Alaskan454

I'm not opposed to the 627, I just thought I'd like to try the reduced weight of the R8 if I went with a 38 platform. I've also been reading about guys who run 38SC in the 929 so I'm open to that idea as well, I'd segregate my brass once it's fire formed and only run it in that gun. I'm leaning towards the 929 since I have other 357s but none with an 8 shot cylinder and wouldn't likely run much 357 through a gun set-up for minor loads anyway. I think I just talked myself out of the 357 models but we'll see.

I had my first steel left up this weekend, I hit the darn thing but never checked to see if it hit the ground. I was staring in disbelief when they scored my shots. I always wondered how people forget and now I know.

I've been doing a lot of reading lately on 8 shot guns, I don't currently have one and would like to get one some time in the next 6 months when funds allow. I'm running a 625 at major PF in IDPA/ICORE/USPSA and would like an 8 shot minor gun for the latter two. I've narrowed down my choices to the guns above and I like that the 929 has a Ti cylinder and is 9mm native, but the R8 can shoot 38SC up to 357 and is clearly the most versatile. Also, I want a gun that I could easily swap optics/irons and the R8 system would be just about perfect for that. Everything I've read on these guns implies there will be an adjustment period to get the 929 running with 9mm or the R8 with 38SC so I'm not seeing a clear winner yet. What do the seasoned shooters on here think? I know several of you likely own both and may have run into some things I haven't considered or read about yet. My only experience with Ti cylinders was a 329PD and it had some longevity issues after 1K rounds of 44 mag so I ended up selling it. My 625 has had many thousands of dry fires and probably 4-6K rounds down range, peening hasn't been an issue yet but I'm still checking up every now and then.

Thanks for the advice, I ended up with a 446-2x today on a 60 shot course of fire. Only had one miss and at least it was a sighter. I think a shooting jacket and glove would have greatly improved my scores. I'll try to make another one in the future.

Thank you! I appreciate all of the help on here, that's a great resource.

I felt exactly like you when I started with revolvers two years ago. I was fast and accurate with my CZ Shadow T, I got to a point where everything was natural and my scores were getting pretty good compared to guys with a lot more experience. Then I gave revolver a try and man was it hard to post the same times. It was frustrating but eventually quite rewarding to see my improvements over time. My best advice is to continue shooting limited and hold on to your revolver gear. Bring it along when you go to the range and practice with both guns, eventually your skills will get to a point where you can feel both comfortable and confident about shooting it on the clock. Looking back I can't believe I considered selling my competition revolver since I now have an embarrassing number of revolvers and only shoot my semi-autos to stay proficient for HD. Last thing to consider, go look at the match times for IDPA indoor nationals and compare Jerry Miculek's scores to the top CDP, ESP, and SSP shooters. He is without a doubt one of the best and even he'll post a wide margin compared to the semi autos. Apple and oranges if you try and think limited when shooting your revolver in a match. Edit: I forgot to mention earlier, you said ego was a big part of the frustration and that's hard to get past if you are accustomed to being at the top of the pack. But...and this is a big one...if you get to a point where you can shoot that 929 as well as the semi-autos it's a great feeling, and one worth chasing. I did a little dueling tree the other day with my 625 against an STI DVC (with a good shooter) and he only got me by one plate. That's the best "loss" I've felt in a while.

GrandBoule, thank you for all of the pointers. I'll keep those in mind when I head out to the range tomorrow.

The title says it all, I got a loaner CMP Bushmaster with a nice trigger and good sights to try my hand at Highpower. Got the windage and elevation dialed in this morning and was a bit nervous since I had never shot a rifle past 100 yards before. The AR is quite heavy which helped to keep it steady at the 300yd line. I managed one decent five shot group of 4" at 300 yards shooting prone, the others were scattered up to a foot for the same. I warmed up at 100 yards and everything seemed all too easy until I sat down at the 300yd line, I think I've got a ways to go before I start hitting that x-ring on purpose. Any advice from the iron sight shooters out there? It was the first time I used a sling and shot prone, I think my technique could greatly improve consistency. I didn't get real comfortable with the shooting position until I ran out of ammo. Also, I was using the point of aim sighting method at 100yds but I think a 6 o'clock hold would be more consistent for me at longer distances. I didn't have official NRA targets handy, but the ones I brought were pretty large and I had trouble getting a nice sight picture at 300yds. All in all it was a humbling experience and I'm looking forward to the challenge, luckily the first match is only prone so I don't have to worry about the other shooting positions just yet.

Well said, I like his point of view.

1. I started so I could get 2-3x as many rounds for the same cost of factory ammo in 45 ACP and 9mm. 2. Then it turned into way more savings for 44 mag, 45 Colt, and 454 Casull when I got into single actions. Now with a 480 on the way this couldn't be more relevant. 3. I soon realized my handloads could be more accurate than factory loads while still being at least 2-3x cheaper. I got very serious about action pistol shooting and actually developing loads for each specific gun. This is the point where my .22s became safe queens and I was shooting hundreds of rounds per week of any caliber I wanted since they are all about the same price. Thank god for cast bullet pricing! 4. Now we're at the present, I buy everything in bulk to maximize savings and shoot as much as I can per dollar for high volume calibers. My last 1k 45s cost me about $110 and the 9/38s can be a bit cheaper. I haven't saved a dime in this process, but I'm a much better shooter and like reloading almost as much as shooting.

"No, the Aimpoint screws on from the bottom." Was his response, I really like his mount so I wish it would have worked. I suppose the short Weigand mount is the best bet for an N frame then.

What's the best mount for an N frame? Does the smaller Allchin work?

Does anyone have experience with the CMore RTS2? I was looking at those for my N frame as well.

Alecmc brought up a good point, Hogue has been known to take custom requests in the past. Worth a try if you don't find what you want.

I have Bowen rear sights on four or five of my guns and simply put they are the nicest aftermarket sights I have ever used. I like them so much I ordered another set for a gun I don't even own yet. The only factory sights I've seen of similar quality were on a Sig X5 Match. I use Bowen's on my 625 competition gun and all of my hard kickers in 45 Colt, 454 Casull, and soon a 480. Once you get it sighted in with loctite they DO NOT move. Guys have reported firing thousands of rounds with .475 and .500/.510 guns without problems. So now that we've clarified they are practically bullet proof, let's move to the sight picture. The notch is my ideal width for a combination of speed and accuracy at 0.125", and since I like a fiber optic front for all of my guns it's nice that the notch is deep enough to see the full dot even with a short 3-4" barrel. That is not the case with all rear sights and blades. I have the target-style blade on all of mine and when you look at the sight it's a crisp square rear in deep black. In case you haven't noticed by now I REALLY like this product and highly recommend it. Edit: Added a picture of my 625 and Redhawk, both have the same sight.

I have a 4.2" model that shipped with Hogue rubber grips. It's since been converted to a round butt wood grip and the only thing you might need to change is the plastic grip locator. Other than that you have no issues putting a Hogue grips on the round butt gun. Send me a PM if you need more info or head over to Rugerforum.net. Why am I not surprised that when I contacted BOTH Hogue and Ruger they advised me that there were no non-wood grips for the new Redhawk in 45ACP/45Colt. If yours was shipped with Hogue rubber grips, then apparently there ARE rubber grips for the revolver. *shakes his head* I'm betting they thought you wanted round butt rubber grips which do not exist. If you want the regular style grips like the ones that shipped on my gun, they look like this: http://www.ruger.com/products/redhawk/specSheets/5027.html Granted, I don't have the new model that comes as a round butt so it might have a different style grip locator, but knowing Ruger they tend to keep the parts are similar as possible across platforms. For mine I just ordered part #s 780000255 and 780000257 from Brownell's and the wood grips worked like a charm. As they say proof is in the pictures, so I attached one of mine fresh off the round butt conversion. Only thing to consider is that the grips made for a square butt grip will have a gap where yours round off. I can slip my factory Hogue's on and take a picture if you can't visualize what I mean.

I just loaded up 1K 155gr SWCs at .453 and the seated depth turns out to be the most sensitive parameter as mentioned above. I adjusted the c.o.l by 20 thousandths of an inch and went from about 25% oversize cases to <1%. I've done a lot of testing on my brass throughout the process and it looks like the Dillon sizing die is not part of the issue, it is 100% related to the bullet dimensions, seated depth, and bullet placement. The next batch are plated and a bit more forgiving in dimensional tolerances. Just thought I'd pass this along in case someone else runs into the same issue later on.

I think I'm going to sell the G.I. and pickup a tac model. Looking for something to shoot the occasional single stack match with.

I practiced a little bit and it seems the only benefit to reloading with the strong hand is if you're forced to reload in a position that would make it hard to keep the cyinder swung out or you need to reload from behind the holster (as is required in IDPA). I think I'm going to practice the weak hand and use it exclusively in my next match.

I have a 4.2" model that shipped with Hogue rubber grips. It's since been converted to a round butt wood grip and the only thing you might need to change is the plastic grip locator. Other than that you have no issues putting a Hogue grips on the round butt gun. Send me a PM if you need more info or head over to Rugerforum.net.

I'm going to be shooting highpower that Saturday, otherwise I'd be happy to head down south. I hear you have a nice club in sellersburg.

I like that system!

Thanks, I was wondering about that.

I plan to do plenty of shooting, I loaded a bunch of ammo these last two weeks. Just curious what my current skill level is since I'm new to revolver division this year.

I shoot with Jerry's grip and love it for the reason you just mentioned. Every time I draw from the holster or reload my hand goes back to the same spot.