Seeker

Did you verify the integrity of the Chrograph data? A buddy of mine Chrono'ed his match load a week before a state match and the data showed a PF of 160 vs the 174 he expected. He went home bumped up the powder a smidge. His work respnsibilities would not allow for a retest untill he was ready to leave for the match. So he stopped at the range on his way to the match and re-Chrono'ed his .45 ACPs using a fresh battery. The Power factor of the new rounds measured at 186 PF So, I always validate Chrono with known ammo prior to a load deveolpment session.

Yes I would agree that an adjustable rear sight would be a huge benefit.

2x The listed Round count.

For me, the answer is that Matches are a large part of the competitive shooting experience. I would question the hours spent in the garage dry firing rather than the time spent competing. This question reminds me of a thought I had while watching the summer Olympics. Many of the athletes trained several hours a day, 7 days a week for four years. This is for an event that may last less then 2 minutes. If they lost the first event, they went home. Four years for 2 minutes. It's truly about the Journey.

Competition: Kimber 5" Carry: Kimber Pro series in a cross breed IWB Carry gun has stock springs and trigger. Competition Gun does not.

Ask around your club. I would imagine that there are several competent Smiths in your area. If you were in Florida I would recommend Dave Pruitt.

About 36 to 40, more or less.

Exactly what I was about to post!

Ok so we are talking cost as well as "suitability" I've been using W231 for my 9mm loads leaving all my WST for .45. From a "suitability" perspective, The current load books list safe, documented W231 loads for 125gr/147gr lead or Jacketed. From a cost perspective: I currently buy W231 locally for 139.99 per 8lb Keg which works out to $17.50 per lb. ( no shipping, no hazmat) quick #'s 125gr LRN @ 3.8gr $.0095 per round. 125gr FMJ @ 4.2gr $.0105 per round. 145gr LRN $ 3.25gr $.0081 per round. 147gr FMJ @ 3.6gr $.0090 per round. I have not found 231 to be "that much" more sooty than WST. But I have found the recoil impulse when shooting .45 to be nicer with WST than 231, however In a blind recoil test, I could not notice that much of an affect when shooting 9mm. With a proper grip a 135pf load is fairly easy to control. It does seem like 231 is the current low cost leader. However the softest load I have ever shot from a 9mm is the Fiocchi 9mm 158gr FMJ sub sonic round.

If they will not move their gear into IDPA compliance and it's on the squad where I'm the SO, I let the Match director handle the delicate details. Very often these are the same people that want to dispute every penalty they have earned.

You did not mention what platform you are loading for. Some pistols have tighter chambers than others. You also did not mention is you wanted to meet a certain power factor or if you were looking for light recoil plinking rounds. I found in a Kimber Super Match II 1911 5", a crimp of .470 gave optimum consistent feeding. 471,472 had interment Failure to feeds. The Glock 30 and 21 were a more forgiving. However the Glock 21 would not cycle with a PF less then 690. Also, Chrono readings from WIN 231 (equivalent to HP38) CED M2 Chronograph 9/06/2010 Early Morning Florida approx 85 degrees. Berry's 230 CCI LPP 1.255" Crimp .470 5.2 grains of W231 737 750 737.6 752.1 741 High 752.1 Low 737 ES: 15.1 Ave: 743.5 SD 6.3 95% 9.9 power factor 171005 4.5 - 4.6 seems rather light. Also it's very easy to squish the berrys plated bullets thus cutting the thin plating. To be honest, When I found that I could buy Zero FMJ's from Roze dist "cheaper then the Berry's I switched. I hope this helps. I tried to format the tables but I guess there is something I;m missing. Hope it's readable.

When I first typed "However If the IDPA participant treats it like practice and preparedness for a self defense encounter, then scores should not matter" I did not mean that a participant should shoot for no score. I meant that beating everyone in your division at any cost should not be the primary concern, but that monthly improvement can be the metrics. There is a division for most firearms. .40,10mm, .45gap all have a home in ESP. .44mag has a home in ESR. I also did not want this to become a discussion of the "purpose or Spirit" of IDPA. I admit that the guns (5" 1911's)and ammo 135pf, 170pf I use for IDPA are optimized for their competitive nature. My Carry gun is a 4.25" 1911 with stock everything. My carry ammo is 190PF. I do train using this gear, but not during a IDPA competition. This concept is similar to the participants that uses a G34 with is designated "Competition" on the Glock website for IDPA, but carries a G19 or G26. To make a long story short, if the IDPA participant treats it as practice and preparedness for a self defense encounter, then they should not be concerned how their times are relative to those that are using equipment optimized for competition. There is room for both types in our sport. Many shooters that I know personally, start out as wanting to fine tune their street skills but quickly optimize their equipment to maximize competitiveness. As with everything. YMMV

IDPA is IDPA period. There are many rules that make me scratch my head and wonder if the founders main concern was to insure that what was appropriate and acceptable in USPSA would be out and out against the rules in IDPA. But after we all the talk, discussions and posting, it is what it is. We play the game by the rules, period. If we consider it purely a game in which we want to excel and have the highest scores, we procure the equipment that will give us a competitive edge within that division. Furthermore we also tailor a load that just meets the power floor. This is no different that any other competitive sport. Some may also consider a down loaded .40 may be more gentle than an equivalent 9mm. However If the IDPA participant treats it like practice and preparedness for a self defense encounter, then scores should not matter. That person is free to run any "IDPA" approved deep concealment holster, and pouches, preferably a normal cover garment and not the ubiquitous vest that is only found at IDPA competitions. Finally, caliber and power floor should not be a consideration since that person wants to simulate real world situations. So the rules are the rules until IDPA decides that it's in "their" best interest to modify the rules. And we will live with them.

Wolf or ISMI. And as Blind Bast said, be aware the ISMI springs tend to run 1-2lbs lighter than advertised. at first I went hmmmm ISMI are much smoother........ Then I measured them.

I currently run a 14lb recoil springs in my two .45's used in the games (both Kimbers) along with a 17lb Mainspring. After way more than 15,000 rounds of Major Power factor ammo through each gun I have yet to see any evidence of abnormal wear. An important point is that the .45 is sprung from the factory with a 16lb recoil spring for use with 189-190 Power factor factory ammo. Therefore the 14lb seems to me an ideal selection for 169-171 power factor ammo. I currently use the standard 14lb wolf spring, after trying 16lb, 15lb variable, 15lb standard and 14lb. I change my spring every 5000 rounds. Also as others will point out, Different spring manufactures may measure +/- 1-2 lbs from each other.

Mr. B. 5th Sunday of the Month? I think I know exactly where that classifier was. I believe that it's the same club where several squad mates are known to shout cover while you shoot. One of the many reasons I prefer the two clubs to the east.

Case gauge every round. Rounds that pass can be used at matches. Rounds that fail the case gauge, are chamber checked. Those that pass the chamber check go into the practice box, those that fail the chamber check go into the dis-assembly bin. The extra couple of minutes invested checking my rounds can be the difference between an acceptable stage or a DNF, or worse. Think of it as a Zen exercise, mindless, but yet mindful at the same time.

jetdriver71, Make sure you check out Johnathon at Red Dot Shooting supplies in Rockledge Fl. He most likely will have every thing you need in stock.

Cr Speed Belt, Bladetech Holster, Six Safariland 771 Mag pouches and Wilson 47D's with Wilson extended base pads for use with the Dawson Ice mag well.

I have 3 Kimber .45's and I have Great Luck and zero problems with my Wilson 47D's I also have several Kimber Promags that I still use for practice without problems. I have found that Chip McCormick Powermag 10 rounders may require a bit of base plate trimming to seat in a gun with an Eb Brown mag well. Sometimes shooters will misinterpret extractor adjustment issues or insufficient cartridge crimp as mag issues.

I also noticed that sometimes I "seem" to shoot my SIS Pro better than my full size. It "appears" to me, that those big night sights rise and settle back into the notch quicker and neater than the narrow FO sites on my Competition guns. However I know that it's more my perception. I think HoMIE and G-Mac both offered reasonable answers. I know that when I put my SIS Pro (my carry) gun through it's paces I'm using loads that are close to the SD loads I carry. 180-190 PF 185gr Hollow Points. Therefore since I'm anticipating a more substantial thump I'm using a more substantial grip. In addition the SIS pro has the stock 22lb Recoil spring as well as the stock 23lb spring. This adds to the different dynamics experienced than with a 5" 1911 with a 14lb recoil spring, a 17lb mainspring and 168-170 power factor 230grain ammo. One thing that I found to be important, is to to do most of your training using the pistol and ammo that you compete with since the dynamics you are accustomed to, will be the difference between "timing the gun" or fighting the gun.

I had he Same problem with my Kimbers. I found removing the (unneeded) Shok buff solved all the problem. You were fortunate that you did not experience the "Hey why the hell can't I eject a live round" issue. Like everyone else said, Remove the buffer.

No one has tried the Mobil 1 oil / ATF, 50/50 mix?

I have 4 and I shoot a Stainless Target II in SS and a 9mm Team match in IDPA. As every one said, run it wet, ensure that the extractor is properly adjusted and you are good to go. Then of course you will want some aggressive VZ grips, A dawson magwell and a Fiber optic front sight.

The Manual list the Max COAL, 1.275" Without going into great detail, a good rule of thumb is to use a trusted factory round using the same weight and bullet profile for your initial Cartridge overall length. Another rule of thumb is that the crimp should be bullet diameter + .02 (twice the wall thickness of an average brass. As an example Full Metal Jacket Bullet diameter = .451" +.02"= crimp diameter =.472" Average Length of Winchester White Box 230FMJ 1.260" For 230 Grain Round nose bullets I use a COAL of 1.255" to 1.260". The Hornady 8th edition has a recommended COAL for the 230gr FMJ RN is 1.230" The Maximum length is 1.275" Some pistols perform better with the load a little shorter, some a little longer, but do not exceed the min/max specifications. You will find that Hollow points, SWC, Flat points, different bullet weights etc. will all need a different length. As a warning, extreme bullet setback can cause high pressures which WILL result in very un pleasant results. It's always prudent to have a trusted seasoned reload friend walk you through the first batch of rounds.