mont1120

Putting together a .40 4.5 XDm for an open gun to see if I really like it before I drop 3-4K on a steel gun. Still waiting on the threaded Storm Lake barrel, first one was lost in shipment and the vendor is about as responsive as Fritz the Cat. Have the Springer comp ready, Burris Fastfire, and a NeuMont mount. I have ordered the 135 grain Rainiers, and wonder if anyone here has used a Storm Lake barrel with any of the powders here. I have Longshot, CFE, 800X, Silhouette, and Accurate 5 to play around with. Will be a fun winter project since we have a winter storm watch in effect, so match season is just about done here.

Glocks website says it is an improved polygonal barrel, I was just repeating what I found on their website. I do not see any improvement in accuracy. Of course that is really subjective with 61 year old eyeballs I admit.

SIG Max, out of the box ready to go SS gun that needs very little tweaking. The trigger might need some spacers installed since it is a type 80 system. Has Dawson FO sights on it, and eats whatever ammo you have on hand. For half the cost of a custom gun and one you can find today, it seems to be a smart choice.

Save your money and get the STI, that is where you will end up going anyway. There clearly is a reason a majority of USPSA pistols are from this company, or based on its frame and slide. I run an Eagle in .45 in L10 and once in awhile Limited, and even the old .45 STI platform has been flawless, including double stack feeding. That speaks volumes.

It is still polygonal rifling, which leads me to believe it would not be such a good idea to shoot plain lead.

I will admit I am not a Glock fan at all, but I did buy a Gen4 34 for 3 Gun because they are reliable. First thing I did to the 34 was rip out the trigger system, replace the sights with Dawson FO, and add grip tape. Well after buying a Gen 5, guess what I need to do.................. Other than the finger grooves being gone, and a slightly better trigger, I kinda feel it is just a hyped up Gen 4 with a little bigger magwell. Nothing here to see kids, just move along.

I have already tried the new Zev system for 3 gun and it really is superior to the stock trigger. It is not a 2011 but decidedly better then what I started with.

As I stated in another thread, I shot my first CO match this weekend with a .40 XDm with a slide in dovetail mount and a Burris Fastfire. I really like it, and with 3 CO shooters out of a 40 person match, it is finding steam here too. My only problem was lack of dry fire to learn how to find the dot, but as the others posted here, clearing a double plate sinner rack was no big deal I will stay with L10 until the division is finally sent to shooting Valhalla, but I will shoot at least 30% of my matches in CO. I also completely lost my mind and bought a Glock G34 Gen 4 MOS, (I swore I would never own one), and may move to that platform instead of .40 caliber. I will say I do not think shooting .40 in minor was any disadvantage at all other then losing 2 rounds.

I just shot my first CO match (learn to find the dot division) last weekend and really enjoyed it. Though I prefer L10,( yes I said it), CO was a totally different division, and it is not like Open at all. I agree with a magwell since the mag restrictions were eased, and allow for a change in the trigger. I do not feel like tossing 4K into the Open division, and CO fills the gap for a production gun with a slide mounted dot that is great for us with aging eyes that do not want to put major dollars into an Open gun. PCC on the other hand............

I ordered a Zev replacement trigger system, and before I put it in my new Glock 34, I had a question. The rules for CO and Production are clear about the replacement of the external trigger, if it is not factory the gun goes to Limited. However, as I read the rules, you can replace the internal trigger parts with no issues. Is there a way to take the stock Glock trigger out of the original firing system and replace the Zev trigger on the Zev trigger control system, but leave the Zev internal parts alone, and install that set up in the pistol? Seems to me that would meet the rules.

Another vote for MBX. I actually use an STI Eagle 2011 in .45 for Limited 10, and was told many times a .45 will never run reliably in the double stack configuration. My MBX 140MM mags will hold 18 for the starter mag (18+1), but I do go to 17 for follow up mags if I get crazy and shoot Limited. I have never had a single failure to feed, the only issues I have had is when I failed to get the mag in fully and my first shot is rewarded by a mag on the ground. These are really great mags and have worked flawlessly for me.

I'm with the rest; Titegroup CFE is now my new got to when I burn up the TG. It is a clean burning powder and soft recoil. Red Dot

If the gun is not listed as acceptable on the approved USPSA Production list, I would be very leery of assuming it is OK. Since the CO rules are in a bit of flux, one issue of the Production rules has to do with number of specific models sold. Also, the manufacturer must submit a pistol to be approvedin Production,, but with CO I am not sure. Absolutely I would ask Troy or Kevin.

I had been using my Caldwell Pro inside of a rather dark indoor range for a few years, and being a noob at chrono readings I kept getting inconsistent info. I finally broke down and understood the accessory lighting panels were needed, and immediately they proved to be worth every penny. I have been told that florescent indoor lights can cause erroneous readings if they are close to the chrono. Is it really a requirement to built a box to place the chrono inside of to get the true readings from the setup? The infrared strips seem to be working fine, and I would like to perform testing outside also. Since all the big matches use a box to cover the chrono setup, is this the only way to gather true readings? As a side note, at the big match yesterday, my .45 230 grain loads measured 745, 738, and the last one was 698.5............made major fine but what a surprise. The rounds were MG round nose with 3.8 grains of Nitro 100. How I got a 698 is a mystery.

When I first got into competition shooting, I had no one to ask what to buy, had never heard of this site. I started L10 and SS with a Kimber Custom .45 thinking I cannot possibly go wrong. You should have seen my face when attending a USPSA meet and being told a bull barrel is illegal in SS. I have spent a lot of money getting it to run right and converting it to a regular barrel. Finally it is one hell of a gun. At a price I would never tell. As a back up gun I purchased an RO. I personally find it to be lacking in finish, and function out of the box. To be fair we all replace the sights and the trigger group, but it certainly would not be my first choice. I have shot the STI's, a Dan Wesson, a Rock Island, and a double stack STI in .45, plus the new Colts, and did not find anything better. That was until my friend bought the SIG MAX in .40. This pistol out of the box was ready to go as it was, no changes were needed. I feel it is the best out of the box firearm out there. I would buy one in .45 for sure when the time comes. Since I am still shooting L10, (I hear the laughter), my hi cap STI is perfect, and for SS the Kimber million dollar model work great, but if I ever switch to SS, a SIG MAX will be my choice.

In my experience, some 1911's just do not like to feed semi wadcutters. My Kimber hates any type of them, no matter the OAL. A back up Springfield RO is just about as bad, but the Blue Bullet profile does fine. Using plain old roundnose fixed all of those issues. Funny thing about my Kimber is it will not feed Berry's 230 grain well. Have no idea why, but it goes to show the 1911 can be finicky.

For the big matches, Montana Gold, 180, and yes, they are pricy. Norm at MG has been a huge supporter of the USPSA, and has provided the prize table many, many times. For the rest of the time, Blue Bullets are superb. Great company to work with.

Thanks Southpaw, I'm using this set up for CO and 3 gun, so I need the good front sight.

Whayever comes from the factory on an MOS configuratuon.

What would the correct front sight height be for a G34 MOS so I can order a fiber optic front site replacement?

The best bullets IMHO come from Montana Gold. I prefer the 124 grain, but use 147's for spinner targets. But, they are not cheap, so my go to for steel matches, practice, or high volume shooting, Blue Bullets are great. The 130 grain works very good in both my 4.5. I have used 147's from Blue also with good results.

I too had some TG sitting around and decided to use some of it up for practice rounds in my STI Eagle with 230 grain Blue Bullet's and MT Gold's. Actually I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Between 3.6 with the Blues, and 3.8 with the MG's and it works pretty darn good for 3 gun rounds. I need to chrono any rounds for major PF, which will be around 4.1 to 4.2. The recoil impulse seems to be excellent, and accuracy was very good. I did not have any soot issues, and no silver spots at all. Having purchased a pound of the VV N320 to try out, I found it does not work very well for .45 major loads. The weight charges listed by VV got me no where near major, so I moved on. No sense buying expensive powder when others at less cost are far more reliable.

Well, I tried CO on my XDm at a steel match, and finding the red dot learning curve at speed is tough. Lots of dry fire is going to need to be had in order to be any good at this division. I did enjoy it quite a bit, and will give it another whirl soon.....but I sure do miss my L10.

In an effort to get rid of some free CFE which did not work well in .45, I experimented with Blue Bullet 135 and 147's. Using 4.1 grains of CFE over the 135 has led me to my new 3 Gun load, it has the lowest recoil I have felt and reliably function a 4.5 XDm slide. I used 3.5 of the CFE over the 147's, and it is just as good. I have not chrono'd them, but will at the next chance. I really recommend you give it a try.

Broncman, I was under the impression conversion barrels are illegal in both Production and Carry Optics divisions. From the USPSA Rules book, Production and CO division, " USPSA.Current rules remain in effect - you may replace the barrel with an OFM or aftermarket barrel which is of the same length, contour and caliber as the original barrel for that model of gun." I am not sure if that rule has been changed. If I am incorrect, I have a 5.25 Xdm in .40 I would love to shoot in CO with 9MM. I am trying it in .40 to see if I like the division, but getting a .40 to shoot like a 9 is rather difficult, plus you lose 2-3 rounds in the mag, which really is not that big a deal. What I think most will agree with here is that the first thing to do in a new XDm is to replace the trigger with Springer Precision aftermarket kit from Brownells. Makes a huge difference. One really fun aspect of the XDm is you can buy a rear sight replacement CO mount from Springer and can shoot CO without milling the slide. I am not sure if the same option applies for CZ.