cypher

Yep... I pretty much load 'em till they split... and like Carlos said. When they split you can't really tell until you pick 'em up. Been doin' it that way for over 20 yrs. Never had a problem. I think I usually start seeing splits after about 10 or 15 reloads... but I never kept really close track of it to be honest. It wouldn't surprise me if they could last lots longer. Homero

Thanks... Explains it perfectly. Homero

Replaced my 18 lb. recoil spring in Gov't 1911 .45 with a 15 lb. from Wolff. Now I'd like to replace the spring on my Baby Eagle. It has two recoil springs though... I assume you just replace this with one spring that's rated to perform the way the two existing springs perform together. Is that not the case? Who makes aftermarket springs for this gun? ISMI's site only shows springs for 1911 style auto's and Glocks, Wolff's site shows a wider variety, but does not list either Israel Military Industries or Magnum Research... I know my gun is a CZ 75 clone but when I looked under CZ 75 it listed all the other clones that it would fit, like the EAA Witness, AT-84, TZ-75, and Springfield Armory P-9, but it did not list the Baby Eagle or the Jericho. Also does anybody make a Shok-Buff for this gun? Thanks, Homero

Duane, Could you explain about the little piece of rubber that pins the grip safety. I'm not familiar with that technique... How does that work??? Thanks Homero

Just wanted to try out the icon thingy... Homero Neat!!!! (Edited by cypher at 7:27 pm on May 24, 2002)

Ian, Even though you don't reload now, you should still consider getting the PACT Mk IV, because if you are going to get into this game at all at some point you will want to reload. At that point a chronograph will really help. I can't say enough good things about the PACT. It is a complete timer and chrono. The Club timer II is $129 and the Mk IV is $199 and that includes the chrono & skyscreens. It's your call, but if you go the Mk IV route I am fairly sure you won't regret it. I haven't. Homero

Thanks for the advice guys... I think I will give the Westcoast guys a try with that 200 bullet sample pack. Homero

Dune by Frank Herbert - a simply incredible book. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum Ninja by Eric von Lustbader anything by HP Lovecraft Pain God and Other Delusions by Harlan Ellison anything by Louis L'amour (Edited by cypher at 7:00 am on May 18, 2002)

My gun range (indoor range) will allow me to draw from the holster and practice at their facility. They do not allow lead bullets however. Since all I've ever loaded is a 200g Hard cast L-SWC in the H&G 68 style I was wondering if any of you could recommend something along those lines. I only pay like $30/m for my current bullets, and I know jacketed or plated are going to set me back substantially more... but I would like to stay as economical as possible (more shooting). I have looked at Montana Gold, West Coast Bullets, and Zero Bullets. All seem like fine products. All are pricey compared to what I'm shooting now. I may end up having to pay that anyway, but I would like to try at least to find a cheaper source. Does anybody know of any sources in the Tampa Bay area for economically priced jacketed or plated bullets? Maybe one of the above has a distributor in FL. Homero

GM, Man, I wish my life were that simple... That setup sounds sweeeeet!!!! Homero

Thanks Warpspeed. I will definitely check it out. I have ordered from them before. I didn't realize they sold springs as well... Any Shok-buff recommendations? Homero

Thanks Bill, I just ordered one of those from Brownell's. Any idea on if it will affect my trigger pull at all? Homero

I didn't mind reloading too much either, but like you I didn't like to change calibers. So I bought more tool heads for my 550 along with powder dispensers and all that stuff. Then I really decided I didn't like changing the primer feed from small to large and vice versa when I changed some of the calibers. Solution: buy a second 550 and mount it on the other end of the bench (I have a big bench). Now caliber switches are almost painless... (I still don't like having to switch shell plates). Homero

Carlos & Chuck, Thanks. Good info. Gives me a little bit better idea of what to expect with Clays. Chuck, when you go to the lighter bullet, do you find that point of aim changes substantially or is it something you can live with. When I loaded my practice rounds from 5.8 to 5.0 of 231 with a 200 gr. bullet my point of aim did not change appreciably... at least not at IPSC distances. I remember that at the longer distances I held one of the loads dead on and the other at 6 o'clock. I can't remember which now... Just curious if you ran into any of the same and how you deal with it. Homero (Edited by cypher at 12:49 pm on May 16, 2002)

After reading all the postings about how different spring weights can affect the felt recoil of a 1911 I feel like I am a spring expert now... So I feel like I should try my hand at running some lighter springs... Right now I'm running a very heavy recoil spring (something like 20#) and I would like to buy a selection of springs to tune my gun with (5" 1911 in .45 ACP) A few calls around town and I realize no one around here carries anything other than the odd spring. Are there online sources that I should consider? does someone sell a kit that has a few different weight springs in it? If not, what spring weights do you guys recommend I get? I'm very comfortable with my trigger pull at about 3.5#, so I don't really want to monkey with the sear spring. However, I was thinking of replacing the the hammer spring. What do you think? How much would that affect my trigger pull and what weight should I get? I have shok buffs, but I have some very old CP ones. Are the new ones any better? I understand, (again, from what I've read here) that there are different color ones with different characteristics. Any recommendations? Thanks Homero

BE, Whatever you come up with... I would definitely take a couple off your hands. I'm pretty sure most of us feel the same way. Don't listen to Jon... we know this takes time... NEXT Sat. would be fine. Homero

Thanks Ron. I will give them a call and see what they say. I may buy some Titegroup just to give 'er a try and see if I don't like that even a little better. Question: Where can I find the timing drills you referred to in your earlier post? I'd like to maybe try them out. Homero

Bill, Neither you nor Jeff are raining on my parade. I understand your point completely. I have very little experience with Clays. I was just wondering if what I used to do with WW231 would work as well with Clays. I like 231 but I like the fact that Clays shoots so much cleaner. When I fired the two different loads when I shot IPSC competitively (albeit 17 years ago) I did not have a problem with my timing being thrown off... honest. I got the idea to do this from articles written at the time by both Mickey Fowler and John Shaw who both recommended this. So the practice is not without precedent. Having said that. I had heard that Clays could do some funny things pressurewise if loaded too light or too short. Hence my question on this forum. It looks like going with a ligter Clays load may not be as viable an option as it was for 231, which is fine by me. I don't have a problem continuing to use my standard load of 4.3 gr. of Clays. Homero

I got mine about 3 weeks ago... I just upgraded from a Mk II... Mine was held back a few weeks waiting for production to catch up. Rev B4 is what's on mine as well. Homero

Thanks for your reply Jeff. I appreciate your point of view... I used to to load 5.8 to 5.9 gr of WW231 with the same hardcast 200gr. SWC which I use now... but I used to practice with a load of 5.0 or 5.1 of 231. It had less recoil and I felt it to be much easier on the gun. When match time came I would switch back to the heavier load and to be honest, I wouldn't feel much of a difference. I would like to duplicate that with Clays if possible. Homero

I currently use a 200 SWC hard cast lead bullet over 4.3 gr. of straight clays which gets me to about a 173 pf. I would like a lighter load to practice with... something that would be a little easier on the gun with the amount of shooting I do. Anybody have any suggestions? Thanks Homero

Ditto that... I want one when someone finally gets around to making them... Homero

Thanks guys... I think I will start out with with the light WW 231 loads (since I have all the components for that on hand). We'll see how that goes... If he has any discomfort I'll try going to the 155's. I'll probably end up trying those soon anyway. (He shoots a lot) Homero

I want to try to come up with a soft (very soft) load for my Baby Eagle in .40 S&W. It's for my son. He's 11 and and weighs maybe 70 lbs. soaking wet. He loves to shoot the big guns though. I would like to come up with as soft a load as possible that will still be able to cycle the gun. I have an abundance (over 4 lbs. ea.) of WW-231 and AA #5. I also have about a 1000 180gr. L-TC. Can someone suggest a load to try. Also I am not married to any of the components above. If you have any suggestions with other components I would try those as well. Homero

Thanks Shred. If this ever happens again, I will try the black magic (marker). Homero