over three years. Sorenstam never did that.
Abbate set six world records in 2009, handily out-pacing all other women, past or present. Of the eight stages shot at the Steel Challenge, Abbate holds records on five, and holds the fastest time ever shot by a woman (94.94)."

Rogert Vogel, Dave Sevigny, Max Michel, Ted Puente, and Cliff Walsh all found their way to victory at USPSA's handgun nationals in Las Vegas. While we felt Robert Vogel's successes deserved the cover, Ted Puente and Cliff Walsh certainly caught our eye. Both are first-time national champions, upsetting the favorites in their divisions. Walsh in particular upset legendary wheelgun ace Jerry Miculek, who (until now) has never LOST a USPSA revolver title -- and virtually owns the ICORE title as well.

Among the women Jessie Abbate continues to crush the competition, but Randi Rogers and Megan Francisco brought home the titles in their respective divisions. Their stories appear separately in an article by Paul Hyland.

Read about the match here: Download file

SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — ­From start to finish, Angus Hobdell of Team CZ and the CZ Custom Shop led the field in the Single Stack match at the U.S. ­Practi­cal Shooting Association’s (USPSA) Area 2 Regional Handgun Championships to take home the coveted title. ­

The Single Stack division, so called because the model 1911 pistols used in competition feature magazines which hold just a single column of ammunition, is growing in popularity as more and more competitors opt to shoot the more traditional model pistol. The 1911 is also one of the most popular firearms sold in America.

Hobdell, who lives in Tempe, Ariz., won six of the 11 stages in the match on his way to posting a final score of 1417.6591 match points. Hobdell holds the rank of Master in the Single Stack division but is a Grand Master in the Production division.

“Angus is one of the toughest competitors on the Practical Shooting circuit and is always in the hunt to win whatever match he enters. This Area 2 win is just another milestone in his storied career,” said Dave Thomas, executive director of the U.S. Practical Shooting Association.­

Rounding out the top five in the Single Stack competition were Tim Milkovich of Glendale, Ariz. who finished more than 102 points behind Hobdell in second place with 1315.3776. Mike Lin of Gilbert, Ariz. took third shooting a score of 1253.4519 while Andrew John of Mesa, Ariz. and Scott Shepherd of Gilbert, Ariz. finished fourth and fifth with 1179.3874 and 1176.8434 respectively.­

The match, which was held November 12-15 at the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club in Mesa, Ariz., drew a total of 355 shooters who put a combined 100,000-plus­ rounds down range competing for regional championship titles in the Open, Limited, Limited-10, Production, Revolver and Single Stack divisions.­

The USPSA Area 2 region includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii and New Mexico but shooters from around the country attended.

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About USPSA: The United States Practical Shooting Association is a non-profit membership association and the governing body for the sport of Practical Shooting in America. USPSA has over 18,000 members and more than 350 affiliated clubs which host weekly matches throughout the country providing recreational shooters with the opportunity to test and refine their shooting skills in a safe, competitive environment. USPSA is also the US Region of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), which is comprised of approximately 67 nations. For more information, visit www.uspsa.org.

SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — Team Smith & Wesson’s John Bagakis of Livermore, Calif. claimed the Revolver division title at the U.S. Practical Shooting Association’s Area 2 Regional Handgun Championships.

Bagakis, who is ranked a Grand Master, the highest skill level in the sport of Practical Shooting, dominated the field by winning all eleven stages for a final score of 1470. He outpaced his nearest competitor, Pat Hogue of Atascadero, Calif., by just over 302 match points. Hogue finished second in the match with a score of 1167.7836.

“John is one of the rising stars in the Revolver division as evidenced but his Area 2 win, and with the support of Smith & Wesson I think it’s safe to say John will continue to be a threat in revolver competitions,” said Dave Thomas, executive director of the U.S. Practical Shooting Association.

Rounding out the top five were Dan Furbee of Apache Junction, Ariz. in third with a score of 1099.8699, John Rodriguez of Hurley, N.M. in fourth with 1092.5206 and Team Smith & Wesson member Annette Aysen of Thibodaux, La. taking fifth shooting 1064.2603.

The match, which was held November 12-15 at the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club in Mesa, Ariz., drew a total of 355 shooters who put a combined 100,000-plus rounds down range competing for regional championship titles in the Open, Limited, Limited-10, Production, Revolver and Single Stack divisions.

The USPSA Area 2 region includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii and New Mexico but shooters from around the country attended.

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About USPSA: The United States Practical Shooting Association is a non-profit membership association and the governing body for the sport of Practical Shooting in America. USPSA has nearly 18,000 members and more than 350 affiliated clubs which host weekly matches throughout the country providing recreational shooters with the opportunity to test and refine their shooting skills in a safe, competitive environment. USPSA is also the US Region of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), which is comprised of approximately 67 nations. For more information, visit www.uspsa.org.

SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — Springfield Armory’s husband and wife team of Kippi and Robbie Leatham of Mesa, Ariz. brought home two division titles from the U.S. Practical Shooting Association’s Area 2 Regional Handgun Championships.

Kippi won the Women’s Production division title while husband Robbie took top honors in the Limited division. Robbie Leatham previously won the Limited title in 2005 and 2004.

“Kippi and Robbie represent a serious one-two punch for Springfield Armory and our congratulations go out to them both,” said Dave Thomas, executive director of the U.S. Practical Shooting Association.

“The sport of Practical Shooting, like many of the shooting sports, offers women shooters the same competitive opportunities as men, making it an ideal recreational opportunity for couples. The Leathams are just one example of the many husband and wife tandems competing today,” added Thomas

Among the women shooters, Kippi Leatham edged out Sara Dunivin by just over 18 points to capture the Women’s Production division title with a final score of 895.0602. Leatham’s score placed her 26th overall among all shooters competing with the duty-style pistols used in Production. Leatham shot the match using a 9mm Springfield Armory XD.

Dunivin finished second with a final score of 876.6597. Rounding out the top five women in Production were third place finisher Carrie Jamrogowicz shooting a score of 819.7222 points, Kandi Blick in fourth with 710.5567 and Ana Lisa Christensen taking fifth with a score of 642.4330 match points.

In the Limited competition the other half of the Leatham household topped an extremely competitive field of 108 shooters that included 16 Masters and five Grand Masters. Robbie Leatham, regarded by many to be one of the greatest practical shooters of all time, is himself ranked a Grand Master.

In taking the title Leatham won five of the 11 stages in the match and took the lead after the fourth. John Mouret of Surprise, Ariz. started the match out in front by winning the first stage. Henning Wallgren of Longmont, Colo. pulled into the lead after the second stage and held it through the third, ultimately handing over the lead to Leatham after the fourth stage.

Leatham remained in the lead through the rest of the match finishing with a final score of 1391.3146, over 55 points ahead of Wallgren who finished second by winning two stages and shooting 1335.6162.

Rounding out the Limited top five were Mouret in third with 1324.0954 points, Glenn Shelby of Aztec, N.M. shooting 1300.1898 and Steve Shroufe of Flagstaff, Ariz. posting a final score of 1252.8102 match points.

The match, which was held November 12-15 at the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club in Mesa, Ariz., drew a total of 355 shooters who put a combined 100,000-plus rounds down range competing for regional championship titles in the Open, Limited, Limited-10, Production, Revolver and Single Stack divisions.

The USPSA Area 2 region includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii and New Mexico but shooters from around the country attended.

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About USPSA: The United States Practical Shooting Association is a non-profit membership association and the governing body for the sport of Practical Shooting in America. USPSA has nearly 18,000 members and more than 350 affiliated clubs which host weekly matches throughout the country providing recreational shooters with the opportunity to test and refine their shooting skills in a safe, competitive environment. USPSA is also the US Region of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), which is comprised of approximately 67 nations. For more information, visit www.uspsa.org.

SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — Team Para USA shooter Debbie Keehart of Mesa, Ariz., won the Women’s Limited title at the U.S. Practical Shooting Association’s Area 2 Regional Handgun Championships.

Keehart posted a final winning score of 935.1635, nearly 150 ahead of second place shooter Gail McLean who shot a final score of 786.0686.

Rounding out the top five women in the Limited match were Laurie Lynn in third with 622.5906, Cheryl Current in fourth with 505.8075 and junior shooter Sara Drake in fifth with 484.9109.

“Congratulations go out to Debbie for shooting a strong match and capturing the Women’s Limited title for Team Para,” said Dave Thomas, executive director of the U.S. Practical Shooting Association. “More and more women are joining the ranks of USPSA shooters and Debbie stands out as a top competitor that new shooters should look to emulate.”

The match, which was held November 12-15 at the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club in Mesa, Ariz., drew a total of 355 shooters who put a combined 100,000-plus rounds down range competing for regional championship titles in the Open, Limited, Limited-10, Production, Revolver and Single Stack divisions.

The USPSA Area 2 region includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii and New Mexico but shooters from around the country attended.

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About USPSA: The United States Practical Shooting Association is a non-profit membership association and the governing body for the sport of Practical Shooting in America. USPSA has nearly 18,000 members and more than 350 affiliated clubs which host weekly matches throughout the country providing recreational shooters with the opportunity to test and refine their shooting skills in a safe, competitive environment. USPSA is also the US Region of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), which is comprised of approximately 67 nations. For more information, visit www.uspsa.org.

SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — Websterville, Vermont’s Steve Rubalcaba successfully defended his 2008 win by again taking the Limited-10 title at the U.S. Practical Shooting Association’s Area 2 Regional Handgun Championship.

Rubalcaba faced stiff competition from both Jim Zimmerman and Russ Shaver who took turns leading the match. Zimmerman of Commerce City, Colo. took the lead early winning the first two stages and holding the lead until the fifth stage when Shaver overtook him.

Despite the fact he didn’t win a single stage in the match, Shaver, who hails from Mission Viejo, Calif., was able to hold on to his lead all the way through the ninth stage and ultimately finish second with a score of 1371.2384.

Rubalcaba began to make his move by winning the sixth stage. He then proceeded to win the eighth, ninth and tenth stages. These three consecutive stage wins propelled Rubalcaba to the front and allowed him to take lead on the tenth stage.

Rubalcaba’s rally helped him finish the match more than 24 points ahead of Shaver and over 46 points ahead of Zimmerman and to post a final winning score of 1395.5247.

“With a little less than 50 points separating the top four shooters in the Limited-10 match, Steve had his handles full. His rally in the late stages turned the match in his favor and earned him a much deserved return visit to the winner’s circle,” said Dave Thomas, executive director of the U.S. Practical Shooting Association.

Rounding out the top five were Zimmerman in third with 1349.1721, Clint Milburn of Surrey, British Columbia in fourth with 1345.5900 and Alan Liotta of Rosemount, Minn. in fifth with 1266.6925.

The match, which was held November 12-15 at the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club in Mesa, Ariz., drew a total of 355 shooters who put a combined 100,000-plus rounds down range competing for regional championship titles in the Open, Limited, Limited-10, Production, Revolver and Single Stack divisions.

The USPSA Area 2 region includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii and New Mexico but shooters from around the country attended.

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About USPSA: The United States Practical Shooting Association is a non-profit membership association and the governing body for the sport of Practical Shooting in America. USPSA has nearly 18,000 members and more than 350 affiliated clubs which host weekly matches throughout the country providing recreational shooters with the opportunity to test and refine their shooting skills in a safe, competitive environment. USPSA is also the US Region of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), which is comprised of approximately 67 nations. For more information, visit www.uspsa.org.

SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — In a field packed with Masters and Grand Masters, Taran Butler of Simi Valley, Calif. managed to hold off 137 shooters to take the coveted Open division title at the U.S. Practical Shooting Association’s Area 2 Regional Handgun Championships. The win represents Butler’s first and only Area victory in the 2009 season.

Butler, who is ranked a Grand Master himself and won the Area 2 Limited division title in 2008, took the Open division lead on the second stage and held it through the entire match by winning four of the eleven stages. Butler won the division with a final score of 1407.2097.

“Taran faced a very strong field of Open shooters yet managed to hold all of them off by shooting a strong match and picking up key stage wins. Not an easy feat when you realize there were 13 Grand Masters and 25 Masters gunning for the title,” said Dave Thomas, executive director of the U.S. Practical Shooting Association.

Butler’s nearest competitor, Eddie Garcia of Mesa, Ariz., also won four stages but was never able to close the gap. Garcia finished more than 38 points behind Butler with a final score of 1368.6828

Chris Fritz of Spanaway, Wash. won the first stage but finished third with 1348.3053 while Nick Helterline of Everett, Wash. and Glenn Higdon of Peyton, Colo. rounded out the top five finishing fourth and fifth shooting 1316.7757 and 1314.3098 respectively.

The match, which was held November 12-15 at the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club in Mesa, Ariz., drew a total of 355 shooters who put a combined 100,000-plus rounds down range competing for regional championship titles in the Open, Limited, Limited-10, Production, Revolver and Single Stack divisions.

The USPSA Area 2 region includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii and New Mexico but shooters from around the country attended.

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About USPSA: The United States Practical Shooting Association is a non-profit membership association and the governing body for the sport of Practical Shooting in America. USPSA has nearly 18,000 members and more than 350 affiliated clubs which host weekly matches throughout the country providing recreational shooters with the opportunity to test and refine their shooting skills in a safe, competitive environment. USPSA is also the US Region of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), which is comprised of approximately 67 nations. For more information, visit www.uspsa.org.

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SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — It took until the eleventh and final stage at the 2009 Area 2 USPSA Regional Handgun Championships before Dave Sevigny of Smyrna, Ga. was able to overtake Nils Jonasson of Mesa, Ariz. and repeat as the Production division champion. It is the fifth time Sevigny has won at Area 2 Production title.

Jonasson started the match strong winning the first three stages followed by a third place finish on stage four, behind Sevigny and the stage winner Gary Chan of Anaheim Hills, Calif., then again taking the stage win on the fifth stage. Halfway through the match, Jonasson, a Grand Master shooter who won the Production title in 2007, found himself in first place with a lead of more than 34 points over the defending champion.

Then on the sixth stage Sevigny, who is the captain of Team Glock and himself a Grand Master competitor, began his comeback winning that stage and the next four. Despite remaining behind Jonasson, who managed to keep the lead by finishing second on stages six, seven, eight and ten, Sevigny put himself just over five points down but in a prime position to win the match on the final stage.

On stage 11, the 50-point 10-round final stage of the match, Jonasson finished with seven A zone hits and three C zone hits for a total of 44 points shot in a time of 6.99 seconds giving him a 6.2947 hit factor and a final stage score of 39.8894. He finished the match with a final overall score of 1424.6612.

Sevigny, who is known for both his tremendous speed and accuracy, proceeded to attack the final stage posting the fastest time of any production shooter, 5.83 seconds, and scoring 46 points on eight A zone hits and two C zone hits for a hit factor of 7.8902 that won him both the stage and the match. Sevigny finished the match with a final score of 1429.3106 and a narrow 4.6494 advantage of Jonasson to take the win.

“This was classic production division battle and demonstrates how competitive this division truly is,” said Dave Thomas, executive director of the U.S. Practical Shooting Association. “Dave shot an excellent come-from-behind match winning not just the Area 2 Championship but his seventh Area title of the 2009 season.”

Rounding out the top five in the Production competition were three Master level shooters. Gary Chan finished third with 1268.6316 points while Kyle Schmidt of Gilbert, Ariz. took fourth shooting 1239.7421 and Jim Levis of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. finished fifth with 1196.4295 points.

The match, which was held November 12-15 at the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club in Mesa, Ariz., drew a total of 355 shooters who put a combined 100,000-plus rounds down range competing for regional championship titles in the Open, Limited, Limited-10, Production, Revolver and Single Stack divisions.

The USPSA Area 2 region includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii and New Mexico but shooters from throughout the country attended.

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About USPSA: The United States Practical Shooting Association is a non-profit membership association and the governing body for the sport of Practical Shooting in America. USPSA has nearly 18,000 members and more than 350 affiliated clubs which host weekly matches throughout the country providing recreational shooters with the opportunity to test and refine their shooting skills in a safe, competitive environment. USPSA is also the US Region of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), which is comprised of approximately 67 nations. For more information, visit www.uspsa.org.

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Princeton, LA — Simi Valley’s Taran Butler won the Tactical Division title at the United State Practical Shooting Association’s MultiGun National Championships held October 3-5 at the Shootout Range in Princeton, Louisiana. The match drew nearly 120 competitors from 28 states and included some of the very best shooters in the world.

Butler dominated the match winning five of the 12 stages and leading in overall points on eight. In the end his overall score of 1279.9417 outpaced second place shooter and fellow Golden State resident Keith Garcia of San Ramon by almost 77 points.

Rounding out the top five were Garcia in second with 1203.0133, Phil Strader of Owasso, Oklahoma in third shooting 1198.7144 and Chad Lofton of Smithdale, Mississippi and Robert Romero of Hoschton, Georgia placed fourth and fifth with 1112.8110 and 1110.8013 respectively.

In MultiGun competition, shooters negotiate courses of fire, or stages, utilizing a pistol, a rifle or a shotgun to engage a variety of targets including paper, steel and moving targets. Matches often require competitors to use all three types of firearms on a single stage.­

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Note to Editors: Photos of Taran Butler are available in the USPSA Online Media Center. The photos should be credited “Courtesy of USPSA.”­

About USPSA: The United States Practical Shooting A­ssociation is a non-profit membership association and the governing body for the sport of Practical Shooting in America. USPSA has over 17,000 members and more than 350 affiliated clubs which host weekly matches throughout the country providing recreational shooters with the opportunity to test and refine their shooting skills in a safe, competitive environment. USPSA is also the US Region of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), which is comprised of approximately 67 nations. For more information, visit www.uspsa.org.