PJones1911

If any of you are S&W 625 revolver shooters and use them in competition, there is a large advantage to the small primer 45 brass. I have collected a lot of small primer brass over the past two years and just kept it with the intention of using it at some point. I shoot both at 686 and a 625 in competition. After doing a complete trigger job on both guns, with Jerry Mikulek's help, I was able to have a smooth 6 pound trigger pull on both revolvers. The 686 ignited the primers consistently and reliably every time but the 625 required an 8 pound pull to be consistent and reliable. It dawned on me that the small primer might just be the difference so I loaded up a bunch of 45 with the small primer and set the trigger pull to 6 pounds. It works great so I am now looking to collect more small primer 45 brass for revolver shooting. I am lucky enough to have 2 650 presses, one for small primer and one for large primer so it makes no difference to me which one I load 45 on. Keep reloading, Paul

Does anyone have any experience with the Briley Helix chokes. They look very interesting and I would be curious as to how they perform in 3 gun.

I have had a 550 for a couple of years and purchased a 650 and would never go back. Get the 650. The additional cost will be forgotten soon.

You can get a lot of great revolver products at the Revolver Supply Company and 4WheelGuns. Both have a good selection and great customer service. Revolver Supply Company sponsors a lot of steel shooting sports in the East.

I shoot revolvers a lot in IDPA and the strain screw is usually the culprit.

Sorry, I neglected to mention that Clay's is a very soft shooting powder. I wish I could get an adequate load in 9mm with it.

Here are my standard loads for the two guns. I use Bayou 200gr Round Nose or Precision 200gr Round Nose Flat Point with 4.5 grains of Clays for the 45. This gives me a PF of 171 average. I use the same load in my 1911 as well except that I use the 200gr SWC. For 38 Special I use the Bayou 135gr Round Nose with 3.9 grains of Clays which gives me a PF of 134 average. I find Clays to be as clean as it gets in powder. I am primarily an IDPA shooter.

It would be worth getting Jerry Miculek's CD on practicing with a revolver. He is the best. He recommends keeping the cylinder turning at all times while shooting.

Should have sent it to S&W. Their customer service is great. I had a 686 SSR where they neglected to chamfer the charge holes. They emailed me a UPS pickup and I had the gun back in about two weeks all fixed up. I like to tinker and have done many trigger jobs on revolvers but would be afraid to cut metal like that.

I forgot to mention that any S&W revolver shooter should consider buying Jerry Miculek's CD's teaching how to do a good trigger job, clean and maintain & shoot. All 3 CD's are a great value and helped me get much better IDPA results in ESR.

I had both the JM and the PC and recently sold the JM. The PC is slightly heavier and I believe to be a smoother operating gun. I did the Miculek trigger job using his spring kit and now have a 7lb trigger pull. I do have to use Federal primers to guarantee ignition of the primers. I sold the JM and purchased another PC as my backup. Buy the PC and put Miculek grips on it.

I have 2 M&P Pro's and if I seat the magazine firmly enough, it will drop the slide and strip a round on both of them. I have a friend who is having the same issue that you are having. He was told by Smith that is not a feature but a result in some pistols of slamming the magazine in. I would try setting the magazine without slamming it and then see if it will strip a round when dropping the slide. You could also try a few different magazines like he did. Some magazines would work and others not. Keep in mind that this is not a feature but an oddity. I think it has to do with the timing of when & how the magazine is seated and how hard it is pushed in. I have to slam mine home for it to drop the slide. You can also contact Dan Burwell at Burwell gunsmithing to get his opinion.

I think that's right. Focus on the target. You will usually hit what you're looking at. I look at the target and as soon as I see the sight come on target, I shoot, almost like point shooting.

There are so many matches in our area that I could shoot more than one per week. More matches with shooters better than you will make you a better shooter.

Great tip. It's funny how a little thing can make such a big difference. Thank you.

Reloading is the only way to go. It saves money, gives you control over consistency and accuracy, makes ammunition available when the stores close. And you can tweak the load to your particular gun.

I have tried both and have better results and less problems when I tumble before removing the primer. The primer punch cleans out the flash hole.

Why not use both. Put an 6" steel plate behind the target so you get the gong when in the A zone.

I have been told so many different ways to shoot the Texas star. Shoot the top and then the next two on either side and so on. I have also been told to shoot one and wait for them to come around. They are a lot of fun until the last plate tic-tocing back & forth.

Read Lenny Bassham's book, With Winning In Mind. A great book to deal with your thoughts and mindset. I will look for the movie to watch.

I had no problems for years and then started to ride the safety on my 1911 with my strong hand thumb. Then I wasn't pressing the grip safety enough. Now my support thumb rides the slide lock. The grip is completely messed up. Where did my old grip go. I want it back. Anyway, I am trying the support thumb far forward and it feels very unnatural to me. I need a wrist bender. The thumb forward is getting better the more i practice it and I no longer ride the slide stop. Grip is very important so keep working on it.

I just put on a set of the Barry Dueck RTS sights and they are great. 2-3 inch groups offhand at 50 yards with irons at 45 degrees off my optic. Allows me to stay in Tac-Ops.

For me, shooting faster means more bad hits. I do try to focus on the center of the exposed target when there is a non-threat in front so the edge of of A&C become my new center. Sometimes its an A but most times a C. The chance you take for speed until we become Jerry Miculek or Todd Jarrett.

I highly recommend the CD audio set by Lenny Bassham "With Winning In Mind". It is great to put on your iPod or iPhone to listen to.

I have two Dillon 650's and use them quite heavily. Dillon did say to clean & lube the main shaft with 30w motor oil. I was told to put some light weight oil, like Rem oil, on all the arm's pivot points. One of mine has the grease fittings and one does not. I don't have a grease gun so I use the Rem oil and it works great.