Kool Aid

SSP EX by match bump. This is my first year competing, and I practiced Classifier skills all winter long to the point of grandbagging. Really thought I'd coast to an EX score in the Classifier, but it turns out I'm a better match shooter. Go figure.

Had a great time at the match and got bumped to SSP Ex for my efforts. It was great to meet Koski and learn from so many of the veterans in attendance. The facility was like nothing I'd ever seen with some stages run in three-sided buildings. The match ran really smoothly considering 12 stages and 160+ shooters. Five stars all around.

Had this issue on my first outing with new M&P Pro 5". I'm a right-handed shooter using my middle finger to hit the reversed mag button HK-style. Followers got hung up repeatedly on five different mags. Switched the mag release back to factory setting and it functioned perfectly.

HK P30L Zero 147g FMJ 1.15 COAL 3.8g Win WSF Fed Match SP 128 PF Same specs with 3.9g WSF yields 132 PF and mocks Atlanta Arms 147g reloads. Cheap practice: PD 115g FMJ 1.142 COAL 5.0g WSF CCI SP 127 PF

Currently running a P30LS V3 9mm as my primary range, class and competition (SSP) pistol. It has a light FPBS & clipped 12lb hammer/main spring, giving it an 8.2 lb DA pull and a 4.0 lb SA pull. I get roughly 1% light strikes/missfires with CCI primers when running various shorter & lighter Wolff main springs that yield DA pulls between 7.0 & 8.0 lbs (SA 3.5 - 3.9). The factory Wolff 10 lb spring yields a 7.75 lb DA pull in my pistol. Bone stock HK45C & P2000SK round out the HD and carry duties.

Airsoft has helped my draw speed, point shooting and mag changes immensely. I have a KWA KP45 and two magazines. Its not the best training tool for managing recoil, but its perfect for building muscle memory and speed with draws and reloads. Mostly, its fun running El Presidente and Fast Drills in the comfort of your own home. I run clean FAST drills in the low 5 second range with my 9mm, and have gone as low as 3.5 seconds (not so clean) with the airsoft.

^Thanks for the warm welcome, Bello. Now, if I could just find a blue Kool Aid guy holding an HK pistol and a Colt AR, I'd have the perfect avatar.

Poor man's powder check - I mounted a small AA flashlight on the top of the tool head so it shines down through the #3 hole directly into the cases. The mirror on the ceiling tip for the case feeder is a good one. I mounted a convex stick-on mirror made for cars.

I'm not finding my new 650 particularly problematic or difficult to operate, either. A caliber conversion from 9mm to .45 ACP really does take less than 10 minutes with a dedicated tool head and powder measure. Switching out the primer and case feed components was much faster and easier than expected, as well. The primer system on the 650 is much less troublesome than the SDB I'm coming from.

The SDB is a great press for someone who loads only pistol, doesn't want to spend too much time at the bench, and who isn't sure if they will take a liking to reloading. Mine paid for itself in approximately four months and has retained most of its value. It was my first press, and I have no regrets starting with a progressive machine that auto indexes. I don't like to spend long hours reloading, and I would have lost interest in the hobby almost immediately had I learned on a single-stage press. Progressive presses in general are for the mechanically inclined. I'd liken their complexity to that of a bicycle.

I just moved from an SDB to a 650 with a case feeder. The biggest gain is speed as I'm more than twice as fast with the 650. Loading with the SDB was starting to feel like a tedious chore whereas loading with the 650 has renewed my joy for reloading. My SDB was a bit quirky and needed frequent tweaks that slowed my pace. The 650 is more complex overall, but it is full of "gee whiz" features that make the whole experience more efficient and enjoyable. There is more to learn in the operation of the 650, but it rewards those who take the time to learn it.

The shell plate on my new 650 was snapping and spilling powder. Riding the shell plate with my finger solved the problem, but it slowed me down and increased hand fatique. I snipped the spring while the bearings and washers were in the mail, which eliminated most of the snapping of the shell plate. After later installing the bearing and washers and loading 500 rounds of 9mm, there was no spillage of powder on the shell plate of my 650. Great mod, AA.