gfmun

for 124 grain MG fmj, I use 3.8 grains of Clays....sweet load... thanks, George

I am sure not an expert on anything, this is just my opinion. About 4 years ago I was where you are today. 1. Square Deal B. - great reloading setup to start with or stay with. 2. I like Winchester Primers, can't get them. Just ordered 10,000 Wolf and happy to have the chance. With my wife and I shooting, 5000 is not a big number. 3. Bullets - I have shot the Bear Creek and Precision moly bullets with no problems except smoke...lots of smoke. Finally went to Montana Gold fmj and pay the higher price for no smoke. 4. Powder...cheap is good. I like Titegroup and Clays. Right now loading Clays for my 9mm and .45 acp. With 2 people shooting, 4 pounds is not a lot. This Forum is great..lots of ideas and people willing to share information. It has helped me a bunch. thanks, and good luck... George

Way to go Paul ! Getting started is the hardest part and it sounds like you really have a plan. Keep us informed on your progress. George

good deal, one more reason for me to enjoy this forum. thanks, George

Thanks Jamie, I made contact with Mike today. He said he has been traveling and got behind on shipping. thanks again, George

I ordered an STI 140mm mag from Thunder Mountain Custom the first week of April and today I tried to get in contact with them to check the status of my order. E-mail bounces back, no one answered the phone and I could not leave a message as the box was full. Are they still in business ? Has anyone contacted them recently? thanks, George

I have read The Winning Mind also. Great book. I then read Brian Enos' book Practical Shooting. I am now reading it again very slowly. It took me 3 months last time, it might take longer this time. When I had a real job in sales, I read a lot of PMI books. They are all close to the same. Fake it 'til you make it. What I found in relating to shooting ( and I am not very good, but trying ) is that the harder I tried, the worster I got. Too many things to concentrate on. Forgot what I was doing. Forgot to have fun. From Brian's book I am learning to relax and enjoy and let it come to me.... I really enjoy reading and learning ( or trying to ) as long as it does not get in the way of having fun, which is why I shoot. thanks, George

Good for you Gary. There are a lot more shooting matches than there are Dads. I did not shoot this weekend either. Barb had Sat and Sun off and we spent it together. George

I also had a set of shooting glasses made up where my right eye prescription was focused on the front sight and the left eye was the normal prescription. I really like the glasses and they are not cheap, but I can't wear them. I get headaches after a very short time and targets out more that 20 feet or so are really blury. I have gone to the bright red fiber optic front sight and opened up the rear sight and that is working for me. I have also tried the reading glasses and having my bifocal put on top of the lens and these did not work either. thanks, George

I run an 8 pound spring in my 9mm Eagle. I purchased a 7, an 8, and a 9 pound and tried them and the 8 pound works the best for me. I have shot it with 147 grn and 125 grn, no problems at all. thanks, George

With mine it was ammunition. I did have to play with the mag a little, tighten here, loosen there, but the main thing was finding ammo it would run with. I am using Remington Golden Bullet, the value pack. I get them at Academy Sporting goods. It will also eat CCI mini mag but not as well. It chokes on everything else so far. thanks, George

With my 9mm, 99% + case gauge problems have to do with the case rim. I have never had a problem with " glock bulge " in 9mm and when my wife and go to the range she shoots her glock and I pick them up and reload them. Use the Lee sizing die and adjust it properly and look at the case rim when you have a problem. At least thats what works for me. thanks, George

I use range brass and pick up after the USPSA matches ( not a lot of local guys shooting 9 major, but no problems with those cases either ) with the only problems being nicks or indentations in the rim. Maybe one out of 2-3000 with a bulge. I use the Lee Sizing die on a Dillon XL650. thanks, George

I shoot Limited Minor with a STI 9mm because that is what I have. Once I got past the " but they all are shooting major except me ", I started having fun. It does not matter if you shoot all Alphas, and I think the low recoil makes up for the difference. Shoot what you enjoy the most and have fun. thanks, George

I had a lot of problems with my Kimber .22 conversion kit when I first bought it new. I had the same problem you have and some more different ones. For me what it came down to was fiding the proper ammo. I have ended up with Remington " Golden Bullet" value pack ( got mine at Academy Sporting goods). Since I started using this, no problems what so ever. I have tried the CCI Mini mags and just about everything else and this cheaper stuff works best in my Kimber. Not true with my Marvel conversion kit for the STI. The Remington will not work at all there. thanks, George

I am also interested as I have tried everything I can think of. I have tried the dominant eye prescrition to front sight length and that is great if the targets are 10 yards or closer. Also I got headaches as I could not adjust. I also tried the bifocal to the top of the lens....not good for me...Right now I have a fairly fuzzy picture of the front sight ( I use a good fiber optic ) in bright red and the rear sight opened up so I have more room on each side of the front sight. This is the best I can find so I am very interested in what other shooters do... thanks, George

I shoot a stock 9mm Eagle I purchased from Brazos. I had an extractor problem from the get-go and STI sent me a new one and it runs perfectly now. It is the best handgun I have ever owned and have no urge for a "custom gun". thanks, George

Well, every gun is a little different, but my Kimber 5 " makes it with 3.9 grains with room to spare. This is with a 230 grain moly coated lead RN from Bear Creek. thanks, George

My eyes aren't as good as they used to be and a " crisp sight picture" is out of the question. The fiber optic front sight really helps me. The red color works faster for me, but I have found that the smaller fiber optic in .040 helps me more on accuracy than the larger. Probably bucause I really have to use the front sight rather than just find it. thanks, George

I am 65 and started shooting USPSA about 8 months ago. I am not very good, but I am having a whole lot of fun. What I have found in the past 8 months is that if I want to improve I need to pick a set of equipment and stick with it. Whenever I change guns, holster, mag carriers, etc. my performance goes down. Right now I am shooting my .45 acp trying to compete with a major caliber. I shot faster with the 9mm but I felt the minor load was holding me back. I am going to stick with the .45 for the next few months and see how it goes. thanks, George