Joe D

Ryan, make sure you ordered the correct front sight. Hopefully you got it from Dawson.The RO does NOT have a .330" cut. It has a .343" cut. I added a magwell, guide rod and an extended mag release. Remember it has a long throat. Seems like I could load out to 1.180" with the stock mags. You will like your new gun.

Bob, it all depends on what you shoot best. I am a fan of Glocks. Have a safe full of them. Glocks got me to a 3 gun Master. My go to gun is a Glock 35. I shoot a Glock better than anything else. SIGs stink. Bore axis is way too high. I would not say the build quality is any worse with a Kimber or Springfield. I would not say non 1911s dominate IDPA either. I know several guys that might beg to differ. One of them was 1st place CDP Master at last years Nationals, another was 1st place ESP Master. I know Morgan shoots a 2011. Matt shoots a Nighthawk. This year Scott, last year's Distinguished Senior winner, will be shooting a 9mm 1911. I shoot with two of these guys all the time.

Let me add this one to the mix. http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/21_876/products_id/716005906/Rock+Island+Armory+51623+TAC+1911+II+FS+9%2B1+9mm+5%22 I have owned a RIA Tactical in 9mm and found it to be a pretty darn good shooting gun. Mine was extremely accurate. I currently own a 9mm Range Officer. I have owned a 9mm/.40 Kimber also. IMO a STI is no better than a RO. The RO can be loaded long - 1.200". That allows you to use Checkmate 10 round .38 Super mags. The RIA has a more normal length throat. I loaded to 1.150" with it. All will require a trigger job. The STI Spartan is nothing more than a RIA with a pretty face. You do get adjustable sights with the Spartan. I work on 1911s weekly. Everything from Les Baers, Nighthawks to RIAs. IMO the two best bangs for the buck would be the RIA Tac II and the Range Officer. The Tactical II already comes with everything you need - FO front and magwell. A COMPETENT smith should charge you no more that $50 for a 1911 trigger job. That's what I charge if no parts need to be replaced. I have found that the best mags are either Metalforms or the Checkmates. The Tripp mags are very reliable, but expensive. I am not a fan of CMC or Wilson mags. The Metalforms and Checkmates run in the $25 range. Frankly I have found nothing special about STI 1911s. They are certainly not in the same class as a LB or Nighthawk.

SP .45 brass at our range will get you a night in the Hoover PD jail.

My G41 falls right between my G34 and G35 weight wise. I too would like to see a little more weight. OTOH a .45ACP at a 130 PF is pretty soft. Yes, a friend of mine has a LWD slide and barrel. I guess Glock had a reason for taking out the weight on the left of the firing pin channel of a G41 slide.

I like my G41. I would like to see Glock offer a Gen 4 21 with a 4.5" slim slide.

I can help with the Minor loads. I use either a 180 gr lead or a 180 moly. 2.7 gr of Promo with a 180 lead went 715 fps out of a Glock 35. One thing that I have noticed with Promo is a very low SD. I use Promo in 9mm, .40 and .45ACP. All minor. OAL 1.140". in .40, 1.200" in 9mm and 1.250" in .45. I don't find it to be any dirtier than Clays or Solo 1000. I have 8 lbs of Clay Dot on the way. I suspect it will be about like Clays.

I use the Lee for 9mm, .40 and .45. No need for a U die.

That would be me.

What is wrong with your Glock barrel? We shoot 160 gr lead bullets out of a G17 all the time.

I scored 8 lbs of Clay Dot from Midway last week. Shipped Friday. Sign up for notifications with several suppliers. The Clay Dot was gone in 10 minutes. You have to be quick.

I am guessing they will fit into a Kimber frame. I use these in my Kimber/Nelson. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1506394316/promag-conversion-magazine-1911-kimber-marvel-iver-johnson-conversions-22-long-rifle-polymer-black My Kimber has a 1 1/4 lb trigger.

What mags are those?

Jay, you are correct. I would on occasion shoot my G23 with 130PF loads at a local indoor match. Targets were usually pretty close. That 23 was very fast out of the holster and transitions. The short sight radius did not work outdoors with the longer shots. I have thought about getting a Gen 3 22 just for grins. BTW here is a little known Glock fact. The Austrian made 17s and 34s had a smaller grip that the Smyrna made guns. We have a few of each.

I have been shooting Glocks in competition since 1997. I am a card carrying "Gamer". We own 17s, 34s, 35s and a 41. All complete with the world famous Joe D trigger job. So here's my take on the various models. The 17 has less muzzle flip than a 34, but shorter sight radius. We shoot 160 gr bullets in 9mm. The 35 shoots softer, with 180 gr bullets, than the 17/34 when loaded to a 130PF. The 41 is my fun gun. It weighs between the 34 and 35. Recoil is on par with the 35 when loaded to a 130PF. OTOH those big holes will gain you points. Years ago I shot a G21 in IDPA. During a typical 120 round, six stage local match I would watch when they scored my targets and would write down every time that 200 gr SWC .45 hole got me a 0 instead of a -1 or -1 instead of a -3. It averaged 4-6 second per match. That is a huge number when you are a Master. I guess the USPSA/IDPA snobbery will never go away. Here's my take on that non sense. If you want to be a top shooter you will have to choose one or the other. They do not compliment each other BTDT. Guess all that does not matter too much now as I am old and crippled up since my motorcycle crash 4 years ago. After my crash IDPA let me start over as a Marksman. Currently a 3 gun Expert. Use to be a 3 gun Master. Oh well!. Life goes on. Oh, my other fun gun is a .45 Kimber with 9 round mags at a 130 PF in ESP. It's like shooting a .22. 10 rounds to start and a 9 round reload.

I have $690 in mine. Just order from Buds if you don't have access to a FFL friend. http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/90773/Springfield+PI9129LP+1911+Range+Officer+9%2B1+9mm+5%5C%22+Package

The old .45 1911 was designed to run with a 16# recoil and a 23# main. This was with a 190ish PF load. I run my .45s with a 12.5# recoil and a 17# main. Remember these two springs work together. Yes, I use a buff with a 168-170 PF load. The lighter springs get the recoil cycle over quicker. I sure wish Heitt was still around. Fortunately I still have a pretty good selection left.

This should answer your question http://www.kitcometals.com/charts/lead_historical.html

I have an 8 lb jug of Clay Dot coming from Midway. My LGS in Bessemer, AL seems to get pistol powder in fairly often. That's where I bought an 8 lb jug of Promo a couple of weeks ago. I just happened to be checking my email when the notification from Midway about the Clay Dot popped up. 10 minutes later it was all gone. I should be set for the next year or two with my current inventory of Clays,Solo 1000, Promo and the Clay Dot.

Not being a smart a**, but why would anyone want a 45 with a ramped barrel in the first place? I use these in some of my mags. https://www.dawsonprecision.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=80001137-1388518299 I use those in ACT and Metalform mags.

I always buy 8 lb jugs. I bought two 8 lb jugs of Solo about a year ago. Guess I got lucky as they both shoot the same fps.

I mostly shoot lead bullets. On occasion I will shoot some old Bear Creek moly 160s. 2.8 gr of Solo 1000 goes 824 fps out of a G34 with a moly bullet. I load 9mm bullets long in my Range Officer - 1.200". 2.4 gr of Promo goes 805fps. 2.8 gr of Solo should go about the same fps. 2.6 grains of Solo only went 765 fps in the RO. 3.0 gr of Solo went 797fps out of a G17. I just looked at the cost of Bayou Bullets 160 gr 9mm. Guess that's why I shoot lead. I pay less per 1,000 than what they charge for 500.

Out of what gun? I have data from a G17, G34 and Range Officer. Are we talking lead or moly?

A-Merc is total garbage. This brass is very soft.

I load 2.8 gr of Solo 1000 with a 160 lead bullet. Runs between 800 and 815 fps depending on which gun. And no sports fans you are not waiting on the slide. I had a friend on a timer several years ago shooting a similar load when his gun went full auto. You cannot equal the splits I recorded by pulling the trigger. One may not like the way a gun "feels" with heavy bullets, but you are not waiting on the slide.