[Advantage arms kit for 2011 any good?]

I have the 1911S version I use on my single stack and it has been very reliable. It is about 15 years old now.

[2011 .40 caseback blowouts]

Could it be possible the barrel is prematurely coming out of lockup? That would allow the back of the case to be partially unsupported during the firing cycle. I am by no means an expert but, have built a few 2011s. You could perhaps try a heavier recoil spring or hammer spring to see if it made a difference.

[Should I pay to change??]

I have 2 infinity aggressive signature grips. One of them had the sharp points slightly knocked down with an emery finger nail board in only a few areas by the previous owner. It is still quite sharp but not like the original on my other pistol. If you go with the aggressive you could always tone it down a bit. I prefer the original aggressive personally. However I have had to clean blood off of it after extended draws and dry fire practice. Once you handle the samples for a while you will know what is right for you.

[New 2011 Build.]

I have KKM, Schuman, infinity, and Bar-Sto barrels in both 9 and 40. For me the Bar-Sto are less picky. When doing load development they seemed to maintain better accuracy with a wide variety of bullet weights  and powders. In the end they all make a good product that will serve you well once you find the load they like.

[Cutting weight on a railed 1911]

A friend of mine made weight with his by buying a pair of VZ grips in carbon fiber material. You might want to contact them for the actual weight savings.

[Double Shock Buffs on a Limited Major Gun]

I run a polymer and aluminum buff in all my 5" 1911's and 2011's with no issues. I use a 12# variable in my 40 cal guns,9# variable in 9mm, and 13# in 45. All you can do is try them and see if you like it.

[SV guys need load recipes for n320]

5.2 of N320 at 1.215 makes 172pf with MG 180HP in both of my 5 inch SV's.

[Back up gun?]

You might want to consider having a 40 cal slide and barrel fit to one of your 45's. That way you will always have a backup gun for both calibers.

[Need a powder for .40 S&W 180gr Blue Bullets Major PF]

Another powder you may want to consider is Ramshot Competition. It is usually available and affordable. I load 180 blue bullet with 4.2 gr. @1.200 oal. They make 170 pf in my 5" infinity.

[9mm Trojan or 9mm Range Officer? Please help me decide ...]

I have both and they both run well. By the RO and put the 500 towards a Brazos trigger group, magwell, grips and extra mags.

[180 gr coated with RS Competition?]

I run 180 blue bullets @1.210 oal with 4.2 competition and S&B primers. Went 170 PF with a sd of 5 at Florida open in my 5" infinity.

[Blue Bullets - interesting test results]

rustychev, I used my infinity 5" sight tracker with aet barrel.We also used my friends Brazos sti edge. Both were almost identical with regards to velocity.

[Blue Bullets - interesting test results]

Thanks for the link pete627. I had not seen it before.

I had no idea the S&B primers were that much hotter than other brands. I think I will have to do some primer testing now.

[Xtreme a' tumbling]

I had the same problem. I discovered there was quite a difference in case wall thickness on the mixed brass I was using. I sorted by head stamp and verified I was not over crimping what ever brand I was using at the time and the problem went away.

[Load recipes using clays powder for 40cal]

You might want to consider Ramshot Competition. It is affordable and always available somewhere. To be honest I can't tell the difference between it and 320.

[Blue Bullets - interesting test results]

I recently loaded some 180 blue bullets after shooting some that a friend had loaded and given me to try. His load was very accurate in both my guns.

My normal load is 4.5 grains of Ramshot Comp. @1.200 OAL with either an extreme 180HP or precision 185. These loads normally run 166-169 PF depending on which bullet. I typically buy what ever primers I find that are on sale to use. Here is where it gets interesting :

180 BB @1.210 OAL- 4.5 comp = 181 PF with S&B pistol primers so I reduced the charge weight;

180 BB @ 1.210 OAL- 4.3 comp = 175PF with S&B primers, however, the same load with wolf small rifle primers was 170 PF.

These results were consistent in both of my guns as well as my friends two guns.

I am going to reduce the charge weight to 4.2 grains and do back to back testing again with both primers.

I have come to 2 conclusions- the blue bullets are much faster than others I have tried and, my assumption that rifle primers may produce higher velocities was wrong. Any feed back, comments, or experiences these bullets would be welcome.

Thanks!

[Springfield RO 9mm Magazine]

I went with the Dawson's for my RO. They have been trouble free for 3500 rounds so far.

[Need a really good finish company]

Fords Custom in crystal river fl. hard chromed 2 pistols for me and did an excellent job with a reasonable turn around.

[Brazos Tuned Trigger Kit Pro Series 1911's]

I have installed 4 of the Brazos kits in the last year. I have all of them set at 1.75 lbs. and have had no issues with any of them. For me they were drop in with some sear spring tuning and required nothing else. I used the EGW or infinity disconnector with mine.

[Springfield 1911 9mm Loaded Target to 40 S&W begins.]

Eric, I did a 40 top end on a Caspian SS race frame recently. STI carbon slide with CP ramped Infinity barrel. I had to tri top the slide and fit a Caspian aluminum grip safety to get 42.8 oz. with a steel guide rod. I will probably do black Cerakote on the slide when finished. Good luck with your build. Doug

[Hard chrome recommendations Florida]

I have used Fords twice. They did a really nice job and turn around was 1-2 weeks. They are in Crystal River.

[Dawson SA RO 9MM CRP 1911]

I have a Trojan 45 and RO in 9mm. Both have W/N ramped barrels. And both have ran great for me.

[2011 Edge Case Ejection Problems]

I agree,sounds like the extractor tension. Also check the firing pin stop. If it is a loose fit or cracked it can allow the extractor to ride back and forth or rotate.

[Xtreme Heavy Plate Bullets and AET barrel]

Update, well I put a new infinity non AET barrel in my gun this week. Shot groups at 20 yards offhand with extreme plated 180fp,180hp,165fp,165hp,MG180hp and precision coated185. All loads were 1.195 OAL using ramshot competition at 168 pf. The precision was the best at 2.25", followed by the MG at 2.6". All the extremes were 2.75" to 3". I must confess I really liked the feel of the 165's. I am running a 12.5 variable recoil spring with one aluma buff. I am going to try some more of the 165's in the 170-172 pf range next to see if the accuracy gets a little better.

[SA Range Officer 9mm....I got one! What front sight?]

If you change the main spring housing you will probably want a 17# mainspring. Also the firing pin spring is very heavy so you may need to change it to work better with the 17# spring. I started off with the Dawson magwell aluminum mainspring housing. Then added a Brazos front sight and trigger group along with a pair of VZ grips. All of this was just personal preference. Mine is 9mm also and ran great out of the box. It weighs 42.7 oz. with a Dawson mag. and is great to shoot. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine!