Throwin Lead

Here is a place online to get them. link Wally World and other big boxes may have them as well as Wallgreen, CVS. Read the installation instructions on the linked page. It's cheaper if you can find them locally - no shipping. Although you only need to attach one lens to your dominant lens buy a few of 'em if you find em. Some times they fall off due to to Murphy's Law are are easily lost. Mike

I can't answer much for 9mm loads & moly bullets but I have loaded quite a few in 40. I found WST & Solo 1000 to work the best in regards to low smoke & fouling. I also use either of those powders with cast lead bullets with the same results - low smoke and little to no leading or powder fouling. You may want to look into the 9mm reloading forum here. SA Friday started a thread about a year ago and others have contributed to it regarding solo 1000 and other powders. Link Mike

Taking cover .... Heck, Ron, it's Ohio we are talking about here.... Alright...watch this space. When William Penn asked for his charter from Charles II, the western border of PA was to be set "...on the west limited as Maryland is...". (So, the western border was thought to be the same as Maryland's western border) When the charter for PA came, it said "set the western boundary at five degrees of longitude west of the point where the east end of the southern boundary crosses the Delaware River." Eventually it was figured out where the eastern point to measure from was located (thus setting the western border of PA where we know it is today). But... During the French and Indian War (pre-revolution), what is now Pittsburgh was thought to be in Virginia. And, it was known as "Ohio Country". Even after the French and Indian War, the Mason/Dixon Survey (established PA's southern border) never was completed to the 5d west...as the Indians wouldn't let them continue. So, Ohio was never part of PA. Further, Pittsburgh was part of Ohio Country. Therefore, the Steelers are really an Ohio football team. So, I guess Ohio does have a football team after all. Well Flex I'll give you the Ohio connection as this years Super Bowl winner - That would Ben Roethlisbrger out of Findlay, OH & Miami college to Santonio Holmes a Buckeye Alumni for the game winning score. Don't forget the Buckeyes picked up the most sought after high school recruit last year in Terrell Pryor. Judging by his accomplishments last season as a true freshman looks like he's a keeper fro OSU.

Being a Stiller fan all of my life and being able to see them win 6 Super Bowl titles in my lifetime is amazing. I will admit that after the Cardinals scored late in the 4th quarter it didn't look good for the Stillers but they found a way to win. As Mike Tomlin eluded to in the post game - we won't get any credit for style points, it wasn't very pretty but it is a win. I have seen several of these T-shirts in the area in the past month. I work in Pittsburgh - if the victory parade later this week is anything like the last Super Bowl win it will be absolutely insane!

I don't - perhaps contacting Jim via email will get you an answer.

I just got word today that S&S Casting will now be offering a 180FP (lead). 1000 - $59.50 This will fill the gap for those of you that can't use a SWC and don't want to use a 220g bullet that Jim has to offer. Jim makes a great product & offers great customer service! MATCH GRADE CAST BULLETS HOME: 815-796-2904 CELL: 815-674-5508 Order on line http://shop.snscasting.com EMAIL: snscasting@hotmail.com Mike

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Mike

Assuming that the sign is made out of the outdoor signboard that kinda reminds you of "plastic cardboard" you have endless potential. Whatever size port you make can simply be "patched" using a larger piece of cardboard, ie: a lid off a pizza box. & some tape. Your imagination designing ports is your only restraint. Don't forget to include at some point a skinny port maybe 12" tall X 4" or so wide or maybe a port that is lower - maybe waist high with different target angles so you must crouch and contort your torso to shoot. Mike.

This was in Monday's local paper. Even when you hit them there can be grave consequences. Local Woman Dies After Deer Crashes Through Windshield Monday, November 10, 2008 – updated: 4:51 pm EST November 10, 2008 CHERRY TREE TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A Venango County woman was killed after a deer crashed through her windshield on Friday in Cherry Tree Township. According to police, Theresa Southwick, 40, struck the deer while driving along State Highway 8. Police said the deer struck the windshield, causing Southwick to crash her car into a ditch. She died the next day at a local hospital.

I use the poor man's seating die - a Hornady seating die with a microjust seating stem. If the Hornady die is considered a knock off then it is a great copy! I can dial in the OAL by 0.001 increments as advertised and the bullets seat squarely - no runout at all. I paid around $35 for this set up at Midway + shipping on sale. Currently the 2 Hornady components run about $45 + shipping When I purchased the Hornady set up the Redding die was priced in the $75-80 range - it is $62 now. Although the Hornady set up serves me well I often wonder how much difference there is between the two other than $27. If the Redding die was available for this price at the time I would have purchased it based soley on word of mouth approval. Seems like the Redding competition seating die is the gold standard but the Hornady set up is worth a look. See links below for your own due dilligence. Hornady die Hornady Microjust seating stem Redding Competition Seating die Mike

Larry Houck, the MD for Summer Blast does an excellent job of taking care of his staff. Full timers have their room paid for during the event (double occupancy). He uses a Holiday Inn Express that serves a continental breakfast, that's one meal paid for, provides lunch at the match and you are on your own for dinner all nights but one. He holds a staff banquet with food and prizes. Larry has said he is one of the few MD's that has a waiting list for RO's on a major match that costs $75 to shoot. The RO's shoot for free on Thursday. Mike

My avatar is a picture of Sugar Plum, my English bulldog, which by the way is distant cousin to the English Mastiff. Sugar is a full figured bully weighing in at 60 pounds. She has the most lethal ass! I swear she will fart from drinking a teaspon of water! I get a chuckle when she is napping, she snores rather loudly but when she pauses breathing LOOK OUT! I can hear a faint PSSST and the green azz gazz fills the room. Words can't describe the odor but the Toxic Ass Syndrome sums it up well.

I was at the same crossroad a few weeks ago. I shoot a M&P 40 with reduced PF loads in the Production division. The trigger was done by Dan Burwell, and I installed Warren rear sights and a Dawson FO front. I really like the M&P and was leaning toward the 9L. After doing some due dilligence, extensively talking with Vluc & Pharoah Bender I decided on the Glock for a number of reasons over the M&P 9L. These were the points that I discovered when I sat down and thought about pros & cons to each pistol. I'm not bashing the M&P. As I stated I own one and think it is a great platform. Just food for thought. Truth be told, the simplicity of the Glock and availability of parts at reasonable cost is what sold me on the Glock along with the Glock reputation. Here are my reasons: As of this post, the 9L is not on the NROI approved list. I'm told that it will be "some time in the 1st quarter of 09, maybe". Mags and other accessories are as rare as hens teeth for the M&P. When you do find mags they are at a premium price ($30-$35 ea) Although Dan Burwell does excellent trigger work on the M&P, however, I can do the trigger work on the GLock - either by polishing per the "25 cent trigger job" or buying a legal Vanek drop in, or a combination of parts. I do not have to ship the Glock to and from a pistol smith. I can put together a spare parts kit to keep in my range bag in the event any basic part goes south during a match. That option for the M&P doesn't exist yet. Granted the M&P is the new kid on the block and Glocks have been around for some time but aftermarket parts for the Glock are readily available - aftermarket parts are starting to trickle out for the M&P but not to the extent of the Glock. The G34 fits my hand & points as well as my M&P 40. I worked several major matches this year. The Glock in 9mm seemed to be the gun of choice for the Production Division. If I choose to do so, I can puchase a 22 conversion upper to help defray rising ammo costs. There are several people that shoot Glocks in my area. They are willing to share their experiences of what not to do regarding mods, loads, etc. The G34 I purchased (NIB) was about $35 less than the 9L. The G34 was in stock - the 9L was not. Mike

You can eliminate the problem very easily for about $250.....buy a casefeeder!

BTT

I would recommend ay one of these. S & S casting, They just opened an online store at www.snscasting.com. Bullets are of great quality. I have used Jim's 220 gn bullet fro both major and minor loads. Nice soft round at major PF - I had to get to about a 140 PF for that large of a bullet to feel comfortable to me at minor PF. He offers a 175 gn SWC and a few other weights. Check out his website for his products. Mastercast.net. These guys are a local caster in south western PA. They have a great 180 gn bullet. Penn Bullet Company. Another caster local to the Pittsburgh area. Bob offers a wide selection of quality cast bullets. He has a 165 gn .40 SW cast bullet that produces a very accurate load at major or minor PF. He also has other bullet weights and calibers. http://www.pennbullets.com/calibers.html Moly coated bullets These folks purchased most of the equipment from the defunct masterblaster bullet maker. Another great product. https://blackbulletsinternational.com/Home_Page.php Precision bullets Dave Long is a great guy to deal with. His product is great too! http://www.precisionbullets.com/ There ya go - several reliable sources for bullets.

The mag release is very simple to change. There are instructions included in the owners manual of how to do this as well. If you are looking at a M&P in 9mm have a look at the new 9L. Longer barrel = longer sight radius. Rave reviews so far from those who have purchased them. You may also want to lurk at the M&P pistol forum too. Lots of M&P info there. http://mp-pistol.com/boards/ One note of caution - as of this posting the 9L is not on the USPSA approved production gun list. I would think by the end of the first quarter in 09 it well be recognized. I have heard that USPSA is waiting for S&W to notify them that they have produced at least 2000 of these models, which is one of the requirements for the gun to be recognized for competition.

Nobody can have just one....they may quit making it! If you order a shot you need a beer for a chaser! If a friend drove you home when you are intoxicated - Would you thank him or sucker punch him as he pulled up in front of your house?

Want to know what it takes to become a GM - read it all here! My advicee would be to read through those here that post their diaries of their quest to advance to GM. There are numerous stories of human triumphs and tragedies (competetively speaking) all contained right here in this forum. I applaud those that are to dedicated to their cause. The writings of PB, Ben Stoeger and Calamity Jane and numerous others speak volumes for the sheer dedication these people have to earn their their goals. The word "can't" is not in their thought process or vocabulary. Calamity Jane's writings are very moving. Jane is a wife, a mom, and a lady. Her chronicles of her dedication to training and the balancing act of being a wife and a mom leading up to this years Nationals should win a Pulitizer prize! PB & Ben's desire to be the best that they can be are also very motivational. Take the advice of the others that have posted before. Aside from fundamental shooting skills one need to learn about the economy of motion. They also have to be honest with themselves and know their strengths and weakness and have the ability to turn the weakness into strength. Other than that - shooting classifiers is the easy part.

You might want to email/PM any of the following Benos members as they are noted for their fine work on the M&P. Alphabetical listing - they are all top notch at what they do! Dan Burwell, Mike Cyrwus, Ken at Speed Shooter Specialities

Any time you allow things to become subjective the rules that may support - "insert senario here" - become gray. Yes, some decisions can be tempered with common sense others can not depending on the circumstances. By and large the rules are just that THE RULES. We should be doing eveything we can to support those rules from developing COF's within those guide lines to insuring that each shooter has a level playing field when they shoot our matches. The problem with "stage desingers intent" is it can be too narrow minded as it is seen in grandure only from the designers perspective. I would think that 5 different people could have 5 different ideas of their own on "intent".

Yep, Top of front sight blade=POA not cover target with FO dot. Learned that lesson too!

How consistent are your velocities through your test charge ranges? How consistent is the OAL? If using mixed headstamps maybe sort them?

This works for me. I like to tinker with load development and can get somewhat carried away. I also work for an engineering/construction firm - the engineers have worn on me. I like to develop loads in 60 round batches. I load 20 rounds at the decided charge weight, 20 rounds at -0.2 of charge weight and 20 rounds at +0.2 charge weight. I then chrono all 3 loads in 10 shot strings. When chronoing I like to set up a target for each charge weight with a paster for POA at 10 to 12 yards out. I bench shoot the chrono rounds using a rest & aiming at the paster consistently as a reference. After the chrono session is done I set up another target with a paster as a reference for each charge weight and shoot the remaining rounds slow fire freestyle. 20 rounds works well in case the chrono doesn't see a few of the shots. I like to base my chrono data on a 10 round sample per charge weight. When I get home I analyze my chrono data in a spreadsheet I use & compare my targets and go from there. Sometimes its back to the drawing board, some times it tweaking what I discovered. Once in a while by increasing/decreasing the charge a tenth or so the effects on accuracy are amazing. Some groups tighten up, some open up. Once I settle on a load I'll make another 20 or so, chrono again and test fire for groups again. Once I'm satisified I'll either make a production run or just enter the data into my reciepe book for use later on. I compare the data of the base charge weight first. The questions I look to answer for all charge weights are: Did it make the expected PF? How consistent are the velocities? What is the extreme spread & low velocity? If I gave up 8 rounds to chrono at a match would the low velocity make the declared PF? How accurate is it? How does it feel? Disclaimer: I'm by no means a load development/reloading expert but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express during Summer Blast.

+ 1 Great advice! I shoot a M&P 40 in production and found that any load less than 135 PF has had chambering/stove pipe, sluggish slide or won't go to slide lock issues regardless of spring weight - from factory spring to a 13#. YMMV Mike