matteekay

Again, Trail Boss. Ain't nothin' fluffier! (TM) Alliant Sport Pistol is also a good size and should work well for you. I haven't clocked it in .38 but I love it in my 9mm loads.

Right, but the steel should be calibrated to a 105 PF.

Thinking about it now, and IDPA's power floor is so low that you could probably make some great mouse fart loads with a 147 or 158 and some Trail Boss.

Hey Richie, I did a bunch of experimenting with Titegroup and Eggleston Munitions 148gr bullets. Out of my 5" 627, 4.1 grains turned in a 129 power factor. Obviously that's more than enough speed to make 105 even out of a 4" barrel. I don't have an OAL for you because the EM's have a cannelure, so I just crimped to length. Sorry about that! Also, FWIW, I greatly prefer the recoil of a 158gr SNS bullet over 3.8gr of Titegroup (makes a 133 out of the same gun). I dialed that load as low as 3.5gr and was still making power for USPSA (129) so you should be fine there. It got a little dirty when it was that low, though.

Paul - sorry that it happened, but thanks for posting this. It's good to be reminded how dangerous this game can potentially be. Here's to a speedy recovery!

This, absolutely. I have a CMC that works, a MecGar that's awful, and a pile of Metalforms that are my competition mags (which are the same tube/spring/follower as Dawson). If you're just getting your feet wet, the Metalform 10-rounders have a decent plastic baseplate that doesn't need to be replaced right off the bat (though I have since added Dawson bases to all of mine) and are typically about $30 shipped when they pop up on eBay. By way of comparison, I only run Tripp 10-rounders in my 45 1911 as CMC's don't drop free and Wilsons are pricey (and everyone replaces the guts with Tripp parts anyway).

Has anyone tried a .45 ACP load with this yet? I'm wondering how far I can power it down since I only need about 750 to safely make Major with a 230gr bullet. Alliant's data indicates a max load that will do 900 and change but they don't have any starting load data. Edit: Just remembered which forum this was posted in. I'm a dummy, lol.

Yup. I think the only "must have" with them is a new front sight - the factory one is just too wide. I did a Dawson FO as well on mine. I bought a TCM model used (without the TCM components, so 9mm only) which is equivalent to the Rock Ultra #51623. It goes for $550 on *that* site and has good grips, an adjustable rear sight, FO front, an okay magwell, and an upper 3 lb trigger. Can't ask for much more. The ONLY complaint I have is that the frame is a hair longer than standard, so trying to use a MSH/magwell like the Smith and Alexander didn't sit quite straight. I wound up doing the Wilson model that hooks over the lower bushings and simply filing a little clearance in the hooks. It should also be noted that this is on an older gun and I think things have been fixed since then as my new .45 RIA takes all accessories without an issue:

Not stainless, or fancy, but my RIA 9mm has been very dependable.

I finally got to try it in 9mm and really like it. 3.4gr behind a 147gr SNS coated RN made power with room to spare (I want to say about a 136 - need to find my notebook). Nice recoil impulse and very accurate. I found it a little smokey but I wouldn't call it "bad". I shoot Trail Boss with bare lead though so my scales are probably off.

I picked up one CMC to try and it's exhibiting the exact behavior described here. The Wilson 10-rounder I have doesn't hang up at all. I see a lot of people advocating using the Wilson mags with Tripp followers. Is there anything wrong with just getting the Tripp 10-round mags that already have them?

Good to know. Do they function well for you?

Ah, found it. Mind the gap!

Awesome advice, everyone, thanks!

These are phenomenal! I need to dig up the one I have from behind my old 4" Chiappa Rhino. There's an insane amount of fire that leaves its cylinder gap.

Thank you, Chuck!

That's great info to have - thank you! What sort of 1911 are you running? I'm coming to learn that different guns like different mags.

Does anyone know if the Chip McCormick 10-round Power Mags meet the length requirement for USPSA Limited 10 (6.742” / 171.25mm)? Thanks!

Seconded. I picked one up (a 1911, not a 2011) because I have no bad feelings about performing Dremel Fu on it, lol.

Great job and congrats!

I'll echo everyone above. I finally got a pile of #100's, but I still use the #200's in my bowling pin loads for a little extra punch. No adjustments to the gun necessary.

That's what I was wondering about, and it definitely sounds like there's two different schools of thought there. Thanks for all the input, everyone! I have been keeping up with the thread; I just didn't have anything to offer, lol. I was curious if most of the trouble going from Open to another division stemmed from the ability to use a comp (and the reduced recoil it affords you), but it sounds like even the sights themselves can be an issue.

For what it's worth, I had an NROI class over the weekend and the instructor said that classifier adjustments are scheduled for "soon".

Dangit - outfoxed again! LOL.