BrianKr

For those who haven't seen it: You'll understand when you get into it a bit. (toward the end if I remember correctly)

Sarge, yes, if you show disrespect expect some in return. You don't even know me. Piss off.

No argument there; read what I wrote again. It was my opinion and my concern for safety. Sorry, safety is for wusses. There is that better? What I wrote was that I feel better when moving to a heavier bullet to also move to a slower powder. It's just safer IMO. BTW, I don't load 147s. I load 160s. That's a heavy bullet, 147s are just normal for the cartridge. It's all a matter of perspective. Your perspective is myopic. I'm new on the forum, not new to shooting or reloading. Far from it in fact. You have no idea what you write about regarding me. Inexperience? Really? Sonny, you only wish you had half of my reloading knowledge.

This is a lot of magic hand waving and doesn't really answer the basic question. Gee, I thought that response was good . One other point that wasn't asked that I'll volunteer... because of the heavier bullet and the (generally) longer bearing surface (more friction), slower powders might be in order. Conversely, a slow powder and a light bullet could be inefficient and might not develop the pressure needed to get the light bullet up to speed. Moving to a faster powder could be called for since the bullet has a shorter bearing surface and less inertia it'll move through the bore easier, requiring fast powder for efficiency. The pressure needs to build faster to keep up with the bullet moving through the bore. Since most handgun cartridges don't show pressure signs anywhere on the case or primer before the gun itself will fail, using a fast powder with a light bullet might be OK. But when using the same powder with a heavier bullet it could be a disaster waiting to happen. That's why I inwardly cringe when someone using Titegroup for instance, moves to a heavier bullet without changing to a slower powder. Without a pressure barrel they simply don't know what's happening in the chamber and are flying blind. Dittos the load manuals. They tell one what's safe and what isn't. With experience other loads can be extrapolated from them by using the information Rt suggested. Remembering to always start low and work up even with a published load from a manual.

Cool! Welcome back!

Interesting. I've never tried it, but I suggest that it would work. My reasoning... subsequent shots fired don't have the pop because the system is full of gas that's been spent. What you suggest pre charges the system with similar gas that can't support the pop. I've never heard the pop that has been described by others so I can't test it. I suspect there is a mechanism, as yet unknown, that prevents it from happening in some systems (to include gun, can, and load). Regarding the water. Well, it all depends on what submerged means. The breech end isn't sealed until the cartridge is fired and then only for a split second. So water will get in there. If water in the can is an issue get one that can be run wet and don't fret about it any more would be my advice.

Yes, the APEX barrel is production legal. Generally if it's visible from the outside (other than what's printed on it) it's not OK. Generally. The rules state what is and isn't OK. Find them at the USPSA site. Help me and just google the site. What you want is in an appendix at the end of the rule book. It's quite clear. If in doubt, don't do it, since it's on you to prove that it's OK.

watlow, the lack of responses you've gotten in the few minutes that your thread has gone unanswered should give a hint as to how to handle it. It has been recalled and I'm the person who has been designated to collect this brass. Just send it to me for proper disposal. I know what you're thinking, "That's a really nice thing that Brian is willing to do for me.". Hey, that's me. I'm all about people. (good haul BTW!) I also masquerade, part time, as a Nigerian prince who has a nestegg of 40 some odd billions of dollars and I need a mere 40k of your money to access it and I'll give you a few billion later if you help me. OK, back to reality. I wouldn't do anything with it, including sending it to me if it doesn't look OK. You didn't mention if it's been tumbled, cleaned, or if it's range brass. But assuming no funky processing or alkaline or acidic range dirt or processing, we can only guess, I would just leave it alone until you get to it. Keep an eye on it to see if anything about it changes. Or I can keep it safe for you, but I've noticed that brass near my reloading bench has a tendency to sublimate and disappear. It's the strangest thing and defies the natural laws. :-) enjoy your brass!

Google uspsa stage designs and you'll find a bunch. (I actually used Yahoo search)

I've seen them and don't care about them. I don't want to pay extra for them, that's for sure, so I voted no. Frankly, I don't know what I'd do with them if any of my guns had them. I use the slingshot method, and on LAMR I can see the cartridge going into the chamber. I know that the rest will do the same thing that the first one did. If I do shoot the gun dry, again, it's the slingshot method and I've never had a problem. The gun works 100%; I wish I was as reliable. Heck, my old SSs were (and are) just as reliable also. Seriously, I don't know what I'd do with forward serrations. I guess if I thought I needed them I'd get a different gun and my present CO gun is NOT terribly expensive. I've had much less expensive guns that were just as reliable. But I shoot for fun and to keep myself sharp for CCW and have absolutely nothing riding on the next match or even the next stage. I look at my M&P sitting next to me with a laser/light unit on it and I know my stubby fingers can't reach under the dust shield and laser to use any FCS. I also don't want to reach over the optic to the front when the rear serrations are so much easier to find and that area of the handgun is also part of my malfunction drill. I try not to complicate things with additional moves that need to be remembered when adrenalin is flowing. KISS works for me. But maybe I'm missing something; it wouldn't be the first time. I have far more use for an extractor that tells me by tactile feel in the dark if a cartridge is in the chamber. It doesn't need to protrude, it can be recessed when the chamber is empty and flush when a round is chambered. The type that requires light for me to see brass through a hole in a closed breech is pretty useless IMO. I guess when it comes to FCS that I think, for myself anyway, that it's a solution in search of a problem.

1911, I think you're absolutely correct.

I've never found any difference in performance in the gun when using truncated cone bullets in either .45 ACP or 9mm (as compared to RN). There is a difference on target though. The flat point punches a nice hole and the holes from them are clearly different. In local matches I inadvertently shot an unpasted target and since my holes were clearly seen the target was scored w/o reshooting.

Well, it's a bit of a story, but here goes. A few years back I shot SS, but I was good for 1 -2 no-shoots per match. I could see my front sight just fine, but the target was so blurred I couldn't tell where the no-shoot and the target began and stopped. I stopped shooting for a few years and last year decided that I was going to shoot even if I had to shoot optics in Open w/o an open gun. I would take the hit of being in the wrong division with the wrong gun just to shoot. So acting on that plan I got a M&P model #10098, it's their 5" ported CORE from the Pro Shop in 9mm. I was on my way into Open division. Sometime during this, CO was started and I decided to shoot in a division where I would be somewhat competitive. So I bought an unported barrel and I'm in CO division instead of Open. I really didn't want to get into the rat race and expense of Open division and I wouldn't have gotten caught up in the gear aspect of Open. I just wanted to start shooting again. I'm happy in CO.

I believe that it needs to be an approved factory model with 2k or some such number made. It's in the list of approved guns or it's not legal for Production or CO. But I'm not a huge rules guy and could be wrong.

There are powders that are classic for the rifle calibers, and if they don't work for you the price isn't going down so you should be able to sell them. I'm thinking WW748 and IMR 4895. If you find military surplus powders that's another way to go. Even if the powder isn't optimum, well, what difference does it make for your use? You can accept that since you aren't doing anything critical with the loads. The same thing goes for the handgun cartridges. WW231 is a classic, TiteGroup is a new standard it seems. For heavier bullets I like Power Pistol. Generally you can get a better price by ordering by the 8# keg. But today, just finding any components in any form can be a challenge. Personally if I find something I can use, no matter the weight, I buy it. You're going to be plinking and target shooting so you probably only need to propel the bullet out of the bore and get OK accuracy. You won't be trying to make the loads tackdrivers, just to allow for shooting. Yes, you can stock up on name brand components. WW primers are good and my preference when I can find them. I'd stay away from Swordfish brand components or names no one else has ever heard of. For handgun I've used jacketed, plated, coated, and sized and lubed lead. They all work but have their best uses. For .45 ACP lubed lead works fine and will save you $, but any of the other bullet types will also work. For near 1000 fps I like to use a coating of some sort on the bullet. Jacketed is the gold standard but cost more, but plated works, and heavy plating works even better. Right now I'm using coated 160 grain bullets in a 800fps 9mm load and they work fine, as did the heavy plated 124s at >1000fps. If I could find 9mm lubed lead bullets in the weight I use (160gr) I'd try them and expect good results, but I can't find them. For the rifle cart's you want jacketed bullets. Hard lead can be used by keeping the velocity down a bit, but it'll be MUCH easier for you if you just stick with jacketed. If you had critical uses for your ammo I might suggest holding off before stocking up. But I don't see that for your uses, and It wouldn't surprise me at all if you can get superb accuracy out of what I suggested you stock up on. There's a reason the suggested powders and such are considered to be classics. Store the powders and primers in (Ideal conditions) low humidity and at a temp in the 50's. It's best if the temp' doesn't fluctuate. Baring those conditions just make sure that you'd be comfortable in that same storage. If so it'll last for decades. At the link you'll find info' that will be relevant. http://www.saami.org/specifications_and_information/publications/download/SAAMI_ITEM_200-Smokeless_Powder.pdf

It's a bummer to read that it's not working for you. But it is what it is and you've been more than patient with it. If I was going to move on I'd look into a CZ P-09. I handled one this past w/e that had been worked over by the owner and I think it would work for me. They are accurate out of the box or so I've been led to believe.

Still new to the game, but I try to stay on plan and not count. :-) I have other things on my mind. If the plan changes I'm screwed and I ad lib. Maybe that'll change as I get experience.

Welcome to the forum cdasso!

I had a round using range brass this past match that jammed in my gun. Since, I have a case gauge on order but back on subject, the 160s that I'm loading hit something inside the case and expanded it enough to cause a major malfunction. It's not going to get me to stop using the load, but I will gauge all of my competition ammo from now on.

I never order steaks out because I'm always disappointed that it isn't as good as I can make at home. There are 2 methods that I use. The first is over lump charcoal with the fire almost touching the steak and the fire roaring. I add cherry wood for the added flavor. Not enough to get in the way of the flavor of the charred steak, but enough to act like a "spice". My favorite that way is a black and blue ribeye. Yes, butter helps the flavor, and helps the smoke to stick. The second way is to Sous Vide the steak @ 129°F then either finish it off with a butane torch after treating it with a brush on mixture of sodium bicarb' and dextrose. Or finished off over lump charcoal as above. Our favorites so far for that is a flap, skirt, or flank steak or Flat Iron. But the steak for it should lack marbling as the sputtering fat gets in the way of the torch work. I've had a number of steak haters eat one of those and they can't stop eating.

Yes to the trigger over stop. Regarding slide lightening with the model #10098, I notice a very large difference between it and the 9c. The 9c having a 3" barrel, and matching slide, of course. I think I'd love to have a 9c CORE for CO division. I didn't look to see if it was on the approved list.

You might be right, it also might be my problem. I've shot both disciplines. I'm accurate but not terribly fast. Hmmm.

You can't shoot fast enough to make up for misses. Start slow and work up through competence as you gain it through practice and dry firing. I know about it, I just won't practice, so I remain accurate, but slow. :-)

With practice you do it when you can't take the shot anyway. You're still prepping the trigger at that point. It happens so fast that it really doesn't use time that can be used in any other way. Try flipping the lever off AS your hands are coming together. Someone wrote, " as you see the front sight"; that's a good description.

We had a classifier this past match that required both kneeling and prone or supine. BTW, the prone shooting was the last part of the stage.