justicentyme

Mike; Thanks for the input. I figured they were the same but stranger things have happened with S&W. James

Mike; Thanks for the input. I figured they were the same but stranger things have happened with S&W.

After 2 1/2 months I received the replacement barrel for my Pro 9mm. The invoice was marked '9L'. I'm assuming that both of these pistols take the same barrel. However does anyone KNOW if that is a valid assumption? The barrel fit and lock up seems fine, but due to a table saw 'mishap' I am not currently able to test fire it. Thanks James

Has anyone replaced the motor on their FL2000 with one from a source OTHER than Dillon? After about 23+ years of faithful service my motor has starting issues. I can get it to run by spinning it but I think it's time for a replacement. (I removed the motor and cleaned it but it's just tired.) Thanks James

My wife is 62 years old and suffers from severe RA. She has had both knees replaced as well as one ankle. Her fingers and wrists are so deteriorated that it is painful for her to shoot any load. I am very proud of her that she even shoots at all. One does not have to imagine themselves as a Master Class shooter to enjoy it or take it seriously. James My 9 Pro runs the best around 130-135PF with the factory spring. (I like 147s right around 900fps) If your wife ever wants to shoot IDPA seriously, she should start shooting a legal load now.

Well thanks to forum member Sarge I have one of the stainless guide rods and also 11#, 13# and a 15# ISMI recoil springs which Kenny sells. I finally got a few minutes in between farm chores and took the gun down to our range and tried the guide rod and the 13# spring with the light 120 grain TCBB load that my wife uses in her BHP and I use in my S&W Super 9. As I mentioned in the first post with the stock recoil spring this load would not properly function the gun. I only had 68 rounds of this load available to test so it is far from being conclusive but with the 13# set up it functioned flawlessly. I tried several just loading one round into the mag to check for slide lock and it worked great. I haven't had time to check it from a bench in this gun or chronograph it yet. In the BHP it runs about 935 fps and gives real good accuracy. (The last two IDPA matches the wife shot she has had zero points down). It doesn't shoot quite as well in the Super 9 but is plenty good enough for IDPA. I hope to get several hundred rounds loaded up in the next week or so to check for accuracy (and where the POI is with this load), velocity and further functioning test. So far I am real pleased with the results of the 13# setup so far. I will need to put more rounds through it before I decide on whether to go with some Apex parts or not. As I am primarily a revolver shooter the trigger pull is not that bad to me and it is definitely NOT gritty like some guns apparently are. Thanks to all for their input. James

Thanks to all for their input. It is greatly appreciated. G-ManBart: The slide on my M&P Pro 9mm weighs 18.5 ounces. The slide on my Super 9 weighs 17.5 ounces and I use an 8# Wolff (745 / 4506) spring on it. However it has a hammer (17# Wolff spring)so it really can't be compared to the M&P with its striker system. millisec: Is it just the ISMI springs that behave odd to you in the M&P or any recoil spring that is used with one of the aftermarket guide rods in an 'uncaptured' mode? In 50+ years of shooting this is my first polymer / striker gun and the first gun I have owned that used the 'captured' recoil spring system. Can someone educate me on the merits of this system? kend: I need to get some parts ordered but I want to become more aware of the M&Ps characteristics first. I'll try the email again Thanks again to all for their input. James

Does anyone know what weight the M&P Pro 9mm stock recoil spring is? I have a light (120 TCBB @ 935 fps out of a Browning HP) load worked up for my wife's Brwning HP that I also use in my S&W Super 9. On both of these guns I had to dial in the recoil spring to get them to function properly. I notice that SSS has springs listed from 11# to 20#. If I knew what was stock I would have a better idea of what one to start with. With whatever spring that is in it now it will function only about half of the time. From past experience with the BHP and the Super 9 I know that this load needs a pretty good reduction from stock. Also on the guide rods that SSS offers (both in the stainless and in the tingsten) is the difference just in length? If so what length seems to work best? (I have tried to contact Kenny but he must be out of the office or my e-mails are not getting to him.) Thanks James

I need one (or more) old style bell cranks for the Dillon powder measures. I am told by Dillon that they are no longer available. If anyone has one (or more) of the old style cranks and would like to sell them please contact me. (The same crank may also be black.) Thanks James

Take a look at this site. http://www.pennbullets.com James

Have there been any TDAs used (SSP) in major regional matches that were in the top five finishers in the last five years? Has anyone ever one the Nationals using a TDA? Thanks James

Scott Craig has a free Recoil Calculations program that is available here: http://www.craigcentral.com/shootsw.asp It will return both Recoil Energy and Recoil Velocity after inputting Gun Weight, Bullet Weight, Powder Charge Weight and Bullet Velocity. James

Have you checked the diameter of the cylinder throats? I recently went to a 4" 625 -3 for IDPA and using 230 RN from pennbullets.com got a LOT of throat leading, more than any revolver I have owned in 50+ years. I checked the throats and they were .453". I have some .454" bullets coming that I believe will cure the issue. My 5" 625 -4 has .452" throats and shoots the same load with little to no leading. Some very knowledgeable revolver shooters question if throat diameter can have any real negative effect and give some very sound reasoning for those doubts. I do know however what differences the same load has in two guns that do indeed have varying throat diameters. I have heard it said that because we shoot the 230s in the 720 fps range that we can't get away with 'blow by' like someone pushing a lead bullet at 1000 fps can. James

Years ago I bought a new 5" 625 -4 (non floating hand). I smoothed it up and it runs flawlessly with properly seated Federal 150s at a 6 1/2# or slightly less DA pull. THis gun has .452" cylinder throats. Last fall I bought a 4" 625 -3 (floating hand) that came through an estate that had been shot VERY little. Had it not been dirty it could have very easily passed for a NIB gun. I spent more time on this gun than any other revolver in the last 20+ years. It had the dreaded 'stiff spot' at the very end of the DA pull and it took several tries stoning the hand before I got rid of that and got an overall smooth action. However it will still not run with a DA pull of less than 8# or so. If all goes as planned I will be shooting it at the TriState IDPA regional in Memphis next Saturday. Then it is going to get the replacement hand that Mike spoke of as well as some other work. The biggest bug on this particular gun is that all of the cylinder throats are .453". As I shoot all cast bullets (I just got several thousand 230 RN @ .452") this causes blow by and severe leading in the cylinder throats. I have some .454" 230 RN ordered which will cure the problem but that means I have to stock bullets for both the -4 and the -3. I am very seriously considering replacing the cylinder in the -3 with a Ti model or at least one with .452" throats. In my limited experience (only two guns) the cylinder throat diameter is more of an overall issue than the floating hand. James

For the last three years or so that I have been shooting IDPA I have only shot at club level matches. This year I plan on shooting some regional and state matches. In reference to an upcoming match the sponsors said that 'So and So' (A well know national shooter) would be running the scale and chronograph. Is it standard practice to chronograph everyone's ammo that shoots in a state or regional IDPA match? I just came back from my range after checking some new loads for an older 4" 625 -3 that I bought last fall so I am comfortable that my ammo is above the 165 PF but I was wondering if everyone got checked , random checks, or just a load that is obviously weak. Thanks James