Action Pistolero

I shot a few Action matches in Factoryville. Ken Hewitt was running the matches but I haven't heard from him in years. Probably the closest range for you would be Chambersburg for Action Pistol. It's South of Harrisburg. I'm sorry to hear about your friend. I've been going to Bianchi since 2000 but I don't recall the name. There have been a few shooters lately that have been working on the concept of the front of the barrel locking up on a block near the muzzle. I'm sure they would salivate over your pistol. I figured it used atleast a commander slide. That's the best way to get the slide weight down to run the lighter loads. I've considered using a shorter slide but settled on using a lightened 5". I'm using a 6" barrel and an aluminum comp with a bushing. Gets the weight off of the bushing and it will run with ammo below the power factor using a 9lb spring. Nice carbine.

Since you are going to keep the 550, use it for the calibers that you don't load a bunch of. I started with a LEE 1000 and then bought a 650. Big improvement. Bought the 1050 and now cuss the 650. I rarely use the 650 now. I have 2 toolheads. I use the other one when I want to load a bunch of another caliber.

That doesn't surprise me that Doug was interested in the gun. He has to take the shroud off to clean it. Then has to go back and re-zero. Being that it is a 38 Spec. makes the wow factor of it even greater. I wouldn't have tried it but I understand the challenge of something different. The shroud looks great and I really like the prone pad. The ledge up front looks like it would make the gun fit into your hand better and help with recoil control. Do you still shoot Action Pistol? Where are you located?

It usually drops 30 fps when the temps get into the 90's. It appears to get worse the more air space there is in the case. Since you are loading 9mm there probably isn't much. The best way that I have found to test them is to heat up the rounds. The heater in the truck or a blow dryer works well. They need to be warm to the touch.

Yikes!!! Looks like a Bianchi gun with a different twist. I assume you have to take the shroud off to get the top end apart?

Brian has the 1050 and all the goodies in his store. Caliber change kits are @ $120. Some calibers are more than others. Caliber change kits include the shellplate, locator buttons and a swage backup expander. As I recall, there are 4 different casefeed plates. Small and large pistol. Small and large rifle.

Get the 1050. It's addicting. Be sure that you have plenty of components because once you start, you won't want to stop.

I've been shooting railed guns since '99. I have had zero problems. I don't remove the rails everytime I clean them. Those that know me know that I clean my guns well and often. I rarely take them out. I have had a few guns where they would fall out. On an Open gun where the scope is mounted to the frame then I am a firm believer in rails. On open sighted guns the rails aren't needed unless the slide to frame fit is real bad. When I'm building a custom, you have to pay for fitting the slide to the frame anyway so the rails aren't very expensive.

I bought the Hornady cleaner last fall. I guess I must have too much time on my hands also. I have about 8k pieces of practice brass that has been loaded who knows how many times. I know some of it is 10 years old. I don't use the ultrasonic every time. I was getting quite a few mushed primers when loading. I noticed that the primer pockets were getting full of crud and the inside of the cases were sooty. Here's my routine: Tumble brass in corn cob. I remove the primers, powder funnel and crimp die from my 1050. Lube the cases and run them through the 1050 to size and deprime. Dump the cases in the basket until it is full. Add hot water to the cleaner along with the cleaning solution. Run the cleaner for 99 minutes. Water temp gets just above 150 degrees. After it's done, dip basket full of cases in a bucket of water. Shake excess water and dump cases on a towel. I spread them out on the towel which dries the sides of the cases therefore no water spots. If it's sunny and warm outside I'll leave them out in the sun for a few hours and they are dry. Otherwise, I leave them inside overnight. Dump them in the casefeeder and start loading. No need for lube since they have already went through the sizer die. I get very few mushed primers now and the cases look brand new. I'll shoot and reload the brass as normal all season and then next Winter start this routine again.

Matches are 3/11, 4/15, 6/10, 7/15, 8/12, 9/9 and 10/14. We shoot all 4 of the Cup events. See match program for directions to range. HINTON 2012 ACTION MATCHES.doc

February March April 21 The Crawfish Cup, Holmwood, LA May 19 Berrien Springs Regional 20 Michigan State 20 - The Flagler Cup, Kansas City, Mo 23-26 National Action Pistol Championships, (Bianchi Cup) Columbia, MO June 16 The Cameron Cup July 21 PA Regional 22 Keystone Cup August 18 MD Regional 19 MD State September 12-16 World Action Pistol Championship, Germany 22 Overlord Memorial Cup, Bedford, VA Regional Action Pistol Championship (www.bedfordrrc.org) 23 Cardinal Cup, Bedford, VA State Action Pistol Championship (www.bedfordrrc.org) October 6 Kansas City Regional November December I believe that about covers them unless someone new shows up. I'll be shooting most of them so I hope to see you there.

Contrary to popular belief, not all 1911 frames are the same dimensions. The prone pads were made for a Caspian frame. I have spent up to 3 hours modifying a prone pad to fit on a Les Baer frame. Most shooters do not use basepads on their mags. The 4 events do not require speed reloads so they are not needed. Take the basepads off and you may have to take some material off of the prone pad in the front. A dremel with a sanding drum works best. In the past, I have whittled on the basepads so that they will fit. Doesn't look very good but they work.

They tried it on other weekends. Berrien Springs is too far out of the way for most of us and local participation is very low. It is supported by us diehards. The matches took the place of Winnamac that ran a match for years prior to Bianchi. They also run a regional and state match back to back like we do. More bang for the buck.

You could always come in a week earlier anyway and shoot with us in Bedford.:cheers:It's not a Regional though. The shooters coming from the east will go to MI and the ones coming from the west will go to KC.

I had this happen with my 1050 a few years ago. Due to the design of the 1050 priming system, all it did was scare the crap out of me. Turns out I had some cases that had gotten wet and during de-priming only the center of the cup would come out. The sides of the primer stayed in the case. When it got to the priming station it tried to push that primer in there and bang. I always use the swager and learned that if I feel the handle get springy the case has a problem. Did you happen to get a hold of a 45 case that uses a small primer?

With the hammer cocked, put a rag on the thumb safety lever and grab it with a pair of pliers. Wiggle the lever up and down and try to pull it out.

I thought Ian inherited a good bit of money. What's his excuse now? Don't get me started on teenagers. It seems that one is the angel and the other the devil. In my case, the angel became the devil and vice versa. The youngest graduates from High School this year. Hopefully we will get some snow days and it will push graduation until after Bianchi. I believe Travis will make Berrien Springs. He has to get it approved by his superiors. Get this, he is going to get paid for Bianchi as "training days". Some people get all the breaks.

I've shot there a few times myself. Tell Michael that Kevin says hello. I've been trying to make it back there for the past several years but my work schedule hasn't allowed it. They are a great bunch to shoot with.

DJM3808, Send Goneracin (Bob Reinhardt) a PM and tell him to come out and give you a hand. He recently moved to CO from our neck of the woods and is chompin at the bit to get some shooting in. He designed and built a good bit of the equipment at the Bedford range. With his help, the range in Bedford is one of the finest in the country.

I would suggest the Spartan and shoot Metallic. They pay to 50 places in Metallic and Production. There were 24 Metallic shooters and over 50 Production last year. The 1911 trigger is much easier to shoot and you can add a prone pad. There are only 12 shots at 50 yards so if the gun will hold 4" at 50 I wouldn't worry about it. Main thing is to get used to the time limits and know where you have to aim at every distance. Practice the plates and especially the Barricade. The Barricade is not easy in Metallic or Production. You can also use a race holster in Metallic making the draw easier.

I'm interested in seeing your response to Chuck's questions. Where is the range? The Mover is always the easiest event for newcomers because you can see the amount of time that you to shoot the shots. As long as someone gives you an idea of the leads you're good to go.

Glad to hear that you're busy. Sure as hell beats waiting around for someone to walk in the door. So we get to see Sam again. It's been a while. I bet she grew a foot. Gotta watch the tax man. They have a habit of making things difficult if you're not careful. You gonna make it to Michigan?

After looking at the club website, it looks like according to range rule 9. C. a guest may shoot on the range as long as they under the supervision of someone that is certified. Makes a newcomer shooting a little more difficult but doable. You really need to add that to your newsletter.

Chuck, Looks good. As an outsider looking in, what does Action Range certified mean? If a shooter has to be certified before they can shoot the match then how can an outsider shoot? It would seem to me that you are limiting your prospective shooters to only those certified which I'm assuming is not very many. Is there a way that a new shooter can show up and shoot as long as they are under your direct supervision? I have some work to do in Lincoln City next month. If I were to bring my gun along, you are telling me that I can't shoot.