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BallisticianX

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Everything posted by BallisticianX

  1. Assuming your using the Hi-Tek coated then yes that coating is quite tough when done correctly. But if the coating was not cured correctly it will be soft and can peel and give you the problems your experiencing. Easy way to test this is put some acetone on a rag and wipe your bullet in the same way you would wipe off your shooting glasses. If you get coating coming off staining into the rag then it wasnt cured properly and thats your problem, nothing should deposit into the rag if there Good to go. If this passes then next is it happening to every case? Then you have a problem in the seating and or crimping process. You may want to consider the tolerance of your seating die. If its a tight inside diameter its quite possible that even if the flare is good initially it may be getting squeezed closed a bit when it drags the bore of the die at the same time the bullet is getting seated. If its only a couple here and there keep in mind that (and I assume your loading 9mm) that case wall thickness varies all over the place between brands and that flare may be good on the outside but still not enough clearance on the inside. I find this common to Military headstamp with their heavier walls. Also case length varies between brands and in a shorter case again the flare will be less etc.
  2. As far as the moonclip on reloading; the realization is if your moonclip is properly matched to the brass brand and your technique is good the length of the case wont hold you back that much. However the distinct advantage of case length is more on the ejection, short cases cooperate more to clear the cylinder if you should short stroke the extractor in the heat of the moment. With that said, my suggestion is to get you some Starline Long colt brass to capitalize on the shorter than 357 length and still have the option to load light or have that extra capacity to for stiffer powder charges without the limitations of the short colt and pressure concerns if you so choose. (I find your accuracy is less finicky with long colt vs short colt with 357 cylinder jumps). Invest in some TK customs clips made for starline brass and you have a dependable setup. As far as powders...I saw a suggestion for WSF, thats a good choice for stiffer 38 special +p type loads loads but is flexible enough that it can be downloaded enough with heavy bullets for a soft impulse for control too. For pins Id say a heavy bullet like a 160 with fast powders such as Titegroup, Accurate #2, or N320 will knock them down and have quick sight return.
  3. Just get the magnums (remember CCI)...some piece of mind for the same cost. Go ahead, I dare you lol
  4. Save the Fed #100's for the revolver. Federals #100's have a softer cup (one of the reasons why their the "go to" for worked revolvers). Thats proved by the tendency for them to show more flattening when compared to other SP standard primers in the same load. I personally use SP Magnum primers in my 38 SC, usually CCI (Ive also used standard Win & CCI with no problems). The reason I use the Magnum is its a balance between; reducing the slight risk of pierced standard primers in major 38 SC loads and the failure to seal a small rifle primer with their harder cups. I also found because of the slower powders we use in 38 SC the extra heat from a magnum provides more uniform ignition as my ES was better. The velocity was a touch higher but nothing drastic. One tip I'll give you, because you are a Fed #100 revo shooter (like me) if you go the sp magnum primer route buy another brand other than fed. That way you wont have to worry about grabbing magnums by mistake after a long week getting ready for a revo match and kill your day with FTF's. Im totally speculating that possibility of course.
  5. Never had any luck with Hornady PTX. They were designed primarily for Jacketed pills as they focused on case wall bump out(and very little at that) and very little if any flare so they were no good for lead bullet loading if you shoot any of the Hi-tek flavors. The wall bump out had a taper which caused concentricity issues along with case rippling. I also dislike a PTX on the LNL because of the drop system design. The extra force being applied to the linkage even on the downstroke would always loosen screws and the stop bar adjustment and require usual tinkering to re-adjust..a real PITA! It also added substantial resistance to the pull of the press. I prefer using a stand alone x-pander die; less pull resistance, more options for an expander plug to suit ones needs, a more problem free operation...a set it and forget it!
  6. A friend and I recently got P320"s (non X series) and got one each of the kits (GG & Apex); I installed both and my thoughts are: The Apex does a better job with lessening the takeup (short as a 1911), shorter travel to the break, and less overtravel thanks to their own trigger bar vs the GG utilizing the OEM. As far as pull weight reduction the GG kit does a better job vs the Apex as its firing control parts and lighter springing create less resistance to the geometry. I myself prefer the minimal movement of the Apex but wanted the better pull weight reduction of the GG as well. So rather than you spend $260 for both kits to combine them a compromise is run the Apex Kit and a GG reduced trigger bar return spring. The trigger bar return spring reduced pull weight by 8-10 oz. by itself. This combo wont reduce it as much as the full GG kit but it isn't far off with the added advantages of a "faster" trigger. You can get just the GG return springs individually at Shooters Connection. Of course comparing either drop in kit to the attention of a custom trigger job is no contest.
  7. I have the OEM extractor in my 320 RX and in the 500 rounds I have thru it (Im relatively new to the gun) no brass has hit my optic at all and I modified the slide cut put the RTS2 which increases the probability. I was prepared for it considering I have an M&P that sends brass into the optic regularly with both the OEM and Apex extractor. Im curious, was this a known problem on the 320? if it was a problem maybe they fixed it, or I got lucky.
  8. Im a relatively new P320 owner but can say; shooting the X5 grip with & without the weight I noticed: The Gun Balances a bit better and made it point more naturally. Decreased the muzzle dip a tad. (Springs did more for that area of course) Its not a drastic change but the change it had is definitely worth the $50 in my opinion.
  9. Variations between lots is the nature of the beast for all powder manufacturers. Generally speaking our modern times have seen the consistency between lots improve as compared to 20/30/40 years ago when you saw more swing. I always check any new lot of powder to make sure because an off lot can and does happen from any of the Powder companies. I will mention that extruded short stick powders with the "air space" factor within a given volume can vary the drops during the metering.... so what some may warn as a lot to lot variation could be just the inconsistency in metering (why I prefer fine ball powders)! Either way I agree with Aircooled6racer about N320, Ive seen both lot density variations and lots that just wouldn't meter as well. I dont use N320 anymore so I cant reference the lot #'s I saw this with. I ended up making the switch to A#2 as it felt no different as N320, it runs cool, clean, it meters second to none, and hardly find a variation from lot to lot (.1 gr or less) ....oh and cheaper.
  10. Im well aware of where he is. As I understood it, and may be wrong, I read the 5" Pre-10 was more common. After the Number designations came about the Model 10 5" gun was an option outside of the special contracts but not made in great numbers or on the regularity of the 4" & 6". 5" guns were usually made as available stock after an order from a contract for said 5" guns was completed with planned overruns.
  11. A special run, smith was noted for being flexible in to do anything a volume order customer wanted, especially law enforcement. Again thats why there are so many off models that makes it difficult to apply any "rules" to production history...Keeps Roy Jinks busy!
  12. COL seems long, could be the problem to fail a plunk test in the barrel not sure what gauge you have but COL may or may not reflect a COL to fail. Crimp seems like its too wide.
  13. Initially it sounds like it could be excessive crimp...but, need some more info: Whats your COL?. Bullet type (cast, plated, jacketed)? Are you seating and crimping on the same die or a separate station for just crimping? Depending on those answers here are the general possibilities that come to mind; Too short of a COL could bulge cases. Ive encountered a lot of the newer 9mm brass that has quite a bit of inside taper that once the bullet heel get to it swells like hell. It is common on many guys reloads when they use the heavier bullets of 147 on up trying lo load on the short side. When using the seating die to seat and crimp at once and your crimp is excessive the case will bite into the bullet while its still being pushed down and deform either the bullet (shaving and/or extruding a lead "ridge") if its cast or coated lead, or crush down the case from the transferred down force with jacketed. Either scenario can increase the loaded diameter. Or it could be just grabbing one side and canting the bullet for a bulge. With regards to a canted bullet, its also possible your seating die stem has an issue allowing the bullet to be seated on such a cant in itself. Inspect the condition of the case closely, not if the bulge is uniform all the way around or just prominent on one side. Depending on your bullet and setup check for what I mentioned above.
  14. I know a lot of people are all about making their revolvers ultralight as possible. I personally am not. I always found a light barreled revolver tends to lose alignment when it meets my eye during a target transition. The lack of weight and resistance hinders balance and stabilization allowing your wrists to wander. I always found my times improved with some barrel heft on a revolver as I could transition with perfect sight alignment for immediate shots as soon as the gun cam into the target and met my eye. The one hundredth of a second saved getting there quicker with a lighter gun was lost with the 2 hundredths of a second to adjust my sight alignment. Most of the 6" barrels from the golden era of the 50' into the 80's without a full or partial underlug were very light to begin with, lop an inch off and its got no stabilization value what so ever. For example I had an old model 17 six shot .22 6" barrel safe dweller I decided to put to use, was gonna buy a 617 but figured Id save money and put the old gun to work. So I retrofitted a 617 cylinder for converting it to a 10 shot and slicked it up. Though it came out great and was accurate I couldn't run a steel challenge stage with that 17 worth a damn as I kept losing the sight alignment, I knew it was just to light for me. I gave up on it, returned it back to original and bought a 617 with the 6" barrel. It was like day and night...I can run that 617 through a stage no problems. Mentioning it something to consider in your choice of barrel. I wouldn't go full blown bull (like a PPC gun) but I wouldn't do a pencil or carbon fiber one either.
  15. I just noticed I misspoke...the 5" was on some pre-10's and early 10's that were spec'd out for 5". It is my understanding any 5" barrels on a k-frame were from special runs due to PD requests. S&W had a habbit of over producing special runs and then selling the leftover stock or any surplus from a cancelled or reduced order. (Thats why there are so many "special contradictions"" in the production history) There may be more too it but I cant remember everything lol
  16. Any K-frame 5" barrel was pre-10. Any K-frame 6" can be cut down but in order to have any thing other than the simple sight blade like in the model 10 pics above, you need the rib (like a model 19 configured barrel) for the extra metal to machine. Not to mention it would come with the S&W traditional 1:18.5" twist. I dont think there are 5" barrels for newer smiths in the k-frame. Even if there is it would be the sleeve style. Either way all that work to retrofit would probably be near, if not more money, than to do a custom barrel to your specs and able to choose a twist. Mark Hartshorne of Pinnacle High Performance (in PA) is the guy for custom barrels on revolvers. HE uses Douglas Barrel blanks and his work is superb.
  17. Im not so sure the epoxy would hold up just clung to the surface while being torqued against on every shot. Also some polymers dont adhere well to epoxy anyway. I wouldnt try it as I think its too much work for a high fail potential.
  18. What can I say, Im a considerate guy.....My friends call me the nicest a@#hole you'll ever meet LOL
  19. I say let it happen. Give them their own division, Call it Outlaw limited Div. for level 1 matches only. Make it a 7 round maximum capacity to bridge between 6 and 8 shot wheelgunners. Then take the money and increase participation and revenue. It can go either way, they might really like the game, Join ICORE and go get a revolver to play at level 2 or 3 matches. Or a lesser chance you lose revolver shooters in changing to the new division. Wont know until you try!
  20. Did you put in a call to ICORE HQ? I doubt they will have a computer file archive of the stages from that long ago. However they may be able to find out who the Postal Match Directors were for those years and you may be able to contact them in hopes they still have them.
  21. Simply the Steel grip adds weight to the gun to absorb recoil energy. It does so by being located in a spot that does not effect the muzzles point-ability or maneuverability as the weight is centralized to the hands vs having the weight forward. In physics terms you added weight to an object with the applied energy (recoil energy) remaining constant. So the heavier object will move or accelerate less under a set amount of force vs a lighter object. With said weight closer to the clamping point (your grip) you dont fatigue the clamping point as you would trying to oppose the leverage effect of weight forward.
  22. I made one out of a set screw. I removed the back strap and drilled thru the frame in line with the Apex solid trigger being careful to line up with the trigger on center and not impede the trigger safety. I short threaded the hole so it had some cinching ability to stay put, put the set screw in and adjusted it. Simple job that takes patience and care. About a year after I did that work I saw S&W offered a trigger stop on the pro model I think, anyway it was of a similar arrangement to mine. I was an innovator LOL! I did this stop to a few M&P's for guys in my area and they were all on pre 2.0's. I haven't done on in quite awhile so I'm not sure if anythings changed to restrict doing this on newer guns.
  23. I prefer oils over grease. My feeling is Grease attracts grit and is trapped in it and carried through it repeatedly. Oils and the liquid characteristics are able to flush away grit. Dirt/sand is much more damaging in an action that the combustion soot thats a given to be in there. So i refrain from grease to not add increased levels of outside elements getting trapped in my guns. Also grease in cold weather will gum whereas good oil wont. I also like the advantages of oil in it creeps into tight clearances to provide lubrication where grease cant.
  24. I dont register them and the couple times I needed parts for either a gun I bought new or a used gun of recent manufacture and they asked for a serial number etc I never had a problem. So I never remember to register. Maybe it helps the next guy out if I ever sell it, who knows. A lifetime warranty is there if the manufacture made a mistake or an error, shouldn't matter who has it when that error looms itself during a lifetimes of use anyway!
  25. Apex'd will always be better than stock. I love the ergonomics and feel of the M&P but hate that hinged trigger. I put in an Apex aluminum trigger, Apex Sear, and Apex spring kit in mine. After some adjustments to the trigger bar loop, sear engagement, and installing an overtravel stop my M&P has a reliable and crisp 2lb 10 oz pull with minimal travel and quick reset.
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