Flash74

Ha Ha Ha, I would have loved to see that!

Yep, just change out the buttons, and of course the dies.

Try out Acme. It is the first coated bullet company that has I pressed me. Everything else I have used (Blue, BBI, Bayou) has shot loaded and shot the same. Acme actually loaded easier and there bullets are much smoother than the competition. Hopefully they shoot the same or better than the competiton. I have yet to use them in a match.

Vlad hit the nail on the head. If you have a BDC reticle then zero at whatever distance the scope manufacturer recommends. Zeroing at any other distance would make your BDC useless.

I purchased some of these bullets at Camp Perry this year. Last night I ran out of BBI (.40-180gr TC) and started loading the Acme bullets (.40-180gr RNFP). I don't know what it is about these bullets, but my 550 just ran smoother. With the BBI I could feel the case/bullet entering the dies, feel a bump halfway through and then the stop when bottomed out. With the Acme, I could barely feel the bullets/brass entering the dies, no middle bump, then bottom out. The press just felt much smoother than what I am used to. The only things I can figure is the BBI have lube grooves and the Acme does not and the finish on the Acme bullets is notably smoother that that on the BBI. With the BBI I was getting about 10-15% plunk test failure rate in my Para chamber. The truncated cone shape of the bullets did not mesh well with my chamber. I shortened the rounds and had some improvement, but the failure rate was still too high. I did a 100 of the Acme and and tested them. All passed the plunk test. I adjusted my dies back to my old OAL and did another 100 more. I had one that was a little sticky but the rest passed. The round nose flat point profile of Acme bullets definitely work better for me. I think I have found my new bullet until something better comes along.

Yep, toss the hammer. After breaking two of them I went for the Hornady cam lock. The cam lock works really well and is easily adjusted if there is bullet to grab on to. Pulling 9 and 40 was easy, but I did have issues with 45 since the taper starts right of the case. Since I had 500 45's (wrong powder charge) that needed to be pulled I experimented and adjusted until it would pull the bullets. It probably took close to 30 minutes to get it pulling reliably. I wish I had known about the grip-n-pull back then. One tool would have covered all my needs.

The stock finish is pretty tough. blasting is the best way to get it off. It will take a small grain media to get into the tight areas.

Guilty! Digging through all the cat hair to get them out was not fun. If you want a shocking experience, try vacuuming up toner from a large format printer. I don't know what it is about the stuff, but you get non stop static shocks from a plastic hose.

That looks just like the Lancer handguard but with mlock instead of slots. Watch the ring on the end by the muzzle, mine came off.

You're welcome, I hope you have as much luck with it as I have.

Check out sightpusher.com. It is a home brewed sight pusher. It is not as refined as other pushers but it works well if you set your slide up correctly. Their regular model is only $60 and it works on all kinds of pistols. I have had one for years and it is still going strong. I have changed out many M&P sights with it as well as XD, 1911 and glock rear sights. I got it when I could not get the sights off an early XD using punches, freezing the slide, penetrating oil, etc. Once I got the pusher, I had the sights off in 10 minutes.

The slide will fit a 1911 or Para double stack frame but will not work with the standard single action fire control system. The groove or divot would have to be milled out to allow the disconnector to move up and down. Besides Sarco, Numrich also has a lot of Para Slides. They have the stripped pro custom slides that have the PVD finish that would require no modifications to drop on a frame.

Check your local Lowe's. Mission products were 50% off at mine in Toledo. 1.75oz bottles of the liquid chalk were $4. I should be set for life if they dont dry out. I like it better than pro grip since it doesn't smell like bad aftershave. Also, their cooling towels were only $6. I use a similar one from frog toggs and wouldnt shoot a match in the summer without it. They definitely keep you cooler than a wet cotton towel.

High primers with a 550 is usually user error. The 550 will crush a primer if you keep pushing. There is not any depth adjustment that I am aware of, just push the handle until it is seated.

I finally got to shoot my new Pro Custom 16.40 this afternoon. I did not experience any malfunctions with SPS 140mm, stock, or modified mags for a RIA 2011. My one complaint is the grip is huge. I was throwing everything low and left. It is going to take me a while to get used to it. I grabbed my M&P 40 Pro that I have been using for limited and was dead on. On the M&P I use the small insert so the huge grip of the Para is challenging for me. The big plus is the Para weighs 12oz more than the M&P and shot so much softer. I have a match tomorrow to ring out the Para. Hopefully everything goes well and I will have good report.

I don't use Extreme bullets, but a Precision Delta 230gr FMJ with 5.0gr W231 at 1.265" gets me an average PF of 168 out of a 5" 1911. This is with a magnum large pistol primer, it was all I could find at the time. Start at 4.7-4.8gr and work up from there. It will save you some time and components versus starting at 4.3gr.

A google search shows that mags are available from Midway USA for $33.99. They are discontinued but show in stock.

I have the Lancer handguard. The ring on the end of handguard came off at my last 3gun match. It should be easy enough to glue back on but it should not have happened. The handguard did not save any weight over an aluminum one. The barrel nut is a beast and weighs a lot. The carbon fiber part is fairly light so all of the weight is right in front of the magwell. My rifle balances well with a medium 18" barrel. If I had to do it over again, I would save some money and get a Carbon Arms handguard for the lighter weight.

Send it to me, I will clean it up and test it out for a couple of years. Guaranteed to come back (eventually) in perfect working order. I need a separate press for large primers, then I wouldn't have to switch between the two.

Have you calibrated your scale? I use the Chargemaster and it can vary quite a bit. Turn it on a 1/2-1 hour before you are going to use it, and calibrate it every time before starting to weigh. That is how I get consistency with mine. If I just turn it on and immediately use it the weight will be all over the place. I like the system, but it does have its quirks and being on for a bit seems to help the most. My scale is usually off a couple of tenths until it gets warmed up, I imagine you have some heavy bullets. Use 180 as a baseline for your power factor and you will not have any surprises at the chrono station.

4.3gr N320 w/ 200gr Bayou at 1.160" netted me 172PF out of a stock M&P 40 pro barrel.

For me it was easy, Dillon for progressives and a RCBS Rock Chucker for single stage. I simply picked the presses with the best reviews. I have been happy with both choices. I started with Lee since it was cheap and would not recommend them even for a single stage press. If it wasn't for their unique dies, I wouldn't use anything Lee. There is no reason to stick with 1 manufacturer as nothing major really correlates between progressive and single stage presses. 50 BMG is out of my realm so I couldn't give a recommendation. I would check on forums that 50BMG shooters frequent.

I agree with calling Dillon. But if you must do it yourself, Naval Jelly works well for removing rust. Brush off any loose rust, apply jelly, let it sit for 10 minutes and wipe off with a wet rag then dry. Tough areas will need another application or 2. I use jelly where a wire wheel is not appropriate. Make sure to oil after drying the parts.

My thought is the gun may not be sprung right for you. As the slide returns to battery it may be pushing the nose down and that is when you might be taking your second shot. A lighter recoil spring will help with this if your gun can run it reliably. If you are definitely getting two distinct sight pictures for your pairs then it would be an issue of trigger control.

The SPS mags are here finally. They look nice, well polished and fit. I'm going to try to run some rounds through them this weekend and I'll reort the results. If they work out it'll be a good alternative to what's available now. I have a new MBX 140mm that's still in the wrapper too so I'll test these and that one together. The MBX mag looks like all of Adrians, almost too pretty to shoot.Edit: 6/28/2015 SPS and MBX mags ran fine. Several full loads of local reman 115 & 124 FMJ through each. Anyone know how to remove the SPS plastic mag bases? Kind of looks like they just snap over the bottom flanges. I think I might get some TT bases for these after I shoot them some more. To remove the SPS base pads you have to push the pin out that is visible from the front and back.