Joe D

The STI 9mm/.40 feed ramp issue is pretty well documented. Feed wall is an accurate description. I had two Kimber .40s that would feed everything with just about any mag. Another thing to keep an eye on is extractor tension. Too tight causes feed issues. Numerous .45 mags worked along with 10mm mags.

.374-.375"

3.5 gr went 690 fps with a 200 gr LSWC out of my Kimber. OAL was 1.250". What recoil?

I run all my .40 bullets at .420"-.421".

160 gr = Bear Creek

The STP makes it thicker. I run a 50/50 mix during the summer and back off to 75/25 when the weather turns cold. I was letting a friend shoot one of my Kimbers last summer and he wanted to know how I got the slide movement so smooth. STP is really slick stuff.

I run a 160 gr in my 9mm. Looking for a 180 gr to try.

Guys they are gouging us. Lead is at historical lows. If we just sit and say nothing to the manufacturers then the prices will stay up. It is simple Negotiating 101 when dealing with these guys. Put together a large bullet order, 100,000+ is usually enough. Keep the order simple. Don't have 10 different sizes and weights. Next request a bid from several of the manufacturers. Make certain they understand they are bidding against other manufacturers. If they don't want to bid then let them know they are removed from your bid list permanently. Once you choose a supplier let the others know they were not the successful bidder. Never tell them what you paid for your bullets. Just tell them they were too high. Let them guess. The economy is bad. You had better believe it affects them also. Most of these guys can't spell LIFO, FIFO or OROOA. BTW I paid $41m delivered for the last batch of .45 200 gr LSWC.

I have gotten away from the high dollar lubes and oils. I just make my own. I use 10W Mobile 1 and add or subtract plain old STP to make it thicker or thinner. It really sticks to the rails on my stainless Kimbers. What I like is it does not dribble out the back of the slide like FP-10. A quart of Mobile 1 and pint of STP will last forever.

Stan had a very full colorful life. He even wrote a couple of "adventure" books. It is a shame it was cut short. His services are Monday. I have looked for a picture, but all I have are some videos.

Just thought I would let everyone know that Stan Smith passed into a better life yesterday at 8pm. I talked with one of my shooting buds, Ron, and he assured me Stan was right with the Lord. Stan had been battling brain cancer for quite some time. Back last fall we all thought he had it whipped. Stan had been an active Master Class IDPA shooter in Alabama for years. He always ran a stage at the Alabama State match. The Lord was kind to Stan in that he had plenty of time to get his affairs in line. Stan was a very avid bow hunter. I have forgotten exactly how many deer he had taken with a bow, but it was over 300. Stan was a true outdoors man. He would travel to Canada to hunt and guide every year. Seems like he stopped on the way to shoot some IDPA matches. I know he shot the Idaho State match. I will always remember what he said to me in my basement one night. He had brought all of his 1911s over for me to tune and fix the triggers. He had two Les Baers and two Kimbers. He said "If I had know about Kimbers when I first started shooting I would have never bought these Les Baers". Stan was frugal with his money. See you soon.

I too have never had a front sight come off. Red Loctite is your friend.

Boz, I swapped American Classic in Norcross some maintenance steel for a couple of boxes of brass. The owner said why don't you just take it all.

I just started on my last 55 gal drum of 9mm brass. I may have to turn the "Brass Magnet" loose again. There is just something about shiny objects they can't resist.

2.5 gr of Titegroup or 2.8 gr of Solo 1000 works for me. OAL is 1.140"

Why does a gun that costs $1800 have to be tuned? It should be perfect. Where is the "they support the sport" statement to justify the high cost. Ok Joe be nice it is the Christmas season.

"Slingin Sammy" was the greatest QB to play the game. You don't see the current overpaid QBs playing both sides of the ball. His punting average record still stands today - 51.4 yards set in 1940 The one fact I like is 4 touchdown passes and 4 interceptions in one game. His jersey #33 is the only one to be retired by the Redskins. His completion percentage at 70.3 is still a Redskins record along with his 187 career touchdown passes.

Greg, so sorry for your loss. Lost my Mom 1 1/2 years ago. I know your feelings. Be strong for the family. Joe

I don't like the ISMI 11# spring. It feels stiffer than their 13#. I generally run a 12 Wolf in 9mm and 13 ISMI in .40.

I would never pin a grip safety, but that is just me. The GS is pretty easy to adjust to where a minimal amount of movement will release it.

I kind of like having threat targets with a gun or knife on them and leave the non-threat bare. Would seem to be more "real world".

I have been shooting lead through stock Glock barrels for years. Get some Solo 1000 and try it before you buy an aftermarket barrel.

I just love broad brush statements like "it is the Series II guns that have the problems". There must be something wrong with my Series II Kimbers. All have been "one hole shooters". My old Stainless Target II .45 just stacks bullets. The 9mm Target II does the same thing. I just bought another Stainless Target II in .45 today. Absolutely no slide to frame play - none. Barrel locks up perfectly. Took all of 10 minutes to get a crisp 2 lb trigger with those dreaded MIM parts. Barrel bushing is nice and snug. Heck Kimber even got the extractor tension right. That is something new as they usually have zero tension. I will run a few rounds through it this weekend to see how it groups. I gave up on the gun store I had placed an order with for a PM-7. I called them for 2 days to give them a CC number and got nothing but a busy signal.

I probably should not be so critical of Wilson guns. I have worked on a couple that were OK, not fitted as well as a Baer. I let my negative feelings of BW influence my opinion. I can honestly say I have never had a bad Kimber. Thinking back over the years I have had 8+ .45 Customs. Some were Target models others were plain Customs. Most were stainless. Also had a pre-II .40 and a 9mm Target II. They were all exceedingly accurate and reliable.

I like to put all the aftermarket stuff in my Glocks. That is what the popular crowd does and I want to fit in.