BY ROBIN TAYLOR, USPSA STAFF~ TY-19724
Breeze through the statistics coming out of the two nationals, and several things jump out at you.
Frames:
If it's a plastic gun, more people shot it. STI and SV's polymer-gripped frames both gained ground this year, recapturing market share from the all-steel Para-Ordnance (which made big inroads at the 1999 Limited match). Likewise, Glock continued its slow but steady intrusion into the Limited market, rising to 10.29 percent of the Limited total.
Holsters:
No other statistic sticks out as much as the explosion of lever holsters, and their backers' deep penetration into both matches. Where Safariland could claim to be "the holster maker of USPSA" in years past (more than 50 percent of the competitors used one at the Limited last year), the various Ama-dini patterns (Ghost, USA, and the new Amadini), combined with the Limcat holster and the non-lever-driven Rescomp CR Speed the have stripped away market share at an astounding rate.
In the Limited match, Safariland hemorrhaged almost a third of its position, primarily to the Ghostholster, which leapt up from 1.17, to 10.28 percent of the total. Hellweg also tumbled while USA and Liracat more than doubled their penetration. Rescomp rose by almost a third. In the Open match, Safariland was down by a quarter, with Limcat and the Amadinis making more modest gains. Canceling their good luck with the Limited match, Rescomp and Bianchi were both down sharply.
Primer and Powders:
VihtaVuori ay put its stamp firmly on both matches, capturing some 54 percent of all Open competitors and 43 percent of the Limited - versus 48 percent and 29 percent last year, respectively. Winchester continued its long-running dominance of the primer market (more than 70 percent across the board), but lost ground again in the powder section. New' players like Western Powders made small gains, at the expense of Winchester and Accurate.
Brass and Bullet:
Here's an odd one. Aside from a switch to lower bullet weights, the Limited Nationals actually saw a trend AWAY from jacketed bullets. Plain cast bullets continued to flag in popularity, but moly-coated alternatives gained ground (Precision Bullets was up sharply, capturing 7 percent of the total), as did the lower-cost jacketed and plated options (made by Montana Gold and Rainier Ballistics).
This wasn't the case for the Open, where high velocities and higher pressures place greater demands on bullet performance. Shooters using cast and plated bullets to compete in Standard, Revolver, and Modified divisions during the 2000 Pan American/Open championships skewed the 2000 statistics, making a direct comparison impossible, but this year the statistics are clear - more than 95 percent of Open competitors shot a jacketed bullet.
Peruse the statistics for yourself,
the complete listing appears below.
|
Limited
Nationals Frame
Manufacturer Caliber |
Ammo
loaded by Commercial
ammo mfg Dillon reloader
model Type
of bullet Bullet
weight |
Bullet
Manufacturer
Brass Manufacturer |
58-59 FRONT SIGHT · January/February
2002
Article Courtesy of USPSA. Visit their web site @ http://www.uspsa.org