bhurte

I'd take whatever you can find of those two. I've also heard the L-model has been discontinued and with the current lack of supply out there, the chances of finding one may be very slim. I personally have the 5" 9mm Pro and love it.

From my experience, Wilson 47D's are the best .45acp 8-rounders. easy to load 8 Rounds and run flawlessly with SWC bullets in my 1911s. On the flip, my Wilson ETM 9mm mags are hard to load and are less reliable than my Tripp 10-rounders for my 9mm setup. I'd say if you can get your franken-mags to run reliably and load easily...run with it for now. But in the future, you may look into trying a set of Wilson 47d's. You'll save money and headaches trying to retrofit different followers/springs/etc.

The eagle is still a double-stack, so I'm not sure you mean this...

Looks like Warren Tactical pairs a .190" high x .115" wide site with their plain rear sights. Found this based on the factory set pairings for the Pro(via MLE)

Both of my M&Ps have preformed well with Blazer Brass 124gr. I stopped my hunt after I was getting good accuracy out of economically priced ammo. Grab a box of that and see if you have any luck.

The 9L shouldn't cost more than the 9Pro. I've seen some dealers have them for only a few dollars less than the Pro, while some have them priced more in line with the 4.25 model. For some reason or another S&W is behind the demand for the longslide versions of the M&P. Hold tight, Check Gunbroker, Forums, Etc. and eventually one will find its way to you. I was just discussing this with a friend, they will probably show up in bunches in a month or two...just in time for Holiday Sales. Hopefully!

I would give S&W a call and describe your situation. They will send you a shipping tag and get your gun taken care of rather quickly. Should you modify your slide, you may lose this luxury later.

Yes, but be aware that if you stripple the back strap or any part of the grip, you kick the gun up from SSP to ESP in IDPA. But if you don't care about that, go for it. Skate tap over the whole grip is still SSP legal. From my understanding and others(forum search) Removable(Backstrap)Grips = SSP Permanant Frame Grip Modification(Front Strap)= ESP http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=119889&st=0&p=1356502&hl=m&p%20stipple&fromsearch=1entry1356502

A couple questions come to mind to start with... • Did you have any trouble with loose factory sights before changing to the Warren Sights? • Did you Remove Material from the new Warren Sights to Install? There is a long-running history of extremely tight then too loose factory sights on M&Ps. I actually myself just sent back an M&P Pro 9mm where the front dovetail was cut slightly out of spec. My factory sight would work loose, and an aftermarket sight(Dawson) tapped in with little resistance. S&W replaced the slide and confirmed it was out of spec. Got it back in a little over a week. The second question around installation is because the tolerances in dovetails are very very small. It only takes a couple too many strokes with a file or sanding block and you've comprimised the fit. I actually had this happen to me with a "as-new" Warren sight i purchased off another forum. It showed up and would fall right out of the dovetail with no resistance as it was poorly fitted by the prior owner. Although, I wouldn't doubt Scott Warren – he does design and make the things after all...I would check these two scenarios first.

I run an Wilderness Instructor Belt(1.5 inch). It's similar in style to your link and very well reinforced. Here is a topic on shooters using their CR Speed Belt through their loops in IDPA. The only real requirement is that it goes through the loops. It sounds like it can be done, given you don't have really small belt loops. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=129163&st=0&p=1477613&hl=cr%20speed%20idpa&fromsearch=1entry1477613

Currently all the matches I shoot are within 2 hours drive. Looking to do a bit more travel as my skills expand.

You might read around on his dealer forum here. Lots of positive feedback. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showforum=92

No need to leave Illinois. Youve got a great 1911 smith who does a mean square trigger guard right there in your home state. Get ahold of Rich at Canyon Creek. Never used him myself, but his work is very highly regarded in this community. http://www.canyoncreekcustom.com/

You might give Caspian a call, if you haven't done any ligtening it might be covered under warranty?

I run green for sports centered around shooting cardboard and red when shooting steel challenge. Those combos seem to stand out the best for my eyes.

Curious to hear some input on this topic myself. I've been dealing with some Failure to Extract issues in my 9mm Spartan(10rd Tripp Mags) recently I'm trying to diagnose. • Started chamber checking every round(EGW 7-Round Case Guage) • Striped and Cleaned the Extractor which was very snugly fit) Starting to wonder if the tension is correct on the Extractor or if my chamber is a bit rough holding up random rounds.

As others have said...use a toothpick to apply white under whatever color your prefer. Also, I've heard that florescent fishing lure paint works wonders for a small dot on front sight.

Love my spartan 9mm, its a great value. But that being said, if you're getting rid of your M&P pro to make the purchase, send me a PM with details (round count, any mods, etc.). I might be someone to take it off your hands.

Micah, Curious if you ended up finding a classifier? If so, how'd ya fair? Master out of the gate?

Love the open setup. I'm interested in building out an Open M&P now that some parts are starting to show up on the market. Is your dad running Major PF ammo in it? Any reliability issues?

From my research, the main differences are: Spartan: Cast Steel Frame Parkerized Finish Un-ramped Barrel Bare Front Strap Trojan: Forged Steel Frame Blued Finish Ramped Barrel "Chainlink" type stippling/checkering on Front Strap Undercut Trigger Guard Higher Quality Wood Grips There is also the discussion about the Spartans main components being made/fit in the Phillipines and Finished/Quality Controlled by STI. I personally have a Spartan and fit and finish is great for the price. For what its worth, I also put more than the $300 price difference into my Spartan after the fact due to personal preference(VZ grips, Dawson Magwell, Extended Mag Release, etc.) so weigh any improvements you may require not just the base price.

The rulebook states Permitted Modifications in SSP 6. Internal accuracy may be worked to include replacement of barrel with one of factory configuration and original caliber.

Is it factory threaded? Does it fit in the IDPA box?

I'll be there shooting ESP.

Duane - I've always been under the understanding that stippling was covered by these Permitted Modifications in ESP: 5. Checker frontstrap and backstrap. 6. Checker or square and checker trigger guard. 7. Cosmetic checkering/serrating. 14. Custom finishes. Please correct me if I've got this wrong. Have yet to attend a Major Match where I might see a ruling on stippling.