robertbank

What it really comes down to is for the money you are talking about you can get a low end 1911 which will or may be reliable or you can get a top end non 1911 9MM gun, with better sights, higher capacity that will out perform the basic 1911 hands down. There is a reason why the non 1911's dominate IPSC Production and all of the IDPA Divisions now. They run quicker, are more reliable and the initial cost is much lower for the quality of the product. Yes I now the 1911 does not qualify for IPSC/USPSA Production. Sorry guys I love my 1911's but none of the under $1K 1911's can compete with the quality built into even the basic CZ, XDM , M&P, SIG 226 or Glock platforms. If this is to be your first and likely your last gun for awhile go with any of the modern 9MM platforms. Take Care Bob

What do you want to use the gun for? If it was for IDPA I would go with the XDM ir an M&P Pro. 1911's are reliable. That said so is virtually every other gun made if fed factory ammo or well produced reloads. Point of fact though it is the 1911's that are seen jamming up at IPSC and IDPA matches the most often. CZ'a, M&P's and Glocks not so much. For USPSA in the US CZ SP-01 Shadow or any of the polymer guns will do you well in Production Division. For just pllinking any of the guns in the store. Find one you like and go make her go bang at the range, If ammo costs are a concern stick with the 9MM. Available everywhere. costs less than the other popular calibers and is easy to reload with used brass at your feet. Take care Bob

Quote Thank-you. The DA/SA guns all start cocked and locked OR Hammer fully down at the shooters discretion in ESP see rule 8.2.2.1.6.2 This would include the SP-01 series of pistols. This does not represent a change from the previous RB. Rowdy is correct. Take Care Bob

Why? Just because they make them would be the only reason. They are never going to be competitive in the pistol divisions. Folks who buy them do so knowing IDPA doesn't allow them and bought them anyway for reasons known only to themselves. Take Care Bob

3.2 gr of Clays works for me for IDPA. Load is accurate and should be for you too. Take care Bob

Don't discount the Ruger GP - 100 4.2". I have both the Ruger Gp - 100 and the 686 and the 686 is the back up gun to the GP - 100. My Ruger's triiger is smooth as silk as is my 686. The Ruger weighs exactly one once heavier and has a tighter lock up. Both guns shoot like lasers. Essentially nothing to choose between the two. For full loads in 357Mag I can't imagine the Ruger ever having a problem. The Smith might but is built strong as well. If you install the Hi Viz sights on both guns you would neer tell the difference in performance other than a lighter pocket when you buy the Smith. Take Care Bob

Why not first measure the gun's barrel from the face of the forcing cone to the end of the barrel. You might be worrying about nothing. I just bought a 14" 988 made 686 that has a 4.17" barrel which a) makes it legal ion Canada and also perfect for IDPA. Quality being what it is today I would not be surprised if the barrel is 4.2". Take Care Bob ps It is odd S&W went with a 4.25" barrel when they already make the 686 with a 4.2". Maybe it is as someone already mentioned Smith wants the 686 to be the IDPA Competition gun to compete with Ruger's GP-100. The new Smith 686 are no better than the GP-100 and the latter sells for $200 less than the Smith's up here.

Both SSR and ESR using a GP - 100. Made SS using the gun in both divisions.. I now have a 200 gr Lyman boolit mould so shooting ESR will be slightly less painful. The .357Mag at major with 158gr boolits can be painful after 90 rounds. Bob

I use 4.6 gr of Titegroup under my 175 gr lead boolits. Vel 1,000fps. out of my M&P .40cal. For minor PF I go down to 2.8 gr of Titegroup. Take Care Bob

I use 2.8gr of Titegroup under my 180 gr lead bullets. to make 130pf and use ot in Standard Division and SSP in IDPA. I haven't taken Clays under 3.2 gr giving me 140pf. This is the reason I moved to Titegroup. Take Care Bob

4.1 gr of 231/HP38 is what I use for my 124/125 gr cast boolits. OAL 1.10. This load is my competition load for IPSC/IDPA. PM me your email address and I wil send you my loading spreadsheet. You cna choose from there. Unique is an excellent powder for the 9MM. Powders with approx. the same burn rate should all work well in this caliber. What gun are using? Too, I size all my 9MM boolits .357. At that size they seal the bore better, reduces and/or eliminates leading. Take care Bob

Rodney I have experienced the same thing in my M&P. My M&P has a twist rate of 1 - 18 which is to slow for the Lyman 147 gr bullet. Mine were tumbling inside of 10 yards. S&W has since gone to a 1 - 10 ywist which will certainly allow for stabilizing the 147 gr bullets. Your problem will be either the twist rate is to slow to stabilize the bullet OR the sizing at 356. I suspect the bullets are sized to small. I size all my 9MM bullets .357. Check the twist rate of your guns. If they are slower than 1 - 10 then you have your answer. The problem won'y go away driving them faster or slower. The bullets will just arrive at the target sooner. Take Care Bob

Here is a method to determine the max OAL for any pistol. You need a Veneer caliper. 1. Remove the barrel from your gun. 2. Measure the length of the bullet you are going to use. 3. Drop the bullet into the chamber 4. Measure from the base of the bullet to top of the barrel hood where the case would be flush. 5. Add the length of the bullet to the measurement you get in 4. 6. Back off a few thousandths to reflect variations in your reloading press. 7., Load a round to the length determined in step 5 8. Check to ensure the cartridge will load in your gun's magazine There you go. Enjoy. This method works for all bullet designs.and will give you the max OAL for you bullet gun combo. Take Care Bob

Titegroup under my 180 gr cast lead boolits. Take Care Bob

Matt there is no list of approved guns for IDPA Divisions. I don;t believe there ever has been. Each Divisions equipment requirements are listed in the new rule book located here: idpa.com Take Care Bob

Cast is all I use in my M&P 40 in Standard Division.. Lighter recoil and certainly more accurate than plated. FMJ from my experience are as accurate but no more so than lead.cast boolits. Take Care Bob

Deleted Bob

I tried 250 gr Cowboy bullets in my 1911 and they ran fine at 130PF (You can do the math on velocity). Verrryyyy light recoil. Right now I use my 40 cal M&P downloaded in ESP and it is extremely accurate using my Lyman 180 gr bullet with a few grains of Titegroup under them. Frankly, I don't shoot or score any better but it is fun to play with different combinations. Take Care Bob

Hi I load thousands of rounds of 9MM and have to say your experience isn't all that unusual. An extreme spread isn't great but not bad either. I work on Standard Deviation as a test for consistency over 10 rounds and look for a SD of 10 or less. What I am surprised at is the variation you are getting with your powder measure. My Dillon, using 231 drops consistent loads with no variation from one load to another once I get it set. eg 4.1 gr of 231 under my 124 gr Lyman 356402 cast bullets. Whether your load variation of 2/10ths of a grain is the cause is moot, I do think you should be able to get tighter drops then that though. Take Care Bob

Rick I believe the answer lies on page 9 and page 41 of the rule book.. Page 9 tells us the reload starts with the ejection of a magazine or the drawing of a fresh magazine. Doing either begins the reload. According to page 9 the reload ends "when the weapon is fully charged and ready to fire (magazine fully locked into the weapon and the slide fully forward or cylinder closed)." So now we know what starts a reload and what ends a reload. What then does page 41 have to say? Well we know there are only three legal reloads. Page 41 says, "Failure to do an IDPA approved reload will result in a three second procedural penalty per infraction. In the same paragraph we get, "Failure to properly stow a partial magazine or live ammunition after a Tactical Reload or Reload with Retention prior to firing the first shot after the reload will incur a procedural penalty.

To answer the original question....I can't recall ever other than for Standard Exercises invokving 3 strings of fire. Take Care Bob

Some have problems shooting lead in Glock barrels and others don't. My advice buy an aftermarket barrel that does not use the polygonial rifling that Glock uses. I water quench my 180 gr Lyman bulllet right from the mold. I get little leading using a soft lube. I use 4.6 gr of Titegroup under the bullets. I have a Tanfoglio and two M&P's in .40cal. Makes major for IPSC Standard Division. When I do get leading it is always in the first 1/16th of an inch into the rifling. The .40cal is a high pressure round and the bullets should be harder than what you would get using WW alloy. Water quenching should solve some of the problem. You want to be careful using lead in a Glock IF you are experiencing major leading. Pressures can rise quickly and you wouldn't be the first to experience a K Boom in a Glock .40. Take Care Bob

Your crimp is to heavy if it is leaving a ring on the bullets. Just use a taper crimp ie just smooth ot the belling with no inward curve. If the case mouth scrapes off lead you are going to get gas cutting for sure. Missouri bullets have the beveled base which doesn't help. Try softer then harder bullets as well. Make one adjustment at a time to fix the problem. Take Care Bob

Here are some loads I have found to work well in my guns: 4.6 Gr Titegroup under 180 gr Truncated cone plated bullet, OAL 1.115 Avg V el 937fps out of an M&P 4.25" 3 ge Titegrou- under Lyman 401638 175 gr bullet OAL 1.100 Avg Vel 798fps Tanfoglio 5" Both loads shot accurately out of my 5" M&P Pro as well. 3.2 Gr Clays under 180 gr under Truncated cone bullet, OAL 1.115 Avg Vel 777fps out of M&P 4.25" 5 gr Win 231 under 175 Gr cast bullet OAL 1.125 Avg Vel 975fps Tanfoglio 5" All loads shot over a F1 Chrony at 10' Take care Bob

I'm right handed and chose to reverse the mag release. I now hit the mag release with my trigger finger. I find it significantly faster and experience little in the way of a shift of the gun in my hand. You might try this techinque, you might like it. Take Care Bob