Steve in Allentown PA

I will only address the slide's peened slide stop notch. The cause could be a soft slide, a poorly machined notch, or a poorly fit slide stop tab. You would need to engage the services of a 'smith with a hardness tester to determine if the slide is soft. If the notch is the problem, a good machinist could correct it however you could do a credible job using an appropriate file. Usually peening of the notch is a result of a slide stop tab that was not correctly fit to the notch. The images below show the difference between a poorly fit tab and a correctly fir tab. One thing the bottom image doesn't show is that left edge of the tab's rear engagement surface should be slightly relieved so that it doesn't contact the notch. This will prevent the tab from peening the outer edge of the notch.

Mec-Gar review

Failure-to-extract or failure-to-eject? Same spring rates from the same manufacturer? Same load data (powder, bullet)?

I thought I'd add an image showing the surfaces of the disconnector that need to be addressed for smooth operation. There are a couple of surfaces not specifically identified in the image. One is the very tip of the disconnector that bears against the slide. The other is the interior surfaces of the square hole through which the retaining pin passes. This is an EGW ball head disconnector. The round area immediately below the slide contact surfaces can be polished as well as the frame hole through which the extractor passes.

I've had this pistol for several years and never found a holster that would fit it until recently when I corresponded with the owner of 19 Charlie Tactical. As the business name implies, the head man is a former cavalry scout who ate sand in Iraq. He made a holster for me that was specially modified to accommodate that long G34 slide. I am well pleased with it and use it to carry the blaster during my hikes in the woods and mountains of Pennsylvania. Because it's a woods pistol, I opted for a minimalist, open bottom, outside the pants belt holster with a Tek-Lock belt attachment. I highly recommend this business. Pop over to the website and check out the vast array of products and options. Below are a couple of pics of the pistol and holster. Here you can see the Tek-Lock belt attachment allows for different belt widths. I've found this to be secure, practical, and convenient. The pistol fits snugly in the holster and the tension adjustment works as advertised. You can crank it down to the point it'll require a determined yank to get the pistol out. Or you can loosen the fit up to make the draw effortless.

"Better"? The flat wire spring will last a lot longer than a round wire. The flat wire is more expensive than the round wire. You'll need a small diameter guide rod to use a flat wire. I don't notice any difference between the two during live fire.

THE CONCLUSION I finally had enough of researching every adhesive known to man and grabbed a tube of E6000. I figured in the event of the worst case scenario (things didn't stick together) I could remove it easier than anything else. I smeared a layer of the stuff on the plastic plate of the Limbsaver and on the rubber surface of the OEM pad. Then I clamped them together and left the assembly alone for three full days at the end of which I set about shaping the Limbsaver to match the outline of the OEM pad using a bench belt sander. I didn't do a terrible job and comfort myself knowing that there was no good way to attach the assembly to my Miles Gilbert Recoil Pad Installation Fixture. Bottom line. The E6000 worked. The Limbsaver is very soft and pliable. Launching 12oz projectiles no longer feels like a 3" Magnum 12 gauge. Here's a pic showing how it turned out. You can see the glue line between the plastic plate of the Limbsaver and the rubber of the OEM pad. I may get after that with some sandpaper. The fit between the two is actually very close. The glue is just what slopped over onto the exterior of the OEM pad. The glue has been put to the test over the ensuing months and shows no sign of letting go. Many thanks to everyone who offered their suggestions.

It's an Aero Precision non-adjustable gas block with set screws going onto an AR Performance barrel that's been dimpled for the set screws. I reached the same conclusion that the set screws will pull the gas block down into tight contact with the top of the barrel boss. The fit between the block and the barrel is very close which allows the block to easily fit into place but it doesn't rattle around. Guess I was making a mountain out of a mole hill. Chalk it up to my total lack of experience in this arena. Thanks everyone for your replies.

I spent a decade behind an M16 buttstock courtesy of Uncle Sugar so while I know which end is the dangerous one and I can field strip it, I do not have an intimate knowledge of its inner workings. To alleviate my ignorance in this area I've collected all the necessary bits and pieces to put together my first upper. The gas block slips easily over the barrel boss. It is not a press fit. I'm looking for tried and true methods to prevent gas from leaking out from between these two parts. Same question for the gas tube and the gas block.

I agree. The biggest problem is the fact that the feed ramp doesn't extend down into the frame far enough to prevent nose dive feed ramp failures especially on the first round out of a fully loaded mag. An ideal .45 frame ramp extends .400" down from the top of the frame rails. The ramp on a supported barrel can only extend about .300" down from the top of the rails. Even if you get them to work, the feeding is not as smooth as a non-ramped pistol. Ramped barrels work fine for the smaller calibers because the bullet impact from their nose dives isn't as low as a .45. Still, I know 'smiths who do some fancy work to machine a "mini-ramp" just below the end of the barrel's feed ramp just in case a freak round does impact below the barrel ramp.

I usually get all my springs from Wolff.

Haven't yet had a chance to test the new recoil pad setup with the 12 (twelve) ounce ammo but I'll post a review after I do.

It's like a pillow. Life has a way of getting in the way of things so I've not yet had a chance to live fire test this rig.

I finally had enough of researching every adhesive known to man and grabbed a tube of E6000. I figured in the event of the worst case scenario (things didn't stick together) I could remove it easier than anything else. I smeared a layer of the stuff on the plastic plate of the Limbsaver and on the rubber surface of the OEM pad. Then I clamped them together and left the assembly alone for three full days at the end of which I set about shaping the Limbsaver to match the outline of the OEM pad using a bench belt sander. I didn't do a terrible job and I comfort myself knowing that there was no good way to attach the assembly to my Miles Gilbert Recoil Pad Installation Fixture. Bottom line. The E6000 worked. The Limbsaver is very soft and pliable. Launching 12oz projectiles no longer feels like a 3" Magnum 12 gauge. Here's a pic showing how it turned out. You can see the glue line between the plastic plate of the Limbsaver and the rubber of the OEM pad. I may get after that with some sandpaper. The fit between the two is actually very close. The glue is just what slopped over onto the exterior of the OEM pad. Many thanks to everyone who offered their suggestions.

I finally had enough of researching every adhesive known to man and grabbed a tube of E6000. I figured in the event of the worst case scenario (things didn't stick together) I could remove it easier than anything else. I smeared a layer of the stuff on the plastic plate of the Limbsaver and on the rubber surface of the OEM pad. Then I clamped them together and left the assembly alone for three full days at the end of which I set about shaping the Limbsaver to match the outline of the OEM pad using a bench belt sander. I didn't do a terrible job but comfort myself knowing that there was no good way to attach the assembly to my Miles Gilbert Recoil Pad Installation Fixture. Bottom line. The E6000 worked. The Limbsaver is very soft and pliable. Launching 12oz projectiles no longer feels like a 3" Magnum 12 gauge. Here's a pic showing how it turned out. You can see the glue line between the plastic plate of the Limbsaver and the rubber of the OEM pad. I may get after that with some sandpaper. The fit between the two is actually very close. The glue is just what slopped over onto the exterior of the OEM pad. Many thanks to everyone who offered their suggestions.

EGW makes an exceptional ambi-safety. The paddles are big enough to whittle them into any size or shape you prefer.

I have a recoil sensitive shooter in the household and am in the process of trying to make the recoil more manageable by adding a Limbsaver pad to a FAB stock. The challenge is that the FAB stock uses a unique, proprietary attachment system that does not allow direct attachment of the Limbsaver. What I have to do is glue the Limbsaver to the FAB pad. I was able to track down another FAB recoil pad that I could use to experiment on. I have also ordered a Limbsaver 1" thick, grind-to-fit, medium +, Speed Mount pad. My objective is to glue the Limbsaver to the FAB pad. My problem is I don't know what glue will permanently adhere the plastic at the rear of the Limbsaver to the rubber of the FAB. If anyone knows for certain which adhesive will provide a permanent solution, please let me know. The pictures below show the OEM pad to the left of the pad that has been modified to eliminate the "treads" to provide a flat surface to which the Limbsaver can be glued. Here's the Limbsaver pad. Note that the rubber pad is glued to a substantial plastic backing. When I suggested to the folks at Limbsaver that I wanted to separate the rubber from the plastic and just glue the rubber pad to the flattened surface of the FAB rubber pad they strongly advised against it because the soft Limbsaver pad needed the reinforcement of the plastic to maintain its shape. That's why finding the right glue to join the plastic of the Limbsaver to the rubber of the FAB is critical. Unfortunately, I cannot directly screw the Limbsaver to the stock. The picture below of the rear of the stock shows why.

Here's why I can't just screw on another pad. There's nothing to screw into. The OEM butt pad is secured to a dovetail grooved plastic backing that slides into place on the buttstock and is locked in place. I've already put the belt sander to work to grind the face of the pad perfectly flat. Now I need to find the right glue to join the plastic backing of the new pad to the now flat rubber face of the OEM pad.

An update. I called Jeff at Rubber City Armory and bought one of his steel lightweight BCGs. I'm experimenting with it in another rifle and have been favorably impressed. What I'm working on now is figuring out a way to glue a 1" thick Limbsaver recoil pad to the existing pad that came with the FAB stock. Here's a pic of the FAB stock and pad. The FAB pad will not fit a Magpul stock, is relatively thin, and has no "give" to it. My thought was to grind it down so that it's flat across the entire surface and then join the plastic backing plate of the Limbsaver to it. Are there any adhesives experts out there who can tell me which glue/epoxy will permanently join the plastic backing plate of the Limbsaver to the rubber surface of the FAB pad?

Who you callin' "mechanically proficient"? Yes, I could go that route but I want a more elegant solution for my poodle shooter.

Very interesting. I read Young's piece a few weeks ago and couldn't believe it. But your experience speaks volumes. Thanks.

I have replaced the original gas key with an adjustable gas key from Rubber City Armory. I have torqued the new mounting bolts to 57 inch pounds. Now all I need to do is take 10 minutes or less to stake the bolts in place. I do not want to use a chisel to do this. I want to use a purpose made tool like the ones offered by Brownells or Michiguns. The thing is I think this will be a one time use tool and I don't want to spend the money to buy one. I'm hoping there's some kind person in or near the Lehigh Valley region who has one of these tools that wouldn't mind letting me come over and spend 10 minutes using his tool. Here are some pics showing the removal of the original gas key and images of the two tools I mentioned above.

Thanks for following up with the information. It seems everyone is conserving their ammo supply given the current situation. I've decided to take a small step by replacing the standard GI gas key on a rifle with an adjustable gas key just to see the effect. I'm going to start a new thread for just this one thing.

If it wouldn't be a bother. No such thing as too much information.

Snausages, thanks for the info. The Brownells LW BCG is certainly easier on the wallet. I wonder who makes their BCGs - RBC (Rubber City Armory)?