I'm sure all of you are aware that the USPSA BOD heard opening arguments for the creation of a Single Stack Division at the last meeting. The main argument I've heard (heck, we've all heard) for "fixing" L10 was two fold. 1) the perceived advantage that a widebody gun has over a single stack and 2) the Class advantage a Limited shooter gains by shooting L10 (downclass one).
The proposal to fix the problem that seemed to gain the most traction was to create a new division (while leaving L10 alone) called Single Stack Division which would use 1911Society rules. I'd estimate that 90% of the shooters in L10 today are already shooting single stack guns so in the end, you'll have two divisions, L10 and SSD, that look very similar with the exception of where the gun is placed and how many rounds you can put in it. Because these two divisions would be so similar, I firmly believe that 5 years down the road, one of them won't be around anymore.
So if we address the problem that seems to have started all of this (Limited guys downloading their mags and shooting L10 that day), and some rule change HAS to be made....why not simply make a single rule change rather than throwing the baby out with the bath water and starting all over with a new division (and an entire new set of rules)? Make Limited 10, single stack only and no other changes? That prevents Limited shooters from using their existing gun in Limited 10 (no more discussions about widebody advantages) and to a certain degree addresses the "downclass" issue. It would also provide the same marketing opportunity for the USPSA to attract new shooters (IDPA cross overs) and manufacture sponsorship.
This creates a new problem...what do you tell shooters in CA/HI/NJ/NY/10_round_limited_states? To be honest, I don't have an answer for that. What I do think is that if SSD gains enough traction and L10 dies as a result then those shooters in the above mentioned states STILL have the same problem. They'd have to get a new gun (or a new frame) to shoot.
So tell me, which makes more sense (and remember the problem that we're trying to "fix"), creation of a new division (SSD) that will probably kill off L10 (or at the very least dilute competition) and require many rule changes, or to make L10 Single Stack only?
The proposal to fix the problem that seemed to gain the most traction was to create a new division (while leaving L10 alone) called Single Stack Division which would use 1911Society rules. I'd estimate that 90% of the shooters in L10 today are already shooting single stack guns so in the end, you'll have two divisions, L10 and SSD, that look very similar with the exception of where the gun is placed and how many rounds you can put in it. Because these two divisions would be so similar, I firmly believe that 5 years down the road, one of them won't be around anymore.
So if we address the problem that seems to have started all of this (Limited guys downloading their mags and shooting L10 that day), and some rule change HAS to be made....why not simply make a single rule change rather than throwing the baby out with the bath water and starting all over with a new division (and an entire new set of rules)? Make Limited 10, single stack only and no other changes? That prevents Limited shooters from using their existing gun in Limited 10 (no more discussions about widebody advantages) and to a certain degree addresses the "downclass" issue. It would also provide the same marketing opportunity for the USPSA to attract new shooters (IDPA cross overs) and manufacture sponsorship.
This creates a new problem...what do you tell shooters in CA/HI/NJ/NY/10_round_limited_states? To be honest, I don't have an answer for that. What I do think is that if SSD gains enough traction and L10 dies as a result then those shooters in the above mentioned states STILL have the same problem. They'd have to get a new gun (or a new frame) to shoot.
So tell me, which makes more sense (and remember the problem that we're trying to "fix"), creation of a new division (SSD) that will probably kill off L10 (or at the very least dilute competition) and require many rule changes, or to make L10 Single Stack only?
