TonyG35

I was getting artificially high/strange results until I started using an umbrella for shade. If that's not it you can try to run some factory ammo and check the results against published numbers for velocity.

I used the Brazos spring with the same kit and it works with no issues. http://www.1911store.com/searspringbcg.aspx

My STI Edge does not like the AA&A .40L. Failure to feeds and poor accuracy. Think what is happening is the bullet gets pushed back a little when hitting the feed ramp. Factory is accurate and runs ok but not 100%. MG bullets with 1.22 OAL runs with no issues.

If you look on-line for the chip'd keys (Ebay is one source) they usually send the directions to program them. Not all cars are the same. Have done this with multiple cars and trucks for a fraction of the cost anyone will charge to do this for you. It's crazy that dealers and other shops get away with charging that kind of money.

I know the feeling on having ammo problems before realizing i need to gage check ammo (IN match) And Kevin, I love how you and I seem to be going through the same thing right now, haha. Im about to start buying my parts to reload for 40 as well. I think I'm going to go the carbide G-RX die route and use it on my single stage press. Corey, I'd wait on that. Load with the Dillon dies first, see what happens. If they don't feed, then spend the money on the GRx die. Otherwise, you are throwing money at at a not yet existent problem. If you are shooting a gun with a tight chamber like an STI and you are using range brass or any kind of unknown brass you will need a U-die. This is a fact. You might get lucky and find a bunch of brass that works fine but eventually it will bite you. The die is cheap so save yourself the trouble of waiting.

Quote from the 3-Gun Nation Facebook page: "Catch our new shows on VERSUS Mondays and Thursdays. 3 all new episodes set to begin airing November 15th, starting with the USPSA Multi-Gun event taking place prior to our championship."

No fitting required but did change the sear spring to a Brazos BCG spring.

Might want to consider a drop in trigger kit. I tried this kit with a 17lb main spring and it works great. Would guess 2-3lbs but have not measured it. http://shootersconne...Speed-P372.aspx

How did it work out at Nationals? R, That's about the only stage that I did well on at Nationals... Came in a little lower than the results posted above 929, 933, 936 for a PF of 168.5 I also did some averages on my powder measure and it came in closer to 4.8gr of TG. Seems to be a good combination so going to stick with it.

The title of Show 7 was USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals, but it was a re-run of SMM3G. I don't think it was your DVR. There was some error somewhere however. Same thing for the Thur. show. Anyone know what is going on?

That would be great if you could actually shoot matches twice once for score and again after the match or the next day for practice but don't know where that would be allowed. Guess it would depend on the range and the club. I agree with using most of your ammo for matches if there is nothing you need to practice with live fire but there are a lot of skills that dry fire will not cover and taking on those skills in a match will not help you learn them. Don't know if I would call them fundamentals but things like how many rounds can you shoot at a 50yd target in 5 sec. and get all hits. Without experimenting with this in practice there is no way to know. There are tons of examples like this where you will only learn in live fire practice. If I had to put a % of rounds per skill level I would guess something like this: (Assumes you have an adequate practice area, Also assumes you shoot at least one match per month) Would be curious to see what everyone else would put as a % estimate. Maybe a poll would be good? Percentage of rounds used for practice D/C - 70-80% B - 40-50% A/M/GM - 20%

My eye doctor had this big ugly set of glasses where he could change the lenses to different prescriptions as I was looking through my sites. I just picked the one I liked the best. My shooting eye was backed off about .25 if I remember right. Then had a pair of Rudy inserts made up like that and one regular so I can use the Rudy's for normal sun glasses as well. He also offered a 30 day trial period. It might be good to ask for this in case the first try doesn't work out.

I built this plate rack using some 2x4's and spinners from https://www.metaltargets.com/ Would you be concerned shooting these at 10 yards with a .40?

The issue with only shooting matches for me is you are in competition mode and you can't really practice skills under those conditions. Your subconscious is doing the shooting and you are along for the ride. In practice you can really work on weaknesses. I find myself making the same mistakes over and over again in matches if I don't figure it out in practice first. It's difficult to miss matches and practice more but I have come to the realization that it's necessary to make performance improvements.

I set this stage up for practice because it covers some of my weaknesses (before reading this thread). Searched for something on this classifier after looking at the HF's. To get into the low 40% range (limited) you need a HF of ~3. I could probably practice this thing for weeks and not get into the 3's. Wish I could see the list of HF's for the classes. Would be interesting to see the bell curve on this one. Still a good setup for long distance, strong, and weak hand practice.

Checked with AA&A. Their .40 long averages at 950 out of a G22. Shot it out of my G35 and got ~970 which is exactly what another member stated they saw out of a G35 at a major match. Based on this I guess my chrono is right on. I didn't think the STI barrel would be faster than the Glock but it looks like it is. Set my loads as close as possible to 4.9gr and getting very consistent results in the 940's. Guess I will see how close I am at Nationals.

The umbrella actually works great because after your done with the chrono you can use it for shade while your loading mags and even shooting. Haven't had a chance to do much in different temps yet. With the 4.8-4.9gr the primers are just starting to flatten. At 5-5.1 they are pretty flat. When you say I can trust the results to you mean absolute results or relative results. I would think that 1000FPS for AA&A is faster than they actually are but maybe not? If I look at the load data below I found on the forum then I believe my results. The only reason I am doubting them is because I have read that the AA&A just barely makes major. John Merricks 180gr Mont. Gold 4.7gr Titegroup 1.200" 948 170.6 (66) Para 5" Bbl Jeffrey Vince-Cruz 180gr Remington FMJ 4.8gr Titegroup 1.200" 948 170.6 (71) STI 6" bull Bbl Sam Gardali 180gr Mont. Gold 4.9gr Titegroup 1.215" 935 168.3 (53) SVI 5" Bbl If you're using shade over the chrono and standing back at 15' like you are, I'd be willing to bet your absolute results are at least reasonable...meaning within the range of error any chrono has. I have zero experience with the AA&A .40 Major, but I've been very impressed with their 9mm and .38SC. 1000fps seems a little fast, but not that much...probably only 25-50fps over what 90% of us are running and that's within the difference you can see with slightly higher temps. How many rounds are you running per string? I've settled on at least two 20-shot strings before I believe what I'm seeing, and then I do that on multiple days with different conditions. Just going off the loads you list, and what I've seen many other folks using your load seems pretty reasonable. Yes, you definitely want to make sure you've got enough bullet pull (neck tension) so setback isn't a concern, but that's not too hard to do. My .40 Major load with N320 slightly flattens primers and I'd bet that most everyone using TG or similar powders is seeing similar flattening. While it's only hiding the symptoms, that's also part of why quite a few folks use SR primers for .40 Major...it's definitely not a low pressure load the way most of us are loading it. R, Thank you for all of the feedback. I am feeling a little better about my results now so will start to run more rounds through the chrono. Typically I run 10 rounds but now that I am close will probably run more as you suggested. Might make one more minor adjustment to stay in the 4.9-5.0gr range. Think I also need to make sure I keep the ammo out of the Sun before I chrono it.

Don't want to turn this into a load data thread but assuming you are using a short OAL close to factory ammo like 1.125. My gun will not feed short OAL's reliably. 1.22 seems to feed the best so need to use more powder. I tried 10ft with my chrono and it seemed to be getting velocities in the 850 FPS range at times so decided to back up to 15' and no longer saw the low readings.

Competely agree with Bart. Very high pressure. There are better alternative powders out there to make major with, and not have the issues with the pressure. Just think, one bullet setback as it noses into the chamber and you have a potential KABOOM if it sets back enough (especially since you are already to the point of flattening primers). While flattening a primer isn't all that much of a concern for me either, I KNOW my bullets won't set back when they chamber. I'm not saying TG is unsafe in 40 major (probably far from it), but I'd keep an eye peeled for overt signs... That is a concern. I guess the reason I started out with TG is because it seems to be a very popular powder for Lim. Major based on what I have read. I might try something else and use the TG for 3-Gun where I can load it to minor.

The umbrella actually works great because after your done with the chrono you can use it for shade while your loading mags and even shooting. Haven't had a chance to do much in different temps yet. With the 4.8-4.9gr the primers are just starting to flatten. At 5-5.1 they are pretty flat. When you say I can trust the results to you mean absolute results or relative results. I would think that 1000FPS for AA&A is faster than they actually are but maybe not? If I look at the load data below I found on the forum then I believe my results. The only reason I am doubting them is because I have read that the AA&A just barely makes major. John Merricks 180gr Mont. Gold 4.7gr Titegroup 1.200” 948 170.6 (66) Para 5” Bbl Jeffrey Vince-Cruz 180gr Remington FMJ 4.8gr Titegroup 1.200” 948 170.6 (71) STI 6” bull Bbl Sam Gardali 180gr Mont. Gold 4.9gr Titegroup 1.215” 935 168.3 (53) SVI 5” Bbl

I don't have a fancy light box setup for my chrono so trying to use other ammo to compare against my re-loads to verify if they will make major. Using the 1.18OAL .40 180gr from Atlanta Arms and Ammo as a base line I was thinking if my loads are as fast or faster than they should make major PF. Today the AA&A were in the 1010 FPS range +/- 20FPS. My re-loads from a STI Edge 5" brl: 4.8-4.9gr TiteGroup, 1.22 OAL, 180gr Montana Gold JHP, Federal Primers. 940 FPS +/- 20FPS Recoil feels similar to the AA&A. If I bump up the powder 1/8th of a turn to ~5.0-5.1gr of TG the load feels too hot and starts to flatten out the primers. Chrono's in the 980-1000FPS range. My normal setup is to put the Chrono under an unbrella ~5ft. off the ground and shoot from ~15ft away. There is no shade where I shoot and it's always sunny. The question is should I trust these results or can the different types of bullets be causing some strange effects at the Chrono?

My First Bench: Note - the Craftsman label was put on upside down by the mfg. not me This bench works well if you want a high bench but does need to be anchored to the wall.

ISMI springs are the way to go. Don't think you need to replace the followers unless they look damaged. It's also a good idea to label your mags so you can keep track of the ones with issues. Carry backups and some extra springs in your range bag.

One thing that would concern me with the triangle is low light conditions. With the crosshairs if you loose the dot you can still see them. Not sure what you would see with the triangle. It's not very often that you can't see the dot but at a covered range on a cloudy day you can't.

Easy to install/trim to fit around the magwell? I'm not very good with delicate procedures. It's not the easiest but really not that hard and they give you three grips so if you mess one up it's not a big deal. The easiest way to go is the non wrap around type of grip tape that comes in panels you just peel and stick but it's not nearly as good as this stuff.