Parallax3D

^^^This, or the CED pistol sleeve. http://www.shootersconnectionstore.com/CED-Pistol-Sleeve-P146.aspx

Most use Loctite because IT WORKS! Teflon tape does not provide a strong enough seal to make sure that the comp will not rotate ,('clock.") I would use red Loctite, (Loctite 271.) Make sure both sets of threads are SUPER CLEAN, (very important, use brake cleaner), and use a generous bead of loctite from the front to the back of the treads on the barrel. When you screw on the comp, the loctite will spread to the rest of the threads. Let dry overnight. If you want to remove it, you WILL need to heat the threads with a propane torch to loosen the loctite.

The customer is always right. The builder can SUGGEST things, but If I want a purple gun with pink poka-dots, then that's what I'd better get. If the builder didn't want to do it, then he should have refused to take the job. I would have refused to pay for them.

I generally lose them before I worry about how many times they've been reloaded.

You're allowed to tke a sight picture from the make-ready position, even with a loaded gun. Does not matter if they chose to move you between the two stages while hot. Two seperate stages, two sight pictures allowed, so removing your gun from the holster would not be a DQ.

^^^ This. I used a slide mounted STS when I started, and now I have a 90 degree Cheely with a Slide Ride. I don't notice the mount or red dot body at all, UNLESS you are focusing through the lens and not at the target.

Off season? I've shot in below freezing weather while it was snowing.

Grip tape! You can always replace it and get a brand new grip surface.

Possible problems: 1, Insufficient sear spring tension, (right leg) Obviously if it's too light, it can cause problems. 2. Insufficent sear spring tension, (center leg) If this is too light, you can get trigger bouce. Confirm by holding the trigger fuily back while releasing the slide stop. If the hammer does NOT drop, then it's trigger bounce. 3. Insufficent trigger pre-travel. 4. Poor sear/hammer geometry. Obviously a poorly mated hammer and sear can result in this problem. 1 and 2 are fairly easy to test, just bend the legs on the sear spring forward to increase the pressure on the sear or disonccector/trigger shoe. The left leg controls sear pressure, then center trigger pressure. If there is too little pressure on the trigger shoe, you can get trigger bounce, which causes the hammer to fall. 3. will also contribute to trigger bouce. Too little pre-travel will give the trigger less distance to travel and if the center leg of the sear spring is too light, it will 'bounce' more easily. Adjust the pre-travel by bending the two tabs on the front of the trigger bow in or out. Proper pre-travel is at least .025" or your half-cock notch won't work. 4. Unless you are experienced and have the proper tools, you shouldn't even attempt to mess with this. Take it to a gunsmith.

Just pick a major PF load, get used to it, and stick with it. Switching between 168 and 175 is just going to mess with you. Also, you need to be higher than 168 to allow for differences in temp, air pressure, altitude and just the chance of a light charge in one round. My current load for my Open gun chronos at around 173-174. Normal velocities are in the 1380-1390 range, but I've had light loads sneak in at 1340 and drop the PF. If that happens, you don't want to go minor. Better yet, buy an adjustable charge bar from Lee. It's cheaper than a second set of disks, and fully adjustable. They only cost about $10 direct from Lee, and work in the Auto Disk and Pro Auto Disk powder measures. I reload on a Lee Loadmaster, and I have one complete head setup, (hub, dies, powder measure w/ adj. charge bar), for each caliber i reload.

"Suck" is relative. I'm a B Class Open shooter, and sometimes I suck, (by my standards), and sometimes I do well. I'm just not consistent. I shot the Missouri Fall Classic and finshed 15th combined out of 158 shooters, despite 60 point in penalties, but I also shot Area 5 and the Illinois Sectional and was craptastic. All I can say is keep shooting as much as you can, and try to squad with shooters who are better than you, so you can watch an learn from them.

60 degrees x .3605" x .194" Kimber's sight cut is not the same as Novak. Novak is 65 degrees x .495". Since the Novak is larger, you could have the dovetail re-cut for Novak.

I do trigger jobs, fit small parts, etc. I can do just about anything except fitting the major componets, (frame, slide, barreI.) I WOULD try and tackle building my own gun, but I don't have a mill or room to put one either. (I live in a townhouse.) A friend I shoot with, (BENOS username ExtremeShot), not only builds his own guns, he even makes his own compensators.

Haven't shot any other division since moving to Open. I may go back and shoot Limited, L10, or SS at a local match just for the heck of it, but I need to load some ammo for that first. Production or Revolver would require buying new guns and gear. So I have been told by an open GM that until I'm at least an A shooter, I should only shoot one division. That's why I'm interested in your inputs guys to see if that's what you do as well. Also, if you do shoot another division, there is nothing "close" to open so which secondary division would that be?? I've actually heard that shooting Open would make you a better shooter with iron sights. Not sure I believe that though. I know that it only took me 7 months to make B in Open. I just finished 15th overall out of 158, and 12th out of 32 and 2nd B Open at the Missouri Fall Classic. I spent a year shooting L10 with a 1911 and 10 rnd mags and never made it past 53%. YMMV.

I've got STI mags and I've never had them 'tuned.' I swapped out the guts with Grams springs & followers, and used Dawson +1+ SNL bases, and I've never had any problems with them. You might want to have the tuning kit just so you can fix things that go out of whack if they get dropped/stepped on, but I personally don't buy the whole, 'professionally tuned mags' thing.

Well, it seems a lot of people are doing it so I don't know how silly really. I have never tried it but not I"m curious. Well, considering the pressures involved, I can't see that having the case held by the exrtactor and NOT being properly headspaced on the case mouth as being a good thing.

At this point, it IS exceeding 38S/SC. BTW - I have a custom 9mm Major made by a friend of mine who is an Open Master and builds all of his own guns. He builds a new gun every year or two, then sells the old ones. About three of us locally are using his old 9mm Major guns, and they all run great.

Blue Loctite?

And the big-name GM's are sponsored an probably getting brass/ammo for free, so that's not really an argument. The mags are not an argument either. The 9mm and 38S mags are the same, except for a spacer for 9mm. (If you want to use a spacer, that is. You could just as easily load the 9mm to a longer OAL and still use the 38S mags with no spacer.) There seems to be this persistent myth that 38S is better than 9mm for Open. That may have been true years ago when the power factor was still 175 and there were fewer powders that could make major, but not any longer. Improvments in powders and the lowering of the power factor have made it fairly easy to make major with a 9mm. Right now, with reloading supplies being scarce because of reactions to shootings like Newtown or the D.C. Navy yard, it's just MUCH easier to get your hands on 9mm brass, and it's cheaper.

You're going to be "capacity challenged" with a .40. The best I could get was 23 rnds with a Taylor Freelance +8 basepad, which is a 170mm "big stick." I would suggest having several "big sticks", and at least 3 140mm mags, (for classifiers/standards where you need to do reloads.) The 140mm mag will give you 20 rnds if you use the standard Glock spring instead of a replacement, and they still feed fine.

Not if you develop a ritual. You do the same things every time, and you won't forget to turn it on. Personally, I always turn it on after the RO gives the "make ready" command, but before I remove the gun from the holster. I always turn it off after the gun in in the holster and the RO has given the "range is clear" command. Grip safety is a different issue. That all depends on your grip at any single moment, so it's comparing apples to oranges IMO.

The EGW version will also not work on a 2011 frame without severe modification. The EGW part replaces the thumb safety/slide stop plunger tube, which is staked on on a 1911, but is an integral part of the frame on a 2011. Seems like the only option I can find for a 2011 is the Brazos version.

http://www.1911store.com/thumbguardbcg.aspx Requires gunsmith fitting.

Actually, It was Darren who came up with the "I Don't Play Anymore" comment.

PM Sherwin and ask him. I know he's a member here.