BMartens

If you put it in historical perspective it makes sense. Most of the guns mentioned were probably made in the 50s and 60s and into the 70s. There was no .40 or 10mm at the time, 38 Super had a poor accuracy reputation because they headspaced on the semi-rim and 9mm was still pretty uncommon in this country. So, if you wanted to shoot an auto in bullseye you shot 1911 .45, got a Model 52 and shot .38Spl or had a 1911 modified to shoot .38Spl. That was pretty much it as far as choices went. R, Actually, it was to have guns with the same feel. High Standard .22's were very popular. The Military grip version had the grip angle the same as a 1911. A centerfire pistol, that was smaller than .45 could have a lighter trigger than a .45, and would have less recoil. Then a .45 would finish the guns needed for a 2700 match. A model 52 grip angle is much different than a 1911, why not have one that matches it? This is also the reason for Kart and Day .22 conversions. Dan, I'm not discounting that it was to have guns that felt the same, but my point was that there weren't any alternatives at the time. You shot a revolver, a 1911 or a M52 for centerfire...that was about it. So sure, if you wanted your rimfire and centerfire to feel the same and you wanted to shoot something milder a .38Spl modification to a 1911 made sense. Nobody would bother doing that now with all the available options out there. R, I checked with my brother, he is the source of the Clark guns and the retired bullseye shooter, and he added one other dimension to the reason for .38 SPL, there is no easier bullet to score than a full wadcutter. There is no doubt if you touch or cut a scoring ring with a full wadcutter. The picture of the Giles gun and target show the perfectly cut holes. Bullseye is also a one hand game so light recoil and quick sight recovery is very important. The long slide and the heavy full length BoMar rib added weight and more control as well as sight radius. Barrels are mentioned in a couple of posts and the .38 long slide is interesting in that Jim Clark manufactured the barrel by sleeving a .45 NM chamber and attaching that to a 38 caliber barrel. There were no 6” barrels or slides available in those days so they handmade them. The slide is handmade with the extra inch cut from another slide and welded on. The ramp is modified and a small filler piece is welded to the frame to help the flat nose rounds feed. A heavy rounded crimp also helps the rounds feed better. The one thing that was available in that period was a seemingly endless supply of cheap surplus GI issue parts. Taking a hacksaw to a slide today would make many people a little nervous.

What gun are you shooting. M&P pro? Curious as I shoot a pro and these loads are pretty close to mine so far. My back up production gun is a standard 4.25" M&P. I always chrono in both guns to be sure that I have good match ammo. I had to bring out the M&P to finish at A3 so making sure is a good thing in case you have to re-visit the chrono stage. The only odd thing I have noticed is with 147 gr lead bullets. They will chrono almost exactly the same in both guns, sometimes the M&P will even be 10-20 FPS faster. Only with 147 gr lead, every other bullet will go 20-25 FPS slower in the shorter barreled M&P, as you would expect.

1911's adapted to .38 special wadcutter target loads were popular with bullseye shooters as a light recoiling and super accurate option for the centerfire portion of the match. Jim Clark produced this long heavy slide version back in the 70's. The magazines I have were specific for the .38 special round. Getting them to run with a long slide and the .38 special wadcutter round was usually a pretty good trick, while being able to shoot 2" groups at 50 yards. Clark also made a companion to this gun as a long heavy slide .45. Both were for centerfire competition.

I load with a SDB and really like progressive presses. One less thing to worry about, advancing the shell plate. The only 100% safe method [prevention] is to look at each case before seating the bullet and visually check the powder level. You may have to change your set up a little so that you can see what is going on but, it is worth the trouble. And make sure you have a full down stroke. If anything goes wrong, doesn't look right, doesn't feel right, clear the shell plate and start fresh after re-checking your set up. Never back up or start in the middle, good way to get a double load of powder. That's much more dramatic than a squib.

I use one simple method that works for all .45, .40 and 9mm. Measure a loaded round just below the rim, then set the crimp .002" less. Measure with the tip of the caliper by holding a little pressure on the caliper and slip it up the case to the rim. You'll see the crimp measurement just before the caliper slips off the case.

I like the 147 gr LFP with WSF powder. Accurate and soft shooting. I've never found a real accurate load for 125 gr lead bullets. Nothing that I would shoot past 7-10 yards. 3.9 WSF 1.160 OAL WSP 128 PF Load to 1.150 OAL for CZ SP-01 magazine. Titegroup works with lead but it does smoke a lot. For 9mm I use Titegroup for jacketed and plated bullets and WSF for lead and moly.

Thanks for the post. I'm in the process of getting a 9 major gun built and this info will be very handy as I start working up some loads.

Favorite loads for 9x19, all are match worthy Mixed Brass WSP Primer CZ SP-01 / 4.72” bbl 130 CN Black Bullet Int 1.163 OAL 4.5 WSF 131 PF 124 FP Berry ** 1.090 OAL 3.9 Titegroup 129 PF 124 CMJ MG 1.140 OAL 4.2 Titegroup 134 PF 115 JHP MG 1.108 OAL 4.4 Titegroup 132 PF 147 CMJ MG 1.150 OAL 3.6 Titegroup 134PF ** Best accuracy All run about 20-25 FPS less through a standard M&P. Best accuracy is with Titegroup and plated or jacketed bullets. WSF with lead and molly gives good accuracy and light smoke.