SirLoin

Do you shoot a G35? What spring do you use? I use Titegroup loaded up similarly and getting ~133 PF as well... but it won't cycle/eject with my 13# spring. I've been advised to jack up my loads, and perhaps drop to an 11# spring as well, both of which I'll do to try to eliminate my ejection problems.

I've just been using Berrys since it's the cheapest non-lead bullet I could find. What's wrong with them? Don't know how they compare to other bullets.

How much lower PF are you getting by going to 1.2" compared to my PF numbers? I'm keen to find out how much OAL affects PF. Those velocities seem pretty high. How short are you loading to??

Do you sight dead-center or 6 o'clock? I've always done it dead-center (I think there's another term for it), but some folks have said 6 o'clock is better so you can actually see the target instead of guesstimating where it is.

Is it IDPA legal?

Ah ok. Oh well. Thanks GForceLizard. I didn't see anything in the rulebook, but I only have the 2003 version and not the 2010 addendum. Appreciate you clarifying it. Cheers.

Wow. Would not have thought of doing it that way. Thanks for sharing your trade secret. Awesome job, dude. Looks totally part of the gun. thank you sir. i modified some brass furniture screws (4 of them), screwed them into the back of the beavertail area, then i built it up around the brass screws with jb weld. then i sanded it to the shape that best fit my hand and painted it. the one in the picture was the first one i ever did. I have now found a new epoxy that works a little bit better than jb weld and doesnt require painting since its already black.

Looks nice. Howd you do it?

Yes, but not to get an advantage but just to have more fun. My club is an indoor range that can only set up 1-2 stages at a time, so we basically spend 5-6 hours or so on match day just to shoot 4 stages for a measly 70 rounds or so. So, I thought about shooting twice so I can at least spend more then 60 seconds shooting for the 5 hours I'm in the range. I don't even care if they only score my lowest time from both runs - it's only in IDPA matches that I can shoot at multiple targets, draw from a holster, etc, as my club prohibits all that stuff. Were you thinking you would get to shoot every stage twice, once in SSP, once in ESP? Not sure the match(es) would allow you to do that. One of the real cornerstones (sorry to overuse the term in this thread) of practical pistol shooting is "performance on demand." IOW we're not interested in how well a shooter can run a stage when they get time after time to do it, we're interested in "what you've got in the bank," i.e. what you can do when you have to perform cold. One shot at it, boom, you're done. I guess it would depend on the MD, but certainly shooting the match twice could be construed as having an unfair practice run.

Thanks for the clarifications, Duane. In general, no.

Whoa... Thanks for the clarification, Duane. I got a prototype steel guide rod to test out for my Gen4 G35, which was counter-bored by Glock so that Gen3/Gen4 guide rods don't fit properly. Thought of using it to make my gun ESP (and thus, get to shoot twice in a match), so I'll hold off doing so let it get me DQed.

I've heard about interchangeability of Glock parts. Wasn't too sure how it worked: for example, the G22 guide rod is supposed to work with the G35, but doesn't the G35 have a longer slide and a longer barrel? Are M&P parts interchangeable with Glock parts in general? I was surprised that the M&P guide rod would work with a Glock. They're made by different companies, right?

Just to clarify: tungsten is illegal for SSP but okay for ESP, right? You know that tungsten guide rods are illegal in IDPA, right?

Are guide rods generally interchangeable between different guns? I always thought that they weren't, save for the springs. Then again, I know diddly about tinkering with guns (my brain's busy enough just trying to shoot my guns).

Good point. I've spent the past few days looking for a 4 pounder, and everyone says they've been out of stock for months. I've seen a 1 pounder (http://www.sinclairintl.com/.aspx/sid=68240/pid=35483/Product/Vihtavouri-N320-Powder-1-lb?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&mc_id=s8000&gdftrk=gdfV21820_a_7c291_a_7c3470_a_7c749004641_d_749004641_d_5547) but I'd rather buy in bulk and save some $ long term.

Thanks for clarifying. I'll be checking the YES button with my slide-scarred hand... (I didn't like how low my hand was with a Glock compared to my old 1911, so I raised my grip, then my Glock ate up my hand as if to tell me, "I aint no 1911, so don't treat me like one!"). s

This refers to the slide eating up part of the skin by the webbing between your thumb and trigger finger?

caz41, Not really sure how much of a benefit you'll get from the added weight of a tungsten guide rod vs a standard polymer rod. My guess is that it's negligible. Just so you know where I'm coming from: having had to stop shooting after having gone broke from keeping up with the IPSC arms race when I was into it 15 years ago, I've gone back to shooting lately with a decision to stay within SSP so I can focus on my shooting and not the gear. So, I'm naturally biased towards SSP-legit stuff. Cheers.

Yep. Good point. I bought the polymer ones specifically to be SSP-legal (realized I wasn't clear with that in my previous post).

Agree with inkballedtarget: definitely WAY easier to get parts for Gen3 stuff.

Side question: there's no penalty for shooting a gun freestyle while holding a magazine BEFORE a reload, right? I ask because, in some IDPA stages, you have to grab the gun and magazine from the table. Instead of pocketing the magazine or putting it in the mag pouch, is it okay to start shooting -- whether freestyle or one-handed -- while holding the magazine?

I bought Billy Lester's guide rods designed specifically for Gen 4 glocks since you don't need a ring -- they plop right in. I figured not having a ring would be better since there'd be less unnecessary movement. I also figured I'd run less risk of getting thrown out of SSP using his guide rods than one with a ring. You can order the stuff here: http://jagerproducts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=35&products_id=91 Billy's a great guy and is very responsive -- love doing business with him. Cheers.

Hi JaeOne3345, Thanks for the info. I don't feel so bad now for trying to chase down that 130 PF load. I'm hoping that loading from 140 PF and up will fix the problem going forward without having to drop down to an 11# spring. I went ahead and ordered the 11# spring today though since I figured I'd rather make use of these hundreds of 155gr, 165gr, and 180gr loads I made than grab a kinetic hammer and break down all of them down (i.e., the $10 cost of the spring after shipping seems like a good deal compared to having to do all that!). In case you're wondering why I loaded with different-sized bullets: I'm also on a side-quest to figure out the best balance between "shooting soft" and "sights snapping back faster" when making Minor .40 loads -- I've heard folks say that 180gr Minor loads are the softest, but others have told me that the sights on 165gr loads will snap back faster while still being soft. I figured I'd load a few hundred of these different configurations, try them out, and figure out what works best for me. I'm guessing with 9mm owners, there's a similar divergence of opinions with regard to whether 115gr, 124gr, or 147gr bullets make the best rounds. Cheers.

Yes! Thanks for the clarification. Sorry for the typos, guys. I'm in the East Coast and am not that coherent at this hour... I assume you meant your recoil spring was too strong, not too weak, yes?

Sorry! I meant EJECTOR. No chipping off, no damage. Lol. Please read what we've told you again. EJECTOR EJECTOR E-J-E-C-T-O-R