jkrispies

I had laser eye surgery something like 12 years ago before it was FDA approved, so I had to get it done in Tijuana. Yep, yep, yep! I had both near-sightedness and astigmatism. Back at that time, they couldn't correct my astigmatism with the laser, so they put me under the knife a few weeks after zapping me. It MOSTLY corrected the astigmatism, but they've improved corrective eyes surgery a lot since then. I went from 20/200 (or maybe it was 20/400... whatever it was, I was legally blind without my glasses) to 20/35, which is good enough to pass the driving test without corrective lenses. Even so, the perfectionist side of me still has a pair of spectacles sitting on my nose. Despite my still wearing glasses, I'd highly recommend it. The thing that pushed me over the edge to get the surgery was the Northridge earthquake out here in California. It happened in early morning, the electricty went out so there were no lights, and my glasses literally flew from my beadstand across the room and disappeared on me. Not only was I going through a horrific natural disaster, but I was literally blinded in the process. That was totally not acceptable to me. As to whether or not it has helped my shooting... I was just checked out for a new set of prescription shooting glasses, and the doctor reported that my corrected vision was 20/15, and I was actually able to read half the letters on the 20/10 line. I can promise you that this wasn't possible before the surgery!

Dude, didn't anybody ever tell you that Glocks are supposed to be ugly? I gotta get me one of those...

I have to say that this forum is (almost) the only one worth perusing on the 'net, IMHO. The membership here is not only the most knowledgeable, but also the most gracious and well-mannered I've seen. As an educator, I can assure you that the climate of a classroom is directly related to the personality of the teacher who leads it; it can be either relaxed and full of shared knowledge or a screaming madhouse filled with bickering. The same thing applies here. Brian, without the awesome atmosphere established by you and all the moderators, this would be a very different place to visit. In your forums, I feel totally comfortable and welcome to learn. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!!!

Wow... they can't say that you were running too hot with that whopping 3 grains of TG! A split that long strikes me as being a defect in the metal.

For what it's worth... I didn't find this movie so much "anti-Semetic" as showing that both sides had their reasons... and despite the initial legitimacy of those reasons, ultimately both sides ended up on the darker side of morality. Personally, this is why I'd recommend the movie: it's not your typical Hollywood BS-fest that leaves the ticket-buyer feeling good about how safe and wonderful the world is. I don't know enough about the historical facts of the situation to comment on that, but I do like the moral ambiguity of the film, because that's reality.

Feel free to load up the rails with #3 as well. Personally, I use #3 on everything except for the trigger mechanism. A few weeks ago I did a rainy-day shoot (probably in the 40's somewhere: cold enough to numb my fingers so that I couldn't work the slide dissambly nubbins) and had no problems with the thick stuff freezing the gun up. I can definitely say that the gun cycles a lot smoother with that stuff in it.

Frankly, I think that's the best part about the Glock! My $.02 (from a G17 addict): 1. The tungsten guide rod is sorta like the magic wand for Glock balance... at least if you learned how to shoot with a fully lugged revolver. 2. Lose the sights. I'm in love with my Dawson's, but that's a matter of personal preference. On the other hand, if you can modify the stock sights to your taste, then more power to you. 3. Get some of Brian's "thick" slide glide and slather it up. (The goo is good.) 4. Don't be afraid to take some sandpaper to the trigger face and mag release (maybe this is more for lefties) to make it comfortable to shoot. 5. For spring weight, you're pretty good going one spring weight lighter than stock. 6. I swapped out the firing pin spring and didn't find the difference in trigger feel to be enough of an improvement to risk the chance of a failure to fire due to a light primer strike. As long as the firing pin channel is kept clean, it's no worry... but my preference is to shoot 'er rather than clean 'er. (Don't lube the firing pin, btw-- it'll gather gunk and lock up.) 7. Like the others mentioned, I'm not sure if the $.25 trigger job is all that effective, but I'd recommend it for no other reason than to familiarize yourself with the guts of the gun. That's never a bad idea, IMHO. That's all I'd really do, which isn't much. (A quick edit: I'm waiting for my RS trigger to arrive in the mail, but it still remains to be seen if it'll stay in! From all the raves it's getting, I'm guessing it will, though.) John

"Cheap" isn't the right word, but a place with good prices on quality bullets is www.shootersconnection.com. You might also check out www.precisionbullets.com. I've never used them myself, but I hear they're good bullets at close to lead prices, but without the mess. Raniers are cheap, plated, and some folks like 'em. I wasn't particularly impressed, though.

Chills, The EGW/U-die and Redding Competition Seater Die combo is an AWESOME route to go. If you want to save a little money, though, you might want to hold off on the Lee FCD and try your current crimp die out for awhile first. In my relatively limited experience, I've found that the only time my rounds won't chamber is when they're seated into the brass cockeyed. For that reason I've gone with Redding, which seats the bullets perfectly straight everytime. Frankly, I'm getting of the mind that an FCD is basically a band-aid that covers a mistake that shouldn't have been made in the first place, and the Redding prevents that mistake from happening. For the record, if I need to purchase a crimp die for a caliber that I don't already own, I'll most likely opt for the FCD... but I'm not currently bothering to purchase an FCD to replace a crimp die that's already sitting in my toolhead. At least that's been my experience so far, but maybe I'll change my mind in another week. Just my $.02, John

Jeremiah, If you're thinking of getting into reloading for no other reason than to save money on 9mm, then you'd be better off sticking with CCI and Winchester White Box (from Walmart). It's a decent round, and if you figure in the cost of purchasing new equipment, it's really hard to justify the cost and time involved for ONLY 9mm. Just to give you an idea of what I mean... if you were to buy 100 pieces of 9mm Winchester brass, it'll cost about $12, vs. about $14 for 100 loaded rounds of Winchester White box. It's almost like Winchester is throwing in the bullet for free, and you don't have to spend the time making the round... and if you're like me, you consider your time to be money. Then again, if you can get the brass for free, it'll start paying for itself a lot faster. Now, if you're not so much concerned with cost but just want a HIGHER QUALITY bullet, then order a Dillon from Brian right away! You'll not only be satisfied with the results, but once you start reloading for that .45 of yours, it'll pay for the equipment very quickly. Since I don't like to trust range left-overs, I'll personally buy WWB, convince myself that it's "free brass" after using it that first time, and then reload the hell out of it. 125 grain Zero JHP's over 4.2ish grains of Titegroup seems to be the magic load for 9mm and Glocks. It's also a relatively inexpensive load if you're planning to use jacketed bullets exclusively. PM me if you'd like to know the cheaper places to get the powder and bullets, as I'll have to check my records back at home, probably tomorrow night... John Hey John, I think you got the wrong idea. I'm already a reloader, and my stuff is all paid for by the amount of 45's I have chucked out! I can load 9mm for $3.97 per box. (that's at wholesale prices and paying $10 per K for brass) Do you know of somewhere else that I could work up a minor load cheaper? Well, in that case... who's the hook up with your brass, dude? I need some!

Jeremiah, If you're thinking of getting into reloading for no other reason than to save money on 9mm, then you'd be better off sticking with CCI and Winchester White Box (from Walmart). It's a decent round, and if you figure in the cost of purchasing new equipment, it's really hard to justify the cost and time involved for ONLY 9mm. Just to give you an idea of what I mean... if you were to buy 100 pieces of 9mm Winchester brass, it'll cost about $12, vs. about $14 for 100 loaded rounds of Winchester White box. It's almost like Winchester is throwing in the bullet for free, and you don't have to spend the time making the round... and if you're like me, you consider your time to be money. Then again, if you can get the brass for free, it'll start paying for itself a lot faster. Now, if you're not so much concerned with cost but just want a HIGHER QUALITY bullet, then order a Dillon from Brian right away! You'll not only be satisfied with the results, but once you start reloading for that .45 of yours, it'll pay for the equipment very quickly. Since I don't like to trust range left-overs, I'll personally buy WWB, convince myself that it's "free brass" after using it that first time, and then reload the hell out of it. 125 grain Zero JHP's over 4.2ish grains of Titegroup seems to be the magic load for 9mm and Glocks. It's also a relatively inexpensive load if you're planning to use jacketed bullets exclusively. PM me if you'd like to know the cheaper places to get the powder and bullets, as I'll have to check my records back at home, probably tomorrow night... John

Yeah-- the paranoid live longer, right?

Hey, dv8 (love your name, btw), not to argue (I'm not, really! ) but... I think it's a little different with that light of a trigger. Aside from not having your finger on the trigger till ready to blow the target up, I'm also thinking along the lines of stumbling over something, falling, and the gun being jarred enough that the trigger is allowed to fall. Kinda along the lines of walking through the woods with a hunting rifle, dropping it, and having it go off (from either the jar or getting caught on something on the way down) because the trigger is light and ready to go. I know that Glock has the little lock thingy in the trigger blade that's supposed to prevent the trigger from falling, but I can also say that since I went to the 3.5 pound spring, that little lock doesn't engage 100% of the time. Plus, if I happen to place my finger on the trigger, setting it back (as I may be wont to do once or twice while investigatin a bump in the night), it won't return to full engagement afterwards unless I physically pull it out. Maybe my gun is just weird that way, but I bet that if folks really paid attention to their Glock triggers, more than a few would see the same thing in theirs. To each his own and all, but I can say that for me I'm paranoid enough that I'd just prefer not to chance it. Just my $.02, John

Why is that? Are the 2# kits unreliable? I have a G17 that I compete with. It currently has a 3.5 trigger (probably closer to a 4# since I've left the stock firing pin spring in) and find that it's WORLDS better than stock... and I just ordered a Stileto 2# kit this weekend. I want something that's less "mushy," which is supposed to be the case with the Stileto kit. Having said that, I've pretty much decided that the G17 (with it's two extra mags and 52 bullets in total) will no longer be my next-to-the-bed gun, but rather my good ol' six round revolver. Why? I don't want to get too "happy on the trigger" when something goes bump in the night. Two pounds is just way too light when you could potentially be pointing it at a good guy (wife, kid, senile old woman who found your door unlocked) and you're already jumpy for perhaps the wrong reason... or you're tripping over the wife's shoes that she kicked off in the middle of the now dark hallway. A heavier trigger is simply another safety. BTW, Jeremiah, once you buy a Glock, you'll discover that the absolute best thing about the gun is that you can tinker with it to your heart's content and never have to worry about taking it to a gunsmith. Ever. Parts like the triggers are pretty much interchangeable throughout all the guns (although bigger guns like the 10mm's can be a bit "non-standard") and it's EASY to figure out on your own. Sites like www.topglock.com have schematics and instructions that are a snap to follow. Just buy a 3.5# connector (they're dirt cheap) and spend an hour or so polishing all the trigger parts (this is free), and you'll have a competition ready trigger that will serve you perfectly well in carry mode.

Given your parameters--which sounds like a carry gun for essentially 365 days a year, and a competition gun for 4--I'd opt for the G19 with its more compact grip. As far as sight radius goes, you're only talking about losing a half inch versus the G17, and if you decide to eventually upgrade the sights to an adjustable set that hangs back farther on the slide (such as Bomar or Dawson), you'll end up making most of that up. Just my opinion... John

You guys can get trigger bars that are flat and smooth on the face instead of the serrated ones. Ive got several myself. To tell you the truth, Im so focused on the sight and everything else when shooting, I dont even feel the lines/serrations on the trigger face. I guess I'm the freak, since I swapped out the smooth faced trigger on my G17 for a serrated G35 trigger. To each his own, I guess...

My father-in-law has taught me that there's no higher compliment than to point at something and scream out at the top of your lungs, "Hey, that's tits!" I bestow that honor upon this link: http://www.burkettvideo.com/flashfiles/dryfiredraw.html. I'm still boiling for a real timer, but I think this site is a great suggestion-- thanks again Catfish... and Matt Burkett, too!

I didn't know about it, but I'll check it out! It won't do me much good at the range, but I'm sure it'll work well for the short term till I get my choice of a "real one" figured out. Thanks for the tip!

I just checked on the cost of the skyscreens-- $70. OUCH! Those alone cost more than the chrony that I have on order.

Actually, the avitar is a WWII pinup by Alberto Vargas. I collect 'em. It's basically my way of getting hot chicks up on my office wall while still being able to pass it off as "vintage art." I can see the confusion with the avitar choice, though. Maybe I should change it to the General Lee jumping a giant football or something...

Sorry, not a girl-- just play one in my avitar! Just to be clear, is there a chronograph physically built into the timer, or does it attach to a unit that you have to buy seperately? (I couldn't 100% tell from the link.) I actually have a chronograph on order, which I could probably cancel at this point. If I could just combine the two, the cost would probably balance out...

I'm looking to purchase my first timer. Obviously it's going to go to the range, but it's going to get most of its use during dry fire time in the living room at home. I'm guessing that for range work they're all going to work since this is the job they're specifically designed to do. But what about dry fire exercises? Is any one model better suited for dry fire practice than another? If so, some explanations and advice are highly appreciated! (FWIW, the Competition Electronics Pocket Pro Timer is in my price range--cheap!--but the PACT Club Timer III is not that much more expensive. Having read some of the complaints about PACT's customer service, however... I'm a little leary about going that route. Any comments about these two particular models would be highly appreciated.) Thanks, J

Agreed, but much like a drop of honey in some cough syrup, a little sandpaper and a few minutes time will make it all better... without removing a safety. I've done the same thing with the sharp edges on the magazine release. Gotta watch the manicure on that trigger finger, y'know.

Thanks for all the help, guys! I'm keeping my eye out for a cheap/used 002 or 003. Until then, I was able to pick up a $20 duty holster to tide me over, but I'm hopeful that this will only be a short-term holster before retiring it to the back-up pile.

+1 on a 75' tape measure... and a recently added squib rod. I don't need to ask.