Chuckdee

Thank you for your reply. I will probably start around 4.5grs just to be safe since my OAL in shorter then yours. It will just be used for practice ammo until I run out of Titegroup which hopefully won't happen anytime soon. Thanks again for the info, and if you are ever in Vegas, bring the Titegroup and we can trade!!!

Hello Fello Shooters, I need help finding 9mm Minor Load data for Ramshot Silhouette. Out of desperation, I have purchased 16lbs of it for my 9mm Glock 34 that I use for Production. Currently, and for many many years, I have used Titegroup with Berry's 124gr RN. I use about 3.7 grains of it at 1.140 OAL to get around 130PF. I have been happy with that load, but I am running out of Titegroup, and I've been having a hard time finding it. Anyway, I figured I would find another powder to use as backup, and Silhouette is what has been available. So anyway, I've searched around I haven't been able to find concrete loading data to get me started. Can someone please help and save me time & money trying to find a reasonable load or give me a good starting point? I'd like to keep my OAL the same. Also, please feel free to post your thoughts and experiences using Silhouette in 9mm minor as well. Thank you, Charles

I take what I call "Winter Break" every year!!! I won't shoot any matches between November-January. I may hit the range for a little practice here or there though. I am usually spending my time snowboarding, on other hobbies, and on trying to stay in shape during the holidays. When I come back to the matches in February, I feel refreshed and ready. I am ususually very excited to shoot matches and practice at this time. I have done this for the past 3 years and never feel like I have gotten worse. In fact, most people assume I have been practicing like crazy or shooting elsewhere because I shoot well, if not better then usual..

Don't worry about it.. I was DQ'd for a AD that went well over a berm!!!! I was embarrassed and thankful no one was hurt, but I didn't quit!! As a matter of fact, no one even mentioned it after the match. It was like it never happened. Most people understand the fact that you will learn from your mistake and move on.. I learned not to push the limits of a trigger job on a Glock!! Keep your head up brotha!!

You should watch this video. It has helped me out a great deal!!

I believe it will help you. If not with your shooting, it will help in your life overall!! I have been slowing getting into better shape and fitness and have noticed many positive changes. Just the other day we had a 250 hose fest in the 110 degree heat of Las Vegas. While everyone was starting to wear out and complain about fatigue, I was feeling great. I would have stayed and practiced after the match, but my ride/carpool had enough for the day. 3 years ago, I would have been one of those guys also. I feel that I can shoot 6-8 stages in one day easily without the worry of becoming tired. That alone is reason enough to get fit. Keep at it Brother!!!

Stay classy, brother You would be surprized how many people were ok with buying a gun that is known to jam. I gave a full disclaimer on the gun. I wish I still had my "For Sale" posting. Something like "G35 for sale... Warning, do not defend your life with this gun".. It sold within a few days. I even told the guy I would except a return.

Any kind of jam or failure to feed is unacceptable!!! I had a G35 that started giving me problems like yours a couple of years ago, so instead of wasting my time and spending money on it, I stripped it down, put all my stock (mostly brand new) parts back on it, and sold it!! I think I had to spend another $150 for a new gun, and I was set.. PROBLEM SOLVED!! Replaced the few aftermarket parts and I had my gun back running flawlessly.. At this point, that may be the best way to solve this problem, make it someone else's.. FYI, the person I sold it to knew of the problem I was having...

Have you tried cleaning the chamber EXTREMELY WELL or have you tried a softer guide rod spring?? I had some issues with feeding when I neglected to clean my KKM barrel's chamber on my G34. When the round would fire, the following round wouldn't go into battery 100%. It would get stuck in the chamber with the nose of the bullet touching the top. Sometimes it would be about 75% of the way into battery.. This was because when the round would fire and the case expands, the spent case would stick in the chamber which would cause the slide to slow down on it's way back. I realized this while unloading my gun. The cartirdge in the chamber (unfired) would be very hard to extract by hand. Plus I think the dirty chamber made it difficult for a new cartridge to enter the chamber smoothly.. I only shoot my reloads BTW (Berry's Bullets 9mm 124gr RN, 1.140 AOL). I was having feeding issues every 10-20 rounds until I hooked a brass cleaning brush onto a power drill and cleaned out the chamber with it. I had zero jams right after I did that. I think I went through 300 rounds without a jam. Now I clean my gun (and barrel) before every match. Your problem may be solved by using a softer guide rod also. Ask around in your local club for a 13lb or even 11lb spring and guide rod setup. This may help. I use an 11lb spring in my G34 and hardly ever have jams.. I'm not sure if it is beating up my frame or not, but Ilike to think of it as an added cost for maintainence.. Hope this helps, and please let us know what your gunsmith says...

Try crimping no more then .005". I crimp just enough to remove the flare that the powder die puts on the the case. I have reloaded over 100k of Berry's bullets and never had a problem with plating coming off. Just curious, what gun & barrel are you firing the reloads through??

In regards to stepping in on the second box on your particular stage layout, since you are shooting targets to your right, if you are stepping in with your left leg first, that means you have to step into the box at a farther point (at least 50-75% into the box) to have enough room for your right foot. That can cause you to faulter trying to plant your stance. I noticed (because I shoot irons) that my accuracy can drop dramatically if I'm not smooth in these cases. In a situations like this, I come in the box with my right foot about 25% of the way in the box and start planting it down before my left leg is in the box. My left leg will land around 75% of the way into the box. You can also (of course) have you gun on target ready to fire while your left foot is touching down.. Sorry, it is hard to explain here and maybe it is a little much. I like to practice footwork because I believe it makes a huge difference.. Try it out though next time you are practicing..

Sorry, my comments were focused on the last video (Full,Partial,Far) since this was my preferred way of shooting it. You're right you didn't take two steps to get moving out of the second box, but I think I was trying to say that there is a slight movement that slowed your transition out of the first box. Look at your movement coming out of the first box in the second video (Far, Partial, Full). That was really nice, smooth, and fast. Of course the target is much closer and easier to shoot at, but it would be great to be able to do that exiting off of a far target...

Full, partial, far.. I agree with Cha-Lee for the exact same reasons. I always think about how I'll be firing my first and last shots in each position. Starting with the full target up close allows you to fire 2 shots when settling down for the partial and far shot. Depending on your skill level, you may be able to start creeping out of the box while shooting the far target in the first position. I also want to mention that you may be able to start firing shots more quickly if you focused a little on your footwork. In the first box, you were fine stepping in with your left leg, but the exit looked a little slow (it could be faster). Give yourself a slight lean forward so you don't have to take two steps to start moving forward. Stepping in the second box with your right leg first would have helped a little also. If you look at your position in the box, it looks tight. Stepping in with your right leg first would help you get into a wider, more comfortable stance and you would be able to fire shots at a close up full target as soon as you left foot is about to touch down in the box. I record myself often and it really helps me see how these little changes help my times and accuacy. Hope this helps..

I'm glad you went with H335. It's my favorite powder.. Meters nice, is accurate, readily available, and not over priced. What more can you ask for?? BTW, I use 24grs of H335 with MG 55 BT's and they are accurate..

"Let us know if this works, I just made it up as I went along here." Hahaha, it really doesn't sound like a bad idea though..

Thanks everyone!! That makes it one less thing to worry about until I start loading.. BTW, I got the sweetest deal to start me off to reload 12g. My friend sold me a pretty much brand new MEC 9000, about 2000 hulls, 6000 wads, 4000 primers, and about 600lbs of #7-8 shot for $400. Pretty sweet, right?

Hello Everyone, I would like to get everyones opinion on cleaning shotgun hulls. I will be starting to reload 12g for 3 gun. I was thinking of buying a cement mixer, and using a bunch of corn cob. I don't have any better ideas at the moment. Any other suggestions? I also want to know what you would use to separate the media after cleaning? Something big enough to separate a 1-2 hundred hulls at a time.. Thank you, Charles

On my G35, I gain about 40-50 fps with my Bar-Sto barrel over the stock. I have always been told that the rifling and twist rate will play the biggest roll in terms of friction causing the bullet to slow down. I will say, that without a doubt, the chamber is also tighter on the Bar-Sto then the stock. I can tell because the case comes out much with a lot less residue on the outside of the case compared to the black burn mark from the stock barrel. This makes me believe that there is a slight loss of pressure pushing the bullet through the barrel. I have never been able to get a clear answer on this on whether that makes a significant loss of velocity. Sounds like it should to me. I have a KKM For my G34. I will compare the two next time I hit the range. I will report back soon.. My reloads have a SD of 5-10fps, so I know for a fact it wasn't just inconsistent reloads.

I also like Montana Gold 55g .223 bullets. It ends up around $77/1000 I believe. Plus they are much more accurate then the Winchester's.

I'm not recommending anyone do this, but if you use the 9mm extractor on your 35, with a 13lb guide rod spring, you can get the brass to fly about 10-15ft to your right!! Yea, a gun store sold me the wrong ejector one time, and without noticing I replaced it and thought, "wow, I really did need a new ejector!!" I came to find that it was the one for 9mm glocks. lol, for fun I used an 11lb spring to see how far they would fly. Anyways, this really is a bad idea because the 9mm ejector tilts in towards the primer more then the one for .40cal. Plus it is slightly longer. If your not careful ejecting live rounds, the ejector can set off the round and cause some major damage. The was an article in one of the last Front Sight magazines with an example of this kind of accident.

Ok, thanks for the info everyone. I have some of the newer pmags, so I think I will shorten it to about 2.240. That should work out fine without any problems. I was going to ask if there is a maximum length for the term "magazine length", but I guess it really depends on the mag.. Duh.. Anyways, I will reload to a shorter OAL, and my problem should be fixed. Thanks again!!

What would you guys say is the maximum length for a 69 grain SMK in an AR? I have had a couple failures to feed. What it seems like is the tip of the bullet is hanging up on the front of the magazine, and the bolt gets jammed on the side of the case. The bolt misses the bottom of the case to strip off a round (because the cartridge is hung up on the mag) and goes right over it until it hits the side on the case and stops. This has only happened three times, and only with my 69 SMK's. My plinker ammo (55gr Hornadys) have never had this problem. I run them with an OAL of 2.210. My OAL for 69 SMK's is around 2.240-2.245. What do you guys think? Thank you, Charles

I see what you are trying to say, but I beleive the bullet exits the barrel long before it "unlocks" from the slide. I'm not sure if increasing the guide rod spring a couple pounds would make a difference. Anything above and beyond would cause failure to feed issues. Have you ever seen those 1 million FPS cameras filming handguns being fired? The bullet exits before the barrel has time to shift down and unlock..

Pretty much the same as above. I use 23.2grs of H335 with 69 BTHP's. I wouldn't doubt there would be a problem starting your 62 grain loads at minimum 23-24grs and work up from there..

I use Titegroup, which is a flake powder like clays, and I got a standard deviation of 5 with 15 rounds through my chrono. I'd say the powder drops very consistant..