kv501

Yep. It's saves time on the reload! Just a couple points... 1. In Prod/L10 it's better for you in the long run to plan out your reloads and get better at studying/breaking down stages than to count on a quicker slide lock reload. Taking the easy way will make you lazier instead of improving your game. 2. What I think about -----> If I saved a quarter of a second 4 times in a match by counting on a slam lock I would save 1 second. If on the 5th time the slide fails to close, then I dry fire, then I stand there for a second to process what happened, then I rack it, I have negated any benefit from going to slide lock. Too many ways to have a meltdown when you start dealing with unexpected stuff. I didn't mean this post to be condescending, just wanted to show how I weigh the benefits/disadvantages.

+100 on this. I went from the huge stock fiber on the M&P Pro front sight (which I loved) to the DP front sight. I don't think it would be worth the hassle of drilling the thing out and possibly screwing it up. One thing I did learn though, is that sometimes when melting it back to get a larger bulb, it can distort the fiber making it loose inside the bore of the sight. Mine broke in a match last year after doing what I just described and I noticed before leaving the house that it had a little slop in it. I remember I was shooting a plate rack and it went....green, green, green, WHITE!

Out of the group you listed I have tried TG with Matt's bullets. I had really good luck with function/performance, but the smoke was just about unbearable. A buddy of mine bought 500 from me (he's a plinker only), and had great luck with Power Pistol. It's not common everywhere and you won't find it in large quantities, but it worked well enough for me to use it for practice loads over TG. My OAL was done visually I guess you could say, I dropped the bullet down until the shoulder was just above the case mouth, measured it, and stuck to that. I don't have the exact measurement with me at the computer but it worked very well in a KKM M&P barrel.

I used to be terrible for this. I played a lot of sports, and any big event would do this to me whether it was a high school football or baseball game, or a shooting match as I got older. For some strange reason the worst time was driving home from an Area match last year. I was hot, shot middle of the pack, and had to drive 6 hours home right after shooting. I had spent 3 days of vacation, a lot of ammo, gas, hotel expenses, and so on, and started to doubt myself and what I was getting out of shooting. It didn't last thankfully, but at the time I really thought, "What am I doing?" It was definitely way too much time alone to think about things when you're tired. I do find that I am getting better at things like that as I get older though. maybe some of the competitiveness os wearing off, or maybe I just see things differently (smarter) now.

I have 2 shooting related dreams that have both happened (is that what dreams do, happen?) a few times. One is that I'm bringing a new shooter to a match and I can't find the range. For some reason I just keep driving around getting more embarrassed and finally it gets so late that we don't make the match. No idea..... The second one is that I'm shooting in Production and just burning the stages down. Not like real life shooting when everything goes well, but I'm talking super human burning the stages down. Like Sevigny X 10. Running, sliding into position, Travis reloads, 40 yarders, that kinda thing. If I never woke up from that one life would be ok.

I load 124 gr MG hollow points to 1.125 in mine and have had great luck. It actually would take a longer OAL, but I have another gun that likes 1.125 so I just kept it the same. No die adjustments between the two.

I here you on considering this a feature. I have a pro that will close with the slightest bump. Add to that the adrenaline of a match and it's dead "reliable," if you want to call it that. I try not to run it empty, but on certain stages with a drop turn or swinger I have, and if you have to rely on it, then you're probably not the type of shooter who will benefit from the few hundredths that it will save (myself included). Last year at a sectional I did however do it on purpose to save a reload and it worked, but I would have cussed myself out if it didn't.

My 9L had way different tolerances between the front and rear dovetail. When I first got it I ordered a Dawson front and adjustable rear. I did the front first and everything went in like butter. Awesome...now let's get the rear in there and go shooting. Nope. I couldn't get the thing close by filing, so I finally sent the slide in and had Dawson do it. They said mine had one of the tightest dovetails they had seen. I imagine the factory tolerances are loose to begin with both high and low, and Dawson has to make their sights on the high side of that to make sure everything will fit (can't add material), albeit with more fitting work.

I think this is a hit and miss issue. I have 15,000 live rounds through my 9L, and probably 3/4 of that in dry fire. Never had an ounce of trouble, but a good friend shot mine, decided he wanted one, and his broke at the 1500 round mark with no dry fire. He doesn't even shoot USPSA.

Yes. Stock FO size for the pro is 0.060". The stock green FO in the Pro was too big for me, I went with a .090 front and it made a world of difference. The Dawson sights can be had in a multitude of heights and widths, and you should be able to find a combo that works with your load and rear sight.

As far as the trigger being different, the sear is the only different part. As U.Duck said, it is cheaper and smarter to get the L and upgrade it, since you will likely change the sights and put Apex components in after trying them. I wish I would have bought that model.

What has been your issues with Speer? I have broken several decapping pins on Speer brass; their flash holes are said by many to be a lot smaller than normal, causing this issue. I have never tried to measure this in any way so I don't know if it is true, I just know that it has caused me grief so I quit using it. I have also found that the primer pockets seem to be very inconsistent; some are a crush fit and others sloppy. Again, these are just my very unprofessional opinions; some people really like it.

I ordered some M&P compact basepads from Smith and Wesson direct, and I am trying to figure out exactly what I have. I know for sure I didn't get the finger groove pads as I have seen them before. I specifically ordered the flat base pads, and that is what is on the invoice from S&W. What I got were basepads that have a flat bottom similar to the full size ones, only difference being that they are shorter, which I expected. On the other side, however, the plastic is built up and looks like it would fit in the mag tube but it does not. It is the same profile and shape as the mag tube but will not go in. Even if it would there is nothing that would hold it in place. The best way I can describe it is that is is wedge shaped (again, these are definitely not the finger groove basepads). When I ordered them I was under the impression that they were identical to the fullsize base pads (except with a shorter lip) which just slide on and lock up with the detent on the spring. These look like they need to be inserted in the mag tube rather than slide over the lips on the end. I know pictures would help but I am posting this from my phone. I thought maybe someone would be able to tell from my description what I have and if it is wrong. Thanks in advance for any replies and I will try to get pictures in the morning.

Just to clarify, I did direct him to the Chronograph forum, and did tell him to ask if he couldn't find what he was looking for. The search function is there to be used, and to keep from having many posts with duplicate info (which will confuse a new guy far more than having one or two comprehensive posts). Also, there is a wealth of info in the Chrono forum that this guy would greatly benefit from reading. With this thread as an example we now have a very informative post from you on why you should buy a chronograph, which isn't in the Chrono forum for new guys and lurkers to find. Not trying to be argumentative in the least, but I have seen that directing newbies to searches irks you (G-Man espescially ) and I wanted to explain myself. The 9mm "Pet Load" thread is a perfect example of this. In my opinion it's the single best place to go for a new guy looking to load 9 minor, just about every powder, primer, bullet, OAL combo applicable to 9 minor is in there. If we keep adding to it it only gets better, and having 300 posts about 9mm recipes it is that much harder for a NG to wade through. Hope I didn't rub you the wrong way Thread drift off; no more responses from me.

This is purely a matter of bullet profile when we are talking about similar or same bullet weights. It doesn't really have to do with any certain barrel, barrel type, etc. I put together an illustration to demonstrate. Sorry for the rudimentary drawings. You can see why when looking at the different bullet profiles that the ogive on a RN bullet is wider at a given distance from the case mouth. Thus, you can't load a RN as long as a TC when pushing the upper end of OALs. In simpler terms, when loading a TC vs, a RN of the same weight, the RN will engage the rifling sooner.

The below thread is the go to place for all things 9mm minor (which is what you are loading) http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=89264 A 147 gr. bullet and Titegroup is a very popular combination. In that thread you will find many combinations of charge weights, OALs, etc.

The thread below is the running topic that most people use for 9mm minor power factor loads. You will find info on a myriad of powders (including VV), bullet weights, OALs, and primers. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=89264 There is also one located in that same forum for 9mm major loads but I am not going to list that since confusing the 2 would be bad news . If 9 major is what you are after (I suspect it isn't), I will let you find that one on your own.

New, nickel is more expensive, flakes off (if you keep it long enough), and doesn't offer improved performance while reloading or shooting. Some will say it loads with less effort through the press, but clean, lubed brass isn't exactly tough. For those reasons I don't buy it new. For mixed practice brass I use any nickel that isn't Speer or NT. If none of that stuff matters to you it is a personal preference. We have one guy at out club who shoots 38 in nickel cases so he gets them all back.

Most people here seem to recommend the CED M2 (this one is used as the official match chrono at major matches in USPSA), or the ProChrono Digital. The CED is the pricier of the 2. I have the PCD and, like many, have no complaints whatsoever. The forum listed below and the threads in it will give you more than you could have ever wanted to know about chronos. If you can't find what you are looking for with a search or by reading through it, ask and you will get good responses. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showforum=145

Yes he is and it is a great match but Iowa needs its own match also! The Great Plains Sectional is at ENPS. It was at the Sioux Falls, SD club in 2009 due to the Area 3 match being in Omaha (ENPS) and was run by Sherwyn then. Maybe you are thinking of The Area 3 match?

I must be an idiot because I never knew that's what the extra space was for. Awesome idea.

I added a 650 to my 550 this afternoon. The 550 will keep all of the "other" stuff and probably get all of my new conversion kits if and when I need them, but since starting USPSA last March I decided I couldn't resist the casefeeder and the auto index for match ammo2. I think this will be about the perfect setup for me (and my 4 y.o. when he gets old enough to load his own ) ANYWAY-- I called the order in, and after giving Brian my info the debit card came back denied. Sigh... Brian patiently took a screen shot of the order and waited for me to call my bank. Called them, they said I had a $750 limit for purchases to keep someone from emptying my account. Fair enough. Told them to up it to $1000, they said I'm good to go right away. I called Brian for the second time and told him to run it again and that everything was fine. Hung up thinking we're hunky dory. Got back to my office and had a phone call; it was BE saying that no matter how he tried to run it, no dice. Finally got it done with a different card. Gist of the story, it took a lot of hassle caused by me and 3 phone calls to get the order done; Brian called me right away when there was a problem, and made sure everything was right. Couldn't ask for better service; order with confidence. Thanks for the patience.

If you do get a chance to buy some at a discount from Botach or Cote buy a bunch. It may be a bigger chunk of cash from the outset but you won't regret it. Those places are out of stock more than not because of their prices. Last year I bought 10 M&P mags from Botach for $19.95 a piece. I shoot production and now I have a lot of spares, extra for matches, etc. I have also been able to help a couple guys out at matches who have broken base pads, etc. Last year at a club match a new guy drove about 4 hours to shoot and forgot his ammo bag with his mags in it. Another shooter gave him ammo, and I had a full set of mags for him to use.

Welcome. The 550 is a great machine. One thing you don't mention in your post is whether or not you will be competing. On the forum there are literally hundreds of good threads with reloading data for all different pistol disciplines. The forum search is an excellent tool to find info, and if you don't find what you are looking for feel free to ask; someone will most definitely chime in. Good luck! If you are completely new to reloading the first thing I would recommend is to get several reloading manuals and read them thoroughly. Lyman, Speer, Hornady, Sierra, etc. are some of the more common. Not trying to imply that you haven't done this already, but you didn't mention it so I thought I would. Also, if you don't have a chronograph I would also look into getting one sometime soon. You can get by without it by sticking to published loads, but for load development purposes a chrono will open up a whole new side to your reloading. For shooting in power factor mandated competition, it is really a must have. Here is a thread that pertains to the 550, and this forum deals with Dillon reloading equipment in general. You can also read through the caliber-specific sub forums.

I think I'd have to respectfully disagree on that one. I looked for the thread here on this same issue and couldn't find it, but I seem to remember it being mentioned that a couple people had actually contacted S&W about this, and were told it was most definitely not supposed to slam charge. I also remember that they were offered to return the gun and have it "fixed." The whole 45 degree thing you mentioned also sounds fishy. Not that I doubt you saw it somewhere, I'm just wondering what video and who the instructors were.