sroe3

I bought a Square Deal about 15 months ago. I use it regularly and love it. All I own are a few 9mm pistols. Last week I came into a rifle unexpectedly. Now I need a 650. Damn.

I've heard it's a good idea to cover the hopper, or the entire press, to protect it from light.

When I won a box of 500 Rainier bullets I took the time to properly determine correct OAL and work up the load. When another 500 came my way I had the ideal load documented. I'd like nothing more than to load several more boxes in the future!

My anecdote on this topic. My very first match I shot a plate rack. 5 perfect shots then missed the 6th plate once or twice before dropping it. My trainer laughed and said "at the 5th plate you though 'this is going well'." He was right. He explained to me how conscious thought screws with your shooting, and I absolutely got it.

Duracoat update. Unfortunately The Duracoat is not very durable. I allowed the finish to cure for 31 days before holstering. After a couple of dry fire sessions the slide is already showing holster wear. I use a clean and loose DOH.

Great timing. I was working toward that end and this thread validated what I was discovering about my own draw.

After reading the chapter about grip and stance in Brian's book it appears that sights shouldn't lift straight. If I'm uncomfortable and have tension in my arms or shoulders I'm fighting the gun and shooting slower.

My wife's uncle (my uncle in law?) was struck and killed by lightning on the metal button on the top of his ball cap. Any close lightning and I'm packing it in.

Pachmayr grip sleeve. I also modified my holster a little by replacing the tension adjustment screw with a knob. Retention changes a bit with temp and moisture.

6 hours in the rain for 140 seconds of actual trigger time justifies trying to stay comfortable. You ever been to Seattle?

I take my plastic dry box, an umbrella (be aware you'll often end up with the clipboard...) and appropriate dress: water proof jacket, pants, and boots.

This thread made me a little self conscious of my "directional" shooting last month. I am right hand/eye dominate. A few things I learned about myself: When shooting steel challenge type stages with no movement I'll usually shoot right to left. When shooting USPSA matches with movement, the order of engagement is always dependent on my stage plan, where I'm coming from and planning to go, reloads, etc., rather than right to left. When no advantage seems to be gained I'll shoot an open target or near target first (double action first shot pistol).

It's fine in 9mm. I kind of rub the edge of my thumb a little raw on the edge of the gauge when I'm checking a large batch. It's better than checking a bunch of tight ones!

Correct me if I'm wrong but during the last "ban", couldn't folks buy parts and assemble mags themselves?

It's Duracoat. I'm not wanting to violate forum rules....PM sent regarding artist.

I had my Walther P99 refinished. I think it looks awesome!

That is normal with 9mm. The neck tension is what holds the bullet in place. No problem.

I use a Blade-Tech DOH, tech lok. The drop offset is easily removed for IDPA or EDC. I also replace the upper retention screw with a knob for easy adjustment.

Check your velocity with a chrono. If you've got room speed them up a little. More velocity means faster spin and more stability in flight. It's possible that you're damaging the plating during seating so make sure you bell to .391 or so. Crimp should be fine at .378.

Good call on the barrel length issue. All my experience is with 4" guns.

I always make sure my mouth is shut. The concussion, especially shooting through a port, rattles my brain if my mouth isn't closed tightly. I see some guys hanging tongue like Michael Jordan, but I can't do that. I also double plug.

You'll probably have to use resized brass and seat and crimp the bullet in the press. The bullet will stay at the length you set it and the case will slide in and out of your chamber easily as long as the bullet isn't contacting the rifling. Reseat the bullet progressively deeper until the round drop checks easily.

Since you're using a different bullet in a different gun than me you'll have to find the OAL that works for you. Make a dummy round and chamber check it. Make it progressive shorter until it drops in and out freely. That's your OAL.

I loaded 124g Rainier plated flat point with 4.4g of Universal for 4 inch guns. Work up from 4.1g with the chrono. Plated bullets fall in between lead and jacketed data.

I'll try a lb of WST before my next order. I picked Universal for two reasons. First, it was on the Precision moly list of recommended powders. Second, it was readily available locally. Thanks for working the steel match yesterday. It's extra work because of all the newbies. The RO serves as a trainer and has to be on high alert all day. I like seeing new shooters getting involved and having fun. Steel is a good format for that with minimal movement or reloads.