Joe D

What is the take down issue? If it is the FLGR then that takes about 5 min. to fix. Ivan, I will give him a call Monday. I am pretty sure I already know the answer. I doubt a gun in this price range has a properly fitted barrel.

Larry, I don't think my specific question was answered. There was a somewhat general answer by Merlin. I did not get the impression that he actually marked the barrel lugs and checked for slide contact.

It has about 20,000 rounds through it so I thought it might need a bath. Match turn out was a little light 12-14. Where are the rest of you candy asses? The new CZ Tactical shoots pretty good. Drop it off and let me put the "blue tip wrench" to that extended dust cover. On a more serious note it was as good a gun as any STI 2011 I have seen. That thing might make a pretty darn good Limited gun. I like the built in slide racker.

Chet, please don't take this wrong, but Dawson Precision would not do a darn thing about barrel to slide lock up. I really don't take much stock in a dealer checking out a gun.

I find it much cheaper to just bribe the SO. Wonder what the number would be if you took the revolvers out of the picture?

Not trying to be negative, but the high bore axis comes into play for the average shooter, not the super stars. The HKs and Sigs are much more difficult for the average shooter to master. Someone posted a video of one of the name brand shooters blasting away with either a Sig or HK. Lots of muzzle flip. Guess the point I am trying to make is there are more user friendly guns available.... Glock or 1911. Could be why those two "own" IDPA.

It is 16 degrees in B'ham right now and I am getting ready to go set up some stages for a match today. It will be interesting to watch the 1911 guys that have slathered their guns in grease shoot today. Glock? Just took mine out of the dishwasher and put a couple of drops of oil on it.

This is the area to heat.

Yes, I have done both. Actually three different approaches. It is a lot easier to cut a slot than drill a hole. IMO you get better results by bending the tab forward. Doing so limits the forward travel of the trigger also. Heat the area of the bend using a torch. Angle the torch down as you just want to heat the bend. Once it is red bend it. Failure to heat the tab will result in a broken tab. You will need to trim back the plastic trigger pad safety. I set my trigger bars where the little nub is just touching the striker safety plunger.

Has anyone actually checked the barrel to slide fit in these guns? I don't mean pushing down on the barrel to see if it will move. Mark the upper lugs on the barrel with a Sharpie and see if they are making contact with the slide. Install the barrel without the recoil spring. Let the slide stop hang down and see if it rotates as you push the slide closed that last 1/4" or so. Just curious as I have one of these on order.

A better question would be which will run with 10 round .38 Super mags. If you are going to limit yourself to 9 round mags then I would go with a .40 or .45ACP - yep I said .45ACP. A .40 will feed much more reliably than a 9mm. If you reload then the cost is about the same for all.

That and the high bore axis like a Sig has.

Eager, I would rate them about equal. They each have + and - issues. If given a choice I will always take forged parts (Kimber) over cast (STI). Some folks don't like the grip safety on Kimbers. Some of my Kimbers still have them others I have replaced. STI has a '70 Series safety system. Kimber uses one activated by the grip safety. Can't recall the name of it - Swartz maybe. Not a big deal anyway. I would rate the barrel fit equal. Given a choice I would choose Kimber, but the STI is a good gun also. Either is a much better choice than the SA. Lee, I guess I should stop telling folks about these low prices. I buy from Valiant Bullets in Bynum, Al. They don't ship. They will deliver within a reasonable distance if the order is large enough. I pick them up when I go to Atlanta.

You don't have to drill the trigger bar. Just bend the tab forward. Reduces pre-travel as well.

My wife has been wearing them for years. She is their sponsored shooter.

I already know what tinitus is. Darn pesky M60 2 ft. from my head. Anyway the new design Radian Pro Amps are as good as any muff available. I have used a set for the last 3 years. The new model uses a padded head band. The only downside to them is the little wind filters will come off if you don't glue them in place. I also have a set of the Maximus muffs. Nice but too large for my tastes. My two favorite muffs are the Pro Amp and the Pro Ears Predator 300. The 300 costs twice as much as the Pro Amp. I find myself always reaching for the Radians.

Guys if you are looking for a really good bag at a very reasonable price take a look at this one. I am a range bag/electronic muff junkie. I have 6 or 7 range bags in my gun room right now. This is the one I use. I have used this bag for close to three years. http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item...?sku=00208BD910

I agree the Taurus is a good gun for the money. I guess I had kind of set myself up for a let down. My wife says one of my major character flaws is I research things to death. I went to the gun shop thinking I was going to find a super tight, perfect finish 1911 for $450. I am all about cheap. Maybe the one they had was not as tight as others. The slide was pretty loose. There was another customer looking at 1911s while I was there. He asked me why a Kimber was worth $275 more. I took the Kimber apart and showed him the differences in the two guns. Most folks will shoot either gun about the same. I may just get one of the Spartans. Listen, I get flamed all the time. I see folks get caught up in the new gun feeding frenzy. I try to point out the flaws I see in some of these new offerings. That is perceived by some as being negative.

The front strap appears to be just like the rest of the RIA/Armscor/Charles Daly guns. I like the way the Armscor guns feel. They have an identical feel to the old Colts. The Taurus has that same "blocky" front strap that the older Springfields had.

Tok, one thing you don't know about me is I am all about cheap. I shot a Charles Daly for a year in IDPA against the high dollar Wilsons, Les Baers and the like - usually won. My friends would laugh at your statement that implies I am "snobbish" when it comes to guns. If you have read any of my posts that would be pretty clear. I have worked on and built hundreds of 1911s over the years. It became pretty evident to me years ago that Kimber was the benchmark that all non-custom/high volume 1911s should be judged against. The one thing that separates Kimber from all the rest is they figured out how to get a positive barrel to slide lockup in a mass produced 1911. You do know what I am referring to I hope. If not I can list several publications you can read to help you get a clear understanding as to how a 1911 works. Just about any cheap 1911 is perfectly suitable for IDPA/IPSC as long as it runs. Any 1911 can be made to run with little effort. The target we shoot is huge. We are not shooting Bullseye. If it will group anywhere close to 3" at 25 yds that's good enough. IMO the Taurus, Spartan and RIA Tactical are priced pretty well as to their quality and value. I would rank them as follows - RIA, Taurus then Spartan. Guess what that's how they are priced. Would I ever even consider buying a Les Baer or the like? Maybe when pigs fly. It's like one of my shooting buds said a couple of years ago. "If I had know about Kimber I would have never bought these Les Baers". Kimbers are not perfect. However, of the six that I have owned or still own all would group under 1 1/2" at 25 yds and functioned flawlessly.

Went to a shop yesterday with intentions of buying one of these. I took one apart and looked closely at the parts. IMO it is not in the same class as a Kimber. Slide to frame fit was not that good and the barrel did not come close to having a positive lock up with the slide. I would rate the gun between a Springfield Loaded and a Charles Daly/RIA. Hmmmm that's about where it is priced. As I was walking out I heard something calling my name. In the used section there was a Glock 35 that looked to have had maybe 50 rounds through it. Still had the copper grease on the slide rails. It was pretty obvious why it was there. The rear sight was jacked all the way to the right. Owner must have had a nice low left group when he fired it. Moved the sight to the center when I got home. Fired 3 rounds in my 25 yd basement range at a 2" Shoot-N-See. First 2 were touching dead center, last one was 1" away from them. Cost? Way less than the Taurus. It is now sleeping peacefully (after it's 1 1/4 lb. trigger operation) in the safe with it's Glock brothers. I have found that I must keep the Glocks and 1911s on different shelves or I will hear them arguing at night.

I like the secret link that shows the G40 and G41. That single stack 5" .45ACP looks really nice.

I understand exactly what he was saying. When I shot on the Army Bullseye team we used guns that had a heavy take up but light release. Made a huge difference at the 50 yd line. Most folks measure the Glock trigger at the tip.

There is a 12 Step Program for Dremel addiction. I agree with Pat - get a Foredom. That's a real man's grinder!!! A Dremel is like a bicycle with training wheels. Vertical mill? I don't need no stinking vertical mill if I have a Foredom. Wish they had a 1/2 hp model.

The peroxide/vinegar does work really well for stainless barrels. IT WILL ETCH CARBON STEEL BARRELS.