matt2ace

I run 1.185 OAL for all my loads through my STI. I get very consistent results for AA7 at 10.2gr (171PF) at this OAL. I have come to prefer longer OAL for 9 major. Loads are un or less compressed and they feed just fine. I have gone as long as 1.19 without any problems.

Ran my first side-by-side comparison of Silhouette (7.7gr), Autocomp (7.2gr), and AA7 (10.2gr). All loads used 124gr MGD CMJ, Wolf SPM primers, 1.185 OAL, and RP once-fired brass. Ran all loads through a CED chrono with IR source. All load come in at 169-171PF through my full lenght Gan's gun. First impression puts AA7 as best for dot movement and feel (softness). Autocomp has stronger recoil feel, but dot movement is very nice (almost equal to AA7) Silhouette, not as snappy as Autocomp, dot movement a bit more than either. In my experience to date, I would say it is a toss-up with AA7 my choice so far. I am going to try AA7 at my next match and continue to compare the 3 powders. Silhouette has been my powder of choice for 3 years, but I have experienced occasional pressure signs (bulged cases) which I have not observed in Autocomp or AA7 to date.

IF you are positive of the violation......"STOP"....DQ! If you are unsure, but suspect a violation......talk to the shooter after the stage is completed, tell them what you think you saw and warn them to be careful/aware. Helping shooters who may be developing unsafe habits should only happen during practice or after the stage is completed. I had one experience a couple of year ago where a new shooter got a post-stage warning from me because I thought he had his finger in the trigger guard during a reload (he claimed not). He also came close to a 180 on that stage which I also warned him about. Next stage. he reloads with finger in trigger guard (this time I was positive) AND turns a 180 at the sametime....DQ!

ACK! Thanks you for sharing this one with us William. I am working on 9 major loads with 3 different powders. Your experience reminded me to put away ALL powders except the one I am loading that day. Glad to have you back on the range.

Glad to hear you were not seriously hurt I had a 9mm major case blow in a similar manner. I my case, it was incorrect (short) OAL that caused pressures to spike blowing out the case. Except for a face full of burnt powder, there was no real damage to me or the gun.

I am doing something very similar with Silhouette (7.8gr), Autocomp (7.2gr), and AA#7(10.2gr) I have not done the blind test yet. My first impression is that Autocomp has the most consistent dot track, but AA7 was the softest. I did try TB but found it had more felt recoil than any of the other powders I am comparing. I am using MGD 124 CMJ with all loads making 169-170PF. I run 1.185 OAL and once-fired RP cases and Wolf SPM primers. I am shooting a Gans built 5 inch gun with no barrel holes. I post my impressions to compare to yours.

I use a soldering iron to heat each screw if they are tight. It's a little slower than using a torch, but it works.

That's one long thumb you must have Bart As a lefty, I don't run into any problems with side-mounts. I only used an upright mount for a few months with my first STI open gun. I have used canted or side-mounts for close to three year now and won't shoot any other setup.

Fun with anodizing I just sent the CCG and adaptor out to get anodized in blue to match the rest of that gun.

Bart, I think the setup below would solve all your problems with a side-mount. Compact form-factor,7min dot, 3 mounting locations, and lense nearly as large as a C-more. I made the adaptor for both Cheely and Quinn mounts. Both mounts allow access to the adjustment screws. The Cheely allows access to the battery tray with the sight mounted in the most forward position, the Quinn does not.

I have and use a Quinn-I and a CCG and I like both. I think the CCG allows easier access to the adjustment screws and may be just a little lighter. I would get another CCG if (when ) I build another gun.

Remind me again why we did not go? Stage 2 looked pretty interesting in the video posted in another thread.

I use my trigger finger to release the mag. I think it is as easy to learn as using the middle finger with the added benefit of keeping it out of the trigger while performing a mag change.

Gary Natale (GANS) is very good, fast, and priced fair for top quality work. Highly recoomended

As I said, my only experience is 9 major. The large difference in case volume and resulting burn dynamics between 9 and 38S/SC could explain the difference in experience. I know people shooting 9 major guns configured with barrel holes who find Silhoutte to be way to dirty. I have witnessed at least one gun that jams from dirt consistently after 125-150 rounds of Silhouette loads making 170PF.

Tim, I can only give you first impressions for AA7 and AutoComp. I have only shot 100-200 rounds with each. AA7 seems to be the softest shooting of the powders with AutoComp and Silhouette about equal. Dot movmeent is very similar for AA7 and AutoComp both being a bit less 'jittery' than Silhouette IMHO. I think AutoComp is the cleanest in my limited experience. I never found Silhouette to be very dirty in my opinion and I think AA7 may be a closer to Silhouette than AutoComp for cleanliness. I am loading up 500-600 rounds of each so I can make a better side-by-side comparision on the range over the next couple of months.

If you're not mounting it on the slide, why not go with a regular C-More? The field of view is much larger, which translates into being able to find the dot faster on the draw. I agree with Chris. The very idea of "mini" is just backward. I'm sorry, but the thought of it dumbfounds me. Would you rather look through a pipe or a straw? Vision drives our shooting. Design should strive for the most field of view we can possible get away with. +1.... That why I am trying the Nikko-Stirling mini. The lense is only 1mm smaller than a C-more. Big field of view in a compact form-factor. I have always wondered why none of the more popular mini mfr did not use a lense the size of a C-more (~30mm). It the compact size of the mini that offers a number of advantages, but the smaller lense size limits the value gained.

Side mounting places the sight much closer to the barrel. Less parallax so you don't have any real offset between dot location and point of impact on close targets. I also find it faster to acquire the dot on the draw.

I just completed work with AutoComp comparing it to AA7 and my current Silhouette load in 9 major. Autocomp easily made major PF. From other postings on this forum, I see no reason that you could not make major in 38S/SC with AutoComp using something very close to the load posted below. All were shot through a 5-inch gun, AET 9x19 barrel, Gans #12 comp (3 up, 2-side) Powder Grains Bul Wt type OAL Case Primer Avg Vel PF AA#7 9.8 124 CMJ MGD 1.185 FP Wolf SPM 1324 164.176 AA#7 10.0 124 CMJ MGD 1.185 FP Wolf SPM 1347 167.028 AA#7 10.2 124 CMJ MGD 1.185 FP Wolf SPM 1367 169.508 Silhouette 7.7 124 CMJ MGD 1.185 FP Wolf SPM 1359 168.516 Win AutoComp 6.4 124 CMJ MGD 1.185 FP Wolf SPM 1242 154.008 Win AutoComp 6.6 124 CMJ MGD 1.185 FP Wolf SPM 1281 158.844 Win AutoComp 7.0 124 CMJ MGD 1.185 FP Wolf SPM 1341 166.284 Win AutoComp 7.2 124 CMJ MGD 1.185 FP Wolf SPM 1360 168.64 Forgive the formatting, I don't seem to be able to get the columns to line up properly

I found the JPoint to be pretty rugged when I used it slide-mounted on an open Glock. I have used a Dr Sight on a frame mount and found it to be a solid sight. I have been playing with a new configuration using a Nikko-Stirling mini red-dot. The sight is similar to the other mini red-dots, but has a permanent weaver base. This would be a disadvantage for a frame mounting in an upright configuration. I came up with an adaptor that makes is very nice for side-mounting using a Cheely mount. You get 3 options for sight location (pix show the farthest back location). The most forward location allows you to access the battery tray without removing the sight from the mount. Weight is slightly less than a C-more on the same mount. I am working on removing some of the metal from the adaptor which should get about 1/2-1 oz of weight reduction. The setup is very compact and eliminates the thumb clearance issues that righties have with side-mounted C-mores. I have not shot it in a match, but it works as well as a C-more in practice. I did change to 2x2016 batteries instead of a 2032 to increase dot brightness.

Yes, I understand the rules about plates not requiring calibration since they must fall. The advantage of hinged plates is that it removes some of the problems encountered with plates. One thing I did find when using plates was to assure that everyone was trained on how to place a plate on whatever base was used. If the plate is positioned at the back edge of the base it is very rare that a hit will spin it, even an edge hit.

My club switched to hinged plates that are checked for calibration just like poppers at the beginning of the match. If the popper was obviously hit, but did not fall, the shooter can (should) request a calibration check. If plate does not fall when checked, they get a reshoot, if it falls, it is scored as a miss.

I was reading the same desciption and had similar thoughts. .....'wow, this thing could clog up real easily with all the gas and powder debris we generate in open guns' I would love to see an x-section of the integral barrel with these gas channels

+1 to all posts above It's about challenging the shooter to something they don't regularly experience. You would be surprise how many people do not practice shooting from a low position.

If you ever plan to go for more than one caliber, the 550 is a better choice. If you can afford it, go for the 650, it's a bit more automated for faster loading. I shoot close to 1000 rounds or more a month and a 550 works fine for me, though I plan on a 1050 purchase later this year.