I assembled it in nearly finished form just tonight for the first time, and wanted to get some pics up. Yes, Daddy’s been busy chiseling away on his backlog, one pistol at a time. I humbly submit this piece in the hope that my clients will be encouraged that the results will justify their patience with me as their turn comes up.

Nothing comes easy or simply with a P210 build. There are no custom parts or routine modifications available, and thus I made everything you see here.

New sight dovetails for the Trijicon HD night sight set that miraculously zeroes perfectly; the beavertail work; the ambi safety that I’m not happy with yet, and will reshape; the frame reinforcement to accomodate the handmade American style mag release; integrated Picatinny equipment rail; 360-degree magazine well with new lanyard loop anchor; recheckered grips; 30LPI hand checkering.

This is what more than 120 hours at the bench looks like, give or take a few details to clean up. I’m going to go have a nice glass of merlot now.

Click on an image to see the full size.

Click on any image to see the full size.

In the video below, Bruce discusses his Bianchi Cup experience with Down Range TV’s Michael Bane after the match, and Michael discussed Bruce during his podcast posted May 31.

P.S. Yes, they did spell Bruce’s name incorrectly in the results…

Thanks to SigForum contributor Tubetone for the review and pictures! There is a full gallery at the bottom of the post, and you can click on any image to see a larger size.

As posted on SigForum by Tubetone…
I am writing this review to describe my experience with Grayguns’ Practical Fundamentals class on November 6-7, 2010 at the Safety First Shooting Association in central California. This is my subjective experience and one person’s view of the event. If I misstate any concept here, the failure is my own.

I am relating my view of what happened to me and the great value I found in this excursion. This review may have more detail and pictures than normal but I hope you find it useful. I am sure each student of past classes may have a different take but this is mine.

Who Were The Instructors
We suffered an embarrassment of riches regarding instructors. We only had nine students but 5 instructors/adjuncts. The personal attention and interaction was simply phenomenal. It was like a Grayguns (GGI) convention. Bruce Gray, Jerry Jones, Randy Lee, Tang, and Roy Nelson were all working the line. Each of them had unique but engaging personalities. They worked extremely well as a team.

I did spend some extra time with Tang on day one because we had been discussing the “Soft Eyes” concept via email for many months. As much as email is nice, there’s just nothing like being there in person. Each instructor added many things to me via personal coaching on the line, during instruction and during breaks. Each student received repeated personal attention from each instructor. I suspect our lunches and dinners together added to the easy learning environment.

We learned about many issues like grip, stance, reloading, the draw, sight picture, sight alignment, and safety but the thrust of the class was TRIGGER CONTROL as GGI defines and teaches it. I have had approximately 22 other instructors this year and GGI taught differently and showed each of us how to refine so many parts of the fundamentals as we worked through the exercises. I heard more detail and nuance about every fundamental except my stance (Odds are I had to have something that was O.K.).

What I Wanted And Expected
I knew I wanted to take one of Bruce Gray’s classes from the first time we spoke. After I sent Bruce an email about a year ago, Bruce surprisingly called me on the phone and we spoke about shooting for nearly an hour and a half. I had never met any of the other GGI staff but was delighted to finally meet them and experience their inviting personalities as well.

As far as GGI’s Practical Fundamentals class, I was specifically seeking something to help me improve speed and accuracy. I wanted demonstrations and also hoped for some personal understanding and use of the concept of “Soft Eyes.” I expected high level instruction and some personal improvement and was not disappointed.

What I Got
I received detailed instruction on trigger control, defining what is prep, why one needs to prep, when to reset and how to prep the trigger. I learned drills for future practice and improvement along with a strategy for instant self correction. I did actually have some glimpses of “Soft Eyes” during class so I finally have experienced and recognized it. I also experienced what it is to have trigger control in some rudimentary ways, leading me to moments of improved strings and results on which I can build.

I was not the only one. In fact, at the very end of the last exercise, each and every student in the class shot and split a playing card edgewise from 6 yards. When I say everyone, I mean each member of the class whether competition level or a person taking their first-ever pistol class. I do not know of any class that produces such a uniform result for all levels of shooters – especially since this was a trigger control, not a card splitting, class.

How We Got There
We shot about 200 rounds the first day with lots of instruction, demonstration and slow practice to learn and reinforce the fundamental concepts taught. The instruction provided more detailed and deeper explanations with personal interaction that was simply invaluable. We shot about 690 rounds on the second day as the pace and rate of fire increased. We were paced through a logical series of deliberate skill building and concept reinforcing exercises.

From my point of view, the “dare to fail” approach was necessary to try things in different ways. It was hard to trade some things that worked for new ways but the instructors invited us to “buy into” other paths that had much more growth potential. My DA shooting (normally something I like) stunk up the place as I struggled with a new way but, again, I can see the value in what I’m going to try to change. By the way, I have only one thing to say about the Humiliation Drill: YUP.

Memorable Content
Equipment: In terms of pistol evaluation, Jerry Jones tried out my P226 so I could see the splits possible with it. He shot 7 round splits of between .17 and .18 seconds. In his hands, I saw that my P226 could churn out shells like a flowing waterfall of brass arching out of the ejection port. I also learned a lot from Bruce showing me how he could get 9 levels of nuance from my shortened single action. Prior to class, I felt two nuances and now I’m up to 5. I also had three instructors suggest that I try a smaller grip because of hand fit.

Thought Process: In terms of thought process, my focus has shifted from the sights, target, others, and results to TRIGGER PREP. It’s easy to say but their personal feedback helped me identify and change my thoughts. They taught me how to return to being surprised by the shot instead of willfully making it. I’m not sure if it’s a process of uncluttering thoughts or cluttering them with the right thing.

Skills: Trigger Control is taught and explained in increments while discussing issues like slap, reset, recoil and getting the sights & prep to meet one another at speed. Prepping the trigger increased both speed and accuracy for me on the occasions when it all came together. I have now done it so I know what it is and know how to practice to get it to happen more often with GGI’s drills. Instruction: The teaching style was careful and detailed. The issues were not glossed or ignored in favor of ADD drills. I learned useful drills and concepts for future growth. The fact that instructors were willing and able to demonstrate the skills taught added not just to credibility but seeing things at speed in application. Overall, there was a constructive spirit for group and personal instruction.

What Was Not As Apparently Useful – (At This Point)
At this point, I still feel as though the second day burned a lot of ammo where things happened so fast that I reverted to old habits just to keep up. I fought the old habits but maybe that was the point.

What I Would Have Liked To See More Of
There are a few things I could have stood to see more of. For instance, I would have accepted more explanations and dry firing to develop more nuances of the concepts. I would have liked more explanation of what one needs to do to move from 7 to 25 yard shots. I would have liked more instruction to achieve the DA shot at the apex of extension from the draw. And, I would have liked more drills and training on the concept of “Soft Eyes.”

Recommendation
My overall evaluation is that this is a fabulous pistol course. The results by each member of our class speak for themselves. No other pistol class I know of delivers a card-cutting level result from each student regardless of each student’s pre-class skill level – all while predominantly studying a separate topic: trigger control. It is as if target accuracy is what naturally follows those who focus on what GGI teaches as TRIGGER CONTROL.

It helped that each student and instructor left their egos somewhere far from the range. GGI created a supportive learning environment for experienced and new shooters alike. There is more than enough challenge and something to learn for each level of shooter.

A Note About The Pictures
Many more photos were taken but these were selected for this review to try to convey a sense of the action on the “slow” day while showing how the students and instructors engaged in the Practical Fundamentals process.

Final Note
I overheard students at varying levels say that they would like to take this exact class again because the material covers many levels at the same time. Many of the students seemed to think that the day of few rounds, detailed explanations and focused drills was the part worth repeating over and over again. It seems to me that if I had mastered my current level, the next level was presented, explained and challenged in this same class.

I, and I suspect others, only did the drills at or just above our/their own level during live fire. Seeing Bruce, Jerry, Randy and Roy demonstrate their higher level was inspiring and shows the continuum of growth that is possible. Even the instructors are not at the same level but they appear to be on the same path. As shown by the instructors and the class, GGI’s approach to Practical Fundamentals can deliver increased speed and accuracy as one progresses through deeper application of GGI’s definition of trigger control . . . . . or so this all seems to me.

Scroll down towards the bottom of this page to start reading the reviews, but this one from Mrs. Horse really stood out. Thank you!

Posted by Mrs. Horse on October 17, 2010 at 11:49 a.m.

I just returned from the Grayguns Practical Fundamentals class in Orlando this past weekend.

First, I would like to thank Bruce, Jerry, and Scott for such a successful and fun class! They are truly world class instructors and I strongly urge anyone who is interested to take the leap and sign up for the next class in your area. They are a great group who will improve your shooting no matter what level you come to the class.

Over the course of the three days, everyone showed great improvement and walked away with drills and lessons to build on our skills into the future. All of the instructors made us feel comfortable and showed that they wanted each of us to improve and do well with a significant amount of one on one time.

Each morning began with a safety briefing. Safety was taken VERY seriously and each one of us learned methods of safe gun handling no matter what the level of experience.

Throughout the entire class, Bruce stressed zen-like focus and concentration. As a kid, I was a competitive swimmer for ten years, competing at the national level in the Junior Olympics. I can definitely understand focus as many of us who have attained a certain level in their profession or other endeavors.

As a kid, it was drilled into me that sloppy practice doesn’t help; instead, perfect practice makes perfect. Bruce has changed this maxim a little: excellent practice makes excellent, since there is only one person who was ever perfect and he was a carpenter, not a shooter.

During the first and second days, much emphasis was placed on different dry firing drills – each one teaching a different skill, including proper stance, emergency and tactical reloading, draw from the holster, etc. It was during the bump drills that many of us experienced an AHA! moment. Many of the dry fire drills build on the skills of prepping the trigger at a level you will not find in any other class, anywhere!

On the third day, the entire class had way too much fun! During nearly most of the class (0900 – 1700) was live fire on the range. This is when we were able to tie together all of the skills we had learned in the previous two days. We had the opportunity to practice shooting from the holster and while moving – definitely something you cannot typically practice at your local range!

The class ended with everyone having a chance to shoot to split a playing card standing on its side. I managed to do this on the second shot – something I could not have done before the class!

The whole experience was awesome from beginning to end. I cannot speak highly enough of Bruce and his crew. They were excellent instructors and each of them are also terrific people. I’m really glad I didn’t miss this.

The Grayguns team is glad you didn’t miss this opportunity too! Here are some photos from the weekend, and you can click here to check out the full-size gallery.

The customer requested that we modify the ball cuts on the slide and the end of the frame to get the gun to look a bit more like the classic Sig Sauer pistol. We re-cut the ball cuts with a tight radius and straightened them to look as close as possible to a classic P226 or P220 slide without weakening the GSR slide.

We also cut the end of the frame vertical to line it up with the ball cuts and keep it more in line with traditional Sig Sauer cosmetics.

Follow or join in on the discussion over at SIGforum.

On to the pics… just click to enlarge.

This pistol has our beavertail conversion, 30LPI hand checkering, a bit of magazine well beveling, action work with an over-travel stop and modest reset reduction, Meprolight night sights, and is finished in SuperBlack.

As shown, these can be checkered but it’s far from easy, requiring more of a graving style and some specialized stuff to work with. After 35 years of this work you wouldn’t like my hands and elbows, unless you were my orthopedic surgeon.

Click any image to enlarge, and join the discussion on this topic over at SigForum.

Of course, the bulk of the attendees were from New England, but some came from as far as Maryland to get involved with their first GGI training program with Bruce Gray, Jerry Jones and Scott.

Thanks to all who attended! Here are a few select images from the class. Click on one to enlarge and scroll through the full slide show.

[Show as slideshow]

Let’s imagine a theoretical pistol, say a .45 caliber firing a given load, in which magazine timing efficiency and lockup were basically constant values. This means that the magazine requires a minimum period in which to present rounds before the breechface, and that the barrel and slide remained mechanically locked together for a set travel.

Let’s say that the variables at play are barrel length and spring tunnel length in proportion; slide mass; breechface over-run (it’s rearward travel past the magazine that, in part, dictates how much time the magazine is given to do it’s job); and recoil spring rate / weight.

Shortening the barrel length reduces total reciprocating mass, while increasing bore pressure at the muzzle which drives slide velocity as a function of the jet effect of expanding gas behind the bullet.

Thus, if we make our theoretical .45 shorter, we get faster unlocking and higher slide velocity due to reduced mass, AND even more slide velocity driven by higher residual bore pressure. Besides rendering our theoretical pistol unpleasant to shoot, excessive slide velocity has obvious consequences in the form of increased wear and breakages, plus the possibility of recoil-induced magazine malfunctions like double feeds and the like. We’ve agreed that in this pistol we can’t decrease slide velocity by increasing lockup travel to (partially) compensate for reduced slide mass.

Yet, our shorter pistol has room for an even shorter recoil spring that is taxed to do even more work in less travel and with fewer coils in a shorter space. So, an obvious answer is to use a heavier-rated spring to slow that slide down. It makes sense.

There are some problems and limitations at work against us here, however. First, our shorter spring needs to exert even more pressure in battery to attenuate the increased speed of unlocking from our lighter slide; to accomplish this, we can open up the coil spacing but at the expense of significantly reduced service life as we see with the various small 1911-style guns. One workaround: the multui-strand spring that SIG has pioneered already. However, that spring’s large net wire diameter limits how short it can go. Another? The flat-wound spring type.

So, let’s say we can engineer a trick 26-pound spring that gives us all the closing pressure against that light slide in battery we want, and slows down that gnarly slide velocity like a champ. Great!

The problem is that we’re up against another variable and one of our constants: we’ve had to shorten slide stroke considerably to arrive at this small package, and thus have reduced breechface over-run. Along with our ultra-strong recoil spring, we now aren’t giving the magazine enough time to function reliably.

Our choice of .45 ACP, being heavier and with a less-optimal transfer factor compared to other rounds like, say, 9X19, makes this timing even more critical.

So, we decide to lose the garage-door spring and back off the tension / rate just enough to allow the mags to feed, without permitting excessive wear and breakages from too much slide speed. Great! Our theoretical test gun survives a torture test in fine form on our test range, fed by a stack of new mags loaded by assistants.

Why, then, do our imaginary customers complain that their pistols start in with FTF’s after a few hundred rounds or so? That likely has to do with the difference in fatigue rates between magazine and recoil springs. The same physics are at play when we shorten the magazines, and magazine springs, as well. Unlike our torture-testers, our customers have only a few mags to work with, and as these mags take a set they no longer can keep up.

Yet another factor needs to be considered: extractor tension. Our imaginary light slide, short barreled pistol unlocks quickly with higher residual bore pressure, and thus requires more positive extractor tension as a hedge to overcome increased case adhesion forces during extraction.

Yet, that light slide carries with it much less momentum during the feeding cycle, and we can’t get as much closing pressure from that short spring to overcome the resistance that our increased extractor tension exerts upon the case rim as it tries to slide up the breechface, much less from a marginally-timed, short magazine with a less-than-adequate mag spring. Thus, the classic 3-point FTF jam we see all the time in short .45′s.

So, we can try another workaround to deal with feeding issues caused by both higher extractor tension and a reduced magazine timing window: we increase magazine spring tension to compensate. That, however, also has consequences as the slide has to overcome more resistance as it strips rounds out of the feedlips.

That, in brief, is an explanation of some of the fundamental problems that make shortened pistols so problematic. The tension between these factors is difficult to balance. If some of these factors seem familiar to your experience with various short .45′s, I hope it will help explain why I generally try to steer folks away from them.

I hope to lend some technical perspective to the subject of short pistols, and hopefully help explain my preference for at least somewhat longer guns. In a world of highly critical, perhaps over-engineered handgun designs, I believe a few extra coils of recoil spring, a bit more slide mass or a little bit longer slide travel can make all the difference.

I look forward to reading your informed input and alternative viewpoints. Head over to SigForum for the discussion.

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