What caliber

[dsljay]

I watched a metal plate shooting champtionship on Shooting Gallery. What caliber gun do the "pros", like Jarret, shoot in those events?

[Agent Ronin]

As far as i know, .45ACP is still by far the most popular cartridge on those circuits. As high-end 1911's are usually the firearm involved.

[ChamberedRound]

I watched a metal plate shooting champtionship on Shooting Gallery. What caliber gun do the "pros", like Jarret, shoot in those events?

The caliber shot typically depends on the competition. The one you're referring to, however, is the Steel Challenge:

http://www.steelchallenge.com/

The Steel Challenge conforms to the rules outlined in the Steel Challenge Shooting Association's (SCSA) Rules:

http://www.isishootists.com/scsa/ste...nge_rules.html

Relevant exercpts from the rules states:

HANDGUN CALIBER

Center fire handguns only with the minimum caliber being 9mm/.38 special. Firearms shall be suitable for holster use. Rimfire .22 shall be a category with separate standings and scores.

AMMUNITION

There will be no multiple projectile or magnum loads allowed. Bullet velocity of 750 FPS is recommended to achieve full destruction of the bullet. Be aware that a power factor of 120 is required on the impact stop plates at the Steel Challenge Pistol Tournament.

Steel Challenge competitors typically shoot custom 9mm loads; hot enough to drop the plates, light enough to keep recoil down to improve shooting speed. They CAN shoot larger calibers if they desire, but that would likely hamper their performance.

[LorDiego01]

I heard most of them shoot 1911s in 38super. Thats why they are able to shoot so rapidly on target.

[roland]

Todd shot at my club last year and I'm pretty sure he was shooting a 38 super. But there are some odd calibers those guys use in their race guns. There are several clubs around that hold USPSA shoots and there the ones to ask. My club is PMSC. But Clairton, North Huntingdon, Castlewood also have monthly matches where you can watch live. But it's better to participate.

[DPB]

As was stated, the competition rules greatly influence what caliber you use. .45 ACP has not been a favored caliber for a number of years, except in classes/divisions which are specific to .45 guns.

In USPSA, whether you are scored "major" or "minor" depends on your "power factor," which is bullet weight in grains times velocity in FPS, divided by 1000. Major is 165. HOWEVER, in Open class, you must shoot a .38" diameter bullet to make major. In Limited, you must shoot a .40" diameter bullet. Other classes and IDPA have similar rules. For years, USPSA would not allow a 9mm major round in Open, but rule changes in the last several years have made this legal.

A sponsered pro shooter like Todd Jarret probably has a gun built specifically for that event, in whatever caliber he and his gunsmith (in Jarret's case, Dave Dawson), think is optimal. In USPSA, Jarret was (and maybe still is) shooting a proprietary variant of the .38 Super, called the .38TJ. Like ChamberedRound said, ammo will be tuned to the gun and the specific event.

I would hazard the guess that non sponsored shooters are shooting the guns they normally compete with. So, if you see a gun with a comp and a red dot, it's probably a .38 something or 9mm variant. If it doesn't have a comp or dot, it's most likely a .40.

One other thing. In competition specific guns (STI/SV or similar designs), you generally load your rounds longer than SAAMI, to reduce chamber pressure. So my .40 loads will not fit in a standard .40 mag, but they'll fit in an STI/SV mag, because these were originally designed around a .45 length round. This allows the 9mm major and allows a wider choice of powder without (usually) blowing your gun up.

[dsljay]

Thanks, everyone. That's the info I wanted. Jay