Newguy

Zalpha, sorry for the confusion, we're now on the right page. Yes, it does come over the front of the mag opening. But, I don't think it would be easy to hang up on the step since the mag is beveled and angled in such a way that it would be hard to do. I've been playing with it for 2 days now (50-60 mag changes) and it still hasn't hung up on the step.

Yes, it does overhang the frame like the S&A well, except more so. It will take Wilson Wilson 8-round mags but they sit pretty deep and are hard to shove in. This mag well is definitely made for 10-round mags. OTOH, take out the set screw and the mag comes off.

Thanks to DougC I ordered a single stack magwell from Pinnacle Guns (Mark Hartshorne). I sent him my ms housing to tap for the set screw. Mark's magwell doesn't require the frame to be cut like the Heinie and is _way_ bigger than the S&A--almost like an STI well. If your frame is already beveled, you can order the model for a beveled mag opening. This magwell blends so well with my Baer frame that it looks like it was hand-fitted. It's also exceptionally well-finished and for $50 it's a great deal, especially compared to the $140 magwell from SVI. Caveat: it's way too big for carry. http://www.pinnacle-guns.com/

For the deluxe model (about $1 more), you can get a small piece of pipe wrap and some duct tape to soften the metal on the joint.

Yesterdy I loaded 1,000 rounds on my 550B and ended up rubbing part of the skin off alongside one of my fingers. It still hurts. I think Dillon uses the ball handle so we'll break down in pain and spend another $30 for the roller handle. Being cheap, I decided to build my own. Really simple--3/8 elbow joint, 4" 3/8 brass nipple, a small piece of 3/4" plastic pipe (for the outside of the handle) and a 3/8 end cap. Cost was $5 and it works great--better leverage and much more comfortable. Now if I could only figure out how to make a homemade case filler.

You don't always have to fit the slide and frame. I slid a Springie long slide on a Baer frame and it works perfectly--at least for the last 5,000 rounds. If I were to get a long slide again, that's the way I'd go. My frame is hard-chromed, checkered, contoured, has an incredible trigger, top notch lockworks and good grips. (It would cost me a mint to do that to a new gun.) If I want to shoot IDPA (perish the thought) I'd just put the Baer slide back on. BTW, I welded up the barrel lugs and the Springe is now as accurate as the Baer.

Doug, have you tried or seen it in person? I looked at the web page and noticed it appears to be held on by a single screw at the base of the magwell. Does the frame need to be cut down like the Heinie? I assume the magwell must be drilled to hold the screw.

ss, according to SVI you need to use their ms housing. I asked them if I could use one ms housing I had lying around (I'd just buy the magwell) and their answer was that it needed to be drilled somehow. Since I've not yet seen the unit, I can't comment on what might need to be done and how.

GM, it does include a mainspring housing, which is driilled to accept the magwell.

I'm thinking about buying the SVI s/s mag well, but I'm hesitating because it's pricey ($140). Anyone have any direct experience with it good or bad? Is it worth the cost over an S&A magwell (half the price)?

Are you sure your chrono results are right? It's a steep jump from a 162 pf with 4.3 gr. TG to a 170 pf with only a .1 gr. difference, especially since there was so little jump from 4.4 to 4.5 gr.

Nate, I have the same problem. Unless I grip hard with my weak hand, the sights don't come back quickly and my groups open up. The relaxed position feels good while I'm shooting but the results aren't there--too many misses. I think the problem involves my wrists breaking as the shots are fired (the relaxed position allows too much wrist movement). I'm experimenting with bowing my arms and turning my elbows out more, which seems to stiffen my wrists and provides more predictable shot placement. It's probably slower, but my hits are more consistent.

In my bumbling way, I have worked on/with various 1911s. The Baer specs seem slightlly different from Colt, Kimber and Springfield. In 1911s, "slight " can make a big difference in how easily aftermarket parts fit. Parts such as triggers (especially SVI) are harder to fit in the Baer since the trigger channel is slightly shorter than other 1911s. My AFTEC extractor dropped into every 1911 except the Baer (no tension). I'm not sure why, but thumb safeties are harder to fit on the Baer (maybe just my sample). The Baer is a great gun, but my feeling is that it best left to factory assembly and parts. I also don't like the squarish front strap. In my experience, Colt is the easiest for fitting aftermarket parts followed by Springfield. Kimbers (and I assume CMC since it uses the same frame and slide as Kimber) can be a little eccentric in their specs. Project guns are easier when you don't have to massage the parts to death to make them fit.

Loaded more than 30k rounds in my 550B with Federal 150 primers and not a single detonation. Lee has some bug about Federal primers and issues warning about using them in their machines. Ironically, my only detonation happened on a Lee progressive.

Okay, time to air dirty laundry. When I first started shooting/reloading I had no mentor or anyone to talk about it with. Bought a Baer and Kimber but they had problems. Just wouldn't chamber all the time. I left them with a smith and paid a lot of money for some tweaking, but the guns just wouldn't run right --they jammed in most matches. What was the problem? Limpwrisitng? Too tight chamber? Nope, it was the A-Merc crap mixed in with my brass. It took me months (and constant smith visits) to figure out the problem. My reaction to A-Merc is VISCERAL.

Rufus, I have the non-Trophy Match longslide. I'm sure the Trophy Match is much better fitted, but mine had an abysmal slide to frame fit--it rattled even when new. The barrel fit wasn't great either. I ended up mating the slide to a Baer frame, welded up the barrel lugs, added an EGW tungsten rod, S&A magwell, fiber optic front, and the gun runs fine with good accuracy. My limited experience with Springfield is that the fit differs a lot from gun to gun.

Intheblack, see my follow-up post on the other thread.

In the black, I probably didn't explain it well. Since I'm a leftie, my strong hand thumb rests on the right side of the safety so I don't care about the left side. When that safety is lower--as with mating a Baer and a Wilson--my palms just mate better and my purchase is more solid. If you're a rightie (like most of the world) mating safeties won't work the same way. In that case, I found the Daly to be the most ocmfortable for my small hands. Hope that explains it better. BTW, I don't really know exactly why the Wilson right side sits lower. This came from (expensive) experimentation with ruined safeties as I tried to learned to install them.

The one downside I've found on a too-short trigger is the tendency to wrap too much of the trigger finger around it (especially in rapid fire) and then steering it to the right (if you're left-handed).

EGW makes a 2-piece 6" tungsten guide rod. They don't stock it as a regular item, so you will have to call and order it. Works great.

TG is the one that leaves the strange burn powder on the brass. Doesn't seem to hurt anything though. With TG at least I always know which brass is mine. Loaded at the same PF (165-170) I don't see much difference between TG and Clays.

My old slow eyes are needing help and I'm at the point of going to red dot sights. I don't want to jump into an open gun--expense-wise--until I have a better feel for whether it's right for me. So, my first slow move is to try a red dot (never used one before). My choice is between a tube (Tasco PDP6), which is a LOT cheaper, or a Docter or JP Sight. If I decide to get into open, I don't want a throwaway sight or a red dot unit that I'll grow out of. I don't want to be penny-wise and pound foolish, since I already have a long trail of stupid gun-related decisions behind me. My question is whether to go with a tube red dot or a smaller Optima (JP) or Dockter sight. My concern with the tube is the possibility of tunnel vision which might end up slowing me down. I'm also not crazy about having to mount the tube on the frame (my slide to frame fit isn't all that tight) and would prefer a sight that fits into the dovetail. I'm open to any and all suggestions. BTW, I'm a low (and slow) C class shooter.

I've also found that the Daly thumb safety is more comfortable for small-handed shooters than Kimber or other safeties. While the high hand position works fine for shooters with average size hands, a high-handed grip for small-handed shooters means that the fleshy parts of the palm don't solidly meet. A lowered thumb safety (like the Daly) puts the strong hand slightly lower which allows it to mate more solidly with the support hand. Even the Ed Brown *thumb rest [generic]* puts the strong hand up a little too high. What has worked for me is to mate two different safeties (I'm left-handed so the dynamics will be different). I use a Baer on the left side and a curved wide Wilson safety on the right. When mated together, the Wilson sits much lower and requires the grip panel to be deeply notched to accomodate it (ain't pretty but it works). It does 2 things -- it allows for a more solid purchase since the palms can solidly press against each other, and it slightly shortens the distance to the trigger.

Carlos, Thanks for the welcome. VV N340 was so bad it left flakes. Titegroup at low velocity is a little sooty but cleans up easily. I've been using Titegroup for a while but am now thinking about Clays--pretty impressed with lower recoil and less noice than TG.

I used N 340 with a 200 gr. SWC at IPSC power factor. Incredibly dirty and left such large flakes that it impeded the operation of the gun. Was a lot cleaner at near-max levels.