Ohioguy

same grip angle as 1911, and it is polymer. Some like the grip angle of the mark III, some don't.

I have owned a Buckmark-shot great, was 99.9% reliable, and very comfortable to shoot. Button mag release. I regret selling it, though I did not like the plastic sights. Currently own a Ruger Mark III. It has almost a thousand rounds of Winchester Wildcat through it, and it has never missed a beat. Not fond of the heel mag release, but the gun is comfortable and easy to shoot and accurate. The take down is a bit of a PITA, but not so much if you don't take the grip off the receiver. And once you take it down a few times, it gets easier. I have very limited experience with the 22A. It looks funky, and it didn't fit my hand well, but shot well for the 2 mags I put through it. Beretta I have held, and wasn't very impressed with it. Grip angle/feel wasn't right for me. Get what fits you the best. Another consideration is that the Buckmark and the Ruger can take tactical solutions receivers/barrels.

Something in Ohio would be better. I'll do a search.

I can say I have never held a Nova, nor any other Benelli for that matter. I will have to check one out when the time arrives. Lookiing at the mods for the Nova, are they that simple? This maybe a stupid question, but are there shotgun only matches? I am not ready to buy a .308 rifle yet (and all the accesories), but I wouldn't mind shooting a SG match.

Thanks guys.

Any problems with 147 gr bullets out of a CZ 75B? I don't anticipate any but thought I would ask before I bought some. Any particular loads that you found favourable?

I am not ready to shoot in any 3 gun type matches yet, but I am in the market for a pump shotgun that would work well in Heavy Metal if and when one day I decide to purchase a 30 cal rifle. Remington 870 really the only way to go? I have a old Mossy 500 that I would like to supplant(limited magazine capacity if you are asking), and would like some suggestions. I have some rifle questions as well, so I'll post them over inthe rifle thread.

In hindsight, it was alot to change all at once. The grease I am using is Wilson's, and we were shooting indoors. It was 65 degrees+ so temp i don't think was an issue, though I could be wrong. Its the first time I have used grease on any gun. I think I'll pull out the shok buff and try just the spring alone. I'll recheck my reloads as well. Honestly, I haven't stripped it down to the bones yet, so it might have something to do with that as well. It will get stripped down, cleaned, looked over as well as my skills will allow, and we'll try it again.

4.0gr of 231 was an interesting experiment. It was a light load, but functioned with a 10# variable rate recoil spring. Ejected cases were consistently thrown to 4 o'clock-distance was hindered by the stall wall, but they were very clear of the gun. It was extremely dirty though. I had a white long sleeve T-Shirt on, and my strong side arm was covered in what looked like soot and unburnt powder. I had a few failures to go into battery. They stopped about 1/8" from chambering, and a slight push on the rear of the slide sent it home. I changed to grease for lube, changed the recoil spring, added a shok buff, plus the new reloads. I am guessing it might be do to a issue with the reloads? I shot it in the match that followed, and didn't experience anymore failure to feeds in 70+ rounds, so I am a bit stumped. lighter bullets will be ordered this week, and a new powder will be picked up as well.

My wife isn't shooting Bullseye or AP. She is simply getting used to the gun. So no, accuracy at 30' doesn't matter as long as bullets aren't keyholing or missing paper all together. It wouldn't matter if 5" groups were occuring at this point. I know the velocities will not match the book. I just mentioned them for reference.

not really concerned with accuracy right now. I have a whole slew of recoil spings, from 9#-16#, so I'll be changing springs. I'll be loading lighter bullets in the near future. While I was busy getting everything togther, I neglected getting bullets. I thought I could get some locally, but I found that to be impossible.

I would like to load some spoft shooting loads for the 45 ACP for the wife. I have W231, 800X, and HP-38 (same as 231?) My Lyman manual states a load of 4.3gr of 231 w/230gr LRN bullets. Velocity is listed at 699fps. I would like to get them down to 600fps or so. Can I drop the starting load to 4.0 without any problems? Been loading on and off for 20 years, but have never gone below a minimum.

Thanks for the tips guys. I have read several threads about using short OAL, so it is dully noted. It seems I might have weak mag springs, so along with new mags, I have to order some springs as well. That might be my problem with the slide not locking back. Followers seem tight as well, plus I might just have an issue with the slide stop (will try the new springs before I delve into that). Aaron

Congrats Pat.

It just arrived today. It is defintely a bit long in DA, but nothing I can't overcome. The SA trigger pull is OK, but could use some work. It was extremely dirty internally, so I will spend some time cleaning it. One thing I did notice is that the slide won't lock on an empty mag. But looking at the crud inside, it might just be too dirty. Thanks for the tip on OAL. I will keep that in mind when I start to load for it. Any particular loads that you might have found that it really likes Steelshootin?

My wife has that same gap when she holds and M&P....it's because they don't have hands that are nearly as fleshy as men so they don't fill in that area, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. I see the same thing with our female agents that are smaller, but it's usually a non-issue. 195PF isn't really ll that much more than 170+ which is what you'll need for Major with a safety cushion...and it's possible that the loads weren't even 195 because box ballistics tend to be on the high side. Sure 170ish is a bit less, but not enough to really help a newer shooter. That would worry me considerably. Being a newer shooter the list of bad habits that can develp very quickly by shooting a more powerful gun isn't as much long as it is challenging to try and fix later. If you see even the slightest sign of pre-ignition push/anticipation (shots really low, low/left or wild misses) it's time to stop, back off and probably go back to something like a .22 or .38 with wadcutters and then maybe the .45 with powder puff bullseye loads for a while and slowly build up. You don't want to ruin enthusiasm by running into very frustrating problems at the outset. I have a set of the thin STI grips that they put on their single stacks (came off my Trojan) that you can have for the cost of shipping...PM me if you're interested. Be warned though, it might offend the Springfield faithful R, I won't be letting her shoot anymore factory stuff. I will be downloading them quite a bit initially. She shot two mags and started pulling shots low left. I pulled the .22 oout and let her shoot that. After 6 mags of .22, she asked to shoot the SPringfield again. She did alright and finished up another couple of mags. I am concerned about her developing bad habits, so I am going to play it very safe with her.

Well, we went to the gunshow yesterday, and spent close to three hours wandering. She handled just about everything. The M&P's just didn't fit her, which I was surprised. SHe had a gap between the top of her hand and the 'beavertail' of the frame of a 1/2-3/4 of an inch. SHe didn't like the trigger as well. The XD's weren't much better in terms of fit. The CZ's and the clones fit better, but she didn't like the DA trigger pull. At one point, she picked up a Taurus 1911 that just dropped into her hand. She commented on how it felt, but siad it was kind of heavy. Right next to it was an alloy frame Taurus, which she handled and said it felt great. So the next couple hours was spent looking at 1911's. She has a bit of a tough side, and when I explained to her about 9mm 1911's, and minor PF and such, she told me she wanted a .45. I think what she said was 'so people that shoot 9mm are cheating then, right?'. I explained that it wasn't again, but she wasn't hearing any of it. We ended up buying a Springfield 1911 for an excellent price. We took it to the range last night and put a box of ammo through it. After the first round, she was a bit apprehensive. The Black Hills ammo we were shooting is rather stiff- 230gr at 850FPS, with a PF of 195, but she was a trooper and finished off most of the box, while I shot the rest. SHe said the recoil scared her, but she knew I could down load it and make it softer shooting. We found a couple hotspots that need attention, like the bottom edge of the thumb safety and the bottom edge of the trigger guard. It also needs a thinner set of grips. The rear sight either needs opened up a little or replaced. We had one malfunction- as the gun didn't go into battery. I found a cartridge in the chamber, but the extractor wasn't over the rim, so it kept it from going into battery. I am thinking it might be a mag issue. She dry fired it after we got home and discussed what needed to be done. Overall, she is happy. Now, I have to see if I can get BE to ship me out dies and a caliber conversion so I can have it before the end of the week. Thanks for all the offers to try guns out by the way. The offer is very much appreciated.

Thanks for the replies. She added last night that she wants a thumb safety, so that narrows the field a little. The M&P, as I thought, is a possiblity, so we will be sure to try that out. The 9mm 1911 is another good option. With the addition of smaller grips and a short trigger, it might be a little more customizable than the polymer frame guns. I was surprised at the mention of the CZ. Its been awhile since I have held one, and IIRC, the trigger reach seemed a little long. We'll try that one as well. We are off to the gunshow this afternoon, assuming I don't have to go off and change out a door and frame. HSe is going to handle some and then make a trip to the range to actually test fire the ones she likes (if they are available). Matt, the custom built is out of the question financially at this moment. Besides, I don't have a custom yet, so can't she can't get one....

I bought my wife a .22 a couple months ago. She has been shooting it extensively, and has become quite comfortable with it. So much so that she wants to start shooting 'something bigger'. along with something bigger, she alos wants something she can use in competition. It seems her competitve side has come out, and she is rather excited. Problem is that she has small hands. My Glock 17 is a little too big for her. So can only get the tip of her finger on the trigger when she has a a proper grip. So I need to get her into a different pistol. I am sure some of you guys have had similar situations, so I am looking for some suggestions. I am thinking of the big three-M&P, XDM, and Ruger (simply because it is narrow in the grip). Obviously, we are going to handle several different guns and shoot them if we can. But I was curious at others experience, what you came up with.

There are plenty of people here to help you. Welcome to the board. Don't wait till Spring to shoot. Any place around that has a match indoors? Even IDPA if you have too....

I have a CZ97B on the way. I have been looking at them for awhile, and I finally found one resonably priced. Reviews have been good, saying it as generally very accurate. Trigger needs a little work (or breaking in), but so does everything, right? Opinions, suggestions, and observations are welcome. Plan on using it in L-10.

Thats a bargin for $7500. Its a beautiful piece of work, and a testiment to the mans talents. It is an incredible amount of work. Imagine those Brits 100 years ago slaving over those lumps of steel with shapers, then files to get a finished product. He has the luxury of modern cnc controlled equipment-the others guys didn't. That doesn't take anything away from Mr. Bradshaw, as I believe he has the talent to do it either way. Thanks for posting that.

Anyone aware of a company that produces basepads/mag extensions for the USP 45? I found a basepad/extension on AR15.com marked 'CJS', but I am unable to locate the maker online. Can someone point me in their direction, or suggest another maker?

If I had to guess, 40 seconds and two reloads on the last one. I only needed one reload with the G17

I have a friend that Gunkoted his entire LMT CQB. It went on nice, and he is happy with it. But the devil is in the surface prep. Get it wrong, and you'll be looking for someone to blast it off for you when it chips or peels, and you'll be in the same boat again. Your better off using an airbrush to apply it, not the spray can. If you don't have an airbrush, the spray will work, you just have to be careful and watch for runs. I wouldn't consider sending it out to be done. Like you said, for $200, there are better finishes available, unless you want a camo 1911.