jnikoley

One note on the technique: when the round goes in the ejection port, all you are doing is pressing it down against the carrier, just as a round would be if it came out the magazine tube. You should hear a "click", which is the sound of the carrier release disengaging. So long as you are holding the round down, there's no way the bolt can move forward, because the carrier must also come up at the same time the bolt moves forward. If you hear the "click", and then remove your finger from the top of the round, and the bolt stays back, the bolt just needs some "encouragement", and when you push up on the carrier with the next round(s) to be loaded in the magazine, it should go forward. My bolt only stays back like that when I do the drill in slow motion. When done correctly, it looks exactly like loading a Remy 1100 from the open bolt, and a person watching you wouldn't even notice you did anything but "drop" a round in the ejection port, even though you are pushing it down with the middle finger. I'll make a video and see if I can figure out how to post it. Check back later tonight. Here's the link:

Stumbled onto a technique to load a benelli M2 from the open bolt. It eliminates the need to press the carrier release button. This technique may also come in handy if you ever lose/break a carrier release button in the middle of a stage. Here's what you do: 1) When the gun goes to open bolt (empty), grab 3-4 shells off your belt strong or weak hand, as you normally would. 2) The first round will go into the ejection port as normal, however, instead of simply dropping it in, press it back (towards the bolt), and down. The base of the shell will push against the carrier latch. (The next parts important) 3) QUICKLY move your fingers out of the way, and the bolt will close, automatically. 4) Load your remaining 2-3 rds as normal. I believe this technique may be faster, as it is all done in one smooth motion when you drop in a shell and press it in, completely by-passing the release button. I recommend you try it first with one round from open bolt. By the way, I have not yet pinched or hurt any fingers trying this, but if you try it for your self, use caution, and try at own risk. Edit: here's a video tutorial of the procedure: -If you can't link to the above, copy and paste the following into your browser (no quotes): "

This was your mistake. NEVER USE LOCTITE ON PLASTIC. It will cause it to embrittle and break. Loctite is not needed in this application anyway. Live and learn, I guess. I wouldn't have thought it would be a problem as my gunsmith uses locktite to secure the grip to frame screws on all the STI pistols he builds. I have also used locktite in this way with never a problem. BTW, I didn't mention that I was only 2 minutes into the installation when everything crumbled apart. Could locktite react with the plastic that quickly? Just curious.....

From all the great reviews above, I would have to assume mine was defective......???? I can't recommend this component for any reason. Once I tightened the screws the whole assembly cracked at all corners and fractured like glass. I did not feel like I over tightened the screws. I did use blue lock tite, and perhaps there was a chemical reaction between the lock tite and the plastic. In any case, the plastic crumbled like loosely held together sawdust. I'm sending it back. I have the original pmag coupler from nordic and it works great, and highly recommend that version.

If you want to adjust the amount of gas, why not go with an adjustable gas block like the PRI, Firebird, or JP?

I use a Meopta 1-4x variable. I bought it out of necessity. Without it, there's no way I could see/hit the longer range targets. Before I got the Meopta, I used a red dot co-witnessed with irons. I used the red dot for the close stuff, and the irons for the long stuff. It worked really well, unless the targets were 200+ yards. With the trend to put targets out so far, a lot of us "need" magnified optics. I suppose, I would be forced to go "open" if USPSA adopts this rule. I would prefer they leave well enough alone, or I will have to buy a new pistol, and shotgun that are also open, just for USPSA. I hate to say it, but I would probably "opt out" of USPSA before I do that.

I voted for the 300 yard & less option, and despite the wording in the vote options, I agree with it 100%. I also agree with Trapr that different skill sets will be set apart by times, regardless of range. I know we aren't shooting "military" rifles, but 90% + of the rifles used are based on the AR-15/M-16, and there isn't an off the shelf (from your local gun store) AR-15, & factory ammo combination that could compete fairly with a highly modified 1/2 M.O.A. rifle with custom ammo at long range. We need to attract new shooters that can use equipment that is readily available, and be competitive with it. If 50% + shooters are going overtime, or could have earned a better or similar score by bypassing targets, then the targets are too far. I think it would be ok from time to time to place targets beyond 300, but not 8-12" inch plates, only full size targets (19" dia. plate, or IPSC metric size), and never beyond 600 yards.

In my initial research (google), I did not hit on, and was un-aware that Both the JP CTR-02, and Firebird Precision's receivers were machined from billet, but as I have now been educated, I now know better (both are billet). I spoke with Jim (Firebird), and he had many wise words for me. The advise given to me on this board has also helped me immensely. With my new-found knowledge, I can now confidently state my OWN opinion of which billet upper is the best, and obviously it has to come down to either JP or Firebird. First, I have to say, I just placed an order for a JP CTR-02 upper receiver, however, I have to give the nod for the best to Firebird. This is because I believe that the Firebird millet upper addresses the one weak point of a billet (or any other) upper, and that is that the Firebird upper has more 7075 above the charging handle. So.. why, you may ask, I purchased the JP? I picked the CTR-02 because it's in stock, and that you can't go wrong JP or Firebird, they are both top rate, and support our sport. Although Firebird gets my vote for the best, Jim's operation is much smaller than JP's and combined with the high demand for his product, I may have to wait longer than I prefer to get my greedy hands on the Firebird. JP also makes an excellent product, and both JP and Firebird support 3-gun heavily, and I consider that to be very important when considering a purchase. If you ever meet a sponsor of our sport, thank them, and remember them when you make a purchase. Those who support our sport often take away from their own bottom line due to their dedication to 3-gun even though the quality of their products can easily stand on their own. Two such sponsors are JP and Firebird. Thank you John Paul and Jim Lambert! -Jason Nikoley

I haven't seen any billet offerings from them, and at this point, I'm leaning toward billet due to the fact that most of them are thicker/beefier designs. I hold the belief that a stronger upper will provide a more "solid" relationship between the barrel, receiver, and scope (although It's probably overkill). I don't hold the belief that the upper/lower need to be "solid", I just don't see how that could affect accuracy, although I want whatever upper I pick to match up nicely with little to no gap between the upper and my JP lower (for aesthetics). I know JP and Firebird make good products and support our sport, and that's why I ordered the Lothar barrel from Jim (Firebird), and am putting on a JP Cooley comp and JP gas block on my new build. If I do buy a forged upper, I'll definitely consider them. I don't know if Firebird has any available but they do make a billet upper and lower. They are badass so I would recomend giving him a call or email. Thanks, I called him, and will ask about it when he calls me back. The Firebird billet receivers were done in a very limited run. Jim did the first run in sets so I doubt you'll find any uppers for sale. Jim has talked about doing a run of uppers but right now I think he is concentrating on Saigas. JP sells the CTR-02 uppers I think it would be hard to go wrong there. Thanks Jason. I'm in no hurry right now, so I'll check the Firebird board from time to time. Good shooting with you, btw. Hopefully you can make it down to Texas some time. Take care.

Jason, you'd be just as well off by simply adding a Firebird FPX upper to your existing order with Jim and letting him install the barrel for you.... If you remember our squad at RM3G, some of us ran Firebird products with great success. This upper will mate up nicely to the lower you plucked from the prize table, and keep some weight off the rifle vs a somewhat thicker billet upper. Thanks Ken. By no means am I set on a billet upper, just doing my homework in advance. My eventual upper purchase will be some time off, so for now at least, I'll have to install the new barrel in my RRA upper, which by itself is a pretty easy task. Whenever I am ready for the new build, I'll definitely want to send in the lower with my barrel and upper to some one of Jim's expertise.

Thanks, I'm already decided on 7075 over 6061, as to weather billet or forging is "better", there are so many different opinions, I'd rather leave that topic out of this thread. I'm interested in knowing which billet receivers are known to be good among the three gun crowd, as there are so many out there I haven't heard of. I really don't have a preference over forging or billet, just curious.

I'm not familiar with Extrusion as to how it would compare in strength to a machined billet upper, or a forged one, so although it's a little off topic, can any one familiar with metallurgy offer an opinion as to which process would be better regarding strength/rigidity? Before I consider price, I want to narrow it down by what is the best/strongest. BTW, I did e-mail JP, and believe you are probably right with all the back orders they have to fill for complete rifles. I'll give JP a call though. It never hurts to ask. Thanks EDIT: Please disregard my question about extrusion vs. forging, vs. billet. My question was off topic, and I'd rather stay on topic. My apologies.

Interesting design, it looks like something HR Geiger (designer of the Alien from movie "Alien") would have designed. Looks cool, however, I only saw a lower receiver offered from them. We could probably devote an entire thread about lowers.... I noticed they mentioned they will be coming out with an upper, perhaps I should keep an eye on the site.

Thanks, Rich. I like the design of the TKS/Sun Devil (the ones with the case deflector), the only thing is that they are both 6061, and everything I've researched suggests 7075 is stronger, so I'm leaning more toward the VLTOR MUR, or Larue among the billet offerings.

I haven't seen any billet offerings from them, and at this point, I'm leaning toward billet due to the fact that most of them are thicker/beefier designs. I hold the belief that a stronger upper will provide a more "solid" relationship between the barrel, receiver, and scope (although It's probably overkill). I don't hold the belief that the upper/lower need to be "solid", I just don't see how that could affect accuracy, although I want whatever upper I pick to match up nicely with little to no gap between the upper and my JP lower (for aesthetics). I know JP and Firebird make good products and support our sport, and that's why I ordered the Lothar barrel from Jim (Firebird), and am putting on a JP Cooley comp and JP gas block on my new build. If I do buy a forged upper, I'll definitely consider them. I don't know if Firebird has any available but they do make a billet upper and lower. They are badass so I would recomend giving him a call or email. Thanks, I called him, and will ask about it when he calls me back.

I haven't seen any billet offerings from them, and at this point, I'm leaning toward billet due to the fact that most of them are thicker/beefier designs. I hold the belief that a stronger upper will provide a more "solid" relationship between the barrel, receiver, and scope (although It's probably overkill). I don't hold the belief that the upper/lower need to be "solid", I just don't see how that could affect accuracy, although I want whatever upper I pick to match up nicely with little to no gap between the upper and my JP lower (for aesthetics). I know JP and Firebird make good products and support our sport, and that's why I ordered the Lothar barrel from Jim (Firebird), and am putting on a JP Cooley comp and JP gas block on my new build. If I do buy a forged upper, I'll definitely consider them.

I recently picked up a JP-15 lower receiver from the RM3G prize table, and have almost enough "spare parts" from my current AR rifle to build a new one. I will need an upper receiver, and am leaning towards a billet upper to pair with an 18" Firebird Walther/Lothar barrel. I have found that there are many different billet uppers to choose from, so I need some help figuring out which one to pick. Here's a list of the billet uppers (google search) I have found so far: Larue Stealth 7075 billet A3 upper, $275, http://stores.homestead.com/Laruetactical/Detail.bok?no=56 VLTOR MUR 7075 billet A4 upper, $199-229, http://www.vltor.com/mur.htm Sun Devil 6061 billet upper, $170-220, http://www.sundevilmfg.com/products.php Alexander Arms 7075 billet upper kit w/bolt carrier, $325, http://www.alexanderarms.com/siteshopper.h...=15&item=80 SI Defense A4, 7075 or 7050 billet upper, 7075 - $275, 7050 - $475, http://shop.si-defense.com/SI_Defense_AR_1...%20ar-15-a3.htm, http://www.sonju.net/photogallery.html Black Rain Ordnance 7075 A4 billet upper, $???, http://blackrainordnance.com/wordpress/?page_id=7 Thanks

Thanks for the diagram! Comparing it to AlamoShooter's post, it matches up with his except for the bottom bar. He basically describes it as being the same dimensions as you show for the left/right horizontal bars (vs. slightly longer as in your diagram). I'm not sure which is correct though?? I also thought they were the same until I photographed the reticle. I then copied the photo into power point and scaled it up. This is also how I came up with all the other dimensions.

I made up the following reticle dimensions from my own measurements. I believe them to be accurate, but if anyone finds errors, let me know. Reticle_dimensions_in_MOA.pdf

Thanks, I appreciate it. I will! (but really hope I won't have to).

I've had the same thing plaguing me for the last year... Did Benny do anything different in your set up, or just his standard set up?

I'm having a new trigger job done, with a new gunsmith, all new parts, and no break-away angle on the sear for more engagement area, but I hadn't thought of the hammer strut being a problem, so I asked my new smith to check it out. The current strut is Ti, but I doubt I have put enough rounds through the gun for the pin hole to have ovaled. The previous smith checked the hammer pin/hole, and sear pin/hole geometry to be sure they were in spec. To be on the safe side, I'm putting in new pins. I was able to demonstrate to my new smith how I can "bump fire" my gun on command, but couldn't do it with his gun, so I'm hoping he can get mine fixed. I do use a softer/relaxed grip when I speed up, although I've been told I use a "death grip", I do relax in order to go fast on the close ones. The grip screws were all tight and locktited. I'll post again if it's fixed, but I'll need to put a couple thousand rounds through it first. Thanks for the suggestions, they have often made me think in a direction I wouldn't have...

I would, but right now I'm in Colorado and have a big match comming up. I will have the local pistol guru here install some parts for me to my specifications. Hopefully it will fix the problem. I will most likely run into Benny at the RM3G, and if it isn't fixed by then, I'll definitely give it to him. Thanks,

I've been dealing with this same problem for the last year with my STI eagle. I have taken it back to the gunsmith 5 times. All the guts were changed numerous times, and with different combinations of pats. I still have problems with this gun, but believe I may know what is causing my problem with hammer follow. I believe what is happening is that as I am releasing the trigger, the action of the slide closing causes the gun to be pushed forward into my trigger finger. I was never able to make the hammer follow happen on command, it was always random, but only on close hoser targets. I can now "make" the hammer follow during dry cycling, by cycling the slide while maintaining light trigger pressure. When the slide closes, and the gun dips, the hammer drops to half cock. It only works if my strong hand is relaxed, as it would be if I were doing splits in the .11-.15 range. In re-searching this problem I found a reply on Rob Leatham's Blog that was helpful: http://www.robleatham.com/answers040602.htm Rob explains in his reply exactly the experience I seem to be having. I will try Rob's recommended fix. If it works, I'll let you know. I suspect that the cause of your problem may be the same as mine. Jason

Seth here ran into a problem like that. Turns out something was wrong with the grip....can't recall the details. Nobody, even top-notch guys, could figure it out. He sent it back to STI and they found the problem. New grip and all was well if my memory is correct. Thanks, I had my smith spec the frame to be sure. This problem has stumped us both, but I think (hope) I now know the cause of my problem. I believe it is a bio-mechanical (me and the gun) problem. As I let off the trigger, the slide closing causes the gun to dip, pushing the trigger into my finger while the gun is slightly out of battery and causing the hammer to follow to half cock, and sometimes to double, but mostyl (95%) to half cock. I found a reply on Rob Leatham's site that suggests what I need to do is to get a good trigger job without a relief cut on the sear. I believe this will solve my problem. I'll follow up if it works. Thanks, Jason.