jmaass

As a checkpoint for Major 9, I've been loading 9x21 for a long while, and my gun still likes power factors around 180. Not wimpy loads, but loaded to 1.200" with 115gr JHP . I've found that I can use 9x21 brass 10-11 times. The sign that the brass is toast is that the primer pockets get loose (you can feel it when seating the primers). I keep careful track of my brass, and replace it all (2000 at a time) when I reach 10-11 firings. I value reliability above all else, and it makes no sense (false economy) to take a chance on a primer backing out and resulting in a "stoppage".

. I took classes from Jerry Barnhart (2 days) and Matt McLearn (2 days). Both double-plus excellent! .

1) Users of home offices should not use A/C - EVER. It sets unreasonable expectations of comfort. I have eight computers and no A/C. 93F? Big whoop - add a fan, work naked, wet towel on the neck. 2) There are many, many free hours when you normally sleep. What's wrong with all those dark hours? No kids, and it's cool(er). Sleep for 3 hours during daylight. That's all. 3) Adult libation = Red Bull = Starbucks Frappuccino Mocha. Mix them both together if needed.

The sock has the advantage of not falling off when it's not being held. I used a soft fuzzy sock to keep the blisters down and absorb any sweat from the hand. I mispoke about not using the roller handle on my RL1050: it came with the roller handle, and it serves the same purpose as the sock on the RL550B / RL650 ball. Except it doesn't absorb much sweat. Hardly any, really!

You cannot make a better choice of gunsmith for competition guns than Matt McLearn. He's meticulous, stresses reliability, and the final product is just what you ask for. To top it off, he's a nice guy, completely honest, and one heck of a shooter!

I've always been fairly unimpressed by discussions of "What powder is the cleanest", but I never spent any time trying to figure what in my psyche made thiese discussions unimportant to me. It hit me tonight: asking what powder is cleanest is akin to asking "what powder smells nicest in the can". The answer to both questions is: "It Just Doesn't Matter!" I've shot my (tightly-fitted) 9x21 open guns with SP2 until the inside was black with the gooey crap that Vectan SP2 leaves over time (perhaps 1500 rounds). The guns showed no loss in reliablility and no change in accuracy, so why should I care whether SP2 is a "clean powder" or not? The measure of a powder is primarily performance. Pick a powder by what works to give you least percieved recoil, suitable accuracy (for your use), and consistantly sufficient Power Factor (if you are shooting in a sport that requires that measure). If it runs without over-frequent cleaning, great. If not, clean the gun more often. Pick a powder that provides the shooting performance you need, not some measure of good houskeeping! BTW, SP2 smells great in the can!

IMHO, No. If you *ever* decide to make a change to the gun, the chrome will make that a difficult/impossible/expensive proposition. I hard-chromed my first custom gun (a Clark Custom Heavy Recoil Master), but since then everything is blued.

I also went the "lighter gun" route with my Buckmark Target 5.5, by having a 'smith chop off 2-inches of barrel and recrowning. "Buckmark Target 3.5" shown below: It's quick target-to-target for pins and steel, and accurate enough for 50 yard steel. .

Hodgdon has a Lil' Gun load for 130gr bullet on their web site: http://www.hodgdon.com/data/pistol/38supaut.php. This suggests that it might be suitable with somewhat lighter bullets in .38 Super as well. Ramshot Enforcer looks like it'd be too slow burning for .38 Super. You are, however, asking the wrong question from the start. The first question is "what powders are people using successfully". (Actually, as I think about it, the FIRST question should be "What weight bullet do I want to use?", and from there "What powders are people using successfully with xxx grain bullets?"). NEVER, EVER select your powder of choice based on what you happen to have on hand from other calibers. You'll almost always end up with a disappointing load that is not going to help you win matches. ALWAYS select your powder based on what will work best in the caliber and bullet weight you are loading for. You can get an idea of where to start from finding out what powders large numbers of people are using now.

Only three reloads for me (28 +1, 28, 28, 15) with 13 left over for extra shots!

I've used a couple of different PACT models indoors, and found that if I put a piece of electrical tape over the microphone pick-up, it could be made to limit it's sensitivity. Add another layer of tape for more attenuation. Even with no other shooters, I've seen problems with the timer hearing the echo of my shots off the far wall and sides of the range. The tape helps. .

I've never tried the roller handle on my RL550, XL650, and now RL1050 presses. I learned very early that the ball handle hurt the hand after a short session, especially if it was warm and a small amount of sweat was involved. Long before the roller handle was available, I threw a sweat sock (a clean one!) over the ball. No more pain, and it stays in place.

That recall is two years old (notice is dated). .

. Google shows inclusion of SP3 in a couple of burn rate charts, none in a format I like. This is one: http://www.bordingl.com/zprogress.htm

The problem with 7625 has been inconsistancy between lots. Each new lot purchased required re-development of the load, and chronographing to confirm. They might have gotten a handle on this by now, but a few years ago it was a real concern.

To give credit where due, the templates were created by Ken Wagner A-28672, who is currently an inactive local (Central Ohio) Limited Master. The original set goes back 8 or 10 years, and I suspect that he created them after being tired of trying to read my hen-scratched course design documentation. We made adjustments over the years to try and keep up with changes made by USPSA/IPSC and Micro$oft.

If you paid them to load to your specs, and they were off by 0.050", I would suggest they give you your money back. It's just not that hard to do it right, especially when being paid to do it right! Pressure can increase greatly for small decreases in OAL. That doesn't mean that the loads they delivered are unsafe, but they definately need tested in your gun before you depend upon them.

There have been some reports of problems reading the IPSC Loads Lists from my web site. I recently upgraded from Adobe Acrobat 5 to version 6. With that came a backwards compatibility problem for those using Adobe Reader or Acrobat versions 4 or earlier. My documents won't be the only one: if you have an old Adobe Reader or plug-in, you should seriously consider upgrading (free) to a newer version at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. There is a compatibility setting that allows generating new documents compatible with Adobe version 4, and I've re-generated the .38 Super and .40S&W IPSC Loads Lists to be so compatible. Hopefully this will solve viewing problems for some. I'll take this opportunity to remind everyone to grab the IPSC Loads Lists only from my web site at Maass' IPSC Resources. Over the years, other folks have, either at my request or on their own, hosted copies of the IPSC Loads Lists on other web sites. Once I established my own web page to allow people to download the Lists, there was no longer any reason to have multiple sources! The only guarenteeed current versions are on my site. Some of the very out-of-date lists (some as old as 1998) I found with Google: http://ww2.whidbey.net/deadeye/Maass_40S&W.htm http://ctgrenoblois.free.fr/Download/Data38sup.pdf http://www.gunmuse.com/manuals/Reloading/IPSC40SWLoads.pdf If you are the webmaster of any of these sites, please remove the old lists! Everyone is welcome to link to the IPSC Loads List page on their web page. Because the exact page URL may change, I'd prefer the links go to Maass' IPSC Resources page at http://home.columbus.rr.com/jmaass/index.html.

There have been some reports of problems reading the IPSC Loads Lists from my web site. I recently upgraded from Adobe Acrobat 5 to version 6. With that came a backwards compatibility problem for those using Adobe Reader or Acrobat versions 4 or earlier. My documents won't be the only one: if you have an old Adobe Reader or plug-in, you should seriously consider upgrading (free) to a newer version at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. There is a compatibility setting that allows generating new documents compatible with Adobe version 4, and I've re-generated the .38 Super and .40S&W IPSC Loads Lists to be so compatible. Hopefully this will solve viewing problems for some. I'll take this opportunity to remind everyone to grab the IPSC Loads Lists only from my web site at Maass' IPSC Resources. Over the years, other folks have, either at my request or on their own, hosted copies of the IPSC Loads Lists on other web sites. Once I established my own web page to allow people to download the Lists, there was no longer any reason to have multiple sources! The only guarenteeed current versions are on my site. Some of the very out-of-date lists (some as old as 1998) I found with Google: http://ww2.whidbey.net/deadeye/Maass_40S&W.htm http://ctgrenoblois.free.fr/Download/Data38sup.pdf http://www.gunmuse.com/manuals/Reloading/IPSC40SWLoads.pdf If you are the webmaster of any of these sites, please remove the old lists! Everyone is welcome to link to the IPSC Loads List page on their web page. Because the exact page URL may change, I'd prefer the links go to Maass' IPSC Resources page at http://home.columbus.rr.com/jmaass/index.html.

It's always seemed to me that if they want to enhance their authenticity, they should arrange to have raw sewage running in the roads, horse droppings sprinkled everywhere, half the competitors drunk, and actual operating whorehouses on the periphery.

Thanks for the reports: the problem must be at the other person's end (never trust yahoo.com)! BTW, the IPSC Loads List web page gets an average of 425 hits a week!

I've had a report that my IPSC Loads List Page is not reachable. It's at Maass' IPSC Loads Lists Could I get some others outside of my ISP to verify that all is well, and report back for me?

I'll gladly create a "9x19 Major IPSC Loads List", but to do that requires people to send me their proven loads. I requested input on the IPSC Mailing List a long while ago, and got only two responses. If you know of good "9 Major" loads, send them on! Information I need for the List: Your Name Your Email Address Bullet Type Bullet Weight Powder charge and type Cartridge OAL Chronoed Velocity / Power Factor Gun / barrel length Other Notes you think are important

Good Grief! You could get a lot of practice in the time it takes to use that method to mark a few cases! Put the loaded rounds in a 100-round box, headstamp up, and drag a colored "Sharpie" pen across them. Ten quick lines (5-10 seconds) and 100 rounds are marked.

It depends on the caliber, power factor used, and specific gun. For my 9x21 IPSC loads, I find that the primer pockets get loose before anything else wears out. I start each year with 2000 new cases, and keep them segregated by the number of firings. After seven or eight firings, I stop trusting them to hold the WSR primers, and swap the cases out with new. This with Tanfoglio cases. Except for split cases, I don't think I've ever worn out a .45ACP.