Carlos

"2) My reloading with VV310.147gr is working great." Glad to hear it. THere is some technical data on this load that I posted over on glocktalk.com iff you go to the section called GSSF Competition and look for my recent post: Anderson load, Team Shooters Paradise GSSF. Regards, D.C. Johnson

The 1st batch of SP-01s in the USA went on sale yesterday or the day before. Retail price???: $495 So much for the "high dollar" argument - especially since the Production approved, accesory rail, all steel "Beretta 92 Steel I" retails for $1600. How much is that 18 shot Para LDA 9mm? I personally do not believe there are any valid arguments against the SP-01's use in USPSA. Regards, D.C. Johnson

My old load was TMJ or electroplated 200 RNs over 4.5 grns of straight Clays powder at 1.260". Very clean & never a problem accuracy or pressure wise.

Hi Duane, here are some Quickload ballistic prediction program numbers that are: 1) Generally considered 5% higher than reality as to pressure. Velocity is also optimistic. 2) Generally assumes a traditional copper jacket rather than brass. "9x19mm, 147 grn projectile, OAL 1.145: 3.6g VV 320: 35,118 PSI, 978FPS" Adjust accordingly. One note of caution: Montanas are outstanding bullets that usually shoot very well but they are also (generally) slightly smaller in diameter than comparable jacketed bullets. Thus, there is a greater possibility of set-back since the bullet diameter is slightly smaller than normal. It is CRITICAL to avoid the chance of a bullet set-back; particularly with a fast powder like N320. At a minimum, I suggest a Lee FCD Carbide crimp die. I also use a Lee U or undersize sizing die (to make the case slightly smaller in diameter) & Hornady OneSHot case spray. Regards, C.

I took a couple of file strokes accross the points on the inside of the thumb safety (the ones that the detents ride over). Now my safety comes off quicly but is hard to fully engage. You want the safet to come off easily, but re-engagement is really not important. I suppose you could cut one coil off each side detent spring. D.C. Johnson

Boo Radly: a friend who used to help out at the shop had a Kimber MIM safety fail in EXACTLY the place shown in your photo. He did not shoot it much & he was not a competitive shooter (no dry fire, did not ride the safety, etc) It was simply a defective MIM part. This brings up a thought: 1) Are there any air voids or un-fused granuals in a quality, name brand part made of cold rolled steel or forged steel or billet tool steel that has been EDM'd or traditionally machined? A: unlikely 2) Are there any air voids or un-fused granuals in a MIM part? A: Maybe. For sears & hammers, I will personally stick to tool steel parts from EGW, STI or SV. I like my SV hammer so much that when it developed a hairline crack around 90,000 rounds, I had it welded for $20. Regards, D.C. Johnson

good stuff in my STI/SV limited gun.

Agree w/ .40 - the dealer gave you bad intel. As for getting inside cases, it takes 2 seconds to knock those cases on their sides & then spray & shake. None of it goes inside the case that way.

Got it. Will not address PF or load, but I believe that you will find the jacketed hollow point 147s are most accurate among the 147 grn bullets. I have used the Zero JHP 147 & believe it is excellent. Second to that would be a Hornady 147 jacketed bullet. I believe Montana Gold also makes a 147 JHP. Regards, D.C. Johnson

191 pf??!? I can see it for Bowling pins maybe, but otherwise, why?

BTW, it looks like (from the last FrontSight) that the AK shotgun is a huge technological advantage in open. A couple of "no name" or unknown Russians used very lightly modified Saiga 12C shotguns, plain old Kobra sights & stock magazines (gun & mag no longer available here in USA) to beat the entire Open field in Bali - save Mike Voigt.

Do a google search on "Jeff Maass reloading" or just look in the resources section of the reloading section of this forum for a link to Jeff Maass Website; the data for 9x21 that he lists should provide a STARTING POINT for TSW (9x21.5mm).

Put another way, it appears that the BOD initially banned the P-01 by mistake, then returned it to the approved list (which should automatically return it to the USPSA approved list). Why? Because: the P-01 is about the size of a Glock 19 and has an aluminum frame. Not only has it been produced in large quantities, it is the new Czech police pistol. Nothing racy about a compact, alloy frame, 9mm that is an official, adopted, police issue pistol in a major country, not to mention that early import guns in the USA had NSN numbers or NATO designation numbers that are assigned only to NATO forces-approved sidearms. In contrast, the BOD still frowns on the SP-01 and Tanfoglio Stock Custom - both of which do feature a steel frame with an accessory rail like the Stainless 226 and the weight/steel frame of the S&W 4506 (does the 4506 have a rail as well?). The BOD's stated justification is "The reason is that the above guns all have long dust covers" As mentioned in other threads (and I agree) the BOD stated that they did not like full length accessory rails but I believe that in reality, they were troubled by the new CZ's 18 round mag - same capacity as the Para Ord P-18 double action 9mm (also steel frame). And they felt that the Stock Custom's integral mag well was a problem. I disagree with the reasoning and decision of the BOD. Other guns have features including the 18 round capacity (Para Ord), heavy steel frames (Stainless 226 and Berreta steel frame) long dustcovers (Jericho 941) or accesory rails (every manufacturer out there it seems) and flared mag wells (even Glock has some flare to it). I would allow all these guns in & let the talent decide who wins in Production. I hope they return the CZ and Tanfoglio to the list. Regards, D.C. Johnson www.shootersparadise.com EDIT: The $1,600 steel frame Beretta 9mm I mentioned appears to be the Beretta 92 Steel I: "92 STEEL I J92XB01 Double / Single 3 dot Plastic 9mm 8 4.9 10 41.1 $1,600" -From the Beretta USA site.

At our local monthly match, we run: -6 Shooter squads -1 Squad every hour, on the hour from 3 to 8 + 6 extra shooters (set-up & ROs) 42 shooters - minus the no-shows. We try to fill in no-show slots with people wanting to shoot a 2nd division. Regards, D.C Johnson www.shootersparadise.com

I like CZs (if you had not noticed from the obnoxious number of CZ posts). Angus' new fixed sights are the cat's ass. Install a Wolf 15 lb hammer spring & you have achieved about 85 to 90% of the benefits of trigger work. That last 10% is best left to professional CZ smiths. Regards, D.C. Johnson

I shoot a Colt 9mm upper. I prefer 147grn handloads - with the fastest listed powder in a published manual (Titegroup is a decent choice). My Colt will not function with Blazer aluminum unfortunately.

I agree w/ foemeister, eerw & supercomp9: "Another great option if you shoot a 1911 already is a .22lr conversion kit from Kimber, Marvel, Ciener, etc. If you use a CZ, then they have one for their pistols too. You can also get them for Glocks, Berettas, and others. These are all under the price, and give you practice with your real trigger and grip." The CZ conversion unit is exceptionally good & known for outstanding accuracy. If you normally shoot a 1911, the Marvel unit is also known for its accuracy. Of the .22s you listed, I would go with the Buckmark & avoid the trailside. Regards, D.C. Johnson www.shootersparadise.com

Looks like both the CZ SP-01 and the Tanfoglio Stock Custom are sunk as far as IPSC goes; they have both been taken off the list. They may be allowed back in to USPSA, but I do not hold out much hope for the IPSC BOD reversing their decision. I belive the decision of the IPSC BOD was misguided. Regards, D.C. Johnson www.shootersparadise.com

Have to agree; I have referred several new shooters to Brian for their Dillon purchases. All reported back EXCELLENT customer service at a discount price. Do not hesitate to recommend our host to your friends. Regards, D.C. Johnson

Here is the scoop: While legal, such mags are $80 to $100 a piece through grey market importers. Former importer of the Saiga shotgun, EAA, dropped ALL russian made guns including all Saigas. Rmington picked up SOME lines like the Baikal russian double rifles but NOT the Saiga. Even prior to that, EAA made a decision NOT to sell you any 8 round shotgun mags after the ban. Kalashnikov USA previously imported the gun pictured, (a Saiga 12C or folding stock/pistol grip model) but only sold it to Law Enforecment - along with the 8 rounders. Not for sale to you even after the ban. I managed to order 2 mags for my pistol-grip, USA-made, Saiga 20 from a place in England and since the order for parts cost less than $100, they sent them right over. Foreign parts orders totalling less than $100 do not require an import permit under federal reg.s. Huge price increase since then. The Saiga 12 forum or e-bay is your best chance. CDNN is running low on the guns. Don't expect parts support from anyone either. There is a long, sad history about both the Saiga shotguns and the 8 round mags over on the Saiga 12 forum (do a search). Everyone is terrified that the Saiga's pictured in Front Sight will get re-classified as Destructive Devices like the street sweeper and USAS 12. This gun has huge potential in Open division of USPSA (only division that allows a detachable mag). Sad reality is that no one wants to sell you the gun or the magazines. D.C. Johnson

Hi Olp! Couple pieces of missing information might clear this up. You wrote: "But the other day I found a ten year old handgunner magazine. And to my surprise Enos himself were listed with a gun identical to mine. And not only that, he was shooting a 190gr. Sierra bullet with clay???? These loads are standard length of course. So maybe it isn’t so dangerous after all?? I am not sure, but I think that the powerfactor back then was 175?? This was the US nationals!" Its true that Enos & others in the past used straight, plain old Clays powder to make OLD 175+ PF major in .40. I was not aware that anyone did that in short .40 length (1.160" or less) - are you sure it was a small framed tanfoglio & not the large version that the 10mm/.38 super is built on? The large frame will take an OAL of 1.200". In any event, what is missing is that shooters back then went to the extreme length of keeping their ammo in lunch coolers with ice packs to manage pressure with Clays. Brian mentioned that Clays is very spikey if, for example, your reloads are left in the trunk in the Arizona sun for a while. Do a google search on "Jeff Maass reloading" and there are ample warnings about Clays in .40 to Major. I have personally seen a Clays shooter experience a case head seperation, clear it, keep shooting and then break a barrel bushing. The pressure signs were extreme. NOW, major today is 165+ and Brian has stated that with the lowered PF, he MIGHT consider using clays again and I personally believe he meant to say he would load it for his SV .40 & load it out to 1.200" length. Loading super fast powder like N310 or Clays is a whole lot safer if you can find a way to manage pressure - such as loading long. One good reason that the manuals don't list N310 data for .40 is that they have to assume reloaders will load it to SAAMI lengths like 1.125" - which would be a big mistake. Monster added that his gun is a bull barrel 6" SV built by Brian Hawley of Hawley Custom. I think also Bear mentioned that he shoots 200s & not 180s loaded long. Neither of them are loading short enough to fit your Tanfoglio. If you choose to follow their loads, I'd suggest following them EXACTLY and not shortening the load to fit in a small frame tanfoglio or other .40 that can't take more than 1.160" OAL. In particular, I would not load spikey, double-based Clays to a short OAL. THe less spikey, single based V V powders (again, loaded long) are the way to go. Regards & be safe, D.C. Johnson www.shootersparadise.com

The capacity of the SP-01 is 18 rounds - only 1 more round than a Glock 17. You are correct, I believe, in noting that the ONE additional round is an advantage. I believe that the slight 1-round advantage is probably what drove certain non-Czech European IPSC teams to protest to the IPSC BOD after the IWA show. Apparently certain non-Tanfoglio teams also objected to Eric Graufel's sponsor, Tanfoglio, adding a mag well to the Stock Custom. Instead of mentioning the mag-well and +1 mag capacity, they claimed that a full length dust cover justified the ban. I disagree with the BOD's decision. Here is a quote from the CZ site in the Czech Republic: "The CZ 75 SP-01 (CZ 75 SP-01 Tactical) pistol is a big-size handgun designed for duty in law enforcement or military service, but also for target shooting or self defence having a large capacity double-column magazine holding 18 cartridges of cal. 9x19 and featuring classic DA firing mechanism (SA/DA). The pistol design is based on proved CZ 75 platform. Grip panels made of rubber are provided with checkerings" Of course mag capacity only matters in IPSC, not USPSA where Production division mag capacity will remain 10 rounds for the forseeable future (as I believe it should -out of fairness to USPSA members living in NY, CA, and a few other unfortunate States). Here is the link to the quote listed above: http://iwa.czub.cz/index.php?p=32&idp=1&ids=3&idz=16〈=en Regards, D.C. Johnson

The damage is so significant that I agree completely - that looks like a double charge. I often see mere case head seperations balmed on double charges because shooters discount/do not understand the phenomenon of bullet set back. I am pleased that you posted photographs to illustrate the difference.

In his post above on this page, Angus wrote: "The world opnion was that they loved the gun. So with this in mind some months ago CZ UB then decided to run another 1000. These guns are not of course made overnight and the paper work to have them shipped world wide often takes longer (As anyone who has exported imported knows)" There being few export restrictions between the countries of the EC, some of those 1000 are in the hands of IPSC shooters right now while others sit on Europen store shelves for sale as we speak. However, you asked how that applies to USPSA. If they are on store shelves, why didn't CZ overnight them to the USA? Because the DOJ's BATFE and Department of Homeland Security's ICE control the import of new models of non-US made handguns and only they can determine a new model's sporting purpose based on "point value" - a system that has been with us since GCA'68 & which can take weeks or months to complete. But for import delays & time for CZ-USA to add the gun to its inventory (create parts support, manuals, etc) some of the 1,000 additional SP-01s Angus spoke of would be for sale here. IF a company like CZ wanted to "test the waters" & see if a new model would make it through USDOJ & DHS scrutiny, an initial sample of 20 guns would be a reasonable way to do it. It is my understanding that CZ did not send only 20 to "ration them out" but rather to make sure they would be approved for import. Anyone could have gotten on Angus' list of buyers for those 1st 20 guns. No favoritism or special treatment; 1st come, 1st served. After that first 20 guns, the SP-01 was to be a regular catalog item for sale to anyone. Unlike S&W, the SP-01 was not a "custom shop special". Angus - please correct me if I am wrong but from everything posted on the SP-01, I believe this is correct. Angus also wrote: "Handguns unlike donuts do not go stale but the money that is set aside to produce them is schedule to comeback sometime soon. The decsion to make so many MORE guns was not purely based on the IPSC production as it is well known that the guns will eventually be sold." I would be very surprised if they have not put production on hold until this mess can be straightened out. As for CZ restricting sale of the SP-01 to certain competitors, I have not seen any evidence to support that. Historically, anything CZ brought to the US was for sale to anybody. As for the old red-book rule of 2000 produced, that is a verifiable number based on fact & I would not have any problem if USPSA resurected that rule (even though it might limit that Custom Shop S&W production pistol). Such a rule would be fairly applied to all manufacturers. Equally. I agree that a gun on the Production list should be available to anyone with the money to buy one and without having to battle the "custom shop/special order" screening process. D.C. Johnson

How about an actual home built lower? There would be no competitive advantage in Limited division so could it still compete w/o being bumped to open?