smokshwn

One thing to also check is your charging handle. If you have cleared a stuck case malfunction or otherwise put undue stress on the charging handle it can become bent. This in turn slows the bolt and can cause both FTF's and FTE's. +1 on the new mags as well. Take care Craig

I lost a spring and detent pin from one of my Dawson Basepads. Email DP last night, reply this morning, replacement pins and springs sent this afternoon free of charge. WOW! AWESOME! I have had very similar experiences from so many associated with the shooting sports. I love our sport, the players, and the vendors who support us although it makes those days going about normal business harder and harder due to the discrepancy from the rest of the world. Take care Craig

I inquired with Tom at Master Blasters and he said he shoots his moly coated bullets in open with no problem. MB also claims extended barrel life. On the other hand there are those that say moly can increase barrel wear. (see www.schuemann.com) I have only used the sample packs in 40 and 45 at major and they seemed to do well, however I was able to get JHP's for only $3.40/1000 more than the MB's and opted to stick with what is proven in the open platform. In my mind there just wasn't enough info/shooters to make me go with the moly bullets in open. Good luck, Craig

Winter time carry is a full size 1911 summertime is a g26 iwb. Both are always carried ready to do the dance. There is no point in having your primary weapon in a state of unreadiness. Craig

Greg is top notch, and his gear is excellent. I have two of the chainmail locking paddles and I find that even when I shoot like sh*t I still look good Craig

Titanium Nitride in most of its forms has been used on high wear high friction parts for quite a long time. There is not a competitive motorcyclist out there that does not have TiNi on their suspension parts (fork sliders and shock shafts). My assumption is that it will be a great coating for weapons. Craig

I have only shot one case of the 62gr polymer but I will be ordering more when my HSM runs out. Perfectly acceptable accuracy to 250-300 yds and run fines in my bushy. Craig

DECOT HY WYD

There seems to be a lot of either bad info or maybe misunderstood info out there about fluting (I was ignorant myself). I just got through getting a thourough education from a friend of mine who has been building rifles for the last 30 years. I will try to condense what he has been teaching me. 1) Fluting does not stiffen a barrel. Stiffness comes from the relationship of the diameter and length. Shorter = stiffer. Larger diameter = stiffer. Now the application of this info. given barrels of the same length, a bull barrel with no flutes will be stiffest, the same barrel with fluting will be lighter and less stiff, and the same barrel turned down (decreased diameter) to the weight of the fluted barrel will be the least stiff. 2) Fluting/cooling. Yes fluting can possibly increase cooling by reducing mass and increasing surface area, however it is difficult at best to determine how much this affects POI compared to the original diameter barrel which with more mass can take more heat before a POI shift. 3) Fluting/accuracy. As has been previously stated the fluting must be exact or else inconsistent expansion will cause POI shifts. As well as it is best to have the fluting performed prior to heat treat. As I understand it, fluting post heat treat/tempering will possibly cause POI shift. 4) Damn they look cool. 5) Improperly cut fluting or damage to the barrel from the fluting process can make for incredibly beautiful metal sculpture. The following Kaboom was thought to be from caused by poor quality control in the barrels supplied to AI.Fluted Kaboom Take care, Craig

Clay, I am in 100% agreement with you on the Light issues. So much so in fact, IDPA will never see another dollar of mine. I am an officer at my club and do quite a bit to get new shooters to come out. It is never easy when you talk to someone and they balk at having to buy a holster and a couple of extra mags but to have the easiest solution yanked out from under us (uncle mikes) was a travesty. Not to mention people like us who need to replace equipment. Anyway I figure for the $350 it would take to replace my thre IDPA rigs I would just buy more reloading components for my open gun Take care, Craig

No sorry for any kind of indication I was holding back info. My personal feeling is that a paddle by its very design is going to have light in the belt tunnel. There is really no way around it unless the paddle is mounted completely flush with the pouch. That is what prompted me to caution you on getting info from someone saying that a given paddle is "lightless". IF and in my mind that is a big IF, there is a paddle design that eliminates light, I would think that the belt width etc. would be key components in maintaining its legality. My own decision is to discontinue shooting IDPA sanctioned matches altogether. I felt that it was a ridiculous decision to force people to replace $40-$75 dollars worth of holster based on this light issue when the 3/4" rule adequately covered gun placement. Anyway, good luck on picking something that works for you. Craig

Clay, Be careful with the light in the belt tunnel and any advice you may get concerning any one particular holster. So much depends on belt thickness, clothing, angle of observation, specific holster design etc. Make sure you account for these factors when you are evaluating opinions. Take care, Craig

This year I'm spending the money it would cost me to replace my Comp Tac Gear on USPSA matches. Take care, Craig BTW My IDPA club decided that the holster/mag pouch rules weren't worth enforcing. So I guess were going renegade.

driver, I don't know what your load is in 9mm but I am loading (major and my powder charge is very close to the top of the case. When the head of the powder check would go into the case it was displacing enough powder to cause the spills you describe. Don't sweat the powder check removal as that is how I solved the same problem. With this high of a charge I am not worried about a double charge as it would be painfully obvious, and at this charge height it is no problem to visualize the charge going into station 4 and placing a bullet on the case. Take care, Craig

I feel your pain, Newb. Don't give up. Keep talking to Chuck, Dan, Benny and Bob. They will keep on a good track. Craig

+1 on the 126mm mags and Dawson International basepads. The SVI magwell is also the correct well to get into the box.

For those of you commenting on this issue taking up a smith's time I feel I should share a little more of my experience. My gun was promised to me in 6-8 weeks. I ordered I believe in the last week of Aug. Dan's first email of my frame and slide fitted in the white arrived approx the second week of Oct. In it he listed the items I had already discussed with Chuck and asked if everything was still the same. Over the next two weeks Dan kept me informed of the barrel/comp being installed, test firing, and finishing and pics at each juncture. My gun was in my hands the first week of Nov. So as you can see the pics, phone calls, and emails did not take away any time from the build time promise and it added great customer service and the ability to make changes when necessary. I can't speak for Dan, but my assumption is that this greatly cuts down the time he spends stepping away from work to answer phone calls/make phone calls etc. Your smith can send and answer emails at his conveniece at natural break points in the work. This seems like a much better system all around. Craig

Newb, First I want to say I am definitely on the first steps of the open gun learning curve. I got my first open gun from Dan in November of last year. I was very much in your position. It seemed like the more I read the more confused I became over the newest option/newly found gunsmith/ latest gun of the gods etc. Invariably I came to the conclusion that there are tons of options and opinions out there and the only true way to find out what you want is to get one. You can shoot other peoples guns and get a feel for what you want but the reality is that with so many loads, configurations, and options the only way to get what you want is to get after it and get a gun. Now given this I would suggest you go for a gun that occupies the middle ground. I found the best way to get a description of the guns you are looking at is to call the smiths that are building them. They have done the experimenting for you and can guide your decision as to what may or may not be the best configuration for your needs. They know what loads work best in their guns, how they behave, the relative strengths and weaknesses of a configuration etc. Be honest with them as to your abilities and your expectations and in my experience they will be able to give you very effective advice. I can say firsthand that Benny Hill, Dan Bedell, Rich Dettelhouser and Derek Janowicz were all more than willing to explain their guns and options to me. (I owe them all a THANK YOU for their time) In the end all four had been so helpful that choosing one was very difficult. So far I am very happy with Bedell Shorty in 9mm and I look forward to learning the "DARKSIDE" Good Luck, Craig

As one who has a Bedell gun, (it is awesome by the way) I can only say that Dan's customer service and the ability to look at your gun and make changes in real time is something I would actually pay for now that I know how valueable it is. Just another reason to give your business to Dan and Chuck. I just wish I had money together for another gun, as more of you are catching on to Dan's talent and quality, his wait time seems to be slowly growing. Take care, Craig

Bushmaster Vmatch DPMS Panther Bull 24" Clark Custom Gator I'm sure you will get more soon. Take care Craig

++++++++ 1 for the viscoelastic foam mattresses (tempurpedic). They are absolutely awesome. I have been using one for 4 years and I often find myself wakingup in the same position I fell asleep in. I easily get by on 5 to 6 hours of sleep when before I would still be tired after 8 hrs. of sleep. Also shop around there are several companies that make these mattresses and they can be had with the same quality as the name brands at a fraction of the cost. Good Luck Craig

Da, Three things to make sure are okey dokey before you go ahead with the procedure. 1) Make sure the laser has software that allows the beam to be larger than the largest diameter of YOUR dilated pupil. If the beam is smaller then your night vision will get the halo effect due to the fact that your pupil has grown larger than the treated area. This results in the light around the edge being focused and directed differently than the rest of the lens in front of the pupil. This is why so many people experienced haloing initially. Many of the "Get em done here two for dollar" joints were taking clients who's pupils were larger than the available laser treatment beams and telling them that halo was a common side effect when in fact it can be prevented by accurate screening. 2) Ask about the facilities rejection rate. Research done by the Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah (largely regarded as one of the best optical related institutions in the nation) has found that approx 20% of the population do not meet the criteria for acceptable outcomes. If a facility claims they can fix everything then be very cautious and seek other opinions. 3) Also make sure your assessment is made over a period of 3 or four visits. You ocular measurements can vary slightly day to day (also if you wear contacts) and several measurements over a 4-6 wk period increases the accuracy of the procedure. If these things are in place have the procedure done yesterday. I went from 20/500 vision when I laid down to being able to read a digital clock when I sat up 10 minutes later. Good luck, Craig

Steve, The 50% rule that you are referring to did not make it into the current iteration of the rules. As they read now the mag holders must cover 2" as measured on the rear of the mag from the top of the case rim. So much for BW stating a lot of thought went into each rule change as a G26/27 mag barely measures 3 inches. That doesn't leave much mag sticking out for a secure grip. Craig

BJ Actually brakes and cans are usually unrestricted. Craig

The problem with cutting the barrel down on a magnum rifle is you still get all of the recoil and less of the performance.