Luv2rideWV

In May of 2011, I purchased a Springfield Range Officer for $750 - great deal. Nice gun, and it should still be within your budget, today. This December, I added a Dawson fiber optic front sight, a Smith & Alexander mag well, Rosewood Hogue grips, and an Ed Brown extended magazine release (don't have big hands). It is a good entry level gun, and the additions were made to address specific issues I had. I don't know what your wife likes, but I cannot say enough good about the 1911 platform. A nice 1911 really enables a shooter to perform to the best of his or her ability without any excuses.

I'm really starting to like you - guns should be able to work dirty. My grandkids adore me....their parents, not as much. I agree on the dirty gun comment though. After that test it was pretty easy to go 2500 rds or so between field strips. But some guys like to clean their guns. I have no idea why, it must be some kinda mental defect from inhaling too much Hoppes. Twenty years ago, I enjoyed cleaning as much as shooting. Now there is no time. Some guns, like a 22 target pistol, shouldn't be cleaned all the time anyway. Now, the 1911 gets wiped off and relubed prior to a match - cleanings only happen when its so dirty it embarrasses me. Beyond that, I figure it only needs detail stripped about once a year for a real cleaning.

As lugnut noted, heavy bullets and fast burning gunpowders are the usual formula for soft shooting loads. odds are that you'd get a "softer" shooting load with a 230 grain bullet. Thanks for the link to the 38 Super page - GREAT INFO; I saved it to my favorites to use again later. Now, I need to determine which works better for me: quick recoil or slow recoil. FWIW, I think the slower recoil is more pleasant; some of the 200 gr loads I've played with lately feel a lot like some hotter 40 S&W rounds, and the feel of 230 gr ball ammo is one of the things I like. As for the slow versus fast issue, do you think the experience or skill level of the shooter matters? Do you think a preference would appear if a person could see what was being used by the real top level shooters, like the top handful at the Single Stack Nationals?

I'm really starting to like you - guns should be able to work dirty.

Thank you all for the replies. I'll load up about 10 rounds each of 5.6, 5.7, and 5.8 of W231 to have ready to chronograph later this month. Also, depending on the price, I may try some Clays when all of the W231 is gone - unless I'm so happy by that point that I don't want to change.

I am currently using W231 and 200 grain LSWC bullets because these are the components my friend uses and I'm a new reloader. First, what is a good charge to make about a 170 power factor with W231 and the 200gr LSWC? Second, what makes a "softer" shooting round? Third, everybody says that Clays is a better powder, so how exactly does the Clays compare to the W231? What are the advantages? Thanks for the advice, Jim