sinnsyk

The older generation Gold Teams, we're talking probably 2003 and older came with short dustcover. At some point, they decided to only sell the long dustcover. I've never been a super fan of that extra weight out there and I've actually done a lot of testing. First of all, I think it's great they come with a long dustcover. It means you can easily cut it off if you don't like, but have it if you do. Some people just love it. I've shot my 2006 and older models with everything from long, to custom mid-length to short. I had a couple of guns cut different ways just to see how they felt. And I would shoot them in major matches since this is the venue I typically learn. Of all my testing, it just seemed that the short dustcover frames would return my sights to target quicker and with less drama than the heavier weights. Now, believe me, these are very subtle differences and you need to spend some time with both versions to notice the difference. The problem with all this testing is that we have beliefs that make us blind to what's happening and sometimes too easily accept long vs short etc mostly because of someone else's claim. For me, the way I shoot and with my loads, I like the lighter frame and will probably continue to cut them. The 2007 model already has a .400" shorter frame (and slide). That might change things a bit. and I'm not going to cut my 2007 once it comes in and I get a chance to compare. The first person that I can remember who embraced the long dustcover was US AMU Jay Christy who shot a STI long dustcover 38 super back in '98 or maybe even earlier. He totally loved it. Tanfoglio followed suit and had their long dustcover Gold Team version for the '99 World Shoot. For a while you could still order both versions. I never weigh my guns so I have no clue what the weight difference is. I do know I like the shorter over full dustcover and it's an easy job for a gunsmith. Though, note it'll void your EAA Limited Lifetime Warranty if you do.

Well, since we've got our own thread for the 40, might as well serve the 38 some justice: Couple of my favorite powder choices I've used over the years: Vithavuori N-105 Vectan SP2 IMR 7625 I subscribed for years to the slower burning powders, like N-105, SP2 and even tried Accurate #9, Hodgdon 108 etc. Vit N-105 is very clean as all their powders and delivers very similar recoil feel as Vectan SP2. They both work great with hybrid-style 38 super guns. The big difference between those powders and the probably more preferred Vit N-350 is the better gas effect of 105 / SP2. The gun flips considerably less, but you'll pay for it in straight-back recoil. As I'm getting older and feel my body has taken enough beating, I've switched to the very comfortable IMR 7625. It does a great job and is very soft in comparison. Some of my loading data: 121 Hornady HAP IMR 7625: 7.2 (- 7.4) grains (about 170pf) Winchester Small RIFLE primers Armscor new 38 super rimless (RL) brass OAL: 1.240" Same load above with Vit N-105: 9.5 grains Same load above with Vit 3N38: 8.6 - 8.7 grains Same load above with Vectan SP2: 9.4 - 9.6 grains With a Round Nose bullet, I extend the OAL to 1.250" Note: With Vectan SP2, I would get 30-50fps higher velocity just by switching from small pistol primers to small rifler primers! With Starline 38 Supercomp brass, I would use 0.1 - 0.2gr more powder to get same PF. With Armscor 124gr RN bullets, I'd use about same powder charge. For some reason, the 121HAP doesn't need more powder, though its a slightly lighter bullet. Bullets Round Nose bullets are by far the safer choice for feeding. The 121 HAP is amazingly accurate and I use this if I need 30 - 50yd accuracy. One of the most accurate 50yd groups I've shot, less than 2" with a new factory setup Gold Team 38 super. Brass Armscor brass is less expensive than Starline. Armscor needs slightly less powder charge. I only use new cases in competition and all loading data reflects using new cases. Primers Winchester never seem to fail and I've used them exclusively for over 12 years. Small Rifle primers are a little harder to set off, and I use a custom-made long firing pin. I probably wouldn't try a 13lb Wolff hammer spring w/ rifle primers, but stick with the factory hammer. Unless you're trying to get the extra 30-50 fps w/ SP2 or N105, I would shoot small pistol primers Powder Lots of choices here. My current favorite: IMR 7625.

Thanks guys, Glen. Glad you included the OAL as some shoot the short 40 and some the long 40. It makes a big difference; see Cab's N-320 charge of 5.0 vs Glen's 4.6. So, please everyone sharing loads, also include OAL or specify short (typically OAL <= 1.135") or long (typically OAL <= 1.200").

In all of my major 40 s&w loads for my Elite Limited I run a 10lb spring. When the new Limited Custom (skeletonized slide), I will try the 8lb spring. Think that's going to be the cat's meow.. For us that already have a 2006 or older Limited 40, there's nothing wrong with making a few cheese holes in our current guns... I know I'm going to do that to mine here very shortly.

Damn, still an INTP... and still Mr P Type December 12th 2002: 78 (I) - 22 (N) - 33 (T) - 33 (P) April 8th 2007: 22 (I) - 50 (N) - 12 (T) - 44 (P) Definitely an uncurable Intuitive Perceiver, but somewhat progressed in becoming more extroverted. After a party the other day a girl who doesn't know me that well commented.. "You're saying you're an introvert? Ok, whatever." Being an introvert doesn't necessarily mean being closed-off, stooped in books, living in solitude.. At least not for me, it just means energetically we need to re-charge our batteries in quiet settings in-between battles. Myers-Briggs on Dominant Introverted Thinking: They have a finely nuanced ability to analyse situations, find root causes and foresee consequences. They distrust action taken too quickly without the necessary investigation. They are usually levelheaded, objective, impersonal yet intensely involved in problem solving. They are fiercely independent, seeking input and comments from a chosen few. Military Test Result: Robert E. Lee

I don't know, never used it. Anybody?

Cab33; Jax' load is perfect. Use small pistol primers for 100% ignition.

I'm glad you guys understand the guns better. We should all be able to dis/assemble our guns for ultimate cleaning and parts inspection. Unless you are proficient and have a good understanding of how everything works, remember the gunsmith is your guy for modifications. Don't start hacking at parts with your dremel tool...

Fine. That's the firing pin safety plunger / springer. No worries it's okay.

Gary, I've got several guns on order from EAA. This includes Limited 40's, Gold Team 38's and Hunter 10mm. You can get anything you want through me, but other models will have to be first ordered from EAA and then shipped out to you. With 5 models to choose from and 4-5 different caliber options of each one it's too much for me stock everything at this time. Seems as the supply from Italy is limited so if there's anything in particular you are interested in, you should contact me by email and I'll get it on order for you. My gun pages are 99% finished and I can send you to them if you drop me and email. I've decided not to make them official as of yet. I want to get a little more input from EAA on when the guns are going to come in. Ghost holsters are now available on the site. G-Code not yet. I've got an order in with them and just waiting for them to get their act together. Thanks!

Will, If you're worried about the slide not locking back and you want this, you should just stick to stock follower and spring. You can use these in the 140mm mags as well, but the springs will be slightly short and also shortlived. I did this for a while, but found the lack of spring tension to be unreliable. Using Grams spring with the stock follower you're just going to have to experiment on your own. Maybe it works fine.

I went to see them a few days ago and it's a beautiful product no doubt. Problem is the guy wants too much for them, in fact 50% more than I told my target price needs to be and we agreed on the entire time developing it. He pissed me off, because I know he just pulled the higher price out of his a$$. I've got the new design down and you'll really like the final product. I've asked for a quote from another machine shop and expect to talk to them tomorrow. I have a couple of alternatives and it's something I want to get done very soon. Don't worry, I'm not slacking on it at all.

Great topic. Let's bring it on. My load that I've used for the past couple of years is: 4.6 grains of Clays 180gr Armscor Bullet Nickel Armscor Brass Winchester Small Pistol OAL 1.180" An alternative to Clays if N-310 which is very similar burn rate. I know Arnt's opposed Clays. Brian, on the other hand is not. He shot Clays up until his last competition days. What I experience with slower powders is a prolonged recoil. For a non-compensated pistol, I prefer a quick burst rather than having a longer build-up of gases. Yes, it does increase the pressure and it can separate cases. I've had a couple of case separations with both N-310 and Clays, BUT only with shitty, old brass. Speer has sheared a couple of times for me. With Armscor brass I've never had any problems and I completely trust my load. I don't load hot, I load right there on the critical PF limit. With a minimum 165PF I load to 168-169, mostly not to have to deal with unnecessary recoil. I'll double and triple check my loads chronographing on different days and will tweak 0.1gr up/down. It seems that with my Witness Limited 40 it'll be somewhere between 4.5 and 4.8 grains of Clays. Brass vs Nickel varies and powder lots, primers etc. I know a lot of guys shoot N-320 which is a bit safer powder. I wouldn't go any slower than that, personally. If you're worried about pressure and case separation, N-320 is a great alternative. "LONG" to me is 1.180" - 1.200". In the EAA 40 mags with Armscor 180 bullets 1.180" seems to be a pretty favorable 'max' length. With the Grams kit I've had no problems at all with 1.190", but my buddy here in town for some reason though that was slightly too long and when he switched to 1.180" it stopped binding in his mags. Bottom line would be: push the envelope has hard as you can, but reliability comes first. It'll mess you up more than a tiny recoil advantage.

At least it's easy to be seen on the road...

My Honda CBR 929 RR Pics from my trip through the Rocky Mountains last year: http://henningshootsguns.com/pages/2006_Bi...For20Years.html '05 I took it to Area 4 in Louisiana and a nice trip to San Diego up the coast to San Fran: http://henningshootsguns.com/pages/2005_sandiego.html

Here's a picture of the 2007 Hunter Model. I've got some on order along with Limited 40's and Gold Team 38's. Working on shop pages where you can order the gun along with all necessary accessories.

bubback, The CZ75 counterpart in EAA would be the Witness Fullsize (Steel Wonder). Wonder refers to the finish, what they call "Wonder Finish". MSRP $489. Here's a picture Art, Makes sense that the plastic pads causes the problem. I end up using aluminum basepads anyway which eliminates the entire problem. Plus you get higher capacity.

I can totally relate. Getting the sear assy and the safety back in is a pain. I'll definitely cover that. I have already made a lo-res video available in my tech section. Check out "Frame Assembly". The trick is to have the sear spring away from its locked (down) position, hold the trigger in and the hammer slightly back while you insert the sear assy. Then insert the safety. This is demonstrated in the lo-res video available for download now: Frame Assembly

All the newer mags (that I have received recently) have the cut. Looks like you got an old and a newer style. Shit like that happens, though I don't like it. I want all my mags to be identical. Do any of them have the spacer? The spacers suck if you're a reloader because you can't load to 1.200" OAL. If you're shooting factory ammo it's probably what you want to use. Supposedly they'll ensure better feeding. I mean, that's why they put them in. I have used the 1.200" OAL mags with factory ammo and it does work. Honestly I haven't shot enough (I mean thousands on a regular basis) to tell if they will cause the occasional feeding issue. I would shoot them and see, and please report back here. The point of the spacer is to ensure the rounds don't get shuffled front to back, which could cause issues. Now, if you're careful and make sure the rounds and stuffed in the back (which I naturally do), you'll probably never notice anything. For carry though, and ammo sitting in mags all the time, the possibility of rounds moving forward is of course there. Why your cut mags drops I don't know. I haven't gotten any reasoning behind the cut, but its natural to assume it's going to allow a factory slidestop to not be pushed up (and lock the slide back) by the magazine body. That's the followers job and if the magbody is pushed to far into the frame (temporary jolt from seating a new mag) it could push the slidestop up and lock the slide. I always put an EGW slide pin in anyways and avoid the whole slidestop-lockback potential issue. I had a 38 super that worked flawlessly for years and then out of the blue started locking back. It didn't take me very long to cut the follower-button on the slidestop with my dremel... In competition I know beforehand how many extra rounds I have and reload prior to shooting dry. On your cut-mag that drops, take a look at the magrelease cut / slot in the mags. Compare the two and see if the cut mag has a shallower release hole. Otherwise I have a hard time seeing why it would drop. Please let me know what you find.

I LOVE my Safariland 771 and will start carrying them on my site. The SV 771 doesn't really work that well for them. They however do make a special model for EAA / Caspian. Those are the ones I use. Stay tuned, they'll be on the shop in the near future.

I'm already offering EGW parts for EAA / Tanfoglio and since I really like what George Smith is doing with his products I've expanded my store to include several parts for 1911 - STi - Infinity guns. This means Koenig hammer, hard sear, lightened sear spring, long ejector, titanium hammer strut, long disconnector, stainless slide stop, one-piece guide rods for bull barrel guns, reverse plug and pin set. I end up building a 1911 hi-cap every now and then and use EGW parts. EGW 1911 parts I'm also offering rifle scopes from Trijicon. The TR21R (1.25-4x24) is a very popular 3-gun scope and it's discounted on my store at $599 w/ free shipping! You'll also find TR20 (3-9x40) for $599, ACOG TA31F for $1095 and ACOG TA11E for $1195, all discounted and shipped for FREE! Trijicon Scopes I have some F2 Comps for 223 in blued finish and the 140mm / 170mm USPSA magazine gauge:F2 & USPSA mag gauge

TxD, I'm not a gunsmith so I won't get into throating the chamber, but thanks for the ideas. I've also never had to do this on any of my Tanfoglios (not that it wouldn't be the case for others). I also don't want to get too far into what should absolutely be done by professional gunsmiths. My main intention is to increase the general knowledge of the gun, like disassembly, how to clean & lube and assembly. I will include magazine tuning / mod for higher capacity. Shaping the extractor or explaining what can be done to tune for scope mount I do like the idea of getting into. I don't think it's very hard to do and something that's very useful to know. Simple tasks like polishing I will cover as it's not difficult. I think the DVD probably should specify that certain mods have to be done by a gunsmith. Remember when you're modifying your own gun, the warranty might be voided.

sfinney, Rich of Canyon Creek is an old friend of mine from our days in Arizona. He's a really good guy and renowned for his attention to detail. Due to EGW's long waiting list, Rich and I got to talk about him getting into EAA's. He ordered the remaining 40 Limited's EAA had in stock (per January/February) and he's getting up to speed on them. The only thing he's waiting for are the EGW sears to make the guns ready. It'll probably be another 3 weeks or so, but the guns will be match ready. I'd give Rich a call now and order one of them. I don't think they'll last long.. I've ordered a bunch of Limited 40's and will also be offering them along with Gold Team 38's online in my store. They won't be with custom triggers like Rich's, but it's going to be super-easy to order everything you need. The pages for the shop are already made, I'm just waiting for guns. EAA are getting a new shipment in soon, and in a limited quantity. If you're thinking about getting a gun, get in contact with me or Rich. Unfortunately due to high demand and not enough supply it'll all be first come, first serve for a while. Steve, There's been several generation magazines. I have a variety of "historic" magazine styles. I'd still like to have someone send me a picture of the narrow front 40 mags compared with a non-narrow 10mm etc. I am using now 10mm mags for 1.200" loads. They work perfect in all of my guns. The current 40 s&w mags have a spacer which makes them factory 40 ammo only (1.135" OAL). I'm picking up my 140mm mag pad tomorrow from my machine shop. They are going to be real easy to get on/off (no more screws like in the CPMI pads..). Will allow for 21 + 1 in 40 / 10mm USPSA rules and 23/24 + 1 in 38 super (mag style generation dependent). As soon as I approve the pad (by tomorrow evening), production will start on Thursday and they will be available online shortly after! I'm also making IPSC pads and will look into making a 170mm pad from the same 140mm design.

Gary, Great G-Code holsters are in the works. I talked to them last week and they stipulated 2-3 weeks before I see them. As soon as I do they will be available on the store. Send me a private email on the slide stop or try calling me at (720) 352-1080 and tell me more about the firing pin stop. I'll get with EGW on it. Jon, I can pretty much get anything. So far I've mainly focused on the big frame parts. Some cross over, but if I see a need and help for small frame parts I'll take care of it. I should be pretty well connected.... so let me know what you want and I'll check with the factory.

Larry, You're welcome. It's been fun making the videos and I'm starting making on my DVD next week. Think the online videos are a great start, but watching it on your TV in high quality and good lighting is going to be lot nicer. Guys, I need input. Let me know what you'd like to see covered in the video. I'm going to make specific things. I'll post a separate thread for what should be covered on the DVD. Please let me know what you want and I'll do it.