chevyoneton

I ran my SGM (Korean?) 50 round .40 Glock mag in my .40 Keltec Sub 2k at a match last month and it ran perfectly. The back is clear, so I put a little black sharpie mark at the 40 round point so I could quickly load that many between stages. I also have a 9mm Korean mag that has ran 100% in two Glocks and my PSA 9mm carbine. These mags are cheap but seem to actually work. I will probably buy one of the BD drums if the tariff is not too steep. You never get too many, or too large, magazines.

Great post. I early Christmas gifted myself all the stuff to do kydex (foam, kydex, drills screws, rivets, setter, etc.). Built a magnum press out of some 1" plywood scrap I hauled home from work 25 years ago and have been saving for worthy projects. I like working with kydex but definitely need to practice. Have only made a couple of knives sheathed so far. I will say that a $15 garage sale Craftsman scroll saw with appropriate blade is sweet for trimming projects down prior to sanding. It's buddy, a 4X36" bench belt sander is really, really handy as well. I had both of these tools squirreled away unused for years before breaking them out, blowing of the dust and cobwebs, and fitting them with a blade and belt to work kydex. Now all I need is time. My next projects are a holster and mag pouches for the pink Walther P-22 I won at a match last month that I am giving my 13 year old daughter for Christmas. I am undecided if I am going to buy pink kydex or not, maybe red to go with her competition belt.

Thanks for the replies. I thoroughly checked over the BCG last night and saw nothing amiss. Key was tight and pipe cleaner went through. The rings on bolt did not have their slots aligned. BCG moved freely with light finger presser back and forth with action open. I did decide to try the cheapest and easiest thing first, I swapped on a different lower. This is the lower off my "old" 3G rifle. It is a rifle buttstock instead of the carbine I had on the build. It also has a better ($$$$) trigger and was really the set-up I was going to run anyway. I don't know if it will make any difference but it should be interesting to see. Will also try some more ammo, although the two types I tried are what I have run in the past and what I wanted to use. I suspect I will end up at a gas block issue after all though.

Factory, couple different kinds, same result.

I started gathering parts a couple of years back and finally got around to putting together a new 3 or 2 gun rifle. It feeds, but is a single shot. The BCG is coming back barely far enough to cock the hammer but that is it. It is not extracting or ejecting the spent case and certainly not feeding another one. Works fine when you work the bolt by hand. So, probably way, way under-gassed. Upper is a Stag 18" stainless fluted rifle length gas barrel, Yankee Hill gas block and melonited tube, AIM BCG. I have an idea of a course of action but would like to hear suggestions. I don't mind trying a new gas block (maybe adjustable), and low-mass BCG. If I have to pull the handguard, which I will, I might as well at least change the gas block. Opening the gas port in the barrel is a last resort, but I might get there eventually. What say you?

I bought some Fiocchi dummy shells years ago and they work well. Before that I used live shells (outside) until they got beat and then shot them up on the Skeet range. My young daughter, who runs the timer for my practice, is amused with the ones that say "Dummy" on them.

I am curious why you guys want/are using a backpack style? I like a regular bag with a good shoulder strap and just wonder why a backpack would be preferred? Are your stages waaayyyy far part or is parking a mile away? Not at all trying to be smart, I am wondering what I am missing.

I would love to have a second 550. I traded into a 9mm SDB a couple of years ago and it is handy having a dedicated press. I got into that SDB at half price or so, but before I bought a new SDB a stripped 550 is close to the same price and I have everything for a 550.

My cost to get into PCC was zero, I already had everything. I had a .40 Sub2K that takes Glock mags, and I already had several mags of various capacities. As the longer mags do not carry well in a pouch I just stuck them in my pockets. It ain't pretty, but it sure is fun.

I know this is an older thread but I will answer just for archive purposes. I have barrels from all three makers, but they are 40-9mm conversion barrels. The Stormlake, in my 4.5 XDm dropped right in and shoots and functions great. The EFK for my XDm 3.8 dropped right in but the chamber is a little tight for the reloads I intended to shoot in it. I have not yet had the Barstow installed in my 5.25. I bought it intending for my local smith to do the job but he is not comfortable doing the job. Someday I will send the gun and barrel back to Barstow and have them do the job. I would just have bought another 9mm 5.25 but did not want to do another trigger job.

No question, the 550b. I have both a 500b band SDB and like both for what they are. I have had the 550 for decades (really) and recently picked up the SDB in a trade just to have a progressive set up for 9mm all the time. The SDB is a fine press if you are only going to load one cartridge and not do a lot of load development and stuff. Anybody that does not understand the idea of a manually indexing progressive probably has not loaded on one. I load just as fast on the 550 as the SBD.

Mine is a Keltec Sub2K that use the Glock .40 mag. It even likes the cheap Korean 30 rounders. Never had any issues with any load, even bunny farts.

Just last night I was trying to figure out when I bought my 550b. I don't know exactly but it must be getting close to 30 years ago. If I had known then that I would be getting into pistol competition shooting as heavy as I did I might have bought a 650 but the 550b is long since paid for and going strong (with a few updates/upgrades). I am looking forward to retirement myself and the 550b certainly figures into my future activities.

My .40 PCC load is the same as my Production .40 minor load. TG under a Missouri 180 TC lead bullet. Smacks the steel hard and accuracy is just fine. Ran it in a PCC in a match last week and had no problems. Scorekeeper opined "your gun does not even move" (when fired). Run as light a load as your gun likes.

I understand a little about stage design, and worries of designing for a certain division may have some merit. For example, a Revolver friendly stage might sneak into one month's match if a certain shooter/designer sets one up. That said, it is one stage for one month and not hardly the end of the world or sport. To hear some tell it you would think every stage every month will be PCC friendly from now on. As has been voiced in previous posts, I want to solve and shoot the stages as they come but with a PCC. I will do what it takes or take a pass on a target if I cannot engage it safely, so be it.

I notice you left out the "fun" part. . Edit: I can't seem to quote for some reason, I was responding to post #1074.

I actually shot a PCC (Keltec .40, Glock mag, iron sight) in our local USPSA match this morning, a first for me. Two other PCC shooters (buddies) attended, both 9mm AR carbines (iron sights). They squaded us together on the newbie squad that the MD was ROing. In short, IT WAS A COMPLETE GAS shooting the PCC, just like I hoped/thought it would be. We had to modify the start position on a couple of stages to suit a low ready start for the carbines and "weak hand only shots" were "weak shoulder" with the carbine. We PCC shooters DID NOT slow the stages down any. There was far, small steel on a couple of stages and the PCC made short work of them. Close head shots on a couple of stages were tight but doable. Had to swap shoulders several times and watch the 180 but that was all part of it. We do not have a capacity problem and in fact could have had at least one more squad and a couple more people on some of the squads. I have not shot USPSA In a year and half and the PCC got me out there. Me likee and I will be back with a PCC. I predict PCC will enhance the coffers of our small club.

Well dang, I only got about a thousand rounds loaded before I broke the old SDB. The stepped set screw holding the roller that activates the bell crank on the powder measure broke. A call to Dillon has the new upgraded parts headed this way. Same thing happened to my old 550b a few years back. Got to love a company that stands behind old second hand equipment.

I have the Dillon dies for most calibers I load on the 550 except .38 Special. For that I run Lee dies I already had and it works great. I have run rifle calibers on the 550 in RCBS and Hornady and it worked fine also.

For those that have done it, how much trouble was it to remove the rear sight on your XDm? I have been away a while and CO might just cause me to get back in the game.

I like the two (or more) press concept, one more or less "permanently" set up for your most used caliber. I don't shoot nearly as much as I used to, or as much as a lot of you and still like the idea. I have had a 550 for a loooonnnnggg time and would not be without it. But recently came into a 9mm SDB and set it up and learned to load on the &%^$#@ auto-indexing little blue press. I am getting to like it, and LOVE having a dedicated press (even a SDB) for 9mm. No way am I together or organized enough for the "load up a Year's worth and swap over" plan.

I voted yes because I have wanted to shoot a PPC in a USPSA style match for some time. As I age my eyesight is getting worse and I am at a point that I think a dot is the way to go. Since I have several pistol caliber carbines and about half already have dots mounted I am in business for a PPC shoot without having to go all "Open" ($$$$$) handgun and stuff. I don't want any special stage designs, solving issues will be part of the fun (just like with a pistol) and if I can't safely get at a target, so be it. I don't think I would slow the match down any. For one thing, I will be spending less time picking up magazines since I will be running 30's or at least 20's. I really want to shoot a NRA Action match with a PPC. But can just imagine the lead balloon that would be at the local range/club that has NRA Action.

I used my old first press, a Lyman Spartan, as my "second" press after I got my 550. A few years ago I picked up a Spar-T for second press use and load development. I really like the turret press for this stuff. I can leave several dies set up at once for different things in the turret.

A while back I picked up an older SDB set up for 9mm. I have had, and loved, a 550B for decades (really) and loaded tens of thousands of rounds on it. A good bud traded into the SDB and as he is a sho-nuff died in the wool Lee reloading equipment man he decided he had no use for the SDB. This guy has a couple of the Lee progressives and actually makes them run and likes them! Anyway I figured there were a lot worse things to have than a Dillon progressive press set up dedicated to 9mm. A few years back I built a 9mm 1911 for USPSA Single Stack and like it a lot. Recently I began using my Browning HP for NRA Action Pistol. And with my daughter hopefully getting into the shooting sports soon I expect to need a lot of 9mm going forward. The SDB will allow me to use the 550B for other stuff but always be able to crank out some 9 on demand. I did a little cleaning to the SDB and bolted it on my old reloading bench and adjusted stuff. I have cranked out a couple hundred rounds and while I can certainly load on it, I really (really) miss the larger window on the 550B. That and removing the locater pins from stations 2 and 3 (and 4) is damn awkward at best. I am actually thinking of making two new pins with protruding tabs for 2 & 3. I don't see how the tabs could be in the way and the pins would be infinitely easier to remove with a little tab. I can take or leave the auto-indexing. Really, indexing the shell plate is so natural for me after all the rounds and years of loading on the 550B that I don't mind, and actually prefer manual indexing. Especially when I miss a crimped primer case and have to un-ass it from the press/process. To sum, for what I am into the SDB ($200) I will load on it and be happy. If in the future the daughter wants it she can have it. But, if I was to buy another, additional press new I would go with another 550B sans caliber conversion kit. A 550B that way is only $4 more than a new SDB and I have everything for the 550B in every caliber I would load on a progressive. Occasionally I give some thought to a 1050. I have the means to buy one and enough 9, 40, 45, 223, etc. components on hand to make it worthwhile. But I just don't shoot that much these days. Having the SDB and 550B set up where I can just sit down and load 1-2-300 rounds in an evening works for me.

I like mine a lot, but its' journey must have been very interesting because it took several months to get here and the package was toast. What showed up was the belt wrapped in clear shrink wrap plastic with the label stuck to it but the belt was unscathed. I am sure this was just my luck and an anomaly. It is hot to wear but I don't keep it on long anyway. I bought the bigger belt since I have the build for it, but then removed several clips to get them out from under my left arm and to allow room for belt mounted magazine pouches/magazines. The clips seem to loosen up if left loaded between matches. I have not found the need for any other "adjustment" (like sanding) to loosen the clips up to my liking. Depending on the stage load-out I may put slugs on the far right and bird on the left or carry slugs elsewhere on a belt. I have short, beefy fingers and the load two off the Chameleon has been a god-send for me. FYI, my Mom made me a bag out of an old pants leg to carry/store the Chameleon. It helps keep a lot of crap off the Velcro and protects a loaded belt between stages.