2MoreChains
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Posts posted by 2MoreChains
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My wife is shooting SS Div in .40 We tried a few different brands of mags, and ended up with Tripp Cobramags.
http://www.trippresearch.com/CVS/products/1911/1911.html
So far so good. Had to bend the follower a tad on two of them, but perfecto since then. Well deserved reputation, I would say.
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The gunrighter is write! I spent a lot of time this past week dry firing and concentrating mainly on my grip. The practice showed at yesterday's SC match. I was getting good hits with some of my fastest ever times. "Smoke and Hope" (or was it Hope and Smoke?) was my best, and the most fun.
The long distance stage was my worse. I know what I need to work on!
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Not sure what your definition of 'purty' is, but a 5" Kimber TLE II (blued) is what I'm using for SS Div right now. Its been a solid performer since I started (OK, that was only in Sept) but I have no reason to expect the gun to go Tango-Uniform on me. I changed out the springs to match my ammo, added an arched S&A magwell, and will soon have a set of LA Davidson grips on it when Larry can make them up for me. That's my def'n of PURTY! (or is it function?)
Not sure what TLE's are selling for now, but I would guess somewhere in the $800-900 range. I chose the TLE because it had the front strap checkering and 3-dot night sights (my preference for sights, and IMO the FS checkering is a must for .45 acp).
That said, I'm thinking that sometime in the next 6 mos, I'll be investing in a STI Trojan and set that up as my primary SS Div gun. I'll probably go through Dawson Precision or Brazos and get them to put on the narrowest fiber optic sight I can find (and maybe a trigger job). I'm not so sure about the front strap stippling on the Trojan (ribbed for pleasure???), but probably something that skate tape can fix. Check out their websites. Good for drooling, but I heard they raised their prices a little after the 1st.
The Kimber will be relegated to the bedside and CCW, and I'll return the springs to 16/21 lbs. But it can also be a back-up SS Div gun.
Happy hunting!
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I'm probably in the minority here, but like you and Blueridge I'm using a single stage press. Mine is a Hornady that bought back in the early 90's. Between my wife and I we are probably shooting somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000-1,200 rnds a month at various USPSA and SC matches. I'm .45, and she is .40, and it's manageable.
I reload in batches kind of like you are describing. I break my reloading down into two sessions (three, if you count cleaning). After tumbling the brass, I run them through the deprimer/resizer die, then bell and prime. I've never timed myself, but I can prep a fair amount of brass in an hour. The prepped brass gets stored in a nut jar until we need loaded ammo.
Sometime later in the week I'll sit down for a couple of hours and charge cases and seat the bullets. I've found that I can get about 150 rnds done in an hour, which is a far cry from a progressive, but like I said above, it's manageable. I like reloading (relaxing), and I can usually find an hour or two in the evenings during the week to get it done (ie when there is nothing on TV). I do have a healthy supply of ammo loaded up in case I get busy during the week, but I try to stay with it to avoid getting backlogged.
Will I upgrade to a progressive? Dunno. This is my first year of competitive shooting. I think it's more a question if I find myself 'struggling' to keep us loaded in ammo. If I can't manage, I'll start looking at a progressive. If things stay the way they are, I'll stick w/ the single stage and use the money to buy more components!
PS, I'm shooting in Single Stack Div, so a single stage press is somewhat symbolic, but guys that I shoot with can't believe I'm still using a single stage press!
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I only have a couple thousand brass in each of the calibers I reload, so no need for 5 gal buckets here. Dirty brass goes into coffee cans until I can clean them. Cleaned brass goes into plastic screw top plastic jars that used to hold Blue Diamond Almonds from Costco (we eat a lot of almonds...).
What can I say, they are free, stackable, and are fairly durable. They even have a molded handle for one handed grabbing off the shelf. Labeling is done w/ a sharpie and masking tape.
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It is almost as hard as woodpecker lips, slightly harder than wedding tackle at 17, and hard to hurt.
LMAO! That's about what? 69 to 70 on the rockwell scale?
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^ plus, there's no sales tax in Oregon.
If you're planning to stay in Boise, there is construction on I-84 between Nampa and Boise. It's not too bad, but can come to a crawl if there is an accident. Fortunately you guys will be going the opposite way during rush hour, but FYI. For those of you coming from Salt Lake, you'll feel right at home!
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I thought I was doing OK w/ my .40 reloads, but now I have some brass that appear to be oversized. Or, it could be my bullets are the culprit. I just started using Precision Delta 180 RNFP's about a week ago, and since then have run into a bunch of brass where the 180's fit loosely. So loose that I can seat the bullet by hand, then pull it out by hand.
Two nights ago I sorted through all my .40 brass, and separated out all the oversized brass that had already been tumbled and resized. Out of a coffee can size nut jar (that's what I use to store my brass) I only came up with about 70 that were oversized. In an attempt to resize them I even ran them through a LFCD, and they are still too large. The pedigree of the brass is mixed range brass that I've had for a while, and no obvious signs of over-pressure.
Anybody run into this? I don't believe this is the infamous "Glock-bulge" since my problem is more at the case mouth. Mic-ing them, I can barely discern any difference, and the only way I can identify the 'oversized' brass is a test fit w/ one of the Precision Delta bullets. Oddly enough, the oversized brass work fine with plated bullets from Berry or Frontier (which is probably why I didn't notice this before since I just switched to PD).
Anybody run into this? I mic'd the PD bullets, and they are within spec. But they are smoother (ie slicker) than the Berry's or Frontiers.
Am I in need of an EGW U-die? Or are those pieces of brass destined for the scrap bin?
Thx
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This is a cool thread since I'm only shooting skinny guns. I noticed that at my current level if I try to rush, I'm not always consistent. Sometimes I'm very smooth (to the point of "how the heck did I just do that") but sometimes not so stellar. Dry practice is helping.
I did realize that I need to start the reloading process w/ my off hand sooner, i.e. be reaching for a spare mag about the same time I hit the ejector button. I remember in my last match there was a stage that involved running approx 25 ft to the 2nd shooting box. Most of the way there my brain was saying: reload, reload, reload! I did manage to hit the eject button on leaving the 1st box, but I was over halfway there before my hand obeyed the brain and reached for a mag...
I made a mental note to chew gum while walking at least four or five times this week as practice!
Thx, as always, this is all informative.
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I wondered about this when I first started, and had a back-up 1911 until Mrs. 2MoreChains decided to join in the fun. Since then I put together a small parts kit common to both our pistols, and keep that in the bottom of my range bag just in case. But lately have been thinking about getting another gun and setting it up as a back-up. I like the idea of having one that is interchangeable as the primary.
You guys are bad for the bank account! But are chock full of good ideas...
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it is impressive how far those things will launch, isn't it?
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Nothing stellar, but something similar thing happened to me at the last match. The stage was set up so you had to shoot to popper to activate a swinger from behind a certain line. All other arrays had to be shot in front the line that had some barricades making for a leaning shot. I was the first shooter on that stage, and missed this particular detail in the walk through (my bad). I got a procedural since I didn't have to lean around the barricades from behind the line. I took the procedural, and then proceeded to watch everyone else do it right. That was my gift to them!
Lesson learned. Pay attention during the walk-through, or don't go first...
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I don't shoot 3-gun, but bang away at birds all season long. I have one of the Benelli M2's w/ the comfortech stock, and it's become my go-to-gun. Have another semi-auto that has been collecting dust alongside a couple pumps and o/u's because I like the M2 so much. Not everyone likes them, but for me it's been the perfect all around shotgun for chukars, pheasants, ducks, and clays.
I've read reviews from people complaining that the inertia system wouldn't function unless they shouldered the gun properly, but for me it's always worked -and I've put it to the test in some pretty challenging conditions and footing in pursuit of feathered foe... Recoil is about the same as my SX2, despite all the comfortech hype.
I will say that I've heard that inertia guns are designed to be shot as is, that is without too much in the way of attachments other than maybe a scope or red-dot sight. I think that is why Benelli designed the Argos system for the M4 (their military shotgun offering) that is not an inertia system. So tricking a M2 out as a competition gun may require some sort of tuning or adjusting (but can't say for sure since I haven't tried). The longest ext mag tube I've seen to fit the M2 is a +3. Stock, without the plug, the mag holds 4.
One other strike against the Benelli (and I hate to defame my M2) is after market parts seem to be either very expensive or hard to come by (if they exist at all). OTOH, I have not felt the need to mod my M2 at all, save a FO sight and sling.
Cheers
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^ what the gunwriter said.
LOL! Literally.
well, you are, aren't you?
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It looks good. However, I would prefer the standard 20 lpi checkering for max grip.
That's kind of what I was thinking, but I don't believe that is an option from STI or even Brazos (or Dawson)... or is it?
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^ what the gunwriter said.
For a while there, I was buying a different .22 pistols every couple of months, trying to find a good plinker / target gun. Buying a Ruger 22/45 bull bbl in the early 90's ended that search. It's been a great shooter over the years for me...
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For those of you guys with the Trojan, what is your impression of the front strap stippling?
Thx
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Let me be the third person to say: Run with the bulls in Pamplona!
My other item would be to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.
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Of all the things to find in a gun forum! But I'll add my plug for the Tempur-Pedic. My wife and I have had ours for 7 yrs, and love it.
On the other hand, my parents tried one out, and ended up returning it after the first 30 days. Just doesn't seem to be for everyone.
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Lugnut, thanks for the advice. I'm using a tip I picked up from some guy when working up a load to give myself a little cushion. The PF's I posted above are not the averages. I'm subtracting two standard deviations from the average. Using 5.7 gr, my average of a 20-shot string was actually 177 PF, but the calculated StdDev of that string was 3.2 PF. Subtracting two StdDevs (6.4) results in an adjusted PF of 170.6 (or 170). Adjusted is probably not the right word (maybe corrected?)
5.6 grs was giving me an average of 174, and a corrected PF of 168. That one is probably too close for comfort given variability in temps. Of course, I've only shot local matches so far, but trying to do the integrity thing.
I probably don't have the terms right, but I think the math is correct.
Any suggestions on my combination of springs?
Cheers
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Well, this is coming from a new guy to USPSA, so take that into account... I started out with 230 gr RN (plated and FMJ), but on the advice from other .45 shooters, switched to LSWC (cheaper, cleaner holes in paper...etc)
I had a bunch of Bullseye powder on hand, so worked up my first load w/ that. Settled on 4.7 gr of Bullseye for a conservative 170 PF (adjusted by subtracting two StdDev's from the mean). Good rounds, meters really well, but kind of dirty.
I'm now using W231 @ 5.6 and 5.7 grs under a 200 gr LSWC. Those rounds were giving me 168-170 PF (adjusted). I haven't fully decided, but think I'll shoot the 5.7 gr when it's cold out, and 5.6 in the summer. I don't have enough data on hand to tell exactly how temp sensitive 231 is w/ my load, but have read on this site that 231 is conventionally temp sensitive (hotter it gets, the faster the bullet goes). Or I could quite trying to over think it and settle on 5.7 to be safe... I'm still playin' w/ it.
I'm also using WST for my wife's .40 SS pistol, so worked up some .45 loads w/ WST ranging from 4.5 gr to 4.7 grains and chrono'd them yesterday. 4.5 gr gave me an adjusted PF of exactly 165, and 4.7 resulted in 169. I did read that WST is inversely temp sensitive, so might need to chrono some rounds when it's colder and hotter out. It was a balmy 50 degrees yesterday, so that's not very conclusive.
Lastly, I did some experimenting w/ springs (based on what I read here). Settled on 14# recoil spring and 19# mainspring for a nice feel and quick realignment of my sights. I've had a few people tell me to adjust my springs based on ejection pattern (5-8 feet), but wasn't sure what the heck ejection had to do with sight alignment and recovery.... BTW, my wife did observe yesterday that I had a slight dip of the muzzle after each shot, which I think means I should try a lighter recoil spring (maybe a 12 or 13 lb)...
YMMV, mine does!
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I've got some reloads w/ 200 gr LSWC and Bullseye, but they are loaded for Major PF.
4.7 gr Bullseye
Win LP primer
200 gr LSWC (H&G 68 clones)
mixed brass
Mean velocity: 863 fps
StdDev: 11 fps
That was the lightest I went since I was trying to stay above 165 PF (after I subtracted two StdDev's)
I know some guys that shoot Silhouette, and they are using 3.8 to 4.0 grs of Bullseye. Not sure what they chrono'd at, but they are nice soft rounds compared to mine!
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I switched to lead bullets when I started shooting USPSA. Cost was the primary factor, and the only thing I had to do extra was be more careful when belling and seating to prevent a case bulge. A Lee FCD helped w/ that, and it probably made me a more precise reloader to boot.
BTW I'm shooting .45 LSWC's, and those really big cookie cutter holes have saved me from a couple No-shoots so far. Had I been shooting RN, I don't think I would have squeaked by...
The downside: yeah, it's dirtier (smoke and lead smears in bbl), but I can live with the extra effort it takes. OTOH, I've got some moly-bullets coming soon. I need to do some experimenting with those since they are only a few more $ more per 500, and quite a bit cheaper than plated or FMJ.
But if I stayed with lead, I wouldn't mind learning to cast my own. That sounds like something I would enjoy doing.
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Or was it because on the reshoot you knew exactly where each target was and you did not have to think about it?
On the reshoot you knew what you needed to do when the buzzer went off you just pushed the play button and let it happen with out thought.
You must shoot at your current natural speed in matches and push hard in practice to increase your natural speed.
BK
Probably a bit of both... having shot it once, I knew how to move through the COF, and was able to flow with it (yeah, press PLAY button. Good one!) and my movement was probably more efficient w/ less wasted movement.
On another note, the other day I watched a shooter do a beautiful pirouette when she shifted from one array to another that was almost 180 degrees on the other side of the course. Smooth, good footwork, and great to watch.
Thx for the advice on natural shooting speed. I'll do that (or try to).
Resizing 9mm range brass
in Miscellaneous BEginners
Posted · Edited by 2MoreChains
I thought the U-die is a modified LFCD ground down to just below the carbide ring to allow more of the case to go into the die, but with the depriming pin installed instead of the taper crimp. My U-die from EGW came in a Lee box w/ LFCD label and a handwritten "U-die" on it.
I think I've had the same problem the OP is describing w/ some range pickup .40 brass. The last 1/8" to 3/16" of the case won't fit into a LE Wilson case gage after resizing using my RCBS resizing die or even a LFCD, but with the "EGW" U-die it does -I think because it resizes the entire case almost down to the bevel above the rim. From reading other threads, I gather this is caused by pistol barrels that don't support the entire case, right? (aka Glock-bulge..?)
The nice thing is, once I resize the cases initially through the U-die, the subsequent reloading after shooting from my wife's Kimber can be done with just the regular resizing die.
PS, don't mean to use the term Glock-bulge as a disparaging term, I just don't know any other term for it.