millisec

Basically found this load here and been using it for 3+ years out of M&P Pro 5" 4.0 Titegroup 124g Zero FMJ 1.15 OAL Win SPP Just got 4k FMJ 147g Zero's last week and going to probably run 3.2gr titegroup same OAL.

I like 1911's and have shot a Sig 220 match at plenty of matches but for the "game" of IDPA today I think your better off with a fullsize M&P or Glock (no real opinion on XD's). Less expensive to buy and gear up, little mods needed and no more capacity handicap (with 7rd mags) or having to barney a round (with 8rd mags) to be at division capacity of 8+1. Just so much simpler and more fun to shoot with a draw and shoot gun. No grip safeties, safeties or hammers to deal with. It makes CDP more like shooting SSP and of course you could also use the gun to shoot SSP or ESP.

I've been looking and it seems everything ever made has been discontinued. I finally found that carbon arms had some on their website. As I was in the process of adding to cart the item disappeared from the site just a few weeks back. Talk about luck... guess I will have to find someone to make a box. What is available is snap caps which aside from being mostly overpriced, especially if you want basically a box of shells, is not very good for practice loading IMO.

I gave it the benefit of the doubt and kept playing with it. Deciding moment was today when I got my thumb painfully stuck. I have smaller hands so that probably makes the difference with thumb fitting the down position gap just right. Part of the problem to me is being shorter the geometry is wrong, loads are awkward and thumb sticks around and gets stuck. Its coming out tonight and going back.

Hold the horses... no holy grail for versa max. Got it and installed the lifter today. First thing I noticed was it's shorter. I went ahead and installed it no problem. Form and fit are good but its too damn short. Of course being so short the first thing that happened was I got my thumb caught. Also practice loading, because of it being to short shell rims actually wedge on the end of the carrier when releasing shell catch to unload. Probably going to return it and have to get lifter welded up. I did talk to Taran tactical and the "fits versa max" was from word of mouth. They also said they won't be making one for VM since Benelli is the majority of their business. Both TT and SS gracious about taking it back so the only negative is it's not really for VM. If anyone else thinks its still fine for VM I would love to hear your experience.

I bought the 5.11 heavy black vest a long time ago when I lived in a colder place. Little warm for Florida but I only wear it when I'm actually shooting and the heavy material sweeps good. I think they make a lighter weight one now in rip stop instead of canvas. I think Woolrich also still makes a rip stop light weight version too. If I bought a new one today it would be rip stop and not black.

I ordered one of those lifters last night from Shooters Source. Funny thing is when they list the image it is of a drilled out carrier. When you go into the item picture changes to non drilled. Drilled would have been nice but I can live with that. Tarantactical site does show the correct image. That thing is too nice looking... not sure I want to attack it with the drill press. Not dealt with SS before but they do business the way I do/I like. Just got notification it shipped this morning. None of that we'll get around to shipping it in week or two or we'll ship it in 6 months when we actually have it in stock BS so prevalent in the gun industry today. Actually was just looking at website and now they are sold out of the lifters. Last chance is probably Tarantactical's website.

Oh yeah... been looking long and hard and was close to sending it out to be welded. Ordered one about a minute after reading this. Nice looking stainless piece. SS does not list it specifically as VM compatible but the Taran Tactical site does (guess it is really a reminelli lol). That and a bit of filing on shell catch and new VM tactical should be ready for maiden voyage next month. I've only shot maybe 50 rounds buck/slugs and not even close to bitten but not taking that chance. Not fond of pain or bleeding like a stuck pig. That shell catch is the biggest issue. Not only does shell snag going in but it occasionally malfunctions and does not release a shell. Slug POI is not bad after loosening up the clamp by padding it and leaving tube slightly loose (~1/4 turn). Not a precision rifle but pretty center much center mass at 25yrds. Just hate to give up the sling mount or side rail for a one piece tube just yet. A +2 extension was good enough to tame that factory mag spring with no trimming required. I bet a lot of people never even mounted the top rail but I tried it out and was pleasantly surprised. Because of the semi circle cut running through the middle it works pretty good as 1/2 a ghost ring sight. BTW as far as REM Pro Bore extended chokes go I picked up a set of 4 (full, IC, MOD, LM) from CDNN NIB Remington STS comp chokes for $9.99 each. No laser name engraving but you can't beat the price.

Going to have to stop by and check them out... only a few miles away and never realized they were even there.

I use all sorts of mixed range brass and I have had maybe 1-2 bullet push into the case (don't even recall why) out of maybe 10000 rounds since I started loading 9mm. May have been back at start before I got the kinks ironed out in my setup. For storage of loaded rounds I always use Frankfort plastic cases and I always eyeball before use (that's how I caught those). The case makes it easy to instantly spot a short round. I'm using a Redding comp pro set with an added Redding #1 expander. This setup is on a Hornady LNL and I hated having the expander on the powder drop (rough on powder drop). Also gotten pretty anal these days about dropping pretty much every round in a Wilson gage. If anything I get a few rounds that work fine in my M&P's but hang slightly in the gage from a tiny base bulge the resizer won't reach.

Might I ask if those were also Federal primers that went bang? Stories of soft Federals blowing up got me to stick to CCI or Remington. Pretty interesting thread... I was under the impression that Federal brass was likely to cause loose primer pockets for those that reamed vs. swaging which preserves the metal. Seeing a couple people swaging with 1050's and having issues kinda blows that theory.

This one made me very happy... "Blind stages are not allowed for use in sanctioned matches". I recently shot one that not only was blind but was a little complicated AND the targets and NT's were dressed in assorted multicolor tshirts including tye die and in a confined space. First shooter, first stage, first thing in the morning and I blew that one at least time wise. First time I ever encountered blind stages or disguised targets let alone together. At least for me most of the other changes are trivial or irrelevent to me. The only ones that puzzle me are the cover changes others have commented on and the big one is the part about having to engage while crossing openings???? "Competitors may NOT cross any opening (doorways, windows, open spaces, etc) without engaging targets." At typical matches you come up to an opening, stop and clear threats in whatever sequence may be required from cover and THEN cross. Some may engage while crossing but its a little impractical when the openings are small. Or is it to imply you can cross an opening w/o firing if you crouch below the opening? Or is it that they are forcing IDPA to be a more shoot on the move sport?

I thought I would repost my full comments from the IDPA forum... I like the idea but the rules need some work most notably equipment and round count. What has transpired is little more than a castrated version of IPSC 3 gun and for most of the clubs I shoot not very practical as a side match when regular matches already often run into the afternoon on less than smooth days. Take 60-100 shooters through 6-8 pistol stages in Florida weather and everyone is pretty well wiped out let alone ready for another match and then the few that shoot 3 gun being left to tear down all the stages late in the day. I used to shoot IDPA matches in NC where they had side rifle matches or shotgun with maybe 4 stages and it was always an all day affair with the side match usually starting mid-late afternoon. Theres good reason IPSC 3 gun matches are on a separate day from a pistol match, 3 gun is just too involved and time consuming. Local matches are good practice for bigger matches but they are supposed to be about having fun. I see too many people wanting ridiculous ammo capacity restrictions (the draft rules are already too restrictive and I would bet there will be something more coming for rifle). I feel sorry for residents of the peoples republics of NY, NJ, IL and Kalifornia but the majority should not be forced to live under minority rules. We should not be catering to the lowest denominator let alone the EU. If it is to compete with the existing and well established 3 gun and be more affordable why take aim at equipment people already own. Banning mag fed shotguns outright and thereby excluding the Saiga altogether. At least allow it in ESG. Deliberately banning any shotgun mag tube that extends past the end of the barrel which is irrelevant if there is already a round limit. This will discourage people who will just stick to IPSC rather than buying another gun or switching tubes. Bump the round count to at least 8 in gun and on carrier for a more engaging shotgun course of fire. The muzzle brake rule is ok with me and its the same as IPSC but how reasonable is it for the people with oversized brakes or oversized flash suppressors welded on? They could just be relegated to ESG rather than an outright ban. That also begs the question of what about shotgun? Is the oversized external adjustable choke on my 1187 banned? What really adds insult to injury is requiring a pump shotgun to shoot in a stock class. Your typical 1187 or 1100 is hardly an enhanced weapon. If its a stock production gun it should be considered stock and included in SSG. I own autos and I wont be rushing out to buy a pump gun which means I would need to put optics on my rifle to really compete in ESG and of course I shoot a SSP pistol. ESG should include optics period on the rifle with little or no restrictions. Here again people are not going to want to reconfigure or buy a new gun just to shoot an IDPA match. Open the round counts up and leave it up to the stage designers to determine a round count. Theres already local carbine matches here run like IDPA and ~18-30 (160-200 match count) rounds per stage makes it way more engaging and fun.

Kinda tweaks me too... many autos like 1100 & 1187 are hardly enhanced guns. Sure you can shoot in ESG but your in the same boat I am. Preferred AR15 iron sights, auto shotgun and for me a SSP or CDP class pistol. So by being forced to ESG you are shooting against rifles with optics and ESP class pistols. Not a huge handicap but one none the less. I might also throw in the fact they have summarily banned shotgun box mags with excludes all the Saiga's. Of course if your already setup for USPSA 3 gun they nailed you too with length restrictions on mag tubes. What I really find interesting is there is no load limit for rifle whether intentional or not. Previous attempts at IDPA 3 gun rules had it at 10+1.

I live in Florida and never a problem with several M&Ps and pretty much everything else I own. I remember hearing a while back there was a whole period where S&W was shipping guns with sub standard finishes (back before the Pro). A couple Marine patrol guys I talked to a while back said they have had plenty of rust issues with full sizes. One word solution... oil. Unless of course you happen to have a defective or damaged finish.