belus

I use the same holster (SP-01 Blade Tech) but I stick a pre-B in it.

"Slow it down." http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=92647 edit: That story struck a chord with me and I still reflect on it 18 months later.

The Sphinx 3000 is a modular CZ derivative which can be configured to accept S_I magazines. It was highlighted in the July/August 2010 Front Sight. Expensive, and I'm not aware of any current importers. Asking prices on GB were $2500 with no bids.

I had dinner at this guy's place in Glendale last summer. I was very jealous of all the fabrication equipment in his garage (not to mention the dozen bikes he has for "prototyping purposes".) http://www.jesseluggage.com/

I don't know first hand, but .40 minor has a reputation for being very soft (potentially softer than 9). If I were in your situation it would have to be a great deal for me to buy that pistol, but my circumstances may be different. I don't reload for .40 yet, so I'd also have to acquire some equipment. Also, the 85C is hard to beat for Production or SSP. If I were looking for a Lim-10 pistol, I'd probably pass and keep my eye out for a TS because it would also enable me to also shoot Limited. But I've also dreamt of selling my 9 and 45 equipment and consolidating to a single caliber and a faster press. Were I to go that route I would probably start with a single action .40 and convert it for Production to get the up swept beaver tail. What's holding me back is an emotional attachment to my pre-B production gun and an interest in shooting HM in 3-gun. If you haven't had someone do a trigger job on your 85C yet I would put the money there.

What press are you loading on? I haven't found much .380 brass mixed in with my 9's, but I'm not using range pickup brass that frequently. I usually discover it in the priming step because it doesn't take a primer and instead lifts up out of the shell plate. I've yet to complete a .380 round on my 550.

Me too. They're thin and six is pretty easy on a 34" DAA belt.

I had trouble with the spent primer chute (can't find the part#, nor it on the diagrams?) getting jammed in the closed position due to a bent cotter pin. This would put sideways pressure on the primer bar and push it out of alignment. A tell-tale sign was a small grove being worn in the side of the primer bar. Switching to a safety pin instead of the cotter pin solved the issue.

I have that safety on a TS and I'm not sure I like it yet. Its a nice big shelf for your right hand thumb, but its also a ledge that prevents your weak hand from getting up as high. I'll polish the underside to remove the sharp edges before making a final decision on whether to keep it on.

I'd squirt the primer with a penetrating oil like WD-40 before decapping it.

If you're only reloading .40 (no rifle length rounds), you can get started fairly cheaply with the Square Deal B from this page: http://www.brianenos.com/store/dillon.sqdeal.html Press - $371 (includes dies) Primer Flip Tray - $19 Calipers - $28 Digital Scale - $75 Vibratory cleaner - $140 Total: $633 Some items can be had a little cheaper by going with other brands from other vendors. Digital scales are a little more expensive ($20 more for the digital scale is worth it in my opinion). You won't find much difference in prices among Dillon machines between vendors, and Brian has built some great resources into this site (http://www.brianenos.com/pages/dillon.html) which makes him a favorite source for many members. First 1000 rounds of 40 would probably run you Primers - $35 (buy locally if you're not getting 5k+ at a time, shipping is expensive due to hazmat) Bullets - $100 (http://www.precisionbullets.com/ just as an example) Powder - $15 for a pound or so (you'll only use 1/4 lbs to load 1000 rounds though) Brass - $40 (but you may already have some saved up) Reloading manual - $25 (lots of good choices) Total: $215 So we're looking at a budget of $850 to set yourself up and get shooting. Every 1000 rounds you load you'll be saving about $150 over buying commercial ammo. Equipment will be paid off in about 4000 rounds.

http://www.cpwsa.com/ready_tactical.htm Ready Tactical mag pouches take up very little room. I fit 6 on my belt fairly comfortably for a 32" waist. I still need to add some velcro to them though. They slide around a little because they're so linearly dense along the belt that the two halves don't touch for a good 8 inches.

I have a case of 147gr zeros that I've yet to tap into, so I'm also interested in some known loads. I expect to be shooting them atop 3.5gr to 3.6gr of my lot of Solo1000 at 1.150", but haven't loaded any of that up yet. I chamber checked a couple rounds and was surprised to see I could load them out to 1.22 before touching the rifling. I thought they would need to be loaded around 1.11. Here's a Titegroup load I found searching: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=113622&view=findpost&p=1289456 147 Zero JHP 3.6 Titegroup @ 1.150 130 PF in CZ Shadow

In the long run its definitely much cheaper. In .40 I could reload a box of 50 for about $6.25 (but I don't reload 40 yet, so don't use my load data - its speculative.) https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?hl=en&hl=en&key=0ApOb07nlBK5-cmV5cm56a05fSkIwai1zU2pYRFR0UWc&output=html I've spend about $1500 on reloading (press, components, accessories, caliber conversions, etc.) and I've loaded about 3700 rounds so far. Had I bought 3700 rounds at retail pricing as I needed them, it would have cost me about $1000. So far I'm in the hole. However at about the 8000 round mark I'll have paid off the capital equipment with the savings over retail and I'll be shooting at half price. So its a question of how much you shoot, and how much cash you can give up in the beginning. A word of warning though: you don't save money, you just get to shoot more. edit: You don't have to decide now if you want to jump in, but at least start saving your brass. You'll be able to sell/use it later.

Whoa! That's my hometown. I'll have to look him up. ... not much web presence. Do you have any pics you can post Jerry?

I find it easier to bring the ram down with clean cases because of the expander on the Dillon powder measure.

Where's page 64? I was having a lot of fun reading along, but it ends with:

I have Novak LoMount sights on my SS gun and don't need to trim the base pads to fit the box. I may take an 1/8" if I shoot SS in a major match just for safety, but they can be squeezed into the box as they are now.

That can be purchased with practice, ammo, time, and learning ..... never seen it just bought with dollars. I want to second Powder Finger's suggestion and elaborate a little. I would start by reloading your own ammo if you're not already. 45 is a low pressure round and you wont get much benefit from putting a comp on it, but bringing it down from factory 190PF to around 170 will help a lot. Speed and accuracy comes from this: You'll probably find it easier to call shots while watching the red-dot. Compensators + optics are fast in part because they make shots easier to call and the comps reduce the movement of the dot.

That dog looks so miserable. I couldn't help but sympathize with it.

Me too.

How do you attach the comp? Is it a cone, or have you adapted the slide for a bushing?

I don't want to put much of my own evaluation in this post; it seems this forum should be limited to heads-up announcements of a factual nature. That said, I think this op-ed is notable for focusing on NICS and NOT mentioning any specific types of guns or mag capacities. http://azstarnet.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_011e7118-8951-5206-a878-39bfbc9dc89d.html

I would chose between the CZ 85 Combat or the SP-01 Shadow they have the best potential trigger pulls (shortest potential reset). The Shadow is more expensive, heavier, and sits slightly lower in the hand. http://czcustom.com/CZ-75-SP01-SHADOW-PolyCoat-9mm.aspx http://czcustom.com/CZ-85-Combat-PolyCoat-9mm.aspx (I use the equivalent of an 85 Combat which has received new sights and a trigger job)

From Tremors (1990) Melvin: "Hey! Give me a gun! I'll take one." Burt: "I wouldn't give you a gun if it were world war three!"