72stick

Anyone have experience with Mahovski Metalife Hard Chrome?

I chassed the 9mm accuracy for a long time. I finally settled on the AAA load for the AMU and Marine Shooting Team. I either buy 115G at 1150 f/s factory ammo or hand load my stuff to match those numbers. Works good enough for me in pistol or PCC, so I stopped testing. 9MM 115GR FMJ Match AMU Bullet: 115GR FMJ Velocity: 1150 FPS ± OAL: 1.13”

I’ve tried both and in my experience it makes no difference. They both are exceptional in their accuracy. To get them to run in my STI Edge at the length I want, they both require a little more crimp than I’d really like to use, but that hasn’t impacted accuracy.

Sounds like a sweet setup. I used HF red and the dry PC process on those bullets.

I rejected quite a few when I first started. That has tapered off now that I've found the sweet spot for the pot and mold temp. The nice part is that all the rejects just go back in the pot, so there's virtually no waste.

What do you guys use for fluxing the pot? I've been using wax since my lead is formed in ingots and pretty clean.

I was wondering how many reloaders cast their own bullets? I picked up a Magma Engineering Master Caster, a Star lube sizer, several molds and 400 hundred pounds of Lyman #2 lead a little over a year ago. I've been working on casting 9mm and 40SW and then powder coating. It adds a little time to the reloading process, but the accuracy is really good at 25 yards. If you've never seen the Magma Engineering Master Caster it works kinda like a reloading press. You pour off the bottom of the pot into a dual cavity mold and then pull the lever to open the mold that dumps the cast bullets into a bin. I haven't actual timed how many bullets I can cast and dry powder coat in an hour, but it takes about a half hour to powder coat and size a tray of bullets. It is time consuming, but it makes winter a little more interesting when you can't get out to the range for some live fire practice.

I tried TG in my 40SW STI Edge a few years back. I really didn't like the recoil impulse. IMHO I think there are better powders than TG for 40SW and don't give you the pressure spikes that TG can. 231, WAC, WSF & WST all gave me a smoother recoil impulse and made major PF in my gun. My Edge likes WST the best. I started casting and powder coating my own 180g bullets this year with a Magma Engineering Master Caster and they are the most accurate at 25 yrds that I've found for this gun.

Maybe Dawson will offer a CRP version of the Hawk! I picked up a 9mm Edge CRP a couple years ago for 3 gun on sale for $1875. This Hawk could drive that price down even more.

My Edge loves the profile of the Extreme 180s at 1.180 OAL. I've loaded them out to 1.200, but it likes 1.180 better for reliability and accuracy. Powder coated cast bullets are more accurate in that gun, but I can't load them longer than 1.145 OAL without getting into the rifling.

I put the Grams guts out of a bad old style 9mm tube into a new style STI tube and it runs fine. It runs so good I may not upgrade the guts to get rid of the spacer.

I have to agree with Tony. I bought an R700 PSS with a shot out barrel several years ago for song. It shoots lights out now, but to get it to that point was not an easy or cheap task. If I didn't have a great local GS with lots of experience re-barreling, chambering, trueing actions, glass bedding and installing a detachable box mag, just to name of few of his many quality talents, I doubt I'd have gone with the R700. I recently picked up a Ruger RPR in 6.5CM. It's a great rifle for the money in an awesome caliber. I put a Magpul PRS stock on it and it shoots as well as the R700 plus the RPR takes several different mag patterns. That is really cool! The 6.5CM can reach out much further than the .308 R700. Not to mention re-barreling the RPR when I need to is no big deal either compared to the R700. If you really want to go crazy with a gas gun for long range, my GS's latest creation is a re-barreled Armalite AR10 chambered in 6.5CM. I got it back just before Thanksgiving and took it to the 300 yard range at Chilli. I only had a fist full of my hand loaded 6.5CM ammo. After getting a ruff zero at 100, it shot a 3 round one inch group at 300 and I wasn't even working hard to get it.

My experience is close to yours. I haven't tried the Freedom ammo, but I've tested with the same bullet they use in their ammo. Loaded out to 1.180 OAL for my STI Edge, the Extreme 180s on top of 4.8g of WST are just as accurate as the WW box at 25 yards and make major PF.

Over the years I also learned that TG used with .40 S&W can spike to very high pressures. You might want to consider saving your TG for future 9mm reloading. It works really well in 9mm.

Have you tried factory ammo? When I have a problem with accuracy in a .40 I run a box of Winchester White box 165s through the gun at 25 yards. It has the best consistency for accuracy I've found for any platform. If it doesn't shoot well with WW Box 165s, there's usually a problem with the gun and not your reloads.

When I'm pressed for time and need some consistent factory ammo, my go to choice is always Winchester White Box 165s. It's easy to find, always makes major PF and it's very accurate. Recoil is about the same as my 180 reloads and I don't have to change my zero at 25 yards.

This is just my experience and your mileage my vary. Early on in my reloading experience I tried Titegroup behind 180g plated bullets in my .40. To make major power factor, the recoil impulse was uncomfortable and I noticed my strong hand wrist was bothering me after a match. Titegroup over the chrono gave me wide standard deviations. I moved over to 180g powder coated bullets and the slower burning WST powder. Recoil is noticeably softer and I don't have any discomfort in my wrist after a match. WST brought my std div down to the low teens and I even saw a few rounds in the single digits. That's getting into the range of rifle ammo consistency. Maximum spread is also in the low double digits with WST. I'm not a big fan of plated bullets anymore because of their pour accuracy. Powder coated cast bullets are more accurate and cheaper too.

I've wanted to carry my Colt CCO as my EDC, but with all the lint that collects in my Glock... I'm hesitant to do it.

I love FO sights. I have green on my STI Edges and my Benelli M1S90s. The are much faster for me than black irons. I tried red dots on my ARs but they just flair too much with my astigmatism in my dominate eye. I went to a prismatic sight with a circle dot on the ARs and those work great.

The 1911/2011 platform makes an awesome gun for limited or 3Gun. However, these guns are finicky. You can't just shoot them and not clean/lube them like a Glock. They take attention on a pretty regular basis. It's not hard to do, nor does it take lots of special tools. I have 2 STI Edge pistols. One in .40 S&W that I both new for Limited that I tuned myself and one in 9mm for 3Gun that's a Dawson CRP. I love them both. Just expect to tinker with them more than a plastic fantastic pistol.

Just curious why you're thinking about pulling bullets and getting rid of the powder containers that have been opened?

Glad to hear the issue is fixed!

Those were the days! But I don't miss those cranky cars back then. I remember driving to work through the week and then working half the weekend on the car. I had to laugh when MikieM said he gassed up and add water to the radiator. Who does that these days?

4.5G of WST should get you close to 165-170 PF at 1.150" OAL. I use 4.7G under 180g Rainiers at 1.190" OAL with just enough crimp to take the bell out and I love the super soft recoil from WST. That's my go to powder for .40S&W. My SD is under 10 with WST. It's a little temp sensitive, but I don't shoot that much outside when it gets cold.

When starting a shooter facing up range it's a challenge to stay safe unless there's something in the WSB that forces the shooter to turn first and then draw; like starting with hands above shoulders at the buzzer. In 2012 I ROed a stage at Area 5 with the shooter facing up range at the start. The WSB had the shooter's hands in the normal start position. The CRO told us to be ready for anyone starting the draw before turning and facing down range. We had to DQ several shooters for drawing up range. Several times all the ROs yelled "STOP" at the same time. After that experience, I'll never RO another stage with any gun where the shooter faces up range unless there's something in the WSB that forces them to turn first and then draw/mount the gun down range.