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I use bowling grip cream. Sweat a lot in SE Texas, so it helps. A little bit goes a long way. Just don't get it on your trigger finger.

I would never presume to tell someone how they should or shouldn't live their life. Neither would I give out marriage advice because I am not good at it. Also, I'm not equipped nor do I have education in the field. I can, however, share my experience and you can make of it what you want if you decide it applies to your situation. Story: I was once married to a beautiful woman who, BEFORE we were married, thought my motorcycle friends were "cute and earthy (whatever that is) and had unique personalities". After we were married they suddenly turned into "those uneducated dirty thug people" and I was informed it was time to put away my childish motorcycle stuff because we needed to start being adults. (To some extent she might have had a point. In those days I was participating in hill climbs, flat track and a lot of drunkenness, bar fights and excessive bleeding.) So, I sold my childish motorcycle and started being an adult. Went back to college, got an education, good job and the house on the hill. The only little problem was everytime I saw a motorcycle go by I was a little bit resentful and irritated. This feeling never got smaller, only bigger. The next thing up was hunting. How could I want to be out in the cold nasty woods all day when I could be home being an adult with her. So, I sold my rifle and shotgun (not all of them) and stayed home to cut grass because that is what adults do. I can clearly remember sitting out in my garage one day with my brother (who at the time had not yet had to become adult) drinking beer and watching football (another childish thing) when my brother looked at me and said "What happened to you? You used to be a lot of fun and laughed all the time? You used to be up for anything that would get us in trouble?", So, I went out the next day a bought a new Harley. She steamed for a few days and then came to me and said "As soon as you get over your Harley "thing" you need to sell it because we need to remodel the family room". So, I packed a little bag and took me and my new Harley to Texas and never saw her again. My house on the hill with the 3 car garage was gone, my bank account was gone and I was never happier. I remarried some years later to a beautiful woman who is supportive of my "childish" pursuits and I in turn support all of hers. She is supportive because she wants to see me happy and contented. She is very wise and understands we are two flawed people trying to make a good life together and not two people trying to become one. End of story.

I load a lot of Blue Bullets 147gr. Lately I've been averaging about 2,500 rounds per month. The last lot I got from them weight in the 149.5 - 151 range, most were right around 150.0. I don't weight them all (like duh?), but I've been weighting 3-4 every time I load up the bullet tray. At least they are consistently overweight. I have some Bayou and SNS 147 also. I weighted about 10-15 of each of them and they were very consistently around 147 (+/- 0.1-0.3). My standard 147gr load is 3.4gr WSF at an OAL 1.14. I just started loading with this lot of bullets, so I haven't had a chance to chrono them yet, but has to have some effect.

I clean my brass with a rotary tumbler/SS pins now and it works great. I'm not really looking for a new cleaning process, but as Steve pointed out above, I just want to do a comparison with the "soaking" method. I think the problem is I have too much time on my hands this week which is not a good thing. I usually end up in some sort of mess. I'm in Houston, so drying in the warm months isn't a problem. I bought a used food dehydrator off eBay for $30 and works great in our cooler weather (like now). I can dry about 1K 9mm in an hour.

A few weeks ago I saw a discussion on a company named "Back to Brass". In one of the posts on the thread someone posted a homemade formula they use and let the brass soak in it overnight which supposedly did a great job of cleaning the brass. I wanted to give it a try, but can't find the thread with the formula. All I can remember is it had Dawn, vinegar and something else. Does anyone remember the thread and/or the formula? Or does anyone have their own formula they could share? The solution was NOT for wet tumbling. The poster said they put the brass in the solution and let them soak overnight. Let it dry and it was good to go. I want to give it a try to see if there is anything to it.

For those that are interested, Natchez Shooters Supplies has Hodgdon Tite Group in stock for $17.49 per pound. I just bought an 8Lb jug.

I loaded up some (500) SNS 135gr no lube ring RN over 3.1gr of Clays at 1.135 OAL. My Glocks did not like the SNS 135 at 1.135. I tried them through my G19, G17 and G34, but it was a no go on all of them. I think the shape of the SNS vs. Bayou is the issue. The Bayous and Blue 147 RN have more slope (not sure what the correct term is) than the SNS. The SNS 135 passed the chamber gauge check when I loaded them, but I didn't check the loaded round with the pistol barrel chamber (lesson learned). With the SNS the slide wouldn't fully go into battery (1/16") so I had to smack the back of the slide to get the gun into battery. They ran and cycled fine, but they jammed the slide closed when I dropped a mag (as in "Unload and show clear"). They chronoed at 970 - 980 fps for a 130 PF. I had some 135gr Bayou with me, tried it and there were no issues. Also tried some 147 Blue RN and it was good. Same 1.135 OAL, same powder, same brass (FC), same dies used, same everything, but the SNS 135gr just wasn't going to work at 1.135. So I loaded up some more at 1.08 and 1.10 OAL and they ran fine. My question is am I OK pressure wise at the shorter OAL with 3.1 - 3.2gr Clays? I didn't see any pressure problem indicators and the 1.10 OAL ran fine (actually might be a little more accurate than the 1.135).

bigtimelarry, thanks. My rod was the same length (3.243). I finally got it in. Used the flat handle of a wrench and kept shoving until it popped in. Guns runs and cycles fine, but man it is tight.

If someone using a Jager steel recoil spring guide rod in a Glock 34 Gen 4 could give me a measurement of the length of their guide rod and spring (assembled) I would appreciate it. I've got a Jager steel guide rod and an ISMI 13# spring I'm trying to put in my G34 Gen 4, but can't get the damn thing to depress enough to allow me to put the barrel/spring/guide rod back together in the slide. The guide rod Jager sent me seems to be a little too long. The Jager rod (assembled) is 3.35" and the stock guide rod assembly is 3.23". I have Jager guide rods in my G17 Gen 4 and G19 Gen 4. The Jager is just about the same length as the stock recoil spring assembly for both pistols. I didn't have any problem getting them together and back in the gun.

That was it. The slide stop spring was not under the pin. I can only blame the dumbass that put it in and we all know who that is, right? Thanks, guys.

I've got a Glock 17 Gen 4 with a new Jager steel guide rod and 13# recoil spring. I'm running a DK competition trigger setup. Today at the range the pistol kept locking back. I could get to go into battery with a slight pull on the slide, but it would do it maybe 4-5 times per mag. I'm shooting my reloads. Blue Bullets 147g RN, 2.9g Clays, FSP and mixed brass. I'm getting a power factor of 129 - 130 (890 fps). I've shot 3,000 - 4,000 rounds of the same ammo through the gun with no problems. I didn't have the stock recoil spring with me at the range to try out, but since I just went to the Jager rod and 13# spring I suspect it is a combination of my reloads and the lighter spring? This is the first gun I've replaced the stock spring in so I wasn't sure. Thoughts or comments? Thanks.

I want to make some 9mm snap caps for practice. I would like to get them close to 147 ammo weight. I saw a post on here some time ago about using some sort of silicone caulk to fill them. Does anyone know what type of caulk to use or have any other ideas for filler? Thanks.

It has been going on awhile. I understand what you mean about the SNS flaking off, but I get the same thing with Blue Bullets RN. I use a Double Alpha Powder funnel die and it is set perfect. I cleaned the dies as best I could and it help eliminate about all of it, but I'm still getting some flaking of the brass. I've got the damn stuff in the bullet bin and on the shell plate. I'm going to clean them again to see if missed something I'm using a Redding Micrometer Crimp. I might switch to the Dillon die and see if there is a difference. Sorry double post.

Yes the SNS RN are gold, but it isn't the problem. I'm using a Double Alpha powder funnel die and it is set perfect to bell (or expand) the brass. Also I switched over to Blue Bullets RN and get the shiny flakes. Looks like there is gold dust on the shell plate and in the bullet catch bin. I cleaned all four dies as good as I know how. After cleaning I use a little One Shot and wiped them down good again. That helped a lot, but I'm still getting some flakes. I'll try cleaning them again and see if that helps some more.

I'm loading 230gr 45ACP SNS RN on a Dillon 550B and getting a lot of brass dust (for lack of a better term). It looks like it is all being created at the crimp station (#4). I'm using a Dillon crimp die and the finished rounds measure 0.472 - 0.473 at the crimp, so it seems OK on the measurement. I have some brass dust every once in awhile with 9mm, but not like I'm getting tonight. Damn dust is all over the press and me. I'm using fired brass that has been washed in SS and tumbled in cob/walnut mixture with Nu Finish polish. Also using Dillon lube prior to loading. I haven't run much 45ACP (second time) so I don't know if the dust is normal with these or not? I wipe the rounds down anyway so the dust isn't going to get the gun, but its irritating. Any ideas or advice?

Yep, I'm going to make a Dermal adjustment. Glock is sending me a replacement mag release. I'll wait till I get it so I have a backup in case I "over adjust".

It's not the grip. If you hold the gun by the barrel (like a hammer) and hit the mag release, still no drop. And like I said, the 17r mag works fine.

No. 17 round mags work fine. Also, if I have a couple of rounds in the 15 round mage it drops OK. There is no consistency with the MT mags. Some drop down just fraction of an inch and others don't drop down at all. I think the empty mag is getting hung up on the lip of the mag release and it won't allow it to drop. The 17 round mag has just enough extra weight to pull the mag past the lip.

When it is in slide lock and I mash the release the mag drops about 1/8", no click and catches on something. If I pull the slide back a little when it is at slide lock and hit the release, the mag drops out, no problem.

I've got a new G19 Gen 4. The problem I'm having is getting the mag to drop when the gun is at slide lock. With the slide closed (in battery) I can hit the mag release and the mag will drop 100 out of 100 times. When at slide lock it's about 50% of the time. For some reason the mag lock assembly doesn't want to move over (release) far enough to allow the mag to drop when it is in slide lock. I don't know what slide lock has to do with it, but that was my observation. Anyone else had this problem or know of a fix?

I've loaded a lot of Blue Bullets 147g. What I have found is with the coated bullet I can reduce the load slightly and maintain velocity. For example my go to load is 3.4g of WSF over a 147 coated bullet (Blue, BBI, Bayou, etc.), OAL 1.14. If I'm loading 147g Xtreme I have to bump the load up to 3.6 or higher to maintain PF.

I want to load some of my brand new Blue Bullets 125g RN using IMR PB. The only data I could find was on the Hodgdon reloading site. They show one load data point with 125g LCN with a max load of 3.4g. That seems very low to me. I'm using 3.2g on my 147g loads. I remember (can't find it now) seeing a post by someone here indicating they were using 4.1g of PB with a 125g bullet. Any one have data on PB that would be helpful?

Welcome from another Houston shooter. I'm in League City and shoot primarily IDPA in the area. Matches all over the place at Pearland Shooting Club (Friendswood), Big Kountry (Alvin),Impact Zone (Hempstead) and Thunder (Conroe). Lots of USPSA around the area too.

I've got the 5" pro model. Have the Apex trigger kit and Dawson adjustable sights. Great IDPA gun. I don't know anyone shooting the game with 4.25" model.

Welcome from Houston. IDPA is a great shooting game.