Lebayer

I did, with 7.2g True Blue and OAL of 1.165". Was not at all accurate in my Caspian/KKM. Its use led me to the 124g CMJ which is much more accurate. I've used the 130's in .38 Super from time to time but prefer the 124g JHP in that caliber.

The habit of drop checking brass after sizing is a good one and saves lots of headaches, not to mention lost components - or bullet pulling. I do the same with 9mm Major now and have no issues with the loaded rounds. All my problem children are caught up front. As an aside, for you 9mm Major shooters, when I resize/decap, I actually hold the die in place because it is lower than the threads on the Lee U die will go. It gets the die down .002-003" more and reduces the amount of brass lost to bottom swell.

Tap your handle an extra time and wait two seconds for powder to drop. Should get you into a range of .2. I checked 20 rounds in a row and that was the spread. I prep and re-size brass in a separate process so I don't worry about flinging powder from jerking when sizing a tight case.

7.6g Longshot, SR primer, 124g JHP, OAL=1.225". Very reliable.

The JHP is more accurate in my Caspian 9 but not 100% reliable. I went to CMJ and was barely satisfied with the accuracy but as the gun is breaking in - new KKM barrel - the accuracy is improving and is now roughly equivalent to the JHP and completely reliable. If it doesn't go BANG when you pull the trigger, doesn't matter how accurate a shot it MIGHT have been!

Thank you. Got a case.

Just for info, the .357 Sig bullets are .020" shorter than the standard 124g JHP I use in .38 S. They work fine at 1.225", which feeds like a 1.235" round nose, given the ramp friendly ogive. In 9mm Major, I usually load 124g CMJ to 1.169". With the same depth of seating, I'm at 1.150" but they fed fine, at least for the 40 rounds I loaded.

What's interesting - and impressive - with Montana Gold is that when they have an item in stock, they ship as quickly as they ever did. None of this 4 week wait stuff. And, as an added benefit, the shipping is free through the summer.

Can't believe how fast their limited stock disappears once the red flag goes up! Managed to snag a case of 124g, .357 Sig JHP, that I can use in .38 S. It's a .355 bullet, although the ogive shape is a little different than the "standard" 124g JHP . Anyone tried these bullets for 9mm or .38 Super/Comp?

Haven't tried Silllhouette but will when the market opens a bit. Did develop a load for my Caspian that is surprisingly reliable: 130g MG RN bullets (.356) atop 7.2g of True Blue at an OAL of 1.175". PF of 172.5. Tried hotter and softer but not much difference in muzzle lift. I also tried shorter (1.145 to 1.165") but neither was reliable with Caspian mags, although both work fine in my SV/STI. The 1.175" load in the Caspian, using a 124g MG RN bullet, has about half the accuracy of the 130g bullet. The ogives are quite different, for sure. The 124g have 5" groups at 50 feet; the 130g was half that, from a fairly supported position. Neither shoots as well as the 124g MG JHP (under 2") but have not found the bullet to be reliable in the Caspian although it is VERY reliable in the SV/STI.

I think my scale was off and I was running hotter than normal. I checked drop weights with two other scales, loaded rounds at 7.2, 7.4, 7.6, and 7.8 - checking the weight of each round in the test group - and ended up with lower speeds than I had run the day before. Only the 7.6 and 7.8 loads made major. I did discover remarkable accuracy differences between 124g MG RN and 124 JHP bullets. At 18 yards, I could hold the JHP rounds in a 3" circle, with lots of touching holes for a 10 round group. With the RN bullets, I was out to 6". How about the 115g MG RN bullets? Are they as accurate as the JHP?

Been working on finding a reliable recipe for my Caspian 9Major. Started with a MG 124 JHP, at 1.165", but it wasn't 100% reliable with my mags. So I went a little longer, 1.175" with MG RN bullets and have had no malfunctions. Went out today - at 50 degrees - and ran the ammo through my crono, in preparation for a match next month in Tri-Cities. I averaged 1433, for 10 rounds, with a warm gun. That's 177.67 PF and more than I need. That's with 7.8g of True Blue, at OAL of 1.175". I understand there is an advantage to running more gas for comp efficiency but I'm looking to slow things down and hold around 170 or maybe even slightly less. It's likely to be in the low 60's at the match so don't think temperature will be a big issue but I would appreciate some advice about what is a reasonable target velocity that will provide good comp performance without too much wear and tear on my new gun and on me! Thanks.

I ran Super then switched to Super Comp, on advice of Travis Tomasie, during a class. He mentioned extra drag on the cases caused by the rim on the Super, etc. Since I wanted to shoot like Travis, I switched one of my guns. Well, nobody I shoot with uses Super Comp and I got lots of complaints from people finding my brass mixed with the Super brass being picked up at the indoor range. Since I never had a reliability issue to start with, I switched back! Now there is peace among open shooters at the range, except for the Neanderthal who shoots 9x23! Really, if your gun shoots 100% with Super brass, why change?

There is probably a thread somewhere explaining how to post pics into classifieds but I can't find it. Can someone help me locate so I can finish a posting? Thanks.

I would challenge your 90% figure. While there are a lot of people who use multiple loads, there are also a lot of us who only use one. I use a single load for heavy metal as well as a single load for limited. Smitty also uses a single load as well (a different load mind you, but still just the one), and I am aware of others that use just one load. It is not a matter of being rich, or even fancy, the 52 or 55 grain bullets that I like for limited cost about the same as the 69 grainers that Smitty likes. I challenge the belief that heavy bullets are better for our game, or that the logistical headache of multiple ammo in a match or on a stage is worth the hassle. The whole 55 vs 77 topic has been hammered in the past, and it still seems to come up so it is far from settled. Cheers! Honestly, Shawn, I use two loads -55 MG and 69 Nosler - because I enjoy the reloading! Also, the heavier load does make me feel more confident at over 200 and I'm a touchy, feely guy. Sensitive, like most shooters!

I have a II and I can't see any obstruction but if yours gives you a bright and bloomy dot, I'll have to look more closely. Would much rather have that problem!

Ditto on the Titegroup load of 4g and 1.1 OAL. I use the load in my AR, using small rifle primers. Haven't chrono'd it yet but I suspect it will run over 1300 fps, through a 16" barrel.

Quick question re the Burris FastFire: do you find the dot is too light? I know the brightness is adjusted automatically in response to conditions but - compared with a Dokter or JPoint - my dot is pretty dim, even with a fresh battery. Thanks.

Has anyone tried the Flanigan "Rhythm" model of Mossberg for three gun? Already seems to come with higher capacity and I love the blue stock, although I'd probably change to a pistol grip just for consistency! I expect that the JM model will be more often seen on the circuit but just wonder if the Flanigan model has potential, as well.

Finally sprang for the Giraud. The pain of the high price is relatively short-lived! After a couple years, I hardly feel it and - as you say - it's a great tool. Thought of going in with a couple of others, to share cost and use but when it came time to order, I was the only one left standing. No matter. Have not regretted the purchase!

Have experimented with the 69g Noslers (just great and typically a good price available. At least my first 1000 was about $140.) using TAC, Benchmark, and Varget. Wish I could say that Varget meters as well as the others but it's not true. However, in my guns, it was the most accurate at 200 yards (by about 1/2"). I wanted to settle on TAC but I had 20lbs of Varget so I take the time to "double tap" the handle on the 650 with each round. That has kept me within .2, based on weighing 20 in a row. I'd like to be tighter than that but can't manage it and as long as I can hit targets of normal (!) size out to 400 yards, I'm very happy with Varget. I use Benchmark exclusively with 55g MG bullets. Like the fellow noted above, I can't afford to use Noslers as my primary load. Besides, I enjoy the reloading!

Used an SV Shorty, with 2 barrel holes, and full power loads but didn't like - or couldn't manage - the violence of it. Lightened the recoil spring and downloaded my ammo to about 135PF and used it for steel, with a 16 dot! Great fun.

Almost all my shooting in the winter months is indoors so I don't worry about too much lube attracting dirt. In dirty conditions, I've never found a dry gun to be less affected by grit than a wet one so can't see the advantage. Of course, I clean pistol top-ends after every shoot and between shooting days at a multi-stage match. In multi-gun matches, I'm especially fussy with my SG. It's an 1100 and demands that the mag tube - at least - be kept clean or it won't cycle reliably. In short, a little too much oil in a competition gun is probably always better than too little. Carry gun, maybe a different story.

A method I use is to think in sounds, rather than about target acquisition, aim, squeeze, follow-through, and so forth. When I see an array of targets that are fairly close together, I'm always tempted to double-tap them. Sounds so cool and makes me feel fast. However, since double-tapping is actually slower for me than keeping the gun moving steadily through the targets, I think of the sounds I want to make with the gun, before I start. I try to avoid thinking in dotted or spiked rhythms. Instead, I just think in straight notes, at what ever speed your finger and eyes can deliver. I might be at sixteenth notes or - on a really good day - at thirty-second notes. That forces me to move between targets at the same speed I take between shots. Most of the good shooters I watch achieve the sort of sound I want. It just helps me to think of the sound BEFORE I start shooting.

The only shooter I know who doesn't appear to forget anything come match time is the guy whose Suburban is kept filled with the equivalent of a small retail gun shop. So long as I keep shooting in common calibers with him, I will have no problem, at least with ammo for pistol, rifle, or shotgun. He also always seems to have three extra pair of ear protection, several pairs of safety glasses, at least a case of water, etc. Holsters and belts are more of a risk since he insists on using items last advertised in the first few editions of "Soldier of Fortune". No matter; I have to accept responsibility for some portion of the gear list! It's only fair.