This was a big discussion over on the IDPA Yahoo Groups list, and there were several things that really steamed me about this.
First, I fully expected this to become a big deal, as we had discussed this very topic not 2 weeks before this all started. Why? Because it makes a slightly larger hole (the difference between 1 down and 0 down is small), and it's a different kind of recoil than 9mm (more of an impulse than a snap). Heaven forbid!
Now, if you load down to the power floor (125pf), it IS a bunny fart. However, I don't load down to the floor, and I don't know many who do. I use a lighter bullet, and the same amount of powder for IDPA (155g bullet over 4.1g TiteGroup). It chronos at 149pf. It's a sweet load, very manageable (as most .40 loads are), and (MOST IMPORTANTLY) extremely economical. Just by changing the bullet, I use the same setup for my USPSA load that makes 170pf. Very convenient.
Secondly, most of the boneheads bickering over power factors are pretty much the same Freudian "man" gun owners that think the world should be CDP. For the most part, they're stiff-legged marksmen that are spending a lot of energy trying to figure out why they're always getting beat. Must be the ammo. Right.
Third, the reason I shot 9mm for so long was that Blazer 9mm ammo was cheap (about $80/1000). As several of us found out last year at the Double Tap Championship (a USPSA major match), factory ammo ain't always the hottest. I recall my factory Blazer ammo not being able to knock down steel (as does Dan), and having them recalibrate the steel so we could get a reshoot. Once I got the Glock 35 (.40 caliber), and started shooting Limited, well, the economics of shooting .40 became hard to overlook. Compound that with the fact that Blazer ammo prices have apparently gone up a dollar a box, well, there ya go.
Fourth, did I mention reloading is cheaper?
Fifth, when presented with the FACTS from the rulebook (125pf is the RULE, and it can be measured with a chronograph!), these folks wrap themselves in the "Purpose" section of the rulebook that uses terms that are subjective at best. When someone presses for WHAT the power floor is, well, it's 125! Like I said, THAT can be measured.
Finally, and this is the thing that really gets me seeing red: there are divisions and classifications in IDPA. Most of these self-righteous protectors of the "spirit" of IDPA are no longer content to compete against shooters of like skill, using like weapons (gee, sounds like something in the "Purpose" section of the IDPA rulebook). They're seeing other divisions (ESP, mostly) that are faster than they are, and consistently faster than they are. Why? Well, it must be that cheater ammo. Either be content to compete against those in your class or division, or move to another class or division. Then, take your time and energy invested in complaining and go get some training!
Some have even proposed that we all use factory ammo. Have you priced self-defense factory ammo lately? Try about $1/ROUND! That would run many out of the sport right there.
You want a division for .40 caliber? Then make one. Until then, just go by the rules, and shut up.
Shooters in this sport need to spend more time quantifying their rules, and stop using "feelings" and "spirit" to justify their silly positions. I could never chronograph "spirit" anyway.
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