Carlos

Thought the fobus "roto-tilt" model was banned by IDPA. Is the regular Fobus still allowed? How about the paddle?

Got to agree w/ Chriss. The quote above (assuming it is correctly copied) states: " which is NOT suitable for concealed carry " (ref. to the Uncle Mike's holster) Bull. IDPA is oblivious to the real world on this issue. We teach a CCW class. Plenty of our students buy Uncle Mikes Holster - I know because we sell that brand among others. Guese what they use them for? It sure ain't IDPA. D.

Well I seem to recall that you have a young daughter & this whole thing can be settled quickly & accurately if you just offer to give her a nickle for every piece of brass she counts. Loads of fun for bored kids; much more constructive than mumbly peg or tidlywinks. D.

CHP & Dillon; thanks for the fast reply. Dillon - you continue to live up to your reputation for outstanding ("No BS") customer support.

I think Dream must be talking about UNIVERSAL clays. Straight, plain old Clays might be OK for .40 minor but forgetaboutit in .40 Major - particularly at short length & in a Glock .40. Are there guys running straight, plain old Clays again in long .40 w/ the "new" major powerfactor? Sure, but there are also guys running N310 to major in .40. I am not that type of gambling man. D.

I am with both Eric W's on this; avoid Unique like the plague. "Unique was the very first powder I tried when I first bought a reloader." -make that "very first smokless powder ever made that is still around in common use today" (though God knows why). I use the term "smokless" loosely. Stuff came out around the turn of the last century. Believe it or not, the powder chemists actually have managed to make some improvements in reloading technology in 100 years. "Since then, everything, EVERYTHING has been an improvement." True that. Heebs; I agree that this thread needs constructive suggestions too. If you are seeking an extremely consistent powder, I doubt you will find anything more consistent than the single-base extruded powders manufactured by Vihta Vouri. You have specified that the powder should fill most or all of the capacity under a 180. Without knowing your gun, barrel, OAL restrictions, feeding characteristics, etc, it would be impossible to give an exact load to meet your needs. However, I suspect that V.V. N340 or N350 will solve the problems you specified. You may experience more unburnt powder w/ N350 as well as greater muzzle flash and more perceived recoil (though less than with antique , er, Unique). My .40 Major loads for SV and Standard IPSC CZ use N320, N330, or Titegroup. I do not seek the same SD that you are seeking; my guns are extremely accurate even w/o a low SD & at 169 PF, I have not had an issue w/ the chronoman (yet). Good luch & please let us know what load you come up with (even if it does use Unique). Regards, D.

"However, that's not the case for the 650 (I called Dillon), so you'll need to buy a conversion kit. " That is strange since I use the 9mm plate for 9 & 40. Did Dillon tell you what damage is done to 40 reloads by using the "wrong" plate? Curious to know. Thanks D.

(hey, Phil shoots IDPA too) GAMER! Turtle: You shouldn't complain about Maryland's gun laws; you really need to watch the official MD State Safety Video required for all handgun buyers in MD - otherwise, you might shoot your eye out! Its for your own good. Seriously though, after moving to VA in 2000, I can't say I miss living in MD much at all. Looking forward to you shooting that rockin' new 85 Combat in '05! D.

With the advent of new/inexpensive AR mags, there seems to be less interest in upgrade parts for old magazines (the last post was Sept. 10 - 3 days before the ban expired on 9/13/04). However, a relaible 40 rounder still seems elusive; anyone try these new followers in a 40 round mag body with the correct Wolf 40 round spring? D

Eric wrote: "What thickness of the coating can one expect from parkerizing?" As RobomanUSA points out, dimensional change is negligible. I have not measured it but it did not affect event the tightest 1911 I have done to date (an unfired 9mm 2011 bushing gun with a Kart barrel assembled by EGW that I first glass bead blasted & then parked). Eric: "What's the best way to mask off areas that you don't want parkerizing on, such as frame rails that have been hard-fit to the slide? Again, I would be surprised if the park (even manganese park) amounts to more than a thou & I have never tried to mask off areas. On my own limited .40 SV (pictured above) I wanted a rough blasted exterior but NO blasting media was directed inside the slide because I thought I needed to preserve the internal fitted surfaces (actually, sand can be pretty rough, especially at higher PSI, and if held in one spot long enough, it can change dimensions. It takes experience to avoid this). To my surprise, the non-blasted inside surface finished just as black as the rest of the slide. While the old-timers will tell you to keep a part in the park tank at full temp until it stopps fizzing altogether, I use exactly 8 min. & then into the water bath before fixing. "Is it possible to plug a barrel so that the exterior can be parkerized without affecting the chamber and the crown? (Fill it with paraffin wax or chamber-casting wax?) Of course, its not needed on a stainless barrel. Closest I have come was a steel comp that was perm installed on a stainless barrel. Otherwise I hav e not parked barrels (you will want to keep it out of a plain steel barrel). As for how, there are supposed to be several methods that work including very tight (hammer tight) plugs of hard rubber, hardwood or even cork; I have even heard of a method using hi-temp RTV Silicone (a gasket sealant we once used on motorcycle head gaskets) which should work since the temp needed to park is 200 deg or less. I will be trying this on a Galil barrel soon. "How much is the park solution?" Last time I called it was $20/qt. "Do I *have* to use iron wire, or will stainless steel wire work too?" Stainless works great. I make a hanger that goes in the FP hole and the front end of the slide; it only contacts the inside where marks can't be seen. D.

Hey Phil! Another Shooters Paradise team member (Julie Goloski) also made the most recent issue of Front Sight on page 63 (even though she is pictured shooting for her full time employer, Glock). Below is a picture of the whole Shooters Paradise team. There is more information about team members Mike Seeklander, Julie Goloski, and even Phil Strader at Phil's site: www.shootersparadise.com (check out Phil's new forum there as well). Douglas

At the suggestion of one of my gunsmithing friends, I am posting this LINK that contains contact info for the parkerizing solution manufacturer I prefer: Palmetto parkerizing solution. The solution meets mil. spec. and I believe that the manufacturer operates under a military contract to produce the solution in 55 gal. drums; the good news for us is that he also sells the solution in 1 and 4 quart bottles. The link does a nice job of illustrating the process. Take a look around that site too; Chris (aka Blind Hog) is a Marine veteran and a highly skilled 1911 smith specializing in "snake skin" checkering. Regards, D.

I have used traditional 9mm.38 Super extractors for my STI & SV .40s (Nowlin and Brown). I am not aware of a .40-specific traditional 1911 extractor. Please correct me if I am wrong about this. Aftec may have different extractors for .40 and 9mm. D.

"I'm tending to lean toward the 231 as it is the slower burning of the 2 powders." You are headed 180 deg from where you want to go for minor. Fast powder will generate LOWER perceived recoil. FOr example, I skate the edge of light recoil minor loads by using one of the fastest powders on the chart: V V N-310 under a 147. This load was used to take 2nd place at the last IDPA winter nationals & it won every GSSF in New York state in AC class. You wil not find data in any load book however. You will find Titegroup data however. "Glock 34. Just picked up some 147gr. Precision Cast lead bullets" I believe these are not lead bullets at all. Put another way (before you get flamed for shooting bare lead in a GLock) these are actauly called "coated" bullets because they are coated with polymer bearing molydisulfide. Yes the core is lead, but they are usually identified as "coated". Titegroup is a fine choice for 147s. Simply use the Hodgdon LEAD data to start since it is the safest and coated sometimes mimics lead more than plated or jacketed (I would suspect that 2.9 to 3.0 grns would meet Minor though double check) and load to 1.155" OAL - that length should fit in all 9x19mm magazines including Glcok 17/34 magazines. Regards, Douglas www.shootersparadise.com

Nice photo! We spotted one in the park at the end of the runway for Reagan (national) Airport on the VA side of the Potomac, Christmas day 04. D.

Good load; I believe that Turtle (Todd Sindelar - a GM who made it to GM w/ a Glock .40) used just such a load in his Glock .40, though a search of Turtle's posts should confirm. C. www.shootersparadise.com

Actually, 2 contributing members of BrianEnos.com work on custom Glocks and can help you create the exact Glock configuration you want: Brian Hawley and John Nagel (aka Mad Scientist) Both of these guys have extensive experience with modified Glocks and they are both talented machinists who I can recommend from personal experience. Regards, C.

Too soon to tell in the USA since there is only one known SP-01 in private hands in the country (Angus) and no known Tanfoglio Stock Custom (might try calling EAA on the phone to ask for a Stock CUstom). Take a look HERE for more info on the SP-01. Regards, D. PS I happen to be a fan of CZ and the excellent CZ support provided by the American subsidiary, CZ-USA. Not only are CZ handguns of excellent quality, they are backed 100% by an in-country corporation. When available in the USA, I will likely buy an SP-01 to replace my outstanding 85 Combat. Douglas www.shootersparadise.com

"and fit the whole .40 top end to his frame" Hey Benny! I was not too clear on this; I meant to include that he used a new 40 slide though I do not recall what brand; it was either an STI or a Caspian. As for getting .40s to run through a .45 slide- well that is way beyond our gunsmithing abilities. I would be impressed if anyone could get that combination to run reliably. Noah- thanks for the post; I'll ask him to chamber & then un-chamber some live rounds next time he goes to the range & see if he can measure a difference from one mag's rounds to the next. You may well be onto something even if the distortion cannot be easily measured. Perhaps if we had a way to measure run-out. Why haven't we see you at our indoor competitions? D.

An interesting aside: a friend recently took apart a .45 Single stack that he had built on a Les Baer frame; he milled in a Clark-Para ramp cut & put in a schueman .40 barrel, and fit the whole .40 top end to his frame with a new .40 cal ejector and slide stop. He bought 4 Tripp .40 mags, had a couple .45 mags and he borrowed 2 Metalform .40 mags from me (all 10 round). Looking at the Cobra mags, we assumed they would work the best as the quality was apparent. Turns out the Metalform were the only ones able to activate the slide stop and accruacy was much better with the Metalform. This was unexpected & I have never heard of a different brand single stack mag affecting accuracy. I do not have an explanation as to why. My point is this: like many things with the 1911, you may want to expirament if you do not get the performance you want right off the bat. The .40 in a 1911 is not as strightforward as one may first think.

Here goes: a limited blaster for the post-AWB sunset Limited Division: CZ Standard IPSC .40 that comes standard with the factory 1.5 lb trigger (I own 2 of these & have shot 2 others - they are all a reliable & consistent 1.5 lb trigger guns that are very very accurate). Regards, D.

Flex wrote: "A solid single-stack 45 1911 would suit your purpose. Quite competitive in Limited 10. Springfield would be a fine choice. I don't think you will lose any matches by using an inexpensive Kydex holster either." Second that. Maybe consider a Kimber as an alternative - one with a magwell would be good. Do not get seduced by race holsters; Kydex & lots of practice will beat a novice with a race holster every time; technique plays a larger goal than one might think in this game. Its all about practice & dedication. D.

Carmony wrote: "advantages/disadvantages of various types of slide serrations?? you guys crack me up!" Second that. They all work & the differences are cosmetic. Now the serrations on TGO's limited gun -THOSE slide serrations are true works of art. Last serrations I did were (if I recall) simply 15 degree cuts to about 20 thou depth w/ a carbide 3/32" end mill. I put no thought into functionality.

T&T are good guys. Last big PA gunshow I went to, I picked up 35,000 primers (a few for me & most for friends). I asked the T&T salesman: "So that's about $68 per 5000?" "No sir, its $66.50 per 5000." Honest folks, T&T. I sure hope they can find a bullet of the quality & price of the Star bullets I bought through them. Either way, they still have my business.

You specifically mentioned .40. Depending on the gun you shoot, the SDB in .40 could be a problem. As mentioned earlier, the SDB uses proprietary or "special" dies that only fit the SDB. THe only maker of such dies is Dillon. Now, I will argue with anyone that Dillon makes the best progressive presses on the market, bar none. However, their regular .40 resizing dies are lacking. How? They do not fully re-size .40 cases and Dillon knows it. If a piece of Glock-fired brass finds its way through Dillon dies, it is not going to fit in anything besides maybe a Glock chamber due to the bulge in the case (better make sure you case gauge everything & avoid all Glock brass). Look in the Blue Press at the "once fired cartridge cases" listed on page 41 of the January 2005 catalog: notice something odd about the .40 cases? They are the only cases listed there that are ROLL SIZED. Once you fire those roll-sized cases through a Glock- then what? They cannot be sent back to Dillon to be roll-sized and the DIllon dies will not remove the bulge. If you are using a Glock or your brass-control is very tight, then go for it. I use a Dillon XL650 with either Redding (page 48 - Blue Press) or Lee brand dies - both of which resize most of the .40 case. These dies are not an option on the SDB. Regards, D.