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Newguy

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Everything posted by Newguy

  1. I have a 9mm RIA Tactical. It is a build gun in which I replaced all the MIM internals with tool steel, an STI short trigger, S&A magwell, Briley bushing, Aftec extractor, Dawson .100 front fiber optic sight, G10 grips and Cerakote. The build cost was high even though I already had most of the parts. The cost of rebuilding the RIA would be prohibitive compared to buying an STI or Springfield. But then I wouldn't have had the fun of watching it take shape. Some RIA parts aren't standard, such as the ejector (the holes don't line up with normal ejectors), the sights are Novak style but not milled to true Novak dimensions. Everything else is pretty standard. There were some FTF's at the beginning and for whatever reason it didn't like 147gr reloads at the standard 1.25 OAL. Shortening it helped. I'm still not sure it will end up as reliable as my M&P Pro, but it is a lot of fun to shoot.
  2. Thanks, everyone. It wasn't the RAM after all. I spoke with Apex again and this time they suggested I close the trigger bar loop a little. I closed it a tiny bit and so far it seems to work fine. Put around 20 rounds of rapid fire through the gun and it reset every time. Fingers crossed.
  3. Thanks, Bob. How did you modify the trigger and trigger bar? I'm using the stock return spring on the trigger. Today I had the same problem--this time with the RAM out.
  4. I'm wondering if anyone else has had a problem with the Apex RAM and the trigger not resetting. I have the Apex competition kit--aluminum trigger, sear, striker, RAM and springs. The trigger return spring is the original for a 3 1/2 lb pull. During a match, I thought I might have what Apex calls 'sear flutter' (no striker hit on the primer). I noticed this only happens with double taps/rapd shooting. At first, I thought it might be a one-time occurence, but then it started happening more often. I called Apex and they said it was the sear spring. I wasn't convinced so I started backward by taking out the RAM. The problem was suddenly solved. After sending some photos to Apex, I was sent the 'right' blue RAM spring. Tried it out today and at the 7th or 8th rapid shooting string the same thing happened--no primer strike. Took out the RAM and the gun runs fine. Apex wants me to take the gun apart and photograph most of the internal parts from various angles. I'm not excited about the time and effort this will take. Has anyone had a similar problem with the RAM? If so, how did you resolve it?
  5. Apex competition trigger kit, full length steel guide rod, Dawson .100 170T fiber optic front with factory Novaks, KKM drop-in barrel. The accuracy of the KKM is about the same as my original barrel (not great), at least using 115 gr FMJ rounds. I think seeing a positive gain from an aftermarket barrel depends on the quality of your factory barrel. Some M&P factory barrels seem to shoot fine while others are crap.
  6. If you have it, try installing the original trigger return spring. While it will bring the trigger pull up to 3-3 1/2 lb, it might cure the sear flutter problem. Brownells has it in stock. After using the Apex competition trigger with the factory trigger return spring, I recently installed the lighter Apex competition trigger spring. While it lightened the trigger pull to 2 1/2 lbs, it seemed that the trigger was crisper with the original trigger spring.
  7. A few minutes after posting this, the "new" sear block and spring arrived from Speed Shooter Specialties. This is the second time they sent me the old style sear block with the smaller spring and plunger after I requested the new sear block, which they said they had in stock. Can anyone lead me to where I might find this endangered species? Thanks.
  8. Just got an email from Speed Shooter Specialties that they have the sear block with the larger spring and plunger in stock. I've been shooting the Apex Competition trigger for several months with no sear flutter. I think that either I'm lucky or it is because I left the original trigger spring in place instead of using the Apex lighter spring.
  9. I've never been able to shoot tight groups with the M&P Pro 9mm. I was blaming it on my crap shooting (which it partially is). Two weeks ago I shot my STI with a 9mm Schuemann barrel at 15 or 20 yards and was shooting tight groups with WWB and lead bullets. Same distance, same day and same rounds the M&P holes were all over the place. It wasn't the trigger since it is good after installing the Apex competition kit. Just received a KKM drop-in barrel and I'm curious to see if there will be an improvement. It seems like a mixed bag with some posters seeing a big improvement and others seeing no improvement. The accuracy of an individual M&P 9 seems hit and miss. There must be a reason why the demand is so high that aftermarket barrel makers can't keep M&P 9mm barrels on their shelves. It makes me wonder whether S&W isn't just grabbing parts and getting the guns out of the door as fast as possible. My M&P 9 Pro was built in 2014 and had the old sear block (small spring and plunger) that was discarded years ago.
  10. This spring was the first USPSA match I shot since 2006. After intensively competing--always a poor shooter--I gave it up because it felt like work and stopped being fun. I over-prepared for matches, was tense and edgy, and couldn't wait to see my score. I was always comparing myself to other shooters in my class. Fast forward almost ten years and now I'm back to enjoying the game again and don't even check my scores. Shooting production, I try to get on squads with other shooters who look like they are there to have fun. With my ego out of the game it is becoming a lot more fun, and I don't beat myself up when I shoot badly or even miss some targets. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up shooting better now that I'm more relaxed and less invested in how I perform. A little thing I've noticed.
  11. Hi, I'm in a bit of a quandary in that I have three Aftec extractors that are not in a package. One should be a .45 and the others should be a .40 and 9mm. I'm just not sure how to identify which is which. Two look almost exactly alike while the other is somewhat different. Two are more copper-colored while one is gray. the gray one has the least sharp hook. I also noticed that each of the three has differences in the thickness of the top part (the hook) --one is thinner at the top, the other two are thicker. Any help would be appreciated--a photo, color identification, measurement, etc. Thanks in advance,
  12. The new models of M&P Pro supposedly come with the newe sear block with a large diameter sear spring and plunger. Not all new models come with the new parts (grr!) --mine didn't despite being built in May 2014. Apex says to not use the older smaller diameter sear spring and plunger, but I tried it (couldn't find trhge new sear block and plunger) and after hundreds of rounds I haven't had a dead trigger yet. YMMV.
  13. Some people are missing the point. I'm not bashing S&W because an Apex part doesn't fit, I'm bashing it because they have put an old SHB design into a 2014 gun that was supposed to have the newest parts. Mine is an old SHB that uses the tiny 1/16 diameter spring. Apex sent a sear spring for the newer sear block and it is too big. I know it seems hard to believe, but S&W is apparently dumping old SHB's into new guns. I contacted Apex and they had several calls from people with new M&P's that had old style sear blocks. My point is that when you buy a new product you expect it to have up to date parts.
  14. I just returned to the US after living abroad for a few years. When I left S&W was a great company with excellent customer service. It was a leader in the field. I can't believe what has happened to the company since then. About a month ago I bought an 9mm S&W M&P Pro. The gun was built in 2014 (as per the enclosed shell), which was confirmed when I spoke to S&W customer service. When I stripped the gun down to add an Apex sear, I was surprised to find that it had the old sear block housing with the small spring and plunger. My understanding is that S&W went with the new sear block housing in 2010 because of trigger issues. Anyway, S&W customer service confirmed that the gun was built in 2014 but they claimed it had the new sear block housing. I explained that it had the old housing since the Apex sear spring wouldn't fit. I was willing to send pictures. At first I thought it was a simple mistake in production. I asked for the new sear block housing and, of course, they wouldn't send it to me. I then said I would send in the gun under warranty to have the new sear block housing installed. They refused to replace the part, saying there wasn't a problem with the old sear block housing. Huh? They replaced the part in newer guns because there was a problem, and now they're claiming there isn't a problem. S&W is obviously cleaning out their inventory by dumping their old sear block housings into new guns. This is not the old S&W I knew and respected--one that stood behind their product. Since a buyer won't know whether a new M&P will have the new sear housing, caveat emptor. Had I known S&W would be so disreputable I would have bought a Glock. BTW, it is almost impossible to find the new sear block housing since all the parts houses are out of them.
  15. I agree it's probably mag springs, but I would drop check each bullet into the barrel before I started testing. This will rule out bad reloads, which in my experience, accounts for a lot of feeding problems.
  16. I agree with the other posters in terms of getting the gun built right. I went the way of the home build -- took a .38 super setup and just installed a new 9mm barrel. Lots of headaches along the way. Ejection was a big problem, especially spent shells getting caught up in the scope mount. Brazos tuned ejector helped. Then there was the mag issue. If the rounds are too short they jam in the mag even with spacers. Match bullets especially need to be checked for the proper OAL. I'm not sure whether running hot 9mm loads wears out barrels quicker. My barrel lasted only 10k rounds or so before it stopped making major. Haven't put enough rounds in the new Schuemann barrel to tell how fast it will wear out. Since I have a bad sciatic nerve, not having to bend down to find my brass made the hassles worthwhile.
  17. I'm also a lefty and I grip the gun exactly like you do in the photo. Never had a problem with the brass hitting my thumb. It has hit me in the forehad, though. I agree -- stronger recoil spring and reshaped ejector. Or, just get Bob Londrigan's tuned ejector and pop it in.
  18. Also try Hoffner's http://www.hoffners.com/mag.htm
  19. I definitely noticed my G34 was more accurate after TR's slide lock. Was it pyschological? I don't know, but my groups tightened up.
  20. When my mags don't drop freely there is usually one of two culprits: the sear spring or the trigger bow is rubbing on the mags. Both are easy to check if you know how to disassemble a 1911. Take out the sear spring to see if drops freely. If it still binds remove the trigger and try it.
  21. I had a similar problem with 9mm. Tried everything, including a tuned Brazos extractor, heavier recoil springs, and an Aftec. Turns out the problem was bullet-related. I was using Hornady one-lube and the bullet was slightly tacky. When they were shined up, the problem disappeared. Also, make sure the rounds are not slightly bulged (drop check), which can cause them to bind and stovepipe on the way out.
  22. The Docter on the C-More mount looks like a fly on an elephant. Okay, hyperbole, but I still don't understand why you wouldn't mount it directly into the slide if you want it as low as possible. That would kill three birds with one stone -- low-mounted, it won't get in the way of ejection, and it will make the gun slightly lighter. OTOH, getting pounded by the slide wouldn't help reliability too much. BTW, I thought the Docter wasn't being imported anymore, at least until they found another distributor. I agree with Venry about the C-More being old technology. The biggest thing going for the C-More is reliability, which in red dots, is a BIG PLUS. If I thought the Docter would be as reliable (plus reasonably priced) frame-mounted I'd jump on it.
  23. Mine also broke in the 3 lb range until I installed a 3.5 Lone Wolf disconnector. Didn't cost much but dropped the trigger pull to a consistent 2.5 lb.
  24. Yes, they are legal since they are really notch and post. I have a Steyr and they're a nice gun. The only company that makes true notch and post aftermarket sights for the Steyr are PT Night Sights (in Las Vegas). You can get their night sights or ask them for the sights minus the Tritium -- cheaper and it lets you to paint the front sight a bright color. They'll even install the sights for free if you send them the slide.
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