1911user

EricW's comments on motors in this thread might be relevent: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...l=tumbler+motor

No, to both questions.

I'll pile on. Mike has done trigger and sight work on 3 M&Ps and went completely through a 1911 45 for me. The man has serious smithing talent.

The case snags and flips are likely caused by the case rim hitting the top edge of the funnel instead of dropping nicely into it. One solution is to use a thin piece of cardboard or something to close off the first 1/8" of the window in the case bowl. That keeps the cases in the bowl slightly longer until they are better centered over the funnel. Make sure the press is solidly mounted to a good bench. Press movement is what causes most of the cases to fall off before they can be pushed into the shellplate.

1 squib is bad; 2 squibs is a trend to investigate.

Agreed. He has tuned a pair of M&Ps for me.

I've had a p3at for over a year now. It works well and is accurate if you take time to line up the small sights. The biggest issue I've had is the pistol walking itself out of my grip with each shot. It happens even with dry hands and holding tight. It doesn't move much, but is enough to notice and affects where the pistol naturally points. A factory +1 round mag extension helped. It allows a full 2-finger grip that's surprisingly solid. I also had the front and backstrap stippled for a more secure grip. The side panels of the grip already have a rough checkered pattern. Both changes really helped to keep the pistol in place during recoil. Without the mag extension, I would consider stippling almost mandatory especially on the frontstrap. The frame is an internal metal structure so the plastic grip can be removed and replaced or shipped without FFL concerns.

Several years ago, I was close to buying a pair of XD9s. Twice, I was almost out the door with money in my pocket, but stopped because of the no parts situation. I'm not going to pay for custom work then have SA undo everything (return to stock condition) to fix a small part. Everything felt good about the XD, but the parts policy cost them the sale of 2 pistols from me and I have talked several others into buying something different. I recently sent SA an email about parts availability for the XDM; no response. EDIT: I called SA customer service and they assured me (at the time) that any XD sent in for warranty work would be returned to stock condition, no exceptions. I took them at their word and went elsewhere. IMO they had a glock-killer product and they hamstrung it from the start. It looks like the custom makers, not SA, will be the ones to save the XD for long-term competition use.

Congratulations, you have persevered to practice and improve. Now the results are showing. Keep up the good work!

excellent job on both accomplishments!

His candor and talent will be missed.

Production because it forces accurate, fast shooting and good reloads. Less recoil, lower cost factory ammo, etc. is only a bonus. B&C hits become much less acceptable with minor scoring.

you're correct http://www.usps.com/businessmail101/classes/priority.htm

I think this is it: USSA Competition Multi-Gun 120 7/12/2008 - 7/15/2008 http://www.usshootingacademy.com/training_...ass=1&id=28

What is the spare parts situation going to be on this model?

http://ammunitiontogo.com/catalog1/index.p...e=12-gauge-slug several good choices there.

Until they actually gets them into the distribution pipeline for sale, I don't believe they exist outside of one-off prototypes. Forget the advertising and hype, tell me when I can actually buy one; until then, S&W should sit quietly in the corner.

I'd also vote 550 unless you plan to shoot 2K+ of 45 every month. If money really isn't an issue, then a 650 with a casefeeder is the nice solution. The 550 is the best utility progressive press, for the money, in my biased opinion. EDIT: on a 550, only the powder funnel and powder bar would need to be changed to switch from 45 to 270. The shellplate and brass buttons are the same since they're both based on the 30-06 casehead.

I have read that FALs are harder on brass due to the rear locking of the bolt. This causes more case strech and reduced reloading life. A rifle with front locking lugs like the M1A or AR10 should be easier on the brass. This makes sense to me, but I have no direct reloading experience for 308 semi-autos. It's something to consider especially if reloading is a priority.

steel framed Kahr 9mm

With the shellplate loaded, I would run the ram all the way up and hold it there. Loosen the lock ring on the sizing die and carefully tighten it again. Also the little spring paperclip might not be adjusted correctly; if you use it, I don't.

You'll save at least an ounce, maybe 1.25 ounces. I have a GI set if needed.

I wish. It was based on past experience with a hornady case feeder.

Close the sliding gate on the casefeeder until it is about half the length of the 223 (or other caliber rifle) case. That should make them feed neck up everytime. The gate should be open all the way for pistol brass.