al503

JP. GMR with 16" bbl. Haven't shot it much but it ran my test loads from 115 to 147 grain bullets (blue, sns, xtreme plated, MG and zero jhps) from 104 to 156 PF without a single failure. 5 shot group ~.4" at 25 yards with the load I settled on.

I'm not sure there is a benefit to having it expanded and flared in two different stations. When set correctly, the tip of the expander keeps the case down in the shell plate while the swager pushes up. It would definitely help with the wear and tear on the shell plate from the swager pushing the case upwards and it might also help the case rims from being dented/deformed as well.

I only have the 21 rounder but they work just as good as the glock mags in my GMR.

They do have a smaller diameter than the competition. However, I've found them to be the most accurate in the majority of my 6 different limited pistols (both 9mm and .40) and .45 in my single stack. Other coated bullets I've tried: Eggleston (both .356, .357 and.401, .402) Precision SNS BBI Bear Creek Acme The Bear Creek and Precision bullets were on par with Blue bullets but they smoke a lot more.

While certainly not optimal, my guess is that it wouldn't affect the performance. In all of the hybrid builds I have (I have 3 and will get one more shortly), the barrel rib doesn't touch the slide at all throughout the cycle. They're very close but there is no contact. So, all the fitting is between the slide and barrel, minus the ~1/2" on top where the rib is.

I'd try sample packs. The larger diameter bullets might force you to load short due to insufficient freebore.

9.1 grains, 3n38 with 125 grain Zero conical HP at 1.2" out of a 4.5" bbl with 4 small bbl holes gets me 170PF A different pistol with 4.5" bbl with no bbl holes is 171 PF. Loading that long reduces the initial pressure spike (even though 3n38 is one of the safest powders, it can't hurt) and with the compressed load, you don't have to worry about bullet set back.

Just a suggestion. I load ammo with 3n38 very long. No issues with ammo growing. If you're chamber has enough freebore, that might be another option to consider.

I couldn't get PD's to group well for me but that was a little after they first came out and things could have changed since then. MG's are slightly undersized and are a little slower but they are very accurate. Zero's are still my favorite, though.

Sorry I wasn't more clear. I didn't mean that it would be enough in and of itself but as an option that would get him closer, Dan. Stock STI GR: ~1.57 oz Drilled STI GR: ~ .86 oz Dawson Aluminum: ~ .58 oz A drilled steel rod will get him ~3/4 of the way there and he wouldn't have to worry about having another consumable/something that might fail.

You can also have someone bore/hollow out a steel guide rod and not worry about it wearing out.

I like to load 9mm (whether minor or major) as long as possible for a couple of reasons. 1. It lowers the initial pressure spike. Not a huge concern in minor. More important in loading major, though. 2. In mags without spacers, longer rounds will most likely feed more reliably than shorter rounds. Load a few dummies out to at least 1.17" Pull the barrel and check to see if they plunk completely into the chamber without any resistance. I've loaded 147 RN bullets out to 1.245" without issue. In terms of charge, every bbl is different. The only way to reliably determine what PF you're running is to use a chrono. You're probably going to be close with the 4.0 grains, though. I'd use the round nose stem. I know you didn't ask but you might consider using less expensive components. Once fired brass and using Hornady HAP (or other popular JHP's) is going to save you a lot of coin. They'll be more than accurate enough for what we do as well.

I'd get it reamed. The longer the OAL, the lower the initial pressure spike. It would probably be hard to quantify but your pistol will probably last longer with a longer OAL. I load 124 MG JHP's at 1.2", which is almost 38 super/SC length.

Do you have some of the previous batch to measure? Differences in temp can make a difference. Not sure if it would make .002-.003" but it might account for some of it. I shot a lot of Bear Creek moly way back when that had the same casting flash/seams. Didn't seem to affect accuracy one bit. They were very accurate.

PV is free shipping and $20 hazmat.

They're not stupid questions. I have two limited pistols built by the same smith. Same exact bbl in both but one shoots tighter groups regardless of bullet/powder. The difference in accuracy isn't enough to make a real difference with the targets and distances we shoot, but the more accurate pistol is the match pistol. Both get rotated equally in practice. if you get a back up, I'd bet that there will be some quality that will make one of the pistols your match/primary.

I like having an identical (or close) back up. I'm overly cautious with my pistols and like having two pistols to practice with. When running drills in practice, having a back up lets one cool down and you don't have to have a lot of down time especially if you're pressed for time. (I'm pretty convinced that this also helps keep the slide to frame/lock up tighter, longer.) One simple way to make sure you don't have squibs/double charges and doesn't really take any more time/effort is to visually check each case as you place the bullet on the case. It's simple and foolproof.

Check the rubber hose/sleeve on the back of the primer slide. It can get deformed/damaged as well. Run a q-tip through the primer tube. Just use the plastic rod to push it through. If you haven't done this in a while (or never) it'll come out black. It might get dirty enough to slow down the primers just enough to cause issues.

Measure only those rounds that are made when all of the stations are full. Having stations empty can be a cause of some variance.

AC is a lot faster than 3n38. If you want something much more comparable that's less expensive, try AA#7.

I'd get/borrow a gauge and take a little material off the back of the feed lips. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes with a flat file.

The extended pads also make seating the mag a little easier.

I hear ya. That's why I load un-compressed loads to 1.19" Besides the powder keeping the bullet from setting back into the case, I think it also helps stop any movement that might allow the bullet to rock/work itself out of the case as well.

I've shot several K loaded at 1.21" without issue. You have to go a slightly shorter with zeros and PD as they're slightly shorter than MG). I load non compressed loads (AA7, SP2, True Blue, etc.) at 1.19" (with PD, MG and Zero bullets) without issue. I'd check your crimp. I leave a .0 to .0005" bell at the case mouth to avoid over crimping.

Sounds about right. If your freebore allows, you can load an MG 124 grain bullet out to ~1.21" You don't have to worry about setback because of the compressed powder. You also get lower initial pressure as you're loading closer to Super v. 9mm length.