BBoyle

I get that and it seems like that one is tuned very well to the load and how your grip worked, etc. That is part of the whole combo that goes into the build and tune of it. Slide weight, popple or no popple, chamber sizes and number of them, springs, trigger travel (take up and overtravel), etc. They all contribute to how it works in combo with you to give you an advantage over a stockish iron sight gun. The dot tracking is the most important part of shooting open (or CO/LO now). Not trying to argue at all here, a lot of people just get 1 sight picture and pull the trigger twice......in Open especially - sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. Remember, some people can just about do the same with a limited gun with the vertical movement after the shot. Many years ago, a friend had a limcat (dragon comp I think-had jets that went to in front of the forward baffle wall) that you would see the dot dip down and then recoil upward (result of slide action??). He did pretty good with it and got a Master Card with that gun, I found the tracking a little different with it. The truth is you can learn how to shoot with the timing of the gun as set up, or set the gun up to how you prefer it to shoot. Christian, The para looks great and will not hold you back at all. I hope you find a load that works reliably and then learn the guns abilities and your own. Enjoy the journey and make it your own. My first Open Gun was a Para with a Commander length slide and a short 3 port EGW comp. In some respects that handled better than the SV that replaced it due to its balance and I think the lighter slide.

Been awhile since I have shot open but there is no such thing as a flat shot. You are looking for a predictable and repeatable dot tracking. The bullet is already out of the barrel and the comp already induced downforce, lateral stabilization (force) and also some forward pushing force as well before and as the barrel unlocks and the slide starts its movement rearward. The slide (mass) will get motion to the rear and then suddenly stop and then accelerate forward and then stop again (cushioned a little bit by stripping and chambering a new round). There will always be motion induced by the action of the slide. Playing with springs, shock buffs, etc. can tailor the preferred feeling to the shooter. Start by finding a load that is mechanically reliable (gun functions repeatedly) to the powerfactor you intend to compete in without pressure signs and then have at it. Try a slightly lighter or heavier spring and see how they feel and how the gun functions. Cant help on the 9 Major loads as mine is in 38 SC but 1.160 seems short for the 9 major in a Para or 2011 platform. Do not shoot open backed bullets (traditional FMJs) unless you want to constantly have to clean the lead out of the comp every couple of hundred rounds. I use 124 JHPs after learning the lesson the hard way.

We have all been there at one time or another!

While changing shell plates on a Square Deal I lost the ball bearing for indexing the shell plate. This was Thursday. Made a call to Dillon and spoke with a rep, offered to pay for the part and the shipping since I was the one that wasn't paying attention, and was politely told that they would take care of it and not to worry. Come Monday I have an early Christmas Gift that arrived in the mail! Got to love their customer service! Brian

I do not understand why you would be concerned with the class system with the amount of money that is laid out to attend a major. Just to say you were the top "b" "c" or "a" class shooter? Whatever you would get as a prize would come nowhere near what the cost of traveling and participating in a major. Most competitors are concerned with how they did against the big dogs, who they do not get many chances to shoot against, and just for the fun and excitement of shooting a major with people from all over the world.

I also have one on my build. Gun stays flat with my loads and standard varmint loads but goes down very slightly with xm193. Rounds stay close enough at 25 yards but are a spread a little at distance while shooting unsupported but still stay within my hand spread at 50. Hand placement makes a difference with the 193s. I am not running an adjustable gas block and have a stock single action trigger with the jp enhanced springs that improved the pull weight but not the creepy feel and long pull and reset. Overall I am happy with the comp and think it is one of the best looking comps out there. Brian

I have an Odin 18 inch 3gun barrel. It is very accurate with my vmax reloads(.65 for 5 rounds) and sub moa with my hornady 55 fmj. Xm193 shoots decent out of it but I get random fliers that open it up to 1.5-2 inches on average.

I believe the 3500 for end is longer. I know the stock tube on a 3500 holds 5 2.75 inch shells while I believe the 3000 only holds 4 with the plug removed.

Thats already been done, probably not like MOA would do it but i sanded it and took a dremel polishing wheel to it as well. I also ran 5 boxes for practice last tuesday. I had 1 fail to feed with the fed top gun. Put more oil on thebolt and ran the rest without issue. It seems like it is breaking in and getting better.

Shot it again today in my first 3 gun match and she was problem free. I was using win AA 1 &1/8 that says it goes 1300 fps. It kicks a little more than what i used previously. I was glad to have a problem free match with the shotgun, the pistol and rifle were another story.

I use to go there but it just made me horny!

My attempt at opening the loading port an a comparison of the size of it with a 2&3/4 inch shell. Brian

Never did put the recoil reducer in it and never tried with it in there. Next time I take it out of the safe I will try and take pics and figure out how to post them.

The loading port is nice on it. I opened it up a little and polished it and don't have any trouble dropping deuces or quads. Pm me your email and I will send pictures. I don't think I can post them.

Stoeger recommended continuing to break the gun on by firing it and he also said it is not just a dram thing but he also feels it is a velocity issue as well. I have shot 1 oz loads that were at or over 1300fps and they do seem to work very well. They would not send me a spring for a 3000 and recommended against it. I will definitely try it though or get a spare 3500 spring and cut it down a little and see if that works. 2 fails to feed with 3 boxes isn't that bad and if that is the worst that it is I would say I can live with it. I am just hoping to get her to be 100%. I have another match this Sunday and hope to get 100 or so more rounds through it before than. Brian