Dale Hash

Thanks everyone, Linda talked me through the problem. Dale

I seem to be in an endless loop trying to set up a 3-gun match in EzWinScore 4.0. The link in the Help menu is not working. Does anyone out there have a magic bullet that I can use. Need to figure it out by October 31st. Thanks, Dale

The reason I brought the topic up is a friend heard from a well respected local gun smith and noted maker of major nine guns that manual cocking harmed the guns. I have also heard it does or doesn't hurt to dry fire on a empty chamber. Shooting the open gun major or minor does or doesn't effect the comp. The amount of advice I have been getting since I went open has been phenomenal. So after years of reading the forums I have decided to participate and start putting some of the questions out and getting a wider range of opinions.

The trigger is set at 2 lbs. Went to the range yesterday and shot two hundred rounds without a hiccup. Turns out I may have been more the problem than the gun. The gun needed a through cleaning. Yea, duh. I have been shooting a Beretta for years and you can carry it around in a bucket of mud and still shoot it. The open gun is a different animal. I'm the classic example of never being to old to learn, but I'm close.

I was over dramatizing. The first time I knew I had a problem was on a four target array. On the forth target it doubled, giving me a mike. The RO said I should have taken an additional shot after the double as the second round went high. I was so stunned by the double that the last thing I was thinking of was another shot. The next stage it doubled twice in a row the first two shots, then the hammer followed the slide. The next two shots were singles with hammer follow. A friend was kind enough to let me finish the match with his gun. It was a level one match and I was the score keeper, so no one complained. The gunsmith that worked on the gun said it went full auto on him while he was testing it. Hammer spring is a misnomer and I used it for brevity. It is actually the sear spring, the mechanics of which I am somewhat aware. I was very fortunate to get my hands on this gun. It was made by Gene Morin of Sutherlin, Oregon for his nephew, before the young man discovered girls and lost interest in shooting. Gene is a master millwright and a master shooter. Just finished sixth overall in the 2010 Smith & Wesson International revolver championships. His guns are works of art.

Said the spring weakens after a lot of rounds. With as lite a pull as I had, it didn't take much. I had him bump it up to 2 pounds. I am also going to learn how to do my own tweaking. Shooting open is way to much fun. I'm surprised it isn't against the law or taxed.

Just got the gun back from the smith with a 2 pound pull. No match this weekend so going to the range Monday to try it out.

After eight years of shooting production I've gone to the dark side and bought a used STI open gun with a 1.5 pound trigger. I'm also practicing, something I have avoided for years. I load the big stick with dud rounds and use a snap cap in the chamber. Each time I draw and dry fire, I cock the hammer manually with my thumb. At last weeks match the gun went full auto on me. Up to this point, it has functioned flawlessly. I have been told that manually cocking a gun weakens the trigger spring. Has anyone heard of this?