KLN357, I think you may be mistaken about IPSC and IDPA, perhaps confusing the two. The IDPA minimum caliber in the stock service pistol division is 9mm. Same in the "Enhanced" Service pistol division. It is only the "Custom Enhanced" division which is .45 ACP only. Here's a link to their rule book:

http://www.idpa.com/Documents/IDPARuleBook2005.pdf

They do have a power minimum for all calibers but it is just to bring up the different calibers to service loads power levels.

Wink: Thanks for the link! CDP was the class I was referring to. The minimum power factor allowed is 165 like IPSC. The IDPA rule book states .45 ACP only, but I thought 10mm was allowed in that division also, or once was. If you shoot in "Service or Enhanced" the minimum PF is 125 and dominated by the 9mm in SSP with a few more shooters using the .38 Super along with the 9mm in ESP from what I've heard. I know some shooters use the .40 S&W in SSP and ESP, but those two classes are dominated by the 9mm with guys loading slightly above the minimum PF floor. The .40 S&W is treated as a step-child, sort of, since it will easily reach the 165 PF. In IPSC the PF requirement for major caliber is 165 with a minimum caliber requirement of .40 caliber. I always felt that Bill Wilson's self interest was the motivating factor for the bias in IDPA. In truth, the 165 PF is not very consistent with .45 ACP defense loads anyway. Nonetheless, I can't see loading the .40 S&W down to make it competitive to the 9mm. One of the neat things about CZ pistols is that they can be used in both SSP and ESP. It's all a bit moot, because I'm a pretty good ways from Austin. Ft. Worth is about the same distance from here.

All these rules are a bunch of baloney and I ignore them for myself. When one of the gun clubs around here organizes a "fun" shoot I just go and shoot whatever I happen to feel like shooting that day. One day it's a 1911, another it's a revolver in .45 ACP and on another it's my CZ in .40 S&W. They can tell me when I get there what class I'm in, I don't give a hoot. I just shoot the best I can with whatever they have dreamed up as stages.

Wink: Yeah, I should go shoot the IPSC matches just for the heck of it. Where the heck is Rambouillet? Not that I'm all that familiar with the geography of France, but it sounds like you've found a way to make the best of it. I'm sure the abundance of wine doesn't hurt any. My taste buds run a little closer to good German beer, but I hear France has some decent beers as well. Never tried 'em, I seem to home in on the German section with a few Czechs thrown in on occasion.

Rambouillet is 55km southwest of Paris. You go to Versailles and turn a little south. It's about a one hour drive to Paris when the traffic is light. 35 minutes to Rambouillet in the train from Gare Montparnasse in Paris.

As for beer, I'm partial to the Belgian beers like Leff. But all kinds of beers are available from all over Europe.

Thanks, Wink. I had to look after I posted!

Yeah, the variety of beers available is definitely a bonus! Some of the Belgian's are good and I have tried one or two. We have several domestic breweries copying them, in fact. Blue Moon ain't bad and comes from Coors.

Warsteiner is one of my favorite German's. Pilsner or Dunkel. I doubt you have to look very far anywhere in Europe to find a Warsteiner.

A great beer to drink while one ponders the complexities in life like the subject of the thread, which I apologize for straying from!