user293

I suggest the idea of keeping an eye on the classifieds and checking out used guns. There are some nice guns that come along. I dont know where you live but it's winter here in MN and shooting season is done. So maybe be patient ( I know it's tough) and see what comes up. I thought about putting money down on a custom build and saving up money all winter while it got built but found a used SV and jumped on it. Just my thoughts. There definitely some value to be had in used open guns.

I have used the .356 bullets in my old 38 SC open gun and loved em. Now testing them out in my 9 major. I'm running the 121 gr. Now and they shoot well. Not getting the bullet speeds I was hoping (9.6 gr of 3n38 is giving me 1390 FPS) but that could be the gun. Havent tried many hing else yet because nobody has .356 121s. CZ website has em, shooters connection, powder valley and lucky gunner also. Powder valley is cheap and ships quick and accurate on their current stock. I'm sure the .355 shoot just as well too. Buy em, try em.

So since it's a wash go with the cheaper one then. Unless there the same price then just pick. Auto comp is cleaner and needs less powder from what I've heard so buy it and run it.

Ok good deal. When u used to shoot 38 SC I never had to use a u die because the case had a good charge of 3n38 too and didn't have to worry. Just getting use to the 9mm quirks. Thanks a lot.

Hi all. So I bought an egw u die to load some 9 major to prevent setback and get good neck tension. I'm using a Dillon 550 with a Lee 4 die set ( factory crimp die) and Hornady HAP bullets. The issue I'm seeing is that the case is forming around the bullet. As in you can see the case get wider where the bullet is seated to. Is this normal when using the u die? It just looks weird to me. Haven't had time to chamber check these but with the regular Lee die I used for other rounds they looked fine and chamber checked perfect. ( These were with zero 121 gr and 3n38 so setback wasn't an issue). I'm testing out faster powder so don't want the setback. Thanks.

Yea the holes in the barrel are large. So that's probably part of the reason. And I'm using .356 zero 121gr so that may also be causing the slower speeds. But your using .356 HAP too so maybe they are a little faster than zero. I dunno. I think hs-6 and auto comp are what your looking for. Me too maybe if the dot doesn't settle down at the higher power factor with 3n38.

Just bought a 9 major open gun myself (SV with 2 ports) and have tried a little testing with 3n38 and zero 121 jhp. Loaded at about 1.175 I loaded 9.2 gr and got about 1350 fps and then tried 9.5 and got about 1390. Next I'm gonna try 9.8 and stop there. Not a lot of room left after that. I load on a 550 and don't spill at all. I honestly thought I'd hit major at a lower charge. Dot wasn't that flat either. So I'm hoping the charge increase helps it. So that should give you an idea.

That'll buff out

Gravedigging to the next level eh?

keep us posted. interested how it works in ported open gun

Nevermind Atlas beat me to it.

The CK steel grip looks good but I'm into an aggressive grip. SV is too expensive so I'm leaning toward the new PT ergo grip. The CK is middle of the road as far as aggressiveness from what I've read.

Switching gears to magazines, I think I got this down but wanna check. I like the idea of old style SV mags and the no spacers with 9mm. I found two 170s at a good price off the classifieds a little while back. I'd like to get two or so 140s. What internal setup is ideal? The ones I have are bolen (tti) basepads and guts. Is this the way to go for SV old style? And what setup should I use if I can't find old style 140s? I'm guessing STI with grams or Dawson basepad with grams 9mm follower/springs. Correct me if I'm missing anything. Thanks

Sweet guys thanks for the info. I'm not the best DIY when it comes to these 2011s but I can follow directions and do some atuff. Is the grip removal and replacement pretty easy?

If I can't find anything on the classifieds this may be my path. Kinda wish they had a 9mm 90 degree mount steel grip. All of their 9mm have 3 holes in barrel right?

ive seen you've had good stuff going on with the trubors. I almost did buy one 5 years ago. Im just kinda particular on what i want in/on an open gun. although the trubor is a good looking gun, its not quite what im looking for.

Im not too interested in the off the shelf stuff from sti. ive read alot on here about headaches with the DVC's. some people have issues some dont. thats another topic for another time maybe. plus i like having options and talking with a builder about them.

ive thoght about them actually and have looked at the stuff from Atlas alot lately and it looks really good. the price point is keeping me away right now unfortunately.

so I started shooting open in USPSA in 2010 or so and shot in the Metro MN area for about a year and then moved. I kept my gun (38 super comp) and gear for a while but i was too far away to shoot in the metro, and the local club was too small for my liking so i sold my gun and mags. now im back to the metro area and want to shoot open again. the idea is to start next year. now i need a gun. things have changed in the 5 years ive been out. I want 9 major this time around. I dislike the cost of super comp brass and having to pick it up. i wanna focus on shooting and the stages, not picking up brass. I like the idea of a full size 2011, with holes in the barrel. ( 38 super was a hybrid and i loved it). i want to try out the PT evo steel grip. 90 degree c more. i figure my options are to wait on here for a used gun as nationals are coming up and people may upgrade for next year. another option is to choose one of the many builders, and have the build done over winter. my budget is somewhere between 3 and 4 grand. that limits me a bit. Ive been looking at CK, Bobby with FGW, Glenn at Lone Star Innovations, maybe Blackdog Gunworks. am i missing anyone? just looking into some input, or discussion from some of these builders or any ideas for an open gun.

I'm having trouble searching specific areas such as open pistols or the classifieds. I select it and search for the phrase and it gets results from every area.

You just can't run the press like a drunken sailor! As long as you slow the upstroke as the shell plate indexes you'll be OK. A Dillon 550 is nice to have for that!

9.4 in a 9X19 that suckers gotta be almost to the brim. Pain to load but I bet it shoots nice.

I've googled "3n38 9 major" or something along those lines and then read all the articles from this forum. I know what OP is getting at. I'd like to see a little more testing in 115s or guns with holes etc. There not a ton of solid info about n38 in 9 major. It's an awesome powder though.

How dirty is that load? I tried AA7 in supercomp once and it was so dang dirty it was ridiculous. Maybe I'll give it a go in 9 major.