pskys2

Don't forget to remove the decapping pin and you'll be best with a Taper Crimp. Really seems like a lot of work though. Have you actually chrono'd the factory ammo? Most I've done come out about 800f/s or less, which is a 184 or less PF. The last Wolf Ammo I chrono'd out of my 5" 625 was 773 f/s and a 177PF, the Hi Performance 230 HP loads will go 860-900 f/s, but rarely does hardball get there.

Used to use 5.8-6.0 of 231 with 200 LSWC. Looks like with your set up it's going to take 5.7, or more, to make PF. You usually want at least 740 f/s with a 230 bullet. Most have gone to Clays as it takes a bit less and seems to recoil less and 231 can be a bit dirty. But if it's what you have it's still a good powder.

You have a few options: 1) Shoot Limited 10, where .45acp is very much competitive shooting major. Your gear will work just fine and you don't have the placement restrictions and a race holster won't buy you a great deal of match points. 2) Load down, a .45 185-200 bullets to 700+f/s gives 130-140pf, these loads are very soft and competitive. What you will lose with a .45 at this PF is lead time on moving targets and a bit more trajectory to deal with. As said most who shoot production find the savings of 9mm over .45 to be a big plus. 3) If you're dead set on Production and wish to follow the crowd and shoot 9mm, well it's a good reason to buy a new blaster! Either way it's about time to start having some fun.

I've found that Plated Bullets, Berry/Ranier do seem to need a bit more powder.

Anything else about it? Take it's a Trophy Match?

Any word on Match Fees, or other info on the NRA AP Cameron Cup in Columbia, Mo. June 16?

Doesn't look good with the differences. Can you actually feel, or sense, a lighter hammer fall? If you can try putting a scale on the hammer and see. Try a couple of batches with sorted cases and try to id the chambers to see if it's the same hole that's doing it. Are you using moonclips? Could be bent, try without. Fed Primers will probably help but if you're actually getting that much difference in the hammer fall it will probably show up at the worst time and cause a problem at a match.

Chrono's are way cheap, very much worthwhile if you compete at anything other than a club match. Range Time, both getting there, doing and expenses are more problematic. ICORE allows certain Factory Ammo to be used without worry of PF, and it's low enough to start with. Doesn't the World Shoot, and/or other IPSC upper Level Matches, allow for the use of specified ammo without PF worries? A Newbie using Factory Ammo getting scored sub-minor is kind of a bummer. You definitely want to make sure they understand what's going on and help them out.

I heard the secret was "Gator Snot".

The only thing to watch on WST is it can be Reverse Temperature Sensitive, it slows down as the temps increase. Quit using it in the .45 due to that.

Talking of it happening in a course, go to basics. See the FRONT SIGHT, squeeze the shot off, make an extra reload if needed. At some point you will get back to your original game plan. But whatever you do, don't try to make up time.

I like to see them done on occassion as there are a lot of local competitors who don't have easy access to a chrono. Plus for those of us who are serious, it's nice to have your loads checked on different chrono's. Going Minor/Sub Minor means little at a local club, unless your fighting for a Nationals Slot! But doing so at a Major Match is a real bummer. Another note if you let everyone know in advance, I guarantee you'll have a whole lot of "Can I just Check these loads also?" So if you don't want to spend extra time, don't advertise. If some get dinged, and then get mad then they probably deserved the wake up call. Most just seem to be disappointed if they don't make what they want. We used to pick the ammo for chrono from mags dropped, or off the belt. Seems like that stopped in the late '90's during a brief layoff from competing. I surmise one reason is the sheer number of competitors at bigger matches anymore, and less issues due to chrono availability, better procedures and such. I've really just quit worrying over someone gaming the chrono, I've just never seen it help anyone.

With a Match Grade 1911 Barrel I usually see about 30 f/s more than with my 5" Revo. BUT you can see 30 f/s, or more, between identical guns also, so you just never know. Safe bet is to start with working up the load in the Revo and then checking it in the 1911.

I've not had any luck with plated bullets in my .40, and talked to many others who share the same stories. But I do like them in many other guns, especially .45's. A FMJ with exposed base will still deposit lead in the barrel and be smokier on the firing line, just not near as bad as Lead Bullets. Due to the lead base of a FMJ being vaporized by the powder burn. A CMJ has a plug at the base so it alleviates the lead/smoke problem completely, but they're more expensive and I thought MG was discontinuing them. Why not a JHP in .40? I've had great luck with them in my 2011 .40 Ltd gun and most everyone I know uses some brand of JHP in .40. The nose shape is more rounded and has never caused any problems. They also seem to be more accurate than a FMJ. Plus it's usually cheaper than the CMJ's.

Not his, but a little with Black Bullet Intl. 200 RN. Pretty sure Donnies is the same bullet, different coating, has a pointier nose and a small shoulder right? 4.5 Clays barely made it out of my PC625 5". Wasn't happy with them taper crimped, seemed to pull out worse than Jacketed or lead due to the coating. And had a bit of trouble roll crimping, they actually wanted to telescope back into the case. Another problem on the straight Lead Version of that bullet is the shoulder can catch on the reloads. I was hoping the Coated ones would be slick enough to not do that. But I know some do use them and like them. I'm sure if you played with the OAL you could find a good spot. I've been using the Ranier 200 RN, but it takes a lot more powder!

It used to be picking up brass was a given. Seems the price of 9/40 is such and with so much Glock Brass around, etc I have noticed in the last few years less interest in it even at a local match. Think my habits changed when I started shooting Revo, it made finding brass easier and different. Then when I would shoot an auto, I just didn't wish to take the time and effort. Most other times I try to tape/set steel or am acting as an RO, so I don't get around to doing it. Losing the brass at a match, as long as there's no Moon Clip with it, doesn't bother me personally anymore.

I'll watch to see if there are any plans with something I didn't see, but I rarely pay much attention as I'm usually pantomining my own plan. If you really want to watch a shooter, try being an R.O.. I've found since I'm so focused on the shooter I pick up on their methods better. Most of the time I think it's more of an I look, but don't see what others are doing, cause I'm focused on my own plans. The one thing you don't want to do is to get focused on the top shooters rhythyms. If you do, you may not focus on using your sights as your personal govenor.

Some still make 185 lswc in the h&g68 design. But if it's the one with a short nose, not the 68's, they are very unreliable.

If I remember correctly Randy Lee from Apex put some kind of grease on the DA Sear, and I think on the Rebound Slide. Don't know what it was but I took it off and have settled on Rem Oil. Usually a couple of practice sessions before a big match I'll pull the grips and put a couple of drops on the Rebound Slide thru the back and then a few drops thru the top to the Sear.

I once was at the SA at the 87 Nats and who should walk up and start practicing his reloads, with a full mag, but Mike Plaxco! I just turned to him and said, "MIKE! What are you doing?" He got this sick look and quickly put everything away and walked away. Just a humorous story! I have a set with Silicone in the holes and they seem to work good, it's just a bit of a pain to get them filled. Probably should have done them before reloading the bullet in, but I was just lazy and didn't want to remove the decapper. I use spent cases, without bullets, in one clip and then use the silicone filled with bullets as dummy reloads. I don't like using a case with a bullet in it and a spent primer. As there's no way to know that it's not a load that didn't fire and got mixed up somehow. I'm just not willing to take the chance that it could be a live round that hadn't set off the primer and then might. Especially as I may not practice with my revolver for several months at a time.

You won't hurt the FP by dry firing a few times in the safety area or during the LAMR procedure. And don't use snap caps or dummy rounds in the safety area at all, can be an expensive mistake. You will need to keep cycling dummy rounds if you don't use the silicone filler. What does cause problems is dry firing at home without snap caps or dummy rounds. I've had C&S (several) and one APEX (they replaced it pronto and free) break. I've had to replace the springs twice. Of course I've also had all of the pins on various S&W Revos break. I do like the APEX FP though.

It almost sounds like you may have a timing/lock up/link issue. The usual problem with +1 is nose diving. It could also be you have too heavy of a recoil spring and that plus the extra resistance of the 10rd mag could be slowing the slide to the point it can cause that problem. Most 5" .45acp's using a 170pf load only need a 15 or 16 pound spring, and some like to go even to a 14 pound. If it isn't the recoil spring try this: Load up some dummy rounds, or use an old firing pin with the front half cut off, and try to recreate the problem by hand cycling. If you can get it to recreate, then gently push back on the front of the barrel. If this allows the slide to close, you probably have a timing/link problem and need to have it checked by a gunsmith.

A .40 S&W Pin Gun. Take it to the next level and do a commander length slide, 5" recoil spring/reverse spring plug, a 6" barrel with a 1 3/4" weight w/cone and front sight threaded onto the end. Make it a full profile if you want the extra weight. Hmm, sounds just like my 1992 Caspian Hi-Cap Competition Pistol, with no ports on the Jet Comp and it was a Super. It was the best balanced, quickest shooting, most accurate pistol I ever shot. Putting the Dot Sight on it in '94 screwed it up for me and I sold it a few years after the split to Open/Limited. Thumb Rests? The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Definitely put a moon clip with spent cases in before doing anything, spent cases will be tighter than new or resized. You can use brownells tool, vice grips (with padding) or a drill chuck. Just remember to LOOSEN by turning CLOCKWISE! and tightening CCW. Also when tightening back up don't overdo it, or you will crack the housing. Of course if it's not tight enough it can back out and give you a real death jam that is a big PAIN to loosen back up. It's not a real tough job, kind of like reloading, easy to do and easy to screw up.

AS TGO said most Limited Hi-Cap pistols have been modified to keep the Slide Stop from being activated by the rounds and/or the follower. One way to do that was to add shok buff's. Another by-product of adding shok buff's is you can alter the way a slide cycles, and by doing so change the way the muzzle dips at lock up. It can be both frustrating and fun to experiment with and was a popular technique in the early 1990's Compensated, Dot Sighted pieces. I could see someone doing it with an early Limited Gun. The original reason for the shok buffs was the habit of 1911's of that era, up to 1990, to crack at the juncture of the dust cover and frame rails. I'm pretty sure by the Hi-Cap era all manufacturers were adding enough metal, or using better metal, at this area so it ceased to be an issue. At one time in the 80's to 90's I'd bet every serious IPSC'er used shok buffs. I think most of us migrated away. I still shoot a .45 with a mid 1980's Springfield Frame that cracked on both sides. I've never noticed it causing any problems. Every once in a while I still put in some shok buffs I have from that time just to feel nostalgic and play around. Seems like I always pull them out for some reason or another.