Thanks for the Welcome, that was great.
First, that is not my cat, just a picture I found online.
I have been shooting with my friends and family here in the Pacific Northwest. AR15's, S&W, .22's, 357 sig, 9mm. In SW Wa State, there are many place's just minutes away, just head out into the woods. Get on a logging road, find a good backstop and setup paper targets and a few swinging plates. Fun times with my Brothers. At the end, we would always clean the area. Brass, paper, cans, etc... Never leaving a thing behind. Other knuckleheads shoot out there too, but they leave a mess. Really frustrating to see.
So I have this friend at work and he mentioned to go with him some time and shoot Pins at the local gun club. I own a Glock 32 (357 sig) for everyday carry. Fun to shoot, but not the ideal gun for a Match (in my case). So I looked around and searched and read what people were using, that was affordable and in the Glock Family. Since I have parts, holsters, etc that I currently own. Glock 34's, 22's, 35's...etc. So I checked into a Glock 17 (9mm), found a good deal on a used one and started changing things. ZEV, LWD Barrel, mounted a Fast Fire 3 with a dovetail mount. Started reloading for this G17.
Tried about every bullet I could think of, Rainier, Berry's, Hornady, RMR, Montana Gold, Xtreme. Never really could get the loads to work with the Lone Wolf Barrel. Found one load, Montana Gold 124 hp with 5.2 of WSF. Moving along at 1215 fps. 151 PF.
My friend had been hounding me for weeks about going to a Match. But I was spending that time getting my gear, the load, my draw, shooting grip, stance, etc.. ready before I joined him. Finally after 4 weeks and about a month ago, I did my first match at Douglas Ridge. USPSA sanctioned. 5 stages and 1 Qualifier. Since I am 60, my eyes are not the same and the front sights were out of focus, even with glasses. So with my FF3, I was in the Carry Optics Division.
That was a fun day. Out of 62 I placed 35th. Was really good to meet other members and talk about reloading, guns, help reset targets, pick up brass. It was a blast. Nice people out there . We have a small group of 12 locals that were in the same Squad. A relaxed group, people in their 30's, 40's - 70's. We just go to have fun and sharpen our skills. This day I was talking to a few guys about the LWD Barrel in a Glock. They had the same problem, not being able to find a good load. One guy mentioned to just get a KKM. Which I did that week.
What a difference. With the KKM installed, I was testing Xtreme 135, 147. Hornady 147 using Titegroup and WSF. Every bullet I used I was able to find an excellent load and lowered the fps/pf. Was running 151 PF with the LWD. Now with the KKM I can get very accurate loads down to 115pf. My new load is Xtreme 147 3.9 WSF at 860 pfs 126 pf. What a difference, soft shooter. I had to relearn the G17 all over. Nothing against LWD, I think if you are trying to reach 165pf, you would get there quicker. The chamber is shorting, COL = 1.08 using MG 124hp. I don't use the 'plop' test. I actually use a Dial Indicator and check to make sure the loaded round is at least .005 below the end of the barrel. I'll post a pic later.
Then made it to a Pin Match at the local club. Placed 7th out of 32. Then just finished a USPSA/IPSC Match. Was a terrible day, missing targets, hitting the 'no shoots'. argh!! Placed 89 out of 105. I have learned a lot, and made some new friends. Shooting with my buddy is a riot. We get competitive, but all in fun.
Glad I found this forum. So much to learn. I have many questions too. Looking to go from Minor to Major.
Cheers, Lastcat
