IDPA’s “Down Zero Blog” recently posted an interesting message from Regional Area Coordinator Lead (RACL) Rick Lund. Since the last rule book was published in early 2017, IDPA HQ has been flooded with inquiries about production pistols that feature otherwise proscribed features like lightened slides, heavy-profile barrels, and weighted grips. After some of these models were accepted within Stock Service Pistol division, the questioning moved to mix-master pistols.

The official position is that outside of the Stock Service Pistol and Custom Defense Pistol divisions, just about anything that fits a division’s pistol box and still falls inside the division’s weight limit is now legal for use. Exceptions such as extended magazine releases, however, will still apply. While not mentioned, presumably the prohibitions against compensators and ported barrel are also intact.

However, this still gives a lot of wiggle room. Stuff like the 5.4″ heavy barrel, semi-long dust cover Staccato XL could now play in Enhanced Service Pistol as it fits the box with 126mm magazines and still makes weight. Even a sight block gun like the BUL Armory SAS-II Radical 5.4″ could fit and make weight, minus its wide magwell and perhaps a narrower strong-side thumb safety paddle.