Pat Miles

Ditto for what Lovestoshoot advised regarding tools. What books you might buy depends a bunch on what style guns you want to work on. If you ever decide to take a course at schools such as Trinidad State Junior College (been there, done that, loved every second of it!) make sure that you have a very good working knowledge of the gun(s) you are taking the class for. Otherwise you are wasting a portion of your $$$. CYa, Pat

Looking at the results from the search you listed I don't need info on camcorders from 2003, 2004 or 2005. There were two replies for this year regarding videocams. I'm looking for more current information. I can't help but wonder how many new postings there would be on this site if everybody relied solely on a search of older posts. Thanks for your concern. Pat

Bear with me on this one. I am looking for feedback on video cameras. I intend to buy one to use during practice both at the range and at home (backyard and indoor dry fire). I thought that I would query this group figuring that some folks would have done the same and can give me some real world info. Thanks, Pat

You folks hit the nail right on the head. Huge variations in velocity with the rounds I clocked. I load VV 320 in my limited gun and will build a minor load with it. I was hoping to use the U Clays but that ain't going to happen here. CYa, Pat

Started setting up to build a minor power factor load for my XD 40 Tactical. OAL is 1.120 with a 180 JHP Zero bullet. I have 4# of Universal Claystaking up space so I would like to use it. Anybody have a recipe for these componants? I'll still chrono but I am looking for a starting point. Regards, Pat

One additional suggestion in regard to checking the sear/hammer hook mating. Paint the nose of the sear (primary and secondary angles) with Dykem. Put the gun back together and dry fire it twenty or thirty times. Take the sear and trigger out and look at the sear nose with a loupe. The wear patterns on both sides of the sear, primary and secondary faces (where the hammer hooks engage the sear) should be identical. If one side is clean while the other is still painted ther is an obvious problem with the sear/hammer engagement and should be corrected. You can use any fixture but the overriding rule is how the sear/hammer mesh in the gun. Time consuming? Yeah, but the end product is well worth the time spent. Regards, Pat

Using Whiteout,Liquid Paper or some kind of correction fluid I put a mark on one coil of the spring for each pound the spring is rated at or is measured at. A 13# spring will have a white dot on 13 coils.

Measure the diameter of the wire of both springs. If they are both the same they should be same#. If one is a smaller diameter then it is a lighter spring. Both have same number of coils? Both same length out of the package? CYa, Pat

You might try and round up a spring tester to measure the ISMI springs at the compressed length. I have found that the ISMI springs are heavier (lbs, ozs) than they are rated at (16# measured at close to 18#). Understand, there is absolutely nothing wrong with ISMI springs. You just have to know what a particular spring measures at and then adjust accordingly. One other point to watch for. Make double damn sure that whatever spring you use you don't let it stack up solid when it is at full compression. ISMI sends a notice regarding this as well as instructions with their springs on measuring for this problem. Read them and use them! CYa, Pat

A 20# spring is rated to be 20# when it is compressed to a certain length. Is your spring an aftermarket spring (Wolff, ISMI, etc.) that is listed by the manufacturer for a 1911 style gun? They interchange with the XD Tactical but the springs are rated to be a certain pound rating when compressed to 1.6" length which relates to a 5" 1911 style gun. You will need to know the compressed spring length for your XD and then measure the spring in pounds/ounces at that particular length. If the compressed length is different than the 1911 style gun then the pound rating of the spring will be different as you might not be compressing the spring to 1.6" thus a lower pound measurement. You might call the folks at Wolff and see if they can tell you the compressed length for an XD Tactical and then measure your spring. CYa, Pat

I need some info regarding the installation of a BoMar rear sight on an XD. I realize that there is machining involved. I plan on doing this myself (have mill and equipment) but would like some guidance from someone who has installed them. Anybody willing to do some tutoring? Thanks, Pat

My looking for a 16# mainspring is not in search of the sub one pound trigger pull. Right now I have set the gun up with a very crisp, very consistent one and three quarter pull that makes the gun go bang every time I pull said trigger. Yes, I did the work. Yes, I have invested considerable time in learning how to do a trigger job correctly as well as a fair amount of bucks on on a jig, ground ceramic stones, etc. How do I tell when it's good enough for me? When I paint the hammer hooks and sear with dykem and dry fire the gun about twenty times, take it apart and see correct, consistent rub marks on both hammer hooks and both sides of the sear. Then it's time to fit the safety, disconnector, adjust the springs and then adjust the trigger itself for pre-travel and over-travel. I asked so that I can spend four or five bucks and try one. Yeah, if it isn't 100% reliable to make the gun go bang I won't stay with it but theres only one way to find out and that's to try it. I remember when there was no such thing as a 17# mainspring. There is now and that's because somebody made one and found out that it worked. I'm one step ahead of you folks as I am wondering what effect it will have on recoil since there will be less resistance when the slide recoils backward. I am using an EGW square bottom firing pin stop in my gun. How will I find out what the effect a 16# spring will have? Spend $5.00, put the damn thing in and evaluate the results. It takes two minutes to put a 17# back in.

Does anybody offer a 16# mainspring for a 1911? I tried a 15# and it was a tad too light for reliable ignition in my limited gun. Thanks

Wouldn'tyou just know it. My thread gets hijacked by scantily clad women! Which way did you say they went? I'll be back later. Don't wait up for me.

Thanks for the info! I bought a 40 tactical to shoot Production and give Limited a rest. Figured I would still load one caliber (40) but set up another powder measure on my 650 to drop a minor powder load. Just change powder measures to load for limited or production. I've been working on 1911s and clones for years so now I'll just wander off into XD land fo a while. Anybody volunteer to cyber tutor me through some trigger work? Thanks Again!

Just bought an XD 40 Tactical. I am looking for a video or DVD on disassembly/assembly. Who offers a good quality one?

No harm. No foul. Thanks, Pat

Difference between a product that has to be rebuilt to work and one that has to be fitted!

A friend wanted an SVI TriGlide system installed in his STI Edge. Horrible problems with the hammer following the slide when dropped from slidelock. I am using the original sear and hammer which performed flawlessly with the original trigger, disconnector and sear spring. To stop the hammer follow I had to crank in about 5# of trigger using the original steel sear spring. After much playing I discovered that the trigger bow was about .030" longer than the original trigger and when the original trigger was put back in (with the TG disconnector and spring) I could get a crisp 1.75 trigger with no follow. The TG trigger bow is narrow at the front and needs to be reshaped at the forward bends to make it wider and thus make the length shorter. Do any of the learned folks on this forum have any suggestions for accomplishing this? This does not seem to be a one off problem as the TG kit that I have for my SVI has the same deformed trigger bow. Thanks, Pat

Has anyone had any experience (good or bad) with the Dillon RF100 automatic primer filler? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks, Pat