Newguy

If you're loading a Dillon 650 try to stay away from Remington primers. I had a couple thousand that wouldn't feed well through the primer system.

Apart from the obvious -- reliability, quality and probably dot brightness -- what else separates a 30 mm Tasco ProPoint from the Aimpoint other than price? Is the Aimpoint parallax-free v. parallax in the Tasco?

Rush, you wrote that you replaced the Aftec springs. What did you replace them with?

Dancy, Rescomp will reverse machine it for lefties. The *thumb rest [generic]* costs $51. http://www.rescomp.co.za/rht_pistol_accessories.htm

4-5 meters sounds a little far. What lb. recoil spring are you using? Are you running shok-buffs or a recoilmaster? If you're using either one, try the gun with only a steel guide rod and recoil spring. (I had a similar problem with a shok-buff that wasn't trimmed enough.) If the problem continues, try a heavier recoil spring. Also, on a scoped gun you should be ejecting a little low rather than over the shoulder. If the above doesn't work you might want to try adjusting the contact point on the ejector.

It was supplied with a reverse plug that was not reamed out enough -- the i.d. was too narrow.

It should just drop in. Having said that, I recently got a light RM from Brownells and the recoil plug was out of spec. The guide rod would not go fully through the recoil plug. I had to ream out the muzzle end of the plug to make it fit. (Makes me wonder what's up with STI quality control.) Make sure when fully depressed that the guide rod head touches the spring tunnel will meet the end of the spring tunnel. Also which RM should I be using for 125 pf loads? Light RM for light loads and open guns and which one for 165pf loads? heavy RM for limited guns

I've seen a couple of Glocks set up for open, but all looked like amateur dremel jobs. This is the cleanest open Glock I've ever seen. Really a beautiful job. I've got a friend who's been trying to get his open Glock to eject right and is ready to pull his hair out. Any hints on how you solved the ejection problem?

I also had a problem with the Cominoli -- the guide rod head (IIRC thinner than a normal head) warped. This was on a Briley linkless so I don't know if that problem would apply to other guns. Even the second Cominoli wouldn't run right. No problem using the EGW 2-piece rod.

My perfect red dot scope would be tubed with a 45 mm lens, have an integrated mount (no weaver rails) that uses an Allchin or 3-hole C-More pattern, have a BRIGHT variable dot (4, 8, 12, 16 MOA), use a cheap CR2032 battery, have click adjustments for windage and elevation, 7-11 brightness levels, be bullet-proofed for reliability, have a solid multi-year warranty with a REAL service center, be modular for easy repairs, and weigh about 4 oz (the entire scope and mount should be less than 6 oz.). Price -- <$300. Fantasy mode over.

Probably the best way involves (sort of) trial and error. FIt an STI gumsith trigger to the gun (not too hard) which is long and flat. Start off with the long flat trigger. Some experimenting and a little work with a file or dremel (slowest speed) will shape the trigger to exactly what you want.

I decided to try the alumabuffs after reading this post. For $4.50 what did I have to lose? Shoot 100 rounds with a light STI Recoilmaster then 100 rounds with the alumabuffs. The gun actually felt softer and the dot tracked better with the alumabuffs. Maybe it was just my imagination or maybe it was due to the shorter slide stroke (the buffs are pretty thick). Although it was only 100 rounds, there was no sign of deforming or wear.

Using shok-buffs will short stroke the gun. While 2-3 buffs may make the gun feel softer, it can affect reliability -- the number one concern in getting through a match. If you use buffs, make sure they are trimmed so that they shorter than the guide rod head.

Does anyone know if the subpspring on the light RM is the same as the subspring for the heavy one? I have a heavy RM that I'm thinking of converting to a light one by changing the recoil spring. The 8lb Wolff recoil spring seems to work fine so far (only 200 rounds), but I'm wondering if I'm missing something in terms of the subspring. I'm not necessarily looking for the exact poundage, but whether they feel about the same.

Rhino, you're right about the Leupold-Gilmore and maybe the ADCO (I don't know enough about ADCO quality). But, Leupold discontinued the model (LG-35) and I don't know how they will support it if it needs repair. Monster, the Leupold-Gilmore weighs 5.5 oz and and is 4 1/2" long. That's lighter than the Aimpoint at 6.5 oz. Other than Koenig, I don't know who else uses it on an open gun and I'm not sure why it didn't catch on.

The "new" cheap plastic Tasco's are probably similar to the BSA and I wouldn't be surprised if they were made in the same factory. The dot is more light/medium orange than red and I agree that it's not bright enough in direct sunlight. The old metal Tasco's are much better quality and have a brighter dot. The reason I'm interested in the Nikon is that it seems to be the only tube sight (other than Aimpoint) that may not be junk.

The reason I'm interested in the Nikon is because of the variable dot size and the quality in the Nikon name. I had an Omni with a variable dot size that I really liked but it dropped dead and there's no place to repair it. I won't consider the Hakko since my Omni was made by Hakko. Besides, the Hakko's they're importing only have a 3 MOA. Flex, you're right... it's not a bargain. I'd also consider a PDP5 but they're impossible to find. The Bushnell and the other cheaper stuff won't work since I'm hard on equipment and I want something that will hold up. I'll probably end up with the Aimpoint unless someone can convince me that the Nikon is a quality sight.

Alan, it's an F1 Shooting Chrony. I'll try bumping up to 7.6 which will give me about a 170 pf on my chrono. The only problem is that the primers really flatten out a 7.6 while at 7.4 they have some roundness.

I've been looking at red dot sights and came across the Nikon VDS with an adjustable dot size. Since I can't find one in a local gun store to check out, I'm wondering if anyone has had any experience with them. Specifically, I'm interested in the brightness of the dot and reliability. I'm also wondering if it might be a good alternative to the Aimpoint.

Maybe I should trade in my chrono, even though it's a new replacement. With MG 124 gr. JHP, 1.65 OAL and 7.4 gr. of TB I'm getting a 166.5 pf with little spread. I just chronoed it again last weekend since it didn't make sense looking at what you guys are loading at. Could be the 5" barrel and no ports. I wouldn't think it would make that much difference, but who knows? But then, again, maybe I have a chrono reading low.

STI does not make a special 9mm slide--their slides are .38 super/9mm. SVI slides have an interchangeable breach face. So, the slide should not be a problem. STI barrels for .38/9mm are both .355 (I assume the same is true for SVI and other barrels). You should be able to ream out the barrel for a .38 super since the 9mm is a shorter cartridge. The only thing you _may_ have to change is the extractor (I'd try it first), take the spacers out of the 9mm mags (if they're STI) and buy new followers if the mags are STI. Another option is to buy a second barrel and set it up for .38 super, swap out the comp and see if you like it.

I wouldn't remove it, but I'd keep a backup standard guide rod, plug and a 12 lb spring in my range bag.

Eric, the SV hammer and sear did not "drop" into my gun. In fact, it barely worked at all, which surprised me since I thought they were supposed to be very compatible out of the box. The Koenig hammer and EGW mated up the best. I've used the tri-glide disconnector and can't see a difference one way or another. The titanium sear spring is great once it's adjusted.

Bill, it's a screw-on S-2 comp on a 5" barrel. I don't know how to compare it to other guns since I'm new to open. I have shot a 9mm STI shorty, which I found to harsh and uncomfortable to shoot. What kind of gun (specs) are you loading TB for? My primers were VERY flat at 7.7 gr. (OAL=1.145) and I can't imagine loading 8.1 grs to make a 168 pf. There's a pretty big difference between your loads and mine (which are closer to Caspian's chronoed loads)..

Thanks to Caspian-9major for the advice re: Tru Blu and for giving me a starting point. The powder meters well, is consistent and leaves enough room in the case to minimize spills. My chrono results are obviously different from Caspian and Little Bill since we're shooting two different guns and using different chronos. Gun: STI 5" barrel, STI S-2 comp, NO barrel holes, Limcat XL fp Tru Blu powder, WSR primers, 9mm range brass, 124 gr. MG JHP. 7.7 gr. TB, OAL=1.165 (1375 fps) @ a 170.5 pf. 7.5 gr. TB, OAL=1.65 (1356 fps) @ a 168.1 pf