45 Raven

Nick: The comment about the DOH holster is spot-on. If you have just a plain Blade-Tech SRB holster or something like that, you're good to go. If you don't want to deal with a heavier vest in the current boiling AZ sun, just take a sport shirt that fully covers your gun and magazine pouches, and use that as your "vest" over a tee shirt. Everyone that has responded has given you great advice and feedback. Good luck!

All my brass goes through the following process when it is purchased, and after each time it is fired: 1. Separate it by caliber. 2. Resize and deprime in RCBS single stage press, using special EGW die that sizes farther down on the base than normal die. 3. Place in Hornady Magnum sonic cleaner at 120 degrees for 10 minutes. 4. Remove brass from cleaner, rinse it off in a strainer and reposition it in cleaner basket. 5. Process brass in sonic cleaner for 10 more minutes. 6. Remove brass, thoroughly rinse with tap water while in strainer, then dump in Tupperware container containing distilled water. 7. Thoroughly rinse brass in distilled water 8. Dump brass out to dry on folded beach towel for about an hour. 9. After an hour, reposition brass on towel for final drying. 10. The next day, the dry brass is removed from towel and placed in container. This becomes my feedstock for reloading on RL550B. This process keeps my two RL550B presses clean and eliminates problems with debris from the primer pockets. I have never trimmed a straight wall pistol case in my life, in any caliber. After ammo is loaded, every single round is checked in a case guage and then placed in plastic cartridge boxes with appropriate labels.

I don't think it is all that popular with many forum members, but I really like TiteGroup with the MG 124 gr. JHP. Here are some MV's in different pistols with 4.2 gr. of Hodgdon TiteGroup, mixed cases, CCI 500 primers, and all seated to a COAL of 1.140": Glock G34: 1161 FPS - 143 PF Glock G17: 1118 FPS - 138 PF Glock G19: 1121 FPS - 139 PF Glock G26: 1112 FPS - 137 PF STI Tactical 5.0: 1108 FPS - 137 PF Wilson Combat Spec Ops 9: 1081 FPS - 134 PF Springfield XD(m): 1149 FPS - 142 PF Springfield EMP: 1050 FPS - 130 PF Functionality has been outstanding and accuracy has been very good in all the pistols with this load.

I am not going to be able to provide you with any valuable feedback regarding your question, but look forward to the discussion I believe your post will generate. Your maximum allowable COAL of 1.105" seems incredibly short to me. (Not questioning the work you have done . . . . this just seems like a chamber with those dimensions would preclude the pistol from safely functioning with most factory ammo!) Good luck in your research!

Call Dawson or Brazos. Tell them what you have. They will be glad to help explain the options to you. Both provide outstanding customer support and sell superior products.

You can't go wrong with the Dillon 4-die set. Crimp firmly enough to turn the case mouth into the bullet crimping groove without deforming the bullet. Go slowly and make adjustments in small increments. A firm crimp is especially important with slow burning powders like H110, W296, AA9, 2400, etc. to ensure good ignition and prevent bullets in the revolver cylinder from backing out under recoil, which can be substantial when using these slow burning powders. In my experience, the top loads are typically the most accurate when using the slow burning powders. W231 works fine in the .44 Magnum for moderately reduced loads, especially with 240 to 250 grain hard cast bullets. 10 to 11 grains with a 240 gr. or 250 gr. bullet will provide MV's ranging from nearly 1100 FPS from a 4" barrel to just over 1200 FPS in a 9 1/2" barrel. Use a Winchester Large Pistol primer or a magnum Large Pistol Primer from other manufacturers when using the slow burning powders. Don't overlook the performance available with the 300 grain bullets in this caliber. Typically, they produce impressive performance. I've been reloading .44 Magnum ammunition since 1973 and have never trimmed a case yet. Good luck and have fun . . . . it's a great cartridge to reload and accuracy in the right gun will impress you. Even after all these years, there are many things to be learned by reading Elmer Keith's writings about this cartridge.

I live not too far from Timney in Phoenix. They installed a trigger in my Colt Accurized HB AR and it is sweet. No issues with it at all, very crisp and clean let-off. Took them about 20 minutes.

I guess I go to a lot more trouble than almost anyone when loading ammo for matches. 1. Size and deprime in a single stage press using an EGW modified die that sizes bottom of case more fully than standard die 2. Clean the sized and deprimed cases in a sonic cleaner, then rinse, first with tap water, then distilled water. Air dry. These become the feedstock for all ammo reloading 3. Reload on Dillon 550, following all normal procedures 4. Individually wipe down each loaded round with rag dampened with 70% isopropyl alcohol, checking for correctly seated primers and cracks, dents, or other flaws in the case and bullet 5. Case gauge check every single loaded round 6. Place loaded ammunition in labeled box Time consuming, but my Dillon 550 press is always clean because of all the stuff I do before reloading on it, all my ammo gets checked very closely, I enjoy reloading, and I have plenty of available time because I am retired after 42 years of employment! Different strokes for different folks, I guess!

I've had great results with MG bullets in both 9mm and .45 calibers. Terrific customer service, prompt shipping, and high quality. Can't think of anything else to ask of them!! Highly recommended.

Hey Clyde. Welcome to the forum. Nice to see another AZ shooter. This forum is addictive and there is much, much, to learn!

Clean it with cue-tips and alcohol after each use. Once a year, put it in the sonic cleaner for about 10 minutes.

Another source for hearing protection is Overstock.com. The HL Impacts I recently purchased were $50 and that included shipping!

I agree with the comments on the Howard Leight Impact ear muffs. Recently switched to them after my Peltor 6S muffs died on me. I liked the Peltors, but the batteries are extremely difficult to change, they are easy to get turned on accidentally, the battery life wasn't that great, and towards the end, they developed "crackling" and "hissing" noises in one side. (Now that I think about it, why did I like them?) Battery replacement in the Howard Leight Impacts are significantly easier than the Peltors, amplification volume and quality are superior in the Howard Leights, and they don't tend to get turned on accidentally. And they have an "auto off" feature. Jury is still out on battery life . . . .haven't had them long enough to decide how they compare to the Peltors.

You will definitely get better results by separating the seating and crimp steps. It's worth the investment for another die.

Montana Gold. Excellent pricing and availability, high quality, and great customer service. I really like the 124 JHP's in 9mm.

I switched from an XDm in 9mm to an STI Tactical 5.0 also in 9mm. I like both pistols, but the switch was easy. In addition to the better trigger in the STI (and I had a very, very good trigger in my XDm - done by KS Customs), the STI is considerably more accurate. Had a bit of a challenge getting the extractor tuned on the STI in the beginning, but now it runs very well. So, for me, here are the major differences I have seen in switching from an XDm to an STI: STI has better trigger STI is more accurate XDm less ammo sensitive and more reliable out of the box XDm magazines are far less costly and less sensitive to abuse The deciding factor for me was the fact that I am far more experienced with the "1911" type platform and just seem to be able to shoot them better than the XDm or Glock pistols. They are all capable of providing better speed and accuracy than I am, so try them, make your decision, have fun, and switch if and when you feel like it!

This may be a thread drift here, and if this question belongs in a different place on the forum, let me know. Anyway, here is the question: Has anyone any real, personal experience with performing tests with stock barrels in Glock pistols, then comparing them with aftermarket barrels such as KKM or Barsto? By "tests" I am referring to accuracy tests at 25 yards (not 10 or 15 yards). Five 5-shot groups at 25 yards with a known accurate load in your Glock pistol with the stock barrel. Same pistol and same load - Five 5-shot groups at 25 yards with each aftermarket barrel. I think the data from such tests might be interesting! Thanks.

Or we could just look at your profile on this forum and see your first and last name right there where you put it!

I've found either 1.135" or 1.140" to be the best two COAL's in my G17 when shooting MG 124 gr. JHP's. The MG 124 gr. CMJ's seem to perform better at 1.150".

I have used the Montana Gold JACKETED bullets weighing 124 grains in all my 9mm pistols (Springfield, Glock, and STI) and they have all performed well. The two bullets I have used are the 124 gr. JHP's and the 124 gr. CMJ's. Every single one of these bullets I have ever checked for diameter show either .3550", .3555", or .3560". The best load in my Glock G19 Gen 3 pistol has been the Montana Gold 124 gr. JHP loaded to a COAL of 1.135" over 4.2 grains of TiteGroup with CCI small pistol primers and in mixed brass. Average MV is 1112 FPS with excellent accuracy. Crimp measures .377" to .378". Good luck with your load development!

To ask the question again: What is the .424" diameter you referenced in your earlier post?

Lots of other folks have responded to your post and provided you with some alternative suggestions that may help you when shooting through a barrel. But I'm with bpaz on your comment about "being chided upon" or given a "bad rap" for shooting through a barrel at the TNS match at Rio Salado. I've been shooting the TNS matches for a few years and have never seen a rangemaster criticize a shooter for shooting from inside a barrel. On many occasions I have seen them make suggestions to new shooters that it would be much easier to hit the targets with less distraction if they shoot from outside the barrel. They were doing this in an attempt to be helpful . . . . not to "chide on" the shooter or give him/her a "bad rap". Who knows it may have been me that made the suggestion? Take it for what I'm sure it was intended. Helpful advice! K I don't know what "gave me a bad rap" or "chided upon" means but I have been at many matches at Rio, both Tuesday Night Steel and the weekend USPSA matches, and never seen anyone upset by a shooter with his gun in a barrel. What I have seen is that almost every time it happens, someone (or several someones) will try explain the drawbacks and suggest alternative methods. And a huge drawback at night is that the barrel blocks the light and will make it hard to see your sights.

First, let me make it clear that I am not a gunsmith and never will be. But I have experienced similar issues with different brand magazines in 1911's made my different manufacturers. As an example, I most frequently use Wilson 47D magazines and Chip McCormick Power Mag 8-round magazines in my 1911's. The Wilson magazines fit perfectly in two Colt Series 80's and one Wilson 1911. Insert easily when fully loaded, drop free easily. The McCormick magazines fit perfectly in an Ed Brown SF and a S&W 1911PD Sc. Insert easily when fully loaded, drop free easily. When fully loaded to 8-round capacity you can only get the Wilson magazines to fit in the Ed Brown pistol if you beat them in with a hammer. Almost as bad when trying to seat them in the S&W (you just don't need the hammer - a fist will do it!) Download them to 7 rounds and they fit the Ed Brown and S&W pistols fine. The McCormick magazines fit the Colt pistols okay. Insert fairly easily when fully loaded, and drop free easily. Does that mean I think the McCormick magazines are superior to the Wilson magazines? Nope. Just different fit at the interface of the pistol and the magazine. YMMV. One final note: Any competent gunsmith with 1911 experience should be able to adjust your pistol to fit your (good quality, name brand)magazines to your pistol for reliable operation in a short period of time for a reasonable price.

The Montana Gold CMJ bullets in .45 and 9mm are both excellent. No experience with the .40 caliber. Prompt delivery and shipping is included in their prices.

Msfinlayson: Welcome to Tuesday Night Steel at Rio Salado! Your plan to shoot your STI is a good one. You might even want to try the Kimber, and allow the sport of shooting steel help you determine which pistol you shoot best. Over time, you might decide to try a different platform or caliber, and there are lots of good choices. The main thing is to: Be safe Have fun Don't worry about what is "in" or "cool" - shoot what you like because YOU enjoy it Use this forum (and others) to educate yourself, ask questions, and don';t let information overload have a negative effect on you. KW