Stuck in C

I wouldn't worry about reloading (powder and primers), but I would be concerned about using flammable weapon cleaning solvents anywhere near a gas/oil furnace and water heater. So be careful what you do down there.

I still don't have my mags. As I said in my post above my magazine request was validated on the 14th of November by the processing center and sent to S&W a few days later. I called S&W a few weeks ago and the rep said I was on the list. So how come people who's request was submitted 2 months after mine have their mags? As much as I like my M&Ps and my S&W revolvers I'm not happy over this.

Exactly, but whatever happend to the swimmer avatar?

My only problem with Atkins is the limiting of vegetables. My take on it: meats, lots of low starch vegetables, cut out the processed carbohydrates. Avoid flours, sugars and especially high fructose corn syrup. Hard to do in this processed food society. Hard for me because I love good bread. My wife convinced me to switch to a low fat diet years ago (which almost requires high carbs) and my bad cholesterol and triglycerides went through the roof along with my weight. I'm trying to get back to the diet I used to eat in my 20's and 30's. I'll also say that a lot of the so-called nutrition suggestions out there are big fat lies-I had a lot of biochemistry in grad school and don't understand how they come up with some of this stuff.

I still find myself flinching (blinking and pushing the muzzle down in anticipation of recoil) after 30 years of shooting. I have to go back periodically and do the berm drill (or some of the other drills you mention) to limit it. Its somehow related to speed-I don't flinch and I call every shot during winter indoor bullseye. I also suspect that years of shooting bullseye has made it difficult to shoot at speed-I just have to carefully align the sights before I can fire. Great post-I wish I could have read it 30 years ago before I cemented all my bad habits...

Is the primer system different on the 650 compared to the SDB? Looking at my SDB I can't see how a detonating primer at the shell plate could transfer to the magazine.

CMP is out of .22 ammo-estimated ship time 120-240 days...

I'm going to petition USPSA to create a matchlock or maybe a flintlock Division so we can dispense with primers altogether. 32 round field courses should be interesting.

I've always used 55 gr factory ammo for practice and local (short range) 3-gun, bought by the case years ago when it was cheap ($160/1000 was the last price I paid). I've used the last of my stash, and the same stuff is now over $350 when you can find it so I guess I'll start reloading. I reload for my bolt action .223 varmint rifle using regular RCBS FL dies. I also have an RCBS Small Base die set which used to be recommended for AR-15's. I've had it for years and never used it. Which die set should I use for AR ammo? Is it still recommended to use the small base dies? Will it overwork the the brass? Does it matter at all?

I have 2 M&P 9's: a full size bought when they first came out, and a Pro I've had a few months. The full size has been flawless with everything I've fed it, even some old PMC 115 grain factory which doesn't make minor and chokes my G34. The Pro, however, seems to be ammo sensitive. It runs perfectly with my 132 pf match ammo but FTF/FTE's with anything weaker. Both are stock, a lighter recoil spring might make the Pro run better. By the way, the trigger is actually better in the full size than the Pro. At some point I'll get the Pro in for trigger work and go with a 13lbs spring. I'm sticking with the G34 as my match gun for this season, mainly because I have a bag full of spare parts and even a mechanical idiot like me can fix it.

I have two SDB's-one with the small primer system (used for 9mm and .40), and one with the large primer system (used for.45). Changing calibers is real easy when you don't have to switch the primer system. I only have room on my bench for one so I unbolt the whole thing from the Strongmounts and and switch the press instead of the priming system. Now that I wrote that it might be actually easier to change the priming system but I've done this for years.

I checked online; request received and validated November 14th 2008. No ship date. I guess I'll try the phone # and see if I can find out why they were never shipped. 15 weeks and counting. My dealer gave me 2 "original" receipts so I could send one along with the magazine offer.

I saw someone attempt to load a Surefire flashlight into a Glock once. It didn't fit.

I've had great luck with the Remington Golden Bullet HP bulk packs in my conversions. The rest of their stuff is junk. I once bought a bunch of Remington Target that was the most accurate ammo I've shot in one of my pistols-but at least 30% were misfires. I use Aguila SE standard velocity from CMP in my target pistols but it doesn't have enough juice to cycle my conversions. I like CCI Mini-Mags but its too expensive. I'll have to try the Blazer sometime.

I bought my M&P in November-still no magazines. A statement on the form stated that it should take six to eight weeks to get them. I suppose I should find out who to contact at S&W to see what's going on with mine. I've almost forgotton about them.

I got my inserts at a local optical shop. I was a little hesitant when I started to explain what I wanted, but the optician got it right away: left lens set to distance vision, right lens focused on the front sight. He had me hold up my "finger gun" in my shooting stance and measured the distance from my eye to the front sight. Works perfectly. A little more money than Wally World but well worth it.

I drilled and tapped a hole in the butt of my Ace Skeleton stock and installed and locktited one of the swivel attachments that came with the stock there, instead of at the front of the stock where it came drilled from the factory. There seems to be plenty of material there to hold it. I then attached an Uncle Mikes QD swivel. I also have an attachment that came with one of my Tacticool slings that consists of a double loop of parachute cord threaded through a nylon sling fitting (swivel). You remove the rubber recoil pad from the stock, loop the cord around the aluminum piece, and then reattach the recoil pad. Works slick. Someone must make one of these you can buy without the sling.

I wonder about certain video games to improve visual transitions. My son's have a first person shooter video game which has a "practice" mode where a scene is presented and targets appear for a few seconds and then disappear. Sometimes as many as five appear at once. As you improve and advance in level, the appearance times get shorter. With a large LCD TV and standing far back from it, you really have to snap your eyes from one target to the next to move the cursor over and shoot before they disappear. The cursor is shaped like a scope reticle and they have a controller with a pistol grip. Good visual training or not?

Slight thread drift. Anybody know anything about the Burris 1.5-6X XTR with an illuminated reticle similar to that of the 1-4 XTR, only for 7.62 (.308)? Has anyone seen one yet? I'm looking for a scope for my AR-10 and this might be it.

The only thing that broke on one of my Glocks was the mag catch itself-the little plastic (er, polymer) shelf that holds the mag catch spring to the catch. I was able to borrow a gun to finish the match but now I carry a spare mag catch also. By the way, the pistol functioned perfectly if I held the mag in with my support hand.

Did Dawson change the design, or are there now two (Bomar style and old style) adjustable rears? I have Dawson's on both my 34 (0.285 front) and 35 (0.300). The 0.285 barely has enough ajustment for 124 grain ammo, which is why I went with the 0.300 front for the 2nd set. Both were purchased over a year ago. I had to carefully enlarge the sight channel on my BT holster with a sharp knife and emery cloth to clear the 0.300. I'd be bummed if you had to go with an even higher front sight...

I'm starting to have the same issue with my 12 year old son, who is very left handed but strongly right eye dominant. He's been shooting BB guns/ .22 rifles at Scouts left handed (I don't know what eye he uses, I haven't been there). He says he wants to shoot pistols right handed and use his dominant eye to sight with, but I'm not sure that that's the way to go. We've been shooting Airsoft indoors but when the weather gets good we'll start on the real guns outside. I want to do it the best way from the beginning so he doesn't have to go through the pain and suffering of retraining.

Memories of this from the other side. I had a friend who shot Production but wanted to shoot a Single Stack match. I had just traded for a new 1911 but had hardly shot it. I let her use it for the match, and it didn't work worth beans. Turned out it had a bad extractor and misfed constantly. The match was a disaster and I suspect she secretly still hates me for it, although I was just trying to be nice. Are you out there Flyingchange?

"A trick lies in learning to hit each target (A-box, plate, or whatever the "target" is) at the earliest possilbe moment. As opposed to: Find the target, stop the gun on it, confirm a sight picture, then shoot. And repeat." That's exactly what I've been doing: Find the target, stop the gun on it, confirm a sight picture, then shoot. And repeat. Hmmm...

I've been suffering from this for years, and haven't been able to cure it. I finally got someone to video some of my stages in matches and was suprised at what I saw. I had always thought it was movement and reloads that were making me slow since I'm old and fat, but that's not the case. I move smoothly with no wasted steps or fumbles. It's the shooting! Draw, long pause, bang. Long pause, another bang. Transition, long pause, bang. Etc. 80-90% alphas and the longest time on the stage. If I "try" to shoot faster my hits go completely to heck. So, instead of practicing stages I plan to practice drills to speed up my ability to see what I need to. Except, I'm not sure what drills I should do.