JL Hardy

anyone needing SP2 should contact Pam at Mullins Ammunition in Clintwood, Virginia. the number is (276)926-6772. they have between 1500 and 1800 lbs of it in 55lb drums. we bought 220lbs and had it shipped by truck to the nearest Estes express lines terminal (which happend to be about 30 mins away) and with shipping and everything it worked out to $10.67 a lb. this stuff can't be beat for open guns in 38super or 9mm. one barrrel will load about 45,000 rounds. shipping is the main consideration. it costs probably about the same to ship one drum as it does to ship four or five. so you have to decide how far you want to spread the cost out.

if you will buy a imsi magizine spring the package has this information on it. i tore off the feed lip spec part and taped it up over my work bench. hope this helps. jlh

there was a guy named chuck warner. i believe .that used to alter the wilson/nowlin cut to look like yours. he did this to radius the barrel lug and so that only one cut had to be made to the frame to fit the barrel. i have a bull barrel for a 38 super that he did and on the barrel hood it is engraved cwc. be very careful and make sure that your gunsmith knows how to measure everything before cutting the ramp in the frame. i would not get a pre-cut frame because if by chance you have a ramp that is altered then you will be in a position of replacing the barrel or getting another frame or welding up the frame bridge and recutting.

i currently use a benelli super 90 in 20 ga. i find that other than not having speed loaders for it that it gives up nothing to the 12 guage. i purchased all the side saddles and shell holders from 3gungear.com in 20ga and have been very satisfied with them the 10 rnd tube had to be made which was a hassle to find someone who could thread the forearm nut with the correct acme threads. i do use a little hotter loads than just your standard promo loads but i usually find some on sale at a cheap price with just a heavier shot load and they work really well.jlh

what you are looking for is volumetric density charts. Lee's loading manual has these charts as well as explanations as to how to use them. good luck. j.l. hardy

congratulations you have real pre-ban mags. i had the same problem with a new gunsmith frame kit i traded for. i already had 5 preban mags and got a dawson magwell for the frame so that i didn't have to cut the frame for a S&A. 1 of the mags would work but 4 would not. i called dawson and they were very helpful, but short of buying newer replacement tubes there was no fix except to mill out the magwell to accept the mags and basepads. by the way did i mention i bought the dawson magwell so that i wouldn't have to mill on the bottom of the frame.pre-ban mags are about .030 inch longer than replacement tubes from para. the sti tubes are plenty long enough to use most any base pad you want. hope this helps. j.l. hardy

singlestack, you should elaborate on the ownership of the viper. i believe that your significant other comandeered it and put you in the market for another good gun. i'm sure she would say that she enjoys it as well. you could also send a pic of the mongoose to go with the viper. jlh

apparently graf and sons is now out. last week they had a 55lb drum left. but by the time i had arranged to have it picked up it was not available.

carlos, i have built the guns using both a cone type comp on a threaded barrel and using schumans hybricomp barrel. the cone comp is actually shorter. i build these guns on a sti frame set up using commander specs. the cone comp gun can actually use a longer comp and still be the same length or shorter than the hybricomp. i have used either two or three hybrid holes. if you are considering using a compensated barrel without a threaded on comp i have no experience with these.

does anyone know where i could obtain some unopened containers of SP2 powder. I'm having trouble finding anymore and i only have about 4lbs left. any help would be appreciated. good shooting, j.l. hardy

paul, sometimes being vague spurs other people to investigate possibilities. and i do hope we can find time for you to try out these guns. i have two new ones with different comps that i would like an opinion on. see ya there. and i didn't at all take it that you were knocking on anyone. good shooting jlh

paul, the things mentioned above are exactly why the 9 major works best in a commander length. the shorter barrel allows the gasses to get out to the comp. also the lighter weight of the commander set up has less weight moving so the dot moves less. this is the same theory that brazos uses in his shortened govt guns. by the way Bobs's guns work real well too. also on major 9x19 you can take advantage of the shorter oal with the short stroke of the commander. hope to see ya at fla.jlh

since approximately two weeks after the rule change allowing 9x19 to be used in standard loading length for uspsa open division and to be scored as major i have been shooting it exclusively in local matches every weekend and at the florida open(1st major match of the year). i would not advise someone to ditch a perfectly good super or one of the other commonly used calibers in favor of the 9 because the expense of the changover in loading equipment and other cost considerations would buy lots of brass. but if you are needing to rebarrel a gun that you are happy with or are building a new gun then it should be considered seriously. i myself see a savings of several hundred dollars a year in brass cost alone. also the loads tend to use approx. 1 grain less powder to make the same velocity. there are several powders that are readily available which offer good performance. i personallyhave been shooting the caliber and have three other shooters now shooting the guns on a very regular basis who are very happy with the set up. my guns are set up as commander open guns entirely and function flawlessly. as to how each individual gun performs i.e. snappy, dot movement ect there are alot of variables which affect this mostly to do with the shooter and their technique and leastly to do with powder and bullet choice. although powder and bullet choice will have an affect. shooting 115 grain bullets would not be a reccomendation i would give but i also don' like them in super either.these guns must be set up by someone familiar with how to do so. just as with other open class guns. there a lot of fine gunsmiths who do good quality work who cannot make a regular super run reliably. it would also be difficult to set up a gun to run reliably with both 9 and super. i believe this was what Paul W. was attempting to do. and i agree with him that it is impossible to perform at peak levels if you are always waiting for your equipment to fail.btw i will be at the fla match this weekend and any one wanting to try a 9x19 open gun is welcome to try mine. also btw i have either owned or shot guns from most of the major gunsmiths that are currently building open guns and think that the commander 9x19 set up is by far the best i've used.