dfm

Hornady 200grn. TMJ/Berry's 200grn. RS 8.5grns. AA#7 Good for 950fps+ out of my Glock22. Haven't found anything out of a .40 that will clean a pin table faster and with more authority, especially after the pins are filled with slugs.

I'm with George D. WST is about as good as it gets in a .45ACP when it comes to cleanliness, performance, and economy. Also works well in the 9mm, .40 S&W, and competition shotgun loads.

Buy a box of factory ammo. Shoot it. If there's anything wrong with the gun itself it will show up with SAAMI-spec loads. Then you at least know that the gun is functional with factory loads. You can go from there with your handloads. This has saved me untold frustration when dealing with a new-to-me rifle purchase.

tightloop, Sorry if I gave the impression that I thought you a snob of anything. I was merely remarking on some of your comments. I apologize for any inference. Although I win my share of events I'm certainly not giving up my day job. As long as I'm competitive for my ability and age I have had a good day whether any prizes are won or not. Seeing/shooting beautiful courses and meeting wonderful like-minded folks is frosting on the cake. As to my skeet friends and their state wins the regulars they scared were the classified NSCA members as the difference between their scores was about 3 birds if I recall. About like two hicks showing up and almost shooting as well as the practiced gentry. Made everyone sit up and take notice. But as I stated earlier these two boys are exceptional shotgunners with long shooting histories. I don't know how they're doing these days as I've since moved to another state. Take care and good shooting! dfm

tightloop, Let's take them by the numbers. 1.) I haven't just started shooting SC's. Although it's not my main sport I've been into the game, off and on, for about 10 years. 2.) I can't drop names like '96 English World Shoot, Andy Duffy, George Digweed, etc. I travel in a less stellar world. At that level of SC's I'm sure that such a small advantage can be helpful. But, again, look who's pulling the trigger. 3.) You pretty much shoot your theory to h*ll by stating that even with a pouch full of different chokes and shot sizes you need a "lights out" day to win your class. 4.) ATA - 27/AA/27 NSSA - 12/A - 20/AA - 28/AA - .410/A SC - Hunter Class Between registered events (with trap being my main focus), money shoots (annies, backers, team events, SC dollar shoots etc.), I log approx. 30,000 rounds a year. Not a pro or bigtime amateur by any stretch of the imagination but not a babe in the woods either. I'm starting to focus more on SC's now because in my neck of the woods (intermountain West) that's where the good money and prizes are. And it's a hoot to shoot besides. As a quick sidebar two good friends went to our state's SC's championship last year. They had both been hardcore skeet shooters up to that point with SC's a sideline sport. Both shot Benelli Nova pumpguns, one Full the other Mod, stoked with Wal-Mart Federal valu-pack 7.5's. They finished 1-2 in Hunter class and scared the crap out of the regulars. Work precludes both from traveling too far but I'd like to see what they'd do at a bigtime shoot out of state. Of course, they are both exceptional shotgunners for this area. I agree that's it different strokes for different folks but I would never start out a new shooter by filling his head full of equipment data when it plays such a small part in the general scheme of things. Good shooting! dfm (Edited by dfm at 10:27 am on Jan. 10, 2003)

Don't overlook the Browning Gold or Remington 1100/11-87. Beretta is the darling of most trapshooters that use an auto but these two are fine for the purpose, too. (Edited by dfm at 10:38 pm on Jan. 8, 2003)

tightloop, I couldn't agree less. I shoot a lot of SC's and have yet to see where a lot of different CT's or shot sizes are necessary to be competitive. In an O/U choked with IC/Mod. or a auto with a Mod. you're good to go on about any course in the US. I use skeet/IC in my O/U with 1 oz. reloads (8's @ 1200fps) and have found it effective 95-99% of the time. Most guys I see that use cordless drills to change out tubes every station and have a pocketfull of different shot sizes/ tubes are rookies or guys that have bought into the SC hype. I find that to do so is a waste of time, money, and concentration. Working on one's shotgunning skills will make better things happen in the long run. dfm

200grn. .40 cal. Berry's RS 3.1grns. WST Super accurate, clean burning, soft recoiling. Great for any application that doesn't need Major.

What caliber?

Being you have a IM choke already save yourself a few bucks and just pickup a IC. Great for SC, skeet, steel use and general purpose upland hunting. If you get into trap or turkey hunting in a big way get a full but don't fall prey to a whole bag of tubes. In the real world you simply don't need them. Work on your shotgunning skills and let other folks worry about whether they have the right choke or shot size.

Was bemoaning to a young friend at work (he's 28, I'm 49) that there hasn't been any good R&R since the early 80's. He burned a copy of AS and gave it to me. I can see why white kids are turning to Rap. AS stinks and confirmed my hunch that the good stuff is really gone for good.

Mag rifle primers are usually used for large amounts of powder or certain ball types. As a general rule-of-thumb I don't use mag primers unless working with a true short mag or bigger case. You certainly don't need them for the type or amount of fuel that any .270 or '06 load would require.

Try 3.0-3.1grns. WST with the 200grn. slug of your choice. Very low impulse, soft shooting, accurate, and clean burning. Runs well with the stock recoil spring. Great steel load, also.

I'm going to drop a Federal ported barrel into my 22 for a poor man's Open gun. What will make the ports work best, heavy or light bullet at high velocity?