All-Gator

Just a historical note in passing: The only reason for the development of the 9x21 was that Italian citizens could not have in pistol chambered in a designated military cartridge (ie, 9x19.) Ain't bureaucratic thinking grand! Now, the 9x23 is a whole different animal. A-G

There have been several threads on the use of Clays with 147's: Most seem to think it is too fast and prone to "Kabooms." However, I have used it for years in a CZ85 and a Glock with absolutely no problems. 3.1/3.2 grains behind a Zero 147 JHP produces a PF of about 130/135 and has incredibly soft recoil. At least try it. A-G

Just some general comments...not on "how to do it." Chirpy, the vast majority of shooters I've watched seem to favor turning clockwise (for right handed shooters). The usual reason they give is that turning in that direction helps them to not prematurely draw while still facing uprange. And that does seem to make sense. Personally, I turn counter-clockwise (ie, turn into the pistol) primarily because of previous tactical training. That is, you don't expose your weapon to an "opponent" behind you until you have completed your draw. (Sounds like the IDPA crowd can relate to this.) I've practiced both directions and have never found that it made much difference in terms of time. However, I would emphasize that the most important thing is "snapping" your head around to the target. As far as the movement of the feet, it's pretty much the same as doing a military about face. So, there's a little how-to. A-G

I use a Casepro on 9 major brass. My 650 has a Dillon resizing die and a Lee Factory Crimp die...which is basically a second resizing die. It does make the resizing smoother on both the upstroke pushing the brass in and particularly on the downstroke pulling the brass out. I don't use OneShot or any other lub. Of equal importance for me is that the extraction groove and the base are reformed and most of the nicks are eliminated. A-G

Just have a gunsmith run a 9x23 finish reamer into the .38 chamber to widen the base. The chamber lengths are identical. Easiest and cheapist way to make the change. A-G

+1 to Singlestack's comment. The brain is an amazing organ...it combines the disance/near focus discrepancy with no difficulty into one image. However, I do have a shooting buddy who said that he could not tolerate the setup as it (for whatever reason) made him dizzy. A-G

Years back...and do mean years back...I tried one. The idea was to release the mag with the trigger finger: Thus not requiring a shift of the shooting hand. It didn't work out for me...too much interference with the muscle memory. I've got no idea if it would be good or bad for a leftie. A-G

Lugnut, I understand. My question is why do people single out Clays as being dangerous? Other powders of the same burn rate don't seem to be the object of such warnings. My comments about different primers was only to cite that primers of different hardness didn't produce signs of (over) pressure...even the very soft Federals. A-G

Over the years (many) I've used the Clays/heavy bullet combination in .45, .40, and 9mm. I've used WSR (my preference), WSP, CCI, Wolf, snd even some Federal primers. I've never had a "Kaboom," never had flattened primers, never had cratering, etc. What exactly is it that generates the prediction of dire consequences if one uses Clays? As far as I can tell the burn rate is pretty much the same as Bullseye and VV320...and noone seems to object to them? Inquiring minds want to know. BTW, not being a smartass...but really want to kow why? A-G

3.1 gr of Clays 147 gr Zero JHP WSP primer OAL 1.118 Lee Factory Crimp die mixed range brass CZ 85 pistol This load produces an average of 918 fps and, thus, a PF of about 135. The spread was acceptable, but I don't remember the SD or hi/lo. I shot it over my low-end chrono and my bench rest shooting buddy's very expensive chrono setup and I trust the data...no difference. I upped the load to 3.2 "just because," but never put that through the Chrono. The only problem I've encountered is that the report sounds like a mouse fart, and I get all these "that ain't legal" looks from the squad. Yeah, it's hot here in Georgia. A-G

Scott, Sorry, I don't have that info...but the MD would have it. A=G

Last Sunday's match at Cool Springs (GA) included a stage which was actually an IPSC classifier. It included a string (one of three) beginning with picking up a loaded pistol from a table with the weak hand...no use of the strong hand was allowed, ie, you couldn't pick it up with the strong hand and shift it to the weak hand. Some discussion insued about whether this was a violation of not requiring a draw with the weak hand. After a bit, a "what the hell" attitude prevaled and the task was shot by all without incident. Any opinions about the USPSA legality of such a requirement? A-G

PM sent

8082011, Thanks A-G

Sperman, Thanks. That would, indeed, be the simplest and most economical thing to do. But I'll also be narrowing the front sight blade to .060. I shot (iron sight) bullseye for years and wanted a blade that almost filled the rear sight notch. But, in this game I found that a blade approximately 1/3 the width of the rear sight notch was better (for me) for two reasons. One, you don't need the precision for three-inch groups at 50 yards; and, two, it's better to see more of the target. I find that fiber optic sights are too wide...and I still focus on the sights and the dots just seem to confuse me. Maybe I just don't know the correct technique. Or whatever. A-G

I want to replace a Fiber Optic front sight with a plain post front sight. Has anyone kept thier front sight after replacing it with a FO? And is willing to part with it...for fair compensation. The tactical rear sight requires a 6.5mm height (I think.) A-G

A great big thanks to all!! A-G

Berreta extension, huh. Thanks for the info. A-G

After years of shooting STI/SV pistols I am trying a CA75 SAO in Limited. So, I'm a newbie to CZ. What is the best way to increase the capacity of the 12-round mags to a full-length 140mm? Extensions? Buy 19-round 9mm mags and modify the lips? How many more rounds can I anticipate? No, I don't want to buy a TS...I want the small frame. Creativity of solutions will be rewarded...with praise, that is. Thanks A-G

Damn...can't resist adding my two cents. I shot Bullseye with some degree of competency (2600 shooter.) I would look at his complaint a little differently. If a shooter is consistently pushing the pistol in anticipation of the recoil,(s)he will hit high and right. What we called "heeling" the gun. If (s)he is hitting consistently low...and usually left..., it was because of jerking the trigger, ie, seeing the "perfect" sight picture/alignment and saying/thinking "make it go off NOW!" So, my analysis of the basic problem would be different. Several other comments: (1) It was taught that "the tighter the grip, the tighter the group." (2) Ball and dummy exercise was the method used to gain better trigger control (3) Learning to accept some degree of a "wobble zone" also was needed to gain better trigger control (4) There are probably other comments but at my age I can't remember all the material in a long thread. A-G Oh yeah, "flinching." It was found that the most signicant variable in flinching was the noise rather than the actual mechanical recoil. So, better ear muffs often helped in that area.

The Aftec's I used were the 9mm model, but were "tuned" by a local Atlanta gunsmith (Rusty Kidd...who actually is the inventor of the Aftec). The "tuning" was nothing much more than breaking the edges, radiusing the lower edge of the hook, and polishing.

For years my open pistols were chambered for 9x23 with a .38 breechface. They would chamber, extract (Aftec extractor), and eject 9x23's, .38 Supercomp, and .38 Supers. Even when mixed in the same mag. The length of all of these cases is identical, so no problems about head spacing.

Torogi, There is one vast difference in shooting an open pistol and a limited pistol: You no longer pay attention to sight alignment (ie, where is the dot in the glass)or even sight picture. You must focus on the target...and superimpose the dot on the target. This obviously is the absolute opposite of shooting with iron sights. An excellent learning exercise is to put tape over the outside of the optic's lens. This blocks your ability to see through the lens. If you see the dot and don't see the target you are looking at the dot. WRONG! If you continue to see the target and the dot superimposes on the target, you are looking downrange at the target. RIGHT! Until you master this difference, you really won't fully experience the wonders of the dark side. A-G

Another brand which may meet your needs is Zero bullets. However, availability has been a recent issue.