Carlos

Same here. Old 771s I think. They are actually for SV mags, but with enough adjustment, they work. Uncle Mikes work well too.

That settles it: I am keeping mine. 3 options I hope come to pass from this unfortunate situation: 1) They introduce a 5" blued steel gun identical to the 2007 stainless 625 or 625JM 2) They at least offer the 625 as a custom shop gun and 3) Taurus or Ruger offers a 5" non-alloy frame .45 WITHOUT ports (maybe that would spur S&W to reconsider dropping the 625).

How much do you need? I have your answer (because I have done it): 30 feet by 25 yards. You can run a 4 stage monthly match with over 50 shooters in 30 feet by 25 yards. Until 2007, I planned, helped set up, RO'd and tore down such a match at an indoor range. Our website is still up: ShootersParadise.com We even ran 4 stage classifiers and 3 gun in 30 feet by 25 yards. Do not let the ideal become the enemy of the possible. The land you own is fine for starting a USPSA match. Just do it.

Nice work by SJC.

It became a .40 cal version of a bull-barrel "TRP Operator" 1911. I used a Schuemann S.S. bull barrel and an STI bare/full profile slide, an S&H magwell, and MetalForm 10 round .40 mags. I also did something controversial in building it: - there are no rear cocking serrations - only front cocking serrations. I am not 100% committed to front-only serrations, I just like to stir the pot sometimes. I black parked it and the "gold" line down the center really stands out against the black (the line is a result of each CNC half being vacuum-furnace brazed in a process that prevents any chance of warpage. Alignment pins also maintain perfect dimensions). I just did the easy part and completed the frame/gun. I'll try to post some pics once we move back into our place after the renovations.

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Jim, those words are the basis of our sport! Well said Jim! +2.

It's about time. Current USPSA rules? Nope. Why do you think we have so many "outlaw" matches? NRA's Competition Dept? Hell NO! They are the LAST group I want involved in any of "our" shooting sports. Look what a pathetic farce the once-a-year Bianchi has become (smaller each year & ridiculous unstable rules). Not to mention their piss-poor attitude and their ban on us "simple civilians" shooting at any "torso shaped" targets (look at the NRA's PC "D1" target - I'd rather use torsos, - WITH heads, thanks). Not to mention banning civilians from PPC. NRA takeover of 3gun? Here is a better idea: whay doesn't our USPSA leadership BUY the NRA like we did with Steel Challenge. THAT would be the only way I'd approve of NRA involvement in 3gun. We understand firearms competition. They do not. As for "the" answer to all the various rules, please keep the proposals coming - I am not seeing a workable one yet.

More than welcome. One other interesting thing I noticed: certain states decided to join in on a brief that lists Texas as the principle author. The states backing Heller are (note: list incomplete - *!&%$# PDF file!) BRIEF OF THE STATES OF TEXAS, ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARKANSAS , COLORADO , FLORIDA, GEORGIA, IDAHO, INDIANA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW MEXICO, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, OKLAHOMA, PENNSYLVANIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA, WYOMING

LINK TO AMICUS BRIEFS IN FAVOR OF AN INDIVIDUAL RIGHT TO OWN ARMS from Scotusblog Key among the briefs is the brief signed by a majority of BOTH houses of Congress and VP Cheney (bucking the Solicitor General's/president's official view). The fact that majorities of both houses of our elected representatives support our side in Heller suggests that those who oppose an individual right (i.e. favor banning guns) are really voicing a unpopular, minority, and rather radical position. Interesting list of groups weighed in on "our" side, including: Academics Academics for the Second Amendment Alaska Outdoor Council American Center for Law and Justice American Civil Rights Union American Legislative Exchange Council Association of American Physicians and Surgeons Buckeye Firearms Foundation, et al. Cato Institute and Professor Joyce Lee Malcolm Center for Individual Freedom Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Congress of Racial Equality Criminologists Disabled Veterans for Self-Defense Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund Former Justice Department officials Foundation for Free Expression Foundation for Moral Law GeorgiaCarry.org Goldwater Institute Grass Roots of South Carolina Gun Owners of America Heartland Institute Institute for Justice International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association International Scholars Jeanette Moll Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership Joseph B. Scarnati, III, President Pro Tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate Libertarian National Committee Liberty Legal Institute Major General John D. Altenburg, et al. Maricopa County (Ariz.) Attorney’s office Members of Congress and Vice-President Cheney Mountain States Legal Foundation National Rifle Association National Shooting Sports Foundation Paragon Foundation Pink Pistols Retired military officers Rutherford Institute Second Amendment Foundation Southeastern Legal Foundation State Firearms Associations Texas and other states Virginia1774.org Women state legislators and academics D. PS In another interesting move, the S.Ct typically hears 2 or even 3 arguments per day. In the Heller case, they have reserved the entire day for argument, suggesting they view this matter in a serious light.

Federal agents pulled the same stupidity at a private club in this area some time back - fired a sub gun at steel, launched rounds over the berm & denied it when the SHTF. At my own club in neighboring MD, the club leadership was approached by a local LEO SERT team with a request to use our bays. I am thankful to our leadership that they told .gov to get bent - especially considering the fact that as a civilian, I once practiced/shot at the San Quentin, CA prison range, the Baltimore County police range, and Fort Meade pistol range (all of which I help pay for with my tax $$$) and all of which have LONG been closed to civilian USPSA shooters. Anyone else see how backwards this situation is? Who works for who? Who pays here?

Similar problem here in the VA/MD section re: "one shot per second" (I think that came from an antiquidated set of "model range rules" - I won't say who's), "5 rounds max in magazine" etc. etc. And in a neighboring state that does not issue CCW permits, forget about ranges allowing you to draw from a holster - even if you are a USPSA or IDPA member. RE trap ranges: I get the same attitude from the trap & skeet crowd when i bring out my Super X-2 (funny thing is, its a designated competition gun). They usually shut up once you start breaking a few clays. But the attitude persists nontheless.

Where, when, how! The gun is bear (no pun intended) to reload with speed. I have the factory magwell with the factory 8 round mags ,and it is a simple slip in job.No wiggling or rocking.Push the mag release and the magazine drops out and you can click a fresh one in.Very slick.Magazine insertion can be done bolt open or bolt closed,you cannot tell the difference without looking.Now just need some of those MD 20round drums. If the new mags allow strait-in seating like a handgun or an AR, then mag change times should start to approach 1.5 to 2 seconds, just like an AR. And we have USA-made 10 rounders available now. For those sticking with a tub-fed open shotgun, I am hard pressed to imagine how they will be able to grab and stuff 2 of the 5 round speed loaders in as short a period of time. I guess with enough effort, we could try to design stages to negate the advantage of the newer technology offered by the Siaga. But, would that be in the spirit or best interests of the sport?

If you already have it & like it, then its not a bad choice. Its fast burning so the recoil will be low, and I am certain there is a lot of data for every bullet weight, including a list of the most accurate loads. Welcome aboard. D.

Great looking gun! And I bet it shoots very flat. In addition, I think I recall the X5 having a spring set up similar to the STI Recoil Master. Would be nice to see more brand competition in Open division - its in everyone's best interest. Thanks for the pics.

GREAT WORK YOU GUYS! On another forum, there was a discussion about an account holder who also closed his account. He then phoned the CITI office to confirm and the office manager said they knew about it and the whole office was talking about that cancellation because the person actually followed through by closing the account. Just like writing to your reps, each cancellation tells CITI that there are hundreds of other account holders who feel the same but who don't (for whatever reason) cancell their accounts.

Thanks for the pic Austinwtf! Everyone: Quick word of explanation: the photo above shows what appears to be a machinist's surface plate - which is usually made of granite and is ground as flat as possible. The other piece is a machinist's square and though its too corroded to tell, it could well be a Starrett brand (which is known to be of very high precision). What does this show us about the upper pictured? Either: 1) the bore is off center or 2) the top rail is out of spec or 3) a combination of both caused the gap (which may or may not be very large). Specifiying that this is a Colt upper seems to imply: "Colt is the best 'mil-spec' upper and even a COLT can be off!" - that, however, is only a valid premise if you believe the legends surrounding the Colt brand. In any event, what is left out of this attempt to demonstrate that our current uppers are defective is: was the rifle inaccurate? If our uppers are machined as poorly as is suggested, then how is it possible that they most often group under an inch with quality ammunition and an appropriate optic? A: it would not be possible. Except - the average AR manages excellent accuracy. - without a $300 upper that is. As to broken bolts, from what I can tell, it tends to be limited to certain brands more than certain uppers. I don't believe anyone has ever demonstrated a correlation between bolt breakage and the tolerance of the upper (nor do I believe a single photo demonstrates that hypothesis). In addition, as I explained in my original post, there might be a gnat's butt of difference in demonstrated accuracy with a billet upper; it might even matter to those types who regularly lob VLDs out to 1000 yards through their AR-15s. But, the supposedly deffective uppers we are currently using have proven MORE than adequate for the distances we actaully encounter in USPSA 3gun: roughly 300 yards down to arm's length. Given that our $80 uppers accomplish the task assigned, the response fails to demonstrate the benefit of an upper costing more than three times the price. Unless, of course, one adds to the list of requirements: "must be fashionable." Regards, D. PS - just curious, is Austin TX anywhere near Leander, TX?

Carlos, what charge are you using with Solo 1000 and 135ers. I just got some to play with, and am looking to possibly sticking with the Solo 1000. Wish I had the data, but I am so short on range time these days, I just used BassMan's Clays data for the 750 or so 135s I had left (and now they are too expensive). I did not try Solo 1000 with 135s; only 124s and 147s. We are having our place renovated so my data's packed up. But, working from memory here (so CHECK 'cause I'm gettin' old): -a 124 Frontier plated over the published max load of Solo 1000 @ 1.100" OAL made about a 130 PF (I think the max listed on the Solo 1000 PDF around here is 4.2 grns.). -a 147 Zero JHP at 1.150" over 3.2 grains was about a 124 PF with no pressure signs. I upped the charge by .2 grns and shot it without pressure issues during a club match, though I did not re chrono. All testing done with an '04 SP-01. Sorry I could not be of more help. D.

Thanks Guys! First off - my main workshop was destroyed when Shooters Paradise burned down last year(though the site is still up: www.shootersparadise.com). Even before that, the blasting cabinet and compressor I used were given away when Phil sold the place, so I am not as active in refinishing as I once was. On to your Q. though: "saw the palmetto park solution on "blindhogg's" website" Palmetto is reportedly going out of business; a friend of mine stocked up on a gallon or two for our use, but if you want the best, then I suggest ordering some soon; one Qt. is about $20 and it will do about a dozen handguns or more. There are alternatives that are nearly as good though I've not tried them. "read something else a long time ago about bluing over the park' finish. you ever do this?" No, but I have parked over blueing. You can remove the blueing (blueing is a form of rust) by treating the metal first with a rust remover like Navel Jelly, but that jelly is mostly phosphoric acid which is the main active ingrediant in parkerizing solution. Moreover, the Navel Jelly left a nasty uneven finish that did not even out until I bead-blasted it. Best idea is to bead-blast off the blueing, then immediately park the part after thorough degreasing. "how durable do you find this "palmetto park'" finish? " Extremely durable - much more so than blueing or baked on paint. At least as durable as the old green park on a Garand, if not more so. "you ever do the bake on epoxy over the stuff? " I don't but a good friend began using Palmetto simply as a substrate or primer for black GunKote. For that purpose, it is excellent, because: 1) GunKote sticks better to dry degreased parkerizing better than any other surface and 2) there is a black corrosion resistant coating under the guncoat in case it is ever chipped. Regards, D.

Thanks Pat! I knew they were hard, but I did not realize they were "destroy what's left of a worn carbide mill" hard (ie - really stinking hard!). D.

Bushmaster and several other current manufacturers have been shipping thier guns with full auto carriers for a few years now. It was a surprise to me, but I saw it even on guns bought by friends up in Maryland. Apparently, if the carrier is the only part in common with a class III gun, then .gov is not interested. I am personally interested in lighter weight carriers for our game; I might just seek out a used Colt "C" carrier or take the mill to an old carrier & see how it works. Regards, D.

Sigh. Rich people. (just pullin' yer leg Jim!) To each his own.

Same here (in fact BassMan gave me the idea & Jack Suber has been using this load as well). I used it most recently in a Glock 17 for 3gun and with Zeros, surprisingly the accuracy is great! Bassman shoots an M&P. Stu - caution: our CZs will work at 1.150, but I know that Angus, et al, load their 9mm really short. I would NOT try decreasing the OAL of the load above with straight Clays because straight Clays seems to do strange things (read: bad things) when pushed to its limits. Regards, D.

Seen the price of factory ammo or even 1x fired brass these days? Factory Wolf is not terribly accurate in my RRA. But, the reloaded steel cases apparently have good consistency and possibly very good accuracy potential. Price is right. Plus, you can be reasonablt sure its once fired.

I read up a lot on this & the other high dollar, billit uppers. For our sport, I came to the conclusion that these have to all be considered: -fashion accesories. Are there tests showing a minute variance in accuracy over a mil-spec upper? Yeah - apparently there's a gnat's butt of difference. But the extra $$$ spent on a Larue upper could also have been used to upgrade to a JP, Lilja, Kreiger, or Rock barrel which would probably yield more accuracy and a LOT more accuracy per $$ spent. I am not knocking LaRue - his throw lever mounts appear to the best ones made for repeatable zero mounting. But his upper & all the other "fashion" uppers are priced at 3 to 4 times the cost of a part that works 99.99% as well (even if it does not look as "cool").