DavidSnethkamp

Greetings all, I am hoping to gain some advice on my current revolver dilema. Currently I shoot a 625 PC (4") and have about 20k rounds thru it. I am very pleased with the performance and it is serving me well as I get more experience. When the 929 showed up, my initial reaction, was "now there is a reason to go 8-minor" but now I have different thoughts. At first I swore I would stay with 6-major, but sooooo many 4 target arrays really got me thinking more about 8-minor. I am seriously considering a 627 pro instead (4") and was hoping to gather sage advice one way or the other. Here are my thoughts: I have tried a 5" 625 and the gun felt very "heavy" to me. the longer 929 really concerns me in this regard. I figured if the 625 recoil does not bother me, the 38's in the same barrel at minor PF won't. Using factory 9mm is not really an issue, since I don't remember the last time I have used it. In a pinch I figure I could always use factory 38's in the 627. The short colts sound like a great way to go with the 627 for speed in loading and extracting. My goal for the revolver use is 99% USPSA It seems from a reloading standpoint, the cost difference between the 38 short colt and 9mm is negligable. I am completely unsure of the accuracy and the ballistics of the short colts and would love to here peoples opinion and perhaps their favorite minor loads. Since the 627 pro is factory moon clip cut, that is not an issue and the "pc trigger" really means nothing since any gun goes the my gunsmith to get set up the way I like it. I can get the 627 pro for about $830 in my area and 300 or 400 would go a long way towards brass and moon clips. I would appreciate your sage advice. Thanks David

I will add my two cents. Keep an eye out for the truly bizarre also. I was shooting a Level 1 match and while were were not required to sign our sheets, after a couple stages I decided to look mine over (Yes, I know I should have after ever stage) and person keeping score was marking all the steel hits under "M" for metal. lolol We got it straightened out and at least he was doing for everyone, but it was a learning experience, both for him and me.

Thinking back on it, I do recall unburned powder in the barrel a couple times. Makes no sense to me. Perhaps the root of the problem is the crimp / bullet size, not holding long enough to allow a complete burn of the powered. This weekend I loaded up some ibejiheads with a .490 crimp. While it was only 60 rounds, they seemed to run well. Perhaps the slightly larger diameter of the lead vs the plated bullet let the powder work better. I think I will run them this week for a USPSA match. I am hearing Bullseye calling my name though. I just hate the thought of 12 pound sod powder just sitting there.

I am mostly leaning towards bullet / crimp issues. I find it hard to believe so many Federal primers or so many pounds of Clays are the root cause. With what I have read in other threads, I think I will dump the Lee FCD and go back to the RCBS taper crimp die. With my Ruger Alaskan 454, I had to go to a Redding profile crimp die. Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on these for the 45 ACP in a 625?

I did take the powder throw apart, LNL press, and gave it a through cleaning. I was verifying charges though thru pulling cases from the press and dumping the powder to verify, so I doubt that was it.

I tried the Bayou's at one point and liked them, except for two issues: One, indoors everyone kept checking the furnace thinking it was on fire (the Bayou's tend to smell like a burning circuit board) Two, for some reason, I was actually getting a high rate of leading from them. In all fairness to the bullets, I did not fine tune the load, so its not a good indicator. I actually have 500 ibjeheads on my desk at the moment I am going to try out. I crimp to the strong side of 4.7, typically .469 to .47

I am sure the rules only say it has to pass thru the paper Why waste powder, lolol

At one point, I was sure it was the Berry's. I even had two fall out of the brass when I ejected a partial clip. The crimp still mic'ed out so the die was still true, but I got a batch of small bullets, thats for sure. I thought I had it solved when I went to the Montana's, but had two poofs in a batch of 500. Better then before, but still way too frequent. It also seems I am shooting slower worrying about squibs.

Well, I will admit, my rounds are the source of much discussion, but hey, they make major thru the chrono. Even at Level II matches. People really enjoy watching them go down range too. On a foggy morning it's like a golden rainbow, LMAO

Thanks Doug, No case lube, I run them all dry. At one point I thought the case jump was the issue with the Berry's, I noticed I was having some creep with them. I went ahead and switched to the Lee FCD for them and the creep stopped, but not the light rounds. As a check, I switched to the Montana golds with the RCBS taper crimp die. No creep, but still the darn light loads. Both great thoughts though.

I was wondering if anyone else has encountered my issue. I am currently shooting my 625 with 4.0 grains of Clays behind either a Montana Gold 230 gr RN or Berry's 230 gr RN. Federal primers are in place and all of the brass is my own Starline. OAL is 1.250 and crimp is either a Lee FCD or a RCBS taper Die Currently I make power factor at about 168 or so. The issue is a steady increase in light loads. Currently about 1 in one hundred. Light being you hear a poof instead of a bang and can hear the round almost bounce off the paper. Currently they have all cleared the barrel. I have used this load for about 20,000 rounds thru the gun in the last year with what seems like a steady increase in "poofs" I am 100 % confident the powder is in the case. The press is lit like a christmas tree and I look into EVERY case to verify powder levels. Initially I thought I had a bad keg of Clays, but the problem is continuing into a second 4 pounder. I can only narrow the issue down to bad powder or primers. At this point I a really considering switching to Bullseye for a while, but would appreciate others experience and input. Thanks

Hmmmm, who in their right mind would show up to shoot 50 round stages with a revolver ? Ohhhhh, yehhhh, I would, lolol.

Run it in my G34 open gun. 6.4 gr with a Berry's 124 on top and make major all day long and the gun runs flat.

Saul is definitely great to work with, but international shipping can certainly be problems on occasion. I have found calling Chuck at Shooters Connection, telling him Saul has something I want (like a purple race master for my wife) and he gets it ASAP with no ups or extras. AND no international shipping for me

OK, how about this. Stage one at the Ohio match. All ammo starts in an ammo can on a barrel. I shoot revolver, btw. The stage procedure is: "Upon start signal retrieve all ammo to be used on the stage from the ammo can mounted on the barrel and engage targets as they become visible from within the shooting area. T8 and T9 are activated by MP1 and remain visible at rest. " Can I put a vest on and dump all the moon clips into a pocket to use during the stage, or do I have to rack them on my belt." I have heard no to this based on 5.2.4 "During the course of fire, after the start signal, unless stipulated other- wise in the stage procedure, spare ammunition, magazines and/or speed loading devices shall be carried in retention devices attached to the competitor's belt and specifically designed for that purpose. Unless specifically prohibited in the Written Stage Briefing, a competitor may also carry additional magazines or speed loading devices in apparel pocket(s) and retrieve and use them without penalty, providing that the location of the apparel pocket does not violate the requirements of Appendix D, Item 12 (subject to the provisions of Rule 6.2.5.1). " The reasoning was the word "additional" Any thoughts?

I agree with jester. 3.9 grains of clays over a 230 gr round nose makes major for me with ease (172pf) and people joke all the time with me about squibs. I chrono'ed Winchester white box thru my gun and was hitting 192pf. My wife shoots a 625 also and shoots our loads all day long. Factory ammo is way too hot and yes, unpleasant for a big match.

LOL, Proof you desire, proof we provide. (PS: Hope this works, first linked photo post)

I agree. I have two of them in black. one for my Glock open gun and one for the 625. Could not be happier.

Ok, this is more of a thanks than anything else, but a huge problem was solved for me. Step one: The wife gets her hands on my 625 PC, loves it and starts drilling targets with it. Step two: buy her one, lol. Step three: find out she wants a Race Master holster for it, BUT in PURPLE. Step four: look all over the internet and find out that only Double Alpha in Holland lists them. Step five: Call Chuck at Shooters Connection and tell him my problems and ask for a purple 625 Race Master. Chuck says "I can do that" and within hours, has confirmation from Saul Kirsch that they will send the first one to the USA. Step six: in less then 10 days, the wife is happy, with her brand new purple Race Master. It would have been really easy for Chuck to just tell me he did not have them, but he went the extra mile to get the holster imported, did it fast, and did not add on any crazy surcharges. The wife is happy and life is good. Top notch service on an item that technically did not exist in the States. I can't thank Chuck enough for coming thru for me. I suspect he will now be stocking them in inventory. David

Been using about 2 table spoon fulls (straight) in my small tumbler for about 20 years. Brass comes out beautiful every time. Just make sure to run the tumble with only the media and nufinish (no brass) until it disperses. I actually like to put it in, run the tumble about 10 mins, then let it sit over night. I typically add more wax about every 3 or 4 months.

First, I will re-iterate, there is no safe 9 major loads by the books. That said, let's move on. My open gun is a Glock 34 running a KKM barrel. While the MG bullets are excellent, I would recommend you consider the Berry's hollow base plated bullets. With the Glocks OAL is critical due to the size of the magazine and dragging the bullet tip. Many open guns are based on a 38 super frame allowing OALs out to 1.175. I have seen bullets that I don't understand how they are sticking in the case. In my experience, 1.150 is about it for the Glocks and I run 1.145. Some people get a bit longer, but in general, that's it due to the magazines. This becomes even more important if you run mag extensions to get the capacity you want. The mag extensions create a lip to hang up on and must be taken into consideration. The Berry's hollow base 124s give more room for powder and I find I get higher velocities with plated bullets then jacketed for some reason. Some will question the plating holding at major velocities, but I have seen no issues. With the MG bullets, I don't have enough room in the case to work at the OALs I use. My load is 6.4 grains of Auto-Comp, Federal 100 primers, 1.145 OAL, taper crimp to .378. I make major in any weather with this load. You will need a bit more powder due to the shorter barrel, but its best to start low and work up anyways.

Thanks Dave, It was not quite my open barrel, but the optics that died. I ended up shooting the last half of a match with no red dot, that was seriously interesting. While the optics were getting repaired a bright shiny revolver called out to me and well, I have taken no end of ribbing for it, but having LOTS of fun. See you at the range!

Hey Kevin, Looking forward to the RO class. I always live an opportunity to learn. David

Hi Jeff, Thanks for taking your time to put the matches together. I know running local matches is thankless, so "thank you for the matches" and for having me. Assuming you are running the same days next year, I have them all punched into my calendar for 2013. David

Greetings all, I wanted to take a moment to say hello and start getting active in the forums. i have been shooting USPSA one season now and shot about 40 to 50 matches my first year, both club matches and several level 2 matches. I was shooting open and recently became addicted to revolvers and think the 625 will be my gun of choice for the 2013 season. Hopefully I can contribute and again, hello. David