TANFARM

If Dave's topped doing trigger wok....Get the Enhanced Brazo's 2011......never heard a bad thing about 'em.....all good..the additional work is definitely worth every cent......my opinion!

This is a good thread. Get Brians DVD ..competitive reloading?, it is geared around the 650 and is EXCELLENT...it should be included with every press....it's a little dated but covers set up , application and safety in a big way ! I think most folks will agree.......you will be going through a learning curve. When you establish what goal you are trying to achieve ...then the different combinations of powder, projectiles , brass and primers will be a fascinating on going journey. After 35K of 9 mm.....I've settle the on CCI small pistol, Vih. N320 powder and went through thousands of Xtreme 147 HP Bullets ......I'm slowly switching over to Montna Gold 147....... They real do perform much better in my case. You chose a fantastic tool to start your reloading journey, good calipers, good scales, and a chronograph ......best of luck!!

I went from a G34 to 2011 in 9 mm.....my only advice is buy one from Dave Dawson....have him do the trigger job, go over the pistol completely . Have him triple check ejector, extractor and make sure the pin in the STI rear sight is peened in place.....both mine lost the pins. I also read excellent reviews on the Brazos tuned 2011 .........just my experience.......it's worth every penny to have Dave do you gun and put his stuff on it...sights, recoil system etc. You'll figure the 9/10 lb. spring thing out for yourself when you get a go to round established!......just my opinion....Dawson's is a first rate bunch of guys.....saved me from myself on more than one occasion !! Great choice on a pistol.....best of luck!!!

I took Bens basic course in Georgia last weekend . It's a serious 2 day class covering the basic skills for shooting stages as efficiently as possible. I'm an old guy, over 60, and I left this class with enough stuff to work on for a year. I felt very, very slow during the entire process. The class was based on a rotation between different stages and applicable skill drills at other shooting bays. We had some very good, fast and young folks in this group , that were mostly B class shooters. Even though age and lack of speed, tore my knee at a match 2 weeks prior to the class, hindered me.....it was an incredible experience. Ben is a no nonsense instructor...in a beneficial way. His only goals are to instruct you to be a faster, thinking more accurate competitor. I've had 2 other instructors , and because we were confined to stationary indoor ranges , the limits of instruction are very narrow. This 2 days was non stop movement for 12 hours back and forth...then running stages . As soon as I can get out of bed and walk......I would take the class again tomorrow...lol.........thanks Ben!!!

This is a good thread....I do put my gauge rejects , within reason, in a practice bin...and to be honest have only had a few FTF or jam. I guess it's just habit not to trust rounds that don't pass. I once saw a relatively top shooter lose a match because of a bulged round...yikes.....one of my mental goals is a reduction of problem rounds to an irrelevant percentage......yea I've got some OCD hang ups....lol Thanks to all for their responses!

Ditto on the Shockbottle 100 gauge !... I gauge every round I load..... This gauge also allows you to inspect your primer situation as well. Last mont saw a competitor lose a match because of bulged brass in a 40 cal....... Since gauging all my rounds my FTF rate has dropped to virtually nil. I guess it boils down to what you want to accomplish......

FP-10 on barrel ....Brians Slide glide on the slide...tried a lot o' stuff.......Slide Glide stays were you put it and performs well.....stay with whatever work best for you.....

I don't know how to sell you on a 650.... From Brian.....35K rounds...sure have had some problems along the way....but the Dillon Guys and figuring stuff out by thinking about them.....I'm absolutely satisfied!!!!!!..... The more rounds I load the more I'm amazed what an incredible tool it is...... Just sayin'

New style case feeder.....almost exclusively 9mm Bench solid as a rock. I use the bracing on the feeder......not attached to the wall ?? Murphy's law ......it happened again when I was loading yesterday AM......set of long tweezers ......excellent investment !! I guess I should be thankful this is the worst thing that happens !!

Anyone figured any logic as to why my case feeder will get a piece of brass sideways in the funnel and it starts to rain brass if I'm not paying attention? There seems to be no rhyme or reason ....I keep,the feeder clean......note a real problem....always keep multiple tweezers at hand...lol.

I purchased a black one several years ago.....I've actually worn the black off around the holes.....one of the best investments ever !!

Thank you for the input !!......I'm going to try a COL reduction to 1.148 and re-chrono.....shorter length might help,with a better cushin on FPS......appreciate the help........

I'm trying to work up a minor match load for my STI 2011. My last load was 3.6 grns. Of Vih N320 with 147 Montana gold CJM. I loaded to 1.15 COL. My 5 chrono strings averaged 876..... With lows of 850 to highs of 918. I really do NOT want to increase my charge beyond 3.6 grains . Will DECREASING my COL help increase my averages ...giving me a better margin over Minor factor minimum of 875??? Any thoughts or advice greatly appreciated !!!.....this was a very comfortable and accurate load in my pistol. Thanks!,

I know there has to be an easier way to do my powder checks. I'm recycling a couple of primed shells between the powder check station , then replace it and continue checking. Of course every time I pull the handle to load a charge , a new cartridge drops and a primers also cycles out into the tray. I know in an ideal world my casefeeder and primer tube would be empty...but this is sometimes not the case. Any thoughts on refining my process ??? Thanks in advance

Thanks to all....interesting article !!

mjohn.....my bad..the first average was 887... Keyboard to small...lol THANK YOU....this is excellent information...exactly what I was looking for......I'm sticking with the 3.6 at 1.147 for my match loads. For some,reason I load 3.5 at 1.15 for my practice rounds ....got a,ton of Xtreme 147 HP to,use up ....thanks again !!

Did a test on my test load of a Montana Gold 147 CJM and Vih N320 powder yesterday on my 9 mm Edge COL 1.147 : 3.4 grns. Avg 849 / 852 / 868 FPS 3.5 grns. Avg 873 / 876. FPS 3.6 grns. Avg 877 / 885 / 900 / 898 FPS I guess the 3.6 load will give me a comfortable margin to ensure minor load..... Does this seem correct....it was a little chilly yesterday 49 degrees....a factor ??? Sorry to beat a dead horse here ...just looking for folks that may have tried the same drill . Thanks in advance !!!

Can one of you learned memners kindly explain the COL factor when reloading 9 mm. I'm running Xtreme 147 Hp in my 9mm Edge and loading to a fairly consistent 1.15 COL. I think I understand the effect of loading a round " short" and compressing the powder , thereby effecting the speed of the bullet....but where is the line for loading too short or too much length ?. I'm currently experimenting with a couple of different charges and minor length variation with Montana Gold 147 RN to see what effect , if any, a different bullet and length will produce. Any experiences appreciated....hope this makes so sense!!!......

Mjohn...you are correct ....I'm just trying a Competiton option to Xtreme by using the MG...always searching for the best and most accurate match load. I'm still using the Xtreme 147 Hp for practice.....hope it's not to cold to run a ladder test today.....thanks!!

Josh, please share your chrono results.....I'm very interested to see what you find!! If weather permits I'm testing some Montana gold 147's with a couple of different N320 loads and COL..... Anyone give some input into variation on my COL???....I've been loading to 1.15 for my 9 mm Edge....seems to do ok..What is the relativity of overall length vs powder charge????....Can I increase my FPS by deviating my overall length. I'm just try to make a comfortable MINOR load,with 147 Xtremes for my Edge......Thanks in advance.....

Thanks to all for this sage advice.......i've been running 3-4 charges through and then attempting a measured charge. It sounds like the average of 10 charges sounds like the most logical approach........and by the way......if you have ever left a charge on the scale ......you will see the measurements start to vary !!!..This really threw me for a loop...now I just use the initial reading....Correct??

Hey guys , I'm using a 650 for my 9 mm and the Dillon electronic scale. My powder is Vih. N320. I'm having a problem with consistent powder measurements ......while running a ladder test on several different charges , trying a new projectile, having a deviation of .1 +- on my charges. If im trying to achieve a 3.5 charge it will deviate 3.4/3.6 etc. The intent of my test was to run charges 3.4-3.6 grns. I turned off electronic stuff , fan etc. This N320 meters well......what am I doing wrong??????

I'm using a 650 with the strong mount. I built my bench with a height of 36"....... If I had to do it agin I would do 34" height. The lower height would give me a little better view of the shell plate. I load sitting on a stool and it's comfortable !! I still have to use a step stool to look into the case feeder.....lol!!!,

I'm a slow study.....the way I read the above reference on N320 is neither 3.4/3.5 grns will make minor power factor. I'm using a 2011 Edge....to safely make Minor I'm loading 3.6 grns. 320 147 Xtreme HP at 1.15 COL. It's very interesting to see the huge variation in loads that people use with N320. For my batch practice rounds I use 3.5 grains in bulk......but load 3.6 to ensure minor ....any other experiences ??? While it yammering.......any experience with Titegroup using the same specs as above ?? Picked up some Titegroup and want to use it for minor match loads.....with Montana gldm147 CJM?? Thanks in advance.......great forum to say the least !!!!!!!

Got a large Dillon for Christmas to,replace my Lyman 1200........ This is a great machine. Holds 1000 9 mm ...4 hours on timer ...beautiful. Machine is well built , quiet and performs well. I tried S/S cleaning for my primed 9 mm brass and found it to be a messy pain!!.......now deprimed rifle,brass is another story....it's amazing