jkrispies

Oh, they're sitting on the loading bench. The loadbooks say the same thing as you guys, but as the son of a mechanic, I like to hear it confirmed from real people rather than engineers! Yeah, but somone else's load in your gun may not give the same results. That's a fairly dicey proposition with fast powders like TG. I'm talking about a real-world confirmation of the loadbooks before I load my first round, rather than depending on loadbooks alone, guys... jeez... Oh, they're sitting on the loading bench. The loadbooks say the same thing as you guys, but as the son of a mechanic, I like to hear it confirmed from real people rather than engineers! I have recently done some experimenting with both Titegroup and Clays. The load I settled on was 4.7 titegroup behind 230 gr FMJ. for about 172-174 PF. Clays was clean, soft recoiling, and accurate. My only complaint was the slide cycle was very slow and lazy. Titegroup was even more accurate, soft shooting and had a snappy lock time. Tls Real person and engineer. (Does that make me more or less credible?) It probably makes you a superior engineer! Interestingly, from all the reports I'm reading (yours included), the bullets are flying a decent amount slower than what the loadbooks are claiming. Hodgdon's says that 4.8 of TG is the max load and should be putting out a power factor of 188.

Oh, they're sitting on the loading bench. The loadbooks say the same thing as you guys, but as the son of a mechanic, I like to hear it confirmed from real people rather than engineers!

I can live with a little residue if that's the worst I have to worry about. The main reason I'm thinking of Titegroup is because I've got a crapload of it, and I figure that it'll be a good powder for my "good enough for now" practice load while I experiment with different components till I find the recipe the gun likes the most. BTW, I've also got a couple pounds of Red Dot that was given to me by a guy who got out of reloading. I have no idea how old it is, but it's most likely still good. Does anybody recommend that rather than Titegroup for a 230gr LRN? head up to the top of this page, hit 'search', and enter "230gr and lrn" (without the quotes) and enjoy the reading! later, Chuck Hey, that was the ticket! I don't know why I can never get the search functions to work right on these discussion sites. It's sounding like 4.5ish grains of TG is the ticket... although I might be best served to go buy a pound of straight Clays to do a side-by-side comparison. It would be seriously cool if the TG works out at that load, though, as I like to run my 9's a little fast (they're at 4.4grs of TG right now) and that would allow me to use the same powder and powder measure setting for both calibers! Woo-hoo!

I can live with a little residue if that's the worst I have to worry about. The main reason I'm thinking of Titegroup is because I've got a crapload of it, and I figure that it'll be a good powder for my "good enough for now" practice load while I experiment with different components till I find the recipe the gun likes the most. BTW, I've also got a couple pounds of Red Dot that was given to me by a guy who got out of reloading. I have no idea how old it is, but it's most likely still good. Does anybody recommend that rather than Titegroup for a 230gr LRN?

I've got 6 lbs of Titegroup, two thousand 230 grain Lead Round Nose bullets, and a brand new Kimber. Anybody care to save me some time by suggesting a recipe? Thanks, John

This is honestly the first time I've ever heard anybody say that. Usually it's the exact opposite. Are you talking about a single stack or double stack 1911? Single stack.

Xuxu, Go to the gunseller and if you can handle the G21 a little bit, as the grip is going to be bigger than what you're used to with the G17. Some people have a problem with this. If the G21 cures the problem, then maybe that's your ideal solution. I'm somewhat struggling with the same thing... a 1911 feels like a brick in my hand, whereas the Glock fits just perfectly. I think it's the combination of a fat grip with the arched backstrap that does it for me. What can I say? Big hands. Going Glock will ultimately limit your POSSIBLE ability to perfect accuracy and trigger break, but to me the feel of the gun in my hand is much more important to real-life accuracy than those other two factors. I'd really like to try an SV with an arched mainspring housing. If that doesn't fit my hand, then I think that I'll have to commit to the "Glock 4 Life" tattoo. J

Try some different ammo. I know that when I'm reloading, there can be some huge variances in accuracy based on nothing more than changes in overall length. I'm guessing that your barrel will respond to some good handloads vs. off-the-shelf cookie-cutter ammo. Definitely call Bar-Sto and find out what they fed it.

Here's some more gobbledy-goo I've learned about brain theory as an educator: Through rote training, thought process can actually be removed from the equation so that the physical action is purely mechanical, something like a reaction but in a more complex manner. This is true to the point that this "thought process" will take place in a different part of the brain: the brain stem (and sometimes even the spinal cord itself), rather than the more typical parts of the brain. In fact, "multi-tasking" is impossible in the purest sense as the brain can only truely process one thing at a time, but by relegating extremely common tasks (for instance, walking) to the brain stem, it frees up the brain to concentrate on other things as we simultaneously perform more mundane functions (hence, we can walk and figure out a puzzle at the same time). This can be true of very complex tasks, as well as simple ones. For instance... Think of times that you've been driving home after a late night at work. This is a job you've had for years and you've taken the same route every day throughout that stretch of time. You're super tired, you pull out of your usual parking spot at work, and you pull into your driveway, hit the garage door opener, and you have a "What the h*ll???" moment as you suddenly realize that you're home already and you can't remember driving there. Ever done that? In essence, you're brain checked out, and you just drove home based off of brain stem rote training given your years of driving that some route over and over again. Scary, but it happens. Anyway, relating that to shooting: if you've done a draw-and-fire so many times that it's one of these rote actions, it seems to me that it should be faster than if you are literally thinking about it. Why? Because the brainstem/spinal cord is physically closer to your hands/arms than your brain. That means less physical distance that the nerve pulses need to travel too perform the action, resulting in a faster time.

Shoot what ya got! The M9 will be perfectly fine, especially if you're already used to it. If you want to buy something else, maybe you should wait till after you've done a match or two so that you can see what else is out there and maybe pop a few rounds off from other people's guns.

Cool. BTW, I'm an English teacher (not that you could tell from some of my posts), and I'll be happy to offer an extra set of eyes if you guys would like some proofing help. John

Tinkanting, I'm curious if you've had a chance to group the gun and if you could share the results? Thanks, J

While I shall neither confirm nor deny possessing a Lee Pro 1000 in the configuration of which you speak... Make sure that you remove the ENTIRE priming system, including the little plastic doo-hicky that the brass hits as it travels between station one and station two. I think its purpose is to open a gateway that drops the primer into battery for seating. Since you won't be priming, this won't be necessary, but more importantly... if the case is charged when it hits this thing, it'll jiggle powder over the ridge of the brass and make a mess on top of screwing up the consistency of your powder from round to round. And DEFINITELY use the case collator. If I could figure out a way to hook up that $15 thing to a 550 I'd do it about two seconds.

Yeah, I was already aware of the placement rule, but I was thinking more in terms of construction. Looking at the SpeedComp design, it seems absolutely ingenious after you think about the way your hand drops down to your sides and the placement of the fingertip to bullettip... but there's not much on that pouch in terms of material covering the mags! The way the holster is governed regarding the coverage of the gun (or am I getting my IDPA vs. USPSA rules mixed up???), it seemed reasonable that the mag pouch would have to be similarly covered, but I guess not!

I checked out the website the other day for SpeedComp magazine pouches, and it said in their ad that it was designed specifically for Production level competition... but other than the 50mm rule, I'm not aware of any other restrictions. Maybe I need to be filled in? I know that there's a fair of amount governance on what is/isn't allowed for holsters, so it seems reasonable that there might be some limitations placed on mag pouches, too? Anybody care to offer some enlightenment? Thanks!

If you're a new shooter, then 9mm is the way to go. The ammunition is the least expensive of all the calibers, and the guns can be very accurate with little recoil. With "action shooting sports" they have different divisions with different gun requirements (to use the car racing analogy, both NASCAR and Indy cars involve car racing, but they use two different platforms) and a 9mm will limit you to the Production Division, but that's where you'll want to be as a beginner. If you want to get a gun that can potentially be used in more divisions in the future (Limited, Open, etc.), you might consider starting out with a .40, but ONLY AFTER YOU'VE SHOT ONE AND KNOW THAT YOU CAN HANDLE IT. Just about the worst thing for a new shooter to do is to try and handle a gun that's too big for him, as be'll either give up on the sport or start teaching himself bad habits (blinking, flinching, etc.) that may take years to unlearn. It's pretty hard to beat a Glock if you're looking for a high-quality gun for a relatively inexpensive price. They're also a breeze to shoot and can be easily modified if you choose to do so sometime down the road. Having said all of that, the best two pieces of advice have already been given to you in previous posts: 1) Check out http://www.uspsa.org/rules/production_list.php which lists the guns that are allowed in the Production Division, and then search the rest of the sight for rules, etc. 2) Print out that list and take it to a range that offers gun rentals. Shoot as many guns as you can and then use that knowledge to determine which gun to buy. If you don't have access to a gun range that does rentals, then at least take the list to a gunshop and hold the guns in your hand as if you're going to fire them-- very often the gun that feels the best in your hand is the one that you'll end up shooting the best. Just my $.02 J

Wingz, I'd recommend reloading to any shooter who is even close to considering getting into competition. Beyond the fact that it will save you money in the long run, it's the ONLY way you're going to get your gun to reach it's maximum potential. Having said that, after having gotten into reloading myself... I'd NEVER shoot somebody else's reloads in my gun, no matter how much I trusted them. If the reloading is done wrong, it can result in anything from an inaccurate bullet to a destroyed gun and possible injury. Until you learn how to do it yourself--because you can trust yourself to do it correctly--I'd recommend buying cheap factory ammo and start getting in the habit of saving the brass for when you get your own machine. Buy some quality reloading manuals (The ABCs of Reloading or Lyman's 48th Reloading Handbook are my suggestions, though Lee's Modern Reloading 2nd Edition is also good... as long as you don't buy into his shameless self-promotion of his products) and learn the process before going out and spending a bunch of money on equipment.

I've noticed (and I've learned a few others have to from a recent thread at Glocktalk) that a 550 generally runs the "first round" about .004" deeper than the others... basically until all four stations are full. This is true even with a Redding, as I have one as well and have noticed the same thing. My theory is that it takes all four stations being full to overcome the weight of the removable toolhead and lift it to seat fully in its lands; since the toolhead is sitting on the bottom of the rail (or more likely canting slightly) instead of maxing out on the top, you've got your .004" difference. Try running a dozen or so rounds through with all four stations in use, being careful to seperate out the first round or two for seperate measurements, and then measure "the long run" to see if it's more consistent... and then post for us again to tell me if I'm crazy or not, 'kay?

I tried using the RCBS 9mm dies with my old Lee Pro 1000 progressive and found the decapping die would hang up enough to become an annoyance. No problem with the other dies, though. Having said that, I'm currently using RCBS dies in my 550 to load .357 with no problem. If you already own the RCBS dies, give them a try. If they work for you, then they're excellent dies and feel free to stick with them. If you don't own dies yet, I'd recommend: 1. The EGW 9mm decap/resize die 2. Redding's Competition Seating Die (expensive, but worth it for 9mm, IMHO) 3. Any ol' taper crimp die that you can get cheap.

http://glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=&thr...t=&pagenumber=2 Ayoob mentions a little case law in his initial posting... maybe more later if you bother to read it. I think he's fairly open to PM's if you want more specifics. Now, no more from me on this matter...

Thank you Brian, guess it's one of those urban myths. A trainer told me that a prosecuting attorney would contend that you did not actually intend to shoot but that the gun went off due to it’s “hair trigger”, thus opening the door to other charges. John Similar apologies to the moderators if I'm guilty of prolonging a thread shift, but you guys might want to do a seach on Glocktalk. I didn't read it myselft, but I believe there was recently a long thread in which Masaad Ayoob discussed this matter at length with examples. Please read it tonight and provide me with a one page summary in the morning. 50 points.

That may be true, but it doesn't change the fact that the stock trigger is a disaster. I'd say to get the Sotelo (the price is right!) and be happy with what you end up with. I will say that when I originally ordered it I figured that I wouldn't trust a 2# trigger to self-defense, but now that I'm handling it, I'm okay with keeping it next to the bed once again.

Here's the link to the $.25 trigger job (http://www.alpharubicon.com/mrpoyz/glock/) but I'll tell you right now that a q-tip and some polish isn't going to do much for you. For what it's worth, I did this with a 3.5# connector and was pretty happy with it. I just installed a Sotelo kit, and at first I wasn't able to tell much of a difference, but as I'm getting used to it, I'm find the Sotelo kit to be a huge improvement. Of course, $15 dollars (polish + connector) vs. $65 may be the deciding point for you.

Try polishing it (a la the $.25 trigger job) but REALLY polish it --maybe with a cloth wheel on a dremel and flitz. If that still doesn't do it, try some SlideGlide lite in the works. Just make sure that you keep it out of the firing pin area. YMMV

Coming from a lefty... I shoot a Glock and wouldn't think of recommending anything else at this point. Aside from the fact that it's a great gun in MANY respects, since the safeties are internal (or in the trigger), this means that it all works for me without any effort on my part. The controls for mag release and slide lock are also manageable with the index finger; I haven't tried the mag release with the middle finger, but I can certainly see that as workable, especially if you built the habit up early. Years ago when I was investigating different guns, I did the rental thing at an indoor range, and one thing I noticed was the lack of brass bouncing off my forehead (or down the back of my shirt, or down the front of my shirt, or stuck on top of my safety glasses!) while shooting the Glock, which tends to eject more to the side than straight back, which would be over a righty's shoulder. Of course, this was back when I was shooting in a Weaver stance. Having switched to an isosceles, I don't think I've had that issue since. Regarding the mag release cutting into his finger, there's two solutions: 1) you're probably using the extended release from a G34/35, which can be very easily swapped out for the shorter release from the G17(ish) models (these are dirt cheap, btw, and legal to swap in production as long as they're made by Glock); 2) you can take a bit of sandpaper and sand the sharp edges off, which worked for me. The short version: get the standard sized release and sand it to comfort. Alternately, there's a fair amount of aftermarket releases available, but they won't be legal for production. Another option might be the new Smith and Wesson M&P. I haven't seen one or even heard of anybody shooting one yet, but from the ads it sounds like it's fully ambidextrous, and the swapable grips sounds cool as well. I think H&K's are also fully ambidextrous with some modifications. Maybe it's an urban myth, but I've also heard that if you contact Glock, they sell left handed models, but they have to be special ordered. I have no idea what would be entailed in this--or even why it would be worth the hassle--but if your friend is really into it, he can investigate the possibility.