Carlos

Ahhh - now I see (these thread things DO seem to work better when you READ them!?!?). "There's always FedEx" Please do not FedEx, thanks. "That thing is almost as big as a house!" Agreed. With only an 875 sq. foot 2 bedroom condo, I doubt he would fit anyway. Cat that size must go through hundreds of pounds of kittylitter a month. Regards, D.

I do not believe it would be very effective since I am not aware of anyone having won a major USPSA or IPSC match with such a gun. The design has been around a long time meaning that if there were any competitive advantage to an Open Beretta, it would be done more often & nationally known. The lockup is completely different than a 1911, CZ or Glock; not sure if that would prove a problem for adding a comp. I do remember the factory producing a specialized 92 with an extended barrel and a muzzle weight meant for some sort of competition. Again, no know use in USPSA - at least around here. If you are looking for an ergonomic gun w/ Open potential, look at the CZ or its Tanfoglio clones. The reach to the trigger is long on there, but so is the Beretta's. Regards, D.

Is he the D.C. area? I work from home 2 days a week & have 3 day weekends so I would be around to take care of a kitten. Have owned cats most of my life & could offer him a good home.

So is that a left-over 10 rounder that turned into a dog chew-toy? Otherwise, that picture will surely make some folks in California, New York, and California cry. Nice photo!

Black tenifer? A-la superhard Glock coating? That is too cool. Who is offering that service? Great looking gun. Regards, D.

In case anyone was in doubt, here is what I found as her statement (from the "NEWS" section of her website, on the sunset of the AWB: "September 13, 2004" Congresswoman Susan Davis Statement on the Expiration of the Assault Weapons Ban Washington, DC — Congresswoman Susan Davis issued the following statement on the assault weapons ban that is set to expire at midnight tonight. Davis is a co-sponsor of legislation to renew and strengthen the ban. “With so much concern about whether America is safer, it is hard to imagine the expiration of the assault weapons ban aiding in the goal of a safer America. “I am disappointed that the House Leadership chose to ignore the will of a majority of Americans and the majority of gun owners and let the ban expire. “The assault weapons ban was a common sense, gun safety law that not only should be renewed but should be strengthened.” Should be strengthened?!??? This lady is off her rocker. Maybe she picked up this soft-headed thinking while living in Japan.

Was chrono-ing a friend's Para (my chrono - I'll damn-well shoot holes in it myself!) when his fiber-optic front magically went away; never to be seen again. Beware the disapearing fiberoptic.

HERE is a thread titled "231 v. WST" Might offer some alternatives for 231 & the reasons why some switch types among Winchester powders. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=14665

When I shot .45, I liked a TMJ 200 (like the West Coast 200 SWC @ 1.245"OAL) over enough straight CLays to exceed major - though it usually took more grains that Hodgdon allows to get to Major. No problems out of an STI Edge in .45 ACP w/ ramped supported barrel. If exceeding book loads bothers you, I'd suggest V V N310 as it is outstanding, consistent powder. I believe Wilson uses it for the test load w/ his custom guns. I'd save the Titegroup for .40. 9mm, & other high pressure rounds where it burns cleaner than in .45 (though its always consistent & cheap). Certainly could do worse in .45 (like Antique! -er, or was that "unique"?) Ivan/BlackDragon: I think you meant Winchester 231? I started out with that powder for .45 on the advice of the guy behind the gunshop counter; it worked OK. A bit on the dirty side, but I also started out with lead & that created its own mess so I really did not notice. Same/almost the same as HP38; at least it is always available & gobs of data around. Regards, D.

Awesome gun Erik! Looks like solid pin conversion to SA only (EGW?) and a trigger unlike any I have ever seen on a Tanfoglio. Also, is that a welded-on custom mag well? What is the story with the triggergaurd being square?

"lets start by placing Moss correct on the map, it's in Norway" True. Moss is located in the very Southern-most part of the country on the coast; I had no idea there was an underground handgun range there. Beautiful place; I once visited an art museum there on the coast followed by a 1st rate dinner with moose meat steak as the main course. Wonderful country, Norway. As for walls, Phil Strader lined the cinderblock walls of his indoor range with steel plates that are close to "T1" hardness & they take bullet impacts (including rifle) at up to 45 deg angle with no deformation to steel. The downside of course is the direction after impact. Generally, the bullets travel parallel to the wall within a foot or two of it, but not always. Makes prop & target placement indoors a challenge. D. www.shootersparadise.com

I agree - keep seperate. Good news is that you can do most of your USPSA pistol reloading with only one powder: Titegroup. Should also work for Shotgun. Find a decent rifle powder & you have 3gun covered with only 2 powders.

John Nagel (AKA Mad Scientist) just built my new open gun and it is fantastic! So far, I have shot only a few hundred trouble free rounds but John has had this gun in R&D for over a year. He has endured problems involving cracked factory Glock slides, selection of scope mounts (none suited his needs so he built his own!), ejection issues, etc. All the problems have been overcome & my gun is the result of his hard work. The slide is a custom-machined Caspian. The barrel is a KKM supported 9 major with 3 hybrid holes. The excellent titanium 7 port comp was done by another forum member, Brian Hawley at Expiramental Machining. Many of the trigger components started out as Lightning Strike parts as modified. However, the collection of parts would not work without John's extensive R&D. Here is another picture: John may be building more of these; look for guns from Nagel Custom to make an impact in the comming season. Regards, Douglas

Thanks Garfield! I am behind the times. HOWEVER, now that the AWB is gone, what's the word? If the extra tubes had to be rotated into position by hand, then would this be viable in Open? I start with 11 in the gun, but with side-saddles, etc. I might start off with 21 to 24 "in and on" the gun so what about the Rosco?

I think that Open shooters woud benefit from this device: (click on "Rosco") http://www.roscoitaly.it/contattie.html D.

Gotta go with Mr. Mink on this; the CZ is the gun you want & specifically the CZ-85 Combat. Why the 85 Combat? It was designed for IPSC competition & is one of the few Production division guns with an overtravel screw from the factory. No need for a "speed bump" on this gun. What about that DA trigger? You likely handled a bone stock 75B. CZ 75 B is used by more Govern-ments, Militaries, Police and Security agencies than any other pistol in the world. As such, the stock hammer spring is heavy enough to absolutely, positively set off any primer the might find its way into the chamber (hard military primers). Switch out the hammer spring for a 16 lb wolf hammer spring & 80% of your trigger job is complete. Light, smooth pull w/ very clean break, then 1911-like SA after that. Yes, it will still fire any ammo you care to feed it. The 85 Combat also lacks a Series 80 safety, has adjustable sights, and extended mag release and lacks the 75B "magazine drop break" (keeps mag in gun when release is hit. For safety reasons). Even an ordinary 75B is a great choice & I shot a borrowed one for most of a season before buying the Combat & that was 2 years ago. I know Erik had one of these that gave him some trouble but the BE forum found the fix to that problem. Do a search here on "Combat" & take a look at the ongoing discussion over on www.shootersparadise.com regarding the 85 Combat. Regards, Douglas USPSA NROI www.shootersparadise.com

I assembled a new, 18 round magazine on the 13th of September. How? I bought three 16 round tubes from CZ-USA and 3 proto-type magazine extensions from Taylor Freelance (see their add in the most recent Frontsite or www.taylorfreelance.com). Robin Taylor himself called me about these proto-types to explain an issue with the 1st generation retainers; RObin has already re-designed the retainer system to resemble his time-proven Glock mag extension retainer. I modified the 1st generation extension with a Bridgeport mill at work & made a sheet-metal, U-shaped retainer that works with the hole in the basedpad. Not as slick as Robin's new design but functional. Result? A brand new 18 round magazine that fits in the gun and its under 140mm!! Does it work in competition? Flawless! 18+1 rounds w/ the stock spring & follower. I have since learned that these basepads are made from Delrin polymer - a material that costs more than typical extension materials such as 6061 T-6 or 7075 T6 aluminum alloy. I believe that these mags have the potential for 19 rounds with a modified follower. Regards, Douglas www.shootersparadise.com USPSA NROI

19th does not sound phenomenal but, PHENOMENAL ACCOMPLISHMENT ERIK!! Kinda begs the question: "what if? . . " Look out for Erik next time around.

All that needs to be done is fold up an American made receiver, throw in a few US made parts and they could make them in Exeter New Hampshire! Think it would work in 3 gun? Was it accurate? EDIT: found a Sig 550 forum here: www.biggerhammer.net They seemed to like the Sig rifles. CRAZY money for one if you can find it at all on this side of the pond.

Congrats on the new permit. True story: Having always lived in "right-impaired" states & the District (California, Maryland & D.C.) I was stoked the day in 2000 when my Virginia permit arrived. I decided to take my 1st stroll armed even though it was a bright Sunday morning in an upscale neighborhood (Old Town Alexandria in liberal N. VA). No sooner had I sat down for coffee in local cafe than a white mini-van pulled up followed by a local news van; about 6 women and 1 elderly man emerged from the minivan wearing: MILLION MOM MARCH t-shirts!!! I am not a bad tempered person, but I confess, my blood started to boil. This was a test from God I thought; a test of restraint & responsibility. After a brief & civilized exchange of viewpoints, we went our seperate ways with none of them any wiser to my exercise of CCW rights. I have actually become far more aware of civic responsibilities since I started to carry. I would even argue that CCW holders are generally more aware of their civic responsibilities & behavior than the average citizen.

I am with Duane here: "Thus far - and we're talking over decades here - they've all failed, and thus any credentialled ballistician will tell you the phenomenon doesn't exist and is instead an excuse for a double charge. " I believe Vihta Vouri also had a paragraph in their manual to the effect that after extensive testing there was no evidence supporting the existance of this phenomenon, though I no longer have a V V manual. Anyone remember that one? If not, I guese its time to have my lead levels checked again. Its fun to believe in Bigfoot, LockeNess monster, space aliens, JFK, etc. but until there is reliable evidence of the phenomenon, it does not exist. As for .45 brass, I agree a head seperation is odd considering the low pressure; I would guese a weak case was responsible. BTW, we have an old, full auto Thompson SMG that we rent out at work; the blowback action leaves a strange mark that looks like a "stretch mark" right around the case head. Perhaps firing .45 brass through a blow-back gun could waeken .45 and cause a seperation? D.

I have followed EAA's response to the Siaga mag questions since the AWB. You wrote: "I talked to the folks at EAA about the Saiga, and they told me they had no intention of providing higher capacity mags for it. " EAA updated their website & the very laws they cite indicate that they could sell 8 round magazines if they so choose, but, as you point out, they will not sell such mags. Considering the consequences they fear, I have come to understand & accept their decision; if you had a proven business & were making money at it, why would you risk having it shut down by a regulatory decision outside your control? EAA stands to make more $$$ selling Saigas as-is (with only 5 round mags) vs. risking it all being banned with 8 round mags.

A debate on whether to ask the ATF is going on right now on this site: http://forum.saiga-12.com Look under Saiga 12; Letter to ATF. Seems to run 80/20 in favor of "DON'T ASK!" The Saiga 12, 20 and 410 have standard stocks like the Remington 11-87 that was gifted to John Kerry through the "gun-show loophole" the week before last in West Virginia. With very rare exception, the 20 and 12 Saigas operate only with 5 round magazines - IN THE USA. Overseas, the Saiga is available with a pistol grip like the Benelli and one can match the magazine capacity of a Benelli 8+1 round gun (in 12 gauge) or even a Benelli holding 10+1 rounds (in 20 gauge). There is still an import ban in place (EVEN AFTER THE AWB SUNSET) & the Saiga with these features cannot be imported. However, now that the AWB is dead, it is theoretically possible to make a Saiga in the US that has these features (and possibly a US-made 10 round magazine too). The fear is that if such a gun appears, it will resemble the USAS-12 destructive device (which is a SEMI AUTO SHOTGUN) and likewise be declared a D.D. NO vote in congress or presidential signature would be required. I repeat, its not something that you or your representatives would have a say in; they could simply decide to re-classify them just like they could for Benelli M1 10 round guns in use right now. I would rather take my chances with a current administration ATF rather than the alternative. Think about it. Regards, D.

Update: I just spoke with Robin Taylor, inventor of the magazine extension pictured above & he has re-designed the keeper to more closely resemble the one on his Glock magazine extensions. An added benefit of the re-design is to allow the mag to fully seat without modification. In addition, Robin mentioned that these basepads are made from super strong Delrin polymer that is actually more costly to use than the more common 6061 T-6 or 7075 T6 aluminum alloy. Great product at a great price. Douglas USPSA TY44934 NROI www.shootersparadise.com

Have not tried that number but Rudy just moved to Texas; I think the Norris family has his new contact info. Tim, BJ, can you pass on the details to our friend? Thanks & I really hope he accepts since Rudy always puts on a great show.