kmitchl

Thanks. Good stuff. Keith

I've owned the Pact, RCBS and Dillon electronic scales. I currently use the Dillon scale and use Lyman check weights frequently to validate the results. When the check weight is not right I know it's time to recalibrate. The electronic scales tend to drift immediately after they are powered up. I usually keep the electronic scale in my bench continously powered. In addition, when setting up the powder mesure I throw ten charges and weight the total. Keith

The slide stop in my Kimber 9mm Stainless Target II backs out to the point the mag follower over rides the slide stop and the slide wil not lock back. There is about a .020" gap between the frame and slide stop where the slide stop leaves the hole in the frame. I tried the slide stop from another 1911. Although it fit better I had the same problem. Any suggestions on fixing this? I use Metalform mags with metal followers and Wolf 8# mag springs. Keith

I get a 404 error when I try the links. Are there updated links for this thread? Keith

I've run several thousand rounds through G35 lower with a G34 upper. I've used the .40 mags for 9mm in practice and never had any problems but would not be confident with them in a match. Keith

Check the link to Loctite below. From their information chemicals don't affect red loctite. They recommend heat which is my experience. http://tds.loctite.com/tds5/docs/262-EN.PDF Keith

I made a fiber optic fixture from a piece on 1/4" aluminum flat bar. I drilled a hole the diameter of the fiber rod through. Then counter drill to a depth about the diameter of the rod - .040 rod - drill about .040 deep. I put the fiber optic rod in the fixture with about one half to one rod diameter sticking out the front. I use a heat gun to melt the fiber rod. The bead is the diameter of the larger hole. This is the end that faces the rear sight. Insert the rod from the rear sight forward. Cut a little long and melt the front end to fix in place. Produces the same size dot every time. Keith

Thanks to all who contributed. As always, locks are meant to keep honest people honest. Those who wish to steal will find a way. I'm flying out of Houston. Depending on your perspective it may be more secure or less secure. Recently HPD arrested five working in the secured area that were stealing luggage. They found in excess of sixty suitcases that had been stolen. They got caught because someone found the luggage in a dumpster and alerted the cops. That may mean they solved the problem and caught the bad guys or it may mean there are more bad guys still in there. Keith

I'm flying to a match this weekend so went to buy a piece of hard sided luggage for my guns. What I found was that almost all of the luggage sold today with a lock has a TSA lock. As I understand this allows you to lock your luggage but TSA has a master key to open if needed. I thought the declaration we have to sign that goes into the locked case certifies that I am the only person with the key/combination to the lock. This seems to conflict with the TSA lock. Anyone know the particulars of this? Keith

I have them on my G35 slide. I really like them for low light and flashlight shooting . The benefit is the flashlight does not have to be high enough to light the front sight. So with my (poor) technique it stays below the slide and does not light up the smoke to cloud your vision of the target. Not as crisp as the Sevigny sights I use in daylight but adequate for my purposes. One of the shooters in our group had them on a 1911 .45 and had problems getting them to survive the recoil. I've had no problems with IDPA loads in my .40. Keith

You will like the Sevigny sights. I have the FO front. The sight picture is really crisp and fast. I use a CompTac paddle for my G34 and have no problems with the sights dragging. Keith

I make some of my guide rods from 1/4" dia stainless rod. The Wolf and ISMI springs fit fine. The stock Glock springs will not fit on a .250" guide rod. They require something close to 6mm but if I want a stock spring I just install a factory spring-guide rod assembly. Keith

Up until last May I got dealer pricing from Midway. Suddenly when I went to order I realized I no longer had it. After several e-mails and a few phone calls I was finally told that my business name which I've used for 25 years no longer met their requirements for a dealer discount. So now Brownells, Grafs, and a few others get what I was spending every year with Midway plus some. When I've compared what I spent for the same item with Midway against what I now pay with Grafs or Brownells I find the Midway prices even with the dealer discount were more. I've lost nothing with Midway and find no reason to go back. Keith

I have a Kimber Stainless Target II I shoot in IDPA that does well. Others I shoot with use STI Trojans and Brileys. 9mm 1911's can be a picky about magazines and ammo. Once you have magazines and ammo that run they are excellent. I use Metalform magazines with the spacer in the back with Wolf extra power mag springs. Others use the Springfield type magazines with the indentation in the front. When I was looking Wilson indicated they were developing a 9mm magazine. I was not getting a reliable slide lock until I installed the Wolf extra power springs. It helps if you handload ammo to have the option to adjust the overall length. Generally a little shorter works better. I understand Remington factory ammo is a little shorter than WWB. My gun with an empty magazine weighs in at just under the 43 oz weight limit for IDPA ESP so the recoil and muzzle flip are minimized. Keith

I tried N310, N320, Titegroup and AA2 for minor/IDPA ESP loads. I use N310 exclusively for 9mm loads but was unable to get any satisfactory results in 40. I landed on AA2 with Fed mag primers for the best SD over the chrono. Keith

I use the Sevigny competetion sights with a FO front for daylight and the TruGlo TFO for low light. Before I go the Sevigny's I was using Glock standard rears with HiViz front. I find the Sevigny's are easier to center the front sight in the notch quickly. Keith

I have a stock G34 and a G35 with a grip reduction. I swap slides between the two all the time with no problem. I change nothing other than the slide assembly. Never a hick-up. Keith

I've had generally good results with e-bay brass, however, I try to find someone who sells a good product and stick with them. I prefer the Buy it Now sales to stay out of bidding wars. I've seen some testosterone driven bidding on several items in the last five minutes. That said, I received 2000 cases last night from an e-bay purhase that are about 40% S&B, Military, and wrong caliber from a seller I had not previously used. I will e-mail the seller and try to work something out before I send negative feedback. I did this purchase in a hurry so didn't ask the right questions, however, the more experienced sellers know that most reloaders who buy brass don't want crimper primer pockets. I buy brass so I don't spend my range time picking brass up. Doesn't do much good to buy brass and then spend time sorting to get rid of the crimped primers. Keith

I've shot approx 10K of the Precison Delta 9mm 147's. Never had a problem. I didn't notice any more smoke than with other bullets. The usual time between order and delivery is usually just a few days. If they are temporarily out of stock they have called me to ask if it's OK that my order will take a few additional days. Good product and good customer service. Keith

I worked up some minor/IDPA ESP loads recently and found the primer selection can significantly affect the Standard of Deviation for a load. The table is results taken with my G35 with a Jarvis barrel. All of the loads were shot on the same day so there are no differences in temperature, etc. Everything was loaded on a Dillon 650. The Federal small pistol Mag primers generally delivered a lower SD. I also tried some Federal mag small rifle primers, however, they were less consistent than the either the Fed 100's or Fed 200's. I had never suspected the primer selection would make such a significant difference until I tried this. Keith Primer_Comparison.pdf

The other variable is the barrel. I found differences in performance between KKM, Jarvis and Glock. Keith

I don't get too excited about the manufacturer's spring rating. I'm more interested in comparing springs at specific compression lengths. Then when I need a lighter spring or a heavier spring I can select one. I test springs at two points - The installed length in the gun with the slide in battery and the length with the slide at full recoil. I've measured a few ISMI springs but don't remember the results. The Wolf springs I've measured have been for Glocks and at the recoil compressed length are close to their package marked rating. Keith

My 9mm Kimber has never stopped in approx 2000 rounds of 130PF loads with the factory springs. Since I've had no reason to change the springs I've never measured them to see what spring weight they are. Keith

I've shot 4000 rounds so far of the 9mm TC from Delta. Fast delivery and never a problem. The TC's in 9mm have a flat point. I like them because they allow a little more case volume for the same OAL. Keith

Some good ideas here. I'll add mine. I store recoil springs by threading them over a large drinking straw. Bend the ends over to retain the spring and write the gun and spring weight on the straw with a fine point Sharpie. This also helps keep the springs from getting tangled up in storage. Having an extra spring in my range bag has kept me in the game a few times. Keith