matteekay

Well, my only other division is revolver... so I'd have grandpa's guns and great grandpa's guns, lol.

Awesome advice everyone, thank you! I suppose you could actually shoot Limited 10 Major with a 1911. That might be fun, and would open up the other gear a little bit (holster and mag placement, etc). I'd probably start in Single Stack but it's nice to have that as an option. I hadn't thought about it, but Single Stack really is the revolver division of semi-autos. Not sure if that's good or bad, haha. At the very least, running a .45 would be good "there is no recoil" training for my 627.

Howdy! I'm a revolver shooter and I've been thinking about taking on Single-Stack to mix it up a little. I figured I'm usually counting to eight anyhow and the platform is almost as old as revolvers are... At the very least, it would be a good excuse to buy a semi-auto (seriously, I own seven revolvers). I figure it would be nice to have aftermarket support, be able to build out a belt inexpensively, and be able to run factory ammo for once, lol. Some guidance I'm looking for... - Are there any considerations I'm missing? What do you know now that you wished you knew when you started SS? - Does anyone do SS Minor or is it really not worth it? - Do the Chip McCormick 10-round mags make it under the length limit for Major? Understanding that they can only be loaded to 8. - Anyone else out there with stubby thumbs? Do you change the mag release or actuate it with your weak hand? - Am I insane for looking at the RIA Tac Ultra guns? They seem to have pretty good reviews and options for the price (since I'm just trying out SS). Any other thoughts and ideas welcome. Thanks!

I've never heard it described better! I compared these bullets to some of the cannelured lead ones I have. Based on my seating depth, the case had 1/8" or more of extra space inside - that would explain why the max charge still had unburned powder. I'm going to try these new bullets and maybe tick the charge up 0.1. I don't think HP-38 is a particularly dirty powder so I think I can get it to work.

SOLVED! BossHoss gets a cookie. Or points. Or however we score this, lol. I went back and watched the videos from the match. I'd remembered the chambering problems starting on the first COF but they didn't (beyond one clip needing a tiny push, which happens sometimes regardless). I didn't have real issues until COF #3, when the gun was toasty and apparently very dirty. So, I looked the gun over, and found what looks to me like an excessive amount of powder all over everything: The gun was cleaned before the match and I shot less than 100 rounds. This is also a week later and I've handled it a bunch since then, so it was probably even worse the night of.. Then the last piece clicked into place - I changed powders at the same time I changed bullets, going from 700-X to HP-38. I didn't think that HP-38 is a dirty powder, and I'm at max load with it for this bullet, but clearly something is off. Should I try upping the charge? I've also been toying with switching to Solo 1000.

VERY good point, I always shoot video so I'll play that back. The only thing that makes me think it wasn't just me is that I had to push the clips in against stiff resistance. I don't think I could have borked the reloads that badly on my own, ha! Awesome, I'll see you at regionals. Good luck with the bottom feeder!

Great advice guys, thanks! The most frustrating thing has been my inability to reproduce the problem. During the match, almost half the moons had this problem. After, I couldn't get a single one to do it, and I was attempting it with the same moons and ammo from the same batch. I didn't even clean the gun, and tried heating the cylinder with a heat gun before loading to see if that factored in. No dice. I'll have to see if it happens at ICORE next weekend and try to retain the offending moonclip if it does. I'm very interested in that U-Die. I'll have to look into ti.

On the 627? Yes. Again, they drop in fine all the down until the last few millimeters.

Hey Pat! You still in Production mode or are you coming back to the wheelgun side soon? Missouri Bullet Co sells that same profile. I wasn't sure if that lip in front of the cannelure would be problematic but at least it's more rounded than the case mouth is.

I just checked and I definitely have less of a crimp/taper on the lead than I do on the plated. I didn't have the calipers handy but my thumb could feel a difference in the profile. Just for kicks, I put some of the offending rounds into a Comp III speedloader and tried to insert them into my 14-3 (which has no chamfer on the charge holes). It was like ramming them into a wall until I wiggled them into *just* the right spot. Could that be it, then? These are a little less crimped/tapered and they're binding on carbon buildup (or something else) deeper into the cylinder? They drop in with little resistance individually but maybe clipping them together causes a snowball effect that's hanging up the moon.

Good thought. I'm going to do some experimentation before cleaning and see if I can reproduce the problem and then test a few things with the offending rounds (trying each one in each cylinder individually, trying a different moonclip, etc).

I actually don't know that build-up is the issue. I just dropped a bunch of moons using the same ammo and dirty gun that I was last night and they fell straight in. I hate it when there isn't a clear cause of the symptoms, lol. I'm going to de-moon and re-moon a bunch of that ammo and see if I can find one that won't drop. I'll give the cylinder a good scrubbing. Typically I use a bronze brush with Hoppes #9 Bore Scrubber and then clean it out with a Bore Snake with a bit of oil on the tail end. Yeah, can't roll crimp with the coated bullets. Honestly, I wish someone made a 158 with the same profile and a cannelure.

.38 Special, .025"

I think .358 is pretty standard for lead bullets in a .357 gun. The Berry's and BBI's are pretty close. I just measured them and the BBI's are .73 and the Berry's are .69 . I've been loading them to the same OAL. I've cleaned the gun several times since the transition and I always scrub the cylinders, but I guess it's possible there's still some buildup.

Howdy! I've been reloading and using the following load in my last few ICORE and USPSA matches (shooting a 627 with RSC moons): - 160gr BBI roundnose (.358 coated lead) - 3.7gr of HP-38 - Federal brass It shoots well, but I've been having a problem with the moonclips hanging up when I reload. They will drop in all the way and then freeze a millimeter or two from the bottom. I have to push the moon with my thumb to get it seated so I can close the cylinder. Needless to say, this isn't the quickest reload, ha. It seems to get worse as the gun heats up, as well. I wasn't having these issues when I was using Berry's plated 158's (sized .357) so I'm wondering if that slight tolerance change, coupled with something in my reloading process, is the culprit. Could I be flaring the case mouth too much and not removing enough when crimping? I'm using a taper crimp that's right on the edge of where I'm comfortable with coated bullets (leaves a faint ring in the coating but doesn't cut it). Thanks!

Lol, there we go! I cannot lie!

Awesome! I know the rulebook says "no weighted grips", but the Big Butts look much heavier than they are. I feel like I'm missing an obvious butt joke somewhere in here...

Does anyone know if Hogue Big Butts are allowed in Classic? Or do they fall under the "Weighted" category?

I've been looking at these guys a bit. One question: don't double-to-singles have to start with the hammer down for USPSA Production? Does the X-Calibur have a decocker? I'm a revo guy so I'm used to those goofy commands like "cylinder closed" - I don't know how the bottom feeders do it, lol.

Noooooo, I heard on on the S&W forum first . Looking forward to seeing it in action and, dare I offer, trying one out!

Oh yes, we lurkers abound! I actually just ordered an Apex for my 627 based on this thread. What mainspring should I use? The stock S&W PC spring or the Wolff Type II that's in there right now. Also, hi Toolguy! I want dem springs! Lol.

Exactly. It's why ICORE added Limited 6 (though the arrays are supposed to be 6-round neutral I think, lol). In USPSA you can at least shoot major and get the scoring advantage with six, though it's probably still better to run 8. That's why the IDPA rule confuses me. I love moon clips, and all my rigs are set up for them, but they're not a big enough advantage to make switching to major make sense.

IDPA is supposed to be fun?! I thought that's what USPSA was for. {ducks}

Late to the party, but I'm a ICORE/USPSA shooter who just did my first IDPA match. I would love to be able to run my 627 even if it's with the semi's. Or load 8 but draw a procedural for shooting more than 6, like USPSA used to do. That being said, more baffling is the PF/reload rules. The options I'm presented with are ditch my moonclips and shoot a PF that's too weak to be used defensively (105), or use them but be forced to step up to magnum levels (155). I thought the point of this game was to use realistic loadouts in realistic(ish) scenarios? Why can't I employ my actual IRL carry of medium (but controllable) 38's loaded in moonclips?

Excellent, I think I've got a better handle on this now. Thank you!