belus

You're right and I agree with you on all the core points being discussed in this thread. If you have the time/patience I'll try to briefly explain how I think you and Giancarlo (QUATTROISKING) are both correct about the annealing temperature. It mostly comes down to annealing being an imprecise word. Steel is complicated metallurgically and I don't deal with the metallurgy on a regular basis. You're correct that annealing temperatures for steel are much higher than 250C. But there are heat treating processes used at much lower temperatures (as low as 150C) and this is sometimes called annealing, though it might be more accurate to call it tempering. Above about 730C all of the carbon is dissolved in the iron in what's called Austenite steel. When it cools to room temperature the carbon precipitates out and these precipitates control many of the steel's properties. How fast you cool the austenitic steel determines how large, where, and what shape the carbon-rich crystals are. Usually when someone talks about annealing steel they mean heating it above 730C to dissolve all the carbon back into the iron. Annealing or tempering at lower temperatures doesn't redissolve the carbon in the iron, but it does make it more mobile so it can diffuse between the iron atoms. This mostly makes the precipitates larger and take up more volume. This carbon-rich region of the steel is called Bainite (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bainite), and once it takes up more than about 50% of the volume it improves the hardness and strength of the metal by significant amounts. The first paper I linked to were studying how long it took to form Bainite at different temperatures in 4150. It was just an example I found of "annealing" data at 250C. The curves on all the Temperature v Time plots usually represent how long fully-annealed Austenite needs to remain at temperature to form a specific carbon-rich crystal morphology as there's more than just Bainite and Austenite. Sometimes cooling rates are plotted on the same plots so people can estimate how fast they need to cool an annealed part to get or avoid a specific microstructure.

So could I shoot my Hi-Power in Production, then? Or is there a way to distinguish a 9mm 1911 from other single-action 9's? I'm not looking to change Production at all. It's my favorite and primary division and I don't think it needs fixing. It's still highly popular even here in Texas where nobody has limited capacity mags. But I wouldn't fight a merger of Production and Single Stack, including the 8M/10m capacity restriction. The so-called Lo-Cap division allowing magwells on SS guns and the +1/8" on double stack guns. Regarding other SAO pistols like the HP but more so the P226X5, or 2011's, part of me would want to exclude them to limit the arms race factor. But it seems that ship has sailed with the CZ A01 and Laugo Arms's Alien being approved in IPSC.

That's the pistol I use and prefer, though I use SSI Scales grips because I find the pistol too narrow with the aluminum ones. It's listed as "CZ75 Shadow Black 4.60" barrel (39 oz.)" on the USPSA Production List. It's good to go for all three divisions: USPSA Production, and IDPA SSP/ESP. There's a used one on GB right now for $800 + shipping that has the flat SAO trigger swapped in. Going back to the 85 Combat trigger would be another $35. There's also a CZ 75 Shadow Line on GB for just under 1k. It has slightly different sights and the Hi Power cut slide. It was a apparently a specialty item made for IPSC Production rules, but I don't know the details of why they had to do that.

You can have co-witness sights and there's no obligation to turn the dot on, so why require the dot in the first place? I'd support this move. I also find a Lo-Cap iron sight division interesting, though I'd leave it to just a SS and Production merger. 8 Major or 10 Minor seems like a decent balance and it'd be a boon for the lagging SS division. I already compare my SS scores to Production guys anyways. I'd be wary of letting L10 guns into that group though. I primarily shoot Production and like shooting the limited capacity divisions. I wouldn't want it to change to a 15 shot division.

I now use the CZC 75 Shadow after running a CZC S2 for about 10k rounds. I like the way it balances. I was able to buy a pair of them lightly used for an average price of about $880 each, so I think the one on your list might be over priced. This one needs to have the SAO trigger swapped out, but it's only $800 - https://www.gunbroker.com/item/846285248 The short dust cover shadows are under valued in my opinion. Easy to make weight for IDPA's divisions too.

I'm not a PVD expert though I've done a little of it myself in school. I studied metallurgy at the time and Giancarlo is right that steel starts to anneal around 250C. You can read more about 4150 annealing here if you wish: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/59db/1c74a902503f84c78b07d3566850fb4dd7ae.pdf (To understand that paper it helps to read this first https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isothermal_transformation_diagram ) I found this nice review of TiN processes, including it's effect of extending machine tool life by 20x in the case of stainless steel drill bits. https://www3.ntu.edu.sg/ThinFilms/mae-thinfilms/Thinfilms/pdfpapers/zhangzhu93.pdf I'd be inclined to get it on my guns with no concern for the underlying material's strength. It's had a long track record outside of shooting and machinists trust it on their expensive precision tools.

No. If you want a snappier load take the comp off and shoot 115s. I've seen a couple glocks crack their slides shooting major. People don't do it for fun, they do it for points. If you're shooting steel it's unnecessary and extra wear on the gun, assuming your gun can even handle it. Most modern pistols can shoot major PF for a little while, few can do it steadily. You need pretty close tolerances to prevent the gun from battering itself to death and I wouldn't trust that to exist in any pistol that wasn't hand-fitted. Even Tanfoglios are known to eat locking lugs and they're ostensibly built for it. Also you're new to loading for pistols. If you make a mistake and the glock detonates the forces escape down into your hands. Other models have a bit more protection and blow the hood out of the slide. Either ruins the gun, but one lets you come back next week.

I have the brass Scales on the 75 Shadow and really like how the gun balances now. The balance point of the unloaded gun seems to be just in front of the mag release. When loaded it feels like all the weight is carried between my palms. The S2 with lighter Lok grips on the other hand, seems to balance on the front edge of the trigger guard when unloaded. There's a subjective feeling of dragging the nose of the gun around in wide transitions. I also really like the width of the gun with Scales grips. The extra width is pretty low on the grip so it doesn't interfere with my stubby finger's ability to reach the trigger in DA, but it still spreads the recoil through my whole palm. Very narrow guns sometimes feel more violent at the same PF because they wedge themselves deeper into my hand with each shot.

I don't find the grip ergonomics that different, but it does take me a little time to adjust to the different timing of the gun cycling. I currently shoot a CZC 75 Shadow after about 10k rounds through a CZC Shadow 2. These represent the two extremes of CZ weights in the game and I found I prefer the balance of the lighter ones. Another shooter at our club also has a preference for his SP-01 Shadow over the Shadow 2. In my specific experience, the Shadow 2's DA trigger is smoother, but I think that might be down to variations between individual guns more than a design difference. I don't think one model really has an advantage over another. If I were shooting both games I'd definitely get the lighter one.

Any connections you might be able to draw between your interests in motorcycling (still on an 800GS?) and shooting/living.

We have a newer C-level Production shooter at my most regular match who has been doing pretty well with his G34: likely to get B-class soon. A couple months ago he mentioned switching guns so I lent him a Shadow 2 and a 75 Shadow (short dust cover) and their associated gear. After playing around for a couple weeks he figured the G34 was good enough and it wasn't worth switching.

The pre-B mags, meaning before the 75B designation, have a matte black follower with a smooth transition to the slide stop pad. They have three witness holes on the left side of the magazine (when loaded, muzzle forward) and one witness hole at the bottom on the right side. There's a rolled dimple rising vertically from the base plate on each side that guides the spring and prevents the follower from moving too deep. They hold 15 rounds and are generally matte blue or possibly parkerized. Sorry that I don't know a source for them. I sold all of mine to some guy in New Jersey years ago. I believe you could put the SP-01 19rd base pad on the pre-B mags and get a flush fit with the bottom of the grip.

I think you're going about this right. Test the waters and experiment with you have available before dropping a lot of cash. If I were you, my next shooting USPSA investment to consider would be a Dillon 550. It'll probably have a bigger impact on your shooting than any other gadget.

I was thinking this one where the previous owner went the extra step to tri-top the slide. You'd want an extra two magazines and mag pouches for USPSA but it's otherwise ready to run. It's perfect for IDPA ESP as is. Window shopping for the perfect gun can be fun but it doesn't change your scores. It's also important to get some regular match time under your belt before you drop a lot of money on gear. Don't outsource your preferences to other people's opinions; experiment yourself and see if changes actually have an impact on your own performance.

Woodsparrow, do you reload? If no then get a 9mm. As some people had suggested earlier, buy the Trojan that's a smoking deal in the classifieds and comes with all the accessories and just start shooting. Your questions are all over the place this week. Maybe open one thread on "Which division should I shoot?" and start there. What division(s) do you currently shoot? I personally shoot 40 or 9mm in single stack, but I also primarily shoot Production. I didn't want to source and stock LPP or tool up to start reloading 45 which drove my decision.

I want to second these. The big open pockets let lots of meaty flesh flow into the grip which helps lock them down. They're flat which gives a nice reference surface for your index. They're wide at the bottom to provide lots of surface area for your support hand, but they're narrow up top to let your index finger reach the trigger unimpeded.

But note that the 550 style priming system is also similar to the 1050's. On the 550, priming and depriming are done at the same station and it tends to get a little messy. I haven't heard as many complaints about the 1050's priming. I would expect the 750's priming to have fewer issues than the 550. I slightly prefer the 550's priming system over the wheel of the 650, but the primer feed stop available on eBay makes them more comparable.

I think this is totally reasonable. Seems like it was a new shooter based on their comment to RO#2. RO#1 missed the call and the opportunity to coach (preferred) or bump them to open per the rules. If I was RM I wouldn't stress about the reshoot and just let the score stand. It's a teachable moment to RO#1 to pay attention to the guy with a loaded gun.

I don't think you'll have much luck with suggestions on this site. Try The High Road for example. These questions are right up their alley. This is mostly a competition based forum and the perspectives and opinions you encounter will reflect that. Not to scare you off or make you feel unwelcome, but if "practical shooting competition" is not your interest, then you might find replies and commentary less than helpful. The HP isn't much discussed here because it hasn't been competitive since the '80s (?, sorry Jack) and doesn't hold up very well against the high volume of shooting people expect in the sport. Its a gorgeous simple design in its own right. The CZ and 1911 are rarely compared because they don't compete against each other outside of maybe IDPA's ESP division. Finally to your question, I don't know what the 1911, HP, and CZ would possibly have in common aside from there being multiple barrel locking lugs tilting from recesses in the top of the slide. They all have different barrel link/cam designs and hugely different unrelated trigger mechanisms. Maybe people just assume there's a relation because of the ball cut recesses in the front of the slide? It sounds more like a list of should-buy guns from 1980's enthusiasts with a bias against plastic. If you want a comparison of Wonder Nines check out this section: https://forums.brianenos.com/forum/211-quototherquot-amp-pistol-comparisons/

Is this magazine issue on a PreB pistol? They're known to be slightly narrower than the guns built in the last 20 years or so. The 18 round magazines are a hair narrower than the others and generally fit the PreBs without issue. The new nickel plated ones can be thicker and reluctant to drop free on some guns.

I have this mark on all four of my CZC guns. Don't sweat it.

Lots of gun parts are available. It's hit or miss what you'll actually find though. I don't know what the policies are. Some AR parts are verboten, some aren't. Whoever polices the postings isn't very consistent. I've seen older single shot 22 barreled actions for sale, which I understand would be illegal. I guess they look enough like plain barrels nobody flags them. You can get an SKS bolt carrier but not an AR. You can get an AR bolt though. Mags over 10 round aren't permitted, but if you label your 30 round AR mag as a 10rd 458 Socom mag it's good.

I've seen them occasionally on ebay. Usually 3-400 for a complete used slide, barrel, and recoil assembly. You could also look for a CZ 75 SA slide.

I slipped my S2 slide onto a 75 frame out of curiosity and couldn't get the barrel to unlock from the slide. The reverse seemed to work fine: 75 slide on an S2 frame. Not sure where the fitting would need to be done, but I don't see any advantage having the S2 slide over the 75 slide. The breach face to muzzle distance seems to be the same +/- an eighth of an inch. I'd sell the SP-01 Tactical (only because it's a decocker with the FPB) and use it to buy any flavor of Shadow that fits your budget. I'm really enjoying SKU 91762 right now and the S2 is mostly sitting idle.

Don't place your unload and show clear mag on the magnet until the score keeper has recorded the time. Sometimes timers are set too sensitive and if the mag slaps onto the magnet it might register as a shot.