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DT Guy

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Everything posted by DT Guy

  1. Untempered high carbon steel will hit 63+ on the Rockwell C scale, a bit harder than a file-right out of a hardening bath, pre-tempering, a file will skitter across full hard tool steel. Assuming it's a new, quality file, I'd be leery of using a part that the file couldn't cut. Larry
  2. I used to agree with this, but as I aged and my eyes went South, I found the bigger light bars a great help; I shoot a .100" on everything now, and shoot better than I have in years. I will add that if you're using a FO sight, having a BRIGHT FO in the narrower sight helps a lot. Larry
  3. It is worth checking Ned's site/gallery just for the firearm eye candy. VERY nice , Very innovative work. Somewhere on the site he mentions he hasn't taken orders for two years, and he's still five years behind! I included Ned in an article years ago for AH or CH, and nobody'd ever heard of him; he offered to do Conamyds on a pistol for me when he had a ONE WEEK turnaround, and I put it off. Good thing I'm not a stock broker, eh? Larry
  4. After years of shooting 1911's in .45 and lots of other guns in 9mm, I got my first 9mm 1911, a Spartan. While it's headed back to STI to get it to run properly, it's already shown that 9mm in the 1911 platform is lots of fun. I think it's about the ultimate IDPA ESP gun, and if you are used to the controls and ergos of the 1911, it makes sense to have your 9mm in that format. Larry
  5. You can try Midwest Training Group (MTG.) Bob H. is an accomplished competition shooter, and an excellent instructor. They are a 'travelling' crew, so do classes throughout the area. I know Oak Park hosts Phil Strader, and perhaps others, throughout the year. Larry
  6. Where are you shooting now? There are clubs that host visiting instructors like Phil Strader and others. You could also consider finding a high-caliber shooter at a match and asking them if you could pay them for some one-on-one time. If you're a new shooter, a master class shooter could give you enough in an hour to work on for a year... Larry
  7. This reminds me of two opposing schools of thought for training in bike (bicycle) racing, back when I was young and skinny and did that. The first school of thought said, 'Ride 100 miles, so the 20 mile race feels easy.' The second school of thought said, 'Ride 10 miles at an explosive pace, to teach your legs to ride at higher speed.' What emerged, 'interval training', was a combination of the two. It recognized that to go faster, you have to TRAIN faster, so short sprints and bursts of speed would get rotated into the training schedule along with long endurance rides. Most shooters train by trying to shoot -0's, and then try to shoot them faster. The shooting equivalent of interval training would be practicing a stage until you're shooting it so fast you're blowing all the shots, then continuing to shoot it at that speed while trying to get a sight picture and break the shot cleanly. Trying to get the accuracy back into the speed, rather than the speed into the accuracy, so to speak. IMHO, it works, although my shooting these days wouldn't prove it.... Larry
  8. Doesn't seem to be-goes into battery fine when empty.
  9. Staying in the chamber; happens with WWB and Federal bulk factory 9mm, so I'm guessing sizing isn't an issue. I did notice in dry testing that the extractor is holding the case just slightly away from the breechface. When tight enough to hold the case, the area of the rim away from the extractor is touching the breech, but the extractor side is a few hundredths away...is that typical?
  10. I have a 9mm STI Trojan and I have found the best extractor tension to be about 12 - 16 ounces measured using a weigand gauge pulled straight down with a precise trigger pull gauge to measure the force.You should also make sure the hook tip is sharp and square and not rounded off. 9mm feeding into a 1911 is always going to be cranky (because it's s single stack mag). The tapered case of the 9mm means the nose doesn't stay up well and you often get "nose dive" jams on the first or second round off the stack. I have also found the ten round mags to be a lot more cranky than the 9 round Mec Gars which feed better. Yes, I'm learning that a 10 round 9mm that runs might be more rare than I originally suspected; I don't have a gauge, but have varied from 'far too little' to 'too stiff to feed' tension in small increments, and it's still leaving casings in the gun. The extractor has been deburred on its leading face, and I can't really find anything else to tweak. I haven't had a 1911 stump me like this in quite some time.... Thanks, Larry
  11. Is it failing to feed ? Fail to eject? fail to extract? That would help, wouldn't it? The gun was running well with the original 9 rounder, but has had various problems since switching to Tripp 10 rounders. Lots of double-feeds, which I've addressed (with Virgil Tripp's advice) by tightening up the feed lips on the mags. Now I'm finding what I think are failures to extract (it's only happened in matches, so it's a blur...) so I'm looking at the extractor. Right now, I've got the casing held not-too-firmly against the breechface, but sliding very easily under the extractor. I've lightly beveled the leading edge of the extractor (like I do on any other 1911) and polished the contact areas. I will give it a shot (hah!) and adjust. Thanks for the info- Larry
  12. I've been trying to run Tripp 10 rounders in my STI Spartan, and having consistent double-feeds. After calling Tripp and speaking to Virgil himself, he said that some guns require the feed lips closed from .325" to about .310" to avoid letting rounds spill during reloads. I have modded the mags, and will try them later this week to see if they remedy the issue. I have to add that Mr. Tripp was absolutely the most informed, pleasant fellow to speak with. He took the time to describe to me all the challenges involved in getting a 9MM to feed correctly, and before telling me how to do the mods, he flatly stated that there was NO risk for me; he would be ready to replace/refund the magazines at any time. Class act, for sure. Larry
  13. It seems to be a theme that the shooting sports, in general, attract some of the nicest folks you could ever want to meet. And at our local matches, the very best shooters are also the nicest, quickest to help and easiest to talk to. I don't know what it is about this sport, but it truly seems like character helps you succeed. Larry
  14. I think one of the main advantages of the Spartan is the tool steel STI internals; add those parts up, and you're looking at $100-130 to put quality internals into the gun. FWIW- Larry
  15. I don't think so, but maybe. I will remove the grip safety when I get home and give it a whirl. The thing that "gets" me, is that if I boost the trigger it goes away for a while. Then comes back. Stumped. Specifically press the grip safety fully down when testing-the trigger bow sliding against the bottom of the GS, or knocking the GS when it moves back, can do EXACTLY what you're describing. Larry
  16. There's no reason we can't get an XBox game and realistic controller for this-jeez, I'd have to play a video game if they did that. Imagine-courses of fire from major matches, and you could 'be' Burkett, Leatham, etc..... Larry
  17. Mmmm...might be harder to keep captive in the tube.I would imagine you could get most of the way to the same effect if you highly polished the standard parts, along with their mating surfaces on the safety and slide stop. If you wanted to mount the bearing into a carrier, that might be a bit easier, but I'm not sure what you're hoping it will do. What improvement are you trying to make? Larry
  18. All striker fired guns are sensitive to oil in the channel. As far as where it came from, it could be the initial shipping protection, as mentioned. Could also be something that migrated in when the gun was stored, or when it got hot. Larry
  19. Just curious, what was happening specifically? Larry
  20. 180 or not, wouldn't pointing the muzzle at any other human beings automatically be an 'unsafe gun handling' DQ? Especially if they start shooting back..... Larry
  21. Assuming you're talking about the 10-round stainless steel Metalform 9mm mags where the top front of the tube dimples in then back out to form a sort of "pre-feed ramp", then yes, I have shot them, and did not find them at all reliable. OTOH the 9-round Springfield pre-feed ramp mags on which the front of the tube is scalloped in along its entire length, then bent back out at top to form the pre-feed ramp, are probably the most innately feed reliable 9mm 1911 mags in existence. Thanks. I can pop $35 for the Tripps, but dreaded having to 'need' the $50 Ultras! Larry
  22. Just used the stocker, Duane. Seems OK, but I wanted to isolate any problems with the gun before I bought more mags. I'm hearing that for 10 rounders, Tripp is the way to go? Larry
  23. Tried about 100 WWB and 50 Federal Wally World specials today. Had three or four FTF's, which I'd consider normal for any gun breaking in. Slide movement is much smoother, although it still won't return to battery if the slide's retracted about 1/2" and released slowly. I'm guessing another 200 rounds and it will be ball-bearing smooth and still nice and tight. I'm surprised, I'll admit. I'm used to paying more or doing more work to get a 1911 that runs about like this; I keep waiting for the catch, somehow. Oh, and a 9mm 1911 feels like cheating, which is just what I was after....! Larry
  24. Just picked up my 9mm Spartan, and found I could *barely* rack it. Seriously tightly fit, frame to slide. In fact, it took a number of forcible hand cyclings to get it where it could close from slide drop. After a couple days of hand cycling and manipulation (sounds so much better than 'playing with your new gun', as my wife usually puts it) it still hesitates to fully close with recoil spring pressure alone. If you pull the slide back 1/2", for instance, it just stays there until you give it a shove to get it moving again. It's to the point that a slide drop will let it close, though. When in battery, NOTHING moves; not the slide, the barrel, the slide stop-nothing. Now, to be clear-I'm not upset about this. In fact, when I build a 1911 this is just about where I leave it before I 'shoot it in'. I'm just surprised a budget gun would come fit like this. Unless there's some hidden flaw in this thing, I'm really taken aback at the amount of gun I got for $630. The trigger is usable as-is, and should require no more than a spring tweak to become 'very good.' Very few machine marks inside or out, and overall just very, very nice. Not knowing what they go for, I'd have guessed it was an upper-end 1911, to be honest. Finally shooting it today, so we'll see if the magic lasts.... Larry
  25. I understand your point. I almost wish we had a formalized training course before new shooters were allowed to compete just to determine that they were safe. An unsafe person is going to be dangerous on a cold or hot range. But the obvious problem with this is it will detract people from the sport. Not sure what the answer is. My biggest complaint with the Cold range is it can develop bad muscle memory. Ie in real life I can see someone unloading their gun after a shooting like there was an RO standing next to them only to have another threat pop up. People go on auto pilot based on how they are trained. I know this sounds strange but I have caught myself at training starting to unload after completing a drill. Then I have to remind myself I am on a hot range. This is an area where my LEO training is conflicting with competition shooting procedures. Pat Many years ago, at our departmental qualification, we all got to the line and went hot. They gave us the ready and, true to the majority of my training, my hands shot up to put my thumbs at my shoulders..... Looooooonnnnng pause from the rangemaster, then he keys up the range mike and says, "Number 11-we're the police. We don't surrender. Put your hands down, OK?" Of course, that made life interesting for a couple weeks.... I do believe you do as you train, especially in extreme stress. I think your concern is valid. Larry
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