gigamortis

Production 15 hasn't increased participation in my area at all. If USPSA was really interested in increasing Production participation, they should have went with at least 17 rounds because that is what the majority of full size production guns actually have for magazine capacity. That way, just one reload required in a 8/8/8/8 CoF and you will have a couple of spare rounds for shots that didn't feel just right in either half of the stage. If USPSA really wanted to embrace the "Carry" part of CO, that division would be limited to 15 rounds. Carry pistols are rarely seen with a magwell, which the current CO rules embrace. Carry guns with more than 15 rounds are pretty rare in the real world, so...........

For Gen 5 full size frame guide rods, you will have to run a spring spacer for aftermarket springs to sit at Gen 4 and earlier installed length. All the aftermarket spring ratings are based on the Gen4 and earlier installed length. My G17.5 recoil spring assembly length is .240" longer than my G34.4's. I made my own .240" spacer since nobody as of yet in the aftermarket industry addresses the Gen 5 length change. An ISMI 13lb spring with my spacer on a Gen 5 guide rod runs exactly like a Gen 4 and earlier with no spacer.

Speaking of grip slug plugs, I tried a tungsten one in both my G34.4 and G17.5. Tracking and group size suffered for me versus without. Save your money unless you already have one on hand to evaluate. The only changes I have done to my G17.5 is my trigger setup of choice, Ghost 3.3 connector, and a 4.5# striker spring. This G17.5 is surprisingly true to the Glock "Perfection" moniker straight out of the box that I have experienced.

I've seen a lot of Glock parts outlets offering recoil springs and guide rods for the Gen 5s, but with them they barely make the Gen 5 guns cam up into battery. I cut a spacer on the lathe to make up for the Gen4 vs Gen 5 difference and the slide tension at barrel lockup is identical to the same springs in my Gen 4s without the spacer. Slide tension with the slide to the rear was identical with the spacer in the Gen 5 as the Gen 4 gun with no spacer. I don't think the aftermarket is quite aware of the recoil spring length difference between the two yet. I tried a tungsten guide rod in my G17.5 with a Wolff 12# spring just like I was running in my G34.4, but with the spacer to achieve proper assembled length. My rapid fire 5 shot groups opened up. I could put the stock Gen 5 dual spring back in or the Jager steel guide rod, spacer, and 13# ISMI spring, and my high speed groups tightened back up. I can literally take one sight picture at 10 yards and just keep squeezing the trigger for 5 rounds and they all stay within an IDPA target down zero zone easily. Pretty much a 4" group. This is with 147gr loads. 125gr loads opened up a little outside of the down zero zone. My G34.4 with the tungsten GR runs the 125s at speed tighter than the G17.5 will (about a 6" group), but with 147s the G17.5 is the ultimate performer between the two. My shooting peers at the matches I go to are always asking how I got my G17.5 running so flat. I just tell them a stock dual spring guide rod and 147s is all that's done - nothing special. Just run your favorite trigger setup in a G17.5 with 147s and enjoy. My relative placements in matches have also moved up anywhere from 2 to 5 places against the same group of shooters since I switched from the G34.4 to the G17.5.

I shot a G34.4 for years with both 11, 12, and 13# recoil springs. The tightest 5 shot fast speed grouping I can do with it was with 125g bullets, tungsten guide rod, and a Wolff 12# spring. I then came across a G17.5. Various testing with bullet weights and springs with the G17.5 ended up with 147gr bullets and the stock recoil spring. It tracks and follows up even tighter than my best combo with the G34.4. I even ran an ISMI 13# spring on a steel guide rod with the same results. Keep in mind that any aftermarket spring used in a Gen 5 full size frame is going to need a .240" spacer to be at Gen 4 and earlier assembled spring length. The longer recoil spring assembly of the Gen 5 17 certainly flattens out the recoil impulse better than previous generations. My G34.4 just sits in the safe now. The G17.5 has certainly outperformed it. If I were you, I would get a Zev Gen 5 17 slide with the RMR cut. Zev seems to offer the lowest cut for an optic.

I use my pocket for my barney mag and starter mag along with two in mag holders on the belt for the entire match. This meets the "same locations" for the entire match.

I tried a tungsten guide rod in my G17.5. It didn't help me at all. My litmus test for accuracy at speed is a 5 round rapid fire at 10 yards on an IDPA target. It is pretty much string 1 of the IDPA 5x5 short classifier. 147gr bullets making minor pf are amazingly flat running and accurate even with the stock recoil spring. I even tried 11 and 13 lb ISMI springs with a .240" spacer so that the installed length would be at gen 4 and earlier lengths, which is the length the ISMI springs are built for. The 13lb ISMI was just about a running equal to the stock 17.5 recoil spring. Just take one sight picture and keep pulling the trigger and they will all be in the down zero. I ended up putting the tungsten guide rod in my G34.4 with a Wolff 12lb recoil spring. It helped the G34.4 in that my rapid fire group size with 125gr bullets was cut in half as compared to a 13lb ISMI spring on a steel guide rod. My G34.4 with the tungsten guide rod and Wolff 12lb spring run 125s better than my G17.5, but not as good as 147s run out of the G17.5 with the stock guide rod.

Don't dismiss a Gen 5 G17. I have run a G34.4 for about 10 years. I recently picked up a G17.5 MOS to try CO out. I discovered that the dot game wasn't for me, so I put some good iron sights on it. After experimenting with different bullet weights and recoil springs, I have found 147s through the G17.5 to run and track better than anything I've been able to accomplish with my old G34.4. The full size Gen 5s have a .240" longer recoil spring assembly than Gen 4 and earlier. This seems to change the recoil cycle for the better as compared to previous generations when using the stock recoil spring assembly. I've even run an ISMI 13lb spring with a .240" spacer on the guide rod to be able to run at the advertised spring rating, and it runs and tracks pretty much the same as the stock recoil spring. I tried the ISMI spring without the spacer and it tracked like crap with a weak cam up into battery. My G34.4 is a backup gun now. I may even sell it and roll the funds back into another G17.5. I am that impressed with the G17.5.

I have a Gen 5 G17 and a Gen 4 G34. I have found that the longer recoil spring assembly of the Gen 5 G17 makes for a flatter cycling gun than anything Gen 4 and earlier. I even bought a G17 top end for my G34.4 frame and it isn't quite as good on tracking as the G17.5. There is certainly something beneficial about the .240" longer recoil spring assembly of the full size Gen 5s. I have owned and tried the G19.4 and the G45.5. Their shorter G19 length recoil spring assemblies do not follow up on double taps nearly as consistent and effortlessly for me as the G17.5. The G17.5 and 147gr loads with the stock recoil spring runs and tracks better than any spring or bullet weight combo I have tried with my G34.4 or G17.4. I shoot a good bit of IDPA and USPSA and the improved performance of my G17.5 has relegated my G34.4 and G17.4 to being backup guns. With all that said, I am suspicious of the G47's 17 length slide running on the shorter 19 based recoil assembly being any better of a performer than the G17.5. In all fairness, I haven't had the opportunity to shoot a G47 yet, so any range reports are certainly welcome.

Being I already had SP on hand as my go-to 9mm powder, I got curious one day about SP under my Bayou .45 230gr RN. It took 4.5gr of SP to make major pf. Recoil was noticeably more than my go-to load of 3.6gr of Nitro100NF for the same bullet.

I'm an IDPA SO and would have scored it 10 down with no PEs. If I was the shooter on this scenario and got scored like that, I would have left the match right then and there and never come back. There's too many other IDPA matches within driving distance to me to put up with such a discouraging experience like that. With douchebag SOs like this one, its no wonder IDPA is losing so many members to USPSA.

I use a 5/8" deep wall socket without any gun disassembly. Place the socket square drive side down on your scale. Place your pistol muzzle over the top of the socket and press down just shy of bottoming out your slide travel. Your barrel will simply extend into the deep wall socket unhindered. Observe your scale reading.

Once I got into my mid to late 40's, my front sight got rather blurry right along with any reading within arms length. I'm still at 20/20 in my right dominant eye at distance. I took a chance on some full lens +1.0 diopter safety glasses found here: https://www.amazon.com/Elvex-RX-500C-1-0-Magnifier-Black-Temple/dp/B00KSJNLO0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514869345&sr=8-1&keywords=elvex+1.0+safety+glasses They brought my front sight into focus without degrading my target distance focus and I can run through stages like I did in my younger years. I use the same glasses with a +1.5 diopter on my reloading bench, but target distances are blurry at this strength for me despite a very sharp front sight focus with these.

I used to use the old Australian Clays exclusively for .45 ACP. When the Canadian Clays replaced the Australian stuff, I found I couldn't make major with it and the metering consistency was looser, like +/- 0.2 grains from desired! The old Clays was +/- 0.1gr on metering consistency. Now that I have switched to Nitro 100 NF, I am more satisfied with this powder than even the original Australian Clays. Metering is super consistent and my major pf load is only 0.1 gr less than my original Clays load. Soft recoil and accurate without the hot weather pressure spikes.

My major PF load is a Bayou Bullets 230gr RN over 3.6 grains of Accurate Nitro 100 NF for 740fps. Just as soft as the old formula Clays if not softer and meters like a dream. It doesn't have the hot weather pressure spikes of Clays either. I have heard a lot of good things about E3, but been nervous about no published pistol loads for it yet.