Dusty Devil Dale

First thing I would do with a new Uberti firearm is spend the +- $20 for a good, American made complete replacement screw set. Brownell's, Taylor's and other vendors have them.

Do you have a link for a place to have it done, or is it a DIY thing.

Always remember that an engraver or Jeweler can clean up or recut a clean screw slot in a good quality screw very easily. But if the screw was of poor quality to begin with, that is another story. The new slot can be cut easily enough, but will likely re-strip.

Now I understand why you can make all those hard guitar reaches and Barre chords so easily. Mystery solved.

Agree. I started out confused and still am (situation normal). The OP title looked like somebody seeking advice, so I gave a rundown of things I see as helpful. But as the thread progressed, the OP and certain others seemed to be giving advice, from a base of not very much experience with CAS. Had I realized how confused I was, I would have held back on my keyboard.

You probably already know this, but I'll caution anyway. On a new Uberti '73, don't try to loosen the lever and lifter spring screws before removing the springs from their articulating points on the lever and lifter. They can be lifted off with a screwdriver. Once the springs are relaxed, there is a CHANCE that the screws can be turned without stripping them, depending who was working at the Uberti factory that day.

Our sport only looks easy. Misleading.

I'll look for it. I'm sure if you Google the two names, it will come up.

I guess as long as stages run perfectly for you every time, the SHB might be pretty irrelevant. But when guns act up, or KD targets start falling prematurely, or a spotter calls out wrong direction, things can change and disorient fairly quickly. Knowing or not knowing the procedures at those times directly affects how quickly and penalty-freely you can respond. And that's pretty important to those average sub-20 stage times. So I guess we just have to agree to disagree again.

OK, sir. Whatever you say. You're making great progress. We look for average minus times from you in the next year or two. Looking forward to watching. Matt Black better get to practicing! Oh, and nobody said practice doesn't matter.

New shooters have all got to do it their way and enjoy the consequences. What's logical when you start something is seldom the same as the logic after you become proficient, and it all changes again after you reach the top couple %. That's probably true in any sport or other undertaking. If you want accuracy, you have to practice it. If you want speed, you've got to practice that too. "A" doesn't just come by practicing "B" ---- never did. In our sport, speed IS a fundamental skill, not an add on.

Have you watched the YouTube video of Matt Black v. Jerry Michelak? You might enjoy it.

It isn't about shooting one stage or match faster. It is about training yourself for the longer haul to keep improving. If you can't stand to miss some in a match, then practice speed at every other opportunity. But to shoot fast, you have to consciously push yourself to do it and that means for a while you are going to miss some plates in matches. Back in April, I shot the Fort Miller Shootout, our Club's Annual Match. I realized after 5 stages that I had a chance at a clean match. I fell into the trap of focusing on shooting clean. At the tenth stage (of 12), I realize

Actually, I can't see how anyone is going to shoot better by being told when to shoot, rather than deciding for themselves. Different people take different times to develop their needed focus and concentration. Being hurried or delayed seems like unnecessary stress added to an already tense situation.

Impatience won't get you anything different. For most, It will be at least a year or two before they've shot enough to routinely shoot stages under 30 sec. You can speed that up if you have the time (driving, shooting reloading) and significant money to live-fire practice 2 or 3 times a week. Dry fire and transition practice also help, without the high associated cost. There are video and other resources out there that are helpful, but nothing works better and faster that watching and asking good CAS shooters for help and practicing what they share with you. They are good shooters