Carmoney

In my mind, creating an optimal competition 9mm load for this gun will defeat its primary purpose. The 929 won't do anything better than a 627, other than work viably with factory ammo (we hope). Now a 9mm 8-shot that will run and shoot well with WWB and similar promotional ammo--now we have something new and meaningful! If I have to handload for it, what's the point?

Sean, that is correct. It seems like it takes a heavier charge to move any Montana Gold bullet down the tube, as compared with any other jacketed bullet of the same weight, and especially as compared to plated and cast bullets of the same weight. I am also trying to make sure I will always make USPSA minor, with room to spare, out of my slowest revolver. I suspect there is a better powder for this load, but I have an ample supply of N320 laid back, and I am trying to simplify and standardize the components I am using for various calibers.

You can tell from a side-view photo?

This has gotta be some sort of Doodie troll deal!

This is an awful lot of discussion about something that doesn't much matter. The class system has been broken in this division for years anyway. (Not really sure it's much better in the other divisions.) Let the BOD fix it as Kyle has mentioned. There--problem solved.

The best value for the money in your stated price of $1500-2000 is going to be Les Baer. You will probably not be able to find a 9mm or a .40 Baer, but they can be ordered if you're willing to wait. Before you make any decisions, you might want to look critically at some of the criteria you have listed. The Novak and gold bead fixed sight combination will not be ideal for a competition pistol. If her hands are small, she may prefer a flat MSH. If her hands are soft, she will probably not like 20-lpi checkering. I'm not sure what you mean by notched trigger guard, but if you are referring to building a "hook" onto the front of the trigger guard for the weak hand index finger to rest, be aware that style of hold has been out of favor for practical shooting for more than 20 years. I recommend a 9mm 1911 for your situation. I would suggest starting with a Springfield or STI and customizing from there.

Head out to Rio Salado and start asking around. Lots of top-level single stack regulars at that club. I am fortunate to have a bunch of nice custom 1911s, including several .40s that I regularly shoot in competition. However, for your situation, I think the Spartan .45 would be an excellent choice. It is likely to function perfectly from day one (which is not something that can usually be said for .40s), it will work fine with most loads you might decide to shoot through it (which is again not something that can usually be said for .40s), and it offers a lot of value for the money. You're right--that $400 difference will buy a lot of primers. Whatever you decide--good luck and welcome!

Apparently, they are adding the 929 to the "regular" PC product line (as opposed to making the gun for a single distributor like Lipsey's or Bangers or Lew Horton). This means the gun should be reasonably available to everyone.

Great question, it seems unlikely to me that dealers all get same pricing from distribution, but maybe they do? As a long-time dealer, I can assure you the answer to both questions is no. Pricing is always driven by purchase volume.

Save the date! July 5-6, 2014 Location: Ankeny Izaak Walton League, Ankeny IA More details as the plan develops.

I carried them down to the basement one bin at a time. With both hands--too dang much weight to trust the handles.

Exactly! It's pretty exciting.

I like Rugers--but to me, this gun looks pretty much useless for competition shooting. (SSR? Maybe, sorta, I guess....) HOWEVER, the simple fact that Ruger came out with a product called the "Match Champion" is a major breakthrough. I mean, hell...previously, Ruger has never even so much as acknowledged that competition handgunning friggin' exists! What Ruger needs is to consult with (or employ!) a real revolver match shooter to champion the cause and help give them some much-needed guidance. I vote for Roger Reid! He's been campaigning the Ruger product longer and more faithfully than anybody I know.

OK fine, but I'm done with lead bullets for competition. I'm at the point in my life where I'm willing to pay a little more to avoid the smoke and dirt and hassle of lead bullets.

Liberate yourself at home, rather than subject the rest of us to those "feelings" you are having.

enroute, you seem to be struggling with some of the concepts being tossed around in this discussion--maybe I can help: rgkeller's point is that USPSA could not--should not--rely on the President for consistent business leadership, because Presidents are elected by the membership rather than interviewed, vetted, and hired specifically for their business acumen. That's why we have an Executive Director who leads the business operations of the organization on a full-time basis. The role of President is actually somewhat limited by design, and it was never supposed to be a full-time paid position. My point regarding the retired state trooper is consistent with rgkeller's comments--you can't rely on the membership to always elect the best candidate for the position. A couple elections ago, we turned down an opportunity to be served by a president who was wiling and able to commit 100% of his energies to USPSA--we went a different route. We currently have a president who is doing an excellent job as president of USPSA, but openly admits to being frazzled by trying to juggle the responsibilities of president with his full-time job and the pressures of raising a young family.

I'm loading the 142-gr. MG with 4.3 gr. of N320 at an OAL of 1.140". This runs 930 fps (132 pf) out of my 6.5" 27-7.

Picture?

Couple things here, Ty: 1. Jerry had asked for an 8-shot 9mm for years, but he was never able to get it done. Jerry is a great shooter, but not much of a salesman. 2. 8-shot minor is not a new concept. Some of us have been discussing it around here for quite a long time. Nothing against Jerry, but he deserves neither credit nor blame (depending on your perspective) for either one.

Doc, you asked a question, several people gave you the answer, and now you want to second guess our response? (sigh)

If you want it, that's a decent price.

Look at the nice long bearing surface on those 142s! That's what sold me on the bullet. Plus I can finally shoot a true .357 bullet in my .357 barrels, instead of rattling an undersized bullet down the bore and hoping for the best. If spring ever comes, I plan to do some real accuracy testing at 50 yards. From what I have seen so far, I think these bullets are going to shoot very, very well. The little flat spot doesn't seem to be a problem--of course, I always do a little extra chamfer work beyond what the factory provides. Nothing radical, though.

Dave, I don't have a lot of hard data on this. I got the original load for the 150-gr. Zero from Doug. When I couldn't find those bullets anymore, I went looking for something with a round-nose profile in a jacketed bullet sized .356-.357, and the MG 142-gr. is one of the few options I found on the market. I bought a case of them and my quick and dirty testing confirmed plenty good accuracy--which is exactly what you would expect from a true .357 bullet. I can't tell the difference as far as smooth reloading is concerned--in Hearthco clips they drop in great. The rounds look a little funny, because the cannelures are not used for crimping (brass bulges if you seat them that deep), but who cares. I plan to shoot them this year for USPSA and ICORE. I hope they work well, because I gotta helluva bunch of them sitting down there loaded up!

Yes, everybody should be sure to read rgkeller's insightful post. I agree fully. I will say this--from everything I have seen, I think Phil has done an excellent job during his present tenure as President, and I hope he reconsiders his decision and runs for re-election.

The absolute worst action I have ever seen on a new S&W was on a 627 PC that I bought 8 or 9 years ago. I almost sent it back, and I almost never send guns back. Fortunately, that terrible action cleaned up into a wonderfully smooth action with a little effort. I agree the factory should do better with the guns they call PC, but they are still the best raw material for the stuff we do. What else you gonna shoot? Colt.....Ruger....Taurus?