Lebayer

I find that if I just accept running every round through a gauge, as part of the reloading process, it saves lots of headaches. Some of my friends intentionally practice with un-gauged rounds, in order to practice malfunction clearance but I think it's wise to control every aspect of the shooting experience possible. There will be malfunctions caused by more than bad ammo (although that causes most!). I'm especially fussy about gauging .223 rounds. Of course, I also weigh every AR round; not because I worry about a double charge - can't really happen, given limited case capacity - but because I worry about the 1/2 charge that will blow the gun.

Anybody with a favorite 9mm load for an AR? I have a couple kegs of TiteGroup that I used to use in .40 cal and planned to run about 4g under a 124g MG FMJ, with CCI SR primers. The AR has a 16" barrel. I did a trial load with 5.2g of Longshot and 124g MG JHP. Chrono'd at 1335fps so declared "Major" when doing the local Fun Shoot! I use the Longshot in .38 Super so would rather use up the TiteGroup for the AR.

One minor caution about lubing pistol brass: don't over-lube! I get carried away sometimes, thinking if a little is good, more must be better but sometimes powder sticks to the lube at the top of the case as the flare is being pulled out. Spills a lot more powder than I'd normally get. During one session, I actually dumped the brass out of the feeder, tumbled it - without fresh polish - for a few minutes and reloaded it. There was still enough lube on the cases to allow for smooth loading but not enough to attract powder. BTW, I use Longshot for .38 Super loads.

I load standard 9mm recipes for use in an AR and keep expended brass separate from what I use with 9Major loads for an Open STI. The AR brass will easily go 5-6 reloads without splitting and I never get belts or brass shaving off the sizer die (EGW Lee die). The brass used for Major loads lasts about 3 loads before the bulging and consequent belt creation causes it to fail in the gauge. For many rounds that don't fit - since I'm cheap - I'll sandpaper the bottom of the case, use the round and leave the brass. Every few weeks, I go through a bunch of brass I've been using and discard pieces with belts/ridges. Doubt there is an effective way to avoid this problem, so long as you're running major loads. I've ground down the bottoms of Lee dies, to bring the squeeze as low as possible on the case but eventually, the belt will form. It just forms a fraction of an inch lower. As mentioned, no way to push the case through anything. For all that, I still prefer shooting 9Major, for the usual reason of cheap brass, although if I get 7 or 8 loads from Starline .38 Super brass, there's really no cost difference!

I've used Clays for steel loads, in .38 Super. The load is light: 4.3g, with 124 JHP, and CCI SR primers. I like it much better than full Major loads for steel and it has been 100% reliable, using a 8lb spring in a Shorty format.

Regarding the common need to tune STI mags, you may want to try a Dawson mag tune kit. I happened to get two on a half-price sale, through a local club. Sold one. With a touch of patience, the kit can be used to complete a very precise tune. At $50, it was a great deal and saved me money. At the normal price of $100, the savings are less but if you've lots of mags, probably still worth it. Comes with a video that's very straightforward.

Thought you should know that Saul got back to me right away - impressive - and walked me through a quick solution. Just a little filing and the problem was solved. Draws are now fast and easy, with no loss of security in retention. Takes a little patience when removing material from the inside of the insert but the job went quickly. Thank you again, Saul.

Has anyone tried the Race Master with a Caspian? I've been using a Racer for the past month or so with STI open guns and it works great, although it's really important to tighten the screws more than you think you should! Had my gun flip around a couple of times before I finally got it secure. Can't believe how securely the gun is held and how smoothly it can be drawn. However, back to the first question. I bought a Race Master for my 3 Caspians but the fit is too tight. I went through the recommended process of checking for a pinch in the aluminum holder, sanded the side of the insert block, checked for pin protrusion, etc. but I'm still getting several pounds of resistance to the draw. Very different feel from the Racer although I think the retention mechanism is the same. Sent an email to DAA to see if my problem is an anomaly or if the I need to do a little sanding. Don't want to void the warranty but can't really use the holster as is.

Forgot to mention, that's with 124g MG JHP.

Thanks for the help. I do use Dillon spray lube. I'll try loading with fresher brass and see if that fixes the problem. Normally, with .38 Super, I load until the case splits. With 9M, I may have to go back to tracking number of reloads. I use 7.4g of Longshot, at 1.145" or 7.8g of True Blue, at the same length, in an STI with standard chamber. No other signs of over-pressure.

This thread is about a year old so I may get no readers but the issue is appropriate. I just switched to a Lee U die but it creates a ring about the bottom of the case that often catches in the gauge. I'm getting close to 30% failure rate when I check rounds. Have I run the die down too far. I take it right down to the shell plate on my 650, as I do with my .38 S but should I back it off 1/2 turn to avoid the ridge? Thanks.

Alan, What weight recoil spring are you using with this load? I've run 8, 9, and 10 springs and the heavier spring seems to keep the recoil under control best. The 8lb was pretty wild. Thanks.

At the risk of belaboring several points, let me add some information. When Pat returned the mag, Bill asked me to try it in my two Caspian Open guns. I did that, using MG 124 JHP bullets, with OAL of 1.225-30". The mag worked fine in both guns. I use three other Higher Capacity mags and a Big Stick by Jim Anglin. They all work. I'm sorry that the mag Pat bought isn't working in his pistol; nothing more frustrating than a mag that doesn't work. However, in fairness to Bill, he tried the original mag in several pistols (he owns six Caspian Open guns) and it worked in all of them, as well as in mine, so I suspect it was difficult for him to conclude that the problem was the mag. Lee

You might want to visit the Gans Guns site. Gary Natale has posted lots of useful info regarding the comps he builds and sells. He also talks about finding a proper balance between comp weight and slide weight. Adding a comp on a barrel slows cycling time, so slides are often/usually lightened, say to 10-10.5 oz, from probably 12 or more on your Caspian. I have three Caspians; each with a different comp, one for 9Major, two in .38 Super. They all work well but I've changed comps on the same gun and noticed a difference in how the gun shot, etc. Good luck.

I just finished a 9mm build with Caspian frame and slide. Standard length mags have been working fine, with either Grams springs/followers or Caspian. Getting a big stick to work has been challenging. All of mine - either Higher Capacity or Anglin - use Grams guts. Only one works consistently with 9. I've read that Caspian mags will only run 9 with Caspian followers because "legs" are needed to avoid having the short rounds dive in the mag and jam up. However, I've had rounds dive - loading to 1.145" - with Caspian or Tanfoglio followers as well as with Grams or the legless Tanfoglios from Arredondo. Again, in standard length mags, getting reliability with 9 is pretty straightforward; getting a reliable Big Stick may be harder.

Bob Londrigan at Brazos has always answered my emails. I can't afford one of his guns but I buy slides and parts from him, so I don't feel like I'm abusing his time. The advice his gives is invariably helpful.

I use 170 Caspian mags from Jim Anglin and Bill Sahlberg. No problems with either. I can get 29 in to Bill's but usually don't, out of consideration for my thumb!

Recently rebarreled a wide-body, using an old Schuemann bull barrel with a titanium comp. Works very well and doesn't feel heavier on the swing than another Caspian with standard barrel and EGW comp. I'm a big fan but always disappointed in the quality of mags for .38 Super. Got a mag with a kit and it won't even load without the EGW magwell. The Tanfoglio tubes are - of course - more substantial than the old Springfields but at least I can get those to work, using "modified" Grams springs and followers. I've got Big Sticks from Anglin and Higher Capacity. Both work consistently. Did a complete build that I'm finishing up so I'll be anxious to track progress on the new build!

Excuse the slightly off-topic question but I've built up a 9mm STI in Open configuration with a standard chamber. I want to extend the throat a bit to enable use of longer rounds, probably 1.165 or so. I recall threads addressing the issue of extended throating but my search efforts haven't produced much. Does anyone know how or by how much to adjust the throat or can anyone direct me to the proper thread(s)? I've got a throater from Brownells but want a clear plan before I use it! Thanks.

I'm rebuilding a Caspian Race Gun, in 9 Major, using a Bar-Sto barrel. Do you know if I need to extend the barrel throat a bit, since I'll be loading at an OAL of 1.165"? That length allows use of standard Caspian mags, without spacers. Thanks. Extending the throat in a 9 Major barrel is a good thing as the longer throat will reduce the pressure, but not always needed. Extending the throat is expecially helpful when shooting 115gn bullet major loads. Thanks for the help. I ordered a throater from Brownells today and will wait to test fire until I've extended the throat. Hate to have the bullet into the grooves, with no free-bore. Might have a nasty impact on peak pressure, turning the nice new barrel into wall spackle!

I'm rebuilding a Caspian Race Gun, in 9 Major, using a Bar-Sto barrel. Do you know if I need to extend the barrel throat a bit, since I'll be loading at an OAL of 1.165"? That length allows use of standard Caspian mags, without spacers. Thanks.

I use Longshot (7.5 gr) for .38 Super, using CCI small rifle primers. It's a good combo but - as the next post suggests - going with a Dawson extended firing pin relieves any anxiety about light strikes on the hard CCI primers. Becomes a non-issue.

Or get turned off by recoil, if it's not turned up very high in dim light! Had that happen a couple of times.

Thank you for sharing the site; it's helpful. Did you note that the author lists Federal 200 primers as Small Rifle, with a cup thickness of .019? My Federal SPM primers are also designated 200. Standard Federal SR are 205, with a cup thickness of .020". He states that all Small Pistol primers have a cup thickness of .017. That means that - despite the comment made by the Federal employee in a earlier post - SPM primers are definitely thicker than standard SP primers, although slightly thinner than the 205's. Since the 205s are now available - at high cost - I'll just hold my stash of SPM in reserve but won't worry much about having to use them for .223. My load runs a 55 g MG boattail at about 3k fps.

Since SRP were scarce for awhile, I loaded and shot about 400 rounds of .223, using Federal Mag SP primers, will no visible effects. However, in the last round of posts on this topic, a Fed employee was quoted as warning against such practice. Even though the Mag primers are hotter, they still use the softer cup common to SPP's.