Joe D

So far the Bushnell Banner is the only scope that has stayed together on my springer air rifle. It has eaten a couple of other scopes - Leuopld and Simmons. A springer air rifle is far harder on a scope than any CF rifle. Time will tell if the one I ordered lasts. It was about as cheap as I could go to see if I prefered a scope over a holo/red dot.

I have used H335 for decades. I can't think of a better powder for 55 gr bullets. Heavier bullets should work better with 2230 or 748. Back years ago when I shot HP Rifle Silhouette I used 748 in .308 and in a .223 for plinking. It worked well for both.

Ordered a cheap ($65) Bushnell 1x4 circle plex reticle scope today. Bushnell told me it was a true 1x. We shall see. Figured that was the cheapest way to see if I liked a scope rather than a holo/dot scope. Seems like the FOV is 78+ feet. I did order an EOTech 512 AA. Grafs has them on BO right now, but for $317 I guess it is worth the wait. I can always put the scope on one of my other toys if I don't like it on the AR. Now before some of you "Optic Snobs" laugh at Bushnell's cheap scopes let me say I have some high dollar scopes on bolt guns that are not any brighter or clearer than a 3x9 Bushnell Banner I have on a Savage .17 HRM. I have the same scope on a hard kicking spring air rifle that has lasted for 5+ years.

Has anyone used the Bushnell ACOG copy?

What is a good powder for heavier bullets - 748 or 2230 perhaps. Would one of these powders work for both 55 gr and heavier?

I tried some of my reloads today in the 1-7 upper. 55 gr Hornady FMJ with 25.0 gr of H335, WSR primers. 5 shot group at 100 yds. that can be covered by a nickle. That's more like it.

I have some 69 gr bullets I will try in a couple of days.

Has anyone had a problem shooting 55 gr bullets with a 1-7 twist barrel. I can't get any kind of group with several different brands of ammo. I am talking about 3"+ groups at 50 yds off a rest with a good scope. One of my other uppers with a 1-9 twist shoots sub-MOA groups at 200 yds with the same ammo. I realize a 1-7 is not ideal for a 55 gr bullet, but it should shoot better than 3" @ 50 yds. I am starting to think there is something wrong with this upper.

After researching this to death it appears there are two schools of thought. One camp likes the red dot/holo scopes, the other goes for the low power traditional scopes. There appears to be a couple of choices with the low power variables. The Weaver and Leupold each have their following. The heavy plex the Leupold offers looks pretty good. I guess another choice would be the Simmons. We had our first Tactical Rifle Match the other day. 75% of the shots were in our pistol bays. Most shots were less than 30 yds. The long range shots were flash targets at 200 yds. I was not able to shoot the match, but did get a chance to shoot at the flash targets with a 20" iron sight AR. Did not have too much trouble hitting the targets. The next match should have two classes - iron and optical. I am still trying to decide which optical device to go with. I am probably not alone in this decision. My price point is <$400.

Steel City will host this match on April 14,2007. Thirteen fun stages with a 180+ round count. Last years match had some stages that were a bit too complicated. This year's match will be challenging, but a little simpler. We will also have a side Bug match. S&W is providing the gun. www.scssa.org

If he complains too much just "bitch slap" him. Send him to Alabama. We have some good old boys here that still dress up in white and wear pointed hoods. They do look a little odd when they shoot a match. OTOH there is never an issue with concealment.

Gman, I always save the best for last. Remember I am from Mississippi. Greg, there has not been one called in those matches I mentioned. I lost interest in the Nationals when they moved from Tunica.

I shoot a G35 in SSP with a 180 gr bullet @ 770 fps. The 9mm load is a 125 gr lead bullet at 1050 fps. There is a slight difference in POA. Not enough to worry about. Some, not all, of the LWD 9mm conversion barrels shoot a little high. That is easily corrected with a file. The 9mm barrel would not be legal in Production or SSP.

Grip screws too long?

I talked with Bill yesterday. He said for everyone to just take a Sharpie and black out the section on round dumping. My wife and I have been shooting Sanctioned matches in Al, Ga, Tn and Ms for years. There has never been a FTDR call for round dumping that I am aware of. I doubt there ever will be. The local matches we shoot follow the rule book pretty closely. About the only rules I see being ignored are the 3/4" holster space and round dumping. Don't see that changing.

If just about any of us included our time into the reloading cost equation then it would be a losing proposition. Let's see 500 rounds per hour on my 550. Labor cost $85 hr. plus bullets, powder and primers.

Benny, there is something wrong with my G35s then. They eat 9mm flawlessly. Same thing with my 40 Kimber. The 9mm barrel works like a charm. Fired thousands of rounds of 9mm with a .40 breech face. All I change with the Kimber is the extractor. I don't change anything with the Glock.

You can get a Kimber 9mm and put a .40 barrel in it or get a .40 Kimber and have the option of installing a 9mm barrel. Same breech face.

Clean a Glock? How do you do that?

There must be something really wrong with my two G35s. I have shot thousands of rounds of 9mm through them without any feed or extraction issues. One barrel is a Federal the other is a LWD. I keep "hearing" folks say that the ejector should be changed. Have you actually shot any 9mm through your G35/G22 and had extraction issues? No one that I know has any problems with the .40 ejector.

Why do you think I "tip" the SO before the stage? There will be a tip jar on several of the stages at the Alabama match. BTW you did not give me my change from the tip I gave you a couple of years ago. Be sure to bring it with you. I would never tell her to dump rounds. That is illegal in IDPA. I may have "suggested" where she might need to put an extra round on a target due to distance or movement.

I will let you borrow one of my Glocks. The only downside to a Glock is they go bang everytime you pull the trigger. That takes all the fun out of matches. I hear that one of our shooting buds, tall guy, is getting rid of his STI Limited gun. He is starting to see the light.

Those IPSC guys just get frustrated when they use the "hose mentality" in IDPA and get spanked. They try to blame it on the rules.

I have not found a reason to change out the ejector housing. I have fired thousands of 9mm rounds through my G35 without any issues. All you will need are mags.

Guess we did ramble a bit. Comes with old age.