AustinMike

I've got some friends out here, some like family and just wanted them to know it's a devastating week for our family. I lost my mom at 1:38am this morning. An aggressive strain of pneumonia took her down quickly. She was 62. My brother was to be married this Saturday. We are devastated and I don't know what to say. I haven't slept, I'm hurt, I'm angry, I'm in shock. I believe we can use any prayers or good thoughts anyone cares to send our way. Mom...suddenly, unexpectedly, you were gone.

Me too! I also thought it was a pain to switch primer systems, but I did for almost 10 years. Then a friend gave me a second 550 on the condition that I occasionally load some .45 for him if he buys the components. Hell, yeah!

One of the matches I plan to shoot mandates engaging a target array without a light, then using the light for the rest of the course. I'm thinking of getting at least a night sight on the front. The single lamp rear available on the Warren Tactical is interesting too, kind of like the Heinie Straight 8. I'm using Warren sights on my Production gun anyway, so I'm used to that sight picture. I've used 3-dot FOs in the past, but 3 glowing dots may be too distracting, at least in a match.

I'm gearing up a Glock 17 for the occasional night match and a night stand gun. I've got a rail mounted LED light already and a holster for it. Those who have shot night matches, are night sights useful at all or does the light illuminate things enough? If night sights are recommended, which ones do you suggest?

Thanks ya'll!

This is the only spring I saw in a search. Is this the one? Brownells spring

My 1100 was binding up in the tube today. The plastic follower was stopping short of pushing the last round out. The follower is pretty rough looking and I need to replace it. I'd like to get a metal one instead of plastic. Suggestions? Also, were can I find replacement springs for the tube? I've got a Choate +5 tube and I can't seem to find any place online that sells just the spring.

An STI Trojan tuned by Dawson's ought to do it.

I've owned both in .40. My KKM is a drop-in and it's accurate, good case support, no problems. The LWD I had in another gun was accurate, but chamber was really tight. I had a few jams until I started using the barrel as a gauge (which is probably good practice anyway.) Whether the benefit is real or psychological, I felt better using one of them in .40 since I have no idea how many times my brass has been reloaded.

Not sure, Merlin. It's seemed fine with the 16# spring and I haven't tried to troubleshoot it any further. It would be nice to be able to drop down. So, you think the 14# was too long?

An FFL has to account to the ATF for every gun that goes through their business. Receiving from another FFL is the best paper trail. The guy that does my transfers will accept from an individual, but only if they fax a valid driver license. That way he's at least got that documentation of where the gun came from in case of a problem.

Glock 34 WEIGHT 650 g / 22.92 oz. Glock 17 WEIGHT 625 g / 22.04 oz. Not that much difference. I doubt that the extra .88 ounces does anything to help with recoil. It does balance in the hand differently though, which may translate to better control for some. It's probably more of a mental thing. If you think it will help, it just might. Still not sure how much difference the sight radius makes. I guess I'm just gonna have to do some 50 yard tests.

Thanks, Dillon. I'll get with you in a few weeks. I don't think I'll get a chance to take down the press and get it packed up until I have some time off next month.

The G17 seems to shoot flatter to me. I figure it's probably the extra length of the slide on the G34 giving the appearance of the front sight rising higher. I just about have to have a DOH if I'm shooting the G34. The draw seems a bit awkward from a regular belt holster, probably just need more practice. They both shoot better than I do. There is more sight radius on the G34 for long or tight shots. Right now though, I'm playing with Warren sights with the wide notches. With "race" rear notches like that, I'm not sure the extra sight radius does much for you since it's such a loose sight picture anyway. Maybe that's just me. Surprised Flex hasn't stopped by yet. I'll say it for him. "Pick one and practice."

I'm running this same load, which runs almost 170PF in my Kimber. Are you guys with the light springs running a recoil buffer or anything? When I tried a 14# I started noticing some peening in the slide where I guess it was whacking the frame. I went to a 16#. I'd like to go lighter, but a buffer won't allow the slide to go into battery.

If the buyer's FFL allows private individuals to send guns, you don't need an FFL on your side. They will want a copy of your drivers license usually. However, you can only send the gun overnight through FedEx/UPS. Otherwise, you have to get your FFL to ship it to the buyer's FFL. Your FFL can ship Priority Mail, which is a lot cheaper. Your FFL will want a copy of the buyer's FFL's license (and vice versa.)

My 10 year old 550 has gotten really sloppy and the upper pins keep backing out. Probably need to pack it up and send it in for a refurb.

Send it to those goofballs in the white coats on Guns & Ammo television and ask them to fire in one of their guns for a torture test in an M&P or something. Like others have said, when in doubt, throw it out. Never, ever have more than one powder can by your press. That's just badness waiting to happen. We all do stupid stuff from time to time so it's best to limit the damage we can do as much as possible. I go so far as to keep my powder in a separate room and take the one I'll be loading with out to the press. The hopper is emptied back into the can and carried back to storage as soon as I'm done.

I'd contact Lone Wolf Dist. Bet they'll be very interested to see this and probably send you a new one.

Use what Chuck uses!

Thanks, guys!

One of my wife's friends in Abilene. TX lost her husband. The guy did gunsmithing work, had a class III license apparently, and left behind a bunch of guns and tools. No idea what or how many as of yet. She wants to sell them and called us since she know I shoot a lot and thought I could help. She says he built some guns himself and there is full auto stuff she thinks. We'll probably make a trip out there soon to see what she has. I'd like to be able to refer her to an FFL dealer out there who could assist with selling things. I'd hate to see her get taken by somebody low-balling everything though. CDNN Investments is out there, but that's about all I know of and I don't know if they could help or not. Anyone out in that neck of the woods got any suggestions?

I'd think Bullseye would work, but I don't have any recipes. As far as bullet weight, heavier bullet with a fast powder feels softer to a lot of people, myself included. It takes more energy (i.e. more powder, bigger boom) to push a lighter bullet to the same power factor as a heavier one. The extra powder creates more "thrust", translating to more felt recoil. It comes down to personal preference though. Some like the snappier feel of lighter bullets while others like the slower "shove" of a heavier bullet. A 230 grain bullet with 4.0 Clays is a popular load in this game. With a 200 grain bullet, I might go a little slower, maybe Universal Clays.

I think the empty cases in my picture were unsized/belled. The damage done by a mixer is really subtle and hard to see with the naked eye. You can see the damage with a magnifying glass and measure case wall thickness to tell for sure. I sure thought I was going crazy until Eric pointed me in the right direction. It's hard to explain to folks and usually people immediately say it's the way the press is set up. I guess it works for some people, but thrashing the brass around in a cement mixer is bad ju-ju to me. Hmm...you guys have me thinking about the Dillon now. My Midway is at least 10 years old. It still works, but takes a long time.

The bullets in the picture were pulled from uncrimped cases. Look closely at the picture of the cartridge and you can still see the bell. It was pulled off the press right out of the seating die. Lead and moly fills the gap. Quite the mess! Unfortunately, the peening does not get ironed out by the powder measure insert. This boils down to the cases being slightly too thick at the mouth and jagged edges that scrape the bullet in a tight tolerance die like the Redding. It's possible you won't see a problem with a looser die. No more cement mixer for me. I try to buy dirty brass and I'll clean it myself! Edit to add: Here's a link to my original post about the problem: Shaved bullets Oh yeah, I still owe EricW a beer for pointing me to the solution!