warpspeed

FWIW, When I started shooting pistols, my "teacher", a GM, said bag it. So I have ever since.

I have 2 guns I shoot most, both STI My Ltd gun, and Edge, has a AFTEC extractor. I had one installed just cause it sounded cool. No other reason. It has worked great. My open steel gun in 9mm has been a pain. It has the STI extractor and I have had problems. One of these days, soon, I'll junk it and put in an AFTEC. It will lose its tension every 3K rounds or so. Once a month if I'm lucky IMHO, use the one you have till it becomes unreliable then put in an AFTEC. Or if the budget isn't there, use one that has a history of being good - like EGW or Ed Brown.

Vita lists the following load: 185 TMJ - SWC Speer, 1.268 OAL, start :5.7 gr - 929 fps / max: 6.2 - 1003 fps not sure how a jhp would be different from a TMJ- SWC but the starting load would probably work just fine. Even though it is 45ACP, as always, start low, use a chronograph and watch for signs of excessive pressure.

180 gr over N320 for major loads 135gr over Clays for minor / steel loads

Phenex, What is the budget for this little gem? If I was you, living in the beautiful State of AZ, w/o any limitations, I'd look at an STI or SVI gun. Single Stack or Widebody, which ever you prefer. I'm not so sure of the IDPA rules, but I think if you get a bushing barrel gun, it can go both ways. Matt Burkett was shooting an SV at the Steel Challenge last year that was a wide body in one of the IDPA classes and it looked sweet!!

jeffro, When you say "mainspring" do you mean the spring that is housed in the "mainspring housing" located in the grip or do you mean teh recoil spring located under the barrel with the guide rod through it? 'cause if you mean the "mainspring", 17# should be just about right. If you mean the recoil spring, 17# sounds like overkill in a big way.

The STI barrels are made overseas, I'm told. I can't remember where but I think it is somewhere in Asia. Almost any barrel will be accurate if fit right for atleast a couple of thousand rounds. The question is after 5K, is it still 1.5"? (Edited by warpspeed at 9:36 pm on Jan. 22, 2003)

2alpha, Have you shot the Steel Challenge? Almost all the non-cash prizes are awarded based on order of finish overall. They could care less if you are USPSA, IDPA, Cowboy or other wise. Oh, by the way, TGO was first overall.

jon, have they modified the slide profile at all? 3 flats perhaps? (Edited by warpspeed at 9:02 pm on Feb. 6, 2003)

Kevin, I get all my primers from a seller called Miwall. They advertise in Shotgun News for ammo but they also sell primers and powder and bullets. They are at the local gun shows in SoCal so I miss out on the shipping charges http://www.miwall.com They are dirt cheap! I have yet to find anyone cheaper. Good luck

ridden, Check out Jeff Maass' page http://home.columbus.rr.com/jmaass/ipscload.htm lots of loads for 38 super

kevin, thanks for the update. It is great to hear that someone other than me is having fun

Replace the factory rear sight with the Wilson from Brian. What you will find happen is the pin that the sight pivots on will break. Sometimes after 100 rds, others at 1,000. But it will break. The Wilson has not after 3K so far. Even if the Wilson did not have the advantage of changing the blade w/o removing the whole thing I'd switch. And yes, the STI cut should be a Bomar Cut so the new Wilson will fit with very minor fitting.

I have a Dillon 550 that I use for pistol loads. I use dillon dies for most calibers with a Redding seating die on 40 & 38 super so I'm not opposed to mixing dies. My question is are theDillon dies the hot ticket for loading rifle as well or is there a better combo?

Thanks for the 411. I have been shooting pistol w/ reloads of course and was just wondering if it was worth the cost/trouble to do the same for rifle. I have Ruger mini-14 I plan to use for 3-gun . I had heard that it was too much effort but I have a 550 I can switch to 223 pretty easy so I was just wondering what the norm was.

Pretty simple question, I hope. I was curious as to how many 3-gun shooters reload rifle ammo and how many use factory loads?

Mellow, The 012 is a very nice rig. It should work perfectly for the Wilson. A friend of mine has a CQB and I'll see him later this week. I'll check it on my 012 and get back to ya. I normally use an Arrendondo holster. No particular reason, othe rthan my shooting buddy uses teh 012 most of the time. I'll see how it fits on that one as well.

Paraman, In all 4 of my 1911 type guns I run a 17lb mainspring, Limcat Firing pin & Wolffe firingpin spring without problems. Now, to state the obvious but often overlooked- Make sure that you clean out the firing pin hole in the slide. It does get stuff in there and that debris can cause light hits too. (Edited by warpspeed at 11:44 am on Jan. 12, 2003)

The wide body polymer frame SV gun that is approved for CA has a 3-4 month lead time and costs over $ 2400! Compared to STI, $ 600 more. If you want to shoot 40 S&W, another $ 500 (?) to replace the breechface and new barrel. A Ltd gun in CA for almost $3K. Wow. As for the NRA, they are a political organization and some may or may not agree with everthing they do and stand for and yet still own a gun or even use it for sporting purposes. I know shooters in our sport that are not NRA members. I would not critize them for belonging to a particluar political party or group so I sure won't say a thing about their NRAmembership. Not everyone is an activist. It bugs me to no end that they "beg" for money on a monthly basis but I still send it because it is my way of helping a cause I belive in.

2alpha, let me see if I understand this Hypothetically- You live in TX and buy an STI. Dealer runs the NIC and you pass. He sells the gun to you. You take it home and put it in the safe. That guns info and the serial number are not kept anywhere by the US DOJ? Really?

AZONE, To answer your question, a private party, meaning somone who is not a FFL dealer, can transfer to another private party (or FFL for that matter) a frame or complete handgun in CA w/o any resrtictions provided the buyer can pass the background check. Most FFL's will require both parties to be present at the same time to do the transfer. When they do so, they have to show ID proving they are both CA residents. It is illegal to bring a gun/frame not on the "approved list" into California for the purpose of sale. So in other words, you friend who lives in AZ can't buy the gun, drive to CA and sell it to you. The gun/frame has to be here already. (Edited by warpspeed at 1:17 pm on Jan. 10, 2003)

Mellow, You never said what kind of press you are using. I load on both a Dillon 1050 and 550 and I do notice that the ammo loaded on the 1050 seems to be a little more consistent. The load is done all on the same "stroke of the handle" on the 1050 and that makes the primer seating more consistent and the seating and crimp more consistent. That said, I load 40 S&W only on the 550 and use a Redding seating die and those loads are always accurate. I did have some problems at first with the Redding die but I found if I did not flare the case mouth so much, the extra resistence on the spring inside the die was stonger and thus a more consistent seating depth.

Trader, Clays is wonderful for minor pf like steel load. Very soft. I have used 3.0 to 3.5 grains with a 135gr for SC and it was nice and soft and flat. For a 180, start with 3.2 @ 1.125 and ckeck for pressure signs. If none, you are good to go. (Edited by warpspeed at 10:45 am on Jan. 8, 2003)

TOE, I forgot about that removable breechface slide that SV makes. That would make it real easy . In that case, as long as you do not mind the Stainless frame, I would say that is your best bet. Much better than the Para route I think unless $ is an issue.

Mellow, TheOtherErik is correct. I too live in CA and did the xact same route as he did, STI CA Edge new and open via private party transfer (PPT). I happened to find the STI open gun from someone at a match just by letting it be known I was looking for one. Be preparred to pay top dollar. That said, it should still be less than the conversion of a 45 from SV. Find a good gunsmith in your area that works on IPSC pistols and let them know you are looking for a PPT. They tend to know who has these "extra" frames and guns. Good Luck. (Edited by warpspeed at 11:13 pm on Jan. 6, 2003)