chevyoneton

I am just starting out myself, two matches under my belt, but I will hit a few points as you asked a HUGE multi-part question. I only have access to "Outlaw" right now so that may color my response YMMV. You can shoot the 1911, but would be more competitive with larger magazines. As the Pistol is only one third of the equation, make your own choice as to what you want to do. You WILL need a longer mag tube on the shotgun, 8 rounds in the tube MINIMUM. I would not worry if it stuck out past the barrel but you also will want interchangable choke tubes. I thought I was GTG with IC only but ran into two shotgun stages last month where I would have been happier with a Skeet choke (all clays) on one stage and Modified or Improved Modified (farther plate rack)on the other. Only one rifle mag pouch should be needed, more than that you can stick one in a back pocket. Stick to known reliable rifle mags, even if they are only 30 rounders and you have to change during the stage. I have yet (in my limited experiance) run a stage that did not require enough movement that I could not have changed a mag without much time (or any) penalty. I HAVE had issues with larger capacity mags that cost me a lot of time. To each his own but I am going to just run known reliable (Magpul) 30 rounders for now. I run Tac-Optics in Outlaw and have a lowish power scope and off-set irons like the Dueck Defense. I actually have two carbines, one with a 3X9 and one with a 2X7. A lot of guys will run just a low powered scope like a 1X4, 1X6 etc. I probably will eventually but to get started I had to run what glass I already had to get started (this sport can get expensive, like 3X expensive!). Shotgun shell carriers, hummmm. I have the cheapo Choate caddies for now but will up-grade to something else soon. I don't know what to tell you here, go to a match even if you have to load from your pocket (you will not be alone) and see what guys are using or ask if you can borrow some to try. I could go on but suspect you will get a lot of good advice from others. Good luck, have fun!

I don't disagree with any of that. I personally am running my USPSA Production rig, a .40 S&W 5.25 with the PRP Ultimate trigger and no other mods. I DO have three of my mags set up with Pistol Gear extensions that gets me 19 rounds in each one. I download .40 minor ammo anyway and have yet to see a stage where I would not have a reload even if I was running a 9mm and had more rounds in a mag. HOWEVER, if I did NOT reload, I would be running a 9mm no question. My CR Speed belt has a BladeTech DOH holster and some real cheap paddle mag pouches from CDNN with some of the paddle trimmed off to fit closer on my belt with all the other crap (rifle mag pouch, shotshell caddies, etc.) you need on your belt for 3-Gun. Since I also run this pistol in USPSA Production I can not have a magwell and don't really want one anyway, the stock opening is pretty big. I have considered an extended release and when I first got the XDm I thought I was going to HAVE to have one. Now, after a year of two or more matches a month and practice I don't feel the need for one. I still might try one though, just to mess with my gear like we will do sometimes.

AFAIK, factory barrels cannot be exchanged. A .40 gun can be fitted with a 9mm conversion barrel and 9mm mags and shoot 9mm ammo all day long. You MAY also need to change out the recoil spring. I personally have a Storm Lake conversion barrel in my .40 S&W 4.5 XDm and with factory 9mm mags and a Wolff 16 lb recoil spring it is 100% reliable. It was not 100% with the factory .40 spring which I understand is 18 lb. So, this would be another plus for going with a .40 S&W gun, you can shoot 9mm out of it for the cost of a barrel, mags, and possibly spring. I got my mags super cheap but even at full retail (with a little carefull shopping) you should be able to get set up with the conversion barrel, one or two mags, and a spring for around $200.

I can't say from personal knowledge, but the Gunsmith that installed my Powder River Ultimate trigger kit in my XDm 5.25 said he thought he could have just polished the sear engaement surfaces and made big improvements. I may take him up on it on another XDm.

Lee Bulge Buster set up in an old Lyman Spar-T out on the back porch. I load a thousand or so with the 550 and then sit out on the back porch on a cool, clear, calm evening and mash them up through. I do this AFTER loading as I am running cast lead bullets and like the way the finished case is uniform. At first, I was case-checking each one and only Bulge-Busting those that did not fit the case checker. Then I woke up to realize that it was faster to just run them all through the Bulge Buster. Forgot to mention that I recommend looking around and picking up an old cast single stage press for this kind of operation. They can be had, even if you have to resort to flea-bay to find one, for about what you would spend on a new, cheap press. I should mention, I keep one of the small cheap Lee presses mounted on a board to quickly be clamped to the bench for whatever too!

I have not used it yet but picked up the RCBS swage set to have "just in case". It was cheap enough at $26-$27. I don't plan on needing it a lot and have several single stage presses sitting around not earning their keep to mount it on. I can usually feel a crimped case on the up-stroke in the 550 and just set it aside. I have actually snuck more than a few primers past the crimp with the 550, I love that machine!

I jumped into 3-Gun a couple of months ago and after a little “internet due diligence” I ordered a Chameleon Load Two back on the 3rd of April. I paid for the extra shipping and it has not arrived yet. Not a big deal but my e-mail requesting shipping and tracking info has gone unanswered. Anybody else got a belt from them recently?

My "home land defense" AR is a 14.5" with pinned FH that I intend to run at a match some day. I am still getting it sorted but it will probably become my back up 3-Gun AR too after I get it appropriately scoped.

I run 3.5 grains of Titegroup behind a Missouri 180 TC Lead bullet set off with a CCI SP in Production. Don't know the PF but videos of me shooting it show the muzzle just bumping up slightly (XDm 5.25 with factory spring) and it feels pretty light too. I have settled on it as Titgroup is CHEAP (as am I) and available. I do have a pound of WST I bought last year on a lark but have not gotten around to trying it. It is plenty accurate and I honestly have not noticed the smoke if there is any. The gun does get pretty nasty but a quick slide strip and brush down and it is GTG.

I'm very happy with my .40 S&W XDm 5.25 with Powder River Ultimate Trigger kit. "We", my gunsmith buddy and I, did it am I am very pleased with the result. As I posted in the other "9mm vs. .40" 5.25 thread, I am very pleased with how my down-loaded .40 loads slap steel AND with the accuracy. The fact that my brass all falls in a neat pile just to my right at static-position matches like NRA Action Pistol is a plus.

I pretty much do as PKT1106 but I take a small bent paper clip and dig under the loaded chamber indicator. Gunk seems to build under and it bothers me although it is probably not an issue. The other thing is I rarely clean the barrel, but do scrub the chamber with a brass brush. Back when I was shooting cheaper lead bullets I did have some lead buildup that took a Chore Boy scrubbing to get out but that has gone away with my change to a higher quality (harder) bullet.

I have one, and it is for CC although I have not carried it much (yet). It rides in case under the car seat with a full-size mag (w/sleeve) mostly. I bought it because I previously carried (quite a bit) an XDsc in .40 and really liked it. I compared the two and the only real difference in size was the .8 longer barrel. I sold the XDsc and am very happy with the XDm 3.8C. I took several pistol classes with my first XDm, a "full-size" 3.8 and will be taking a Defensive Pistol class this Saturday with the 3.8C to get some practical trigger time with it. As my Competition gun is a 5.25 I get A LOT of trigger time on the XDm platform but need to spend some quality time putting some rounds through the little 3.8C, and this class it the perfect opportunity ! Good luck with your sale, I know when I sold my XDsc I was working against the Glock's. Everybody wants a G26 or G27. I had a G27, and I liked the XDsc (and XDm 3.8C) a LOT better!

I don't think you went wrong with the 9s but I have been very happy with my .40 5.25 in Production. I don't know the PF of my loads but they shoot well and are very mild (180 Missouri TC Lead and 3.5 grains Titegroup). I sometimes wish I had went with a 9 and I might yet as I have gotten into 3-Gun and a few more rounds in the 140mm mags might be a good thing. Although it has not hurt me yet as each stage I have shot required a mag change (due to round count) anyway. I bought the 5.25 in .40 because I had a .40 3.8 for carry and home-defense and wanted mag compatiblity. I bought the 5.25 during the mag promotion and now have mags running out of my ears. I also have a 4.5 .40 XDm and a 9mm conversion barrel for it and using 9mm mags it runs 100% with a 16 lb recoil spring. It was not 100% with the factory spring .40 S&W which I understand was 18 lb. Sounds like you will be swapping the Dillon over now unless you plan on shooting factory!

Standard CM barrel 22" I think. One of the Sage old 3-Gun hands told me he changes choke tubes every stage. I don't doubt it but I also don't see how it could have possibly helped my performance any. I have ordered a couple of extended tubes just in case I want to change quickly during a match. I really should just spend the time "gaming" the stage and planning my reloads instead of changing choke tubes though.

I’m on the other end of the spectrum with my 5.25 XDm .40 running poofter loads in Production. My load is a 180 grain Missouri TCL over 3.5 grains of Titegroup. Very accurate, cycles fine, and it does not hurt my splits as I can’t outrun the gun anyway. I like this load for NRA Action Pistol too as the brass all drops in one neat pile right next to me! I am not very sensitive to handgun recoil and have not noticed much even when shooting full house factory ammo out of the XDm platform. Admittedly, I have not shot much full power .40 through my 5.25 but I have shot 1000s through my 3.8 and did not think much of it.

I recently took up 3-Gun and pulled an old but NIB Remington Competition Master out of the closet. I know, I know, but I bought the CM many years ago at a gun shop bankruptcy auction and it is what I have to run with. I cannot afford to buy anything else now anyway and if not for the CM I would be using the 1100 I hunt and shoot skeet with so the CM it is. Anyway, with my first match out of the way I installed an EZ-loader, got some dummy shells, and started practicing load-twos in anticipation of the arrival of my load-two belt. Things had been going pretty well until last night. I loaded 6 fine and then fumbled and only got one of the last two in with the other on the floor. That eighth one is a little stiff going in against the compressed spring. Anyway, as I started to unload by reaching in and pushing the shell stop and picking them out of the bottom, I only got one and then the rest would not come down. Seems the spring or follower was hung on something inside the mag tube. I slammed the butt on the floor and it released and I was able to unload the remaining shells. I have not had a chance to investigate yet but I will at least disassemble the tube and extension and polish things and install another follower. I should have a new Wilson Combat follower somewhere if I don’t have to rob one out of my 870. To get to the point, I am very glad this happened during practice instead of during a match.

I had similiar issues recently with CCI Large Pistol Primers. I switched to Winchester LP and the problems went away. This is in no way a slam on CCI primers, I uses them exclusively in SP and SR applications and have had no primers related problems ever that I can recall. I figured it was just one batch or a stacked tolerances issue or something and tried another brand and batch of primers and went on. I will use the Winchesters in a hand-prime on lower production rounds I don't run in the Dillon.

I just got two boxes of the Fiocchi from get-r-done guns (or something like that, I found them on a Google search for Fiocchi dummy shells) for $13something a box and $4.99 flat rate shipping. I only really needed one box but the Scotch in me made me buy two to maximize shipping!

I do not reload shotgun shells (yet) but was in a similiar situation to you a few weeks ago. I was about to shoot my first 3-Gun match with my 7 year old but unfired Remington Competition Master. Not wanting to show up at a match with an unfired gun, I threw 3 boxes of cheap Winchester #8 Wal-Mart specials in the truck and headed over to a buds to shoot some thrown clays. After a couple of boxes the shells started to not want to extract. A through cleaning and lubing and another trip to Wal-Mart for cheap Remington #8 shells and it ran fine for the match with no issues. I figured Remington Shells for a Remington Gun, makes sense right? I recommend that for the minimal cost of a few boxes of shells you just pick up a 100 count sleeve ($22.95 I think) of the Remington factory shells and eliminate one variable and worry before your first match. Then you can experiment afterwards with more time and less pressure. I ran the stock IC tube for the whole match and did fine. I only missed one plate the whole match but then knocked down two with my next shot so the choke was not holding me back (my loading was). Looking back, I could have ran a Skeet tube on one stage which was mostly clays in holders and a light modified in a longer range all plate stage but the IC handled it all fine and I did not have to worry about changing tubes and keeping up with one more thing at my first match. And that brings me to a solid piece of advice from somebody who has been there and done it (even if it was only once) quit spending time reloading shells and practice loading them in the gun! You will be way ahead come match day running factory shells and having the extra gun loading practice under your belt!

Too long is fine, and you may want to play with inner belt on regularly and outer on backward, etc. The only issue I have with a too long belt is my CR Speed inner sometimes interferes with my belt loops where it is doubled up on some pants but no real biggy. It can get thick in the front where there is four layers of belt.

I happen to have seen both the Do All and Rugged Gear Carts recently, brand new and in use by their owner's at 3-Gun matches. The Do All looked fine and will probably do the job for the occasional 3-Gunner. The Rugged Gear is a thing of beauty and appears to be well worth the additional coin. Both sets of owner's (two carts each, a husband and wife and two brothers) were very happy with their carts but I think they had only used them at 2-3 matches. I did not see the whole procedure but both appeared easy to assemble and set up. Personally, even as cheap as I am and being currently and for the foreseeable future only a once monthly 3-Gunner I am saving my pennies for the Rugged Gear cart. Pay once, cry once.

I just found a 14-3 last month on a gun show private-sale table for $325 OTD with holster and box of ammo. He was throwing in the holster and would not come down off $325 so I asked and got the ammo thrown in. I figure backing out the ammo and holster I am $300 in the gun. This is the only model 14 I have ever seen and handled and I was not really looking for one but I like accurate .38 Specials and thought the price was fair so home it came. I even-traded a couple of old long guns on a sweet Colt Officer's Model Match at the same show so left with a couple of old competitors in the bag! I have been converting long guns into pistols at several shows recently, the “short guns” store a lot easier! I have an old heavy barreled PPC converted DAO Model 10 that I really enjoy shooting but it is not reliable with standard ammo. I have some Federal Gold Medal Match primers and plenty of cases and bullets I just need to find time to load them up. I am too busy and distracted shooting USPSA and getting started in 3-Gun to get all my hand loading done!

His stage times are going to suffer from carrying the table around though. Actually it is a file cabinet, he's going to need a dolly! And I did not see any belt loops in those PJs for his inner CR Speed. Nice technique though! I wish I had hands big enough for the quad load but I will be lucky to master the 2X. I have odered but am waiting on some dummy shells and a Chameleon load two belt. I hope to have a new plan and skill for the match the end of this month!

I am glad I went with the PR Ultimate "Gunsmith" fit version instead of the drop in. One big reason is one part (the triangle shapped piece) they said may have to be fitted in the Ultimate kit did not need any fitting in mine. That tells me that the same part in the "drop in" configuration would allow more "slop" since it must be under or over sized in some areas to be "drop in". I hope that made sense. My gunsmith who installed it did tell me that he thought he could have polished the factory sear and got me real close so if I do another XDm I may buy the kit without the sear and save some bucks. Oh, he is a GOOD friend so I am not paying for his time! I know this, I am pretty handy but I would not try installing it on my own. Sanding the trigger stop is kind of two-man operation. We taped the frame and one of us held a little pressure on the trigger while the other pulled the abrasive cloth back and forth. It took more time than I initially figured but turned out great.

I have not run much more than a couple of boxes of each through my 7 year old but previously unfired 1100 CM but the cheap Fed & Rem worked 100% and Winchester did not. The Winchester may work fine once the gun is fully broken in but I am not going to worry about it as Fed & Rem is available and the same price. My old 1100 I shoot skeet with runs them all just fine. I have not run any buck or slugs through the CM yet. Nor have I fired it since installing the ezloader last weekend. I am just getting ramped up for 3-gun and getting the bugs worked out of my guns and gear (and the guy operating them).