Radical Precision Designs

Sometimes your goals need to be switched around or delayed. Such is my present case. I will need to postpone my goal for this Diary. As some of you know, my recently started fight with cancer will unfortunately delay my ongoing quest for the M card. I do fully intend to come back to it as soon as I regain my energy and conditioning after the chemo/radiation treatments. It will be my goal to come back here and report my progress in this quest for the M card, which I intend to fulfill. Venry

I am not 100% sure which specific Heinie cut/sight you have on your Kimber ... But I have re-milled a few Kimber 1911's to accept the Bo-Mar LPA style (elevation screw within dovetail) adjustable sights. They are very similar to the regular BMCS style in bottom dimensions but do not require the slide to be drilled and tapped for the elevation screw. It appears that the dovetail size, position and rearward specifications are identical in the Heinie cut in the Kimber. You will need to move the cut forward to accomodate the longer base of the Bo-Mar style, and make a rear cut for the adjustable blade. But there will be no need for welding of the slide. Send your slide to a knowledgeable 'smith with the necessary equipment and savvy. You will get results.

Leo is giving away my "old" secrets ... But that is the way I used to build my earlier "replaceable baffles" conventional compensators. Here it goes. (I expect some royalties for this ) Start with a threaded bull barrel. Chuck in your lathe some good quality aluminum alloy round stock. Bore and thread to match the thread in your barrel "all the way through". Now chuck in your lathe some good quality steel rod (SS is ok) and bore to a diameter conmensurate with the bullet bore needed. Then thread the outside to match the bull barrel thread. Now comes the fun part. Cut a length equal to what you will need of the aluminum "sleeve". Make sure it threads well into your barrel, but don't leave the barrel in. Allow around 3/8" plus the length of the first chamber and insert/thread in the threaded steel tube/bore, after impregnating well with a high temp slow cure epoxy. After it sets, move the assembly (minus the barrel) into your milling machine. Now you can go and mill your chambers to suit you. You will have a nice light weight compensator with baffles that won't erode as easily as aluminum. It will need very little alignement if you kept your boring technique in check. Oh, yeah. Make sure you give me credit and call your compensators as built by the "Radical Precision" system.

Maybe a little bit of "light" can illuminate this subject a lot. Since Dean Makkos started importing/distributing the Docter red dot sights I started to get them from him for sale in my Shop. One day he told me about the business venture with Beven Grams and himself for the importation and selling of the SPS magazines. I was told by Dean that he would have available as "un-tuned" sets: the tubes, Grams basepads and spring follower kits. While they may or may have not being sold assembled or not, I was advised these were "un-tuned" tubes. Dean also advised me that should I wanted "ready to go TUNED" SPS magazines that I must get them directly from Beven Grams. Very likely the magazines mentioned above, and purchased from Dean Makkos directly were issued and sold as un-tuned sets. Perhaps the assumption was made that since they were obtained already assembled, that they were indeed "tuned" and ready to go. It brings back the story of a shooter buying all the necessary parts needed to put together a 1911 from various sources, and acquired with "for gunsmith fit" labels. Well, the shooter proceeded to put all the parts together inside a shoe box along with Kuhnhausen's book. After everything was inside the box neat and snug, the cover was put on and the box shaken very well for a few minutes. When the cover was removed, like magic a brand new 1911 materialized ... If you want a great SPS magazine, buy it from Beven Grams directly. If you bought it elsewhere and it was not identified as a Grams tuned mag, them you do not have a ground to expect that it will work as such. The mags I purchased from Dean were un-tuned, and while I would not compare myself to have the mag tuning skills of Beven, I did tune them myself successfully. But then again I am a professional in the field and I would not expect the average shooter to be able to do the same thing. There are a few SPS and Rescomp, etc. magazines of dubious or uncertified origins circulating about, brought in before Beven Grams had anything to do with SPS. While they could provide a ready, maybe inexpensive purchase, the buyer should be aware of the possibilities he is getting into. Otherwise, at the present some of the best working magazines available are indeed based on SPS tubes imported and sold by Beven Grams. If there are any questions concerning these magazine I am confident that he would handle the issue to a mutual satisfaction. It is indeed not a good idea to make "shotgun" statements aimed at the clouds in these forums.

It is indeed a sad day. I always looked forward to see his latest pet-peeve, or another picture of his "checkered" guns. To: Dave Sample a/ka/ Captain Eagle, from: Venry d'Aiguillon a/k/a Major C O Jones ... Rest in well deserved peace .

Josh- Since you obviously do not intend to go on full production manufacturing of these flat springs, but only intend to do a few ... try your handy "Dremel" tool. Clearly mark the area you intend to remove. A common felt tip marker will do. Place your your sear flat and firm in a small vise, exposing completely the area you want removed. Install in your Dremel (or other rotary tool) a small, very sharp "carbide" cutter. You can find them at some dental specialty shops or automotive performance tooling shops (used for shaping ports in engines). Use at slower speeds or at a speed where the cutter will "bite" best. Remove material slowly until the area marked has been removed. Turn the part around to do the other side, marked as before. Finish dressing the part with a small fine needle file, and you got it. Don't forget to reshape the leaf, as very possibly the clamping on the vise took away some of its previous shape.

In some firearm designs like Glock, the follower is an integral part of the ejection system. (especially in the Glock 20) in the 19/2011 it can be annoying. I'd much rather have a follower that sits lower and holds the cartridges closely to the same level at feeding. When there are more than one cartridge in the magazine they tend to lay flatter to the chamber. This is because the cartridge has contact lengthwise with the magazine lips, and it is supported from below in an equal manner by the cartridge below. On the last cartridge, it is only supported by the follower which has a completely different shape and area of support. The last cartridge may even feed easier as it may have a slightly higher angle (or it could "fountain" up) ... but as it is pulled out of the chamber, the follower (if it is sticking up too much) can give it an extra up-kick as it leaves the chamber. So far not a problem ... unless you do have an extractor with insuficient tension or hold/reach at the unlocking position. Two possible cures are to make sure your follower does not drag at all on the slide and lays parallel to the feed lips, and that your extractor is holding your brass solidly at the unlock position and holds it there until the ejector hits it. If you look at your brass carefully you will notice that the smaller portion of the twin indentation relates to the upper side during the jam. You will likely find a small dimple in the brass at the very outer part of the rim or a small scratch on the side where it "skipped" the ejector. The reason for this it is because very likely the brass was pushed out of engagement with the extractor before the ejector had a chance to kick out. It is also very likely that unless your extractor engagement is very weak, that you would not encounter the same situation if there wasn't a magazine inserted on the last shot fired. YMMV.

As I mentioned above: you need to watch out for the "domino effect" !!!! That normally means you need to analyze and "measure" your existing parts and see how they are machined by their manufacturers specs, and how they fit together. And, more importantly: check for actual clearances and limits. Very often you will find that when you insert the barrel into the slide (removed from the frame) and move it back and forth to lock/unlock, there is barely enough down movement to unlock. The downward travel could be severely limited by your slide rails (tunnel) cut ... never mind the frame (or any cuts in it). Look for "tell-tale" signs (lenghtwise scratches/marks) on the lower part of the barrel where it may touch the slide during unlock. Conversely, you could look for similar marks where the barrel (chamber area) may be contacting the frame, if it goes that far down. If none of those areas are "marked", then your barrel probably is being "limited" in its travel by the ramped foot. Longer (than original "factory" Colt specs) links, if needed can and will change your timing requirements, and require additional changes/fitting by a knowledgeable person/smith. Nowlin or Clark/Lissner ramp cut barrels can be adjusted, if needed the same way, although I wouldn't recommend doing so unless you are really good at it, or have access to a good "tig" welder to fix the screw-up. Some 'smiths prefer to alter/modify the frame. I'd much rather modify the barrel if needed, as it is the cheaper part to replace or repair. Whatever you decide, thread carefully, and ask yourself: "Do I really need it" ??? Then give your trusty, friendly 'smith a call and discuss it with him/"her". (???)

Interesting topic. One close to my ow R&D. The original "unramped" design does utilize the frame as a down stop, and the barrel's feet as a rear-ward stop, etc. Because of varying manufacturers tolerances and clearance cuts on the frame this allowed the fit to vary greatly. Sometimes the barrel would not clear at all unless material is/was removed from the frame. Now with the ramped barrels the point has become moot. Ramped barrels have the capability of both limiting the downward and rearward travel to suit the amount of clearance desired between barrel and slide. There are some disagreements among some 'smiths as to how much clearance is desirable. The main concern is that of extractor tension and engagement when the barrel drops and stops. If you have an extractor than can maintain both tension and engagement at the lower positions that can/could increase feeding ability ... Well, what do you think ????? I personally like to use "standard" sized "Colt" made barrel links. Should a longer link be needed, then I would need to re-configure the numbers and see if there is any "domino effect" created, and handle it.

I guess, since the "giant thread drift ..." it was inevitable that "my ears would be ringing"... Sometimes we get called to action before we are ready for it, or have set the time aside for it ... so it goes ... !!!! I did not intend for this Forum to become a "battleground" regarding a subject being followed in a different thread, and the "official paperwork not quite ready yet". As for the "Documentation" requirements, some are noted and verified right here in these forums: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...mp;#entry729552 This was posted by Mike Callaway, a "principal" at Schuemann Barrels, and can be made available in an "official" letter form. Brandon Strayer has also stated that he would make available another letter attesting to the fact that SV/Infinity has been making the complete guns available for sale to the public, and while a total number of 500 produced may not have been reached, they are indeed available as a completed gun. This would indicate that a ready source other than custom pistolsmiths (such as myself or Derek) is available for these guns. And I would not dare include either Schuemann Barrels or SV/Infinity as entities belonging in the "prototype" category as manufacturers. As for the 6" slides ? Well I don't believe that anyone will question that more than 500 have been made and documented. Should this matter be brought to some sort of arbitration in its "clarity" when it is "ofiffially" brought forth ??? I really do not know as that situation has not arrived yet ... and as John Amidon stated ... it has not been requested yet by anyone. You can not have a ruling to an "officially non existing" issue. Conjectures at this point are totally non-conducive or helpful . Asking John Amidon for a ruling on an unsubstantiated issue is ... like "duh" ??? And it will not help the progress being done on the subject elsewhere. Theories can be fun, but let's not use them as fact until unrefutably brought forth. I believe that the USPSA and John Amidon will be more receptive to the subject when properly addressed through the accepted channels. Time, is on our side on this one, and some patience is dictated, just like so many other items that have become standard in our Sport.

Yes, it is. That one is one of the "maxi" Hyper-Jet Comp System with the 6" barrel, using 4 hyper jet chambers. Most popular set-ups use the 5 1/2" inch barrels with 3 Hyper-Jet chambers. On Glocks, mostly 2 Hyper-Jet chambers are used. Of course, you still have the front "conventional chambers, usually only 2 plus a "bleeder" front chamber.

Does anyone have a pictures of Venry's Thumb Rest? I've heard them mentioned a few times but never seen one. Ok. Thank you for the interest and the PM's. You can contact me and most members here through the info under "Profile" after clicking into the username itself. You can access my website, e-mail, etc. there too. There have been a few guns posted here from various members displaying the "RPD" thumb-rests installed. I will post another photo. I can not say it is the "best" thumb rest, but it serves a purpose where desired ... IMHO.

What can I say ... that hasn't been thought of already ?? It was a great match ... one that taught you to be patient, or else !! Distances were deceptive to say the least. I expected it and zeroed at 25 yards. But what I did not expect was having to take them on the move, or take some time and finding a "planting" spot. Just like "Dirty Pool" I had a very "yooooogly" first day. The afternoon before I was horsing around with a friend (in the match's parking lot) showing me some of his "UFC" moves ... big mistake as it wrenched my artificial knee ... ouch, almost passed out from the pain. That will teach me not to horse around with an ex- cowboy/bull rider half my age and built like a truck. I spent the next day (first day of the match) limping about collecting too many mikes to recover. The next (last) day of the match I kind'a redeemed myself by slowing down and shooting much better, finally really having a great time with it. Our Squad #12 was great, with great shooters. It was fun watching Tammie and Cliff shooting, very supportive of each other. (Truly made me jealous !!!) Even "DP" came up and gave me a great tip when he saw my limping out of a box into a shooting position (during a "walk") and told me to try stepping out with my right foot (strong leg) instead of my aching left leg, and with a slightly longer stride... It worked !! DP is definately a great coach/teacher. By the end of the first day I was getting finally "zoned" in, and truly enjoyed the last two stages of the day (#6 & 7) which were considered the two toughest. Even when my "red dot" quit on me on the last two shots of the stage ... I took two shots to avoid an FTE, and I nailed one of them, even though it was a rather awkward angle. It's nice to have an idea where your gun is shooting even if you can not see the sights. It was a very challenging Match. A Match that challenged both your physical condition as well as your shooting abilities. It was great to have such great shooting companions in our Squad. Could not have selected any better companions. Oh, yeah. Lots of BEnos Forum members, in our squad and everywhere. Right on !!!!!!!!

Time for an update: I have been working at gathering some more info on this subject, and getting it going ... There are more 6" Sight Trackers presently at use in USPSA matches than meets the eye. (Although technically not legal !!!) Most are being used in Club matches or lowel level sanctioned matches. I even saw one recently being used at the U.S. Steel Shoot Championship as a Limited gun. (But I ain't naming no names ) I just ordered some more 6" Sight Tracker barrels from Schuemann ... and my own little/long gem is about ready to make its debut. Very soon, the paperwork to petition the 6" Sight Tracker version will be submitted to Amidon at USPSA... and the prospects look good with the present supporting data with it. It seems that the expected reception for this submission is not that critical at all, considering the on going use of 6" Limited guns.

...s'that you, Mike M. ? Welcome to the BEnos Forums. Hang around, you'll like it.

As much as I would have liked to be in the top 3 of the BEnos listing I wasn't there (maybe next year ) Don't know who it was, maybe when the results come out ?? Sorry, my bad !!! Some of you noticed I was feeling a bit under the weather and only shot one stage on Saturday. I was still recovering from the flu and physical exhaustion. Since they canceled shooting the rest of the day due to bad weather I was able to rest some and shoot (or attempt to ??) the whole thing on Sunday. I should have taken specific notes. I do remember Clint going up to the awards "pedestals", and confused it with Dave going there too for a different award.

Yes, Bob. What's going on ???? I have been shopping around for one of those STI "stainless steel" frames. Harder to find than teeth on a hen. Sometime ago I found a few stainless single stack frames cut in commander length and bought them all. Can't seem to find any of those long wide dust cover, or the "Socom" variety. I love to work with stainless steel ... so easy to refinish after any reworking.

Are you getting "half-moon" rings, or "full-moon rings ?? Any type of ring is usually created by it being shaved off the bullet as it passes over from the case into the rifling/bore, or the beginning of the throat. It is a by-product of the sharp corners of the finishing reamer used to make the chamber and throat. A good gunsmith can remedy this by "gently" touching that sharp shoulder with something like a similar diameter shaped "rotten-stone" in a slow speed rotary tool. (Another name for Dremmel or Foredom tools.)

Yes. It was an interesting, challenging match. You had to be on your toes for each shot. Many shooters relied too heavily in their "throw-aways". This Match was a huge success for BEnos Members shooting there. At least those that registered/declared as BEnos Forum Members. I am sure there were some shooters that regularly post here but chose not to mention it. Well, you may consider doing so next year. You have a lot to gain by it. At the awards presentation, recognition plaques were given to B.J. Norris, Phil Dedmon and 10mmDave for their overall placing in the Match. In addition, after the Prize Table run for the Match, (which every one got to pick from) we had a little (free) raffle for the "Special Prizes" reserved exclusively for the BEnos Shooters. Over $2000.00 in merchandise was randomly given away. The names of all 16 (declared/registered) BEnos members were put in a box and picked. Among the prizes there was a $500.00 discount Certificate on a new custom gun from Radical Precision Designs (yours truly!), a $350.00 discount Certificate on a custom gun from Millenium Custom (Derek Janowicz) a few Schuemann AET competition barrels, Aftec extractors, GT Target complete with stands, etc. Every BEnos shooter got something worthwhile. Next year there will be much more. It was very nice to put faces to many of the members here. I am sorry if I disappointed some of you by having lost some weight and not being as handsome as my "avatar"...

In another thread I posted the picture below. It shows both the full size and the "compact" size. The three basic calibers here are 9mm (19), .40 S&W (23) and .357Sig (32) which share the same frame size. The hardware (magwell, etc.) from the the bigger frame (17, 22, etc.) will fit with a little bit of coaching. But the magwell can push the hand up a little bit on folks having big mittens. Otherwise I refer to my "compact" framed Open Glocks as Open Glock 'Shortys'

John and I are looking forward to it (if I can kick this cold ). This will be my first ever Steel Challenge match (other than improvised club matches). I am looking forward to it. Unfortunately, there is rain/storms in the forecast for Friday and Saturday p.m. I will be seeing a lot of GT Targets (we bought a whole set of SC targets for our club) so we can have SC matches with official targets. Now, to figure out how to get the targets back here (I sold my truck today ). Jack, besides the possibility of rain ... what about the temperature ?? Should I bring my "parka", just my "thermals ... or my short sleeves and "bermudas" ?? "B.J." Thanks for the post of that link to your "Blog". Nice place for a narrative of the on-going action. Wish you good luck ! (which you probably don't need anyway, thank to your strenuous training ... ) Edited to note something "scary" ... Just noticed that this was my number "666" post. Not really that noticeable by itself. BUT ... I am BEnos Forum member # 6660 (Double triple 6 !!!)

Ok ! Have been busy working with/on guns ... making sure they hit those pesky "alphas". Or go "clang" hitting that steel. But it's time to go do some shooting of my own. The U.S. Steel National Steel Shoot started today. I have not have the time to check what's been happening yet, maybe some participant can chime in ??? But tomorrow I will be heading up north for the long ride to have some fun. I will be shooting on Saturday, dinging up some plates. Don't forget to check at the GTO Targets area, come over and meet some of your fellow BEnos Squad shooters. Remember we will be giving away the prizes there and drawing for some goodies. See y'all there ...

Anything is possible ... with the right "touch". If you do a search in "the gallery", you will find some pictures posted on a SVI/STI pistol I built for another forum member, (a neighbor of yours in Arizona) for multiple use in CCW, IDPA (9mm bushing barrel), and USPSA (40S&W bull barrel). Many slide's breech-faces are very close in dimensions between 40 S&W and 9 mm. (if you do not have an "IBF" slide from SVI). Most slides are initially machined with the "bushing notch cut" at the factory, as they are intended for both bushing or bull barrel use. Actually, since the bushing barrel preceded the bull barrel, this item was most likely retained from the original tooling at the manufacturer. Your conversion could be as simple as just fitting a new barrel. This must be done by a good gunsmith using a barrel with an oversize/unfitted breech/hood, to be custom fitted to the slightly larger 40 S&W top portion of the breech in the slide. A pre-fitted 9mm barrel would most likely be too loose in the breech face. Many 40 S&W and 9mm guns use similar dimensions ejectors. The 40 S&W extractor may work with the 9mm. Try it first, and if it doesn't, then replace it with a 9mm at the time you inter-change the barrels. You will also need new magazines in 9mm. While 40 S&W magazines can be tuned to work both, it is not the ideal choice. If you need more specifics, send me a PM.

DP ... FYI ... Just received the Heinie sights you drop-shipped... Yup ... the serrations do match the "40LPI" file I already have ...

I have been using and advocating the use of Aftec extractors since they came in the market several years ago. I love them. There are a couple of issues though, that need attention. As mentioned, it is very important to keep the extractor slide tunnel clean of "blow-by debris", and not using any lubricants as the lubricants will expedite the collection of debris. This accumulated debris will eventually cause malfunctions if not removed. If you are using a fast cycling Open or Limited gun, you may want to check for the problem described above. While it may only occur once every 500 shots, it can and will cost you that stage or the match. You can then have to deal with a customer that will blame it on the gun or gunsmith that built the gun. (LMAO ) This problem will crop up especially with unexperienced shooters that "break their wrists" as they shoot. The problem is that as the barrel pivots down to open the breech and extract, the rim will be positioned lower than its bore axis. The smaller the caliber the worse the condition, as many extractor tunnels may be cut to the same axis, but all share the same timing. In order for the extractor to work properly it must engage a substantial area of the case's rim in its lowest unlocked position and maintain sufficient tension there. This is a weak point for the Aftec, and many times as illustrated above "by the original Aftec designer", the extractor must be bent slightly out and downwards to correct it. The Aftec is hard to bend thusly, and personally I won't do it, as it will also (supposedly) void its warranty. I much rather send it to the manufacturer for correction, leaving it "untouched". (IMHO it is time for a slight "update" in the design.) Very often I have corrected the illustrated situation by just replacing the Aftec with a quality "factory" type extractor. I do greatly recommend the extractors made by SVI/Infinity. They are made from properly heat treated "bar stock" material and are caliber specific. Their main advantage is that they incorporate in their design an extractor claw that goes/reaches much lower than the average factory configuration for a firmer larger hold on the rim. The picture below shows an Ed Brown (factory style), an Aftec (center) and an SVI/Infinity on the right, for direct comparison. You can see that the Ed Brown (factory replacement) and the Aftec utilize a similar design and dimension of their head/claw, while the SVI/Infinity has a larger much lower reaching claw. All three extractor work great within their specifications and uses. But where you may need a higher movement ratio to rim size, the SVI/Infinity may have an edge. YMMV.