SIXXgun

I've found one of those prized Performance Center 38 super limited edition round guns. It's just like the one in the picture. It looks to be mint (unfired) but I don't really know where to stop negotiating on price. Any suggestions? Know of any others like it for sale? I'm not the kind of guy to shy away from paying a little more than I should have for something like this. These don't come around too often and I'd hate to see it walk for a couple hundred bucks. JM

As of Saturday PM, I'd say the absolute best team in the NFL would have to be the Seahawks...last week it was the Lions. Boo Hoo Jerry Jones. JM

West Coast Bulletts are now called "Extreme." JM

You need to balance speed and consistency. Don't hose and then look to see if you hit anything. On the other hand, don't wait to see what you hit before you move on to the next target. Practice more and call you shots. Get an acceptable sight picture, depress the trigger, and move on. On steel arrays fire one shot at each plate in a metered, consistent rhythm. Don't wait for each plate to fall before you move to the next. If one or two are still standing, come back to them. JM

You should be asking: Who has SPP primers right now? I have a Sportsman's Warehouse in my town. I get $10 off coupons in the paper, buy 3000 primers, and take off the coupon value. That is pretty close to $18.5 per thousand. That's about the easiest good deal I can find without ordering 10k+ at a time. JM

You have to shoot them with heavy loads for a while until they get broken in, then they work great! Yeah - um... if we're duck hunting we pretty much aren't using light target loads... No need to break in a Benelli. Take it out of the box, put it together and shoot. Ask Tom Knapp. If you've ever seen one of his shows, he takes a brand new Benelli out of the FACTORY shipping box, puts it together, and amazes the crowd. JM

The top Open shooters can split .11-.14 in their sleep, hitting A's. If you can hit 75% plus A's with .18 splits, then forget about them and work on cutting time else where. You would have to shoot a full 32 round stage to cut a second or more if you're just concerned with splits. In the same 32 round stage you could easily cut 4 seconds just conserving movement. Move more efficiently, transition quicker, forget your split times. JM

I bought a 650. I like the auto indexing. I only use 4 stations so I have one station empty. I load about 2k rounds a month and have not had any problems with the priming system. The 650 machine is a bid tedious to change from large primer to small primer, but you can always buy a whole setup for each and then it's only a couple bolts to switch. I tend to load every empty case I have in each caliber before switching out though. I've never used a progressive before, so it took a lot of paying attention to get this sucker set up. Oh yeah - you need lots or bench room for a 650. It's a whopper. It's also kind of silly to try it without a casefeeder. When I switch calibers, it may take 15 minutes or so, I have toolheads for each. I spend about another 10 minutes checking out the adjustments and then I'm ready to roll out about 800 an hour. i usually get tired before the machine does. I would also use a 550, but I really love the casefeeder and auto indexing on the 650. The casefeeder for the 550 requires conversion kits for each caliber just to run the casefeeder. The 650 conv. kits already come with the casefeeder conversion stuff. I probably don't use the machine enough to utilize it's full potential. My buddies love to watch it though. JM

One of my buddies bought a Stoeger shotgun instead of paying twice as much for the Benelli. He likes it, but said that it does not function as well as the Benelli. A couple days of single shot duck hunting in a cold, wet blind. JM

Thanks for the help. I think I will just stick to the basics with a stock rifle for now since I've never even shot in a carbine match. I appreciate all the good information and posts which will help me decide what model I end up buying. Now I can come up with a list of features to look for and questions to ask. Thanks again. JM

You can cycle the handle fast, but as the shellplate indexes to the next position, slow down and ease it into position. This will also give the shellplate time to settle into place so the primers line up good. I used to use another progressive loader that clicked into new shellplate position so hard it would dump powder over the edge as well. I would actually use my off hand to catch it and slow it down as it went into place. With the Dillon you just gotta finesse it into place and you won't lose any speed. JM Oh yeah - I keep a can of that compressed air for cleaning computer keyboards on my bench. Every couple hundred rounds I gently blow off any debris using the little plastic nozzle attached to the cap. Gets rid of loose powder easily. JM

What's a non-NFA AR15? I know jack about AR15's - always shot bolt actions. I like the 16" flat top M4 style rifles, but everybody dogs the short gas system. So I get to thinking maybe I should look for a longer gas system to begin with instead of dropping a lot of cash on something I wouldn't be happy with in the long run. I'm assuming: a gas tube runs the length of the barrel from the chamber to the gas block. When this tube fills during ignition, the gas pressure builds against the block and then blows backwards, cycling the action. If I've got it pretty close, then I guess it would not be too hard to put on a little longer gas tube, move the gas block forward, and now I've got a mid length gas system. Am I close? Please educate me since I don't have any experience with this. A 16" dissipator has a longer handguard, but I'm also assuming it has a short gas sytem - a working gas block covered up by the handguard and then a front sight which is attached to a dummy gas block. Could the gas block under there be removed and the gas tube attached to the block in front of the handguard (right behind the muzzle break) to make a mid-length gas system? Is this hard to do, or am I totally lost?? Please keep the replies coming, and bear with me while I learn about all of this stuff. Thanks guys. JM

In an effort to simplify the rules, you confused the hell outta me. Sorry. JM

I think revolver division is the greatest example of "step up to the line and show us what you've got." No compensators, no red dots, no 28 round mags, etc.. Just a shooter, a gameplan and some fresh air. If you want to play with an 8 shot rig, you should wear a short skirt so everybody knows you left your balls at home in momma's purse. JM

I thought the dissipator rifles were 16" or 20" barrels. I guess there are lots of different lengths. JM Does a 16" dissipator run on a short gas system? JM

I'm looking to buy my first AR and don't really understand the gas system lengths, but from what I'm reading I would be better off with a longer one. However, I don't really want to carry a long barreled carbine. I would mostly be shooting short range up to 150 yds or so in standard division. What can you tell me about the dissipator style setups? Barrel length and Gas system style is what I'm looking for. JM

I don't think Chuck has had to sprawl very many times. He skips the sprawl and goes straight to the brawl. Guys try to shoot in on him and catch a left with their tonsils. Good fight though. Too bad it got stopped. Best fights of the night were 1) Leben going night night 2) Orlovsky reminding his opponent to always pay attention 3) Griffin crying after the Dean of Mean schooled him. JM

I have both too. I prefer the belt loops version over the tek-lok since it doesn't wiggle around as much on my belt. On the tek-lok I took a dremel and some sandpaper to the corners to rounf them off and they don't dig into my side anymore when bending over to pick up brass. I love the DOH though. I dont think there is much disadvantage when compared to a race holster, and I've never had my gun fall out of the DOH - unlike most race holsters I've been around. JM

The original poster states the loads are 1.140"...just barely over the specs for a 40s&w. Maybe the pistol is on the verge of being out of battery, and the harder primer cups don't help the situation. Just a thought. JM

Some guys like to load up a bunch of cast bullets to practice with and then load some jacketed bullets for matches. If you want to keep everything seperated, this cuts down your cost pretty good. I started doing this when I got my 650 because I started blowing through the rounds like candy once I figured out how simple and efficient the 650 works. With the 650 I can load up a couple thousand rounds for practice in a short amount of time. Then I change my setup to reload something else while I use up those. Good time to change up and reload some match ammo. Cuts your cost by a couple bucks a hundred. I agree with everybody's prices above. $9-10 per hundred for cast (practice). $11-12 per hundred for jacketed. Team up with a buddy who shoots the same bullets, or just stockpile a few thousand because if you buy in bulk you can cut your costs by $1-2 per thousand. I buy about 4k at a time and then I stockpile them. Somebody is always running short and will come around wanting to pick up some off of you. Sell em to them for what you got in it, and con some primers out of them for getting them out of a pinch. I am blessed to have a Sportsman's Warehouse in my town. They frequently put $10 off a $50 purchase coupons in the paper or special event flyers (like for the county fair). I look for these, and even if I have to buy extra papers or get them from my neighbors, I save these coupons. I will buy primers (when they are in stock - they sell out fast) 3k at a time and use a cooupon so I save about 3 bucks per thousand. The more thought you put into it and ask around, you will find ways to cut a dollar a thousand here and there. Then you waste it exponentially by shooting way more and making more trips to the range, buying more targets.....the list goes on forever. The long and short of it is that you have the 650 already - might as well give it hell. Your trigger finger will love you. Cutting your costs ends up just being your own little internal classifier you shoot against yourself. JM

Try checking the setup on your powder bar. Is it sliding all the way to the end when it dumps? Is it returning all the way home when you seat the primer? This is a good place to start looking. I always look into each case as it indexes to the bullet seating station to visually see how much powder is in there. I cannot say that the dumps are accurate by this method, but I will know there are no double charges, and I know there should be enough to get the slug out the end of the barrel and not a total squib. This will work until I invest in powder check dies. JM

He already has a back up gun. He usually pulls it out after all the bad guys are already toast. If you've seen many Bond movies you know what I'm talking about. But seriously, he should carry Scaramanga's "Golden Gun" as a back up/trophy piece. JM

I've only shot pistols for a year or so...but I grew up playing golf....and sandbaggers are all the same no matter what sport your'e in. If you shoot often enough, you know when you are having a decent day, a good day, an exceptional day, or if you should just smile and carry some white tape with you. Walk around and watch other shooters who are posting hit factors similar to yours and after you see them shoot, you know whether or not they should be in your class or not. Compare you results to theirs and not the shooters in your class only. So you might miss out on a cool prize from the table now and then...if everybody else spots the sandbaggers they know that the second place guy really won. There will always be some jerk bragging about how he beat all the A shooters. Try to congratulate him and tell him that if he keeps practicing and shooting well he just might be able to finally move up into their class someday. "Don't worry - you'll eventually make it" or something like that. And smile nice and wide when you tell them. Talking trash with a sincere smile on your face always drives the point home. It will burn him up. Talking trash should be done tactfully...it gets under their skin easier. And if the jerk doesn't get the point...just kick his ball out of bound as you speed by (or cover up up a couple Alphas before the scorer counts them). Just kidding. It has crossed my mind though. JM

I was wondering if any right handed shooters ever tried a LH autoloader for 3 gun? I remember seeing an article in front sight quite a few months back about this, but I don't have the issue anymore. Any or you ever tried shooting an opposite-handed shotgun? Or do you have any ideas pro or con? I was thinking it might be easier to use because: 1. I can drop a shell in the ejection port and still load one handed without having to roll the gun over or switch hands (twice total). 2. If I chose to use an 8 round side saddle it would be on the opposite side of the gun from my face...better sight picture with both eyes open and i'll never skin my nose when I torch off a round without having the butt into my shoulder. 3. If I lay the gun flat, the bolt handle will hold it up off the table and I can grab it easier with my dominant hand from the top (visualize it and you'll see what I mean). 4. If I am carrying a pistol on my belt as well, it will be on my strong side hip, so my shotgun speedloaders will be on my weak hand side already, closer to my weak hand for one handed loading. Any input would be greatly appreciated. JM

What the hell difference does a pound of trigger pull make anyways? Once you get into say A class or better, that pound is meaningless. It might make a difference in the D or C classes, but that is great because it rewards, promotes and encourages shooters to work harder and move up by increasing their skills. Production does it's best to level the playing field with holsters, capacity, and belt position. I would estimate that the majority of production shooters run a Glock or XD, and either of these are simple to modify the trigger pull. If you can't do it yourself, somebody will do it for you for 150 bones or less. I don't really see how this modification becomes an equipment race. Enlighten me. JM