Slowhand

Fortunately logic or value is not a requirement when buying handguns. I am sure everyone has read the countless threads that claim, my SA Mil Spec will do everthing your Kimber will do, or my Kimber will do anything your LB/WC/EB will do, or my LB/WC/EB will do anything your full house custom will do. I recently traded a pile of 1911s including three semi-customs and a full house custom for two Vic Tibbets commanders. Were they worth it? Did I make a "good" deal? I can't speak for anyone but myself. I never did the math and the answer to both questions is yes. The point is they were worth it to me. These guns are very hard to come by since they are no longer being built. Any one of the 1911s I traded would pretty much do what either of the Tibbets guns will do except for one thing. None of them could give me the pleasure that they give me. I can easily understand why the Valtros are bringing hefty prices. If you want one, for whatever reason, this is what you will pay. No rationale or justification is required. At the end of the day all that matters is that it is "worth it to me".

Mea Culpa. Both of mine are SBE, not SBE II. I tried shooting an SBE II and could not get used to the new elevated rib. Now that I think about it, I was shooting 2 3/4 light field loads and had zero issues with cycling. I apologize for any confusion I may have created.

I am now shooting my second 24" SBE. Being a duck/goose hunter my SBE's see a great deal of adverse weather and abuse. I can't say enough good things about it. I shoot 3 1/2" shells almost exclusively and have had reliability issues with 2 3/4" and occasinally 3" shells. Function with the 3 1/2" is 100%. Several of my duck hunting friends have had the same issues with their SBE's. The breakin used to call for a minimum of 2 boxes of 3 1/2" shells before attemptimg shooting the shorter shells. I have been told that the reliability issues revolve around the long spring in the stock. It seems crud/rust impairs the ability of the gun to cycle the shorter shells after some use. Stainless springs are available and I am hearing reports of improved reliability. The reality is that I am asking a for an autoloader to cycle shells that vary as much as 3/4" in length in less than desirable conditions. If your use is competition only YMMV.

Smartass for life and proud of it.

Also try to look at it this way. You have gotten your DQ out of the way. I still wonder when I will have mine. No doubt it will not be a club match.

Good stuff. I immediately sent the link to an officer in need of a good laugh. He has been mired in the Michael Nifong debacle (Duke Lacrosse) case.

All too often doing the right/smart thing leaves us with a hollow dissatisfied feeling. I agree with others that this has to be one miserable chap. Your scenario reminds me of my own delimma involving my initial decision to carry. Long before there was a concealed carry law in NC many of us carried with a weapon openly displayed. Not the best means of carry but under the right circumstances far better than the alternative. The stiuation you described played out in my head many times when I debated the wisdom of carrying a handgun. My greatest fear was that I would pull my weapon in a moment of anger or frustration and cause a situation to escalate needlessly. All too often an undisciplined shooter is heard saying, "I didn't mean to shoot him, I only wanted to scare him". The operative word here is disciplined. Basic gun safety prevents me from pointing a gun at something/someone I am not willing to destroy. Short term satisfaction is not a requirement when being disciplined and doing the right thing. My God, when did I become my father?

Thank you for posting the performances. What a truly moving talent.

This reminds me of a couple of things I will not be doing again and both involve a ceiling fan. Anyone that fly fishes and or owns a nice watch know how insanely expensive both can be. While assembling all nine feet of one of my prized flyrods, you guessed it, the ceiling fan converted the last three feet of graphite flyrod to missles. Fortunately G Loomis has a no questions asked warranty. The wrist watch fell victim to stretching exercises while standing under a ceiling fan. While the watch was mangled it likely prevented a more serious injury to my wrist.

I am going to trust the instincts of the Warrior Princess on this one. The Russians whack Tony.

I have spent a fair amount of time on a few 1911 forums, own or owned most of the semi-custom 1911s as well as some full house guns. My experience with some of the forums has led me to believe that some of these folks are frequently wrong but never in doubt. There are "purists" of every possible ilk out there. I committed the heinous offense of buying some vintage Colts for use as base guns for future projects. The Colt purists were more than a little offended that I would have these "classic" guns defiled or transformed into modern day shooters. I have never understood what type of insecurity would drive the level of debate I see over issues like the FLGR or FCS. Some of my guns have one or the other or both. Most of my 1911s are purpose built. I believe there is a use for just about any part or modification available for a 1911. I suspect a great many of the "purists" are either collectors or enjoy a very limited perspective. The 1911 forums I now frequent are similar in tone and quality to the BE fourm. The type of nonsense described by Glockopop is noticably absent. ETA I hope no one is hurt trying to read my post. I havn't a clue how I butchered the structure. I plead sleep deprivation.

North Carolina is pretty good. I would like to see the CCW laws amended to be consistant with the Florida law. IMO the duty to retreat in your own home is rediculous.

Then call me silly. Sorry for your loss. It hurts like the dickens and reminds us how much we can really feel.

Really sorry to hear about your loss. Every time I lose one of my four legged family members I say never again because they just do not live long enough. I always manage to end up with a new family member anyway.

After experimenting with several guns I settled on a .45 cal. 1911 in a CCO configuration. I prefer .45 cal. for SD in general and the officer frame/commander slide works well for me for carry. Having said that, I am a big proponant of carrying the gun you shoot well. I believe accuracy and bullet placement to be far more important than choice of caliber. The debates over this caliber vs. that as well as type of bullet are endless. At the end of the day the most effective caliber, bullet, pistol is the one you are proficient with. A friend of mine spends countless hours studying ballistic gel tests, bullet deformity, etc. and carries two extra high cap mags. Little if any consideration is given to practice and consequently he shoots poorly. I have tried to explain that he will not be able to miss fast enough to survive a serious social encounter. He still believes you can buy effective self defense.

Thanks for posting this. As usual there are no simple or singular answers.

Shooting a recurve bow instinctively is very much a freeing experience just as shooting a compound bow with pins feels mechanical. Very limiting. The compound feels more secure, or safer in it's predictability. The recurve requires no predictability once you quit thinking.

I was thirteen and spent my summer mowing grass and fishing every spare minute. I did not know it at the time but my first car was built that year. Four years later I was the proud owner of a dark metallic green 1965 Mustang with the small block 289. Only 21,000 mi. Now the memories are flowing.

I navigated through a divorce and all that goes with it a couple of years ago. I saw a lot of "stuff" go by the wayside. After an inventory of what I had left I discovered that I had absolutely everything that was important. It turns out that I had family, friends and peace, none of which can be bought. The rest, just stuff. It can be pretty damn tough to look at these situations philosophically while in the midst of it all. It sounds like you are working hard at maintaining a healthy perspective and you obviously have a bunch of committed friends to see you through.

Congratulations!

Thanks for taking the time an sharing your experience. This is good timing for me. I have been shooting comp. for the last year with several 2nds shooting L10 at the local level. This fall I plan to shoot the state championship for the reasons stated by DP40. Hopefully I can shoot enough classifiers by October to replace my "U". Then I can go get that dose of humility that will surely motivate me.

Exactly.

I am sure similar reports have been posted here but I feel compelled to share my experience with Dillon Precision tech. support and customer service. I bought a 650 and I could not be happier. (Especially since you guys helped me over a couple of rough patches). I have called Dillon twice in the last two months. The first time I called was because the chute/bin mount was slightly out of spec and tech. support could not have been nicer. A new part was delivered to me in two days! The second time I called was due to my inexperience and impatience. I managed to break the ring indexer. 100% my fault and that is what I represented to tech. support. I expected to pay for a new part and would have been happy to do so. No way, they insisted on sending me a new part, free of charge and included an extra spring as well. I know the customer service at Dillon is legend but when I experienced it first hand I found it to be even better than I expected. The service I received was drop dead second to none. What an example of customer service and great management. I will be a life long customer. Slowhand

I am sorry for your loss. Like others, I have shared this experience as well. My Shar Pei was a big part of my life for 12 years. She developed a tumor in her throat and could not swallow. The day I took her to the vet she was still vibrant and happy. I know she thought it was just another trip to the vet but I knew different. I stayed with her to the end. I was so unprepared and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I completely lost it and cried like a baby. The vet and his asisstant could not bear to be in the same room and had to leave. A beautifully framed poster size picture of her is still on the wall in my office and it still hurts 2 1/2 years later. Zena was very fortunate that she could count on you when she needed you most. My dog made me understand clearly what people mean when they say that they want to be the kind of person their dog thinks they are. Me too.

Thanks Joe4d. Your comparison of the 124 in 9mm to the 230 in .45 is the kind of information I am looking for since I am considering a large bullet purchase. I suppose it might be unusual to start loading for a caliber that you actually have limited experience shooting. I shoot a great deal of .45 and now that I am completely hooked on reloading I want to be able to load several calibers. I am even revisiting .40 caliber. :-) With the increases in factory ammo prices I am considering loading calibers I would not have dreamed of loading a year ago.