Zoomy

I built the upper using a Mega upper with a Compass Lake 18" barrel. The barrel is supposed to have the M4 feed ramps. I will check with compass lake. And it appears that the bolt is slamming into the top of the bullet. The photo shows the dents and the bolt lugs line up perfectly. Good call.Could the feed ramp issues cause the bullet to slow Dow or stop the movement into the chamber to cause the back of the bullet to slip back down in the magazine and allow the bolt to ride over the top and dent the case?

I have an occasional jamming issue that I think is related to the M4 feed ramps. I have a Mega upper and a Compass Lake barrel that I assembled. As the photos show there is a step that has developed nicks on the barrel extension and upper interface. I have approximently 1300 rounds thru it and it has jammed like this 4 times using Lancer or Pmags. There is also scoring which appear to be caused by the sharp edges on the locking lugs where the feed ramps intersect. I believe this scoring might be causing drag that can effect the feeding and deflect the bullet into jamming on the upper part of the breech. Should I blend the feed ramp area where it transitions the ramp in the upper to remove the nicks and step?Also should I take a diamond jewelry file and smooth out the sharp edges on the feed ramp/locking lug intersection? Any help in understanding and fixing the problem is greatly appreciated.

I don't qualify as one of the youngsters anymore either. I have twice the weight to lose and am looking forward to the improvements. Keep it going.

Thanks. Lot of info to digest.

I loaded some 200 grain Zeros with 4 grains of N320 and they chronoed 710 fps average of 3 shots. They felt soft but seemed to take forever for the cycle to complete. I then loaded Montana Gold 155 grain JHP with 4.9 grains of N320. Three shot average was 918fps. They both had about the same power factor of 142,000. These felt snappier but hardly any muzzle flip. I liked the faster cycling with the lighter bullet. I am going to try them at the weekly club match to see if it is reliable.

Sarge is correct. I switched to the Redding seating die and had nothing but great results. Took all the trial and error out of adjusting seating depth. After more than 3000 rounds still holding the correct size without any adjustments.

What Mark said. I spent hundreds of hours in my early years in tool and die using the industrial version of the shaft dremel, polishing molds and repairing dies. With experience most people become very good and accurate with one. Start out with lower rpm's and watch your pressure. Many beautiful melting and dehorning jobs have been accomplished using these. If you can afford it and plan on using them often get a industrial version with the foot pedal control. They are infinitely adjustable and run very smooth.

Thanks for the info guys. I'll load a few up and get the chrono out before the snow starts. Never loaded .40 minor so ounce I get a good load I'll have to shoot them at a couple of local matches just to make sure it's reliable in my gun before the 3 gun match.

I'll be heading your way at the end of February for the Desert Classic and SMM3G. Can't happen soon enough sinc we are already forecasting below zero nights and single digit days next week.

Are you bringing your shooting equipment with you? If so, Pine Tree Pistol Club in Rockford has a 3 stage indoor USPA indoor match every Thursday at 6 pm and on the first Sunday of the month they have a 6 stage match with a classifier. The range is about 1 hour fifty minutes northwest of downtown Chicago. It's a bit of a drive but I have been doing a similar drive from the north suburbs to get to the matches. There is also a Wednesday night 4 stage indoor match at the On Target range in Crystal Lake. There are also the usual things like the Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planitarium and the Art Institute. Lots of good restaurants and bars that feature live music. I grew up in Chicago and spent a lot of my free hours downtown but I now prefer the country life. I think a month will give you enough time to enjoy Chicago without getting bored.

I did a search and was unable to find anything that fits my situation. I will be going to SMM 3 gun match this March and plan on using my STI limited .40 S&W. I would like to go to a lower power factor, in the 145-150 range. My gun is a custom 2011 with a 5" Schuman barrel and a 12 pound recoil spring. Here are the bullets and powders that I have. Bullets: Montana Gold 165 gn JHP Zero 200 gn JFP Powder: VV N320 WST Clays What combo and OAL would get me in the power factor ball park with the softest felt recoil?

If "the results [you] want" is just weight loss, you don't necessarily have to do anything more strenuous. Keep on walking and the weight loss can all come from dietary changes. I need to get the weight off to help my knees out. With less pain I want to start some cardio. I am doing some push ups and leg lifts to tone up. My wife has horses so I get some upper body work stacking hay in the barn but I should have a regular weight training program if I'm serious about getting in shape.

Like Jared said, take a small finishing cut. Especially when machining thin cross sections on light machines. If you have some cutting oil run a bead of it across the slide and then try a .001 finish cut. Many times swirl marks are caused by a build up of material on the inserts that get dragged back across the finished machined areas and cause galling. The cutting oil should help prevent that.

Looks like you can lower it to 4.2 gr of WST and get it down to 850fps and get a 170 power factor.

The lead in the factory hollow guide rod works well in my wife's XDm 5.25. Tungsten guide rod is slightly heavier but not worth the $80. Try the lighter recoil spring and put some skate tape on the slide. It will make it much easier to rack. 147 gr bullets with N320 or clays should soften recoil.

A very Merry Christmas to everyone. May the coming year be filled with blessings.

Had the same deal except I built and modified my Ar-15 and machined parts for 1911 and 2011 hand guns. Nice to have CNC machinery at your disposal.

Couple of months ago at an indoor match my wife forgot to plug her ears on the second stage. She kept yelling profanities and finished the stage. I asked her what all the swearing was about. Well I got to hear the string of profanities again. She is a new shooter and did not know that she could have stopped after the first shot a get a reshoot. Not much sound absorption on an indoor range.

Precision Reloading has Long Shot in stock. 8# - $157.49 4# - $83.09 1# - $22.09

That is fantastic. A little over 2 pounds per week is a nice pace. Did you include a exercise routine during yor diet?

I have a heavier A5 spring and buffer and I also use a Young Manufacturing national match bolt carrier which is heavier. My goal was to slow up the cycling for more reliability. Recoil with the carbon arms compensator is almost the same as my buddies JP rifle with the light setup. It was something I wanted to experiment with and I get grief from people about I have it all wrong but it works nice and I like it. I think the recoil is much less snappy. More like a soft slow push.

I Congrats on the weight loss. Hopefully I can report similar improvements as the weight comes off. I have the area 2 Desert Classic and the Superstition Mountain Mystery 3 Gun matches at Rio Salado in March. Hope to have 20 pounds off by then.

Had a dream that my left arm was paralyzed. Woke up suddenly to find my left arm without any feeling in it and I could not move it. I stood up and it just flopped around. Scared the hell out of me because the dream became reality. Took almost 5 minutes to regain normal function of the arm. I have no idea why this happend. Wasn't sleeping on the arm, was on my back.

A boost in energy and mental acuity would be a nice bonus. Right now all it takes is 3-4 hours of light to medium yard work and I am in need of a nap. I take three walks a day with the dog in the woods but I know I'll have to do something more strenuous to get the results I want. I work from home so I have some flexibility.

Nice to here success stories with positive reinforcement. My knees are starting to go with arthritis and torn meniscus. It would be nice to be able to squat instead of having to let myself down on my knees to shoot when required. Hope to be down 24 pounds by the Desert Classic.