Sheperd80

For the record my experience with the M&P 9 is also limited compared to many competition shooters. Roughly 1500 rds, then changed springs and have fired another 2000 or so. And thats all factory ammo (fed, wwb, rem, fiocci, tula) as im not a handloader yet. Some of that is local uspsa, but most is at an indoor range. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

One more note, although this isnt really related to your situation, it is spring related. With various factory 115gr ammo i did notice a slight POI shift after changing springs. I was printing a little higher than i wanted with the stock spring, and the ISMI seemed to bring it down a little. Whether this was a result of lock-time, my follow-through, felt recoil impulse or some other factor i cant say but there was definitely a noticeable change for the better. FWIW

I havent really noticed a difference in feel when it returns to battery. If its sharper it must be pretty slight, but i suppose that could potentially effect the cases as theyre forced into the chamber. If the recoil spring is outrunning the magazine spring maybe the round is going forward earlier and "lower" causing some collision. But again im no gunsmith, thats pure speculation. I save most of my brass and upon a quick once over inspection they look unaffected. IIRC the springs from ISMI are slightly weaker than their listed strength, i.e. a 17# spring is closer to 16.5# for whatever thats worth. Good luck, please keep us posted on your findings! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

Sounds more like an ammo problem but im no gunsmith. I went to a 17 lb. ISMI as well on my slightly older M&P 9 (dky prefix) using the stock guide rod and its been great for about 2 yrs/2000 rds. Only malfunctions the gun has ever had were a few light strikes on Tula when i first got it. And i think that was caused by the globs of gunk i cleaned out of the striker channel afterwards. Never happened again. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

Hey from fresno! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

I wrap mine under the trigger guard. I've seen people who go around the front of the trigger guard but for me that gets in the way of my trigger finger a little bit and feels odd. I think most people would say go under because it kind of facilitates that 45 degree angle of your weak hand. But its also imporant for your grip to be somewhat natural and comfortable. I'd say try both, watch your muzzle flip and split times if u can. See what u can get results from without it being too awkward. Because for me just rocking my hand forward and getting more of the pistol covered made a dramatic difference in muzzle flip. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 4

I'm considering the same route as the OP. But I wonder how well a traditional rear sight will work mounted on the handguard. Wouldn't it be a bit far from your eye? I wonder if u could mount the rear on an offset rail behind your optic, and mount the front directly on the 1:30 position of the samson handguard with a regular picatinny and still get proper alignment. As long as their both on the bore axis then its just a matter of the elevation lining up... I suppose if it doesn't line up ill just spring for another offset rail for the front. Anyone tried either method? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Air in a can. Especially if you're dropping mags in dirt. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

I shot about 200 rounds of it and it ran great. It was plenty accurate at 100 yds. Beyond that i cant say, id definitely buy more.

I love my Burris Mtac. I havent used it in competition but its a great scope. Quality glass for the price, sturdy, great reticle, nice eye relief range. Its a little heavy because its illuminated and i have PEPR mount which is heavy but the scope itself is comparable to other low power illum scopes.

Its literally a 1 minute drive to my indoor range, 30 min to the outdoor range where i shoot uspsa, and about 40 min to my buddies house in the hills where we occaisional shoot clays and random targets of our own design. Needless to say the close pistol range gets the most visits. Id say go for the awesome range if u already have to drive a little anyway.

No my right (strong hand) thumb sits just behind the slide release and the left is well in front of it sitting on the takefown lever. Heres a crappy pic for reference. You can kinda see the slide release just in front of my right thumb.

Having no gap is definitely better, but u dont wanna be dropping mags. What type of gun? Maybe theres a mag release u can buy to help with this?

If youre just shooting production division, theres a guy on glocktalk called tacticalkydex who makes them for $10 each free shipping. They are a simplistic design but work great, i am using 4 of them for production. They are made around the shape of a m&p mag so its a perfect fit. He can make whatever belt size u want, and they have adjustable retention. However they cannot have adjustable cant so i wouldnt recommend them for limited or open. Email Tacticalkydex@bellsouth.net

Refer to post #5. A 2011 has longer mags and therefore u can load longer, hotter rounds which push more gas through the comp making it counter recoil more effectively

You may not think it's fair, but it is what is written in the rulebook. This is how i feel. Its a lame rule but id rather just be honest. At the club level no one really cares. Theres guys shooting production with mag pouches too far forward and canted, canted holsters, too much grip tape, etc. Its all such minor stuff that youd have to be pretty anal to care.

What will you gain by that infinitesimal difference in material? Very little really. Its just the way i am. Practically everything i own has been modified in some small way or another to better suit me. I figure having that magwell slightly opened up and smoothed out just makes it less likely that i will fumble a reload. During dry practice it does feel a little smoother and easier so im satisfied. I went back and sanded it up to 1200 then hit it with the dremel and some polishing compound and it made it look almost factory again and feels like glass. I got it a little too hot in one spot and make some tiny cracks but u cant feel them. Unfortunately i didnt have a buff that could get into the corners real well.

Thanks for all the feedback. Someone on another forum also suggested heat so i may try that to get a good finish. Last night i took the plunge and did a little filing and some sanding. The highest i had was 400 and it feels pretty smooth but id like to get it better so ill try some finer paper and maybe some heat. Unfortunately i didnt read my uspsa rulebook closely enough before doing this. In production you can only increase the longitudinal dimension (front to back) to 1/4" more than the magazine. According to 2010 rules. In the interest of full disclosure ill show it to my RO, i dont think theyre gonna boot me to Open or Limited division for a little sanding LOL, but for any kind of sanctioned match i may be in trouble. I removed a very small amount of material but ya never know.

Thats what im talkin about! Very nice.

I decided i just cant stop screwing with my m&p. I want to do a little more beveling inside the magwell. I have files and sandpaper to take the material down to the legal uspsa production limit. Buy how do i get it really smooth? So far ive only sanded it to 400 grit and its still a little scuffed looking and rough. Finer paper? Wet sanding? Alcohol? Thanks for any help.

Ive been into uspsa/idpa for a bit now and just wondering why there are so few colt guns used for limited and open class? Some people regard them so highly but the action pistol community seems to be more into sti/svi and a host of other custom 1911/2011 builders. Any paricular reason why colt doesnt have a following in these sports?

Glad you enjoyed your first match. Im fairly new to uspsa as well but i can tell ya...fiber front and plain rear sights are great, i got a warren setup and i love it. Also grip tape helps alot. I started out with it on the front of the grip and the backstrap (m&p) but ended up removing the back all together. If your gonna put some on the back i advise leaving a blank spot near the top of the grip so that when u go to draw, the web of your hand dosnt stick wherever u land it. Its nice to have that little smooth spot so your hand can slide up under the beaver tail without being restricted. Ymmv.

Double tapping, hammering, taking two individually aimed shots....Call it what you want but firing two quick shots accurately is an important competition skill. This may be obvious to many, but once your fundamentals are solid...its all about your GRIP!!! Especially the weak hand. It was for me anyway. It dawned on me a few months ago and ive been working on it with consistent results. Making sure your SH grip is nice and firm helps, but just as important for me was the WH. Getting that 45 angle and nice thumbs forward posture with the WH way up there has made a huge difference for me. I used to have my WH back too far and at a weak angle but when i really started sticking it out there and getting my thumb on the takedown lever (m&p 9 fs) I noticed the difference. The sights fall right back into place without having to strangle the pistol. Suddenly im not forcing the pistol back down, im not waiting for the sights or fighting them back to alignment...it just happens. As a side note this grip has led me to hold my support arm almost straight with only a slight break at the elbow, while the strong arm has a little more bend to it because the WH is further forward. It was amazing to me how much more recoil control you gain by simply covering more of the pistol with your hands. Simple science i suppose. Again im sure many of you have known this for years but for me it was a breakthrough. So in summary, heres how i got from Alpha Charlie almost every time to Double Alphas. -Lots of surface area covered with both hands -A firm but relaxed and comfortable grip -Weak hand kicked down at a 45 with the thumb way forward -Strong hand high and firm but not choking -Trigger finger working straight back and independently of the rest of the strong hand. -Shoot slow pairs until its comfortable then gradually increase the speed as your eyes start to catch up with how fast your gun is back on target. Hope this is of some use to someone.

Ive only shot 1 gun with those sights. Based on that and what ive heard on forums, i think xs sights are geared toward close quarter self defense more than precision shooting. They seem great for quickly getting on target with "combat accuracy". Meaning inside a house or small area you can quickly aquire and hit a person or other large target. But that system doesnt really lend itself to competition or bullseye shooting at longer ranges. Some folks love them and others dont.

Welcome to the forum. Im not a reloader but youll find a bunch of them here.